Brief 6:
Chaos Legionaries
Arcadia (Near Cadia)
3 434 999 M41
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Said the armored man with a gravelly voice as he stood among the trees overlooking a city in turmoil.
Dreggh Bulgroth, The Fated, had always followed the Providence to glory. His path as an Astartes began much like every other Space Marine. Built to be a warrior. But his Fate was never to be just a warrior.
“Is beauty not in the eye of the beholder?” Said Dreggh as he finished his climb to the top of the small hill to join The Traveler.
“But do you see it, young one? The beautiful gift our Grandfather bestows on this world.” Said The Traveler as he watched the horde of zombified humans stagger through the streets below.
A cloud of insects swarmed through the wretches as they stumbled towards the sounds of battle that rang in the distance. The infection, although in its infancy, had taken root in the Imperial colony of Arcadia.
“I see the power." Continued Dreggh. "The plague that you have unleashed will sweep across this world. Billions will die.”
“Ah! You have not yet accepted him into your heart. You wish to carry his banner, but you refuse his gifts.” Said The Traveler as a statement, not an accusation, “Are you afraid of death? Or is it the grotesque that frightens you?”
Dreggh turned to look at the man. His ancient Cataphractii Terminator Armour was a mold green as though it had absorbed the plagues of Nurgle into the plating. Manreaper, the scyth of legend, was slung heavy across The Traveler's back. Upon looking at the blade, Dreggh felt his Fate coming to an end. One touch of the Nurgle-blessed weapon would leave nothing more than a withered pile of bones. Providence guided him to a safer path as he turned away to look out at the devastation.
“Traveler, I do not fear death, so do not waste your breath with the fable of immortality. Those who fear death have already welcomed Nurgle’s blessing as an escape from the realities of this harsh, cold galaxy. I am not here for sanctuary like those wretches below." Dreggh said, gesturing to the horde, "I am here to follow where Fate leads. But you already knew I was coming, or you wouldn’t have let my ship enter the system.”
Above, the Terminus Ets floated domineering near a Tainted Firehawk, both at the edge of visible space. If it were not for The Traveler's will, the Terminus Est would have obliterated Dreggh’s ship the moment they dropped warp. As the most powerful warship in the Plague Fleets, the Terminus Est allowed them to watch as the First Plague Company annihilated another world.
“What is Fate if not the guiding hand of the master of cycles? From death comes life, from life, death again. Around and around, the cycle continues. How is that anything but beautiful?” Said the Traveler.
Dreggh scrunched his face as he imagined the wave of bile, puss, and rot that accompanied Nurgle's cycles.
“Take you, for instance." The Traveler continued as he raised his hand before him, "Would your death give birth to a thousand, ten-thousand, or hundred-thousand flies?”
Crawling along The Traveler's palm was a pitch-black Daemon Fly. The grotesque insect crept onto the Traveler's finger and then began to roam around the tip as though it were searching for organic flesh.
“You see young one. Your death would give life to thousands of flies and trillions of bacterium. In the eyes of the Grandfather, all life is equal. Your death would bring birth to the next cycle."
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Dreggh's heart pounded as The Travelers explained how little his life meant in the eye of the Chaos God and his Herald.
"Your body would entropy and decay so that these trillions of souls could live. Each will carry a blessing, a gift to the living so that they may too begin the next great cycle." The Traveler finished by lowering his hand.
The Daemon Fly, with its mission bestowed, took to the wind to begin its own cycle.
Dreggh remained still as silence settled between them. Providence had led him to this moment, but it was up to him to capture it. Because if he didn’t, there may be a fate worse than death awaiting him. He looked over the walking corpse below and shivered. If he played this wrong he might end up as another walking corpse below.
“Traveler, if you wanted me as a corpse to build your infection on this world, you wouldn't have waited atop this hill in the dead of night while your troops welcomed another planet to Nurgle's embrace. So why don't you tell me why we are standing here." Draggh said with confidence as he tried to hide his true thoughts.
He had no interest in becoming part of Death Watch or serving Nurgle. He and his men had rebelled against the Empire, not in a search for Chaos, but due to Fate's guiding hand. They followed the ever-growing pull of power, which led them to the Warp and a tentative allegiance to the Chaos Legions.
“I am here by Grandfather’s will, as are you, Fated. You will receive his Mark and spread his gifts.”
In a blink, The Traveler drew the unholy abomination that was Manreaper. A scream rang out in Dreggh’s mind, warning him that the threads of Fate tightened when the scythe met open air. Before he could react, the heel of the scythe pressed against the chest plate of his power armor. While the tang ran down to his groan.
The hulking figure of The Traveler, Herald of Nurgle, stared into Dreggh’s soul as he said, "It is time to open your eyes, young one. See the beauty of Nurgle.”
A petulant green light erupted from where the heel of the scythe pressed against him. Leaving Draggh blinded as his soul entered the Warp.
——
The glimmer faded, giving way to a garden of endless splendor. A glamor of vegetation stretched as far as his eyes could see. Trees, shrugs, flowers, and grasses in a myriad of green-hued colors spread across the land. It was as though the earth had cultivated in orderly growth to create the garden of splendor. Each plant bloomed and stretched for the sky in a never-ending journey to reach its peak.
Among the plants, creatures traveled and enjoyed the opulence. Some creatures ate creatures, others ate plants, and some seemed to bask in the glory of the thick clouds that lay across the canopies.
Dreggh stood stunned, unable to move, taking in the beauty. Somehow, he had missed it before. As he stood with The Traveler, the infections and rot had looked like devastation, but not here. Here in the garden, the true meaning of the cycle of life was on full display. Time had no meaning as the souls of the garden cycled through unending iterations of life and death.
Life was not the antithesis of death. Nor was death the antithesis of life. They were each one-half of the whole. Creating true beauty in the dance and growth of the garden.
Dreggh finally understood as time slowed, and the garden's allure faded into a mottled green hue.
——
Dreggh opened his eyes to see a Tainted Firehawk floating alone in the sky. He had fallen onto his back during the vision and must have been there for some time if the Terminus Est had departed orbit.
Getting to his feet Dreggh surveyed the city below. The first stage of the infection had taken root. With time, this place could gain a sliver of the splendor he had experienced in the garden. By witnessing this potential, Dreggh agreed it was beautiful.
Dreggh spent several minutes watching as the defenders retook the city with ease, as the departure of First Plague Company left the burgeoning infected without aid. But he knew now Arcadia was already in the warm embrace of Grandfather Nurgle as The Traveler's infection had infested this world.
He turned to leave, but a dim light nuzzled in the grass caught his eye. He approached and found a crystal lying near where he had collapsed. Dreggh collected the item and knew from the moment he touched it that Providence was leading him to this moment. More so than his meeting The Traveler and the new mark upon his soul, this item would lead him and his men to power.
It is not every day that Fate gifts you a Warp Crystal.