-> Artwork (cropped) by starsandskies (full version here) 💖
-> Thank you so much @maggotknight for beta reading 😘
A new Immortalium chapter is available on AO3!
I have to apologize - for taking so long to write / post it and also because I changed a bit the planned sequence. I had intended to do Quetza Temer later as it is basically my least liked quest in the game. But then (a bit late) I realized how much better it would be to have it more early - when Heinrix and Venria are still on shaky grounds with each other.
Because now she is going to leave Heinrix behind on the ship - for the first time since he joined her, leaving him alone with his worries while she disappears in the green labyrinth and contact to her gets lost.
And to make matters worse - Evayne is with her and surprisingly close with her...
This is part 1 of 6 for the Quetza Temer chapters and part 2 is also almost finished. I do my best to get the other missing parts out asap. After part 6 the already available chapter "A new beginning" will continue the story.
“You know, you really don't look that good.”
Idira's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He had allowed himself to drift off instead of focusing on the present.
“You are not going to be much of a help to the Lord Captain in your condition, if she asks you to come down.”
He had tried to sleep. The first days. It hadn't worked - it had even been worse than before, when his nightmares had kept his sleep short and heavy thoughts him awake. The longer she was absent, the more restless he had become.
“I can use my powers to stay awake, Idira. I don't need sleep.”
“Oh, excuse me - aren't you the 'sorcerous powers are dangerous' chap? That the Lord Captain is keeping around for some reason? Huh, strange, wonder what happened to him.”
I have some rough writing to share, just plain dialog without anything else at the moment (see below).
The idea is that they share (again) a dream together, but this time they are both present (before it was Heinrix having a dream/nightmare Venria usually has). Heinrix dreams again about being in his Knight, not as a boy but a grown man and also as a freeblade - not on Guisorn III but in a hangar on an unknown location. Venria is now also there, visiting him in his Knight - but not as a psyker but as Lord Captain van Maynard. Basically, like Heinrix dreams about a future that might have been if he weren't a psyker, she dreams about this too. And she is a bit different here, more confident than she usually is. And things get a bit steamy ...
It starts with Heinrix:
“Something the matter?”
“It doesn't look exactly…”
“Comfy?”
“Large. And not comfy either - not that I expected it to be.”
“Hah. I thought it was what's inside that counts, not how it looks.”
“For cogitators, yes - but where exactly did you expect me to fit? I only see one chair, and it takes up almost all the space, and someone already occupies it.”
“That someone is not sitting in a simple chair - it is called the Throne Mechanicum, and it is my connection to my Knight.”
“A throne? Of course, my mistake - it is always so easy to forget you are of noble blood.”
“You're impressively consistent in that regard.”
“Good. I have no patience for nobility.”
“Oh, I'm well aware. I do wonder - did they send me here hoping I would teach you a lesson or you me?”
“How is that even a question? But if you want a turn at it, you better get started.”
“Gladly. You wanted to see how my Knight works - then this is where we begin.” He gestured to his lap.
“In your dreams, perhaps.”
“That sounds far preferable to the dreams that usually… stir my sleep. To speak plainly, I cannot properly explain my Knight without demonstrating it in person, and as you have already noticed, the space here is… somewhat constrained. So the question is: has your visit been in vain, or will you discover what you came to learn?”
I also think I will move the chapter up to be placed before the Emperor's Vow, as this will make things between Heinrix and Venria more awkward in the next chapter.
This is also kind of part 1 of 2, as they will later have a warp vision where this continues, but much more dramatically.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
After following Venria down to the surface of Quetza Temer and enduring more teasing from his companions, Heinrix is finally reunited with her. But things are far from what he expected - Calligos's behaviour is unsettling, Venria is struggling with her telepathic abilities, and he also makes a discovery that shakes him to his core.
Excerpt:
“And what exactly is your interest in the Lord Captain and Lady Orsellio?”
To his surprise, Evayne held his gaze.
“I have been very fortunate to meet not just one but two exceptional women who have been a rare delight and support during these harrowing times. I assure you that I do everything to keep them safe, and I hope that puts any concerns of yours to rest.”
Heinrix suppressed a laugh, the sound escaping as an amused snort, before he answered with a dry “No.”
“Master van Calox?”
