Chapter 175: dical Room Again
The torrential rain showed no signs of stopping. Crimson light dotted the barren wilderness of Barbarus like glowing embers. Amid nature’s fury, the tech-priests from Graia rode their steel steeds, wielding the unique power of the chanicus—the power of gears and knowledge.
Now that the Black Domain had receded, the rest of the task was left entirely in the hands of these Tech-Priests—beings who had reshaped countless worlds. They would complete this mission perfectly as well.
The massive machines roared so loudly you could even see their silhouettes from the Star Ring.
Back in the observatory on the Star Ring, ti had quietly passed—three days to be exact. People milled about, so rushing over after their shifts, others simply spreading out makeshift beds near the transparent observation windows, silently watching the planet below, now swallowed by thick gray clouds.
A few burly kids darted between the crowd, hawking simple snacks and bits of news. A chubby man who looked like a headmaster was nearby, organizing the children.
Unlike the shuffling crowd, the Death Guard warriors who had been standing guard since the beginning remained motionless—like statues.
The current noisy scene was a far cry from the one just a few days ago.
Back then, when the first bolt of lightning pierced the fog, a collective shudder ran through every soul. So fainted on the spot. Others staggered away from the windows, vomiting or convulsing in silent horror.
The Death Guard had imdiately stepped in to evacuate the panicked masses. Towering Astartes carried unconscious civilians to safety, while Apothecaries and remaining stationed Magos Biologis were rushed to the densest parts of the crowd.
Still, by the end of the first day, the panic had faded. People slowly regained their senses, as if waking from a nightmare, stumbling through that grim day in a daze.
And sohow, as if forgetting everything that had just happened, they once again gathered near the observatory windows, equal parts awed and curious about the changes to their planet.
Heavy, damp footsteps echoed through the station, but no one noticed Hades. The crowd moved along their paths as if he were invisible—completely oblivious to the giant walking among them.
Hades had taken off his power armor. He blinked, visibly exhausted, watching those staring at their world below. A sense of closure settled in his chest—at least one thing was dealt with.
After erging from the Black Domain, it was only thanks to the Sisters of Silence’s transport that he made it back to the Star Ring. But the mont he arrived, he ran into a wall of overzealous tech-priests.
With no other choice, Hades cloaked himself and slipped away from the horde of fanatic gearheads.
He still rembered the mont one of the tech-priests shouted “Praise the Omnissiah!” in his direction. The Sister of Silence who brought him back—Sister Nera—looked at him like she was ready to tear him apart.
Misunderstanding! It was all a misunderstanding!
Before Hades could even begin to explain, the tech-priests had already sward in and shoved the fuming Sister Nera aside.
He could’ve sworn he saw the look of deep resentnt in her eyes before she vanished from view.
Ahem. So, yeah. Hades had no choice but to stage a live disappearing act and flee the scene.
There was no point trying to explain in front of a crowd of tech-fanatics—it would only dig a deeper hole. Better to clear things up privately with the Sisters and the Custodes.
He had called for Jin and Korklan to co negotiate with the tech-priests, hoping they could tone down the mob’s enthusiasm a little.
Now that the Black Domain was shut down and he had returned to the Star Ring, Hades found himself... with nothing to do. After vanishing from the docking bay, he just wandered over to the observation window—partly out of curiosity about what Barbarus looked like from orbit.
Also partly because he wanted to people-watch before heading to the cafeteria.
As he strolled along, thinking about food, a stir ran through the crowd up ahead. People began respectfully clearing a path on both sides.
Hades looked up and saw a smoke-free version of Mortarion approaching, clearly searching for soone.
Sighing, Hades quietly deactivated his stealth field.
‘Here we go again. What now?’
Mortarion instantly locked eyes with Hades and strode over.
He stared at Hades for a long mont, like he had sothing to say...
Then glanced away awkwardly.
“...I thought you were in the dical room.”
When he first learned Hades was back, Mortarion’s imdiate instinct had been to check the dical room. But the move was quickly flagged as illogical by Vorx —dock surveillance clearly showed Hades hadn’t been carried straight to intensive care this ti.
Yes, he usually ended up on the dical room's VIP bed—but that doesn’t an the dical room should always be the first place to check!
Hades glared at Mortarion with deep judgnt in his eyes.
This kind of mindset must be condemned!
Clearly wanting to change the subject, Mortarion coughed awkwardly before stating seriously:
“Calas is awake.”
“He’s in the dical room.”
. . . . . . . . . .
Author's Note: While the Death Guard aren’t usually known for their concern for mortals, Barbarus is an exception. The planet is small, and just about every civilian could be a relative of a local-born Death Guard. Also, thanks to Mortarion’s bias, the Legion pays extra attention to Barbarusians.
To date, the only Legion that unconditionally helps mortals is the Salamanders.
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