Chapter 287: Flesh-Worms and Aether-Zerglings
In the depths of Commorragh.
Burns and the other survivors had been living here for nearly two years. He desperately missed the sunlight and food of Agathos. Although their lives were no longer as dangerous as when they had first arrived, the environment still oppressed his spirit to the breaking point. The light of Commorragh's captive suns did not reach the lower levels. Outside the artificial lights of their sanctuary, the undercity was an endless, oppressive darkness.
The human settlement had grown larger over the past two years. From time to time, more human survivors were rescued. The sanctuary's population had now reached over 20,000, several times what it had been when they first arrived.
Burns got up and walked to a nearby wall, picking some faintly glowing mushrooms. These were the only vegetables the human survivors could get. The rising population meant the demand for food was higher than ever, but at least the humans here no longer needed to eat the xenos corpses that the Dark Eldar discarded into the depths.
Still, the food was definitely not what you would call good.
He looked down at the special cuts of meat in his bowl, which had been fried just right. In the kitchen area further away, survivors were lining up to receive their rations.
To provide enough food for the growing human population, Abathur had used his abilities to alter a batch of Zerglings, stripping away all the genes that could harm humans, turning them into a species of "Flesh-Worm" with no combat capability. Although the meat still contained trace toxins, in the face of survival, this was no longer a problem. It provided the human body with the vast amount of nutrients it needed. The power of the Swarm had converted biomass into something humans could eat.
Yet, thinking about what this food looked like when it was alive, Burns still felt his stomach churn.
But not everyone was as unable to accept it as Burns. For most people, as long as they were alive, what they ate was not important. Not to mention, these meat patties actually tasted pretty good.
"Uncle Burns, why aren't you eating?"
Looking at the fifteen-year-old girl beside him, Burns stroked her head and placed one of his meat patties into her bowl. Looking at her reminded him of his own daughter, who was about the same age.
This girl, Stella, had been rescued just two months ago from one of the Haemonculus labs. She was even a naturally awakened psyker. Although her psychic abilities had no offensive power, her perception was exceptionally keen. It was precisely because of her psyker status that she had been given to the Haemonculi as an experiment. It had to be said, Stella's luck was good. Otherwise, who knows what kind of torture she would have endured.
Thinking of Lord Lucan's promise—that if he undertook this mission, his daughter would be allowed to enter the Dynasty's best Loyalist Academy and his family would receive the best care—a smile couldn't help but cross Burns's face. As long as his daughter graduated, she could become an official of the Dynasty. At least she wouldn't have to fight on the battlefield like him. He just didn't know how she had been doing these past two years.
The newly rescued human slaves were the only way these survivors could learn about the outside world. Civilians from various worlds, and even a good number of Astra Militarum soldiers, had told them about the great changes happening in the Imperium. When the survivors from the Dynasty heard about the victory at Cadia, the return of the Primarchs, and their own Rogue Trader becoming a High Lord, they were all incredibly excited. Listening to the stories of the newcomers, they all wished they could be fighting for humanity alongside their Lord.
This information also made the survivors from other factions in the sanctuary look at the Dynasty soldiers with a newfound respect. Gaspar, in particular—the one who had given them directions at the very beginning—was now infinitely more attentive to Burns. What if they really did get a chance to get out? Kissing up to a powerful connection now was a no-brainer.
"Stella, eat up. You need to eat well to grow strong."
But Stella forked the meat patty and put it back in Burns's bowl.
"Thank you, Uncle Burns, but I know you don't like eating this. I just don't get it. How can you still not like something this good? On my world, some of the mutant creatures we found looked way more disgusting than these bugs, but every time we found one, we would celebrate for days. A full belly is more important than anything!"
"That's because you've never had really good food," Burns said wistfully. "A perfectly fried Grox-steak, fragrant mushroom soup, and white bread as soft as a cloud. Fresh vegetables and fruits that drip with juice. If we ever get a chance to leave this place, Uncle will treat you to all of it."
Stella just looked at him blankly. She had no concept of the things he was describing. Her whole life, she had only heard of such things, never seen them.
