Chapitre 39: Chapter 39: I Don't Want to Become a Gas Canister!
*Endurance*, a personal chamber for the Astartes.
Now.
Hades—no, now He Shi—was seated at his beloved little desk, painting his cherished miniatures.
He set down the freshly painted 30k Mortarion, stretching his back. Looking up, he noticed a small display case near the wall of the desk. He Shi pondered for a moment, then casually took out an Emperor figurine he had bought online, unsure of its authenticity.
Bored, he placed the two figures on the desk. Then—
The Mortarion miniature began to move, even speaking.
The tiny figure laughed heartily, producing an alien head from somewhere, "Hahahaha! I've finally killed you! Father!!!"
The Emperor figurine silently observed the Mortarion miniature from a distance. Mortarion noticed it, "Who are you, stranger?"
Suddenly, the Emperor figurine began to radiate a dazzling golden light!
"By the Emperor!"
Lying in bed, Hades's eyes snapped open.
What a strange dream! This was Hades's first thought after waking from a prolonged unconsciousness.
His second thought was—
Holy Emperor!
As his consciousness cleared, his newly augmented body functions began operating at full capacity. The first sensation that hit him was the surrounding environment.
A smell assaulted Hades's very soul! It was as if an ultra-strong mix of lemon, mint, licorice, concentrated disinfectant, and intensified chlorine were combined, frozen with ice chunks, mixed with vinegar, chili water, super-concentrated alcohol, and chlorinated water, then blasted into Hades's lungs at full power! Hades felt as if his brain would be scrambled by this aroma.
Instinctively, he sat up, coughing violently, one hand covering his mouth and nose, the other clutching his throat.
"Cough, cough, cough... Emperor's mercy!"
Truth be told, Barbarus was a world filled with toxic air, varying from highly toxic to mildly toxic, but never "non-toxic."
It felt like someone who had been in a foul-smelling environment, then had their sense of smell heightened a hundredfold before being thrown into clean air. They'd be overwhelmed.
And that was precisely Hades's situation.
Even though he had been breathing clean air while unconscious, the sudden change in environment upon waking caused a severe stress reaction in him.
"Cough, cough... Emperor's light!"
A large hand reached out, holding a spherical incense burner. The brass burner, with simple carvings, bore the words in Barbarus script: "Born in poison, silent in the miasma."
A familiar, gentle, mesmerizing scent of home wafted from the burner. The skeletal, pale hand offered the charming incense burner to Hades.
"Cough, cough... Thank... cough, cough... you!"
Fresh from a long unconsciousness and overwhelmed by the fresh air, Hades, without any regard for his image, snatched the burner and pressed it to his nose. The warm, gentle aroma immediately diluted the sharp, cold air.
Holding the burner close, Hades took several deep breaths to counteract the initial shock. Then, he forced himself to slow his rapid breathing. His augmented body faithfully obeyed his brain's command.
Finally, Hades calmed down.
He looked up.
Hades found himself in a spacious, minimalist room. A large workbench stood against one wall, with basic tools and neatly hung weapons. He was dressed in simple attire, half-sitting on a bed without a blanket. The room's temperature was just right.
But the most captivating presence in the room was the one who had handed him the incense burner.
The towering figure of Mortarion sat in a chair, slightly small for his size. Mortarion wasn't in his armor but wore a simple combat uniform. A gray cloak trailed on the floor, and his moss-green tunic was bound by dark leather straps. Silver buckles occasionally adorned the straps, breaking the overall dark theme. He wore black trousers, gray leg wraps, and heavy gray boots. A large, round silver badge, decorated with six protruding spikes and a central skull, symbolizing the Death Guard, adorned his belt.
Several thin bronze chains hung from his shoulders, with incense burners emitting toxic fumes attached. One of the chains was missing a burner—
That burner was now in Hades's hands.
Mortarion looked at Hades, a rare smile of amusement and relief on his usually masked face, "Seems I'm not the only one who finds the air here uncomfortable."
Hades blinked in confusion. Wait, so the sharp scent he experienced earlier was... normal air?!
No!!!
He didn't want to become a gas canister!
But now wasn't the time for Hades to lament. He quickly assessed the situation.
He and Mortarion must have been saved by the Emperor, and he had been transformed into an Astartes of the Death Guard.
And currently, Hades was likely aboard a Death Guard battleship.
Regardless, there was one thing he needed to confirm first.
Hades composed himself, his expression turning serious, "Mortarion, how did your duel with Necare end?"
A smile spread across the face of the Death Lord, "I killed it. After you passed out, the creature, weakened from its prior injuries, couldn't best me."
Ah, so that was it?
Wasn't it...?
Hades was sure... or was he? Maybe his memory was blurred due to the trauma or the augmentation process.
Regardless, Mortarion had defeated Necare in the end!
Hades's efforts hadn't been in vain.
"Congratulations! You did it, Mortarion!"
Hades couldn't help but smile, though his grin was far more exaggerated than Mortarion's, stretching from ear to ear, "Sorry I passed out and couldn't be of more help."
"No."
Mortarion gently shook his head, "If you hadn't suppressed Necare's psychic powers initially, the outcome of our battle might have been different."
Gratitude shone in the eyes of the Death Lord. In contrast, Hades, upon learning the final outcome, seemed more carefree, "Haha, don't be modest, Mortarion. I really didn't do much."
"But, what's going on? We're not on Barbarus, are we?"
Hades seemed to have just realized their current environment.
Mortarion chuckled inwardly. True to form, Hades had been more concerned about the outcome of Mortarion's duel than their current situation.
This move, this move had surely earned more of Mortarion's respect.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone