"Abhumans"
Thunderscourge
Emulating Kill em All Tomino in all Games
ABHUMANS
From the information provided to the Neophytes prior to their arrival there were four main tribes of Abhuman Beastmen they would encounter, those being the Caprigors, Ungors, Bovigors, and Centors. Most numerous were the Caprigors whose physical form most resembled the typical Beastmen, being Humans of large stature with horns jutting from their goat-like heads and thick manes of unkempt hair covering much of their hideous faces. The Caprigors were barbarians in their nature, though not without a degree of underhanded cunning to them despite their lack of general intelligence, and so they were threats to be wary of even if they did not appear particularly dangerous to an Astartes.
Barbs may have been traded between Levente and Tristan concerning the Caprigors, each comparing the other to them: Levente mocking how Tristan possessed a mane of hair similar to the Abhumans as a result of Tristan's upbringing on a world whose knights had shoulder length hair themselves, while Tristan compared Levente's behavior and mannerisms to the Caprigors given their shared barbarism.
Further swelling the ranks of the Abhumans were the Ungors, whom among the tribes were the least respected and feared. This perception stemmed from their more Human features and the lesser nature of their horns compared to their Caprigor counterparts, not only having fewer horns but smaller ones as well. One's horns were a sign of status among the Beastmen, and as such they were outcasts among the various tribes for even while the Centors lacked horns the equine tribe posed a threat not only as individuals but as a herd.
Other tribes could survive thanks to their strength or physical attributes, a mercy not afforded to the Ungors who instead thrived by lacking scruples, taking from the other Abhumans through trickery rather than defeating game on their own or harvesting of their own accord. They were little stronger than a normal Human and so they could simply not compete with their Caprigor kin who in turn possessed the strength necessary to overpower an Astartes given the right circumstance: cruel cunning even beyond that of the Caprigors was necessary to survive as a result.
The Bovigors were an Abhuman strain with bovine features instead of the more common goat-like ones to be found among Caprigors and Ungors, and whereas the other two groups possessed many among their tribe the Bovigors were few in number relatively. What they lacked in raw numbers they made up with in overwhelming strength and sturdy bodies that resembled Jarn's own in overall stature, not being quite as strong as the Warsmith but still well beyond the normal bounds of Human strength.
If they were to be compared to another Abhuman species it would be the Ogryn, though they were not nearly as mentally stunted and their ferocity made other Beastmen appear tame in comparison. To be gored by one of their horns was to be slain outright, and those spared their horns instead were left to fend off their oppressive physical might. If their rugged bodies possessed a weakness it was that they were lumbering, but even so they were fast enough to give chase until their quarry collapsed or had nowhere else to run.
Last of the Beastmen groups were the Centors, whose lower bodies were not like the goat legs to be found on Caprigors or Ungors, but rather possessed the form of an equine in full. At the end of their waist began the point where a horse's neck met its body, appearing wholly Human above that point and wholly bestial beneath. Of the four primary groups of Beastmen the Centors were the most experimented upon by Bile, lacking the horns of the other Beastmen as well as possessing more typical Human intelligence and natures which greatly contrasted other Centaur-like Beastmen to be found scattered throughout the stars.
Despite this one should not disregard the Centor's combat potential, as thanks to their four legged bodies they were capable of outpacing any of their Beastmen peers in the open areas of the forests that the Centors clung to. With their swiftness they would run down any who crossed them, and like standard Humans they possessed an appetite for violence. It was simply in comparison to the other Abhumans present that they would appear civil, for not killing all who dared cross your path was as diplomatic as one could expect of savage tribes on a world without more modern technology or sensibilities. Like the Ungors they did what they needed to survive, and that necessitated occasional but extreme violence to remind their neighbors of their boundaries.
When initially arriving the Neophytes were fortunate to do so under the cover of darkness, when many of the Beastmen tribes were guarding their camps and few strayed beyond where they knew safety to be. This gave the twenty Astartes time to separate into their respective squads and get acquainted with their surroundings, though this only followed after a suggestion by Tristan that the two groups remain united. In his view the easiest way for them to survive was to stay as a group of twenty, use their knowledge as Iron Warriors to build a defensive fortification, and then fend off all who dared threaten them. In return he was met with scoffs claiming that to do so would deny them all the opportunity to prove themselves, an important aspect of the test they were given, and so the groups went their separate ways.
