Perdition's Flame. GrimDark Story Hour | WarHammer 40k Lore

released around the same time as the Watcher in the rain and the way out perdition's flame was an early entry into the Warhammer horror line of novels and audiobooks released in March of 2019 and written by Alec Worley the story centers around comsman Vosk of the 86 fostorian firstborn he is a man haunted by the sins of his past and is desperate for salvation for release from the memories of the most terrifying event of his life at one point he found himself face to face with something too terrifying for Words entities that the human mind was never meant to comprehend and in that moment when the eyes of the emperor and his squadmates looked upon him in judgment he committed the ultimate crime the sin of cowardice now he is desperate for a way to redeem himself but unbeknownst to him the opportunity would in fact present itself but the trial would be worse than anything he could imagine aboard a vessel Bound for a prison Colony he would come face to face with an even greater horror this story he was absolutely fantastic and is one of my favorite entries in the Warhammer horror line it left me with so many questions by the end I wasn't even 100 sure of what I had just listened to the twist was not only incredibly creepy but the implications of what Vosk and His companion had witnessed left me absolutely speechless as always I encourage you to support the original release and I've included a link in the description to the version on Audible The Warhammer horror line is like my favorite thing ever and I really hope we get more amazing audio dramas like this in the future so gather round my friends as we join together today to hear the story of perdition's flame in another installment of the grimdark story hour but first a quick shout out to this video's sponsor much like getting into the Warhammer tabletop game getting good quality earbuds is often something that is prohibitably expensive for most people which is why I love raycon so much not only are you getting some 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of books and these raycons are absolutely perfect for all of the audiobooks I use in my research raycon even offers easy and free returns with every purchase so you can feel confident in your decision to buy a set of these amazing earbuds and I'm personally pretty confident you're gonna love them as much as I do so are you ready to buy something small with a big impact then click on the link in the description option of this video or go to buy raycon.com westhammer to get 15 off your raycon purchase big thanks to raycon for sponsoring this video Our Story begins with us as the audience seeking Shelter From a raging blizzard and freezing temperatures if it hadn't been for the safety of a cave that we happen to stumble across we probably wouldn't have lasted much longer in these harsh conditions there's a man in here he looks worse for wear and smells like he hasn't had a proper bath in at least a week but despite his Haggard condition he seems friendly enough and beckons us inside to come and warm ourselves by his fire he says that he can't put into words just how relieved he was to see a rescue ship finally cross the Horizon and he definitely would have perished if it hadn't been for us and the rest of our rescue party the blizzard is getting progressively worse and darkness has begun to fall due to the dangerous conditions we realize that we're probably not going anywhere tonight the man tells us he's been living in this cave by himself for around a week it's small and there's not much to look at but at least it's warm and the two of us will be safe until morning when hopefully the storm will have lifted and will be able to meet up with the rest of the rescue team he tells us that his savior pod had landed a few leagues north of this location and that much like us he was incredibly lucky to have found this patch of shelter his eyes seem heavy with remorse and he tells us that it was an undeserved blessing for a man as sinful as him his name is Marco Vosk and he tells us that he was a comms operator in the 86 fostorian firstborn a regiment nicknamed The Fortunes favored they had fought off the Tao at the third Siege of volkis and slaughtered the Orcs on vertis Prime he laughs and thinking back on his regiment's heroic Deeds but his expression suddenly turned sour he looks away and says that he was also on Soros have you heard of it no well not many have it's a bog world in the obsidious cluster it was there that we we faced much worse he Trails off again and then looks back to us he told us when we first met that his story was a long one but considering the circumstances and the fact that neither of us are going to be going anywhere tonight he implores us to hear his tail to listen and listen well for if we don't then everything that she had done would be for nothing he says for the last several nights before we showed up he had been doing everything he could to remember and record all of the facts as clearly as if he was writing a duty report to recall everything that he had seen everything that he definitely saw as his mind wanders back to previous events he seems like he is starting to become unhinged he tells us that what he's going to say will sound like madness madness or far worse but he swears to us on the rifle of his father that everything he has to say is true there are things in this galaxy things worse than any xenos things that watch us from the Shadows their eyes gleaming just beyond the veil we cannot see them or touch them but they are there they are like voices in an empty room Throne only knows what they actually are what they want but to know them is to know damnation so you must listen to me for the sake of your soul for The Souls of all of us you must hear my tail His Story begins with him being held prisoner aboard the vessel known as the kanchatka Bound for a location that he tells us he would very much rather not have been going to now him and his fellow prisoners were murderers sadists and monsters all of them being slowly driven mad by their confinement his prison cell consisted of nothing more than an iron slab that his captors insisted was a bed he jokes that it would have been better to have been in a