The dazed state Kanan was in prevented him from doing anything. He was dizzy, disoriented, unable to know what was happening around him. The wound on his shoulder hurt, but that was insignificant compared to the powerful headache he was suffering from.
The pain was so strong that his eyes could not even focus on his own hands, his nose was unable to perceive any type of smell, his tongue was numb, and on his extremities he had that scratchy sensation like when your circulation is cut off. And it was no wonder because, unlike transporting consciousness into the warp, transporting the entire body was a much more traumatic experience.
Kanan looked up, but was unable to understand what his eyes were seeing. Right next to him, carrying his right arm was Murrey, but he was in a kind of state of... petrification or something similar. Its color was duller, as if it had been suddenly turned to stone or frozen in time.
The warlord's hand looked straight ahead, with his jaws open as if he had frozen at the precise moment he was giving an order or something similar. But it was not the only one.
Surrounding him were at least a hundred of his nobles, who still seemed to be fighting an enemy he could not see. All, frozen in time as if it were a photo. And you could even see those further back turning around firing their bolters, while the fire itself and the bullets that their weapons spat had also frozen in time.
Kanan watched the whole spectacle more with amazement than fear. In a way it was... beautiful in its own way. Never before was he able to see the greenskins in such detail, with such...fascination. But unfortunately, his curiosity wasn't going to last long.
Slannesh: - Well... Well... well. But just look who we have here. If it is none other than the champion of Atem III. -
Kanan: - What have you...? How is that? -
Slannesh: - Surprised? Don't worry, my little toy. Do not succumb to fear when you see my power. -
Kanan: - How come...? War! What happened to the war!? -
Slannesh: - Oh, my little toy. Don't worry about that. You are safe here... with me. -
Kanan: - GET BACK TO ME RIGHT NOW! MY TROOPS! MY TROOPS NEED ME! -
Slannesh: - Oh, my little toy. Don't worry. Those stinking greenskins don't deserve your fabulous presence. -
Kanan: - SHUT UP AND BACK TO ME RIGHT NOW! -
Slannesh: - SILENCE! -
Her seductive attitude and sweet voice may have occasionally caused Kanan to forget who he was dealing with, but trying to impose one's will on the god of excess was never a good idea. Unlike the other chaos gods, Slannesh was the least patient, and nothing infuriated him more than an ant trying to look like a lion. Or at least that's how I saw God.
Kanan could also recognize danger by his simple presence. In an instant, he could feel Slaneesh's fury course through his body, and his instinct told him that it was best to stay silent if he wanted to get out of this alive. And at his correct conclusion, the god of excess was pleased and smiled.
Slannesh: - Don't be confused, my little toy. Unlike your aberrant tastes, I have no attachment to those disgusting creatures you call your troops. - He said while making a disgusted face. - Those filthy green beings that only think about killing each other will never understand true beauty. And speaking of beauty, just look at you. How does it feel the first time with that body? You know... What does the pain of the first wound in combat feel like? Isn't that a wonderful pleasure? -
Kanan: - You and I definitely do not have the same concept of pleasure. - Such a comment only caused a heavy sigh in the god.
Slannesh: - As always... as stoic as a stone. You're more boring than a decomposed corpse. But what can be done? Can't I force others to experience true pleasure if they themselves are not willing to feel it? -
The god walked around the ork, looking curiously at the Black Templar pauldron that he carried on his shoulder, which he enjoyed tearing with the light touch of his sharp nails. Feeling the metal twist so easily made Kanan's blood run cold.
Kanan: - You brought me here to give me a fun class. Or do you have something else to tell me? -
Slannesh: - Grrr... Your simple attitude makes my stomach churn... But you're right. I'm not going to waste my precious time trying to convince someone of what they're not. If you are here, it is because the time to pay your debt has arrived. -
Kanan: - So that's what it's about. And good? Have you already decided in what ways you are going to torture me for the rest of eternity? -
Slannesh: - Mmmm. No. At least not yet. but I have... other ideas in mind. You see... lately I've been very busy in the "Great Game." Which I don't expect a mere mortal to understand. But there are certain matters that need my attention. You will go to a very special place and... well... you will do what you do best... Cut off heads. -
Kanan: - That's all? Do you just want me to kill others for you? -
Slannesh: 'Oh, don't be discouraged my little toy. I promise you that you won't be bored. Plus, you won't be alone, as some of my precious offspring will be there to brighten your day. Now, if you'll excuse me... I have more important matters to attend to. And so you can see that I am benevolent, I will let you take those "little friends" of yours that I brought with you. You can't deny that I am a god who takes care of his children. -
Kanan: - Yes yes... I'm even surprised by his benevolence. -
Kanan's phrase was loaded with irony, but so much contraction was only more pleasant for Slaneesh himself who, with just a snap of his fingers, left the ork in a complete dream.
