Thirsty Land

Standard Terra Calendar 681.M31

Tami tied a rope around her waist and climbed down the well, using both hands and feet. At last, she reached the bottom. But all she found underfoot was dry sand. She pulled out her shovel and dug hard. Even after nearly half an hour of strenuous digging in the cramped space, there wasn't the slightest sign of moisture. If anything, Tami had only worked up a heavy sweat.

With no choice but to give up, she looked up and called, "There's nothing down here."

Her companions hauled her back up. The more than two hundred members of her people traveling with her were deeply disappointed. Even the Quetzalcoatl Prophet leading them looked dejected.

The Quetzalcoatl Prophet wore a feathered headdress, and feathers bestowed by Quetzalcoatl had grown on his arms and body. Gripping his staff, he said:

"Keep going. We'll continue north. Those Daemon-Cursed Lands have stopped the rain from falling. But the Apostle of Quetzalcoatl is waiting for us at the Center of the Continent. Once we meet up and begin the ritual, Quetzalcoatl will descend from the Empyrean and defeat the daemons."

Tami and her people had no choice but to leave the abandoned village and continue onward.

Tami looked dejected. They were running low on food and water. A little over two years ago, rain had suddenly stopped falling on the land, once lush with water and grass. At first, they had managed to get by using rivers and digging wells. They had been through dry seasons before, and those usually ended within a month or two.

But a month passed, then two, then half a year, and not a drop of rain fell. Soon, even the clouds disappeared from the sky. The grasses and shrubs withered, then the rivers dried up and their beds cracked. Herbivores, carnivores, and even insects all died of thirst or hunger. Eventually, the wells their people had dug ran dry too.

Now more than two and a half years had passed. Fortunately, the powerful Quetzalcoatl Prophet among their people had received a divine revelation in a dream: rain still fell to the north, at the center of the continent.

They had to set out northward, but the elderly couldn't keep pace. They decided to remain in their homeland. Tami knew that meant waiting to die, and the journey ahead was grueling. Before long, the children began to falter too. The younger ones could be carried by adults. The older ones could only slow down, until they fell behind the group, sometimes unable to keep up with their mothers and uncles.

The children of their people didn't know who their fathers were. After all, any man from a nearby tribe might have been their father.

The Prophet said that a band of daemons was using Sorcery to stop the rain from falling. Quetzalcoatl had ordered them north to join the god's emissary. Once they reunited and performed a great ritual, Quetzalcoatl would personally descend from the Empyrean into the mortal world and defeat the daemons.

Then the rain would return to the land, and they could live normal lives again. Thinking of all this, Tami felt a spark of hope and continued on with her Obsidian Spear.

But just then, a group of vicious men burst out from the roadside. Red crosses were painted on their faces, and they carried all kinds of weapons. These savages gripped weapons blackened with tainted blood and shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Fresh meat! Aaaah! Kill them! For the Blood Hand Butcher!"

One of the tribesmen scouting ahead cried out:

"Servants of the Blood God!"

But a javelin from the savages killed him before he could say more. Then more than a hundred followers of the Blood Hand Butcher charged forward.

Tami struggled to grip her spear and form a defensive line. She hadn't had water or food for far too long, and she felt she wouldn't be much use. But the Quetzalcoatl Prophet stood at the front, giving her courage.

The Prophet held his staff, chanted an incantation, and pointed forward. Lightning burst from his fingers. The chain lightning struck a dozen Servants of the Blood God as they turned back, knocking them to the ground.

Archers behind them drew their bows and fired. Poisoned arrows pierced the attackers' bodies. Their people had the advantage of numbers, after all, and a powerful Prophet stood with them.

The tribespeople shouted excitedly:

"In Quetzalcoatl's name, destroy these slaves of the Chaos God!"

Tami summoned her courage and thrust her spear at a charging cultist, punching a bloody hole in his abdomen.

The fighting would spread across the entire continent. Who knew how many of Quetzalcoatl's followers would make it to the center?

Meanwhile, the Weapon Depot at the Fortress Monastery was bustling with activity. All thirty-four War Band Neophytes were there, collecting their weapons. Operation Drought had officially begun, and the War Band would join the Dark Adeptus Mechanicus in a joint operation to capture servitors and psykers for materials.

They hadn't undergone their surgeries yet, but Forged Steel Lord Peter had ordered them to take part in the coming battle. As the Lord put it, "Warriors have to train in real combat. You can't become a sword saint before you've crossed swords."

So all thirty-four Neophytes had gathered in the Armoury, holding the weapons and equipment assigned to them.

The equipment issued to the Neophytes was fairly ordinary, consisting mainly of Scout Armor made from Sub-Adamantium. Their only melee weapons were Monofilament Combat Knives and Extended Monofilament Combat Blades. After all, many of the War Band's actual Space Marines still lacked Chainsword Weapons and Power Weapons.

By comparison, the Neophytes had more options for ranged weapons. Their choices mainly included Bolter Pistols, large-caliber Combat Shotguns, Laser Sniper Rifles, Twin-linked Heavy Bolters for Ogryns, Heavy Logging Guns, Grenade Launchers, and Net Guns.

For thrown weapons, they had Flash Grenades and Concussion Grenades. They also had two special weapons: Stasis Grenades and Stasis Shells. These had been supplied to them by the Daedalus Forge World, with the latter fired from Human-sized Grenade Launchers.

These two types of ammunition were almost useless against troops equipped with gas masks. Even without considering the masks, the anesthetic gas inside couldn't knock out Space Marines—couldn't even knock out Ogryns. But it was perfect for dealing with those primitive tribes. The anesthetic gas and Net Guns would be their main means of capturing slaves this time.

Lycurgus slung a Heavy Logging Gun over his shoulder and wrapped an X-Type Ammo Belt around it.

Alexios chose a Bolter Pistol and Combat Knife, a fairly conventional loadout.

A Neophyte named Randolph, with a thick beard, examined his Scout Armor from every angle.

"I understand everything else, but why does Scout Armor have a muscular abdomen?"

Alexios answered casually, "It's called Muscle Plate. It's popular in Lasidream. Filon said the armor should have a planetary characteristic, so he emphasized a few features."

Randolph pointed irreverently at the nipples on the armor's chest.

"You mean these two?"

Alexios replied with a solemn expression:

"You should follow the Tradition of Lasidream Warrior."

Gorgias paid no attention to their banter. In just five years, the once-slight fisherman had become a two-meter-tall, muscular man with short blond hair.

He put on his Scout Armor, picked up an Extended Monofilament Combat Blade and a Bolter Pistol, and strapped a Net Gun to his waist, ready for battle.

Today would be the first battle for these Neophytes.