"You're always talking about this 'Mongorte Dynasty.' How could such a place exist in this world? Even the noble lords on our planet couldn't possibly eat like that." With that, she began to wolf down the meat in her bowl.
"It's real," Burns insisted. "At your age, in the Dynasty, you'd still be in school, learning. You wouldn't need to be going through any of this."
Just as Burns was about to continue describing the wonders of the Dynasty to Stella, the SCV that was parked in the square suddenly began to move on its own. This sudden change made everyone in the camp nervous. The SCV was so important to the humans here that it was kept next to a statue of the Emperor, and people prayed daily that it would never break down.
"Burns! Burns, come quick! The machine is moving!"
Lucan had only given Burns permission to use it. Normally, it would only activate when Burns was operating it to repair something. Aside from the first time it had activated on its own to rescue them from the slaver's pen when they arrived, it had never moved by itself since. Recalling that first autonomous action that had saved them all, Burns immediately dropped his food and ran over. He had a feeling something big was about to happen.
A large crowd had already gathered around the SCV. The sanctuary's guards, clad in powersuits, began to disperse the crowd, forming a perimeter. The SCV was too important for anyone to be careless.
The SCV swiveled its chassis, scanning the surroundings as if looking for someone. When Burns pushed through the crowd and stood before it, the SCV seemed to have found its target. It began to use the drill on its mechanical arm to carve a line of High Gothic into the ground before him.
"BURNS. GLAD YOU'RE ALIVE. THIS IS LUCAN, YOUR ROGUE TRADER. I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU. WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO RESCUE YOU. TELL THE ASTARTES AND ALL SURVIVORS HERE, I AM COMING TO HELP YOU ESCAPE COMMORRAGH. ALL FORCES PREPARE FOR BATTLE. GO FIND ABATHUR. HE WILL TELL YOU THE NEXT STEP. HOLD ON. AWAIT THE DYNASTY'S ARRIVAL. THE DYNASTY WILL REPAY THE DARK ELDAR FOR THE HARM THEY HAVE DONE TO YOU."
Burns muttered the words on the ground as he read them, his face a mask of shock. He felt the sudden urge to cry. The importance of belonging to a reliable faction was never clearer than at this moment. Lucan's operation against Commorragh surely wasn't just for them, but Burns knew he was just an insignificant officer in the Dynasty. And yet, his great Rogue Trader still remembered him and was even willing to declare war on this den of daemons for their sake. If Lucan asked him to commit suicide right now, he would do it without hesitation.
After reading the message, Burns immediately took out his knife and scraped the words from the ground, destroying them. He glanced around warily at the humans surrounding them. When others asked what had happened, Burns just said it was an SCV malfunction.
It was true. Their Rogue Trader had been controlling the SCV from the beginning. And their Lord had not forgotten them! He was coming to save them!
With his new orders, Burns didn't dare to delay. He immediately went to find the Salamander, Argus. Argus was in the middle of planning the next raid on a slaver-post with the other two Astartes survivors. They all turned to look as Burns burst in.
"Burns, what happened? Why are you in such a state? Did a Dark Eldar hunting party find us?"
"No, Lord Argus! Lord Lucan is coming to save us!"
"Save us?! This is Commorragh!"
"Of course I know this is Commorragh! But you heard what those rescued Imperial soldiers said. Lord Lucan is a man who creates miracles! If he says he's coming, he's coming! Quick! Come with me to find Abathur!"
Burns told Argus everything that had just happened. Argus was even more skeptical. From across the galaxy, their Lord could control that machine? Was this not just some Dark Eldar plot to lure them all out and kill them? The only way to verify it now was to find Abathur.
However, before the two of them even reached the camp's exit, two Zerglings ignored the physical barrier, phased their bodies, and passed directly through the camp's thick walls, appearing before them. The guards and patrols outside didn't try to stop them; they knew these Zerg were on their side.
Seeing these two special Zerglings, Burns and Argus knew that everything that had just happened must be real. Abathur had proactively sent the Zerglings to escort them.