Not long after, Kanan opened his eyes, and could see that he was no longer in the warp. His body no longer felt so heavy, and his eyes revealed a strange metallic structure above his head that he was not able to recognize. He was in some kind of building or somewhere underground, but he wasn't able to recognize that kind of technology. But one thing was certain, wherever he was, it was not a human settlement.
Soon, the orks around them began to wake up little by little, there being only about a hundred of them in total. Everyone was confused, trying to find an answer that not even Kanan himself was able to give them. Murray, who was right next to him, was the one who had the most questions because, from his point of view, they went from being on the dead plains of the Atem III battlefield to that strange place in just the blink of an eye. But before they could even continue questioning what happened, something caught the group's attention.
A battle. That sound was unmistakable for an ork. Many wondered about it, but a good battle would make any ork forget their problems and focus on the present. All except Murrey, of course, but he preferred to leave the questions for later and follow his warlord for the moment. But what they were about to see would escape all their expectations.
It wasn't until they got close enough to the sound of battle that they saw them. Some thin beings that ran towards where they were with all their haste. However, they were more surprised to see the orks than they were to see the strange beak-eared xenos. Then Kanan understood. Slaneesh had sent them to kill the eldar of a craftworld. That was where he was.
The white-maned ork saw them, just a few meters from where they were, but it was not what he expected. These eldar running towards them were not warriors, in fact, they did not even carry weapons or armor. They were all children, old people and a few unfortunate mothers with their offspring in their hands, who looked in terror at the sudden appearance of the greenskins in their path, but what Kanan could also notice was that this small group of Eldar was fleeing. from the war.
Behind the poor wretches, the true Eldar warriors could be seen fighting a pitched battle against countless forces of chaos. The daemons of Slannesh had entered the craftworld alongside the Emperor's Children, the legion of traitor marines who sold their souls to the god of excess.
The fact that he had to fight side by side with these aberrations was something that gave the warlord a chill, but he couldn't do much about it. Kanan looked up, and saw with regret each of the terrified faces of those unfortunate eldar who had the bad luck to appear in his path, and before the fearful calls of the beak-eared xenos, Kanan raised the deadly sword that he had taken from Chaplain Haldredd and pointed it forward. And with a voice as gloomy as a broken soul, he said:
Right: - Attack. -
The eldar trembled at these words. Terror invaded their bodies as they saw how that small group of orks pounced on them with their melee weapons ready to blind their lives. The panicked cries of the crowd quickly became present, mothers believed they were capable of protecting their babies with their thin arms, and some young people thought that standing in front of their loved ones would save their lives. But they knew deep down that they wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
Their eyes watched in terror as the orks got closer and closer, with the terrifying green skin with white mane in front, leading the rest towards the carnage. Many closed their eyes and surrendered to their destiny, but life passed before their eyes as quickly as the greenskins themselves passed by them.
It was a second. A second of total shock. They thought it was a dream. That what they had seen was a mere illusion. But the rumble of footsteps behind him said otherwise.
Those who fled the battlefield to save their lives turned around in shock, watching as the group of greenskins left them behind and marched at a brisk pace towards the battle, closely following that strange ork who seemed to be the leader. That distant warfield where the Eldar warriors fought with blood and fire against the spawn of chaos to save their precious home.
They couldn't believe their eyes. They could not understand what was shown before them. They couldn't understand how a group of orks had entered their ship without being detected. But the Eldar warriors could understand much less, when they saw the small green tide pass by their side, Kanan being the first to decapitate the head of one of the chaos marines of the Emperor's Children with his new sword.