Simmins hangs out wondering what the hell is happening just out of his vision.
Oh well his job is to cover their backs and he hadn't heard any new orders or panicked screaming... yet.
Thud brings his new toy close and looks around like a guilty child.
Despite Thud'drs actions, the moment Cormaeg shouts at the Civvies, not only they but everyone else inside the building snaps to attention and lower their weapons.
That is the extend of Cormaegs demanding command to stand down.
After several seconds of utter silence, the hooded figure speaks in a high-pitched, clearly female voice.
"Guardsman? You came ... at last?
You ... You ... killed Slimok?"
While watching the street with strained nerves, your otherworldly senses suddenly feel a very wrong shockwave from very close-by.
Its like someone tossed a stone into a deep, calm lake, stirring something deep, deepn down ...
Thud's brow sinks as he tries to remember the word, Still...mock. Who that be?
As Thud'dr speaks up, both civvies take a step away from him and looks troubled from the Ogryn to the other squad members.
But at least they do not raise their weapons again.
Progress.
"How did you manage to tame one of them?"
"To avoid further complications, this is NOT an Orc but an Ogryn. A form of abhuman commonly found in the imperial guard due to their size, strength and undying loyalty."
"Now, who are you, what are you doing here, and who or what is Slimok?"
Building on his commanding presence, Cormaeg is terse, clipped and levels a hard stare at the armed "Civilians".
I do not like people without training or discipline with guns...
Thud's custom helmet rocks back and forth as he nods vigorously and "grins" at the new friends.
Check out Krishs spoiler from above. It's the same for you and from the timing of things, the ripple occured at the same time as the Sergeants last sentence...
Another distortion in the immaterium.
Another stone down the deep, deep lake...
This time you feel it even stronger as is the feeling that something deep down the lake is stirring...
The two civvies look at each other, the man's face in clear disbelief and also surprise.
But the woman answers Cormaeg questions with short sentences. Her matter of speak is ... omnious.
"We are what remains.
The leftovers, the discarded.
Not even death wanted us.
We ... and others like us live in the ruins of war.
That ... name is a curse to us.
Everytime ... Something comes out and murders.
We fought Orks and things since ... too long."
The man looks ... Unpleasant ... at the woman.
"Never mind Sibil.
She was weird one before the Orks came.
I am Ralph. Was my store, ... Once.
We and others fight for what is left.
Clinging to our lives.
And that Slimok ...
Never met it ... if it exists.
But others tell stories of a creepy monster with ... magick.
Killing with his gaze, making people disappear, stealing kids... You know the copybook."
Shock or warp influence? Or shocks DUE to warp influence? I will have to consult with our resident psykers...but not within earshot of these two, it might get...unpleasant.
Tapping his microbead, Cormaeg calls Simmins.
"Trooper Olways, come in. Have you seen any movement out here?"
All's dull, the way I like it Sarge. Simmins comms back. New orders?
"Grab your partner in crime and relocate to the PDF's position Olways. Not as good a vantage point I know, but we might be moving on soon anyway."
Yes Sir. Movin' towards you. Simmins nudges Cort who grumbles and starts to help pack up the Stubber. C'mon Krish. No rest for the Emperor's Very Own eh?
”Sir, I...I have felt something its hard to describe but whatever it is has coincided with that name you spoke aloud. Allow me a second to see if I can’t glean more from the... ripple...Ive felt.” Monia state as the group wait sfor the FNG and Simmins to join them.
a simple success I think (afb and mobile)
Monia tries to follow the waves back to its origin...
It is quite hard to pinpoint but it feels like it comes from somewhere down the street from where you came...
”...Its...Coming from behind us?” is all she says as she confusedly turns around to see Simmins making his way to them from behind their position. The only other source was Krish..? She thought it odd that she’d be feeling a phenomena coming from him; he had no reason to start unleashing his powers. Furrowing her brow she kept her gaze locked on where their squadmates were appearing from as they came to join them.
As the scene starts to make more sense Leni gets back up, at least enough to lean against the wall while sitting and keeping her lasgun ready, pointing roughly in the direction of the civvies. Without actually aiming at them and scaring them even more.
Krish felt the same damn thing. I don't like it Sarge. Emperor protect us Simmins says. Something weird's coming. I'll set up the stubber on the car there. Train it on the street.
Krish's voice is tense as he speaks again over the squad vox-net, <<Sergeant, I do not think it is a good idea that anyone else say that name again. It felt like .. something was .. waking up? .. taking notice? .. something like that. Not good. Do not use the S-name anymore.>>
With that he focuses his attention on that other sense, trying to glean any more information. Since if Cormaeg is like any other Sergeant, he is about to ask for more information.
"Copy that Simmins."
Turning to the others, Cormaeg puts on his most serious "war face".
"So, we may have incoming, I want everyone to find a defensible position overlooking the street, you'll all pair up and our Psys will keep a continuous scan on the area until we either make contact or the way becomes clear.
Thud, you're with me."
Turning to the civilians, Cormaeg motions to the broken counter.
"You two, find some new cover, but stay in sight."
After getting to the PDFs near the car you sit down to try a triangulation.
And it works - kind of.
Direction in the immaterium are not all that 'normal' after all.
But you are pretty certain, that it origin in the real world has to be in one of three shops on the other side of the street, across the one you came from.
So either the ruined apothecarium, a locked shop no one entered and a burned downed house in the opposite direction of the rest of the squad.
The two nod and turn to go upstairs as the door (which likely leads upstairs) opens and a small, ragged boy tumbles in. His eyes are wide and full of fear and he runs straight to Ralph, sobbing.
