Ultima Segmentum, Eastern Fringes. The 28th Expeditionary Fleet Anchorage. Shipboard chronometer read: one hour to zero hour.
Vance stood before the observation port on the lower decks of the Pride of the Emperor, staring out at the azure sphere suspended in the void.
Laeran.
Bathed in starlight, it looked like a sapphire set against black velvet. Ninety-eight percent of its surface was a sprawling, glittering ocean.
Through the haze, he could faintly make out massive platforms floating on the water's surface. These were the crystalline coral cities of the Laer, scattered across the deep like colossal water lilies.
"It's a beautiful world," he muttered.
"And a real deathtrap, too."
A gruff voice came from beside him.
[Love Eating Grox Cans] leaned against the bulkhead, tossing him a tube of nutrient paste.
"Eat up. Last peaceful meal we're gonna get, Mr. Inquisitor of the Holy Ordos."
Vance caught it, popped the cap, and squeezed the sludge into his mouth.
The synthetic protein and vitamin slurry tasted like oatmeal cut with engine oil. He didn't even flinch.
Ding—
A golden System prompt popped into the retinas of every Loyalist player simultaneously.
The glow was so blinding that over a thousand players scattered across the deck—checking gear, racking weapons, or muttering final prayers—froze in unison.
[Global Faction Quest Issued]
[Quest Name: The Perfect Son of the Phoenix - The Beginning of the Fall - Hard]
[Type: Epic (Phased Progression)]
[Scope: All Loyalist Players]
[Phase Objectives:]
[Phase Objective: Destroy the Blade of the Laer (Key Objective)]
[Phase Objective: Halt Fulgrim's Corruption (Key Objective)]
[Phase Objective: Prevent Fulgrim from Annihilating the Laer Civilization (Optional)]
[Phase Objective: Eliminate Chaos Faction Players (Grants Glory Points per kill)]
[Phase Objective: Eliminate Laer Combat Units (Grants Glory Points based on level)]
[Reward Mechanics: Glory Points calculated based on individual and overall faction performance in this campaign, driving the quest phase completion rate.]
[Base Reward: Reaching 30% total Glory Points grants rewards (Imperial Coins, Enhancement Options, Special Items).]
[Perfect Reward: Completing all objectives (100% Glory Points) grants unknown (Massive) rewards.]
[Failure Penalty: None (Even if the campaign is lost, reaching 30% Glory Points is considered quest completion).]
[Penalty Clause: If total Glory Points fall below 30%, all Loyalist players across the faction will suffer a 20% penalty to Imperial Coin acquisition rates for the next 30 days.]
[Note: This is a synchronized faction quest shared by all Loyalist players across the galaxy.]
[Current Participating Players: 1217/43053 (Restricted to players currently embedded in the 28th Expeditionary Fleet).]
[May the Emperor's Light guide you, and may perfection remain untarnished.]
"..."
Vance stared at the line about the quest being shared across all Loyalist players in the galaxy. His mouth twitched.
The regional chat channel, Light of the Emperor, went dead silent for three seconds. Then, it erupted like a volcano.
[You're Not Loyal]: "Holy shit!!!! A shared penalty?!"
"If we blow this, every single Loyalist player gets a twenty percent nerf to their Imperial Coin farming!!"
"We'll be the ultimate sinners anytime we run into another Loyalist!"
"We're going to drag down the entire faction right when the game is just launching into its beta phase."
[For the Regent Yellow Guilliman]: "Chill out... The real issue is whether we can even hit that thirty percent threshold."
[I'd Even Be the Emperor's Dog]: "These objectives are completely unhinged."
"Destroy the Blade of the Laer?"
"That thing is buried in the deepest part of the temple, and Fulgrim himself is going to grab it. How the hell are a bunch of cannon fodder grunts like us supposed to snatch it from a Primarch?"
[Worthy of Sanguinius's Blood]: "And stop Fulgrim's corruption... How?"
"What, are we going to stand in front of him and recite the Imperial Truth?"
[Love Eating Grox Cans]: "The wildest part is making 'preventing the annihilation of the Laer' an optional objective."
"Even the System knows it's impossible, right?"
"Fulgrim is literally here to commit genocide."
Vance skimmed the fast-scrolling chat, his fingers flying across his virtual keyboard.
[The Imperium's Purest Inquisitor]: "Shut up and listen."
The channel instantly quieted down.
Over the past few days, Vance had built up some serious clout among the Loyalist players. His calm analysis, deep knowledge of Warhammer 40k lore, and convenient position as an escort tactical advisor had earned their respect.
[The Imperium's Purest Inquisitor]: "The quest is split into five objectives. We need to break them down."
"First, destroying the Blade of the Laer... This is the core goal, but also the hardest."
"It's virtually impossible. Hell, if we somehow manage to break the sword, Slaanesh might just manifest right on top of us..."
"We have to bide our time. Wait for Fulgrim to enter the temple, wait for the Chaos players to make a move, wait for a variable to shift."
"Second, halt Fulgrim's corruption... This is intrinsically tied to the first goal."
"If the sword is destroyed or he never gets his hands on it, the corruption process breaks."
"Third, prevent the annihilation of the Laer... We can strategically abandon this one."
"It's not about being cold-blooded, it's simply beyond our capability."
"The 28th Expeditionary Fleet brought dozens of Emperor's Children companies and hundreds of thousands of Imperial Army auxiliaries. Their explicit goal is total purgation."
"Our tiny headcount isn't going to shift the macro-scale narrative."
"Besides, these Laer are genetically modified xenos abominations... cleansing them is pretty much standard operating procedure anyway."
"Fourth and fifth, killing Chaos players and the Laer... This is where we farm our Glory Points."
He paused for a second before adding to his thought.
"Remember, that thirty percent threshold is our safety net."
"Ganking one Chaos player is definitely going to net more points than mowing down a hundred Laer grunts."
"So once we drop into the warzone, everyone keep your eyes peeled for black IDs... Those bastards definitely have their own questline, and they'll do everything in their power to make sure Fulgrim takes that sword."
"Our primary objective is to hunt them down and wipe them out."
[You're Not Loyal]: "Makes sense... So what's the actual tactical play?"
[The Imperium's Purest Inquisitor]: "We don't have one."
"We're Imperial Army auxiliaries. Following orders is our only job description."
"But..."
He uploaded a rough topographical map of the Laeran surface that he had secretly scanned using a portable cogitator into the chat.
"This is the location of the Laer's central temple, buried deep beneath the largest central platform, the Sky Coral."
"In the final phase of the campaign, Fulgrim will definitely push into that sector."
"Everyone needs to casually drift toward this AO during the fighting, but don't make it obvious."
"Stay alive, stack up enough Imperial Coins, and buy up explosives, jammers, and even single-use psychic dampeners from the store."
"And when the crucial moment hits..."
Vance didn't finish the sentence.
But everyone in the channel immediately grasped his implication.
[For the Regent Yellow Guilliman]: "Mr. Inquisitor, your plan is sounding a little bit... heretical."
"We going full suicide bomber? Loading up a demo truck?"
"I dig it. Count me in."
[The Imperium's Purest Inquisitor]: "For the Emperor, blowing ourselves up once isn't asking too much. Just make sure you save up enough Imperial Coins for at least five respawns and to cover your taxes. (Shrug emote)"
--
Bonus chapter at 600 Powerstones.
Wanna read ahead right now?! Join Patreon.com/AHumanMadeMOFO to read 20+ chapters ahead for the price of a single happy meal and support me if you wish.