Division did not end there however. It was naturally assumed by Levente that he would be the one in charge given his status as the strongest of them, and given his popularity within his peers few questioned his self-anointed position with even Tristan accepting a subordinate role. Tristan was fine doing what he was told so long as the one giving orders was giving proper ones, and despite his contempt for Levente it was no secret that Levente was intelligent...just not as intelligent as his rival, wherein lay the fault lines that would become deep fissures for their group in time. Even with ten Astartes the formation of a base of operations would be entirely possible using the local resources, and within a day or so it would be defensible enough to properly repel most threats by Tristan's approximation. It was a simple strategy, but it was one that would not disturb the local balance of nature between the Beastmen tribes and would see to the survival of Alpha Squad.
Levente chose instead to command their group to take a pre-existing Beastmen camp, raiding a settlement of Caprigors at dawn's break and swiftly slaughtering their soldiers to the last. Even unarmed the might of an Astartes was enough to snap necks and brutalize the Caprigors who had no true way of foreseeing the swift assault laid upon them, for as large as Astartes tended to be they still possessed swiftness well beyond that of a normal man. As one might expect Levente led the charge and was the first to draw blood as his Power Armored fists crashed through skulls like eggshells, the Astartes aspirant personally tearing through the unsuspecting Abhumans without a shred of mercy before many of them could mount a proper defense. Some managed to react in time and retaliate, but by then they had ten Astartes seizing their fallen comrade's weapons and those tools were used to deadly effect on the remainder of the Caprigors present.
Tristan had been the last to reach the camp given the weight of his armor and so took to assisting the others who were already engaged with the enemy. First he assisted Urban who was about to be attacked by a second Beastman who was the size of a typical Human male as Urban still fought his first, with Tristan managing to kick the second Caprigor in the chest so hard that their chest caved in from the Power Armor's boot as their now limp body sailed back through the air until it struck a tree and collapsed. The weight carried by Tristan's armor was a drawback, but when given a running start it also could be a deadly weapon on its own when striking a far smaller foe as momentum and mass coalesced into brute force.
Rather than move on immediately as the others were doing with their felled foes, Tristan lingered to stomp down upon the skull of the Beastman he struck, crushing it against the tree they lay against and ensuring that even wounded this foe would not pose a further threat. This done, he picked up the Caprigor's remains and hurled it into a particularly large Beastman being fought by Kastor to give Kastor an opening, after which Tristan followed in the trail of bodies left by Levente's vicious attacks to ensure that none survived. It was a rapid assault which ended just as quickly as it begun, the last of the Caprigors falling before a second minute had come to pass.
The sudden and complete victory without any injuries or losses on the part of the Astartes boosted Levente's stock with many of his kin, but despite Tristan following the commands given to him he could not help but question this plan of operation. They now had a makeshift camp with some supplies, but would other Beastmen attack them now that the element of surprise was slipping from the Astartes? Had any Beastmen in the area witnessed the events and gone to inform other, larger groups of their kin? It was too risky and relied on too many uncontrollable variables which stoked Tristan's concerns, but a victory was a victory: perhaps they could use this pre-existing camp to formulate a proper base of their own using the pilfered goods present there.
Immediately proven wrong, those supplies would instead be used by Levente to carry forward and assault yet another Caprigor encampment only an hour after, seeking to leave a mark on the locals such that none would dare cross the Astartes in the coming weeks. Few knew of their existence still, so if they could wipe out multiple smaller groups of the Beastmen they could instill fear that could serve to protect them moving forward. A sound idea in a vacuum, and there was merit to be found in tearing through half-awake Beastmen that in a more proper state of mind would prove fearsome foes.
Rallying cries rang out by the time three camps and around fifty Abhumans had fallen to the Astartes, their blitz halting as they fell back to avoid being surrounded by an actually organized group of locals. Levente's tactics had proven capable of disrupting their targets and wiping them out before they could properly respond, but they would prove less effective against enemies standing in formation who knew that in the morning light existed something which was butchering their kind. Despite his boldness Levente knew better than to push his luck against an unknown quantity of foes, and so led Alpha Squad back to the field they first landed upon.
It was apparent that the Beastmen encountered thus far were far less adept at defending themselves than they likely were at assaulting others, possessing little in the way of proper tactics and not being able to properly charge foes to better utilize their horns. By Tristan's calculations and observations in this way Levente's tactics were effective, and their group's lack of notable injuries seemed to show that they came at little cost as well...at least in the short term. It was still Tristan's rigid desire to focus on survival first and foremost, and at any moment a Caprigor's horn might embed in the wrong piece of their Power Armor and mortally wound a Neophyte. Urban's shoulder had already been injured moderately by a particularly large Caprigor who led one of the camps, and while his wound was already healing fast thanks to his Astartes physiology if it had been a few inches over it may have been his throat pierced instead of his abdomen.
