(Thanks to God-Emperor Above, Slaanesh Below, Me in the Middle and Demon Clan–Grief for their generous donations and God-tier endorsements. An extra update today.)
On Nocturne, the battle continued.
Every inch of soil, every rock, every breath of air had been saturated with Nurgle's corrupting power, becoming part of a vast, twisted living organism.
Dark green vines writhed across the ground. A sickly-sweet stench of decay filled the air, and inky green clouds churned overhead. Occasionally, viscous raindrops fell, eating smoking pits into the earth.
The entire planet resembled an enormous, ravenous stomach, slowly digesting everything it had swallowed.
"My dear brother, where are you..."
Vulkan's voice echoed through the thick fog, low and gentle.
His figure flickered in and out of view within the mist. Every step left a trail of dark green footprints that reeked of decay.
His armor was covered in rust and rot. Mushrooms and moss had even sprouted in places, writhing over him as though they were part of his body.
Curze hid within the dense fog, evading Vulkan.
Like a true ghost, he moved silently through the mist.
His footsteps were so light they seemed almost weightless. He kept his breathing to a minimum and deliberately slowed his heartbeat, making himself part of the surrounding fog.
He knew that confronting Vulkan head-on on this planet was unwise.
The planet itself was Vulkan's ally. Every cell supplied him with intelligence, every speck of dust relayed information to him.
And that was precisely what was happening.
Every speck of dust in the air told Vulkan exactly where Curze was.
Those particles corrupted by Nurgle, those spores drifting through the air, those microorganisms clinging to Curze's armor.
They were all Vulkan's eyes and ears, transmitting Curze's every movement clearly into his awareness.
No matter how Curze hid