The moss-green glow streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the entire room in its light. From the massive orbital ring above, Barbarus looked like a beautiful emerald.
The once spacious room was now covered with cables and an assortment of components. Countless tiny black mechanical parts were neatly arranged across the floor, while servo-arms hanging from the ceiling extended with precision, picking up pieces as needed.
At the very center of the room, amidst the sea of components, stood a towering black obelisk.
In front of it, Hades wore a simple Techmarine's work uniform, his muscular frame taut beneath the fabric. On the back of his work vest, a grim Mechanicum skull emblem was prominently displayed.
A finely crafted backpack hung from his back, with a plasma cutter extending from it, emitting a ghostly blue flame.
For a time, the only sound in the room was the subtle movements of Hades as he worked. Silence filled the air.
It was unclear how long he had been at it before he finally paused, scratching his chin while staring at the obelisk in deep thought.
He could repair it to some extent. His previous reckless actions had only burned out parts of the circuitry—replacing the cables should, in theory, allow the Blackstone Obelisk to restart.
As long as it could generate an anti-psyker field, that would be enough. Hades had no use for its other functions at the moment.
However… the material composing these cables was far too strange. It resembled some sort of highly psyker-conductive, plastic-like crystal. Hades had searched through his entire material database but found nothing quite like it.
Left with no other option, he resorted to trial and error, testing different materials one by one. Eventually, he found one that could barely conduct energy—far from the original's quality, but at least functional.
Hades looked up at the Blackstone Obelisk, contemplating. If he could find the right materials, perhaps he could cobble together a makeshift, scavenged version of one himself.
Alright, time to figure out where he could get his hands on some Blackstone.
Stretching lazily, Hades felt invigorated after the prolonged hours of mechanical work.
He pressed a communicator button, intending to ask Jin to prepare some food for him. He also wanted Jin to notify the senior Magos and arrange a time to test the obelisk's capabilities on Barbarus.
After quickly drafting a report on the obelisk's status, Hades opened the door, planning to check on the recruitment registration progress for Barbarus's new soldiers.
Bang!
—?
No killing intent—just something small colliding with his leg.
"Little Herila, you can't—!"
Down the corridor, Jin was sprinting at full speed, holding Had in one arm and carrying a tray of food in the other.
A flood of question marks and exclamation points flashed across Jin's display screen.
Hades looked down and saw little Herila, holding a bowl of noodles.
"Brother Hades, try it!"
Originally, these two children were meant to be sent separately—one to the Undertakers and the other to the Sisters of Silence. However, since the Death Guard's Undertakers were still stationed with the main force in Galaspar, and the Sisters' Black Ships weren't arriving anytime soon, Hades had decided to take them in for now.
At the time, Mortarion had watched the children with great interest, staring at them for so long that Had had nearly started crying again.
Later, Hades had asked Mortarion why he had been staring—had he noticed something unusual about them? The answer had been, in true Mortarion fashion:
"Because they're interesting."
Hades had rolled his eyes.
At present, however, the Death Guard forces in the Barbarus sector were still quite busy—some were handling recruitment, while others had been deployed to track down that rogue apothecary, Laton.
He had originally planned to call a Legion serf to take care of the two children, but to his surprise, someone volunteered—
Jin.
At present, Jin was still sorting through the various assets and affairs left behind by the late Magos Korklan, as well as managing the relationships Korklan had maintained. Compared to others in the Legion, his workload was relatively light.
Hades didn't think much of it and simply let Jin take care of the two. At the very least, Jin could teach the two Barbarus brats some basic knowledge about the Imperium—after all, there were no such things as schools on Barbarus.
As for the Magos's death, Hades couldn't help but feel a twinge of emotion. But considering the Magos had sent his entire archive to Jin before his passing, he had likely already come to terms with his fate.
Death was common, and it would only become more frequent in the future. Besides the Magos, hundreds of Skitarii had also perished on that planet.
The scent of food interrupted Hades' thoughts. He took a sniff—ah, a familiar smell.
Little Herila looked at Hades expectantly. Ever since this big brother had brought her and her younger brother to the orbital ring, the two of them had been living in paradise.
Because all the adults were busy—even Jin, who had volunteered to take care of them, mostly left them to their own devices. Every day, he would tell them a story, then throw them into the dueling cage to play.
The two would swing the lightest training swords around aimlessly.
Occasionally, Death Guard warriors would enter the dueling cage for their own training, and the siblings would obediently sit in the spectator seats, cheering and gasping in awe.
When the warriors finished their training, some would even teach the children a move or two, observing them closely and murmuring among themselves.
Because these children were personally chosen by Hades, and their unusual physiques were undeniable, the entire Death Guard on Barbarus was now aware of their existence.
In a sense, Had was the first recruit to pass the selection process in this round of enlistment.
Today, when the children heard that their big brother had finally come out of seclusion, they immediately ran to the servitors, determined to cook something to show their gratitude to Hades.
Hades took the bowl of noodles from Little Herila and took a deep breath—
A terrible texture and an odd taste flooded his mouth.
Why was this kind of 'trait' being passed down here of all places?
Hades felt like crying.
"Well? Big brother?"
Little Herila's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"It tastes good. You have a talent for cooking."
Hades forced a smile of encouragement.
Seeing that Little Herila was about to ask more questions, Jin arrived just in time to rescue him.
"Little Herila, you must respect your elders!"
Jin, with practiced ease, delivered a flick to her forehead. Another mechanical limb extended, lifting her into the air to stop her from causing any more trouble.
As Jin got closer to Herila, a familiar yet inexplicably pleasant sensation began running through his logic systems at the deepest level.
No one but Jin knew this—ever since Magos Korklan's death, he had found that he enjoyed being in contact with an anti-psyker field. The feeling… was comfortable? That was one of the reasons he had chosen to take care of these two children.
But after spending time with these naturally born siblings, Jin was also beginning to understand and recognize another aspect of life—the part he lacked.
In any case, even if Little Herila weren't a blank, Jin would still have chosen to look after them.
Children were easy to understand. After spending time with them, Jin had already grasped their personalities—
Herila, the older sister, was carefree and naturally sociable. Had, the younger brother, was much more sensitive and thoughtful.
"Sir, the Magos have replied—they can accompany you to Barbarus tomorrow."
Jin efficiently reported the update, then decisively handed over the food he had brought. Based on Hades' reaction, Jin estimated that the noodles fell into the "offensively inedible" category.
Herila was still struggling in the air, dangling from the mechanical arm, but when she saw her younger brother Had looking up at her with a worried expression from Jin's embrace, she made a funny face at him—then pretended to play dead.
Hades cast Jin a grateful look and accepted the standard Death Guard porridge, eating as he inquired about other Legion affairs.
During the time he had been locked away repairing the Blackstone Obelisk, the recruitment process for the Death Guard had nearly reached its final stages. Soon, they would begin the first round of selections.
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read the latest posted chapter, please go to my Patreon [1]
Latest Posted Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 160: Bargaining[2]
Link to the latest posted chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/my-life-as-death-126282689[3]
https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/my-life-as-death-126282689
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/my-life-as-death-126282689
[4] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl