TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!,
===BREAK===
Not long after they entered the Hollow, rain began to fall—and it only grew heavier.
Weather shifts inside Hollows were not unheard of, but this sudden downpour threw the mortals into trouble.
The already chaotic space, compounded by the rain, reduced visibility further and further. Though Public Security had official Carrot Data for navigation, progress remained difficult.
"If only the Proxy were here…"
Billy muttered under his breath, earning himself Nicole's iron-fist reprimand.
"Shut up. There are officers everywhere."
Nicole pulled her poncho hood lower—and her voice as well—unwilling to draw attention from the uniformed authorities.
"If it were Phaethon, we'd have found the way by now."
Even Anby joined in the quiet complaints.
They had been walking for a long time, yet still hadn't found their destination. No one spoke openly, but dissatisfaction had already begun spreading through the ranks.
The officers murmured as well. Many felt the operation had been rushed—insufficient supplies, not even proper rain gear. Hours of movement under cold rain wore down even trained personnel. Fatigue began to show.
Morale was slipping.
"We've circled this place several times," Gotthardt said bluntly. "Your people are losing heart."
Zhu Yuan turned and looked at her team. They hadn't voiced objections, but their eyes avoided hers.
She checked her watch. Four to five hours of wandering. Nothing gained but exhaustion.
Qingyi had gone ahead alone to scout. As a high-end tactical automaton equipped with Public Security's updated Carrot Data, she should have had little trouble charting a path.
This area's ether activity was low and stable. The Aerospace Department had even assessed it as "likely to decay and disappear on its own." Since entering, they'd encountered little active ether—most was dormant.
"Better to rest," Cerakos observed, glancing at the officers. "They should eat. Regain strength."
Zhu Yuan nodded. It was the only sensible solution.
Orders were given. Sentinels remained on watch while the rest rested in place. Food, water, and anti-corruption medication were distributed from accompanying cargo drones.
Inside the ruins, Nicole pulled out towels from a crate and handed one to Anby. The rain was too heavy; ponchos could only do so much.
"I want one too, Boss Nicole!"
Billy leaned in dramatically.
Nicole rolled her eyes. "You're a robot. You won't catch a cold."
"But I can short-circuit!" he protested, tugging playfully at the towel. If he truly wanted it, she couldn't have stopped him. It was just a distraction.
"Cousin, be patient. The Emperor will guide us to our foe," Cerakos said quietly, placing a hand on Ignis' armored gauntlet.
Since entering the Hollow, the Salamander had barely spoken. His presence alone deterred casual conversation.
"I know."
His voice was heavy.
"Every minute we delay, the enemy prepares further," the Leviathan Dreadnought added, stepping forward. "I understand your concern. But haste is not wisdom."
"These people need rest. They may not be the primary combat force, but per the plan, the hostages rely on them."
Ignis understood.
His silence stemmed not only from frustration—but from the constant whispering of the Khorne daemon bound within the chainaxe.
It hissed hatred endlessly, trying to ignite the smoldering fury beneath his calm façade. Ignis ignored it—much to the daemon's irritation.
"The boy fell into Slaanesh's hands. That's unfortunate. Perhaps he's already been remade into… something."
"You know how those androgynous freaks love their 'body art.'"
"Maybe your pretty little artist is already their plaything."
"And you're still walking in circles? These mortals need rest? Pathetic."
The daemon pressed on, sensing fluctuations in Ignis' emotions. Progress.
"Kill them. Or drive them forward. Mortals don't deserve rest. Spill blood—it will strengthen them."
Still Ignis remained silent. But resentment stirred within him. The daemon felt it and rejoiced.
"Enough."
A crushing psychic pressure surged through Ignis' soul as he wrapped the Emperor's will around his own, smothering the daemon's voice.
The daemon quieted—but it delighted. Beneath obsidian calm, molten rage boiled. It would only need time.
Ignis opened his mouth to speak—but emotion choked him.
The target was close. So close. Yet unreachable. The frustration gnawed at him.
Something tapped his greaves.
He looked down. Nicole.
The pink-haired leader of the Cunning Hares held up a steaming cup of hot cocoa, her expression stern.
"Drink it. Or the rain will fill it first."
The cup looked absurdly small in his massive hand.
He almost refused—but her expression told him she wouldn't leave otherwise.
He removed his helmet. Cold rain struck his face, clearing his mind slightly. The self-heating beverage smelled overly sweet, synthetic. Ignis simply tossed the cup and its contents into his mouth and swallowed.
Nicole stared. "You…"
Then she shook her head.
"Don't worry. Whatever happens, I'll face it with you. The Cunning Hares never abandon a companion."
"Thank you."
She always noticed.
Nicole returned to Anby, sipping her own drink.
"Nicole…" Anby nudged her. "This is expired…"
"I think that was a winter clearance sale last year," Billy added. "Won't it upset your stomach?"
Nicole checked the packaging, paused, then shrugged. "It's only six months past the 'best before' date. That's not the same as spoiled."
They spoke softly—but to a Space Marine's ears, it was as loud as shouting through a megaphone.
Still, their antics lightened Ignis' mood.
"Your friends are amusing," Gotthardt chuckled. "After this is over, I'll visit more often. Unlike you two, I can't stroll the streets freely. And Grace could use your expertise."
The Leviathan knelt and opened its sarcophagus hatch, revealing the veteran pilot within—missing an arm and a leg.
"She's been experimenting with more… powerful weapon designs. As a Salamander, surely you have ideas."
Ignis suppressed an internal groan. What was Belobog Heavy Industries planning now? Was the siege drill not enough?
He dared not voice such thoughts.
Gotthardt winked. The old veteran had seen countless campaigns. He knew tension when he saw it—and how it could ruin even great soldiers.
"Scout returning," Cerakos said, pointing through the rain.
Qingyi emerged from the mist. She shook her head.
Still no target.
Frustration spread quickly. Enthusiasm had already been chilled by rain and delay.
"Strange," Qingyi said. "Carrot Data is current. Ether stable. Yet the target remains… elusive."
Public Security had updated everything before deployment. Yet here, forward progress was impossible.
It wasn't that they were lost—they could find the way out. They simply couldn't go further in.
Qingyi projected her movement path.
After leaving sight, her route had begun looping unnaturally. Too consistently to be chance.
As if something prevented approach. Each time she neared the objective, she turned aside.
"A simple spell fooled you all," the Khorne daemon sneered.
"Take me. I'll tear through this illusion."
Ignis hesitated—but Khorne's kind despised warp sorcery and possessed strong resistance to it.
"If you don't want to waste time, listen."
He made his decision.
His hand grasped the chainaxe.
The engine roared to life, teeth spinning violently.
"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
A flame ignited in his chest.
The axe erupted in crimson fire.
Ignis swung.
The blood-flame streaked forward, igniting an unseen veil.
Officers gasped. They had witnessed strange phenomena in Hollows before—but this burning curtain of bloodfire was new.
The daemon laughed wildly, scorning Slaanesh's illusions.
The veil shattered like glass.
Qingyi's navigation system suddenly recalibrated.
They had been standing at the Hollow's edge all along.
And just beyond—
The damned school waited.
===BREAK===
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