The drop pod screamed through Sisyphus III's murky atmosphere like a blazing meteor. It tore through air thick with sulfur and the sickly-sweet smell of decay.
It slammed into the edge of an abandoned industrial zone with a deafening impact. Earth and rubble sprayed in all directions.
The hatch blew outward with a hydraulic hiss. Scalding steam and dust billowed out.
Scorchwind piloted his Ultramarine out of the pod. Heavy power boots hit the cracked concrete with a dull thud. The rubble beneath ground easily into powder.
His gaze dropped instinctively to his waist, the muscle memory of every FPS player.
His breath caught.
A weapon hung from his left hip. Not a standard lasgun or autogun, but a vicious-looking chainsword. The metal blade was thick and heavy. Its edge was lined with razor-sharp teeth that could tear through armor when spinning at full speed. Even dormant, it radiated silent menace.
Mag-locked to his right thigh was a gun. The body was nearly twice as thick as a standard laser rifle, all hard angles and mechanical solidity.
That iconic square magazine and thick barrel, a bolter.
"Holy shit!" Scorchwind's voice jumped up a full octave in the livestream, filled with disbelieving joy.
"Guys! Are you seeing this? Chainsword! Bolter! Airdrop weapons! These are premium items on the Astra Militarum maps! A bolter costs a full 500 points! And you lose it when you die! But the Astartes just get this as standard equipment?"
He immediately switched to third-person view. He circled his character and admired the deep blue power armor with its maxed-out detail and the deadly weapons at his waist. The more he looked, the more his excitement grew.
"What kind of god-tier starting loadout is this? Medici really went all out this time! This match isn't about fighting a war, this match is about having fun!"
The chat exploded with reactions:
"Holy crap! I'm officially jealous!"
"Scorchwind spawns with god-tier gear!"
"Why? I grind points for ages on Astra Militarum just to enjoy this stuff for a few minutes!"
"Astartes get treated different!"
"Quick! Cut something and try it out!"
While Scorchwind admired his new equipment, the other two Ultramarines in his squad had already moved into tactical formation. They took cover and scanned their surroundings with helmet sensors.
The industrial zone was dead silent. Only distant inhuman shrieks and the eerie groaning of warped building structures broke the quiet.
That's when Scorchwind noticed something unusual. An extremely obvious permanent buff icon glowed faintly gold in his HUD's status bar. He focused on it instinctively. Lines of text appeared:
[Status: Space Marine (Ultramarine)]
[Effect: Space Marine Enhancement]
You've been reforged through sacred gene-seed and nineteen biological augmentation surgeries.
You now possess two hearts, three lungs, a reinforced skeleton and musculature, ossmodula and biscopea implants, and more. Biologically speaking, you have transcended mortality, a superhuman weapon born for war.
[Combat Bonuses:]
Your enhanced senses and reaction speed make enemy attacks appear slowed. Your strength is sufficient to tear apart light vehicle armor with your bare hands. A single punch can destroy armored vehicle structures. Power armor provides superior protection across your entire body, rendering you nearly immune to light weapons fire. Heavy weapons such as bolters and chainswords are standard equipment in your hands.
"Two hearts, three lungs... nineteen surgeries... biologically not human anymore..."
Scorchwind murmured the descriptions aloud. His eyes brightened with each line.
"Slowed movements... tear apart vehicles barehanded... immune to light weapons... damn... this buff..."
He snapped back to attention. He looked at the two AI teammates standing ready for combat, then at the bolter and chainsword in his hands. An indescribable confidence surged through him. He felt almost invincible.
"Guys," he said into the mic, his tone eager with excitement, "this match feels really different. I'm not here to play tactically. I'm here to mow down enemies."
He didn't hesitate.
He mimicked his AI teammates and lowered his stance. Even at two and a half meters tall in massive armor, he tried to move quietly.
He crept toward a damaged passageway that seemed to lead deeper into the industrial zone.
The power armor's servo systems ran smoothly with almost no noise. Yet his movement speed was nearly double that of soldiers in normal armor.
As he approached the passage entrance, a chaotic roar echoed from within, full of fear and madness. It mixed with the characteristic crack of lasgun fire.
Several mortal traitor troops rushed out. They wore ragged armor painted with forbidden symbols.
When they saw Scorchwind's towering form, they clearly froze for a moment. Then they opened fire even more frantically.
Several weak red laser beams hit Scorchwind's chest plate. They produced a few insignificant sparks without even scratching the surface.
The status bar didn't show the slightest decrease in shield or health.
"That's it?" Scorchwind laughed.
He didn't even bother finding cover. Instead, he raised his bolter and took brief aim. Under his slowed-perception senses, the traitors' movement patterns were crystal clear.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The bolter roared with deep thunder. Its recoil was perfectly absorbed through the power armor. Three bolt rounds left the barrel. They struck three traitors in the chest almost simultaneously.
No clean laser penetration, just explosions.
The traitors' upper bodies detonated into clouds of blood mist mixed with flesh and bone fragments. Armor shards scattered everywhere.
The corpses were hurled backward by tremendous force. They slammed into the walls behind and left horrifying stains.
"AWESOME!" Scorchwind couldn't help but shout.
This firepower, this impact, it was on a completely different level from lasgun bursts.
The remaining traitors panicked. They turned to run.
Scorchwind switched weapons. He drew his chainsword and pressed the activation stud with his thumb.
VRRRRR!
The piercing high-frequency chainsaw roar instantly drowned out everything else.
The teeth became a blur of death.
Scorchwind lunged forward in one massive stride. The speed granted by his power armor let him close the distance instantly. The chainsword in his hand swept upward in a diagonal slash.
CRACK! SHRIEK!
The horrifying sound of metal, flesh, and bone being torn and shredded poured directly into his ears through high-quality audio.
The blade cut diagonally from waist to shoulder. It nearly split the traitor in two. The chainsword sprayed fragments of flesh and gore in all directions.
In just a few seconds, an entire squad of traitor auxiliaries was completely wiped out.
Scorchwind stood there, chainsword lowered. Its teeth were covered in filthy blood that dripped slowly. He looked at his completely undamaged armor, then at the carnage covering the ground.
An unprecedented rush swept through his entire body, the pure thrill of absolute power and superiority.
"Guys, did you see that?" His voice carried a trace of post-combat breathlessness and uncontrollable pride. "This is an Astartes."
"This is what it means when my stats are above yours."