Chp 12: Hells Highway

Over the last few days Kôrv and Skalfi had managed to scavenge nearby wreckages to find the power cells and various parts they needed to get the four coaches that made up the land train running again.

As Adam finally started to feel a bit better he heard a sudden knock on the door.

'Arrrrrrrrrr ya decenttttt' Adam heard screamed through the door.

'N ---' he managed to get out as Skalfi burst through the door.

'Well get some clothes on, yer exhibitionist, Kôrv needs your help with somethin'.

'I'll be out in a second' said Adam embarrassed shooing Skolfi out the door as he held his hands protectively to give him some modesty.

Removing his hands he thumbed a ring hanging hidden around his neck. He, dressed quickly in some overalls the kin had been nice enough to provid him, secretly thanking the emperor for the first benefit, he had been granted for being a kid in the warp. He could share clothes with squats. Whoop whoop.

My life's kind of shit he thought, if that's the high point.

Walking to the door he slid across the industrial style door latch and stepped foot into the corridor only to hear the sounds of screams, narling and nashing from down the corridor.

Coming into Kôrv's workshop he heard screams coming from something circular restrained with heavy metal chains under a red blanket.

'What in the ass end of a hive city is that' said Adam accusingly to Skalfi who was sat to his right on a spinny desk chair.

Skalfi shrugged he shoulders, 'I dunno'.

'That meh boy is our ticket to get this baby running' said Kôrv jovially coming out of a box he had been digging his way inside'.

'Why is our ticket out screaming profanities in demon speech at us'.

'You cun understand it' said Kôrv.

'Yes lived here here my whole life you know, got to know the wildlife, but it's less of a language and more having the ear to listen'.

'Whats it saying I've always wanted to chat with a demon' sid Kôrv positively beaming.

A short translated extract of the demons screaming.

'I fucked your mother last night, you cunt twisted bitch baby, try and unscrew me again you fuck bucket when I get my legs back I'll scoop your eye balls out with a spoon and shit down your neck, goat shaggers the lot of ya - all of you have wee cocks.... '.

'Aaaaaa-aaahhh' said Adam quickly fading out the demon screaming in his head'.

'What did it saaaayyy, let it out' said Kôrv.

'You sure' Kôrv nodded 'well it said it fucked your mother last night' replied Adam admitting the rest.

'Ahahaha' , 'gahahaha' both Kôrv and Skalfi burst out laughing.

'Jokes on it we don't have a mother' said Kôrv high fiving Skalfi.

'Thats the part, the part we need help with'.

'Wait the parts a demon' Adam asked back, tilting his head.

Kôrv walked over and ripped off the red cloth only to expose a power core covered in eyes and three screaming maws filled with teeth'.

'What in thrones name is that' said Adam.

'I believe that's a demon engine and it being a part of that part means that we still need another part and I don't see many more opportunities to find a power core put here, you think you can do any of that heeby jeeby stuff to get rid of it, we lost our specialist recently'.

'I don't know' said Adam 'I've never gotten rid of a demon from a power core'.

The power core had began death rolling like a crocodile winding it's chains even tighter as it continued to scream the vilest profanities known to man.

'Goddamn', 'Kôrv I don't know, I can only try communicating with it but it's a two way road I've had some bad experiences in the past communing with primal forces of chaos in the past, never mind an actual demon'.

'Well kid ter options either that or... come with...' said Kôrv opening a port hole and pointing out towards a nearby crashed Valkyrie.

Laser beams shot across the sky behind it like great strobe lights.

'You see over there, there's a pack of greater brass scorpions back there having a party around a number of non corrupted vehicles that might have the power cores .... you're welcome to go get them'.

....

'Don worrrrryy about it, I'll just go merge my mind with the demon, it'll be a walk in the park'.

'Where did you get the demon engine from by the way'.

'Oh a greater brass scorpions' replied Kôrv.

Its all starting to make sense said Adam wearily already wanting to go back to sleep.

----

Adam sat in front of the writhing demon struggling to plan out his angle of attack.

What would Kaldor do he thought. What would get rid of this demon, fire, no Kaldor told me not to use that, the concept of purity and peace, not sure much of that is gonna be around where we are at the moment. Kaldor did always say that demons liked to make deals. Deal it is he thought totally forgetting the three hour lecture on why that wasn't a good idea.

