- Date - 798.M30 -- Location - Holy Terra -
Upon a golden-encrusted verandah stood Malcador, the millennia-looking man, watching the gathering Astartes and crowd. Since the loss of the Primarch less than six years ago, both the Emperor and Malcador had worked tirelessly, producing weapons, ammunition, and battleships to ferry the Emperor's will to every corner of the universe.
From behind came the subtle thudding of an adamantium war spear against the golden-encrusted floor. As Malcador peered behind himself to see Valdor, the man, as serious as ever, looked at the tiny man compared to himself. Without a hint of surprise, Malcador moved to allow Valdor space at the edge of the balcony.
Valdor, seeing this action, continued his strides as he overlooked the amassing courtyard filled to the brim with Astartes, Malcador Assault Tanks, artillery pieces, as well as the impossibly tall Titans ranging from the smallest Knight mechs to the largest of Emperor, Imperator, and Warmonger-class Titans.
A hint of fear appeared within Valdor as he watched the scene of troops taking orders to line up whilst Titans were waved through carefully, each step causing the Imperial Palace to shake. That fear, however, was quickly suppressed; but that hint was all Malcador needed before he spoke, with evident giddiness behind his tone.
"What a masterpiece. A near five thousand years of constant war, and this is all that could be mustered in eight. Brings a tear to my eye."
Valdor, sensing the teasing tone of Malcador, looked at him with obvious distrust and annoyance. Malcador, in return for sensing Valdor's annoyance, simply smiled as the crowd below began to roar as the man of the hour appeared.
The gigantic red and golden-encrusted curtains were drawn, revealing the Emperor of the Imperium in all his glory. Slowly, with each step shaking the ground even more than the same-named Emperor-Imperator class, the Emperor stood on top of the central podium, just centered so all below could see him.
Servo-skulls swarmed, recording the Emperor's every step, projecting his image all across the Solar System (with evident delays). As the Emperor reached the edge, his hand raised in a motion like Moses clearing the sea in two; the crowd below fell silent. Trepidation and awe were all around, and those watching him could feel it as the Emperor's mouth parted.
"Soldiers, civilians, nobles, honorable Fabricator-Generals of Mars, today is the day for the reclamation of humanity's destiny." A roar of screeching excitement erupted from the crowd as the Emperor continued with even more fervor.
"Sons and daughters of humanity - we have bled long under the claws and talons of the Xenos, the stain of the Mutant, and the lie of the Heretic. No more. Today, we strike back. Today, we light the beacon that will sweep across the void. From this hour to the end of time, the Great Crusade begins: we will take the heavens, reclaim the stars, and force the darkness to bow. Let them learn what it means to face humanity unchained. Enough blood. Enough hiding. Today, the Great Crusade begins. We will reclaim the stars. We will drag every foe from the shadows and bury their defiance beneath our feet."
At the end of his voice, the roar of Titans and the crowd below filled the air. From every planet within the system, whole hive cities were chanting the Emperor's name, the Emperor's cause.
"The Age of Strife is near its end. Under the Xenos' teeth, the Mutants' shadow, and the Heretics' deceit, we have suffered - and now we rise. On this consecrated day, the Great Crusade is born. The stars, once stolen from us, will be our fields of triumph; the void will become our witness. We do not merely fight - we reforge our destiny. Soldiers of humanity: the hour of reprisal has arrived. The Xenos, the Mutant, the Heretic thought us broken. They were wrong. From this day, we march outward - disciplined, relentless, absolute. The Great Crusade begins now. Take the stars. Leave none to stand in our way."
As the Emperor finished, the roar across the system reached its peak. From the lowest hive-eating ratman to the High Lords on Terra itself, all roared and cheered at his decree. From this moment to the last, humanity shall rise again; from its ashes, a phoenix shall burn even brighter. As the Emperor turned and began to walk away, high in the orbit of Holy Terra itself, thousands of ships -from the smallest, being cargo vessels, to the largest, being Bucephelus and the Arks of Mars themselves — gave a salute to the realization of humanity's destiny in the stars.
As the curtains fell, covering the Emperor and his honor guard, Malcador and Valdor approached. Malcador, meeting the Emperor's understanding look, gave a subtle nod, which only Valdor and the Emperor caught.
- Date - 299 AC -- Location - The Dothraki Sea -
As the fire crackled, the subtle sound of murmured talk was all that could be heard. Naz sat near the fire, feeling a small amount of warmth wash over him repeatedly with each blow of the wind. From behind him stood Jorah Mormont and Daenerys Stormborn, speaking in hushed tones.
"Khaleesi, you cannot trust that monster. Yes, we've been traveling for more than two weeks now; however, he is a constant threat to you and the newly born dragons."
Nazareth, currently playing with the sand sheaving through his hand, overheard this sentence leave Jorah's mouth. A faint furrow of Nazareth's brow was all that could be seen as confirmation that he, in fact, could hear the two. Naz's mind began to wander as to what was going to happen next. In his previous life, Dany had only spent an episode or two circling within the Dothraki Sea. However, now that he was in this world, the two-episode traveling had changed to over two weeks.