“With all due respect, Lord Winterscale, if you truly cared for the Lord Captain, Lady Orsellio, or any of my concerns for that matter, you would not resort to grand displays of sentimentality while actively worsening the situation yourself. Your father is already on perilously thin ice for disregarding the summons of the Lord Inquisitor, and his continued erratic conduct places the women you claim to hold so dear in further danger. Your pleas to shield him only further aggravate the situation. Furthermore, given your performance on Rykad Philia, I must seriously question whether you are in any way equipped to keep them safe - or whether they will once again be forced to risk their own lives to protect you.
Were there any other of the WIP Titles you wanted to talk about and haven't yet?
Hi! Thank you so much, that is very kind of you 💖
Maybe something in general - I am also working on expanding Immortalium to add more Heinrix's POVs between earlier chapters, and also some events that I had left out. Like adding a chapter for the black pit, the attempted Drukhari assassination (that I only mentioned), and also to enhance my black ship chapter to add more telepathic reactivity for Venria and have them fall rather than just preventing it. So there is more coming up.
I do have a bit from a chapter not far away - Emperor's Vow - Mirrors. The title does not give it away, but this will be about a masked ball on board Calligos's flagship (although he is not present, but his son Evayne. I should also say that the events of Quetza Temer end a bit differently in my fanfic). I will likely split it into two chapters because we have both Heinrix's and Venria's POV.
This is from Heinrix's POV:
And now - now she had not merely left, she had all but fled from him, driven away by his judging words and accusing looks. He had failed to be the anchor he had desired to be for her, keeping her safe and calm in the storm raging around them. He missed the touch of her hand in his, the quiet closeness they had shared during their dance, the tender smile that had faded as the dance had progressed, the kind and dreamy eyes that had soon dimmed into sorrow, the soothing voice that had finally fallen silent. All of it because of him.
He had long thought himself inured to coldness - until her warmth had shown him how merciless and bitter the cold could truly be.
With the music picking up again and dance couples resuming their elegant rotations around him, he was reminded that he still stood in the very centre of the dance floor and made his way back to Idira. It wasn't that he was consciously looking for her company - it was simply the place he had been standing before, and it was the one he returned to while his thoughts still resided with Venria.
From a servant's tray at her side, he retrieved another glass, expecting it to contain water, but as soon as it had come close to his nose, he had already caught the unmistakably sharp scent of hard liquor. He hesitated, but did not set the glass aside, still holding onto it as if the mere weight of it would steady his nerves. And while it was a very tempting way to endure this… event… and the consequences of his actions, he wasn't one to drink while on duty, and this gathering was, to him, anything but leisure.
“Yeah, I wouldn't drink that either - I fear your face might have spoiled it…”
He only threw Idira a quick glare before his eyes returned to Venria, who had withdrawn to the only place that would allow her a modicum of peace.
“Can't blame you for drinking, though, after that painful display I just had to watch. Sorry to say, but she looked far happier dancing with Evayne earlier.”
This time, she skilfully plucked the glass from his hand before his grip could tighten and shatter it, leaving his hand curling into a fist instead.
“You had to watch? And who, exactly, was forcing you?” he asked in a spiteful tone, his eyes still fixed on Venria.
“Do you know those situations where, no matter how painful it is, you just can't look away because you want to see if it gets even worse? Something like that.”
That wasn't unfamiliar to him, and based on his experience, it usually would get worse.
“Courteous talk is not my strong suit,” he said through clenched teeth, trying to keep his composure.
“Really? I would never have guessed, Ice-man.” Her ironic tone was impossible to miss, and he was already considering finding another place to stand before she teased him further. “What happened? It began quite promising, but then…” she made a brief pause as if she was searching for the right words to describe what she had seen, only to give up, eventually. “Back at her Magnae, you did far better.”
Her Magnae… Idira's words brought back his memories of Venria's ascension - the tension, the fear, and the vivid memory of their first kiss. There had been much on his mind then too, but with one crucial difference: back then, he had been certain they could never be together. Now… now he had hope.
Had he taken the dance with her now for granted? Unloading his frustration on her instead of simply enjoying being with her? But then, his old suspicion came back, questioning the motives of his conversation partner, a welcome distraction from his thoughts.
“I was doing my duty.”
