Chapter 180: The Trinity of Rot
"Do not fear, little guest. Death is merely the soil for a new beginning. Once you are reborn, you will understand. Join the family. Become a child of the Father."
The Antler-Fiend chuckled as it stepped forward, the wooden blade held steady, its tip aimed at Kian's throat.
But suddenly, the creature staggered. The human head on its chest contorted, its face pulling into a mask of pure, concentrated hatred. "Liar! You're a lying demon! Death is the end! It isn't a gift, it's a cold, dark void! You tricked me!!"
The monster froze in place, its limbs twitching as the two minds fought for control of the nervous system.
Kian Voss, gasping for air as the psychic pressure eased, realized he had been handed a tactical window. His Mental Clarity (40) kicked into overdrive, pulling up every scrap of Warp-lore he had ever read.
In the 41st Millennium, the God Nurgle—the Plaguefather—was represented by a specific sigil: three overlapping circles. These circles formed a cycle of existence: Birth, Decay, and Death.
Looking at the monster, Kian saw the manifestation of that trinity.
The rusted bell—the Cry of the Newborn—represented Birth.
The aura of rust and entropy represented Decay.
The wooden sword—the sting of the grave—represented Death.
Kian looked past the monster, his tactical light sweeping the massive plasteel surface of the Primary Well. There, carved into the metal like a weeping ulcer, was a massive circular rune. It pulsed with a sick green light, surrounded by a web of fleshy, vein-like roots that dug deep into the Hive's machinery.
The Trinity, Kian thought. That's the anchor.
He didn't waste time with a second thought. He hoisted the 30mm Bolt-launcher and centered the sights on the fleshy rune.
THOOM. THOOM.
Two rocket-propelled shells shrieked across the bay and slammed into the center of the sigil.
BOOM.
The explosive charges tore the fleshy mass from the plasteel. A sound of psychic agony, like a thousand horses screaming in a fire, filled the room.
The Antler-Fiend let out a shriek that nearly shattered Kian's visor. The antlers on the monster's head began to liquefy, melting into a slurry of black ichor that hissed as it hit the floor.
Simultaneously, the Halo of Decay vanished. Kian saw the orange rust on the floor-plates stop spreading. The "Entropy Field" was down.
Conclusion: The rune he had just destroyed represented Decay. Without it, the monster's passive protection was gone.
"I can hit you now, you ugly bastard!" Kian roared.
He raised his Heavy-Barrel Lasgun, dialed it to the absolute maximum setting, and held the trigger down. A stream of ruby light raked the monster, triggering a chain of thermal explosions across its torso. The kinetic force was so great it literally bisected the creature, the upper half of the Fiend spinning through the air.
"Confirmed kill!" Kian cheered.
But the celebration lasted only a second.
The piles of shredded meat on the floor began to vibrate. Fleshy tentacles erupted from the severed waist, reaching out for the upper torso. With a wet, rhythmic slurp, the monster began to pull itself back together. Within seconds, it was standing again, the blackened craters in its skin knitting together as if the damage had never happened.
Kian's sweat turned cold. The Power of Rebirth.
As long as that specific power remained active, the monster had infinite health. It was a "Regen-Hacker" in the form of a demon.
Around him, Egghead and Ash finally scrambled to their feet, their bird-masks cracked but their eyes clear.
"Sergeant! It's still standing!" Egghead shrieked. "How do we kill it?!"
"THE RUNES!" Kian bellowed over the sound of the monster's laughter. "Egghead! Take the left flank! Ash! Take the right!
"There are two more circular sigils carved into that central pillar! This well is three kilometers wide—you have to run the perimeter! Find those fleshy meat-piles and hit them with everything you have! If you don't break the cycle, we're all going to be turned into fertilizer!!"
The two Corporals didn't hesitate. They saw Kian's resolve and felt the desperate logic of the situation.
"Voss Guard! Split! Move, move, move!!"
As the squad fanned out to run the long curve of the Great Well, the Antler-Fiend realized the "guests" were trying to break its anchors.
The monster raised its head and let out a bellowing roar. "CHILDREN! PROTECT THE HARVEST! REPEL THE UNCLEAN!!"
From the shadows of the machinery and the dark corners of the staging bay, a horde of Poxwalkers began to emerge. Hundreds of them, hidden in the "Fog of War," now swarmed toward the two retreating squads.
Kian stayed in the center, acting as the "Boss Tank." He leveled his Lasgun and blew the monster's chest open again, buying his men precious seconds.
The meat began to squirm and heal once more. Kian grabbed a fragmentation grenade, pulled the pin, and tossed it into the pile of regenerating limbs.
BOOM.
"Keep running, beauties!" Kian voxed to the squads. "I'll keep the 'Dad' busy! You go kill the 'Grandfather'!!"
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