Nazareth was slowly, mentally at least, wanting a soft bed - not the crap-covered grass on which he had to sleep. Nazareth's mental patience had limits; as he stood, the surrounding Dothraki bloodriders flinched. Nazareth spun on his heel, ignoring the fear-filled glares from the 'savages.' Naz's steps were calculated, allowing him to walk directly next to Jorah before his breathing subtly gave Jorah a shock. The Mormont scrambled for his sword, ready to attack, before Naz's hand stopped him. Naz's hand fully cupped Mormont's at the hilt of his sword.
Naz bent down and looked into Jorah's eyes before a voice broke them away from their staring contest. The voice was from Daenerys, who, being surrounded by her dragons, gave a holy feeling to her.
"You two, stop this silly fighting at once."
Jorah and Nazareth, receiving this order from Dany in High Valyrian, immediately stepped away from one another. Nazareth peered at Daenerys with a question evident in his mind.
"How long must we stay in this wasteland, Daenerys Stormborn?"
A silent, near-imperceptible gulp escaped Dany as she locked eyes with Nazareth and replied in tone.
"Only until we discover where we currently are. If we march in the wrong direction, we could end up in another Khal's territory."
Nazareth, hearing this, began to formulate a plan in his mind. Ever since he came into this body, his mind had become sharper, catching even the slightest changes in micro-faces. His mind had become like a weapon, his hearing able to perceive the running water under the group's very feet.
Nazareth's plan consisted of traveling to Astapor, 'purchasing' the Unsullied using Dany's dragon, like in the TV show, before using his 'Mich' to produce better weapons. Over the two weeks, Nazareth didn't just twiddle his thumbs but instead found that he could access a control panel of sorts from 'Mich'. As he walked away from Daenerys and Jorah and sat again near the fire, he began mulling over the different options provided by Mich.
- M.I.C.H's Manufactory Store -
Points collected so far: 1250 pts
A blade fit for a Primarch, made of Valyrian steel and adamantium (And a tiny amount of Necrodermis + a Farseer's Soul Stone in its Pommel) - 1000 pts
A Planetary Planner. This machine can scan the whole planet it's placed on and provide information on key locations for habitation, mining, production, etc. - 100000 pts
Armor fit for a king (comprised of Valyrian steel, adamantium, and Necrodermis + gives the user a certain extent of immunity to the Immaterium) - 25000 pts
A Robotic Helper (this helper can build anything from any show or novel, as long as there are corresponding materials) - 6 million pts
A Friend and Foe Scanner (can scan a foe's or ally's brain to show whether the person or thing is, as its name suggests, friend or foe) - 100 pts
Nazareth skimmed through the options that presented themselves in front of him like a shopfront. Nothing really piqued his interest other than the blade and F&F scanner. Seeing that the points he currently had could allow him to buy these things, Nazareth stood, gave a quick look around, and started to walk away from the center and to the outskirts of the erected outpost.
Jorah, constantly watching Nazareth as he sat in front of the fire, suddenly saw him get up and give a quick look around before walking off. This began to ring alarm bells within Mormont's head before he looked to Rakharo - the previous bloodrider who had threatened Jorah when he tried to dissuade Daenerys from stepping into the fire - and gave a nod. Jorah, seeing this confirmation, stood up and gave Nazareth a wide berth; however, he kept close enough to ensure Nazareth was always within his sight.
Nazareth, not oblivious to Jorah's following him, walked at least a mile before sitting on the sandy floor and selecting the two options from the Mich shop. A small amount of light began to gather in his lap at Naz's hit for confirmation of the purchase. This light began to swell and grow, reaching at least two meters in length, before forming a great longsword (a combination of a longsword and greatsword).
Nazareth watched in awe and surprise as the sword fully formed. The length of the blade was as black as night, and at the fuller was a mix of gold and silver, melded together with the night material of the blade. The guard near the grip/handle was a mix of green and gold, while the pommel was in the shape of a crusader's cross, with a small, near-imperceptible diamond that sparkled like a star trapped within it.
Nazareth stood, taking the sword in his right hand, and swung it with minimal force; the resulting shock from the rush of air caused a large divot in the ground where the point of the blade hovered above.
Jorah, watching this scene from behind a formation of rocks, looked on in shock. His whole perspective of Nazareth was rewritten again, from a monster to a demon. However, before he could blink, Nazareth had disappeared from the spot where he was standing.
A cold feeling pressed against Jorah's nape as he slowly turned to face Nazareth. The towering man loomed like the Stranger waiting for Mormont to take a foolish step backward. From Naz's point of view, Jorah was shifting between red and green until finally settling on a tinge of orangey-red. A small "hmm" escaped Naz's mouth before, in quick succession, Naz's hand holding his great longsword moved ever so slightly. The resulting force caused a gash of considerable depth to appear on Jorah's nape. The already overwhelming feeling of death once again hit Jorah, this time with greater ferocity, before a swift, near-invisible punch to the chin caused everything in Jorah's vision to turn to black.
Nazareth stood over Jorah with his blade point directly at the man's heart; however, before he could even edge his blade, a bright star appeared in the night sky. This Strange phenomenon caused Nazareth to look at the sky.
(AN: First Off, Hello Again. Yes know I've been pumping chapters day in and out, but hey, I want to see and write how this story progresses and share it. Also, about having Naz return before Horus is an interesting question; however, I'm gonna let it settle before deciding it. After all, Horus's return to the emperor first really decided how he viewed himself, his legion, and his future brothers, so IDK. And once again Thanks For Reading!!! RAHHHH 🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🔥🔥🔥🔥)