**The Endurance, Medicae Chamber.**
**Now.**
Vox sat silently in his seat, watching as the Apothecary Leo administered treatment to him. With practiced ease, Vox would lift an arm or turn to make Leo's task easier.
Beside the seemingly weakened Vox, Hades's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Sensing Hades's gaze, Vox offered a rueful smile and whispered in Barbarusian, "Greetings, Elder Hades. I am Vox, a Death Guard from the southern regions of Barbarus. You might not recognize me."
"No, no, no. The rising star from the south, Vox. I've heard Mortarion himself sing your praises."
Hearing this, a glint of surprise flashed in Vox's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by his usual somber expression. Unlike the freshly trained Hades, Vox, having endured months of grueling training, had long lost the initial enthusiasm and excitement of joining the legion. All that remained was a silent perseverance.
Vox chuckled bitterly, "Are you new to the 7th Company, elder? I haven't seen you before."
"Ah, don't be so formal. We're both in the same legion now. Just call me Hades. I've only just arrived a few days ago. I had some injuries, so I took some extra time to recover."
Apothecary Leo stood up, signaling to Vox that his treatment was complete.
"[Thank you.]" Vox nodded in gratitude.
Hades raised an eyebrow, "Vox, what did you just say?"
"It's High Gothic for 'thank you'."
Ah, that makes sense!
Hades, turning to Apothecary Leo, mimicked Vox's words of gratitude. Leo, without much reaction, simply nodded, packed his tools, and left the chamber, leaving the two Barbarusians to their conversation.
"Vox, are we the only two new recruits in the 7th Company? Or did I just not see others on my first day?"
"To my knowledge, the 7th Company only requested two new recruit slots."
"Why?"
Vox couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. Could he admit he didn't know? Even though Mortarion had found kinship with him and Barbarus had received the Emperor's aid, allowing the Death Guard rebels to join the legion, why did he feel so unlucky? Looking at Hades, he realized he wasn't the only one feeling this way.
After his augmentations, Vox was assigned to the 7th Company. Initially, he was puzzled as to why he seemed to be the only one heading there. Upon arrival, he found he was indeed the only new recruit. Was he mistakenly assigned? But Blanca, who greeted him, made it clear with a look – it was him, no doubt about it.
Vox wondered if he had offended someone to be singled out for the 7th Company. In fact, on Barbarus, he had made enemies. Emerging from an obscure southern village, Vox's resilience had seen him survive several brutal battles, earning him significant renown. This had irked the leader of the southern Death Guard, Calastiphon, as Vox's fame sometimes overshadowed his own. Calastiphon believed the victories were due to his strategies, not the bravery of "a certain valiant soldier."
Vox knew he was at fault but also recognized Calastiphon's misplaced anger. He chose to keep a low profile and avoid confrontations. Was Calastiphon behind this? But Vox soon dismissed this naive thought. The legion had its own strict rules, beyond the influence of a mere planetary commander.
Meaning, Vox was chosen by the 7th Company.
He later learned that the 7th was renowned for its combat prowess. Unlike other companies, the 7th's training was more brutal. While others were taught weapon maintenance and basic movements, Blanca, responsible for training the 7th's recruits, threw Vox straight into combat training.
Vox had to learn High Gothic out of necessity, as Blanca forbade him from wearing his helmet's translator. Once he mastered basic conversations, he tried communicating with Blanca, who seemed pleased with his efforts.
Now, Blanca would share combat strategies with Vox, telling him that once he defeated the Servitor in its α-3, maximum damage mode, he could move on to ranged weapon training.
In essence, Vox had come to terms with his situation. True warfare wasn't about glorious battles but enduring against all odds. Victory was simply about outlasting the enemy.
Thinking of his past, Vox felt a pang of sympathy for Hades, who was probably still battling the Servitor's medium mode.
Seeing the energetic Hades and recalling his question, Vox finally said, "Perhaps we met some specific criteria for the 7th Company's recruit training. And most likely, only the two of us met that standard."
In a way, being in the same company as Hades, known as the "Ghost of Barbarus," made Vox feel recognized. He had seen the aftermath of an alien lord slain single-handedly by Hades.
Hades, curious about their current company, seemed eager to ask more questions. This lively Hades was quite different from the stoic, mature image Vox had imagined.
**Author's Note:**
I felt a bit sick while writing this. I just looked at my wallpaper and saw a gender-swapped Mortarion. Ahhh! Give me a gender-swapped Mortarion! I want posters! Stoic, white-haired, tsundere, slender, and resilient. Ahhh! I want to be transported directly to be Nurgle's favored, so I can play with Mortarion!