Even with these misgivings Tristan listened to the orders Levente passed down, seeing it as his duty to fulfill them: Tristan's respect for hierarchy was in part due to his own serious nature, but also thanks to his appreciation for the tactic simulations he had spent years engaging in at the Dodekatheon. There a commander was able to manage each of their soldiers directly and could determine their actions with perfect control and insight, something which the Logos had allowed their Primarch to do when commanding the Iron Warriors in the Great Crusade and after. A soldier ought to follow orders for the sake of their mission, carrying out the will of their superior officer, because while acting without guidance might allow for flexibility it could very well sacrifice the overall objective of the conflict should units break off and do as they please.
So for three days Tristan did as he was told, following Levente's lead as his rival led brutal assault after assault as they tore through encampment after encampment of Caprigor almost without rest. It was a balance on the knife's edge to continue the attacks since the Beastmen were growing more and more aware of the Astartes' presence, and each battle was more difficult than the last. A scouting report by Faustus revealed that they were deep within Caprigor territory, and that their number was likely in the thousands in total, meaning that a direct conflict with their overall army would be impossible to overcome. It was for this reason that they continued to move, always finding their next vulnerable target, rather than linger and risk being swarmed by the enraged comrades of those they slew.
It was on the third day that the first real battle took place: the Caprigors were not particularly intelligent, but they had their own cunning and had reinforced one of their fledgling villages with more of their number than was typical. Many of the Abhumans were slain in the initial moments of the attack thanks to Levente's own hand, a maul acquired in his previous rampages bashing through their furred bodies like striking spoiled fruit, but even as a half dozen fell to him alone thirty more took their place and managed a counter-charge.
The ensuing chaos of the battle did not allow for anything near cohesive tactical combat for the Astartes, and so Tristan was unable to coordinate with his Battle Brothers as the horde of Beastmen took the initiative. He swung a spear across the back of the head of one attempting to assault Quidel, but the spear he took from a defeated foe earlier snapped from the force used and left him with two halves of a jagged stick rather than a proper tool. The Caprigor struck was large even by the standards of the Abhuman breed, but he was still short compared to Tristan's own towering height and so when they turned to face him Tristan stabbed down with the shattered spear's tips to impale their eyes and penetrate their skull.
Tristan kicked the slain creature down and away from himself to simultaneously yank the spear's pieces out while also freeing his attention to see if any of the others were in need of assistance...though by the time he had the opportunity to do so he had a one of the goat-like creatures tackling him horns first. The charge carried Tristan back into the trunk of a tree, with even his thick armor being pierced thanks to how sharp the Caprigor's horns were and the raw force behind them. Thanks to this combination his lower stomach was run through by the mass of mangled horns as they moved past the armor, something that would be incredibly lethal for a typical Human but which instead earned a scowl of irritation by Tristan.
It hurt, of that there was no doubt, but pain could be ignored and so it was.
"From iron cometh strength..."
While average at best in terms of strength as an Astartes, Tristan was still gifted with incredible might of his own as a member of the Angels of Death. As he spoke the first words of the Iron Warriors' Unbreakable Litany he grabbed the shoulders of the Caprigor who had rammed him, gripping tightly to disallow his foe the opportunity to unlock his horns and strike again. Thanks to having pierced Tristan's reinforced Power Armor the Beastman was already halfway stuck against Tristan and hindered in any attempts to move his horns around either to cause further damage or to disengage.
By pressing forward on the Abhuman's left shoulder and pulling on the other Tristan was able to twist the beast's body even as their head remained embedded in his armor, in a single action snapping their neck and nearly twisting their head off in an instantaneous kill. The Caprigor's body hung limply from where he had run Tristan through, allowing him to turn his attention towards the others and realize that the conflict was already coming to a close: while similar in strength the Beastmen lacked the Power Armor of the Astartes, and thus each of the Astartes had been able to weather the incoming attacks and brutalize their foes in return. The last of the Caprigors present tried to hack away at Tristan's neck only to come up far too short thanks to his height, and the moment after the attempted kill they were slain in return by Quidel grabbing the Abhuman by the horns and dragging a sword across the back of their neck.
None of Alpha Squad had perished, but similarly none of them had emerged unscathed: it was time to rethink things, and so as Tristan finished dislodging the Beastman from his body he decided that Levente was the one disobeying orders: their goal was to survive for thirty days and in three they had already gambled their lives with no sign of Levente's strategy working yet. The Beastmen were not cowering at their feet yet, and repeated engagements like this one would almost certainly result in allied casualties rather than just hostile ones.
