The moment the Grimnyr saw the black-armored giant, he knew this was an opponent he alone could not contend with.
He raised his staff, ordering the two COG drone forward. The Warp circuits woven atop their heads were activated. Warp fields and the runes covering the Grimnyr simultaneously burst forth with blue light.
The Grimnyr seized Warp energy coalescing it as if drawing a cable from a conduit.
He swung his staff. Bio-lightning was projected at Nareth.
The Primarch raised his left arm. A surge of telekinesis erupted outward, forming a high wall of psychic force in front of him.
The psychic lightning struck the force shield, emitting crackling detonations.
The force shield shook violently, then suddenly shattered.
An invisible shockwave swept the deck, making the entire deck tremble.
The Honour Guard members' power armor crackled, their bodies swaying.
Arsena's telekinetic power surged as he struggled to keep his balance.
Nareth keenly noticed the blue light erupting from the drones' heads. He also knew the boltguns in their hands were merely physical preventative measures. Their real weapons lay in the complex warp-circuits housed within their round casings.
Grimnyr themselves had moderate Warp talent, only average compared to humans.
But relying on the runes on their bodies and the amplification from the COG drones' warp circuits, they could unleash power only top-tier psykers are capable of.
More crucially, the COG drones acted like psychic fuses. When a Grimnyr drew upon the Warp, they could follow his commands to cut the connection, preventing power overload or loss of control.
The Grimnyr's psychic safeguards reminded him of the Chief Astropath, who often kept two Sisters of Silence nearby to suppress his overly vast psychic power and prevent intrusive gaze from warp entities.
'The psychic safeguard is similar to the Chief Astropath's method: one uses COG drone circuit fuses, the other uses Sisters of Silence.'
'The Grimnyr's runes combined with the Warp circuit system amplify psychic power much more than anticipated.'
'Quite useful. A power booster and a safety device, all in one.'
Nareth decided he wanted their warp-circuit system for himself. He chose to kill the three of them quickly without damaging the hardware.
The "Baron of Corruption's" eyes flashed. Spiritual energy surged forth.
The Grimnyr 's consciousness had just probed into the Warp, drawing power to oppose the black-armored giant.
His intent to protect himself and prevent loss of control was "distorted".
The Grimnyr discovered in horror that the Warp circuits' direction abruptly shifted. He suddenly couldn't sense the Warp. The psychic flames he had coalesced vanished in an instant.
Nareth charged forward rapidly. The Sword of Vaul slashed out. A COG drone just raised arm fell.
Nareth then swung the blade again, striking the ornate crown covering the dome, along with its head, fell to the deck.
After securing two trophies, he charged at the powerless Grimnyr.
Nareth swung the Sword of Vaul, piercing into the Grimnyr 's head.
The blade shredded the stocky body without damaging the runes upon it.
After securing the flagship, the Honour Guard searched it, finding the sealed Fane.
Unlike the Imperium and many other factions, where important ship compartments are built on upper decks, Squat structures are built on lower decks, seemingly commemorating their underground mining heritage.
The Fane was no different. It was located on the flagship's lowest deck, its area equivalent to four decks.
'Only a Grimnyr can communicate with the Votann. Building the Fane on the lowest deck is quite logical.'
Nareth arrived before the Fane's door. He raised his right hand and pressed it against the door.
The Primarch's muscles bulged. His torso twisted, and he pushed with explosive force.
The gate did not budge.
'A door forged from Bastium Alloy.'
Nareth gazed at the gate. He saw the Bastium alloy was covered in Warp circuits and unfamiliar runes.
After a moment of thought, he abandoned the idea of forcing it open with the Dionysian Spear.
The "Baron of Corruption" walked to the control panel, bent forward, and pressed his right hand onto it.
"I am a human. A Grimnyr is also a human."
"A Grimnyr can open the door. Therefore, I can open the door."
Using his Concept Swap ability, the panel flashed with runes at incredible speed.
The blood-red chain glowed as the Baron's spirituality was quickly replenished, yet the consumption still exceeded recovery.
The adamantine gate shuddered, and the deck shook with it.
Boom
The gate split open.
The space resembled a vast underground cavern.
At its depths stood a massive statue.
The statue was made of a dark, rock-like material. It had no arms or legs, only a giant head.
It occupied more than half the Fane's space, surrounded by ten pillars, each connected to the statue by rune-inscribed conduits of the same color.
Nareth circled the fane. He found the entire statue seemed like an inanimate object, showing no reaction to his presence.
Each pillar was taller than a Squat, about human height, covered in runes.
Beneath the statue sat a machine of complex wiring, every conduit from the pillars converged into its dark bulk.
He knew this was both an altar and an interface.
Nareth bent down and placed his hand on the screen.
Dozens of seconds later, the screen showed no reaction.
"A Grimnyr is a Human. I am also a Human."
"A Grimnyr can communicate with the Votann through the Fane. So can I."
His spiritual energy drained rapidly. The statue's eyes lit up, deep light reflecting across the screen.
Images and text flickered at high speed.
'The Concept Swap consumed far more power than opening the gate.'
'Moreover, Squat script differs greatly from High Gothic.'
'Getting all the Votann's secrets won't be easy. I'll need prolonged use of Concept Swap to interface with the Core.'
As he pondered, his spirituality rapidly depleted. Just before it ran dry, he lifted his hand.
He hadn't yet found a way to actively communicate with the Votann like a Grimnyr. The flashing images and text were uncontrollable.
The "Baron of Corruption" couldn't accurately understand their meanings. Although he couldn't read the script, he could roughly grasp the meanings through graphics.
He saw ten Grimnyr, each with their COG drones, kneeling before a statue as large as the one before him.
They looked excited, chanting resonant hymns.
Outside their chamber, countless Squats raised cups in celebration.
The statue was loaded onto a massive ship. The ship then set sail.
The ship arrived at a planet. The statue was moved underground.
Nareth'seyes grew thoughtful. Combined with what he knew about Squats, he formed a theory.
He knew Votann and Fanes were both intelligent machines that could transform into each other under certain conditions.
A Votann could deteriorate due to data growth exceeding limits, etc. retaining only Fane functions. This was considered a令人悲痛的悲剧 (lìng rén bēi tòng de bēi jù - grievous tragedy) by witnessing Brokhyr.
A Votann might deteriorate, its data growth exceeding its limit, until only the basic functions of a Fane remained. To any Grimnyr who witnessed this, it was a bitter tragedy.
In Nareth's memory, before the Great Rift, many Votann had deteriorated due to the influx of memories from generations of deceased Squats exceeding their capacity.
Some Fanes could spontaneously develop artificial intelligence, ascending to become Votann.
When such a miracle occurred, the entire Kindred regarded it as an immense honor and celebrated jubilantly.
The birth of a new Votann could also give rise to a new League.
The Kindred involved might sometimes choose to leave, establishing a new League.
'So, is the Squat League a new League born after a Fane ascended?'