A black Stormbird descended slowly onto the blood-red earth of the Daemon World. Michal, Captain of the 3rd Company of the First Chapter, stepped down the ramp with his Honour Guard.
Michal wore a prototype Saturn-pattern Terminator suit. He moved quickly, the creaks of his armor rhythmic and not at all harsh.
The "Disciplinary Paladin" felt that the armor encasing his powerful frame was lighter than the Mark II power armor he had worn as an "Arbiter."
Michal frowned as he looked out over the blood-red grassland.
The moment the full-fledged "Sheriff" set foot here, a foul, pungent stench of blood assaulted his senses. Viscous, sticky, thick fog filled the air.
He stepped firmly onto the grassland, sending shards of blood-red grass drifting.
The full-fledged "Sheriff's" eyes suddenly twitched as he looked towards ten o'clock.
A three-meter-tall blood-red scarecrow charged towards them, its straw-stuffed body rippling with each step.
"Tranquilizer darts!" Michal, recalling the Black Emperor's command, issued the hunting order.
Two squads in Mark III power armor raised their tranquilizer guns. Nucerian darts shot through the air with a whoosh.
Stab, stab, stab...
The darts flew into the blood-red bodies, only to be lodged between the straw stalks.
The "Disciplinary Paladin's" eyes focused. Golden light flickered within them as he stared intently at one of the blood-red scarecrows.
At the tips of two darts, ethereal, grey-white shadows flowed like liquid.
'The blood-red scarecrows possess supernatural abilities.' As Michal thought, he raised his left arm, aiming at one.
With a bang, the cannon spat a brilliant beam that slammed into the blood-red scarecrow.
Sizzle!
The searing beam pierced straight through the scarecrow, blasting a blackened crater into the blood-red grassland.
The "Disciplinary Paladin" stared at the scarecrow, noticing it was unharmed. The beam had passed through a rippling grey-white shadow as if its body were incorporeal.
The "Disciplinary Paladin" raised his right arm, palm facing the scarecrow, and shouted in Dun language: "Object of sanction: Blood-red Scarecrow!"
Instantly, a dawn-like radiance appeared around the "Disciplinary Paladin's" body. His power fist, its disintegration field not yet activated, began to glow with a pure, clean light.
Crack, crack, crack...
The rapidly charging scarecrow slowed down, its pace becoming sluggish, as if shackled by invisible bonds.
The "Disciplinary Paladin" strode forward, his voice booming: "This place is forbidden to shadows!"
Grey-white shadows shot up like wisps of smoke.
Michal gave the "Judges" a solemn command: "'Imprison'!"
The "Disciplinary Paladin's" silhouette was even taller and more majestic than his actual body. The Honour Guard members stepped forward without hesitation, turning sideways in unison and raising their right palms towards the scarecrows.
Viscous, thick, translucent liquid layered and wrapped around each of the blood-red scarecrows.
At the same time, the "Shadow Ascetic" of the Tenth Chapter, hidden within the shadows of the grey-white sheep, moved among the tens of thousands of sheep, approaching the monkey-shaped figures.
When they stopped, they would cease "lurking in the shadows."
The invisible fields attached to their Mark II armor concealed their movements, conserving their spirituality.
Technology derived from Terra's "Invisible Warriors" aided the "Shadow Ascetic"in approaching their targets.
Upon reaching their designated ambush positions, they raised their tranquilizer guns.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Darts shot through the air towards the monkey-shaped beings riding the sheep and wielding whips.
Bang, bang, bang...
Hundreds of herdsmen, caught off guard, tumbled from the grey-white sheep.
Squeal!
One of the herdsmen, with unusually pale, grey-white skin, emitted a piercing cry. He flicked his right arm, and his whip coiled around one of the sheep.
Bang!
The grey-white sheep's body melted like a candle before him, turning into a mass of pure, viscous flesh that wrapped around him in layers.
Two darts flew towards him, piercing the viscous flesh but becoming mired as if in quicksand.
The herdsman crouched, hugging the grey-white sheep.
His body opened like a great maw, stuffing the sheep inside.
The herdsman leaped, his belly heaving.
Bang, bang, bang...
Lumps of grey-white flesh, wrapped in crimson blood, splattered outward towards the hazy shadows.
A flicker of surprise appeared in the "Shadow Ascetic's" eyes. The monkey-shaped beings' abilities reminded them of their Lord, Ramsey.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Around the herdsman, enormous grey-white sheep bodies melted away in an instant.
A blood-red waterfall rose, absorbing the flesh bombs.
Ramsey, a "Rose Bishop," grew from the shadows, revealing a smile identical to Nareth's. He pulled his hands together.
Streams of blood-red waterfall crashed down, layering around the herdsman's grey-white body in coils.
Five standard hours later, Ramsey arrived at the Black Emperor's temporary operations base with the first batch of captured monkey-shaped creatures.
He carried a monkey-shaped creature wrapped in layers of flesh to the entrance.
The biomancer psyker felt his skin itch, as if writhing maggots were beneath the surface.
Ramsey glanced at Etrich, stationed to the left of the gate, then shifted his gaze to the Honour Guard member on the other side.
The Honour Guard member bowed. "Lord Ramsey, our father awaits you inside."
He raised his hand and pressed a button. With a hum, cold mist filled the air.
Ramsey nodded to the Honour Guard member and walked through the gate, standing before the Black Emperor.
"My Lord, the herdsmen you requested."
The Primarch raised his hand. A telekinetic hand grasped the creature.
