Chereads / Prince of Commorragh / Chapter 15 - Who is pulling the strings

Chapter 15 - Who is pulling the strings

"That damned abomination!" I shouted as a wave of warp energy pushed all the objects in the room "I was this close to killing that cur and she stopped ME!" I felt the warp recoil at even referring to the demon god but I was beyond angry at this point and all I could see was red.

"I'll cut that thing's throat if it's the last thing I do on this god forsaken plane!" I could feel the warp's tumultuous waves, its sickeningly sweet voice giving me promises of godhood and victory should I only listen to its siren call and for one tantalizing moment it crossed my mind before I shut it out.

The warp under my control once more I let the energies calm around me and breathed in deeply. "Fine since this is the way it must be played so be it." I muttered to myself before sending a command through the ships communication array to send information to the imperium of man regarding some slaaneshi uprisings in their sweet star system.

"If you want to play that game then lets" I muttered to myself allowing the anger to course through me for one more moment before letting it go. "That damnable malekith lives another day so what I've stopped him once I can do it again." letting the anger leave me in waves I began to walk towards my lab.

"I need to get this anger out in one way or another" I almost chuckled at the thought when I arrived. Human furniture scattered about not my favorite use of test subjects personally but some of the designs were certainly tasteful in a grotesque beauty, some had the most amazing leather and they were warm and comfortable.

This environment long ago would have sickened me to my core. Now it's hardly a passing glance, a blip in my mind before I change to more important topics like calling forth a group of slaves to the testing area.

A sickly green injection was swiftly administered by the machine like tentacles in the room allowing for a variety of gruesome changes to occur in some they grew taller and their bones escaped their skin killing them by rupturing their organs growing and expanding too quickly. In some they bloated and popped like a popcorn kernel and in some they merely phased between reality and unreality as if stuck somehow in between screams of agony and terror flooded through the voice box filling my soul with a delicacy it had long been denied.

My soul at this point was massive far larger than even the Farseer's I have seen running amok amongst their kind. It was not so large it encompassed a world but a frigate was manageable if strenuous on my reserves. I had felt each scream marginally increase my power sating it piece by piece.

I sent a message to my mother informing her of the complications that arose due to chaos's intervention but I felt something was incredibly fishy about the whole ordeal. Slaanesh waited until right before I was to kill Malekith before interfering. Did he summon her in some way? Or was this merely a coincidence? If so, how did it all seem to line up so inconspicuously?

As the questions weighed on my mind I began to comb through my memories for anything out of the ordinary but no matter how hard I combed through I couldn't figure it out I reviewed the battle footage and it all went perfect from the Space marine ambush to the tyrranid lure.

Suddenly all at once a thought hit me that it was planned in some way. He knew I was targeting him, he knew that I would be planning a major offensive on him and he used that knowledge to sacrifice his ships infinity circuit in the bet that I would be there and used that lure to bring Slaanesh.

I had this thought and almost immediately banished it while malekith is by no means a saint implying he would sacrifice the souls of his ancestors and with a bit of badluck potentially himself is incomprehensible. But when I considered that perhaps this wasn't the plan of his or even hers but was someone further out playing with these strings it became more feasible.

He grew stronger with each passing moment and was tearing through swaths of tyranids with warp lighting. I didn't need to think for one moment longer to think of who's scheme it was. "Tzeentch". I muttered.

I wasn't certain in my guess but with the way the previous interactions have gone it isn't an impossibility the only being that could pull so many strings and increase malekith's power like that was the god of change but why?

Was my being here so special or am I merely caught between a game of intrigue between Slaanesh and Tzeentch caught in the crossfire like a mouse between raging elephants.

As I walked through the dim corridors of my vessel, the weight of my thoughts pressed down on me. The air was thick with the scent of blood and warp energy, the remnants of my rage still lingering in the very walls. Slaanesh and Tzeentch… two gods of Chaos pulling strings, weaving their own twisted games, and I was beginning to realize I might be nothing more than a piece on their board.