As aggressive as he was Levente knew better than to continue raiding the Beastmen when each of his brothers were wounded, and so they fell back to a clearing away from the deep woods they had been traveling ceaselessly for three days.
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To a mortal being being gored by a Beastman's horn could be a death-sentence, but for Tristan it was an annoyance to be ignored. His transhuman body had already begun to rapidly heal the wound and seal it as if it had never been there, leaving only the hole in his armor to truly signify that it had ever been there to begin with. The pain from being impaled had quickly been lost upon Tristan, suppressing it as he had prior injuries these past days which had slipped by so rapidly. From one engagement to another there had been little time to properly rest until now, always moving forward and always striking first...such was the chosen path of Levente.
Such was the way to ruin, or so Tristan thought.
Levente may have escaped from the hectic battles he thrived in relatively unscathed, but the others were not quite as fortunate. Dominicus had followed Levente's orders as expected and followed right behind the stout Neophyte, thus earning the misfortune of having to deal with the retaliation of their foes as Levente blitzed past them to inflict greater carnage. Levente's actions were calculated even in his wild fury, but Dominicus could not keep the same pace as him and so his armor was lacerated at various points by the Caprigors. Power Armor afforded great protection, but when one's foe possessed incredible abhuman might such plating could still be pierced or cut on occasion. Even if the armor blocked ninety-nine percent of incoming attacks that still meant that the hundredth would get through and will so many foes striking so many times across so many battles the scratches would begin to add up. While Dominicus was still operational it was obvious that he needed to rest.
Quidel was similar to Dominicus in that he mostly supported another of his brothers in the battles, Quidel having stayed close to Tristan due to acknowledging that he could not keep up with Levente's swiftness. While not particularly slow, it suited him better to hang back with Tristan, Urban, and others who were forming the back of the pack since he could more comfortably do so. This earned him some wounds of his own however as those managing to retaliate against their shock tactics tended to get their act together after the first few had blitzed through, with Quidel's helmet having scorch-marks on it where a torch had been used as a makeshift weapon and his Power Armor possessed a gash across its midsection where a sword of the savages had managed to leave its own mark. Alpha Squad's relative user of flamers and melta-weapons having his helmet be marred by fire earned some joking derision from the others who jokingly began to refer to Quidel as 'Torch' and 'Flames'.
Tristan's own armor had taken the largest beating out of anyone's, but thanks to its reinforced nature it mostly remained perfectly operational. While the far smaller Kastor's armor similarly had performed its duties and prevented horns and jagged blades from causing damage the same could not be said for the body within the armor. Bruised and beaten, Kastor was in some of the worst shape of the entire Neophyte group. Just because the Beastmen lacked penetration to their attacks did not mean that the raw force was negligible as well and so while Kastor endured their strikes that would have outright broken a typical Human he was still in need of medical attention, something which Richter was silently offering him with what recognizable medicinal herbs he had been able to harvest from nearby.
Urban's raw strength had seen him brutalize his foes just as Levente had, but if not for the heavy armor of Tristan it was Urban who would be considered the slowest among their ranks and so he had been forced to endure retaliatory strikes in return. Only marginally less sturdy than Tristan, Urban had endured the attacks thrown at him and broke his foes before they could continue further. Whatever wounds he possessed were hidden by his Power Armor, and while chips of damage existed upon it were not enough to impact its overall functionality even if he seemed to be favoring one leg.
Gunnar was closest to Levente when it came to a lack of wounds suffered by the Caprigors, being roughly equal in skill to Levente when it came to close combat even if he could not match the raw strength Levente's body offered their squad leader. By methodically wading through the Caprigors and parrying their blows he had managed to slay them with minimal injuries given in return, save for those few incurred by foes he could not kill outright or block every strike of in the hectic battles they waged.
Faustus had been the most cautionary in regards to their battles to the point of paranoia, ironically causing him to be harmed by taking things too slowly and allowing for his average physical capabilities as an Astartes to occasionally come out even with his targets. By not seizing on the opportunities a rapid-paced battle naturally afforded it let some Beastmen seize the initiative instead and force him into a corner until a fellow member of the team could provide relief and aid. His skills which saw him brought into Alpha Squad were not raw battlefield potential but rather his keen perception and senses, so as a rookie Neophyte fighting against enemies with strength akin to that of an Astartes he naturally faced some difficulties which now saw him cradling an injured arm.
