Thomas's consciousness swept the surroundings, alerting the warriors of the 3rd Chapter's 5th Company.
"Targets at twelve o'clock, three o'clock, and nine o'clock."
The Shadows of Order raised their boltguns, firing a dense barrage at the Heartkyn warriors.
Bolter rounds struck the energy cloaks, only to be deflected back and ricochet onto the rock walls.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The "Warlock" loaded a tube of powdered ammunition into his archeotech pistol.
He channeled spiritual energy into it and pulled the trigger.
The "Warlock" had previously determined through experiments that the ancient weapon, capable of firing, any ammunition, rejected psychic-related materials nor spiritual materials.
The powder detonated at the three o'clock direction, scattering blue dust outward. The Hearthkyns' energy cloaks rippled like mist.
The Shadows of Order immediately raised their boltguns, firing dense volleys at the Heartkyn.
Amid the roar of explosions, several Shadows of Order and Heartkyn fell at the same time
The "Warlock" fired another round of ammunition made from spiritual materials towards the twelve and nine o'clock directions.
The spiritual materials were given to him by the Black Emperor after he became a Warlock.
The "Warlock" used his ability to analyze these materials and crafted various potions and bullets.
Casting a spell was something he could never complete in a single motion.
Even the simplest spell required three steps. First, concentrating one's spirituality.
Like psykers using the warp energy, the "Warlock" consumed spirituality.
Next, he had to outline the symbols of the spell within his mind, though spoken incantations could be used as a substitute.
Experienced "Warlocks" preferred mental visualization, making detection less likely.
Finally, utilizing materials to cast the spell. Materials served as mediums or is a part of the spell.
A "Warlock's" strength directly depended on how many types of materials they possessed and their quantities. Otherwise, knowing a spell was useless.
The blue powder came from Crystal Mirage, made by crushing energy crystals and purifying with spirituality, similar to how psykers craft psychic items.
When the Black Emperor gave him the spiritual materials, each was marked.
The "Warlock" raised his hand, firing another blue round towards each of the three directions, covering the Heartkyn in swirling powder.
The Shadows of Order and the exposed Heartkyn exchanged fire, guns roaring.
Explosion after explosion sounded, more Hearthkyn fell, and more Shadows of Order collapsed with them.
The "Warlock" pulled a vial from his power armor's chest and sprinkled its contents over himself.
The black armor disappeared like mist, vanishing from sight.
The "Warlock" stealthily approached the nine o'clock group. At twenty meters, he drew a dark red potion from his waist, and mobilized his spirituality.
The "Warlock" visualized the Black Emperor' symbolic glyph in his mind: first, disordered black arcs, then surrounding wings, finally spikes and the abstracted crown above.
The "Warlock" also visualized the Aeldari Fire Dragon glyph.
After promoting to "Warlock," he combined the ritual magic he mastered as a "Mystery Pryer" with spells.
Visualizing the Black Emperor's glyph first allowed the "Warlock" to borrow a portion of the Black Emperor's power to cast spells.
After visualizing the Fire Dragon glyph, the "Warlock" tossed the powder forward.
It was a potion made from Nocturne salamander skin, flesh, and black ore. Spirituality ignited the dark red potion, flames blazing.
Some Heartkyn smelled a familiar scent, the molten rock smell from deep underground mining.
Thomas saw their Voidsuits were blazing but they didn't fall.
'The materials our Lord provided noted this, their Voidsuits is threaded with Bastium Alloy, extremely resistant to all forms of extreme environment.'
'But if one potion doesn't work, I have many more.'
Still concealed, the "Warlock" circled around and hurled a silver potion.
With crackling bursts, a mass of silver-white lightning crashed down on more than twenty Hearthkyn.
With a boom, over a dozen Hearthkyn collapsed, smoke rising from their helmets.
Some Hearthkyn, tough as stone, remained standing.
Floating silver powder drifted into the lingering dark-red potion.
The two potions collided, immediately triggering a chain reaction.
A massive crimson flame surged upwards, sweeping up several Heartkyn.
Silver lightning flashes shimmered, tearing their bodies apart.
The Heartkyn raised their boltguns, firing towards the direction the powder came from.
But the "Warlock" had long since moved. After sneaking several meters away, he threw another vial filled with invisible powder.
Whoosh!
A violent gale formed out of nothing and swept toward the Hearthkyn.
The hurricane howled, lifting more than a dozen Hearthkyn and slamming them hard against the rock walls.
Twisting midair, the Hearthkyn fired back in dense barrages.
They scanned their surroundings, tense, searching for the hidden enemy.
The "Warlock" removed the largest vial from his waist, as big as his hand.
The powder inside came from the Kraken of Fenris, refined from its hardened flesh and bone.
Spirituality surged into the powder; with a crackling burst, it dissolved into blue mist.
A towering wave rose like a tsunami, crashing into dozens of Squats.
The flood carried them through the excavation tunnels and smashed them against stone.
Several Heartkyn slammed into the walls. Their helmets shattered under the immense impact.
Their heads then struck the rock, stars swimming before their eyes as they fell unconscious.
Over a dozen Heartkyn were thrown off balance by the water, slipping and falling into the flow.
They tumbled and spun in the water, extending their boltguns, trying to hook onto rocks to stop themselves.
The "Warlock" unleashed spells at terrifying speed, cutting down the Squats, but at the cost of rapidly depleting vial after vial of precious reagents.
At the same time, he could feel something else, a faint dissolving sensation spreading through his own body.
Drawing on his experience as a "Mystery Pryer" and "Melee Scholar," Thomas knew he was gradually mastering the power of a "Warlock"
...
10th Solar Month, 849.M41. The materials crafted by the "Warlock" were exhausted.
Holding his archeotech pistol in one hand and a power sword in the other, he joined the arduous combat.
Thomas followed the 3rd Chapter into the Hold.
As a perceptive Shadow of Order and a psyker of the Telephaty discipline, the concept of silence had never existed for him.
Every moment of his life was drowned in deafening noise, shredded thoughts, chaotic emotions, until he learned the Thelema mindstate and gained the ability to filter them out.
But once he reached the galactic core, he found none of that chaos.
Instead, even when he actively tried to read the Squats' minds, he could hardly do so.
They were like boulders.
Thomas ascended into the third layer of the Enumeration. The world sharpened instantly, every detail somewhat glaring.
All tiny fragments intertwined intocollective structures. Bright vortex trajectories traced behind the Heartkyn.
A heavy hammer smashing towards him was exceptionally clear in Thomas's thoughts.
He raised his power sword, meeting the Squat's arm as though the foe had thrown himself onto the blade.
The edge pierced the Voidsuits the disintegration field tearing the Squat's body open.
After a long and grueling battle, the Third Xhapter finally gained the upper hand in the D-1510 System.
Thomas boarded a ship and returned to the Squat System to report to the Primarch.