"This doesn't bode well."
Hades murmured under his breath. After swiftly attending to matters at the gene seed vault, he now stood atop the old outpost's watchtower, gazing at the distant mountains. A thick cloud layer, dark and ominous, hung heavy, seemingly solid as a wall.
Occasionally, small specks would crash into this dense layer of clouds—unique creatures of Barbarus.
Distant rumblings of thunder rolled in from the horizon, flashes of light gathering at the mountain's peak.
Having assessed the situation, Hades turned and leaped down from the watchtower. Below him, four hundred Death Guards stood in neat rows, awaiting further instructions.
Yet, Mortarion's attention wasn't on his soldiers. He was deeply engrossed, staring at three short silhouettes in front of him.
It was the now white-haired Leisha and her grandchildren.
Leisha, who in Hades' memory was once the frail younger sister of Herilla, had aged significantly. She looked wise but withered. The poisonous atmosphere of Barbarus had left indelible marks on her. Even with the Empire's advanced medical care, the people of Barbarus still aged rapidly.
Hades approached her, crouching down gently and cautiously, staring into Leisha's familiar eyes. He almost called her "grandma," but then realized he was older than Leisha.
"Leisha, did your granddaughter, young Herilla, see Calas Typhon heading towards Necare mountain?"
Leisha nodded, and the young girl beside her did the same. Her deep brown eyes briefly met Hades' before quickly looking away, her mid-length messy black hair resting on her shoulders.
People of Barbarus often named their children after revered friends and family. This girl had inherited Herilla's name.
Moreover, she was an Untouchable.
She was immune to Hades' psychic dominion.
A wry smile almost crept onto Hades' face at the thought, but he swallowed it down.
"My sister was with that man; she couldn't have been mistaken," piped up a young voice, belonging to young Herilla's twin brother, Hade.
His brown hair curled tightly, and his dark eyes fixated on Hades.
Surprisingly, Hade was a psyker.
All psykers on Barbarus would eventually mutate into creatures resembling alien lords, due to Barbarus' peculiar psychic environment.
As a result, psykers on Barbarus were promptly executed by the villagers.
Calas Typhon was perhaps the first exception, but being the offspring of an alien lord and a human meant that he didn't necessarily follow the usual mutation patterns.
Hades noticed Mortarion's gaze lingering on the young boy, his hand reflexively resting on his sidearm, the Lamp of the Underworld.
"Who is this boy?" Hades inquired, even though he felt he should immediately pursue Calas Typhon.
Leisha smiled, "This is Hade. I planned to send him to the Halo Stars, hoping he might survive there."
"Don't hurt my brother," young Herilla suddenly interjected, "I've been watching him. He won't lose control."
Hades blinked in surprise, as did Mortarion behind him.
Using an Untouchable to suppress a psyker's growth and prevent them from mutating into an alien-like creature on Barbarus? A strange coincidence.
Hades gestured to a Death Shroud nearby, signaling him to step forward.
"Keep an eye on them," Hades instructed over a private comm channel.
He stood up, signaling Leisha and her kin to leave, expressing gratitude for their information.
Leisha gave a kind smile, "The field where Herilla rests has yielded its twenty-sixth harvest of white corn this year. Remember to visit her."
Hades paused momentarily but soon resumed his composure, watching as Leisha and the children departed.
He turned to discuss their next moves, but Mortarion merely glanced at him, saying nothing.
Mortarion remembered Hades, standing by a gravestone years ago.
Taking a deep breath, Hades refocused. It was clear that Calas Typhon was heading alone to the old territory of Necare without any troops. The Death Guards he had previously recruited with Calas Typhon were now subdued.
By their accounts, the ever-eager recruiting Calas Typhon had suddenly departed alone.
Hades was unsure if the apothecary Radon, who had encountered the sage creature, would also appear.
But even if he did, they'd only have two Death Guards against them. The balance of power was clearly tilted in Hades' favor.
The toxic mists of Barbarus had lost their lethality due to the advanced filtration systems of the power armor.
Hades pondered, the most likely complication could be Necare's sorcery, but he was prepared for this.
He brought ten male Untouchables from the group Macado had promised him.
Macado had provided fifty Untouchables to the Death Guard, but they were of varying quality. Hades hadn't met them yet, but data indicated that their quality wasn't assured.
The Death Guards hadn't specifically trained these Untouchables; only the Grave Wardens occasionally had them undergo physical training.
So, Hades chose ten with the weakest physical stats for this mission, as they were ideal for emergencies.
Each Untouchable, clad in armor provided by the Mechanicum with essential life support systems, was guarded by three Death Guards.
If they faced a psychic attack, the Untouchables would act as dampeners for the warp disturbances.
Hades' thoughts were interrupted by a distant thunder. He looked at Mortarion.
"Shall we move out now?"
The thick clouds rendered aerial vehicles like the Stormbird useless, and the rugged mountains of Barbarus weren't suitable for heavy weaponry.
Orbital bombardment was an option, with preparations ready in the stars above Barbarus.
But a personal recon was essential. If the situation was indeed dire, they would retreat and commence the bombardment.
And that dense fog...
Both Hades and Mortarion knew it wouldn't dissipate until they ventured forth.