Aldred had fought as an opportunist, only striking foes when and where it was most favorable to him by capitalizing on their attention being drawn to either the rampaging Levente or the colossal Tristan. As another more average member of the team of elite Neophytes he held his own but still found himself cut by stray blades here or there when foes he surprised got lucky in their wild flailing. This same analytical method of battle was employed by Richter despite their differing personalities, with Richter mostly finding himself flanking Beastmen who targeted Kastor as his friend fended those he could manage off. If not for such intervention it was quite possible that Kastor would have been overwhelmed, and it was fortunate that despite his poor attitude Richter still was dedicated to his fellow Astartes.
By surveying each of the other members of Alpha Squad it gave Tristan an estimation of their battle capabilities going forward, which when cross-referenced with Levente's chosen method of leadership left only one conclusion to the terse giant.
"You are unfit for leadership."
Levente twisted around in the cave the Astartes had taken refuge in, his eyes darting to where Tristan stood tinkering with his armor to handle the breach formed in it. Unlike Tristan the more close-quarters adept Levente had no major injury to be seen, instead only having minor ones incurred as he tore through his foes and they thrashed in their death throes.
"Is that a challenge, scarecrow?"
Tristan met his gaze coldly and unflinchingly, refusing to back down from what he said. They were given a mission by Ossus, who in turn took orders from the Warsmith himself, and so endangering the success of that mission meant to defy the Warsmith's own will even if that mission was simply to survive.
"Your tactics are flawed for the situation we find ourselves in. Our goal is survival, not inflicting maximum casualties. If we continue to act as you bid there will be no survivors among us by the end of the allotted time."
"We are supposed to prove ourselves! Do you think we can do that while cowering behind some pitiful excuse for a base!? We are Astartes now, Iron Warriors, and the only path for us is the one forward! The one that leads through whatever odds we face until we reach the end!" Levente spat as he approached Tristan, having to crane his neck to look up at the other Neophyte.
For Tristan looking down on Levente was both a literal and figurative action, as while he was willing to follow his lead before he had come to realize that only by defying Levente could he actually carry out the objectives set for them as Tristan interpreted them to be, "What do we gain from the defeat of the locals here? We are not bringing this world into submission, we are not seeking to conquer its people, we are testing our ability to survive and adapt to our surroundings. If you do not abide by the mission's objectives how do you hope to prove yourself?"
"The Iron Warriors are conquerors who will one day rule the stars, so why should we cower from mere mongrels? How many hundreds have were slain already with naught but scratches in return? If we continue their spirits will be broken and we will prove to not just our comrades but to any who bear witness our strength!"
It was not that Levente's idea did not have merit, it was simply that it was reckless and needlessly so. Perhaps more could be gained by operating offensively, but there was far more to lose in the process and that was not something which Tristan perceived as a favorable tradeoff. They could bide their time and make it through the trial relatively unscathed, or they could push their luck, and relying on their fortune was not something Tristan ever wished to do if he could help it.
Levente's yelling was soon interrupted by the sound of pounding feet, rapid steps thundering across the landscape beyond the tall but narrow cave the ten Astartes had entered. If forced they could stand together against incoming foes and lessen a numerical disadvantage which was why Levente chose this location for them, displaying that despite his recklessness with the lives of others he was still no fool.
"Do you hear that? We have company!" Faustus called out from the very back of their pack, drawing attention away from the squabble between Tristan and Levente.
Levente picked up the weapons he had recently taken from fallen Caprigors, having had to change which ones he was utilizing a few times already after breaking them with the power of his own attacks, "About time we see some of those four-leg bastards! Prepare for battle!"
Tristan turned to the others as Levente prepared for conflict, recognizing the sound of the incoming locals as cavalry and thus likely the Centors who may not even be hostile, "We do not know their intentions as of yet, refrain from stoking conflict until we are certain!"
"I am the one in charge of this operation, not you Bertrand, so if you don't want to be taught a lesson you had better kill the first one of them you see!"
It was with shock that Levente felt a fist clad in Power Armor strike across his face, the helmet of Levente's armor having been coated in so much Caprigor blood that it had obscured his vision and thus been discarded at his feet carelessly upon their arrival at the cave.
"You...you dare strike me!?"
"If it makes you see the error of your ways, yes. If you cause meaningless conflict you are a threat to us and will be dealt with like one," Tristan spoke bluntly as he stepped past the agitated Levente whose temper was barely being held in check.
Before Levente could lose control of himself though the sound of hooves beating on the ground rapidly ended, for a force of Centors at least twenty large had arrived at the entrance of the cavern. They did not enter as such closed quarters were disadvantageous for ones as large as them, being the height of common steeds but with a human's torso rising from where the neck of an equine would be. Thanks to this they stood taller than most of the Astartes present, only coming out around even with Tristan. While their Human features were quite pure they held the same strong physique as their equine lower half, being incredibly lithe and powerful, allowing them to carry large lances and polearms with them without appearing encumbered.