“Ah. So you were interrogating her during the dance, that explains her reaction. I might have suggested a more private setting, but apparently some people enjoy a…public display.”
A new chapter continuing the story on Quetza Temer (from Heinrix's POV):
Calligos Winterscale is on the hunt for xenos, unaware that a far more dangerous threat is looming over him and his dynasty. Sensing that something is wrong, Venria intends to confront him - risking all their lives should the volatile Winterscale give in to his rage. But Heinrix is not just troubled by the two Rogue Traders - haunted by memories of a long-buried past, he struggles to keep history from repeating itself.
At once, his heartbeat quickened, the anticipation of danger mixing with a sudden, crushing sense of doom and the faint smell of iron in the air. He seemed to hear distant echoes of shouting and screams, and for a moment it felt as though he had been thrown back decades, being a battle psyker of the Imperial Guard once more, advancing with his squad through ruins. He looked up, already knowing what he would see, just to confirm his suspicions. No, not suspicions; his memories. He knew they were being ambushed, that they would have to fight for their lives.
Already, he could see lifeless bodies on the ground, the broken forms of his squad, pools of red spreading beneath them. His breath faltered as a cold tightness gripped his chest, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword as the present bled into the past.
And then it touched him, a warm and golden glow, breaking through the dread like the first ray of sunlight piercing dark storm clouds, offering shelter and hope. A lingering freshness after rain, its earthy scent sweeping away the smell of blood.
The unmistakable soul and warp presence of someone most dear to him.
His vision cleared, revealing Venria's concerned eyes fixed on him and her steadying hand on his shoulder. He gave her a brief nod to show he was alright, heat rising in his cheeks at the thought that he had allowed himself a moment of weakness, and yet, savouring the warmth in her lingering gaze and the crooked smile she offered him.
No, he swore, he would not let anything happen to her.
Not here.
Not ever.
The scene is also based on a one-shot from me about Heinrix's past in the Imperial Guard:
-> Artwork (cropped) by @starsandskies (full version here) 💖
-> Thank you so much @maggotknight for beta reading 😘
Life elixir (chapter 54 - a shorter Venria POV)
Summary:
After saying her goodnight to Heinrix, Venria is on her way back to her quarters. But spending time with him, being close after weeks of being distant, is affecting her more and in unexpected ways than she had anticipated. And that is only the beginning, because little does she know what the evening still has in store for her...
Excerpt:
"The realisation that it had happened again, that her mental barrier was wavering in his presence, had awakened enough concern and confusion that Venria's instinct to retreat triggered; but the moment her gaze had found his again, she had found himself irresistibly drawn to him once more."
By your side (chapter 55 - Heinrix POV)
Summary:
Summoned by the Master of Ablutions, Heinrix hurries to Venria's quarters with memories of Janus and her lifeless body in mind, expecting the worst - and still not prepared for what he encounters and happens next.
Excerpt:
"Throne, there were so many of them.
The strong desire to use his powers to make them disappear, to restore and heal her flesh, was hard to quell. It wouldn't make what had happened undone, but it pained him to see them, to be reminded of her agony and his failure to prevent it. He hadn't cut the wounds himself, but he still felt responsible for them. His fingertips traced along them, as if they could heal both their souls, replacing the scars and horrible memories with the pleasurable touch.
He could hear her sudden inhale and stopped, a cold shiver running through his body even despite the warm water still flowing over him, when he realised what he had just done.
His mouth opened and closed as he was trying to form an apology, an explanation, while his heart hammered wildly in his chest."
Special thank you to @maggotknight for beta reading 😘
Heinrix finally takes the initiative to rekindle his relationship with Venria, facing not only difficulties with her Seneschal but also with expressing his feelings...
Time came to a halt as he gazed deep into her darkened eyes, the small ring around her iris now shimmering like amber.
He could feel the warmth of her body, hear heavy breathing over the hammering of his heart, and his gaze moved down, finding her soft lips parted. There was no doubt, no concern anymore. His mind was empty, as he was drawn in by the sight and moved by his desire.
A deep inhale was followed by her lips moving to form the words
“Don't you want it?”
Leaving Heinrix stunned, mesmerised. He couldn't think, only feel her breath on his face.
“I...”
Do I want it?
