Chapter II: Nightmare.

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[• You have received: <1 > Tier IV Military Vessel = Furious-Class Grand Cruiser]

[• You have received: <2 > Tier IV Military Vessel = Promethean-Class Cruiser]

[• You have received: <4 > Tier IV Military Vessel = Tiamat-Class Destroyers]

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As he stared at the alert, Gino remained frozen, unable to utter a word while his mind wondered if this was some kind of joke.

'This can't be! There must be something else! Something that I can use right now! A skill, a weapon, anything but these fucking ships!' Slowly, Gino began to lose his composure as his hands clenched into fists and he started pounding the ground around him.

"ARGH! YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THESE SHIPS, YOU WHORE-SON SYSTEM!? YOU CAN'T TELL ME HOW THE HELL I GOT HERE, AND YOU LEAVE ME TO DIE IN THE BLOODY WARHAMMER UNIVERSE!" Roaring with a voice full of rage and helplessness, Gino got up and began tearing apart the rubbish around him as his mind was consumed by despair and anguish.

Expecting an ordinary person to survive in the Warhammer universe with limited knowledge was absurd and stupid. Even more so when there were beings capable of reading minds and knowing everything about a person, making Gino's life far more at risk than it should have been.

Countless variables and scenarios flashed through Gino's mind, many of them revolving around how to act, speak, and plan to take advantage of his current situation and find a way to stay alive. However, his current emotional state prevented him from thinking clearly.

When his body grew tired of pounding the rubbish and moving frantically, he raised both hands to his head, panting, "What am I going to do? This stupid system didn't even give me a guide on what to do after the tutorial!" After muttering this under his breath, he checked the missions and events tab once more, only to find nothing.

From now on, he truly was on his own.

Trying not to panic, Gino closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and exhaled, thinking, 'I'm naked in a world that seems fairly modern for Warhammer, I have no money or anything useful, no food or water. First things first, I suppose, I need to find some way to get clothes because I doubt anyone will take me seriously while I'm naked.'

Once he set this as his first goal, Gino opened his eyes and focused on the massive pile of rubbish and waste around him, paying attention to the nearby buildings. At first glance, they appeared to be residential and commercial buildings.

Getting up from where he was, Gino started rummaging through the rubbish, looking for any kind of rag, clothing, or piece of fabric he could use to cover himself and leave the alley without drawing unwanted attention.

After several minutes of creating even more rubbish, Gino walked towards the entrance of the alley, resigned. Using the materials from the bags of garbage, he managed to fashion a pair of makeshift trousers to cover himself and found a worn jacket with several holes to cover his torso.

Though his appearance was far from ideal, at least he could explore the area without worrying about being detained for indecent exposure.

'Though, being Warhammer 40,000, I'm not even sure if that would be a problem or not… what do they do with vagrants on planets like this? Because right now, I am one of them.' While pondering this, Gino looked both ways down the street. The pavement was made of something resembling concrete, while the street itself was cobbled, with engravings of the Imperial Eagle, or Aquila, every few metres.

Beside the road, there were two sets of rails that disappeared into the void beyond. The yellowish glow from the streetlights prevented Gino from seeing further, as dusk fell on Aurelian Prime.

Unsure of where to go, Gino left the decision to chance. After playing eeny, meeny, he turned left and began walking. The streets did not seem busy with pedestrians, at least not where he currently was. Instead, vehicles with a somewhat modern Earth appearance, though noticeably more industrial and robust, passed by occasionally.

The dark smoke from these vehicles filled the planet's polluted sky, making Gino's nose itch and his eyes water, and his throat scratch.

Trying to stay unnoticed on the deserted streets, Gino's eyes darted around, observing every detail with precision.

For example, every few metres, columns rose, engraved and carved from what seemed to be some type of stone. Statues surrounded them, depicting figures and creatures Gino could not recognise. At the top of these columns, six large loudspeakers were visible, emitting static noise that was lost among the city's distant industrial echoes.

Another interesting detail for Gino was that most of the building windows were closed. He could only see a few people, mostly as black silhouettes among the bridges of a colossal building in the distance that seemed to be the city's centre.

'But why is this place so empty? From the look of it, it should be a hive city, so where are its people?' Gino wondered with doubt and concern as he continued to follow the only figure he could see on the street. About a hundred metres ahead, a man in rather worn clothes but with a generic air about him walked with his head down.

The street's incline became slightly downward, indicating to Gino that they were descending. Although he had the planetary map tab open, his eyes remained on the man while he kept an eye on his surroundings.

It was then, after following him for several hundred metres, that the man turned towards a boulevard where there was much more activity.

Among the streets devoid of any vegetation, adorned only with decaying imperial motifs and faded neon lights, Gino glimpsed through the mist and steam escaping from the grates along the sidewalks, hundreds of figures walking. Some had faces utterly unrecognisable to Gino, with mechanical faces, hands, arms, feet, and limbs. Coming to a complete stop upon seeing the cold red biomechanical implant of a man, Gino finally succumbed to the reality.

"Damn it, I really am in Warhammer." It took seeing another human being with such an inhuman implant for Gino's subconscious to accept his situation.

Among the bustle of that boulevard, he stood still as the inhabitants of Aurelian Prime glanced at him sideways with a hint of curiosity.

He tore his gaze away from the biomechanical man and looked around, trying to make sense of his surroundings. The boulevard was lively compared to the desolate streets he had just left. People moved about—some clad in robes with symbols that Gino vaguely recognised, others in rough work clothes, their faces obscured by thick masks to protect them from the noxious fumes that filled the air.