At a glance they reminded Tristan of knights from his homeworld, though lacking severely in the way of armor. The scars upon their bodies attested to that, and if Tristan had to guess given the forged nature of their spears the Centors had simply not yet developed a type of armor which would properly protect their odd physiology without disrupting their movement.
"Who are you?" a Centor at the head of their pack spoke in a deep voice, him being the largest and also seemingly the leader given how the other Centors stood behind him with deference.
Tristan was no wordsmith and definitely not a diplomat, but he still did what he could to demonstrate that he held no quarrel with the Beastmen now in front of them. He held out his hands to show that he was not armed at present, and by stepping forward and better positioning himself in the light he revealed himself to be a 'Human' himself...at least in a sense. His body had grown far beyond what was commonly accepted as 'Human', and while some might see Astartes as being like gods he held no such beliefs himself.
As strong as he had become, as much as his mind raced far faster than a common man's, as fast as he could run, he was still Human...perhaps something more than Human, but Human at the end of the day, and so were these bio-engineered Abhumans before him. In a sense they were both artificial creations, even if in their genetics lay their Human origins.
"Travelers who mean you no harm."
The Centor leader held their polearm levied at Tristan, their voice firm and forceful, "Prove."
Just as Tristan began contemplating how he could prove as much to someone whose culture and beliefs he knew little about Levente stepped forward as well and forcibly shoved Tristan away as he kept his gaze towards the other Neophytes, "Don't you dare lower your guard! Who knows what these beasts intend to do!"
Rather than allow Levente to endanger them further Tristan jockeyed for the position at the head of their group, recovering from Levente's shove and using his size to hold Levente back from taking any further action.
"My companion does not speak for us," Tristan assured the Centors, annoyed that Levente was showing the cracks in what could have been perceived as a unified front, but it was obvious that Levente desired to kill these Centors and conquer them like they had slain the Caprigors. It was a viable course of action, but if they could gain them as allies without spilling their own blood Tristan would first opt for that.
By stepping ahead of Levente he had brought himself even closer to the Centors, revealing the wound inflicted earlier when a Caprigor impaled Tristan. The darkness of the cavern kept the finer details of the injury hidden, or else the Centor leading their group would have known better than to question Tristan's durability.
"Fatal wound. Caprigor?" they said, using their weapon to point over to where Tristan's wound was. To their kind without proper medicine and ways of recovery being gored as Tristan had would likely be lethal as implied, but for an Astarte it was far more trivial and already mended even if the hole in the armor remained.
"I will be fine, but yes we have been fighting the Caprigors," Tristan assured him, with his casual dismissal of the injury bringing murmurs to the Centor tribe. Even though he was by far the most resilient of their number it did a good job of making the Beastmen present see all of these strange newcomers as fearsome combatants, for the Centors had no way of truly comparing the capabilities of the Neophytes. Even the most fragile of their number, Aldred, could likely weather such attacks so while Tristan may be an outlier his survival did not distort the truth of the hardiness of the Neophytes. To be an Iron Warrior was to suffer through whatever was needed to reach one's desired end, and so they did.
Kastor sensed an opportunity upon the dawning realization to the Centors that these trespassers were formidable foes not to be underestimated, using the newfound respect to shift the tone of the conversation as he joined Tristan and Levente by the front.
"If you like we could continue to fight them, should you allow us to go in peace. We have already slain hundreds of their kind, and even wounded we are capable of much more."
He offered the mention of their wounds to lessen their perceived threat to this possibly hostile group of Beastmen, wanting to appear both strong but vulnerable to show why they could best work together rather than compete with the other. His claims seemed to piece together something in the mind of the Centor chief, who seemed to be growing amenable to a peaceful outcome now that he understood who he was dealing with.
"Others speak of Caprigor camps entirely wiped out. Your doing?"
"That is correct. They posed a threat to us and so we had no choice but to eliminate them. We have no quarrel with you however, as we can see that you are far more reasonable than those goat-men. May I ask to whom we are speaking?" Kastor spoke in a firm but kindly voice, being the closest thing to a diplomat the Neophytes possessed as compared to the dour Tristan or aggressive Levente. It was a fortunate byproduct of the Beastmen of the world being created from Fabius Bile's experiments that they spoke the same language that allowed such a discussion to be facilitated, though their wild and savage lifestyles had caused it to become slightly distorted from typical Imperial Gothic.
