As Guilliman finished speaking, a new quest prompt floated before Datch:
[Quest: Escort Guilliman to Holy Terra and meet the Emperor.]
The Primarch has awakened, but the galaxy's crisis continues. Countless worlds suffer, unnumbered Imperial citizens languish in darkness.
The Primarch must go to Terra, meet the Emperor, and take command to save the Empire from ruin.
[Reward: 5000 XP, 5000 Points, +500 Reputation, Pumpkin Head Fighter Jet ×1]
"Pumpkin Head Fighter Jet??"
Datch tilted his head, face turning odd.
A giant pumpkin head, grinning eerily, with eyes and mouth spewing flames… The look was more like a Chaos god's parade float than an Imperial fighter!
"Waking up in a cold sweat—turns out I'm the evil god!!"
Is it really the fire-spewing pumpkin head?
What a bizarre fighter jet!
But, as the classic game rule goes: the weirder the design, the higher the damage; the less fabric, the higher the defense—this Pumpkinhead Jet must be super strong, able to crush the advanced fighters of all factions.
Guilliman, seeing Datch lost in thought, face changing unpredictably, felt a pang of worry.
Was he refusing this dangerous quest?
"You… don't want to go?"
There was a hint of hesitation in the Primarch's voice.
Hearing the question, Datch snapped back from his reverie about the jet.
He straightened, answering with all the gravitas he could muster for an Astartes.
"Lord Regent, I will definitely protect you and see you safely to Holy Terra!"
Having accepted the quest, Datch didn't wait for Guilliman's reaction, but bounced away again.
Along the way, he opened all the crates in the corridor, kicked them over, and smashed a few lights for good measure.
The crew grumbled, but Datch ignored them and dashed off.
…
In the days that followed, Guilliman prepared for the journey to Terra with astonishing efficiency.
He formally handed command of Ultramar's front lines to the current Chapter Master of the Ultramarines—Calgar, one of the "Three Mighty Men of the Empire."
The Primarch trusted this loyal, valiant warrior to hold the Ultramar front.
To guarantee safety and authority upon arrival at Terra, Guilliman carefully selected elite battle-brothers from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Companies as his honor guard, appointing the celebrated Cato Sicarius as commander.
Voldus and his 3rd Brotherhood of Grey Knights joined the retinue, ready to counter any warp threats.
News spread, and Imperial forces everywhere responded eagerly.
On a voluntary basis, many Ultramarine successor chapters, zealous Black Templars, Living Saint Celestine, Inquisitor Greyfax, and even Magos Belisarius Cawl with their retinues and precious supplies all requested to join the historic expedition.
Guilliman gladly agreed: the more strength, the more hope of reaching Terra.
Meanwhile, Datch's cure was hurried to plague-ridden worlds, swiftly eradicating the Weeping Plague.
Freed from the plague's grip, Imperial armies rallied under Calgar's command and launched fierce counterattacks on Chaos, winning victory after victory.
As the Weeping Plague was finally ended, Datch's long-awaited quest notifications rang out.
[Congratulations! Quest Completed: Help Primarch Solve the Weeping Plague]
[Reward: 3000 XP, 3000 Points, +300 Reputation, Pumpkin Power Armor ×1]
[Congratulations! Quest Completed: Aid the Grey Knights Against Chaos Heretics Ravaging Ultramar]
[Reward: 1000 XP, 1000 Points, +150 Reputation, Pumpkin Helmet ×1]
"At last!" Datch cheered inwardly.
With a thought, the Pumpkin Power Armor and Pumpkin Helmet from his inventory instantly replaced his previous Terminator armor.
A brand new, strikingly different getup appeared—
A huge pumpkin helmet, carved with a fierce face and a curling stem at the top, fit snugly over his head.
He now wore bulky orange power armor, its plating etched with pumpkin-like veins, radiating a cheery yet eerie Halloween vibe. (TL: If I'm not wrong, the pumpkin set came from terraria.)
The Pumpkin Power Armor outclassed his old Terminator suit in both defense and speed.
Of course, it was just as bulky.
The Pumpkin Set was a blue-tier item, with its own special effects:
Mischief Time: From midnight to dawn, all stats (damage, morale, defense, etc.) increase by 30%, with an 'Intimidate' aura that can panic enemies within 100 meters.
Carnival Declaration: All attacks gain dazzling pumpkin firework effects, with a chance to inflict the 'Halloween Carnival' status on enemies.
Suffer in the festive joy!
Datch studied it and found "Halloween Carnival" was quite interesting.
Chaos powers often depend on certain emotional rhythms—Khorne's rage, Nurgle's decay, Slaanesh's sensory waves, Tzeentch's cunning.
But "Halloween Carnival" disrupts their resonance with a totally out-of-place rhythm.
Khorne Berserkers, empowered by bloodlust, would suddenly hear a merry pumpkin waltz mid-battle, making their rage unstable.
Chaos sorcerers chanting blasphemies would find their spells morphing into the nursery rhyme "Five Little Pumpkins."
Nurgle Daemons' pustules would burst with rainbow confetti and silly popping sounds.
Slaanesh Daemons' seductive faces would randomly turn into spooky emoji.
All in all—very entertaining.
Datch changed gear right on the Macragge's Honour.
Just then, Cato Sicarius, newly-appointed honor guard commander, was nearby organizing defensive deployments.
He glanced at Datch—just to see what the nameless Astartes was up to—and froze as if struck by lightning.
He saw the armor on that nameless Astartes shift instantly, from Terminator to a ludicrous pumpkin suit—without any teleport glow or mechanical sound.
Sicarius's dataslate slipped from his hand—
The legendary warrior gaped, pointing at Datch with a trembling finger, making strangled noises, unable to manage even a whole word.
Emperor above—
What… what the actual hell is this? How did his Terminator armor turn into a pumpkin?
Datch ignored him, admiring the Pumpkin Set.
"Not bad… just the Jetpack and iron halo don't match the pumpkin look. I need to grind more quests to complete the set."
…
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