067, Ku'gath, Father of Plagues (1)

[You didn't have time to react.]

[Several figures quickly surrounded you.]

[Another medical officer pointed both an augury device and a laser pistol at your head.]

[You stayed calm, showing no rash behavior.]

[Your gaze fixed on the green light emitted from the augury device, and you could hear the low hum of its operation.]

["Damn it, he's fine, no infection... Charles, your augury device's machine spirit is upset; it needs calming." The medic holstered the laser pistol and turned to complain.]

[The medic named Charles glanced down at his device and made a helpless gesture toward you.]

[You sighed in slight relief.]

[You didn't want to experience the thrill of having a laser burn through your skull.]

["Sorry, soldier, my fault..." Charles apologized after inspecting the device.]

[You accepted the apology and cautiously inquired about the current situation.]

["The war is still ongoing..." Charles, wearing a mask, let out a muffled sigh. He pointed to your uniform. "The Cadians have suffered worse losses..."]

[You looked down.]

[You noticed that you were wearing the uniform of a Cadian Shock Trooper.]

[You wanted to ask more, but Charles had already hurried away.]

[You instinctively glanced in the direction he was running.]

[Several battered Valkyrie transport ships descended from the sky, bringing back more wounded.]

[By the first week, your injuries had fully healed.]

[Through conversations with other soldiers, you gathered basic information.]

[You learned that a brutal battle for the planet Arcus was raging.]

[The plague-ridden forces of Chaos had invaded the garden world through a warp rift, seeking to drag it fully into the realms of Chaos.]

[You were eager to return to the fight.]

[Your attempt to act independently was stopped by the medics.]

["Please, consider other people's feelings. Do you think you're the only one willing to sacrifice for the Emperor? What do you think you can accomplish alone on the battlefield?" your old acquaintance Charles scolded you for your recklessness.]

[He urged you to wait.]

[The morale of the wounded needed to recover, and the units required reorganization.]

[You tried to persuade him to let you join the newly reformed units early.]

[You were forcibly sedated.]

[You fell into a deep sleep.]

[Unintentionally, you seemed to slip into a foggy dream.]

[You walked alone in a mist-covered wilderness.]

[The damp air filled your lungs as you instinctively gripped your laser rifle.]

[Your eyes scanned the barren landscape, unchanged in every direction.]

[Your boots sank into an endless muddy path.]

[Your mind slowly entered a hazy, trance-like state.]

[Then, you heard it—a strange, deep, nauseating melody, echoing faintly in your ears.]

["Oh, Ku'gath, so fine... Ku'gath, so great... Ku'gath's ladle is truly divine..."]

[The eerie song pierced through your eardrums, digging into the depths of your brain.]

[It was something you could never forget...]

[Meanwhile, the thick fog shrouding the void-like wilderness began to thin.]

[You broke free from the trance-like state.]

[You were fully awake.]

[Turning your gaze, you followed the direction of the song.]

[Several kilometers away, in the ruins of a dilapidated hospital...]

[A massive, bloated, and rotting figure stood there, as large as a mountain.]

[It wore what seemed to be a protective suit stitched together from countless human skins.]

[Its grotesque body swayed slightly, and on its greasy, exposed flesh, tiny Nurglings crawled up, only to fall off, laughing gleefully.]

[The horned monstrosity hummed a nightmarish tune, taking foul substances handed to it by nearby plaguebearers and tossing them carelessly.]

[In front of it, an ancient cauldron, filled with the essence of decay, spewed thick, green fumes.]

[The noxious pus inside bubbled and swelled, with the occasional burst sending droplets flying into the air.]

[Every now and then, a thick drop would splash out, tracing a sickly green arc before landing in the desolate earth.]

[The plague zombies beneath the cauldron, who willingly threw themselves into the flames to fuel it, screamed in agony as the pus burned them to their cores.]

[Even the slightest exposure to the vile liquid caused their rotten bodies to disintegrate, leaving nothing behind.]

[You stared in disbelief at the terrifying and bizarre scene before you, forgetting how to breathe.]

[You were utterly entranced.]

[At the same time, the laser rifle gripped in your hand let out a soft, excited hum.]

[You snapped out of it.]

[For a moment, you were confused.]

[The metal weapon in your hand had come to life.]

[The warmth, like flesh, was enough to make your skin crawl.]

[You threw the rifle away, now breathing heavily, its newly formed mouth and nose gasping for air.]

[You turned to flee.]

[But then, your uniform sprouted colorful mushrooms and strange, beautiful flowers.]

[You found yourself overwhelmed with panic.]

["Ah, little one, why are you so scared of Ku'gath?" The nightmarish melody had stopped, though you hadn't noticed.]

[The gigantic, bloated figure in the distance gazed at you with amusement.]

[At the same time, a horde of giggling Nurglings swarmed toward you.]

[Before you could struggle, they engulfed you completely in their sticky mass.]

[Only your head remained exposed.]

[The putrid stench filled your nostrils, invading your nerves, washing over your soul...]

[Next, it felt as though you were wearing a suit of living Nurglings.]

[Their laughter continued as you stumbled toward the immense, terrifying figure.]

["This is our first meeting, but Father Nurgle has mentioned you, little one..." The horned creature absentmindedly stirred its ladle, causing more plague zombies to dissolve into nothing.]

["I am Ku'gath, Father of Plagues." Its voice took on a sudden tone of melancholy.]

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