These two were a product of Abathur's modifications. They had consumed a special kind of beast: an Aether-Hound. This beast originated from the warp, but no one knew if it had been modified by the Haemonculi. The Dark Eldar did not classify it as a warp daemon. It was one of the few warp creatures that existed in Commorragh and was a common sight in the fighting arenas. These creatures could phase-shift through solid matter, and this special gene had been harvested by Abathur and injected into a portion of the Zergling strain. This created a new variant: the Aether-Zergling.
Although they couldn't attack while phased, it made them far more agile and stealthy, making them an unpredictable new terror. It was impossible to know where these Zerglings would strike from in the complex terrain of the undercity. Furthermore, their claws and teeth were now imbued with a special energy, allowing them to inflict more effective damage on warp-based creatures. Although these Zerglings cost more biomass to create, they were worth it.
Upon seeing Argus and Burns, the two Zerglings shifted back to their physical forms and crouched before them, as if inviting them to ride. Burns and Argus skillfully climbed onto the Zerglings' backs. Down here, with no vehicles, the Zerglings had become the primary mode of transport for the humans.
There was a special reason the Zerglings had come to fetch them. Not even Burns or the three Astartes here knew Abathur's true hiding place. This was a precaution, born from the fear that there might be traitors among the rescued slaves. The previous Dark Eldar assault on Abathur had been the work of humans who had secretly turned. Unlike those who worshipped Chaos, who often bore the physical marks of warp corruption, humans who served the Dark Eldar showed no outward signs of abnormality.
They had disguised themselves as loyal Imperial soldiers and infiltrated the human sanctuary. One of them had even worn the uniform of an Imperial Commissar. He had given stirring speeches about loyalty to the Imperium and had even claimed to be a hardened warrior who had fought the Dark Eldar to the last before being captured. His acting, it had to be said, was outstanding, and he had fooled everyone in the sanctuary.
The Dark Eldar's successful raid on Abathur had been the result of this man feeding them intelligence. But the Dark Eldar had underestimated Abathur's power, and they had failed. The traitor, thinking he had succeeded, had exposed himself. Under excruciating torture, he revealed the truth. He was just a coward who feared death. The Commissar's uniform he wore was real, and the stories he told were true, but they all belonged to the uniform's original owner. He had merely been the Commissar's aide. When they were attacked by the Dark Eldar, he had ambushed and killed his own Commissar, which earned him the "mercy" of the Dark Eldar. He was brought to Commorragh specifically to trick survivors in the undercity and send them to the fighting arenas. Any human who could survive in the depths was a decent warrior.
The incident had sown suspicion throughout the sanctuary. They had even begun to abandon their rescue missions. Burns and the others had no way to identify potential traitors in their midst. Both of them were certain that there were still traitors in the sanctuary, but they couldn't confirm who.
As they left the camp, the surrounding world still looked relatively normal. But as they continued onward, it was as if they had entered a different world. The shattered ground below them revealed a strange, shimmering void that pulsed with multicolored light. One wrong step meant certain death. And on the ground and the surrounding walls, endless Creep covered every surface, turning the landscape into a world of dark purple flesh.
Abathur had not allowed his Creep to spread into the human sanctuary, instead creating an isolation zone for them. Otherwise, even with the Hive Mind's control, the Creep would autonomously absorb everything usable around it, and humans would not have been able to survive on its surface.
Defensive spine-crawlers writhed from the Creep, attacking any enemy that drew near. The ground was also covered in pulsating green blisters. These bile-green creep tumors were like fixed Banelings. Any creature that stepped on them would be dissolved by corrosive acid. Even when Argus and the others led raids against the Dark Eldar, they needed a Zerg escort to pass through safely. These blisters and the countless tentacles had become a nightmare for any Dark Eldar who tried to enter.
There were no longer any signs of other xenos activity in this area of the undercity. The other xenos survivors who had once hidden in the depths, just like the humans, had long since been exterminated by the Zerg advance. Even the native creatures of the undercity and the various mutants that had escaped the Haemonculi labs were gone. All these creatures had been essential biomass for the early development of Abathur's swarm.
This area of the undercity, once so incredibly dangerous, was now completely safe for humans.
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