"Tearik, Chief of the Jagged Blade and nomad of this region. Caprigors are our foe, as are the cretin Ungor and savage Bovigors," the Centor lowered his weapon slightly, allowing it to hang by the side of his equine form while still kept tightly in hand if needed, "Those who stand against the Jagged Blade shall fall, but have no quarrel with outsiders who kill goat-beasts."
Levente scoffed, having realized after Kastor stepped forward that physically struggling against Tristan would be a poor choice but still keeping his belief that they ought to conquer these creatures rather than befriend them, "Are we really to negotiate with our lessers? Beastmen, mortal Humans, it does not matter, we are Astartes! Shall we sink so low as to pay respect to animals who live in their own filth?"
Tearik lifted his spear to point at Levente now, looking down on him both literally and figuratively in a way that gained some small respect from Tristan, "Short one should remain silent."
"Yes, the short one should," Tristan spoke up again as he shoved Levente back, taking advantage of how Levente was no longer struggling, "If we bring no harm to you can we expect you to bring no harm to us in return?"
"Tearik does not trust small one to abide by pact if formed. Kill the little one and we shall have peace."
Despite their shared animosity Tristan instantly declined the offer, now stepping in front of Levente protectively. While he did not trust Levente to not get them all killed, he would not stand by and allow another to kill his fellow Astartes so long as he could fight. It was their instruction to all survive this trial, and so he would do as bid: the same loyalty to his kin that saw Levente stop struggling also flowed through Tristan and helped bridge their differences when push came to shove.
"I cannot abide by that, for our lord bids that each of us return alive."
From Tristan's height it had been the assumption of Tearik that the young Astarte was the leader of his group, as Tearik was the largest among his own kin and most capable in most martial pursuits. Size, strength, and horns typically were by what a Beastman's worth were judged with speed being substituted for horns in the case of the Centors.
If this giant man clad in what seemed to be heavy metal was not the leader, then how massive was the true chief of these outsiders?
"You are not lord?"
Whereas Tristan merely shook his head no, it was Kastor who again spoke.
"No. Jarn, Warsmith and Iconoclast of the Iron Warriors tribe, is who we owe allegiance to."
"Where is this Jar-nuh?"
Kastor suppressed a smirk beneath his helmet at the somewhat incorrect pronunciation of his Warsmith's name, having once been castigated during training for accidentally calling their lord 'Yarn'.
"He will be here in twenty seven days along with our thousands of comrades, for they are conquering distant lands."
This completely changed the considerations of Tearik, for if what Kastor said was true then causing harm to these 'Abhumans' in the cave was a poor idea. While he did not wish to let Levente live, he could not tell whether it was a bluff or not that there were thousands more of their number who would arrive in the coming weeks...thousands of capable warriors who could perhaps cut down his tribe as easily as this small handful waged war upon the Caprigors.
"Jar-nuh strong?" Tearik inquired, still thinking of what would be best to do.
Kastor nodded and spoke confidently as he gestured first to Tristan and then to Levente, "He is as tall as my companion here, and as broad as Levente. His strength is unparalleled among our kind, and he will not take kindly to any harm befalling us."
He was somewhat overselling Jarn's strength, for a stronger Astarte likely existed somewhere among the stars, but within the Iron Legion it was no exaggeration that the Warsmith was the most powerful. It was also no exaggeration to say that he possessed the best of both Tristan and Levente's physical qualities, resulting in a form massive enough to intimidate even Astartes who mistook him for something more than one of their kin.
It was by envisioning someone the height of Tristan and width of Levente wearing armor akin to theirs that Tearik came to his decision, finally lowering his spear again and granting a signal to his followers, who due to hierarchy had remained silent the entire discussion outside of occasional murmurs.
"Caprigors are gathering. We shall prepare and return to our herd to tell them hairless metal men are not enemy."
So it would be a truce it appeared where both of them engaged their common enemy on their own, something that the Neophytes could all abide by. Following this the ten of them saw the Centors off, warning them that there were ten others of their kind in the area and giving them instructions of how to hopefully convince those others to not strike against them.
As soon as the sound of hooves disappeared however it took less than a single moment for Levente to pivot on one foot to swing a powerful punch into Tristan's gut, his strength such that despite Tristan's overall mass the far taller Astarte was knocked off his feet and slammed into the cavern wall where he then slid down to rest against it.
"How dare you, you insubordinate wretch!" Levente growled at him, treating Tristan kinder than was typically called for among the Iron Warriors for such insubordination.
