NOVEL NEXT Chapter 78
I let the troops from New Lordaeron go back to relaxing, while I tried to figure out how to handle this mess.
I called the Probes to build a table and chairs for the eight of us that were left. Which almost caused another incident.
"Beware, My Lord! They reek of Xenos' rot!" The Guardsmen rushed to do what they saw as their duty. Protecting me.
Mr. Wick twitched, he was about to reflexively shoot the grey clad men rushing to "save" me. He stepped closer to me to keep them back. Watchmaster 26's rifle snapped up to aim at him.
Raynor's rifle came up for the first time in this encounter and he moved closer to my side, aiming at the newcomers. Watchmaster 5 countered by training his weapon on Raynor.
Marshal 999 aimed his pistol at the Probes, while edging nearer to me.
The Probes themselves beeped, "Hostiles? Engage?" My head, my poor aching head.
You know what, fuck this.
"STOP!" I bellowed loud enough everyone took a step back. There was a snap of golden light mixed with my mana as I lost my shit for a moment. The energy released was both like lightning and an aura. The air crackled for a few seconds.
Okay, that was new. Caught everyone's undivided attention as well. Let's use that.
"They are my allies, and help me in my tasks. Leave them be." I glared at the Guardsmen, who flinched back. Fear of disappointing me, I could feel it flowing into me from the golden link that had connected us earlier. It felt not unlike I had beaten a loyal dog. Horrible feeling. Even the Preacher's unwavering righteousness stuttered in the face of my irritation. Though his heart was full of vanity. How did I know that?
Only the Magos was unaffected, though his attention was mostly on the Probes. He pushed something at them and they responded in a similar fashion. Then I could feel his excitement. Oh, I saw where this was going, let's nip that in the bud.
"No, you may not disassemble them for study. I'll show you the forges and robotic facilities later."
I read his startlement from the air it seemed, "Apologies. This one was lost in the idea of new technology." I got a jolt of disapproval from the priest.
It was getting difficult to keep track of whose feeling where whose. Great, another problem for the pile, as if I didn't have enough to go around.
The Probes assembled the table and chairs and then returned to their previous work.
"Look, I am sure all of this is very different from where you where from. I understand that very well, as this is not my version of Earth either. To help us all get on the same page, why don't you fill me in on the general course of life in the Empire back home and your places in it."
Hours pasted as they explained life in the Imperium of Man. We took a break and ate some high quality rations, I didn't think Buck A Slice would be a good prank here and now. Humor seems to have large died out in their time, unless it was darker than pitch. They were quite confused by the food, but seemed to enjoy it as much as people like them could enjoy anything.
Not only were they from a different universe but a time far into the future, the 41st millennium if I understood it correctly. They filled me in on both a general history and their own lives and experiences. Their time was a Hellish Warscape where mankind was beset on all side by enemies I could scarcely imagine. The "Necrons" and "Tyranids" were particulaly terrifying to me.
I would pray, if I could, that no such beings waited out in the dark of this universe's reaches.
After I got enough of an idea of who they were, for one day, I laid out what life was like for people in Night City and on this version of Earth in general. There was a lot of misunderstandings that were going to have to be corrected as time went on. However, I think I at the very least got them to accept that things were very different here and their usual methods might not be the in the best interest of my cause. It only took a few hours.
"It is like the start of a Grand Crusade for the soul of Holy Terra itself!" The Preacher maybe didn't get it. Fervor flooded our connection.
"We will grind all foes into dust. For your honor, Emperor!" Marshall 999 might be a lost cause as well. The Watchmasters seemed eager to slaughter any who opposed me. If I understood them all properly they were Kriegsmen and even amongst the people of the dour Imperium they were seen as grim. Joy. Great, I guess I just wasted my breath, trying to explain things to them. Water off a duck's back.
"So many new machines to study! This one needs to make a new servitor skull, perhaps this will help to allow interface with this version of the Noosphere. The Machine spirits here are quite strange, but this one detects no Heretek." Okay. It was a horrid realization that the almost soulless seeming man-machine was the one that seemed the easiest to get along with. Does that say more about me, or them. It's "mechadendrites" twitched about, appearing to be more "alive" than the body to which they were attached.
You know what, I'm going to see what the Command Bunker, as they labeled it, had to offer me.
As I place my hand upon it, my BTC shook.
[ Adjusting... ]
[ Command Bunker has been added to the Great Tree Network.
Options:
Choose Class
Raise Level
Summon Servitor
Summon Tech-Priest (Random)
Summon Krieg Infantry Squad ]
What the hell is a Servitor? Are they like Probes. I queued one up as well as a squad of infantry. Wow, hours for the Servitor and a few days for the squad. I wasn't going to wait around for this though we had already spent enough time here. I just wanted to take Raynor and Mr. Wick to hunt some Gangoons and then go home for a while.
Might as well see what Class I was offered.
[ Voice of the God Emperor of Mankind
+2 to to all stats
You are the embodiment of the nascent God of another reality. Wield Faith to bring about a Glorious Future.
Starting Abilities: Divine Wrath, Blessings of Mankind ]
[ Daemon Prince of Hope
+5 to Intelligence
+5 to Cool
-5 to Spirit
You bring Hope to the troubled masses, but is it real? What is Hope anyway? Hehehehehehehehehehehe!
Starting Abilities: Daemon Form, Eldritch Blast ]
[ Lord of the End
+5 to Body
+5 to Will
-5 to Spirit
You follow nature. It is the nature of all things to die. Bring them all to their proper rest.
Starting Abilities: Rest, Peace ]
What the... Nope, not going to think about it. Too much fuckery going on here. Too much bullshit I don't have a clue about.
I took the only one it made sense to choose. Fuck my life.
How many ways can I get railroaded today?