Meeting of Immortals (WH40k/????)
Posted: 2011-09-04 09:27pm
A really quick oneshot that has been stuck in my head. Enjoy and/or be confused.
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The Emperor strode through his palace, the sound of his heavy armour upon the stone floor resounding through the cavernous halls of his realm. He had no bodyguards here, not in this impregnable fastness, especially now that Terra had been pacified, and any assassin that tried to strike him here would have to face the most powerful psyker in the galaxy. There were none who could challenge him, especially not in his domain.
Thus, it was with rare surprise when an individual he had not detected with his formidable powers peeled out of the shadows of a column and began to walk alongside him. Despite his initial surprise, the Emperor soon relaxed and allowed himself to raise a single inquisitive eyebrow at the presence of one of the few other Immortals come to see him.
“You have ceased moving in the shadows,” the petite female told him matter-of-factly.
“Humanity’s position is too precarious to do anything other than direct action, Slayer,” the Emperor said.
“So you abandon the moniker of Puppet Master to take up the title of Emperor,” the girl stated.
“Yes. There are too many threats, from without and within, to guide humanity from the background any longer. You disagree with this assessment?” The Emperor asked the Slayer.
The girl cocked her head slightly to the side and casually brushed her hair back before she said, “Your Imperium will be mighty indeed and stand between humanity and its foes long after it slips from your control.”
The Emperor bristled slightly but knew not to challenge the Slayer. Her powers of prediction were always eerily accurate, beyond any other seer he had ever before encountered, including himself. He also knew that like all powerful seers she preferred enigma to details with her predictions.
“How will it slip from my grasp?” The Emperor asked.
“You will no longer be able to tell your people how to act,” The Slayer replied.
“Why?” The Emperor asked.
“Your greatest enemy will rip out your throat, among other things,” The Slayer answered.
The Emperor mulled upon this statement for a time before he asked, “Will you tell me who my greatest enemy will be?”
“An Immortal,” The Slayer replied.
“The Hunter?” The Emperor asked.
“She likes you. Besides, she has far more fun tweaking the noses of the Ruinous Powers to ever join against any side that opposed them,” The Slayer replied.
The Emperor nodded. Despite being the most daemonic of the Immortals, The Hunter was the one he disapproved of the least the majority of the time. He then said, “It would have to be The Predator then.”
“Just before a warp storm consumed a world he flew in because the Plague God was the one taking over. The storm will dissipate thousands of years from now after the world is quite thoroughly sterilized of all life but The Predator. He will not be around for your downfall,” The Slayer replied.
The Emperor felt a slightly disapproving twitch of his face and he said, “The Predator always was a hot head. I wish I had found him before he was so much of a hassle to deal with.”
“You and The Hunter were busy at the time, and he is quite good at hiding,” The Slayer pointed out gently.
“If it is not The Hunter or The Predator, that leaves either you or the emergence of a new Immortal sometime between the creation of the Imperium and a few thousand years from now,” The Emperor stated.
The Slayer nodded enigmatically.
“Despite your… companion… I know that you do not wish for the destruction of humanity, so that means that one or more new Immortals shall emerge within the next few thousand years, at least one of which shall fight me and succeed, but the Imperium will not fall because of it,” The Emperor mused.
“Your foe will not succeed, you will just be brought low by the fight,” The Slayer replied.
“That is a small comfort, I suppose,” The Emperor stated uncomfortably.
“I can offer you one further clue, at a price,” The Slayer said after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
“Your price being?” The Emperor asked suspiciously.
“Your Imperium will be vast, its people a multitude, and their fear of the unknown unsurpassed. I would prefer to not have to fight with them as I carry out my tasks. I wish for your seal upon a license to perform my functions unmolested,” The Slayer answered.
“For that I will need not just a clue, but a favour as well,” The Emperor replied.
“What favour?” The Slayer asked.
“Let me shoot that bastard,” The Emperor stated.
Ancient eyes, older than the current cosmos, crinkled in a rare expression of joy and the young woman said to the air, “He’s gone now, you can come out.”
A small white and pink cat like creature with a remarkably long tail and ear tufts hopped out only to be immediately blown to an atomically fine red mist with a single glance by the Emperor. The Slayer smiled and said, “You know that doesn’t help.”
“I know. I’ll still vaporize that xeno every time I see it,” The Emperor replied.
“It’s why we only meet every thousand years or so,” The Slayer said with a smirk.
“In any event, your next mysterious clue?” The Emperor asked.
“Half the new Immortals shall fight against you, while half shall fight with you,” The Slayer states.
“You shall have my seal before the day is out,” The Emperor states.
