Chapter 86: Soul Drinker Exclusive Titan
With the enthusiastic gifts from the Iron Hands, the Soul Drinkers Legion received an abundance of heavy vehicles and weapon systems. Even Francis couldn't help but marvel at the sight.
"From now on, I can tell others that I watched a legion grow from four thousand soldiers!"
Perhaps too excited, Francis overheard mention of something called the "Key to Hell" from the Iron Hands.
It supposedly contained dark technology capable of resurrecting the dead, even those cut in half with only their upper body remaining, riddled with holes, or with half their brain destroyed. As long as the body wasn't completely decomposed, it could be transformed into various heretical, technologically assembled, mentally controlled legions.
'So Ferrus had been hiding such dangerous technology; this wasn't safe at all.' Francis felt it was necessary to help his brother "safeguard" it.
He looked around at the gifts, but noticed no one had sent a Titan. Francis felt a bit disappointed; for a legion not even to have a Titan seemed rather shabby.
Just as Francis was about to visit the Restorationist Cult to "borrow" some Titans, he suddenly remembered the Adeptus Mechanicus had given him xenos materials that might hold a pleasant surprise.
Francis retrieved a massive specimen container. Its shell was forged from an unknown alloy, emitting a faint metallic sheen and bearing traces of Warp energy corrosion. The four sides were embedded with mesh-like obsidian windows, allowing only vague glimpses of the contents within.
"Praise the Omnissiah!"
"..."
The unboxing password was somewhat embarrassing, though Francis wondered how the Mechanicus could recite it with such a straight face.
Hiss~
Accompanied by billowing mist, the xenos specimen container opened. Various bizarre organic materials sat preserved in jars, some still twitching. Clearly very fresh.
One jar containing gray liquid caught Francis's attention; it had no label, only a place of origin: Drukhari.
He unscrewed the lid. A putrid, unpleasant smell wafted out.
Gulp gulp~
The texture was like yogurt, gritty and viscous, accompanied by tiny hard particles that reminded Francis of roasted pig eyes he'd eaten in his past life. It had a juicy quality; though it smelled rotten, it tasted savory and fresh with a hint of seafood.
Francis licked his lips contentedly as genetic information flooded his brain.
[Eyeball Monster]
[Born on Drukhari]
[Psychic mind control]
[Killed by the combined efforts of Horus, Mortarion, and the Khan.]
His reflection in the mirror rapidly changed. His body swelled to over ten meters as he floated into the air, transforming into a massive eye surrounded by writhing tentacles.
"Holy crap! This appearance..."
He could see through countless layers of metal, his vision reaching outside the laboratory. The giant eye glowed crimson, and thousands of demons fighting in the distance instantly froze in place, as if consciousness had abandoned them.
This effect was even more potent than an Enslaver...
Francis touched his eyelid with a tentacle, then looked in another direction. "Silent Sisters!"
He didn't know what to expect until he looked and was startled to find their resting quarters. Just as Francis was about to look away, a Silent Sister walked out.
Instantly...
"Ah! My eyes!"
Bang!
Francis's eye corner burst, blood oozing out. "Hiss~ Can't even look at them!"
He quickly reverted to his original form.
Just as Francis prepared to continue experimenting, Leman Russ approached, gripping the Spear of Russ tightly, his expression uneasy.
"Francis, do you still have growth serum? Give me two tons."
Francis blinked in disbelief. He couldn't believe Russ had actually said that.
"What? Did you say two tons?"
"Do you even hear yourself?"
Leman Russ looked somewhat embarrassed. "I just want to challenge Horus to a duel. I saw that your potions work very well for treating injuries on the battlefield."
Francis stared at him. "Listen to me....don't go challenge him to a duel. You're not trying to save our brother this way."
"Two tons of growth serum? Fine, I'll find a way to prepare it for you. But listen to me, don't be impulsive!"
"We have numbers now, we have the high ground. As soon as Horus appears, we all jump him together and drag his back to terra."
Francis patted Russ's shoulder. If he remembered correctly, Leman Russ's spear strike was what pushed Horus completely over the edge...
"He betrayed the Imperium," Russ growled, tapping the ground with his spear. "My duty is to cleanse traitors. I will kill him with the Spear of Russ!"
"Yeah, yeah, you said the same thing when you fought Angron last time. Then you got beaten up, and if I hadn't held you back, Angron would have crushed one of your balls."
Francis waved dismissively, adding another jab.
Russ fell silent.
"I've seen a future where if you act alone, Horus dies permanently. You don't want your own brother to die completely, do you?"
Francis continued, and Leman Russ's face darkened. If his brother died because of him, the pain would be unbearable.
"Alright then..." Leman Russ sighed and walked away dejectedly.