mausoleum for at least then his neighbors would have been a bit more quiet the person in the cell next to him is constantly speaking in a voice tinged with Madness repeating the same phrase over and over out out out the madman's moaning had kept him awake for days and he had had enough Voss banged on the cell wall and told him to shut up to stop talking to himself if he was going to keep driving him crazy with his ramblings then he would return the favor by continuing to bang on the wall no matter how much he banged the man next door continued to sob out we will be there soon enough until then get some rest the electronics aboard the ship had been malfunctioning for weeks the lights on the Gantry flickering on and off every now and then casting disturbingly humanoid Shadows against the walls the bulkheads of the ship creaked and groaned in a way that spoke of nervous and anxious machine Spirits the prisoners couldn't quite put it into words but they knew something was wrong like animals in their cage no matter how much they howled their cries fell on the death ears of their militarum jailers who had little to no patience for all of their complaints it was then that he heard The Telltale footsteps of Captain Brandon coming down the hall she spoke out to the prisoners saying attention filth it's four hours past lights out and if any of you are having trouble sleeping well I would be more than happy to put you to bed with my shock Mall any takers then Brandon over here comes Min Vosk 86 vostroyan firstborn the man said prisoner 379 step away from the cell door and get back to your slab there's 500 more of you Vermin in this prison and you've just woken every one of them Vosk knew better than to argue with a praetorian if you had ever seen them in battle you would know their discipline had been so deeply ingrained in them that they seemed more like a machine than a person my apologies Captain but you must listen to me there is something dreadfully wrong with the ship the tech priests are aware of the situation and the malfunctions are only temporary we will be entering the warp as soon as they have completed their repairs now get back to your slab and keep quiet she turned to walk away and Voss shouted back out to her Captain wait the system malfunctions I think I know their cause just let me explain she turned back around to look at him wait a second you said 86 firstborn well you're him aren't you you're the deserter there was a few seconds of Silence that lingered between the two she said I heard you left your entire Squad to die and those bile swamps back on Soros is that right yes that is true but listen it's your commissar should have made an example out of you or were they too busy fighting to stop you from running you're lucky you're on your way to a penal Legion with the rest of these animals the thought of somebody like you being allowed to wear a uniform again makes me sick Captain do you know what we faced on Soros I've heard the stories stories our commander heard stories too Whispers of what we would be facing and those Hive swamps but he chose not to listen he thought the enemy was just another heretic cult the zealots had overrun the city and outnumbered US 20 to 1 but miraculously we destroyed them all in an afternoon but they barely fought back it was as if they wanted us to slaughter them with our work complete we withdrew to the camp we had made in the outlying swamps night had fallen by the time we realized what was happening that the dead had followed us home they had us surrounded smiling at us through the fog the air teeming with flies everyone panicked everyone I know I should have stayed but to stay was to die no no actually to stay would have been far worse than dying I saw the commander go down his head cleaved in two and seconds after his body hit the ground he was already getting back up he turned and looked at me smiling with half a face so yes Captain Brandon I ran seeing the impossible changes of man gives him a greater sensibility to his surroundings teaches him to heed the warning signs before disaster strikes Captain Brandon smirked and asked him and what warning signs are you seeing now prisoner it's not just me Captain it's all of us in these cells we hear things we see things we hear boots in the Halls when no guards are on duty we see things standing in the shadows we wake from dreams of being burned alive the ship is cursed I tell you it's haunted by something I know not what but I swear to you it's what's causing the ship's malfunctions I can sense it I'm sure of it Captain Brandon has had enough of his lunacy and cuts him off by striking the bars of his cell with her shock Maul sending a jolt of electricity through his body that sends him spiraling backwards you sound like an expert in these matters prisoner perhaps I should inform the Inquisition a look of shock plays across his face the Inquisition there are Inquisitor aboard the ship I so if there was any such thing like you describe aboard this ship what they would be aware of it and would have matters firmly in hand now if you have any further insights I'm sure they would be happy to oblige with an interrogation frankly captain that honestly sounds preferable to another night without sleep in this cell it's in that moment that the prisoner in the next cell goes back to his sobbing out out ah shut up shut up I beg you Voss started slamming his hands against the wall as hard as he could stop it stop it stop banging on the wall what are you doing what is wrong with you the man in the cell next to me has been yammering every night captain make him stop please I am begging you what are you talking about the cell's empty the last man to occupy it died two weeks ago what but no that well that cannot be I hear him repeating the same word over and over and over again out he says out out out as soon as he says those words the blood seems to drain from Brandon's face her eyes go wide with shock and she quickly turns away to hide it what what is it Captain tell me you have heard these words before haven't you what do you know tell me tell me or I'll wake everyone aboard this Throne forsaken ship she whips back around and Strikes the bars with the shock mall again eliciting a scream of Agony out of Vosk she leans in close to his