Chapter 127: The Soul-Bound Relic
After a tense wait, the Cenobite led Kian Voss deeper into the Cathedral's restricted chambers. He was brought to a private study where the Canon-Preceptor was waiting, his eyes heavy but sharp.
"Warrior of the Throne," the Canon began the moment the doors closed. "I am told you bring a report from the abyss. Speak. Is the rot real?"
Kian gave a stiff nod. "It's real, Lord Canon. Equine Reach has fallen. I witnessed biological fusion, psychological conversion, and a total subversion of the Imperial Creed. I suspect a cult of the Plaguefather was active."
Kian followed his script, lying that a PDF strike team had deployed high-yield incendiary ordinance to level the village. He omitted the part where he was the one who pulled the master-cord on a suicide vest. "The village is a ruin of ash, but I cannot confirm if the metaphysical stain has been cleansed."
[DING! MISSION COMPLETE: THE ROT IN THE ROOTS]
[Reputation Rank Up: Canon-Preceptor Rank 0 → Rank 1]
[UNLOCKED SACRED REQUISITION]
Purity Seals: 200 Scrips.
Sacred Incense: 100 Scrips.
Votive Candles: 50 Scrips.
Blessed Censors: 1,000 Scrips.
Holy Vellum, Quills, and Sanctified Ink.
Kian listened to the chimes in his mind, but he didn't have time to browse the shop. The Canon's expression had turned from relief to a hard, cold determination.
"Corruption of this nature is like a parasite, Voss," the Canon rasped. "The flame may kill the meat, but the eggs are laid in the soil itself. A surface fire is merely a postponement. To truly save this planet, the ground must be reconsecrated through a Grand Purgation Ritual."
The priest looked Kian in the eye, his gaze soft but heavy with expectation. "Soldier of the Throne... can you guide a delegation of the Emperor's servants—myself included—to the ruins of the Reach? We must perform the rites of cleansing, or the shadow will simply rise again."
Kian froze. "Lord Canon... with all due respect, that's suicide. The Reach is nearly a hundred kilometers deep into Secessionist territory. To reach it, we'd have to pass a dozen rebel checkpoints and fortified warrens. A delegation of forty clergy members in a military convoy? You'd be a beacon for every heretic with a pipe-gun."
"The ritual requires the weight of the faithful," the Canon countered. "I cannot perform it alone. We require the sacred relics and a full choir of acolytes to anchor the light."
Kian rubbed his temples. This was turning into an Escort Raid—the most hated mission type in any extraction game. Moving forty NPCs through a high-threat "Red Zone" was a recipe for disaster.
"I need time to coordinate with my command, Lord Canon," Kian said. "Give me a few cycles to scout a path. I'll return with a tactical solution."
The Canon nodded. "You are a man of rare valor, Master Voss. I represent the faithful of this world when I say: your efforts shall not go unrecorded."
Kian prepared to leave, but the Canon reached into his vestments. He pulled out a heavy necklace—a chain of industrial steel holding a pendant shaped like a Gothic I-beam. In the center was an intricately carved human skull.
It was a Mark of Sanctity, a personal relic of the Ministorum.
"Take this," the Canon said, draping the chain over Kian's neck. "I have worn this since my days as a simple deacon. It has been bathed in the prayers of the faithful for sixty years. May it shield your soul from the whispers of the Beyond."
As Kian gripped the cold metal, a new kind of notification flared in his vision.
[DING! UNIQUE ITEM ACQUIRED: SPIRIT-LINKED MARK OF SANCTITY]
Description: A relic saturated with six decades of fanatical devotion. It has developed a minor Empyrean Essence.
[SYSTEM OPTION: SOUL-BONDING]
You may choose to absorb the Empyrean Essence of this item. If fused with your digital physiology, this item becomes part of your permanent 'Player Data'.
Perk: Eternal Retrieval. This item will now respawn with you in the Sanctum. It cannot be lost upon death.
[EQUIPPED STATS]
Mental Clarity: +1
Warp Corruption Resistance: Minor (Passive).
Reputation Buff: Moderate increase to all future Ecclesiarchy Standing.
Kian let out a sharp hiss of breath. A Soul-Bound Item. This was the ultimate find for an extraction runner. No matter how many times he got blown up or turned into a meat-stump, this pendant would always be around his neck when he woke up.
"Thank you, Lord Canon," Kian said, his voice actually sincere for once. "I'll carry it with honor."
Kian exited the Cathedral and made his way back to the Sump. Along the way, he initiated the Soul-Bond. He could see a faint, purple-gold tether connecting the pendant to his HUD's spirit-bar. He felt a hum of energy settle in his chest. It felt like he was finally "plugged into" the world on a deeper level.
He hopped into his Survey Crawler and roared back toward the surface. He had a path to clear.
He reached Parson's warren for the third time in as many cycles. The rebels were starting to view Kian's arrival as a routine occurrence. He found Parson in the central shack and got straight to the point.
"Parson, I need a political miracle. I have a client—a high-ranking official from the Mid-Hive Church. He wants to bring a team of forty 'priests' to the Reach to perform a burial rite. He wants to ensure the rot I burned stays dead."
Kian leaned over the table. "Can you get me safe passage? I don't want your boys shooting at a convoy of monks."
Parson looked at Kian as if he'd suggested they all take a walk into the eye of a storm. "Forty Spire-born priests? Moving through our heartland? Lord Voss... my Cell Commanders would tear them apart just for the silk on their robes."
Parson paused, rubbing his jaw. "I don't have the authority to grant a 'Holy Transit' of that scale. I'll have to vox the Regional Marshal. Only a High Commander can authorize a temporary ceasefire with the Ecclesiarchy."
"Wait here," Parson said, signaling a rider. "I'm sending a runner to the Marshal's bunker. We'll see if the rebellion has any room for 'Purification'."
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