My Life as A Death Guard

Planet Sigma-373, now.

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Outside the shuttle, towering trees stood quietly under the dim sunlight of this star system. The dense foliage cast patches of shade across the forest floor.

The crimson figures of the Skitarii maneuvered through the greenery, their arc rifles disappearing into the verdant ocean as they moved.

Inside the shuttle, the sound of crackling electricity filled the air—a symbol of delight.

“Ah! Praise the Omnissiah!”

Hades wore a helpless expression as he watched Priest Korklan pacing back and forth. The Priest’ robe and blackstone pendants swung wildly with his movement. Crackling electrical arcs and machine-prayer-like utterances poured from Korklan’s vocal modulator.

Jin, who had summoned Hades, shrank back timidly, hiding behind him to avoid drawing Korklan’s attention.

Jin clearly had no fondness for a deranged former superior.

After a lengthy string of phrases like “The Omnissiah blesses me” and “I offer my reverence to the Machine God,” Korklan finally calmed down. His cooling system whirred as it increased power, and he turned his attention back to Hades.

“Unbelievable. According to initial drone surveys, a strong anti-psyker field once existed in the center of the largest human city on this planet,” Korklan announced.

Hades caught the critical word.

“Wait—once existed?”

The Priest’ facial indicator lights flickered as he elaborated, “Yes. Currently, we observe no anti-psyker field.”

“It is highly likely that the humans who lived here destroyed the device,” Korklan added with a disgruntled hum, his electronic voice growing harsher.

But for Korklan, this was a major discovery. He had never before found a device capable of generating a stable and potent anti-psyker field.

While the Priest was giddy with excitement, Hades sank into contemplation.

A blackstone obelisk, placed in the very heart of a human city—something about this felt off.

“Korklan, may I see the images transmitted by the drones?”

“Of course.”

Hades instantly received a data packet from Korklan. After decrypting it, he began reviewing the visuals.

The footage revealed medieval-style buildings, their streets covered in dust. Many structures had partially collapsed with age.

In the city’s center was a large plaza paved with black stones. Green luminescent lines traced patterns across its surface, now dulled by dust.

At its core stood a colossal black obelisk, several people wide, standing stoically as if surveying all below.

The obelisk’s sleek lines were broken, its surface marred by indentations revealing its inner structure.

Surrounding the obelisk were semicircular black walls inscribed with prayers and intricate designs.

At the plaza’s forefront stood a podium resembling a noticeboard, one man-height tall.

Something’s not right.

Hades frowned unconsciously.

Though the styles and materials of the structures were similar, they didn’t seem to belong together.

What was going on here?

Hades considered the transmitted images; the drone footage of the obelisk was still too blurry to provide clarity. His thoughts swirled without resolution.

“I need to see this site in person,” Hades finally said.

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In a dense yet eerily silent forest, a group advanced.

Hades marched at the center of the formation, clad in a modified MK3 power armor. Its subdued bone-white and moss-green tones intertwined, with thick shoulder plates adorned by the emblem of the Fourteenth Legion—a six-spiked skull on one side and the Mechanicus cogwheel-skull on the other.

Hades had personally upgraded the MK3 armor to bolster its defensive capabilities, albeit at the cost of added weight. But for someone like Hades, such heft was trivial.

A servo-skull extended from his left shoulder plate, its red-black cables entwined—a device known as the omnispex.

On his back was the hallmark power pack of a techmarine, holding a folded flamethrower on one side and a manipulator arm equipped with a melta torch, plasma cutter, and combi-bolter on the other.

Hades carried a bolter in his hands, following closely behind a Skitarii Vanguard.

Branches snapped underfoot as the Skitarii cleared a path, the sound of crushed vegetation echoing in the air. The group traversed a newly carved trail through the forest.

“We’re approaching the first marked point, my lord,” the Skitarii ahead reported.

“Understood,” Hades replied curtly, grabbing the lagging Jin and pulling him forward before continuing.

“I hate this muddy terrain,” Jin grumbled, his gears straining in discomfort.

Hades chuckled, looking up to spot a tall bell tower emerging from the trees. Artificially carved vines adorned its outer walls.

The group pressed on.

As trees thinned and sunlight grew more abundant, ivory-white buildings came into view. In a spacious clearing stood a sizable village, where several Skitarii were stationed, continuing their reconnaissance.

“Lord Hades, our preliminary assessment suggests this was an agricultural and educational settlement,” the Skitarii squad leader briefed him dutifully.

“So far, Skitarii Squad 785 has found no blackstone-related artifacts of interest in this area.”

“A prior Priest has already extracted some agricultural technology here. Beyond that, this location likely holds little else of value,” he concluded.

Hades blinked. Agriculture and education combined—it was something he hadn’t seen before. It piqued his curiosity.

With the team taking a short rest in the village, Hades took the opportunity to wander around.

Jin had gone to dry the moisture from his cables, and Korklan wasn’t part of this team; the cautious Priest never ventured out without first ensuring every one of his safety measures was operational.

Confident that the Skitarii were keeping watch, Hades strolled through the settlement.

Low, white houses made up the bulk of the village, most of them appearing to be residential quarters.

At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary large rural village.

However, as Hades ventured to the far edge of the settlement, something changed.

A rustling noise broke the stillness.

Hades raised his bolter, stepping forward cautiously—

Small, mobile machines zipped between the houses, busily transporting what appeared to be fruit.

The bizarre little vehicles carried foodstuffs, emerging from the forest and heading tirelessly in another direction.

Yet the Skitarii stationed here seemed utterly indifferent, continuing their search unbothered.

“What… is this?”

Hades stared at the procession of food-laden carts, utterly baffled.