Warhammer 40: Shattered Steel Soul

Chapter 8 The Dream of Fortification
Morse tilted his head slightly.

Before dawn, the stars meandered into an infinitely huge boa constrictor in the sky, and every flicker was the reflection of the serpent.The atmosphere of Olympia is a giant frosted ball, and the python circles and shrinks outside the giant ball.

A hundred years ago, he raised his head and witnessed the birth of the projection of the howling that resounded through the soul in the material universe, and he has often had such illusions since then.

He lifted his legs and stepped on the high stone steps. This twisting path on the edge of the cliff was untrimmed. When the Locus guard passed by, they swung the swords used to kill the enemy to kill a part of the earth and stone, The dust succumbed to the iron tools forged by craftsmen, and the trail was gradually dedicated to humans by the cliff.

Above, on the relatively flat road, the guard named Miltiades and the accompanying team were waiting silently, the platinum armor losing its color before the dark morning.

Hiding along with the colors are the voices of the guards. Out of unknown respect and even admiration, these spearmen who enforced the law in the city-state and the country did not dare to have the slightest thought of urging Morse and Perturabo, who were slowly falling behind. .

Morse turned around and observed Perturabo's every move with a research attitude.

Even if he transforms from a complete industrial weapon into a flawed mortal, the boy's learning and growth speed are still outstanding.

Half an hour ago, Perturabo had secretly frowned at the rugged road and the height difference that was too large for the boy's size. Now he had learned to skillfully look for every convenient place to stay, holding on to the stone wall with steady fingers. Grab hold of each protruding rock and move forward with the least amount of effort.

But he still wasn't quick enough.

Morse leaned forward, stretched out his arm downward and diagonally, and placed his helping hand in front of Perturabo's eyes.

The boy glanced at him. "Move," he said breathlessly.

"You are too slow, Perturabo." Morse said evenly, "The Locus guards are waiting for you."

"Then let them wait." Perturabo moved his lips, uttering a string of Gothic words.

"I'm waiting for you too."

Perturabo didn't say a word, just lowered his eyes, and grabbed Morse's black cloth-wrapped palm heavily, allowing Morse to lift him up lightly.Then, Morse kicked lightly, and the two flew up against the gravity of the planet's center.

Mors let go of Perturabo before he could regain his balance.This made the boy almost fall in front of the Lokos. He shook and said nothing, anger flashing in his eyes.

Morse blinked and nodded to the Lokos.

These soldiers seemed to be relieved, they all nodded to Morse in unison, then immediately turned around and led the way neatly, perhaps more neatly than when they were being read by the tyrant of the country.

Morse put his right hand on Perturabo's shoulder and accepted the soldiers' courtesy.

The mountain mist rolled in the half-light darkness, sliding silently over the edge of the road covered with thorny vegetation. Perturabo raised his chin high, only to be scratched by the sharp edges of the leaves. When he reached the edge of his feet, the expression on his face twitched briefly.

A chill ran from Morse's palm to Perturabo's shoulder, and the boy heard a voice full of sarcasm.

+ They respect me. +
Psychic energy stirred, and a private communication channel opened.

Perturabo glared at Morse, and learned to make two minds communicate and collide in the psychic circuit without a teacher.Of course, he doesn't know how to use psychic power, and it was Morse who lent him this ability for the time being.

+Because you are an extraordinary craftsman.I told them. +
+What are you angry about?Do you want this respect too?Do you want Olympians to love you with adoration? +
+ no!I don't need love from mortals. + said Perturabo proudly.

+ Oh, not needing and not having it are two different things.You are so honest, boy. +
Perturabo frowned quietly, hoping that the dark night would make the shadows gathered between his brows inconspicuous.

+Of course I can get it, as long as you give me my ability back.You took away a part of me that I was born with, and you laughed at me for not being able to satisfy you now.Do you enjoy the satisfaction brought by the status gap from me? +
+ I am more satisfied with this: the only value in your mind that you can exchange for the love of others is your superhuman talent.Once you lose your extraordinary posture, it is easy for you to think that with your own character and mind, it is impossible to be respected by others.What an interesting realization!You know who you are, and I admire you, boy. +
Perturabo felt a rush of hot blood rushing to his cheek, and he twisted away from Morse's hand.

The psychic connection was quietly disconnected. He looked up and met Morse's scrutinizing gaze for only half a second, then hurriedly moved his eyes away while avoiding the mortal guards in front of him, letting his eyes fall on the hazy night scene around him .

At the end of the mountains, where the edge of the dead mountains meets the pale night, a majestic city-state looms.Vaults and spiers occasionally emerge from beneath the earth.

This is where they're going, Perturabo thought silently.He will go a long way, through the cold mountains, to the city where he will gain nothing.

He continued to look around. The valleys were cracked and the terrain was undulating. The planet itself relied on mountains and rocks to divide countless plains.

And humans themselves relied on weapons and power to divide the regions again.

Perturabo saw the farmland, and the lights of the village had a warm color opposite to that of the stars, creating bright yellow spots under the gray sky.The flowing stream stabilizes in the man-made reservoir and is transported to the fertile land by mechanical waterwheels.

He couldn't help trying to conceive some more sophisticated layouts and machinery in his mind to improve the efficiency of water supply and make the food in the farmland grow better; he also tried to conceive a gentle, spacious and continuous road , Erase the influence of mountains, so that the exchange of industries between villages and villages, city-states and city-states can be more smooth.

He couldn't help but imagine a more mechanized, advanced age.

He thought of drainage systems, of building zoning, of fast transportation, and of residential architecture that combined aesthetics and functionality.

Houses will be machines for living. It may be possible to liberate building facades from load-bearing, use more advanced structural designs to make planes more convenient, colorful and dynamic, restructure the concepts of blocks and inner courtyards, and restructure roads. It is distributed between buildings in a grid pattern, allowing three-dimensional transportation to run through the entire city like lines of precision instruments, extending the distribution of public services and collective operations to the entire planet and even more regions...

Then he failed, the knowledge flashed from the depths of his mind like a flash of light, and he wanted to grab it, but he could only hold a handful of mist in the mountains and fields.

Perturabo suddenly felt a sense of emptiness, and the dislocation between desire and reality truly came to the depths of his soul, making it impossible for him to get out.

However, unlike the anger and annoyance aroused by forgetting knowledge in the past, this time, Perturabo even forgot the patience he often thought about and the shame he felt.

The place he was going was Locus, and perhaps his building would start there.The tyrant of the kingdom would welcome him, he could be sure.Didn't the man named Damex send soldiers to meet him?

From towers and fortresses, to workshops and fields...

Immersed in the magnificent imagination of the project, he felt in a trance that the wide road was already built under his feet, and his people who did not exist were welcoming the coming daylight in their clean and tidy houses.

Until a sharp arrow piercing his eyes shattered in the defense of the spiritual energy shield.

"Be careful, someone is attacking." Morse said calmly, raising his hand to point to the hidden shadow of the mountain.There, some murky shadows moved quietly.

Perturabo finally woke up from the fantasy world, he first looked up to see Morse's reaction.

The strange thing is that he read a smile and encouragement aimed at himself on that disgusting cold face that he has been familiar with recently.

At some point, the Lokos team surrounded the two of them, with the two in front and the two in the back, taking a fighting stance to firmly protect Morse and Perturabo in the center.

(End of this chapter)