Opening his mind he let the warp flow through him, the sheer violence in the air swelling him with confidence he poked at the demons psychic field - poke.

RRRRRRRASRRGGGGHHHGGGHHH in his mind he threw himself out the way as a mouth on rollerblades came careening pass him teeth reving like circular saws.

'Let's talk okay, I have a deal for you', the mouth roller derby thing was backing up and beggining to turn round. It's wild eyes made eye contact with him 👀.

RRRRRRAAAAARRRRRGGGGGG.

It charged at him again.

'Fucking listen you twat arsed demon' screamed Adam as it barreled towards him.

Scrrrrreeeerrrch

It came grinding to a halt in front of him opening and closing it's mouth in something resembling speech, 'No reason to be rude'.

'Whaaght'

'Howd you like it if you were just minding your own business and two dwarfs with hammers jumped on you and smashed your face to bits before robbing you for parts, I thought they were done they bloody kidnapped me'.

'I'mmm.... sorry .....' said Adam kinda confused, they just needed a power core for the train'.

'We have rights you know even Khorne wouldn't just steal a power core without asking'.

'I can find you a new home, maybe another brass scorpion or a reaver titan' inquired Adam.

Watching Adam, Kôrv was perplexed when Adams eyebrow started to twitch in exasperation.

'You think he's okay in there Skalfi'.

----

'I want my brass scorpion back' screamed the demon engine, 'but no it's trashed', can't be replaced, I'm not helping you'.

'If you don't get out we will have to destroy the power core and fine another one'

There was silence for a few moments as the demon engine contemplated, 'i'd be open to a deal, the same one I made long ago'.

'What kind of deal' asked Adam.

'You give me your heart .... and I bring this train and your abilities to the next level I know my core better than any other, this train would roar like no train ever has before'.

'I'm not letting a demon into my heart, no way' replied Adam.

'I'd look after it like I looked after my scorpion, i'd manage it's output, give it system upgrades every once in a while and I think I'd be quite useful to your psyker abilities'.

'How do I know you won't betray me'.

'We make a binding contract in the warp'.

'Just grab my tongue and it's complete.

Adam thought carefully seeing nothing wrong with the deal the demon got to live, he got a working train and an internal warp generator. Seems pretty fair.

'Why your tongue, oh it's gross'.

Adam reached out slowly before touching the tongue, which before his eyes morphed into a little anthropomorphized ball of flames'.

'I'm Calcifer by the way' she said cheekily.

----

Adam returned to his body only to feel a sudden sharp pain in his chest. Keeling over in the next moment.

'Aaaahh fuck'.

Kôrv and Skalfi rushed to him, 'what happened'.

'It's stopped my heart, oooh god that hurts'. His vision begining to tunnel.

He screamed in his head, 'Calcifer how, our deal was binding'.

'Hehe - I'm just doing a system restart, I said I'd look after you like a machine and machines need switching on and off again after an update'. Echoed back Calcifer innocently.

His vision began to close like lens of the camera, only to stop, just before it became a pinprick of light.

'Why arn't you dead' inquired Calcifer cutely once more in his head.

'Nooooo way wait a minute, na ahhhhh, why do you have a second heart, what human has a second heart'.

'I don't have a second heart' replied Adam confused but thankful to be alive.

'I can tell you for certain, the one I took isn't even physically in your body right now'.

Taking his blessings where he could find them, Adam laughed as his second heart began to come online, beating like an artillery barrage.

'God damn it guess I'm stuck with you eyyy roomie' said Calcifer.

'I'm not gonna just ignore the fact you just stole my heart'. Replied Adam.

'Eeeehh you'll get over it'.

----

Adam began to hear the echoing voices of Kôrv and Kaldor as he came to feeling a sudden stinging pain cheeks.

Slap, slap, slap. 'He was gone from us too soon, a yound life taken from this world he will be remembered' Skalfi slapped his cheeks, whilst Kôrv stood above him speaking solemnly like an overdramatic priest at an irish funeral.

'Stop slapping my cheeks you ingrate, and I'm not dead yet'.