Hunting Asirnoth

(Ferrus POV)

During my hunt for Asirnoth, I would become something of a legend among the clans of Medusa who witnessed my many feats of strength and martial prowess, slaying massive and terrible beasts which haunted Medusa's landscape. In the lore, it was said that Ferrus travelled the planet in search of an opponent he could consider his equal. However, none of the rivals could match me in power. I can attest to that. Despite being a different Ferrus Manus from lore, I still have felt a similar urge to test myself against stronger opponents. It is not something I have no control over, which is why I waited for a full year, before starting to look for opponents. 

During this year, I used my time wisely and started to search the caves which undoubtedly were of Necron origin. Those ancient machines who had once traded their souls for 'immortality' were the most technologically advanced 'species' in the entire galaxy. Normally, they would be located in Tomb Worlds at this time and should be deep in slumber. But as I walked around, I didn't see any slumbering Necrons. It must have been an abandoned outpost, due to the proximity to the Eye of Terror. 

After checking out the large caving system, I settled on one place and began to create my home. I would eventually subdue all of the wandering tribes or clans, but I would use this as my home and where I do all of my crafting and building. I started rather small and at first conjured all the materials to create clothes for me. Wool, thread a needle ... all things I would need to craft nice clothes that would fit and also protect me somewhat. It was a wonderful feeling to craft something. I started to love it more and more. The possibilities were endless.

With the clothing at the start, I found out just how broken my skill truly was. After getting more skilled with the needle, which seemed to come naturally though, I managed to imbue special properties into the clothes I created. One of which was size change and stretching. I tried out more things since I had limitless access to material and there was no such thing as wasting it with me. 

After the clothing, I created drapes, cushions and carpets. I had to. The Ferrus part of me thought of this as ridiculous and weak, but the fun part of me, who had survived for now, just couldn't resist the temptation of creating a flying carpet. So I did. I created the carpet and gave it the ability to fly. That alone wasn't enough as it turned out, because just being able to fly is not enough. So I tried again and then finally managed to imbue a carpet with 'flying' and 'Intent sensing: Ferrus'. I had to be very specific, to not have it become corrupted or suddenly listen to someone else while I was using it. 

Oh my, it was so fun, I tell you. Happiness was so rare, that it didn't even exist in this universe anymore. But when I flew through the caves on my carpet ... it was a breath of fresh air. I came to understand the importance of happiness. It was healing for the soul and I would not see it as weakness any longer. I came to accept my situation and task. I needed to be prepared, but that didn't mean that I would become an asshole ... not yet at least. 

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After one year of consuming the dead meat of various animals and beasts I conjured, I was finally as tall as a grown man and ready to venture out into the world and travel all of Medusa. I saw various beasts that were corrupted by the Warp and had mutated from regular predators to chaos-infused monstrosities. When I stood in front of a warp-snow leopard, I was again reminded of what planet I was on and the galaxy I was in. All the fears I might have had or should have had as a one-year-old child ... didn't exist. I was bread for war and fighting and it showed. 

As the snow leopard jumped at me with its teeth dripping in saliva, I responded perfectly and caught its snout with my hands. I could feel my strength and the strength of the snow leopard contending and despite the danger of the situation, a smile made its way to my lips. This was also a part of me, I had to accept. The part that stood by strength and was an enemy of weakness. But that didn't have to mean I was destined to repeat the same mistakes as Ferrus did in the lore. 

I pulled the snout of the snow leopard apart and ripped its head in half, breaking its skull and spilling brain matter all over me. That was my first kill in this life and on this planet. But it would not be the last. 

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One day on my quest to search for strong opponents, I came across what I know to be called a Storm Giant. I am unaware of how something like him existed, but here he was, a giant as tall as a truck. Instead of challenging him to a measure of strength, I attacked him. Why would I do something as useless as that? Fighting him seemed more appropriate. I could get a good workout in and also rid the world of such an abomination. 

The giant was strong. According to legend, the giant managed to lift a mountain and carry it several kilometres. It was said that its triumphant laughter ceased when Ferrus lifted the entire mountain range and transferred it to a neighbouring island. It was said that after that day, the poor and humiliated giant was seen no more. 

I can confirm that the giant was seen no more. Our battle caused earthquakes to form and craters to appear. But after I managed to jump high into the air, I punched that giant in the face and smashed his face in. His head popped like a water balloon and died on the spot. I am not strong enough to lift a mountain, let alone an entire mountain range, but I might get there in the future. 

