Inside Hades' home at the Helle Pass.
The second night after their escape.
Hades sat silently on the ground, his left arm carefully bandaged. He held a small stick, staring blankly at the horse meat roasting over the fire in the center of the room.
Don't ask why he could light a fire in the middle of the room. Just look at the half-collapsed mud wall at the entrance, turning his humble abode into a semi-open-air luxury!
After Hades escaped the Pale Laughers' pursuit range, those eerie creatures, in their fury, knocked down half of his house's wall.
The good news was that the roof over the heated brick bed remained intact, so it was still somewhat sheltered.
At this moment, Calas Typhon sat on the other side of the fire, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the roasting horse meat.
Mortarion, on the other hand, stood at the entrance with a wood-cutting axe, guarding it like a sentinel.
He believed that his adoptive father would come to kill them all. Since their return, Mortarion had been mostly standing guard.
Hades tried to persuade him to rest, but to no avail. Mortarion had always been stubborn.
The villagers, who had just experienced the attack of the Pale Laughers, became even more fearful upon seeing Mortarion at the door.
(Although, if Hades hadn't read the script, he would be as alert as Mortarion.)
He silently glanced at Mortarion, who was still standing guard, then continued to stare blankly ahead.
Calas Typhon, being a hybrid of alien and human, was often shunned by the villagers. He often lurked around various villages just to find something to eat.
Mortarion, on the other hand, was a naïve young man who had just been abducted.
In short, both of them had nowhere to go.
For his own reasons, Hades brought them to his home.
He poked the roasting meat with the stick, turning it over to roast the other side.
After their wild escape in the cargo truck, Hades managed to wreck the vehicle near a valley. The truck skidded uncontrollably.
If not for Mortarion's intervention, Typhon would have been thrown out.
"Damn it! You tried to kill me!" Typhon cursed, trembling with fear. After the truck stabilized, he climbed out, still cursing.
(Only much later would Hades realize that this was the effect of the Untouchable trait.)
After that, they walked back to the village. Along the way, they encountered some low-level creatures. They attacked, only to be swiftly defeated by Mortarion.
It felt great, Hades thought to himself.
Upon their return to the village, the cries of the villagers deeply affected the trio. After the Pale Laughers' attack, the slavers came to the village again, although they didn't capture many.
The villagers mourned the dead, while those who escaped celebrated their return.
Although Mortarion and his group should have been hailed as heroes, they were met with fear and rejection.
Some villagers even suggested killing Mortarion and Typhon to appease the mountain lord.
Hades rolled his eyes internally. The villagers' double standards were evident. They only wanted to sacrifice the unfamiliar Mortarion and Typhon, not their own kin who had also escaped.
Mortarion, as a Primarch, was feared by many. It made him seem so... inferior.
Hades sighed. In this world, appearances mattered a lot.
But there were grateful villagers. Some of those who had escaped brought straw and food for them.
The night they returned, Hades quickly made beds with the straw and cooked some porridge with the food they were given.
Exhausted from their escape, Hades ate a few mouthfuls of porridge and, despite the festering wound on his left arm, fell into a deep sleep.
With the two guarding, he had no worries.
That night, he slept soundly, one of the few times he did so without any guard up.
In his dream, he was still painting his little game pieces, cursing the rising prices.
When he woke up, he found his arm had been carefully re-bandaged, and next to him was Typhon, sleeping soundly.
He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. He was sure he hadn't drooled in his sleep... surely...
He tried to stretch but felt pain all over. He stopped midway, fearing a muscle cramp.
He slowly walked to the entrance and saw Mortarion, standing tall and still, looking towards the distant mountains.
Hades pondered. Mortarion was the highest existence he could currently access. He had to cling to him for support.
If you were suddenly transported to the past and met a rogue who needed your help, and you recognized him as Liu Bang before he became an emperor, you'd help him without hesitation. Once he becomes an emperor and remembers your help, you'd be set for life.
Hades sighed. The reality was harsh. All he could do was improve his survival skills, win Mortarion's favor, and wait for the Emperor to find Mortarion. Then, he'd become an Astartes to extend his lifespan.
For now, he had to play the role of the loyal subordinate.
He knew he was in the Warhammer universe, where humanity's fate was grim. He didn't want to be a mere pawn, shouting "For the Emperor!" He just wanted to survive.
He had been content in his previous life, living a peaceful existence. But now, he was in this brutal world.
He had to adapt and survive.