Chapter 28: Sacramental Spirits
After securing the Hydro-Matrix Distiller from Reno, Kian spent a few more scrips on industrial glass bottles and a pack of concentrated fermentation cultures. He wasn't just a scavenger anymore; he was becoming a manufacturer.
He loaded the heavy equipment onto the trolley Reno had provided and made one last stop at the Boutique Shop. He bought ten pairs of rugged work boots—essential for when he inevitably respawned barefoot—ten more liters of cooking oil, and a small, precious ten-gram packet of refined sugar. The total came to 1,200 Agri-Scrips.
As he pushed the trolley away from the Grand Sump-Lift, he felt a dozen pairs of eyes tracking him. The Underhive "rats" were hungry. A man with a full trolley was a moving feast.
Kian didn't look back. He pushed the cart into a narrow service pipe leading away from the Safe Zone. The moment he entered the shadows, the "rats" made their move. Over a hundred dregs surged forward, brandishing rusted cleavers and lead pipes. A few of the "quality" scavengers even leveled crude pipe-pistols.
Kian didn't even stop walking. He reached into his pouch and lobbed a Toxic Cinder-Flask behind him.
The yellow-green gas erupted instantly. The narrow pipe acted like a chimney, funneling the corrosive vapor into the lungs of the pursuers. Screams and violent coughing echoed through the tunnel. In the confusion, the "rats" began trampling each other, their desperation turning into a fratricidal panic.
Kian ignored the carnage. He hooked his flashlight to the front of the trolley and hummed a low tune as he navigated the dark back to Sector 0.
[SANCTUM - LABORATORY PHASE]
Back home, Kian began the installation. He ran power lines from his Promethium Grid to the workbench area. He integrated the Distiller with his Level 2 Aqua-Purifier, creating a closed-loop system of copper pipes and glass valves.
[SANCTUM UPGRADE: AQUA-PURIFIER (LVL 2) — BREWERY ADD-ON]
Recipe: Rotgut Moonshine
Input: 5kg Tubers + 10g Sugar + 1 Fermentation Culture.
Output: 500ml Recycled Amasec (Rotgut).
Process Time: 12 Hours.
Kian scrubbed a few of his stolen potatoes, tossed them into the hopper with the sugar and yeast, and flipped the switch. The Machine Spirit of the distiller gave a low, appreciative hum.
Next, he moved to the Imperial Shrine. He lit a fresh votive candle and poured a bottle of cooking oil into the copper basin to keep his supply of Sanctified Oil flowing.
With production running, he stripped down for his workout. He spent three hours doing weighted lunges and sprints across the vault floor, pushing his body until his muscles trembled. He felt like he could eat a grox, but when he checked his Tactical Cogitator, his core stats hadn't budged.
I need a proper 'Gym' module, Kian thought. Doing push-ups on cold plasteel is fine for maintenance, but I need resistance machines and gene-catalysts if I want to hit 'Astartes-lite' levels of strength.
He cleaned himself up, ate a ration, and slept. When he woke twelve hours later, the vault was filled with the sharp, biting scent of industrial alcohol. The distiller had produced its first bottle of Rotgut.
Kian held the bottle up to the bubble-lamp. It was cloudy and smelled like paint thinner—standard Underhive moonshine. He was about to take a celebratory swig when he looked at the Imperial Shrine. The candle had burned down, and a fresh bottle of Sanctified Oil was waiting.
A thought struck him. If I can sanctify oil... can I sanctify the booze?
He placed the bottle of Rotgut into the Shrine's copper bowl and lit a new candle.
[CRAFTING: ???]
Process Time: 24 Hours.
"Let's see if the Emperor likes a drink," Kian whispered.
[MISSION PREPARATION: THE GREAT AQUIFER]
It was time to face the big one. Both Reno and Rudolphson had pointed him toward the Great Aquifer.
Reno's Goal: Retrieve the Data-Slate (Reward: 100,000 Scrips).
Rudolphson's Goal: Investigate the "screaming and ice" (Reward: Faction Rep + Bounties).
The rumors of localized freezing and distorted screams were heavy indicators of a Warp-Taint. On Agri-World 496b, a planet with no official psyker presence, this likely meant a Rogue Psyker or a Sorcerer had joined the rebels.
In Warhammer 40k, Psykers are living conduits for the Warp. They can melt a man's brain with a thought or freeze the air in a room by venting the soul-chilling cold of the void. They were terrifying, unpredictable, and incredibly dangerous to low-tier soldiers like the PDF.
"A thousand rebels and a freak who shoots lightning from his eyes," Kian muttered. "Standard Tuesday."
He knew he couldn't fight a thousand men. This wasn't a combat raid; it was a Zero-Gear Recon Run.
If he went in with his Marksman Rifle and Grade-3 armor, he'd likely lose them the moment the Psyker looked at him. In the "Extraction" mindset, his life was the cheapest asset he owned.
He dressed in his most ragged, worn-out worker's clothes. No armor. No guns. Just a rusted combat knife tucked into his waistband.
He packed a light satchel:
3x Sanctified Rations (Holy Pancakes): To clear any sudden Warp-corruption.
4x Adrenal Stimms: To ensure he could outrun anything that lacked a jetpack.
The Vault Key: The golden ticket.
"Alright, Emperor," Kian said, checking his rebreather. "Keep the Daemons out of my head for five minutes. I'm going in naked."
He stepped into the deployment circle and initiated the transit.
[DEPLOYING OPERATIVE]
Location: The Great Aquifer Reservoir (Western Sector)
Difficulty: High (Extreme Warp Signature Detected)
Arrival: 10... 9... 8...
The world dissolved into the static of the Warp. When it reformed, the first thing Kian felt wasn't the heat of the equatorial sun. It was a biting, unnatural chill that made his breath mist in the air.