I continued to explore the planet after that. No one before me probably ever did it like I did in those times. I claimed the highest mountains and swam across the deepest oceans. I used everything as training, pushing myself harder and growing more. No man or woman could match me in endurance strength or any other attribute. 

The more time passed, the more my name was known across the planet and more clans heard of me. I came across some of them but never engaged in conversation, that would come after I had completed my quest. I was aware that all of them would have welcomed someone of my strength into their fold, which is also why I never approached them. It was not yet time. 

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Whenever I had time, I would return to my home in the Northern parts of Medusa, where my gestation capsule had crashed into the mountain and penetrated deep into the ground. The large cave systems were slowly explored by me and I conjured material to ever so slowly build my home. I wanted to have one place where I could either relax or craft whatever I wanted. Strength does not mean never allowing yourself a moment of respite, but taking an opportunity should it present itself. 

Unlike Ferrus from the lore, I don't see failure as a weakness. If you fall to the ground and have a chance to stand up again, then the only weakness is should you choose not to stand up again. I am a firm believer in 'what doesn't kill you, only makes you stranger ...' wait, that's wrong. 'What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger'. 

Failing in a task could mean that you either die, which naturally would equal failure, or it means you get the chance to learn from it and then do it again and crush what stood in your way. Killing someone, just because you can or enslaving them, is not strength either. I will change those things and the culture a bit too much. What I will definitely create is a massive base when the time comes that Big E, finds me. 

Being a hunter-gatherer is good and all, but it will not get us further. And as I already stated, standing still and refusing progress is equal to decay and death. Only a dying animal stops walking and lies on the ground. But not this animal. If I didn't have that nasty task of not stopping Horus, I would definitely do something about it. But those were the conditions if I wanted to keep my memories. And in this universe, you definitely want to keep as much of an advantage as you can get. 

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Asirnoth, the great silver wyvern. According to legend, Asirnoth, a monster with living metal skin, hid in the 'mysterious' Northern Wastelands. These were dangerous lands, where spirits penetrated the world of the living, and were filled with metallic and stone relics of gigantic sizes. From the lore, if one studied the 'songs of wanderings', Imperial scholars concluded that the territory described was very similar to the ruins of Necron structures. And I can say with absolute certainty, that they were right. 

This leads only to one conclusion. That Asirnoth was a creation of the C'tan or Necrons, made from the material called Necrodermis. This intrigued me. Both on a level of crafting and creating something similar, as well as in terms of strength and battle. Asirnoth was the one thing I was hunting during the early days of this life, since the start of my second year. It was undoubtedly the strongest creature Medusa would have to offer me. But the fact that there were Necrons once on Medusa is important. 

The Necrons are a mysterious Xenos species of humanoid, robotic skeletal warriors that have lain dormant in their stasis tombs for more than 60 million Terran years, though they will begin to awaken at last, in roughly 10 Millennia. They are the soulless creations, former servants and now the captors of the ancient C'tan, the terrible Star Gods of the Aeldari myth.

The Necrons are ancient beyond reckoning, predating even the birth of the Aeldari, who were created by the Old Ones to battle the Necrons in ancient times. 

The Necrons are a completely robotic humanoid species whose technological prowess is undoubtedly unmatched by any of the other intelligent species of the galaxy. Yet out of a desire for vengeance against the more fortunate, long-lived, ancient Xenos people called the Old Ones, and the trickery of the godlike intelligence known as the C'tan, the Necrons shed their original organic forms and lost all forms of compassion and empathy.

They have become instead ruthless, undying killing machines who are determined to exert their mastery over the galaxy once more. Across the galaxy, this ancient and terrible species will be stirring back to life. Entombed in stasis crypts for millions of Terran years, they have slumbered through the aeons, waiting for the galaxy to heal from the wounds of a long and bloody war. 

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After years of wandering the planet, I have finally found it. Looking at it closely now, I would say that Asirnoth looks quite similar to a Canoptek Wraith. 

[Picture]

And yet, I don't think that is a Canoptek Wraith. It is larger than a Canoptek Wraith and wider. A Canoptek Wraith is one of the more sophisticated units employed by the forces of the Necrons. Canoptek Wraiths prowl the corridors of slumbering tombs of a Necron Tomb World, gliding silently through the cyclopean corridors, guarding against intrusion and ensuring the safety of its slumbering occupants. These grotesque floating killers lack legs or bodies except for a serpentine spinal column and float over the battlefield using anti-gravity technology like ghosts.

Whatever Asirnoth's purpose was, is long forgotten now and the only thing that matters is this moment. The moment of our battle.