Just then, Perturabo suddenly darted out from the side. "When are we breaking away?"
"That old geezer is making me build fortifications non-stop again!"
Francis sighed. "Wait until I get back from the Webway. I'll grab a few people and return. Once the Horus situation is resolved, we'll get started."
Hearing mention of the Webway, Perturabo's interest sharpened.
"Me too! Take me with you! How can you leave me out of something this good?"
"Can you transform into a Dark Eldar?" Francis asked.
"No."
"Then why are you talking nonsense! I can't take you. If you want to go, ask the Emperor. If he says yes, then I'll say yes."
Perturabo's expression soured. Ask the Emperor? Ridiculous! He'd rather die than ask the Emperor for anything.
As Perturabo fumed, he watched Francis retrieve another jar from the specimen box. Francis picked up a container holding what appeared to be a toad's leg and fell into contemplation.
"Catachan Barking Toad... If I eat this, I'll probably die..."
"What's that?" Perturabo leaned closer.
Francis smiled innocently. "Want to try a Catachan Barking Toad?"
Hearing the name, Perturabo's face went pale, and he shrieked, "Is that the Catachan Barking Toad that releases toxins capable of killing and liquefying anything within a one-kilometer radius, including itself?"
Francis nodded excitedly.
Perturabo quickly retreated to the laboratory door. "If you want to kill me, just say so! How can that thing be eaten?!"
"The toxins are incredibly potent; even respirators and sealed power armor can't protect against them. They're considered the most toxic creatures in the galaxy!"
"This is no joke!"
"Hehe, let me show you something interesting. Wait at the door."
Francis already had an idea forming.
"Catachan Barking Toad, Catachan Devil, Eyeball Monster, Ork, and Vespid genes fused together, plus gene supplements, mutation factors, targeted fusion, and also..."
He placed the materials into a large vat and stirred constantly, then suddenly remembered something. He cut a piece from a white fleshy mass and threw it in.
After a week of continuous gene editing, Francis placed a large lump of black flesh on the ground. Everyone nearby gathered to watch.
Perturabo frowned. "This is what you call a treasure?"
"Don't rush it. Let it develop for a while."
The flesh expanded continuously, growing until it reached over twenty meters before finally stopping. Then it began to take shape: a massive vertical eye emerged from the mass, surrounded by countless octopus-like tentacles.
Black, hardened bone armor and blade-like growths formed along the tentacles. Its lower body extended into a huge tail tipped with a sharp scorpion-like stinger.
The Soul Drinkers watched in shock. What was their Primarch doing again?
As they stared in disbelief, a slit opened on the creature's back, revealing what looked like a constantly writhing, fleshy cockpit.
"No way!" They swallowed hard, hardly daring to believe it.
Francis calmly climbed inside and closed the hatch.
BOOM!
After a moment of distortion, the one-eyed giant beast moved and spoke with Francis's voice.
"Ahem~ From now on, we also have our own exclusive Titan! How about calling this thing Soul Drinker Number One?"
The Soul Drinkers below stared blankly at the scene. Seeing their lack of reaction, Francis asked Perturabo, "How is it? Pretty cool, right?"
Perturabo "...."
At that moment, he felt that sealing Francis away earlier had been absolutely the right decision.
Passing warriors wanted to open fire, but thankfully Perturabo stopped them, and they reached the battlefield without further incident.
Upon arrival:
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"Such an evil-looking creature!"
"Blood God! There's a daemon here!"
"Ahhh~ My body is melting!"
Countless daemons watched in horror as a monstrously huge abomination spewed venom at them. Any creature touched by the toxin dissolved into a puddle of liquefied flesh, including the monster's own limbs.
However, the thing Francis piloted possessed Ork genes, so the lost tentacles immediately regenerated. Countless streams of venom shot from the suckers, leaving nothing alive within a one-kilometer radius.
Even attempts to flee proved futile. Francis controlled the giant eye, instantly immobilizing thousands of daemons who could only watch themselves melt while screaming in agony.
"AHHHHHHH!"
When some daemons managed to approach, their attacks clanged uselessly against the bone armor, generating bright sparks. Soul Drinker Number One retaliated with bone blades, chopping them into pieces. A casual sweep of its tail annihilated countless more.
Warriors from other legions watched in stunned silence. Even the well-informed Adeptus Mechanicus couldn't identify what this thing was.
This wasn't in any STC template!
Leman Russ and Guilliman simply stared.
When they first spotted the creature, they'd assumed some xenos had invaded Terra until it spoke with Francis's voice.
"Yo~ This is my newly developed biological Titan. Pretty cool, right?"
They could only pray their father wouldn't emerge and witness Francis's creation.
[End of Chapter]