This Thing Don't Look So Tough

[13-Jzall]

13 found himself in an endless grassy plain. There were no trees or landmarks and as soon as 13 lifted his foot the grass rose up as if it had never been touched. Steam came out of his mechadendrites as they picked up grass, analysing and attempting to make a path that he could follow back or others could go across. The grass was like nothing he had ever seen before, it was a dark green made of crystals if looked at closely. 13 stood still, looking at the grass. He was snapped out of his trance as the Sun shone through the grass, lighting it up into an emerald green and making 13 realise he had been looking at the same piece of grass for five hours. 13 threw down the grass with a glare and continued on his way. In the distance, a humanoid figure was lying down on a rock. 13 began to run towards it, looking for answers.

“Oh hi there, sorry, but this is my rock and you can’t have it. I’m pretty sure there’s another one in that direction.”

The man pointed in the same direction 13 was already walking.

“As long as I’m not already on it.”

13 shook his head and began to walk away only for the same rock and figure to appear again.

“You can’t escape here you know. Look behind you, you’re going nowhere.”

Behind 13 the grass trail he had made was gone without a trace. Nevertheless, 13 trekked on, attempting to find his way out. Only to find the man again.

“It doesn’t even matter which way you go, it’s impossible to leave. Unless-

you-

defeat-

me.”

13 finally stopped and looked at the man, they got off the rock.

“Now we may as well both shed our robes, we, well most I, want this to be a fair game.”

13 took off his robes, revealing his scarred face. The figure was wearing a monk’s outfit, although their face was rotting yet somehow in a permanent smile. He pulled a staff out of the ground and pointed it at 13, a stream of flies and decaying flesh flying at him. 13 stood still, allowing it to hit him. The Adeptus Mechanicus won through attrition, something hard to find in the Omniverse. Except, of course, the rebels but it was a bit illegal to visit them nowadays. 13 drew his axe and broke the sorcerer's legs, getting his eyes covered in maggots in return. After 3 bullet holes were made in his head, the man slammed his staff into the ground.

“Let’s try that again eh?”

Suddenly, the entire battle happened in reverse, the sorcerer standing as healthy as he was in the beginning and just as annoying. 13 wouldn’t win this through a slow battle, he wouldn’t even win with a well thought out attack. He walked up to the man, gripped their shoulders with his mechadendrites and snapped his neck. 13 was already walking away as life drained from his body and it hit the floor. Almost as if on cue, the grass trail appeared again and was being naturally made without 13 having to pick it.


13 saw the field’s end in sight and what was just beyond it, two paths. One lead to a village covered in what seemed to be a living creature and the other, which had a smiling man standing in the middle of it. He headed forwards anyway, ready for what stood between him, the Terrasque and probably five other primes at most.