"Not every foe is to be bested by brute strength, or are you deliberately ignorant?" Tristan scoffed back, not bothering to stand yet since he was certain Levente would just knock him down again.
Since Tristan was not giving him the fight he wanted Levente turned his gaze to the others, nodding to Kastor first as a sign of respect as even if the kinder Astarte had also disobeyed orders he had only done so to cover up for the dialogue Tristan had started.
"Kastor, you did well speaking to those beasts..." he placed a supportive hand upon Kastor's shoulder, showing why he held respect among the others in their group not named Tristan, "At least now we will only have three Beastmen tribes to worry about rather than four. We should begin preparations for our next attack while the Caprigors chase after and blame the Centors for our strikes."
With Levente a few steps away now Tristan felt he could rise without receiving another strike, or at least could react before being hit should Levente continue to seek conflict.
"I will remain here."
While tensions often ran high between them it was known to both Levente and to Tristan that the latter was typically fine just following orders due to a lack of ambition, so outright disobeying Levente numerous times in a row was raising the short Astarte's temper rapidly.
"What?"
Tristan reaffirmed his decision, having come to the logical conclusion that one Neophyte surviving to become an Astarte would be better than none of them doing so, "Your leadership has proven faulty. I will fortify this position and ensure that our mission is completed."
"You will do as I say, and you will be coming with us to attack the camps of those savages! United we are strong! Do you want to die here alone?" Levente balked, arguing the other side of the issue and displaying in a sense his own loyalty and concern even if he outright hated Tristan.
"United we will fall. I am mitigating our losses," came the terse response, Tristan's attention already focused on the cavern they were within as his mind began contemplating how to best utilize the natural geography around him to erect fortifications that would prove effective.
Realizing that there would be no changing his rival's mind and that to force him along would require a fight that would decrease the chances of either of them surviving, Levente decided that he would make do with the other eight and allow Tristan to seemingly get himself killed for nothing.
"Fine then, die on your own. You are the weakest among us, and when they find you sitting here building they will end your arrogance for the good of us all."
Unfortunately for him Quidel spoke up right thereafter, being more loyal to Tristan than Levente thanks to often being partnered with the former during their training.
"I will remain as well."
Urban spoke up as well once he saw what Tristan was doing, his mind having quickly followed suit and already ideas of how to best construct their defenses began to flow through him.
"As will I. Fortifying this position is a reasonable action."
Now down to seven out of the original ten of their group, Levente grimaced and looked across all the others who had been continuing to nurse their wounds and prepare for further conflict by readying their makeshift weapons.
"Any other craven fools among you wish to sit here until you perish?"
Faustus did not like being called craven even if the shoe fit, nodding his head along as he decided that staying out of sight and out of mind of their countless enemies was the superior course of action here, "There are risks both ways, but I would rather not run towards death if at all possible."
Support for Levente came soon thereafter by the others, with Dominicus speaking up next.
"Levente is the one in charge, so I will stay by his side."
Kastor wished they could all stay together, but since he figured Levente would end up with more support he opted for the larger group, "We do have to prove ourselves."
"I agree with Kastor," Richter spoke bluntly, also wishing to prove himself even if he agreed with Tristan's sentiment about the flaws in Levente's plans.
Gunnar clenched a fist before himself, as if excited about the prospect of returning to battle, "Soon enough we should be seeing results. It would be a waste of our prior efforts if we just stop moving forward now."
Having seen the way the winds were blowing Aldred ended up siding with Levente as well, bringing the total count to six for Levente's group and four for Tristan's faction, "Strength in numbers."
Once it was decided who was staying with who Levente wasted no time in departing, making the others follow quickly on his heel as they sought out yet another battle and leaving Tristan with the three others who decided to stay for their own personal reasons.
"What now?" Quidel questioned, prompting Tristan to contemplate things for another moment before responding.
"Faustus, you will locate the resources I list for you. Quidel, you will erase our tracks and deal with any Caprigor stragglers in the immediate area. Urban, you will survey the area and prepare accurate calculations to build our foundation upon," Tristan ordered the others naturally, not being a leader by nature but capable of stating what needed to be done if they were to succeed.
His simple instructions were accepted by the others who had decided to defer to him as the leader of this sub-group of Alpha Squad, with Tristan's following explanation raising the spirits of the grim Astartes by helping them envision their goal. It was the spirit of their kind to want to build rather than destroy, and so being granted such an opportunity was exhilarating.
"I will construct the tools we need so that by the time the fleet returns they will find a fortress awaiting them."
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed, and that you will leave me your thoughts in the comments below!
A/N: Hope you enjoyed, and that you will leave me your thoughts in the comments below!