"Tzeentch…" I whispered again, the name twisting in my mouth like a curse. If it was indeed him, it explained the intricate layers of manipulation that had led to this moment. The chaos intervention—none of it was mere coincidence. The god of change was known for his labyrinthine plots, plots that spanned centuries and ensnared even the most careful of minds. But why involve me? Why use Malekith as a pawn? Was it all for power? Or was there something else at play?

I paused before the door to my lab, taking a moment to let my mind settle. The tendrils of warp energy that had raged within me earlier had calmed, but the undercurrent of anger still simmered beneath the surface, begging to be unleashed. But I wouldn't give in. Not now. Not until I knew more.

The door slid open, revealing the macabre scene of human furniture and grotesque displays of creativity that I had once found abhorrent. Now, it was just another part of the machine, another tool in the pursuit of power. My test subjects—some alive, some no longer in the strictest sense—were scattered about, their fates sealed by the green serum I had injected earlier. Their screams still echoed in the back of my mind, each one feeding my soul, expanding it, making me stronger. It was almost enough to dull the irritation gnawing at me. Almost.

I strode to the central console and activated the holoscreen, sending a message to my mother. Her face appeared almost instantly, serene as always, though I could see the faintest glimmer of concern behind her eyes.

"Complications," I said simply. "Chaos intervened. Slaanesh appeared just before I could finish off Malekith."

She frowned, her lips pursing in thought. "That's unusual. Why would it involve itself now?"

"I don't know," I admitted, pacing the length of the lab. "It felt… wrong. The timing, the way it all played out. And then there's Malekith. He was stronger, too strong for what I've seen before. He was tearing through tyranids with warp energy, as if he were drawing power from something far greater than himself."

Mother's frown deepened, but she said nothing, letting me continue.

"I think Tzeentch is involved," I muttered. "This whole situation—it reeks of his meddling. Slaanesh intervening wasn't random. It was calculated, just like Malekith's actions. He knew I was coming. He was ready for me. And it's possible that he's a pawn in Tzeentch's game, just like the rest of us."

She let out a slow breath, her eyes narrowing slightly. "If that's true, then we need to be cautious. Tzeentch's plans are never simple, and if he's orchestrating this, we might be walking directly into his trap."

I nodded, my hands clenching into fists. "I don't intend to be anyone's pawn," I growled. "Not that bitches,, not Tzeentch's, and certainly not Malekith's."

"Then we need to find out what his true aim is," she replied, her voice steady. "Malekith may be the key. If Tzeentch is using him, there must be something about him that's important. Something that ties into this larger plan."

I paused, considering her words. She was right, of course. Malekith was more than just a weapon. He was part of something larger, something far more dangerous than I had anticipated. And if Tzeentch was involved, it meant that the stakes were far higher than I had realized.

"We'll find out," I said, my voice low. "I'll tear the truth from Malekith's mind if I have to. But first, I need to regroup. Chaos has thrown me off balance, but not for long."

She smiled, a slow, dangerous smile that mirrored my own. "Good."

I nodded and ended the transmission, the holoscreen flickering out as the darkness of the lab closed in around me. I stood there for a moment, letting the weight of the situation settle over me like a shroud. I was no stranger to power plays, to manipulation and deceit. But this… this was something else entirely.

I looked around the lab, at the grotesque displays, at the twisted creations that lined the walls. My anger had dulled, but it hadn't vanished. It was still there, a burning ember waiting to be stoked into a fire. And I would need it. I would need every ounce of my power, every drop of my will, if I was going to survive the game I had just stepped into.

With a deep breath, I summoned a group of slaves to the testing area. The green serum had done its job well enough, but I needed more. I needed to push further, to explore new ways of increasing my strength. If Tzeentch thought he could manipulate me, if he thought I would play his game, he was sorely mistaken.

As the first slave was dragged into the room, I smiled, a dark, vicious smile. Let the gods of Chaos play their games. I would play my own.