"Dadder, Dadder!
I dreamert of ftat monster again!
I was drowning in ftat green slime ... and than I woke from your shoufting and fte shooting."
Ralp is taking the child up his arms and tries to usher Sybil up the stairs.
Krish tilts his head to one side, eyes closed, as he turns slowly in a circle.
After a moment he opens his eyes and sees the shops to their south east directly in front of him, <<Sergeant, it is difficult to sense; the immaterium is not a precise place. But I am fairly sure that the origin, at least in the real world, of the presence is to the southeast of our present location. Perhaps that apothecary, the locked building, or the burned out residence.>> Krish looks around a bit and steps out in front of the others taking cover behind the car, <<Should the mortar team redeploy to the other side of the vehicle?>>
Thud nods to the sergeant, then is surprised when a little one rushes in! Thankfully he doesn't break anything this time. He does smile at the kid though. Never hurts to be friendly!
The little one gazes at Thud'dr with big, shocked eyes, then (without letting go of him with his eyes) whispers in his fathers ears.
"Dadder! Slowly. Fters a Ork in fte shop!
Is ftat ... Slimeok ... from my dreams?!"
The equivalent of a face-slap from an Iron Hand Space Marine numbs your mental perception as you are not fast enough to pull back as a tsunami-like wave washes through the Immaterium...
You are just barely done setting up your Stubber beside the old PDF trooper, when Krish beside you suddenly gasps from pain.
But you don't have enough time to look whats wrong with the spook, because there is a very unreal and very disgusting sound coming from within the apothecary.
It sounds like something not-quite-fluid-but-not-yet-solid is dripping to the ground. Like marmalade falling to the ground.
But somehow, you know that it is something far, far less appetising.
Then there is that gurgling noise and a splattering sound immediately followed by wet impacts against stone and as you turn towards the destroyed shop, you see something small and horribly misformed flying out of the destroyed front window, leaving a long slimy trace on the street!
Krish staggers back, his flesh hand pressed to the side of his face. His augmetic arm moves the staff with blurring speed bracing him as his poorly made leg is a little too slow to catch up to the unexpected movement.
Despite the bum leg, Krish remains upright and stable with relative ease. His voice is strained and tight with the pain of the psychic backlash as he speaks over the vox-net, <<Sergeant! Something comes! Something in .. the apothecary .. shop.>>
"Let's take the fight to it then. Thud, you're with me, the rest of you follow after!"
Giving Thud a slight slap on the back to get him moving, Cormaeg revs up his chainsword at last.
Thud turns on his heel and exits the store at a jog, shield up, and brings his broken evicerator to hand.
Sounds like slop! Simmins says Something flying incoming Sarge! From the Apothecary!
I'd do the same if I was you guys Simmins comments to the PDF as he and Cort work to get at least something between them and madness. Getting attacked from the back is never high on Simmins list of priorities.
"Aye sir!"
Leni gets up and aims out of the door down the street, as much as that is possible without blocking Sarge and Thud from moving through
Monia expected the civvies to not grasp the warning they just gave but the immediacy of them saying the name took her off guard and therefore the psychic...slap...nearly caused her to double over in pain but she luckily caught herself...barely.
"A-Aye sir, ready and waiting!" is all she manages to get out. In the few seconds of calm she has before its her turn to move up, she tries to psychically ping their surroundings again.
But the flurry of activity and the previous mental hit is enough to disrupt her concentration.
The PDF soldiers follow Simmins, abandoning the set-up mortar altogether, producing worn-out autoguns.
"Way too close for the tube!"
The shaggy woman you know as maggy calls out the smeared thing with a disgusted face.
"Urgh ... What is that?
I ... urgl ... It was a head.
Urgs. I can see an ear."
Simmins has just found a more-or-less (rather less to speak the truth) place to half-knee on the car's hood and set down the heavy stubber, as the entrance of the apotecary gets all fluid and wobby, then dissolves and a horrific green-purple something is stepping flowing into view.
Its as high as Thud'dr but at least twice his width (so nearly cubic) and no real form. Its more like a superfluid mass wobbling and changing on every move. It is semi-translucent and you can see into its innards, where lots of half dissolved matter (bones and other body parts, shop-interior and weapons) can be seen.
Atop the foul thing sits the partly dissolved head of a greenskin with lolling tongue and white, blind eyes - looking towards the shop were Cormaeg and company are just leaving. On either side of the head, two feeble arms stick out of the main 'body', struggling with a long staff made of scrap metal and body parts.
"WOHOOOO! !!
Ya grotz callt fer Slimeok - h'r he comzy!
What'ya n'ed 'im ta do tod'y?
Hea'lin yer squiggs?
Lookin' to yer gran'ys?
Takin' yer junk aw'y?
Slimok 'ill do't all!!"
Taking in the disgusting form, you note several things of interest in its translucent body:
- several malformed, but living squiggs
- a lower-arm-long artillery shell
- a lot of glass splinters
- a head-sized eye lolling around, its lid closed
The foul smell of the thing causing you to reek and your stomach to cramp.
Thud keeps it together like a boss. He roars a challenge and charges toward the thing, intending to do his job and keep it's attention off of his friends!
"Uuehrg. Looks like Munitorum issue spinach soup."
"That thing is full of random crap, check out that unexploded Shell! And the living livestock!"
Leni takes aim at the eye inside the thing but waits for an order from Sarge
Simmins decides to get the horrific queasiness in his belly over with and just manages to move his head to the side and empties his breakfast onto the cobblestone streets.
Suppressive.. Fire he manages to gasp out.