The warriors of the Fourth Chapter stationed at the entrance saw countless humanoid creatures crawling on the ground.
In the icy snow, they wore no clothing, only thick hair covering their bodies.
They no longer bore any human traits; so had claws extending several tens of centiters, others had protruding fangs like vicious beasts…
The commander guarding the entrance, a "Gravedigger", shouted loudly:
"Degenerate mutant scum, open fire!"
The Shadows of Order raised their bolters, unleashing a storm of rounds at the mutants.
With thunderous blasts, the mutants were blown apart into pieces.
Inside the ruins, the Spirit dium reported to the Primarch:
"Father, the foolish mutants have been repelled."
"But deeper within this ruin, there are undead creatures. With the void shield disabled, they forced their way in."
Nareth imdiately recalled what these were. When Ferrus Manus excavated underground ruins, he encountered such corpse-like beings.
They were half-flesh, half-machine monstrosities that plundered machinery from within the ruins.
Together with Adams and Arsena, he rushed deeper inside, leaving behind machine constructs as they pressed forward.
The Primarch would not allow his spoils to be stolen. Sprinting at full speed, he quickly left the two behind and reached the depths within monts.
There, dozens of strange creatures were lumbering toward him.
So had bare upper bodies but spider-like lower halves.
So had drill- or chainsaw-arms, with stiff, rotting heads that exhaled cold air.
…
The shambling half-flesh, half-tal corpses staggered forward, charging Nareth.
The Primarch drew the Sword of Vaul and plunged into their midst, slashing with blue-white light that cut down monster after monster.
He pushed deeper into the mountain and saw waves of half-chanical corpses surging toward him.
Adams was the second to arrive. He activated the Eye of Death, peering at the undead from a higher perception.
He dashed into the horde, swinging his energy blade into their hearts, their power cores.
The disintegration field shredded their cores. The "Spirit dium" then struck down another, decapitating its frozen, rotten head with his blade.
Arsena arrived last. He raised his staff with his right hand, runes of a fire-dragon glowing.
A blazing fire dragon engulfed more than a dozen undead.
The silver-haired psyker lifted his left hand, releasing a Destructive Vortex that dragged a towering knight-like undead ch into a rift.
After Nareth and his allies purged the half-machine undead, he ordered the "Archaeologist" to lead techmarines in excavating and dismantling the relic machinery.
The Death Lord oversaw defense. Nareth instructed Arsena and Gyrinx John to stay behind, taking only Black Wolf Freddy toward the xeno ruins.
Soon, the mountain holding the xeno ruins ca into Nareth's view. He slowed his pace, eyes deep as he gazed at the peak, activating Warp Insight.
Monts later, his eyes returned to normal.
'The power inside has nothing to do with the Warp.'
Yet his psychic vision could not reach five kiloters ahead to the mountain. Extending his consciousness might trigger unforeseen changes.
He looked around; no magma lakes, no landmarks nad after dusa.
'Indeed, if it were obvious, Ferrus Manus would have found it already.'
Seeing nothing unusual, Nareth pressed onward.
Climbing the mountain, he noticed nothing strange from the outside, not even black snow.
But he sensed sothing off: the mountain was a few degrees warr than the others, even the bare ones without snow.
And the deeper he went, the warr it beca.
Sweat dripped occasionally from Freddy.
Nareth reached the heart of the mountain. A great bronze gate stood open, black marble corridors scattered with golden fragnts, sharp claws, broken talons, all once part of golden chanical eagles.
He stopped at the gate, sweat dripping, and thought:
'The black marble holds no special energy, not blackstone.'
'But no mutant traces are here. If they had been, madness would have left marks.'
'So, did the heat alone keep them away?'
Stepping inside, he saw rock walls shining with tallic luster, like giant mirrors.
After about a kiloter, the passage widened into a circular platform.
Stone pedestals stood there, most once holding golden chanical eagles, but only one remained at the center.
"So hot…" Freddy muttered, sweat pooling beneath him after standing only monts.
Nareth judged the temperature to be near forty degrees.
He scanned the surroundings, tallic rock walls circled the platform, as if the entire ruin existed only to store the golden eagles.
Then he studied the platform beneath his feet, and his pupils contracted.
Runes were carved into the surface. All had a common trait: drawn with red, threadlike material, and all fla-related.
Torch shapes, fla sprays like from a flar…
Nareth's mind raced, dismantling and morizing them all.
He approached the central eagle, nearly ten ters tall, wings outstretched as if ready to take flight.
Touching it, he felt its surface nearly a hundred degrees hot.
Black eyes glead. On the eagle, the sa red runes were etched, matching those on the ground.
The ground runes ford the shape of a spread-winged eagle.
He realized: scaled down, they aligned perfectly with those on the eagle.
Bending his knees, he leapt, tapping runes one by one across the eagle's body.
Monts later, all runes lit up.
The golden eagle burst into radiant gold and fiery red light.
The platform shook. Slowly, the eagle rose, revealing a spiral passage downward.
Nareth thought:
'So, the tech-priests must have discovered this link between eagle and runes, which is why they didn't take it away.'
'But sothing forced their research to stop, perhaps an enemy attack.'
'The parts they replicated were taken by foes and spread to dusan clans.'
He turned his gaze downward. Heat surged from below, as if the passage led to the planet's core.
Even with warp-sight and psychic vision, he found nothing.
So he descended.
The spiral widened as he went. Platforms appeared with golden eagles, growing in size with each level.
By the tenth layer, he felt tremors below. Sothing powerful was struggling.
Sweat dripped down his brow as he gripped the Sword of Vaul and pressed on.
The world shifted with a step, the walls cracked like webs, fiery magma streams flowing within.
Even he felt threatened; without his artifacts, his body would carbonize in such heat.
'Carbonize…' He recalled Ferrus Manus's arm, carbonized after slaying Asirnoth, the c'tan fragnt, in magma.
The tremors intensified. He moved forward and saw it.
A golden eagle kiloters tall, wings spanning more than ten kiloters.
Cables pierced its body, surrounded by alien machinery.
Its eyes glowed fiery red, staring directly at him.
From them, he felt pure annihilation.
On its body burned dazzling spiritual light,
The C'tan Fragnt!
Realization struck:
'The Necrons built pyramids not as tombs, but to bind C'tan fragnts.'
'The runes drew energy from the fragnts, layer by layer upward.'
Then another thought froze him:
'With the eagles removed, the seal weakened, leaking the fragnt's power, stirring magma lakes.'
'The lesser fragnt, Asirnoth trapped by Ferrus Manus, could not escape.'
'Now, by unlocking this eagle's runes… I've set the C'tan Fragnt free!'
The ground shook violently. Magma surged as the underground space convulsed.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu
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