Warhammer : The last hope of the 30th millennium

Chapter 6: He is Watching You

Just as he finished speaking, Iron Father Sabik Wayland walked in from outside the room.

"I heard some noise and detected a high-energy reaction. What happened?"

Wayland held a bolter in his hand, and an electronic voice came from his helmet.

"It's nothing, just a small problem," Bucky replied, not saying much, using the excuse that it was just a minor issue.

"We can help. The Astartes are the most experienced warriors, and that's what you lack."

Wayland's voice was full of confidence, making everyone feel secure. He continued walking forward, his power armor making heavy footsteps against the ground.

Nykona Sharrowkyn raised his head, his black eyes fixed on Wayland's steps. Something felt off—Wayland's footsteps were... too heavy.

Although an Astartes' ceramite power armor was indeed heavy, they were trained to move silently when necessary. They could approach their enemies undetected and carry out assassinations if the mission required it.

Wayland kept getting closer, reaching out with his steel prosthetic limb toward Bucky.

Bucky looked at Wayland with suspicion and instinctively stepped back.

Nykona, standing beside him, had already taken a shadow step, instantly drawing the power sword from behind his back.

The decomposition force field activated as the sword swung, crackling with energy as it intercepted the Iron Hand's path.

"Nykona! What are you doing? I saved you on Isstvan V, and this is how you repay me?" Wayland shouted at him.

"You are not Wayland!"

Nykona's response was a ruthless slash. The power sword, wrapped in an energy field, sliced through Wayland's arm effortlessly.

Metal shattered, and built-in cables sparked with electricity and leaked oil. Wayland's face was full of disbelief, as if he had just seen a long-hidden traitor.

Nykona's sword made a loop in the air and struck from another angle, this time aiming directly for Wayland's head.

"Don't do it, Nykona!" Even Bucky thought Sharrowkyn was too aggressive and tried to stop him.

But as the power sword pierced into Wayland's electronic eye, a sudden explosion of blue-purple light distorted his form. His appearance twisted and changed into a four-limbed monster wearing a dark blue robe, its face completely hidden.

The creature held a Trickster's Staff in one hand and conjured pale magical flames in the other. The flames leaped onto the staff, blocking Nykona's power sword.

"What the hell is this thing?!"

Bucky was stunned as he watched a towering Astartes warrior morph into a monstrous entity, moving with unnatural speed.

The arc launcher controlled by the ship's intelligent computer melted under the creature's scorching flames. Yet, several arcs still pierced its robe—normally enough to incinerate organic matter—but the creature showed no signs of slowing down.

Nykona and Thassa stood in front of Bucky, one at his front and the other at his back. The two power swords of the Raven Guard flashed, weaving a rain of sword shadows. The decomposition force field tore through the enemy's robes, severing one of its arms in a blink.

"It's one of those damn things from the Word Bearers! Those demons from the Warp!"

Nykona immediately connected the creature in front of him with the horrors summoned by the Word Bearers during the battle on Isstvan V.

Possessed warriors—Astartes whose bodies had been overtaken by Warp entities—gained immense strength, speed, and resilience, often overwhelming their former comrades with sheer power. But many of them had been cut down by Corax, the Primarch of the Raven Guard, during the battle.

The Salamander warrior Thassa raised his power hammer high, bringing it down with earth-shattering force. His relentless assault, combined with Nykona's precise swordplay, kept the enemy pinned.

The power sword and power hammer complemented each other perfectly—one swift and lethal, the other slow but unstoppable. The battlefield bond forged between the two warriors on Isstvan was displayed in full force.

The cornered Warp creature emitted a mind-warping sound, unsettling even the most disciplined warriors. It realized it was entangled with two formidable Astartes—this would not do. It had a mission.

The creature shrieked and unleashed Warpfire—flames unlike anything in the material universe, capable of burning souls rather than flesh.

The force of the attack distorted the air itself, and the crackling decomposition field of Thassa's power hammer was tainted by the unnatural fire. Suddenly, a mechanical wail sounded from the hammer—the machine spirit within was in agony.

Feeling the pain of his weapon's spirit, Thassa's scarlet eyes locked onto the enemy, refusing to back down.

Nykona remained emotionless, his focus purely on the fight. He slashed, again and again, his sword shadows cutting deeper and deeper. Under his relentless assault, the Warp creature—known as the Changeling—was finally reduced to shreds.

But as its body collapsed into nothingness, an eerie whisper echoed in Bucky's ears:

"He is watching you."

A manic laugh followed, and then the creature's remains burst into cold, heatless flames, turning to ash in mere moments.

"We didn't kill it—it escaped," Nykona muttered.

"At least we were here with you," Thassa said, lowering his warhammer. Though he was a Salamander Apothecary, he was still an Astartes, forged for war.

"Did you hear anything just now?" Bucky asked in confusion.

But Nykona and the others shook their heads.

"Those were demons from the Warp. We saw their power on Isstvan V."

"Thank you. If not for you, I'd be in serious trouble," Bucky admitted, still shaken.

"I've heard that some travelers who venture through the Warp claim that demons lurk outside the Geller Field. The overly curious ones who respond to their whispers… disappear."

Though he wasn't sure what the demon intended to do to him, he felt a primal terror in his soul—a deep, unsettling dread.

One mistake, one voice, one message, one look. That was all it took.

Although Bucky was an immortal, he had not encountered many supernatural events firsthand. He knew other immortals existed, but he had never met them.

He was not unique. However, according to rumors, most other immortals were psykers, capable of manipulating psychic energy that resembled magic. Bucky, on the other hand, was an entirely ordinary human.

Aside from his long lifespan and vast experience, he had nothing in common with the others of his kind.

The riot aboard the starship soon subsided.

But when the real Sabik Wayland learned that a Warp demon had impersonated him, he was furious. He immediately ordered his warriors to remain on high alert.

"This is blasphemy against the sons of Ferrus!"

Bucky had learned a valuable lesson. He finally understood why the Emperor had created Astartes warriors.

Melee weapons like power swords proved far more effective against Warp demons than advanced arc weapons. Perhaps it was because human myths had long associated demons with fire and swords, giving these weapons a greater mystical power.

After the harrowing encounter, the Red Alert finally resumed its journey.

Four standard Terran days passed before the Warp voyage came to an end.

"Attention all ships, prepare for re-entry into realspace!"

A flash of distortion rippled through reality, and suddenly, the chaotic ocean of the Warp was gone.

Before them lay a stable, ordered star system.

And at its heart—a thriving, vibrant world.