[@Wraithblade6][@Absolis][@supertinyking][@Gentlemanvaultboy][@Nightknight]

[center][h2] - Viral - [/h2][/center]

Even as Viral had become ready to accept death, his life was saved by the strange ratlike beastman. It was strange to see a being so similar to himself save him, seemingly of it's own volition. Stranger still to see it use the strange powers wielded by the natives of this strange world. But the important part was that he had an ally, and that ally's motivations and origins would wait until later. Growling against the pain, Viral stood, his flesh already repairing itself, as Genome's immortal will asserted itself. His task was not yet done. His life could not end until his purpose had been fulfilled. This one truth he had doubted, and in doing so he had committed a blasphemy beyond reform. But to sink into self-righteous self-pity would be but another sin to add to his repertoire, and he had disgraced himself sufficiently. No, he was not done with this world, and no matter how tempting death might be, he could not rest until he had proven himself, and now, redeemed himself for the doubts he had shown.

These scene played out behind his eyelids, in the span of the blink of an eye. He was called forth to Lord Genome's chambers, as the humans moved closer to closer to Teppelin. He could feel the regret he had felt then, shame burning in his guts as he had tearfully demanded the truth from his lord. And Lord Genome, the Spiral Emperor, had granted his wish. He had been granted knowledge of the true origin of the beastmen, their true purpose, and the true power of humanity. He had learned that their infinite desire for expansion, their constant hunger, would lead them to devour the universe itself. And he knew that the Beastmen served as nothing more than the instruments of Lord Genome, the keeper, the guardian who would contain this hunger. This curiosity. This determination. He had learned that day of the reason for his being, and he had learned of the futility of the humans' quest. And Lord Genome had granted him eternal life, that he might carry the tale to all further generations. He would not rest until he had seen for himself the fall of humanity, and their re-imprisonment under the earth. And until he had told the tale to all who came after, the herald of his lord, and the carrier of his secrets. He remembered that light as it had filled him, and he remembered the face of a God, bestowing upon him this power.

What shameful fear, what shameful pride, had brought him to now betray that purpose.

With renewed strength, Viral looked upon his opponent, whom's attention had been broken. He would not die here, no matter what. And all who stood against him, who stood against his purpose, would be slain. The humans, and those who would guard their existence, were nothing but blasphemers in the eyes of the Spiral Emperor, and he would act as the vessel of the wrath they had incurred. Lunging forward, he took hold of Firebrand, fully abusing this moment of laxness, and threw him to the ground. Even Firebrand's large armoured form was not too much for Viral's wiry strength, and the demon found himself slammed face-first into the concrete at high speed, even as Viral rolled back to retrieve the blades he had dropped. He would fight or run, he would scream and shout, but nothing could bring him to death. Not as long as this undying will burned in his eyes.

Of course, that was when the ships appeared. Moments after appearing, they fired off a volley. Viral prepared to dodge if the barrel of their gun swung in his direction, but it seemed this was not their purpose. Instead they fired at the buildings around them, and within mere moments a wall of dust had enveloped the battlefield. The humans were lost, their inferior senses unable to guide them through such a minor hazard. Viral, however, had been trained to fight in any environment, and could maneuver by hearing alone, even if a place as chaotic as this. While his enemies no doubt rioted and panicked he slipped through their ranks, choosing to ignore the possibility of an easy kill for now. Because his senses also told him something else, much more important.

When the two ships once more emerged from the cloud of dust, they carried beneath them the massive frame of Enki. It took a lot of power to carry the immense mech, but Outward ships were more than capable of transporting giant mechs, as had been previously proven. It seemed they wished to repeat the heist. However, what the pilots, and more importantly Cyano herself, would not notice, was the tiny beastmen scampering across the armoured plating, and into the rigging formed by the steel-cable nets. He would not allow his most devastating weapon to be stolen by these impudent humans. Instead they would lead him to their hideout, where he would prove just how difficult he could be to deal with. In any case, Enki's auto-repair systems were already beginning to patch up it's most necessary system. It would be a week at least before his laser was in firing condition once more, but if he could keep the humans from messing with Enki, he should be able to pilot it again in but a day at most.

Threek, meanwhile, would have found himself briefly tugged aside in the dust storm before Viral's takeoff. The skaven would have found a strange communicator pressed into his hand, a small earpiece occasionally used by Beastmen when operating outside of their gunmen. Although rare, Viral did occasionally enjoy fighting outside of the safety and superiority of his gunman, and had as such always carried a number of such communicators with him. It was important to keep your allies in contact, and this mage being might form to be the most useful ally yet.