A few figures, seemingly on patrol, stood out, wearing uniforms that suggested authority and carrying weapons that gleamed dully in the dim light of the colourful neon. Gino instinctively knew to avoid them. He was out of his depth here, a stranger in a world that could swallow him whole.

He scanned the area for anything that might be useful. Shops lined the boulevard, their windows grimy and their signs written in an unfamiliar script. A foreign language, which must have been Low Gothic—the language used by most individuals in the Imperium of Mankind—could be seen on the worn-out signs and neon lights of the open shops and businesses.

A few stalls set up by the roadside offered a variety of items: strange foods he couldn't recognise, crude mechanical parts, and various trinkets. The air was thick with the smell of burnt metal and a faint, sickly sweetness that made Gino's stomach turn.

The cold, damp ground sent a shiver down his spine as his ears began to pick up on the voices speaking and murmuring.

"Get your food kits! Enough to fill you for three days!"

"Purified drinks, ready to consume!"

"Trade your implants for chrome ones! Credits and Thrones accepted!"

Amidst the noise of the vendors, Gino managed to notice several individuals heading towards a tall building with darkened windows and large letters in turquoise neon. The double doors of the establishment were open, giving a glimpse of what was happening inside.

'It looks like some kind of bar... although, judging by the faces and appearances of those going in and out...' Rubbing his eyes to relieve the constant itch, Gino made his way toward the place, observing the people entering and leaving, distinct from the apparent workers moving through the boulevard.

'I don't know if this is the best place to ask questions and find something to do... but I doubt those armoured dudes with weapons patrolling will answer anything,' Gino lamented to himself while avoiding returning the penetrating gaze of the armed men.

Moving through the crowd in the boulevard, and avoiding collisions with anyone, Gino's appearance stood out even as he tried to blend in. His head was lowered, but his towering height of over two metres seven centimetres, or six feet eight inches, made him loom over the crowd around him. He wore nothing but a tattered jacket and some makeshift trousers, with bare feet and chest.

Even so, Gino managed to walk the hundred and fifty metres to the establishment without being stopped or confronted due to his appearance. The turquoise light illuminated his face and body as he stood before the doors. His confident posture did not reflect the deep worry and doubt consuming his mind. His brown eyes, matching his hair, stood out in the contrast of colours, while his face, free of bionic implants, remained firm and determined as he took a deep breath.

Trying to ignore the constant itching and congestion in his eyes and nose, Gino told himself, 'Alright, next step. Find a place to stay and get answers to my questions.'

With a firm step, he entered the establishment, staring directly at the bartender behind the bar, who, like much of the clientele, watched him closely.

'No matter what happens, I'm not leaving here without answers,' Gino thought as he took his first steps on Aurelian Prime.

---

The sound of many footsteps echoed in the alleyways of District 4 in the middle levels of Vandalor's hive city. Several members of the Adeptus Arbites—the security force of the Imperium of Mankind, tasked with safeguarding stability and enforcing laws across a million planets—moved in formation with weapons ready, covering every space around them and securing the area. Their armour gleamed in the light emitted by various Servitors that accompanied them, providing visibility. Along the walls of the buildings, dozens of people knelt with their hands behind their heads, under the aim of the Arbites' shotguns and rifles. Their loose clothing and lack of implants to protect them from the planet's pollution clearly indicated they had been forcibly removed from their homes.

In the streets leading to the alley, heavy transport vehicles arrived in increasing numbers as more and more Arbites members converged.

"I want the whole area cleared and secured; everyone living in these buildings will be interrogated," a firm, mechanical voice sounded from an Arbites officer, his face half-covered by a black metal mask, his expression stern.

"Understood, sir," an officer responded before beginning to give orders to the men under his command.

As the Arbites worked to secure the area and carry out their orders, two figures approached. One was a frail-looking man with pale skin, dressed in high couture that marked his status. Beside him walked a man in burgundy and black clothing, a sword hilt resting at his hip. However, the most striking thing about him was the symbol around his neck—a rosary and rosette of the Imperium.

"It's here. The traces of psychic activity are strongest in this place, which also matches the route taken by the heretics' ship, my lord," the voice of the frail-looking man rang out with surprising vitality.

The other figure showed a thoughtful face as he frowned, asking aloud, "It makes no sense—the actions of the heretic cultists. Why would they drop their cargo here?" His steps were silent amid the commotion made by the Arbites as the two passed between officers without being stopped.

Finally reaching the open space between the alleyways where Gino had awakened, the frail-looking man stopped right where the young human had been. Quickly crouching, he closed his eyes, and a raspy hum emanated from his throat.

"I can feel it. Whatever fell here woke up and filled the surroundings with echoes of the Immaterium..." Opening his eyes wide, he turned to his lord with a cautious, doubtful tone, "Whatever it was, my lord, something awoke here and now walks freely among us."

His words conveyed uncertainty and danger, prompting his listener to nod with a severe expression as he surveyed the area.

The mystery of a conspiracy had brought him from Holy Terra to this corner of the galaxy in the Ixaniad sector, leaving Inquisitor Brarius full of questions and a deep sense of uncertainty.

"My lord, we have found an artefact nearby," the voice of the Arbites commander rang out in that secluded space, prompting Inquisitor Brarius and his companion to turn and look.

Nodding, Brarius ordered, "Take me there."

The three figures proceeded towards the area where the artefact was located, but not before the Inquisitor and his companion cast one last look at the place filled with psychic traces. Something was brewing behind the veil of darkness in the hive city of Vandalor, and Brarius would make sure to uncover it.