Chapter 1871 Shadow Ghost Warband
Khosatus, an important agricultural world in the Grief Galaxy.
But unlike the highly specialized agricultural world dominated by the Mechanicus, Khasatus also functions as part of the garden world. It maintains a large number of pastoral small agricultural lands and noble manors. , it is just homesteaders who use simple machinery to farm. On the one hand, it is used by some hive nobles to "experience" life. On the other hand, it is used as a retirement place for some retired officers who do not want to return to the hive city.
Therefore, although there is a city in Khasatus, it is not a three-dimensional city like a nest city, but a flat city closer to the classical style. The city is not only clean and tidy, but also has very complete public services, transportation, and architecture. Most of them are dominated by antique brick buildings and various castle towers. The commercial streets are decorated with a large number of neon lights, and the suburbs are covered with large lush forests and dotted with farmland, windmills and grasslands.
To be lucky enough to be born in such a world, in a sense, one has surpassed 99% of the people in the Empire.
But on this day, the tranquility of this world was broken.
The terrible midnight has arrived!
A strange warship suddenly appeared near Khasatus. It did not jump through the warp, which would be detected by the Imperial Navy's monitoring station. In fact, it was disguised with a shadowy sorcery. himself.
Like a cunning predator, it avoided all possible places of the naval patrol, slicing through the curtain like a serrated knife.
The hull of this cruiser is blue, but so dark that it is almost black, without any trace of decoration or loyalty, only a pale skull with blood-colored lightning lines on it.
In some ways, it's almost a physical shadow, like its crew.
Alvarez looked out of the observation window at the world waiting to be harvested not far away. The flickering holographic report covered his dim features in the network of light and shadow, but his eyes were not It turned into a black sphere, while watching intently, while mentally assessing the prospects of this harvest.
The harvest of the previous world filled their decks. Those slaves were harvests that they might not have gained even if they had been wandering for several years in other places, but it was easy here.
The Maelstrom is a great place, but it is a pity that it is occupied by weaklings like the Red Pirates.
"Master, the night ritual is ready."
The words hissed with a discordant echo, and Alvarez frowned and turned to the thing lingering beside the command throne on the bridge, a Chaos Sorcerer who had made the sound.
A huge shadow sits on the throne. No one can see clearly what is inside, but the fear and cruelty it brings envelopes everyone on the bridge, including those who occasionally squat high. The mutated raptor licked its claws as if it had completely degenerated into a beast.
Alvarez is a new blood and the only "normal" person in the war gang at present. Therefore, he is responsible for most of the daily work, organization and logistics. His master and brothers only Intoxicated with killing.
It probably won’t be long before he becomes just like them.
Looking around, this place is more like a slaughterhouse than a bridge. Hundreds of skinned corpses were pierced by iron hooks through the shoulders and hung from the ceiling with chains. They were all women. , because their eyelids were cut off to make their pale, bloodshot eyes protrude outwards. Each of them is still alive, and their intermittent moans of pain constitute a strange noise. The parts of their chests have been violently removed.
His master was once attacked by the Pseudo-Emperor Sisters and was almost banished back to the subspace. From then on, the monster particularly hated women.
The excised parts of women were placed on the tray next to its throne, like bloody desserts. From time to time, they were rolled into the invisible mouth by long tongues protruding from the shadows, and in a burst of He laughed happily while chewing.
Alvarez had only begun serving a century ago, and he had always looked at it as an outsider, but it still made him sick and reminded him of things he had done before he became the Night Lord. Things
He likes to read some of the remaining classics and stories of the former legions. He is deeply attracted by the heroic figures described in the desperate expeditions. They teach them what fear is and how they face the invincible crowds across the battlefield. The Crow Prince, the Night Bat Council that decided the fate of the former Legion
Although it could not be called unity at that time, their lives at least had one goal, instead of just being like a pile of debris in the vastness like now. Floating freely in the Milky Way.
The Red Pirates are certainly weak, but at least they know what they are going to do. Alvarez could not imagine an alternative to becoming a raptor caught in the same warp madness as his brother.
Although his master claimed the inheritance of the Eighth Legion, its behavior told everyone that it had long been a member of the warp, and the dark shadow completely obscured its form, it also lacks anything that could be recognized as human.
For example, souls...
"Those pathetic Death Watch thought this was a trap."
A mocking voice sounded from the shadows.
“But this will be their own trap.”
Alvarez’s attention has returned to the holographic screen. After a while, the wizard beside his master drifted away, Then shadows spread across the bridge.
"Let the hunt begin!"
Soon, as sorcerers' rituals and vast amounts of blood were consecrated to the Warp, shadows from the invisible realm began to spread across the skies of Khasatus.
The astropaths screamed and fainted, muttering nonsense about claws and blood. The planet's communications were cut off. No one knew what happened, but the poor guards on the planet were quickly mobilized and concentrated on the city. .
Midnight falls when the stars are completely blocked.
Alvarez had now left the bridge and was in an assault bay, with his armored brother, and he could feel the ship's unease, in every nuance of the flight Read its emotions: the erratic pulse of the thrusters, the lethargy of the stabilizers, even the flicker of the lights.
The ancient machine spirit is restless, as it is every time they hunt, it's A wary beast, but Alvarez has confidence in it.
Yes, Alvarez is not only a Night Lord, he is also a technical sergeant. As the only technical sergeant in this warband, his predecessor was still an apprentice after his predecessor was killed in a maintenance accident. He took over this responsibility.
But Alvarez knew very well that his mentor's death was not an accident, but a murder, caused by a master who had grown distrustful of his mentor.
It is a fickle creature. When it thinks something may threaten itself, killing will ensue.
Alvarez took over this position, which meant that he was not too far away from death. At least he could no longer stay on the ship and had to follow the rest of the war gang to fight on the ground.
In the dim assault cabin, Alvarez’s eyes were hidden under his helmet. The mechanical arm on the power backpack was gently swinging back and forth, making final adjustments. The warband had three Thunderhawks, but unfortunately one of them The aircraft was temporarily unavailable due to improper use, and the remaining two aircraft could not carry everyone, so the higher-status one took the Thunderhawk, and the lower-status one took the assault module.
This is a rare and fair moment for the warband.
(End of this chapter)