The monkey-shaped body fell into his palm. Black mist rose, and the herdsman vanished.
With a thought, Nareth set the space monkey in the "Land of Disorder's" first layer into action.
He spoke, his voice deep, calling towards the door: "Etrich, take a patrol outside. Ten kilometers. Return in one hour."
The advancement ritual for "Shepherd" was easy for psykers like Ramsey, but could not be performed in the presence of a Blank.
"As you command, my lord." Etrich looked towards the door, curiosity flickering in his eyes, then, shouldering his great spear, quickly walked away.
Moments later, Nareth flicked his wrist. A flask of grey-white potion appeared in his palm.
He commanded, his voice deep: "Enter the Third Level of the Enumeration. Separate your light body from your physical form, then, while controlling your body, drink the potion."
The "Shepherd's" advancement ritual was as he remembered: one must find a way to extract one's soul from the body, and while in that state, influence the body to consume the potion, then finally return.
"Thanks be to You for this gift." Ramsey took the potion from Nareth's palm, his face lighting with joy. He glanced at the potion, its ethereal, swelling faces flashing within.
The biomancer skillfully ascended to the Third Level of the Enumeration. He closed his eyes, freeing his light body from his flesh.
Amidst surging waves of flesh and blood, his connection to the material world faded. A vortex of intangible colors, nameless emotions, and unfathomable dimensions swirled.
His light body soared. From above, he surveyed the entire operations base: The lingering crimson battle-lust of his Honour Guard after the fight, the white light of their admiration as they looked up at the Legion's battle standard, the Banner of Vostroya.
The golden pride of the Honour Guard members.
Gurjur, the Standard Bearer holding the Banner of Vostroya high, showed a vigilant blue-violet, along with resplendent golden pride.
.....
After observing for a moment, Ramsey, following the Black Emperor's command, tilted his head back and drank the potion.
The moment the grey-white liquid touched his lips, ethereal faces suddenly surged up, tearing into Ramsey's soul like blades.
The biomancer psyker let out a piercing shriek of agony.
The scream echoed through the base. Psykers and "Listeners" alike turned pale, their temples throbbing with intense pain.
The Shadows of Order warily scanned their surroundings, searching for the source of the muttering.
"Thelema mindstate!" The voice of "Majesty" boomed, echoing within Ramsey's shattered soul.
"Gather your thoughts. Return to your body!"
Instinctively obeying the "Majesty's" command, Ramsey awkwardly and with difficulty ascended to the First Level of the Thelema mindstate.
Even slower than the first time he had mastered it.
The purple-black, searing pain rippled outwards, sealed off by a wall of shining will.
Ramsey gathered his scattered thoughts and guided his light body slowly back towards his physical form.
Suddenly, a thick darkness surged, extinguishing the radiant light.
Claws wreathed in thick shadow materialized, grasping for the light body.
"Oh?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Nareth's eyes. The sudden, rising black shadow drowned the light.
Within the "Mentor of Disorder's" obsidian eyes, dense, red-black threads of rules filled his sight.
'Ramsey was following my command, his soul already beginning to settle back into his body. Why the sudden change?'
'This has never happened before.'
"Ascend to the Third Level of the Thelema mindstate!" the "Mentor of Disorder" commanded, his expression grave. His mind raced through analysis: 'What makes this Daemon World different from the past is the presence of the Hand of Darkness!'
A flash of inspiration hit him: The Daemon World held the main ingredients for the "Shepherd" potion, blood-red scarecrows and herdsmen. And Ramsey was advancing to Shepherd.
'Could the Hand of Darkness be a high-sequence characteristic of the Hanged Man Pathway? Or even a Uniqueness?'
'It's possible!'
'The Hand of Darkness has corruptive abilities.'
Nareth recalled that during the Plague Wars ten millennia later, Abaddon had given the Hand of Darkness to Mortarion.
Mortarion had used the Hand of Darkness to replicate numerous devices and seeded them across the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar.
He then used the Hand of Darkness to control the replicated devices, unleashing a plague catastrophe.
The Hanged Man's domains of Depravity and Filth both resemble Corruption.
Its Darkness domain also differs from the common concept of "Darkness."
The Hanged Man's Darkness is an all-encompassing, all-devouring darkness, the darkness that corrupts the heart.
'At the moment of advancement, an beyonder is most intimately connected to a Uniqueness.'
'Ramsey is on the Daemon World, advancing to Sequence 5 "Shepherd." The Hanged Man Pathway grants high Inspiration, making one easily influenced.
'Crucially, the Hand of Darkness is itself a xenos artifact with corruptive abilities, suggesting it naturally radiates power, much like how the Dusk Giant's Uniqueness influences the Dusk Moon.'
As Nareth pondered, he immediately raised his left arm. Black mist coalesced in his palm.
The "Mentor of Disorder's" spirituality surged, flowing into the Order's Hand gauntlet.
"Prohibit: Depravity, Filth, Darkness, Corruption!"
"Decree: Mystery weakens, Reality strengthens!"
A pillar of golden light shot skyward, piercing through the roof.
The beam rose five hundred meters, its radiance enveloping the entire base.
The claws tearing at the light body exploded.
Freed from their grasp, Ramsey settled his light body back into his physical form.
The scattered fragments of his soul patched together, merging into his flesh.
The newly advanced "Shepherd" knelt on the ground, having survived by a hair's breadth. "Praise be to my Lord's great power. You have saved my soul."
....
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