Chapter 13: Departure

Hades walked silently, even cautiously, along the edge of the outpost.

Every so often, a few figures would appear in the distance. But when they saw Hades from afar, they would choose to divert their path, avoiding him.

It had always been this way.

Hades thought to himself, though he had long stopped minding such behavior, he felt a pang of melancholy when he realized the inexplicable aversion the villagers held for him.

Such is the grimdark world of Warhammer.

Power always comes with its own set of pains. Just as powerful psykers are more prone to madness and scrutiny, the Untouchables are naturally shunned by their own kind.

But their avoidance was a blessing in disguise. At least Hades no longer had to go out of his way to avoid them.

Carefully, Hades ensured that his surrounding null field, a spherical zone about five meters in radius, didn't touch any of the villagers.

He held a letter in his arms. He had just tied one to the doorknob of Herilla's house. The empty bowl that once held porridge was placed on Herilla's windowsill.

The porridge was, admittedly, quite bland.

In the letter to Herilla, Hades briefly mentioned his intention to leave the northern outpost and head south to find a so-called "relative."

A non-existent relative had appeared!

But he couldn't tell Herilla that it was because of his unique constitution. In this dark world, sometimes ignorance is the best protection.

Additionally, Hades scratched his head. He couldn't resist. The rest of the letter was filled with recipes, detailing the quantity of ingredients, seasoning measurements, when to stir-fry, and the heat level.

Hades knew that this might be their final goodbye.

Instead of a heavy farewell, he wanted to leave something useful for her future.

He hoped that his interactions wouldn't bring trouble to Herilla.

As he neared his destination, Hades walked on the central road of the outpost, trying to maintain distance from others.

When it was unavoidable, and someone got too close, he would rapidly expand his null field, diluting its intensity.

The other letter was for Mortarion.

He couldn't just leave without a word. That would make him seem like a traitor, and he might be hunted down.

In this letter, he candidly explained the real reason for his departure—his unique constitution. After battling the xenos lord, Lazzar, he had changed.

Of course, to avoid suspicion, he described his ability as the "exact opposite of psyker powers," an existence that can suppress psychic abilities.

He didn't mention the term "Untouchable." How would a simple farmer from Barbarus know such a term?

He also mentioned his destination: the southern marshes.

Mortarion's adoptive father, Nakre, was further north of the outpost, while the south was populated by various smaller lords.

Unlike the northern lords who mostly swore allegiance to Lord Nakre, the southern lords were still in a state of infighting.

Mortarion's resistance mainly fought against these northern lords and other minor factions.

Mortarion had plans to send Karlasthefen to the south. In fact, he was already preparing.

Once they defeated another nearby lord and the outpost's population grew again, Karlasthefen would lead a Death Guard detachment to the south.

Their mission was to rescue human villages in the south and scout for Mortarion's upcoming southern campaign.

Given their current equipment, even the elite Death Guard would struggle against a psyker lord.

These lords might not be as formidable in close combat as the larger lords, but with their psychic powers and toxic mists, even elite Death Guard would find it hard to combat them.

Except for Hades. He had managed to defeat a mid-sized lord when the odds were in his favor.

But not many believed this. Most thought Hades was just lucky, especially since that lord had already been severely injured in a previous battle with Mortarion.

Even Mortarion's bodyguard, Hazniel, disdainfully told people that if he had encountered the xenos lord Lazzar, he could have taken its head too, and without looking as disheveled as Hades.

Mortarion immediately silenced him and punished Hazniel by sending him to the logistics corps.

"Death Guard should not belittle each other," he said. "We are one."

But Mortarion's thoughts were elsewhere. Only he knew the magnitude of Hades's achievement against Lazzar, a formidable psyker and warrior.

To put it in perspective, it's like believing your pet cat is strong enough to fight a hawk.

But then seeing it, equipped with metal teeth, take down an advanced aircraft. Even if that aircraft was running out of fuel and ammunition, it's still a feat.

Only Mortarion, who had fought these lords, knew the gap between humans and them.

Humans were still too weak.

But what about Hades? Did he really win? Or was he now under the control of the xenos lord?

After observing Hades, Mortarion was convinced that he was normal and not under any psychic influence.

Perhaps Lazzar was indeed on the brink of death. Moreover, Hades's combat prowess was indeed among the best of humans.

(In reality, the correct analogy would be that Hades is like a mutated cat with electromagnetic interference capabilities, disrupting the enemy's electronic systems, causing them to crash.)

Soon after, Mortarion received Hades's letter, brought to him by a Death Guard on guard duty outside.

If it's this kind of constitution, then it does explain a lot.

An Untouchable, huh?

No wonder Tiphon always complained of headaches around Hades.

Mortarion mused.

But soon, both of them would be heading south.

Enemies often cross each other's paths, don't they?

Hades, with his bag and scythe, was sprinting. He needed to reach the next human village before nightfall.

His recent experience had left him in cold sweat.

He had almost reached the war room's door, intending to greet Mortarion and leave.

Out of curiosity, he expanded his null field, trying to see what the warp's projection looked like.

But as soon as he began, a sense of alarm surged in his brain. His heart raced, and Hades immediately halted.

There was a malevolent presence there.

Mortarion was already being watched.

Hades's heart raced.

What about Hades himself?

Was he still in denial?

Was it possible that from the moment he met Mortarion, he had been marked?

Was it watching him?

Damn it.

Today, Hades felt like a pitiful creature, like a jester who had stubbed his toe.

No traitors here, just some Warhammer humor. A time-traveler who knows the plot gets transported to the Warhammer universe and immediately gets the attention of Tzeentch.

It's a rare sight, a time-traveler. Tzeentch wouldn't let this opportunity for fun pass by.

**Mini Theater**

When Herilla returned home, she found the letter and the empty bowl.

From that day on, she practiced her cooking skills.

However, since Hades didn't specify the duration for some steps, the dishes she made turned out even more bizarre.

Another day of joy and celebration.

When Games Workshop doesn't follow the plot, you can always blame it on Tzeentch or the Laughing God.

As for combat power, psychic abilities generally overpower physical ones unless the physical entity is much stronger. So, some elite Death Guard (who are still humans at this point) can defeat mid-sized lords if they don't use psychic powers.

But there are no lords without psychic powers.

Hades essentially created an environment devoid of psychic powers.