A Jaded Life

The Bearers of Lady Sunna’s Word were hunting the Arch-Heretic, seeking to purify her with their Lady’s light. It was their solemn duty, to prevent humanity from falling into the darkness, they needed to cleanse them with the blessed Light of Sunna. They had chosen to leave their New Dawn, despite knowing that the good people there might fall from the Lady’s grace in their absence but given that their Lady had bestowed a Divine Quest upon them, there was nothing that could be done.

To Legate Lorgar, their leader, it was also a case of pride to hunt down the Arch-Heretic, especially after he had realised just how rapidly even a brief visit from that monster could spread its corruption. The Arch-Heretic had only visited New Dawn for a few days but those few days had caused over a dozen people to reject Sunna’s light before it could ever reach them and instead grasp for the fel powers of the Arcane in some vain attempt to make themself feel safe. They gave up the liberty of being within Sunna’s light to embrace the perceived safety of arcane powers, ignorant, or maybe simply indifferent, to the fact that those who gave up their liberty for safety deserve neither.

Sadly, he and his small group weren’t enough to guide the fools back onto the righteous path, even after they managed to hunt down some of the dark abominations created by the Arch-Herectic, the foolish people of New Dawn hadn’t agreed to tear down the den of heresy the Arch-Heretic had raised, claiming it to be a shrine and thus protected like any consecrated shrine within New Dawn. The audacity of these people, to compare that thing raised by the Arch-Heretic to the blessed shrine of Lady Sunna was almost physically painful to Lorgar and it was only due to the restraining influence of his companions that he hadn’t tried to strike down the blasphemers. These children didn’t know any better, they were simply misguided by the Arch-Heretic, making their solemn duty even more important, to hunt that thing down and prevent it from spreading its creed even further, to cleanse the world from this filth. It was necessary, even if it meant to leave the people of New Dawn behind. Fiat Lux, they would bring the light.

They had been pushing hard, trying to follow the cold trail of the Arch-Heretic, a feat only possible thanks to the light of Lady Sunna guiding them but even with that light, it was no an easy task. But the harder the task for their Lady, the sweeter it would be to bathe in the Lady’s light at the end, letting the burning light cleansing the heretic they were hunting wash away the hardship they were enduring on their path.

But now, there was something strange in the air as they approached a wide-open valley. There was mist everywhere, even during the day, making it hard to see and even blocking Sunna’s blessed light from above. It was damp, cold and thoroughly unpleasant in a purely physical sense the true hardship was something entirely different. That came from the cloying scent of heretic arcane magic in the air, a scent they had all come to loathe and associate with the Arch-Heretic, the greatest source of this disgusting power in this world, as had been revealed by Lady Sunna. Burning that foul creature away would stem the tide, even if it wouldn’t cleanse the spiritual filth spread by it on its path through the world. If they couldn’t take that first step, they would be fighting a perpetual crusade, only able to treat the symptoms instead of curing the disease at its source.

However, even if treating the symptoms wasn’t as satisfying as curing the disease would be, didn’t mean they would ignore the symptoms when they were severe enough, as was the case in this accursed valley. Or rather, this corrupted valley filled with its infernal mist. Prayers to Lady Sunna had revealed that the cleansing of this valley wouldn’t be an easy task, it would require to reach the source of the corruption and burn it away. Only then would the mist fade away, allowing nature and life to return to this valley.

And so, with duty in their heart, their group of five made their way through the mist, calling upon their Lady’s power to remain comfortable, even if the mist tried to sap their spirits and drain what hope remained. Regardless, they would prevail and continue on, even if they couldn’t see the light right now.

“By the Light!” Helos growled, his face taking a slightly unhealthy pallor as he spotted something in the mist, a strange face grinning at their group with a grotesque smile. At his exclamation, all five of them readied themself for combat, only for nothing to happen. Moments passed as they waited with bated breaths, when an eerie laughter passed by their ears, carried by a cold, otherworldly wind. The mists seemed to be content to ignore the wind, not moving beyond their constant, unnatural billowing but to their group of five, the wind felt like the precursor to an inevitable attack. But nothing happened, nothing, but the continued laughter mocking them.

When another of these faces appeared, Garand let out an angry growl of Fiat Lux and a ray of light shot from the fiery wheel they were all bearing, scouring a line through the mist, only to reveal that there was nothing there, nothing but shadows and illusions. Speaking yet another prayer to Lady Sunna to thank Her for the gift of power they had received, they started to spread the light, seeking to drive away the mist and reveal what foul creature had attacked them. As their voices became louder, the light around them intensified, shining like a beacon and burning away the mist around them but no matter how much power they poured into the attempt, no assailant became visible.

“They fled,” Lorgar growled, righteous fury filling him as he realised that their assailant had achieved their goal, delaying them and making them waste their divine power while their unseen assailant had cowardly fled. They might have won the battle, but in concerns to the greater war, they had lost. “We need to continue. Fiat Lux!”

The other four echoed his exclamation and they continued onwards, deeper into the valley and the mist. At times on their way, they saw more of these strange, grotesquely grinning faces in the mist but after that first time, they weren’t foolish enough to waste power, instead they launched simple projectiles at the faces, nothing beyond some rocks they could pick up everywhere. If their stones hit, they would finally have a chance to see their hidden assailant but until that happened, they would press forward.

Until Jarulek crashed to the ground, letting out a yelp of anger at the sudden attack. Again, they all moved in unison, one checking on their fallen comrade, the others preparing to repel attackers, as difficult as that would be in the otherworldly gloom. Despite the repeated curses coming from Jarulek, Marduk didn’t take any chance with his comrade, checking him over and helping him back to his feet. However, despite the quite audible crash, the only lingering damage was cosmetic, a strange mixture of black and green slime covering Jarulek’s armour and spreading a disgusting odour. Again, there was that strange wind that wasn’t and its accompanying, mocking laughter, making all five of them burn whatever creature was heckling them in the blessed light of Lady Sunna.

“Leave it, these heretics only want to delay us further,” Jarulek growled, getting a nod of acceptance from the others, aware that this wasn’t ordinary bad luck, there was something foul going on here, even if nothing was visible, nothing but a patch of muddy ground where his boot had slipped away and sent him sprawling.

Suddenly, the laughter in the air changed, becoming more menacing, no longer as mocking and airy but harder, harsher. And coming from the other direction, from behind them.

Four of them turned around, checking where the laughter was coming from while the last one was watching the other direction, making sure that it wasn’t some sort of ploy to distract them and attack while their backs were turned. But, as far as Helos could see, there was no ambush of that sort waiting here, nothing but that endless, cloying mist.

On the other hand, Lorgar, staring in the other direction, could make out a shape in the mist, something more than the usual grotesquely smiling faces carved in round shapes, something solid and distinct. Skeletal, sure, but something physical.

Sharpening his eyes and drawing on some of Lady Sunna’s divine power, he could finally make out their assailant, a large skeleton, almost as tall as he was, with a strangely bulbous head holding the same, grotesquely smiling expression as they had been seeing in the mist the entire time. But this one was different, atop the thing’s strangely orange head sat a crown of some dark metal, proclaiming this one to be the king of this accursed place.

“For Lady Sunna!” He shouted, drawing upon the Light of his Goddess while the skeletal figure only laughed with derision while a voice filled the mist, sending a small shiver down the spine of every living being in the mist, “Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King!”