“I know,” The Slayer replies before the buckler at her left wrist whirs and she promptly disappears.
---
The Emperor strode through his palace, the sound of his heavy armour upon the stone floor resounding through the cavernous halls of his realm. He had no bodyguards here, not in this impregnable fastness, especially now that Terra had been pacified, and any assassin that tried to strike him here would have to face the most powerful psyker in the galaxy. There were none who could challenge him, especially not in his domain.
Thus, it was with rare surprise when an individual he had not detected with his formidable powers peeled out of the shadows of a column and began to walk alongside him. Despite his initial surprise, the Emperor soon relaxed and allowed himself to raise a single inquisitive eyebrow at the presence of one of the few other Immortals come to see him.
“You have ceased moving in the shadows,” the petite female told him matter-of-factly.
“Humanity’s position is too precarious to do anything other than direct action, Slayer,” the Emperor said.
“So you abandon the moniker of Puppet Master to take up the title of Emperor,” the girl stated.
“Yes. There are too many threats, from without and within, to guide humanity from the background any longer. You disagree with this assessment?” The Emperor asked the Slayer.
The girl cocked her head slightly to the side and casually brushed her hair back before she said, “Your Imperium will be mighty indeed and stand between humanity and its foes long after it slips from your control.”
The Emperor bristled slightly but knew not to challenge the Slayer. Her powers of prediction were always eerily accurate, beyond any other seer he had ever before encountered, including himself. He also knew that like all powerful seers she preferred enigma to details with her predictions.
“How will it slip from my grasp?” The Emperor asked.
“You will no longer be able to tell your people how to act,” The Slayer replied.
“Why?” The Emperor asked.
“Your greatest enemy will rip out your throat, among other things,” The Slayer answered.
The Emperor mulled upon this statement for a time before he asked, “Will you tell me who my greatest enemy will be?”
“An Immortal,” The Slayer replied.
“The Hunter?” The Emperor asked.
“She likes you. Besides, she has far more fun tweaking the noses of the Ruinous Powers to ever join against any side that opposed them,” The Slayer replied.
The Emperor nodded. Despite being the most daemonic of the Immortals, The Hunter was the one he disapproved of the least the majority of the time. He then said, “It would have to be The Predator then.”
“Just before a warp storm consumed a world he flew in because the Plague God was the one taking over. The storm will dissipate thousands of years from now after the world is quite thoroughly sterilized of all life but The Predator. He will not be around for your downfall,” The Slayer replied.
The Emperor felt a slightly disapproving twitch of his face and he said, “The Predator always was a hot head. I wish I had found him before he was so much of a hassle to deal with.”
“You and The Hunter were busy at the time, and he is quite good at hiding,” The Slayer pointed out gently.
“If it is not The Hunter or The Predator, that leaves either you or the emergence of a new Immortal sometime between the creation of the Imperium and a few thousand years from now,” The Emperor stated.
The Slayer nodded enigmatically.
“Despite your… companion… I know that you do not wish for the destruction of humanity, so that means that one or more new Immortals shall emerge within the next few thousand years, at least one of which shall fight me and succeed, but the Imperium will not fall because of it,” The Emperor mused.
“Your foe will not succeed, you will just be brought low by the fight,” The Slayer replied.
“That is a small comfort, I suppose,” The Emperor stated uncomfortably.
“I can offer you one further clue, at a price,” The Slayer said after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
“Your price being?” The Emperor asked suspiciously.
“Your Imperium will be vast, its people a multitude, and their fear of the unknown unsurpassed. I would prefer to not have to fight with them as I carry out my tasks. I wish for your seal upon a license to perform my functions unmolested,” The Slayer answered.
“For that I will need not just a clue, but a favour as well,” The Emperor replied.
“What favour?” The Slayer asked.
“Let me shoot that bastard,” The Emperor stated.
Ancient eyes, older than the current cosmos, crinkled in a rare expression of joy and the young woman said to the air, “He’s gone now, you can come out.”
A small white and pink cat like creature with a remarkably long tail and ear tufts hopped out only to be immediately blown to an atomically fine red mist with a single glance by the Emperor. The Slayer smiled and said, “You know that doesn’t help.”
“I know. I’ll still vaporize that xeno every time I see it,” The Emperor replied.
“It’s why we only meet every thousand years or so,” The Slayer said with a smirk.
“In any event, your next mysterious clue?” The Emperor asked.
“Half the new Immortals shall fight against you, while half shall fight with you,” The Slayer states.
“You shall have my seal before the day is out,” The Emperor states.
“I know,” The Slayer replies before the buckler at her left wrist whirs and she promptly disappears.