cell and says I'm not one for stories fosk they're only good for spreading fear and panic so if I hear any such things amongst any of the prisoners I will hold you personally responsible understand I know what I heard he gasps struggling to catch his breath you heard nothing nothing you understand she turned to walk away down the corridor and out of sight Voss crawled into the corner of his cell he clamped his hands over his ears and began mumbling a prayer as he rocked back and forth a prayer to shut out the sobs and rambling that he could still hear from the empty cell beside him the scene shifts to a short while later where Captain Brandon had walked to the bridge of her ship her goal was to submit an advisory report to Commander trees about what the prisoners had been complaining about in their cells but upon seeing the hectic nature of what was going on with the repairs she got the feeling this wasn't the best time every system was plagued with static every minute that passed by another cogentator bleeped to life indicating another crisis somewhere aboard the ship despite the chaos Commander trees was managing it with considerable nerve but everyone had their limits and Captain Brandon wondered how long he would be able to stay calm Under Pressure the ship had been experiencing all kinds of crazy and unexplained malfunctions but the tech priest stated that they had gotten the power levels restored to about 80 percent upon hearing this Commander trees states that they are wasting their time the navigation systems were not nearly as important right now considering that the engines were also failing if they were going to focus on anything other than the engines it should be the long-range Vox systems he gave them permission to cannibalize any non-essential functions in order to get the Vox operational from his perspective the ship and her crew would end up dead in around three Cycles if they were not able to contact the fleet for assistance trees turned and looked at Brandon and told her to stop gawking and state her business she apologized and said that she had no idea the situation had gotten this bad she would have voxed her report but the systems were down he tells her it's not just the Vox but also the warp drives and their system array as well trees turned to a nearby servitor and demanded to know how long it would be until all of his systems were back online the servitor said that it was still unknown but the source of the malfunction was likely not mechanical trees seems incredibly confused by this saying if it's not mechanical then what the hell is it Captain Brandon looked at him and said I think I might have an idea about what's wrong with the ship I mean right before she could give her a report she looked to the side noticing that Inquisitor Aaron had entered the room a Regal woman Fanning her face with an ebony fan she had a series of different clocks and cogitators all hanging from her person each one set to a different time and each one ticking along in its own unique tune she didn't so much as walk but gracefully glided through the chaos of the command Bridge as if she had seen this all before in her line of work emergency situations like this one were most likely incredibly commonplace Commander trees I am assuming you summoned me here to inform me that we have reached our destination look around you Inquisitor the system malfunctions are reaching critical he turns back and stares daggers at her and you know exactly why you still believe this has something to do with the Cog that I brought on board a don't be silly Commander this is clearly an engineering issue a one in which I will point out you have failed to control Inquisitor I received system errors from the vicinity of the sanctorum shortly after you requisitioned it do not mistake coincidence for causation and those malfunctions remain concentrated in that area while spreading across the rest of my ship so let me see if I understand you invite me here thinking the sight of your crew merely doing their Duty would store me into divulging the nature of the emperor's Private Business privacy be damned Inquisitor there are over thirteen thousand Souls aboard this vessel whatever it is you're hiding in the sanctorum whether it's experimental Tech xenos artifacts whatever it is you need to tell me before this ship becomes our tomb everyone aboard the command Act was holding their breath as The Inquisitor casually inspected one of her chronometers she looked back at him and calmly stated I assure you these issues are clearly man-made nothing beyond the ability of an imperial Naval Commander Inquisitor if you refuse to cooperate I will be forced to take lady Inquisitor if I may ma'am I agree with Commander trees I believe these malfunctions they may be something more than mechanical Brandon you are dismissed Commander please if perhaps neither you nor the honored Inquisitor here are in full possession of the facts that is to say I mean what I believe is that there may be something aboard this vessel something not of this world as I would know it heresy is the word you're groping for Guardsmen ma'am I've come to submit an advisory report to Commander trees one of the prisoners in the carcerarium said something that collaborated some of the stories I've heard circulating amongst the guard stories I I thought it was nothing but Barrack's Tales at first ghost stories but then some of the guards said they were hearing voices dead soldiers crying out from the walls I thought maybe it was just the heat getting to them I threatened to report anyone I heard repeating such nonsense but it made no difference it seemed every guard on every deck was seeing shadows figures and things that had no business being there I believed none of it ma'am even when I heard one of them myself you heard something I was on my rounds whatever it was it followed me from deck to deck I could hear it walking behind me every now and then it it would whisper in my ear what did it say the same word over and over out out out your knowledge in matters a reticle appears intimate Captain Brandon I shall be retaining you for interview once Commander trees brings us to Port it was just then that the Red emergency lumens began to flare and one of the men at the station shouted out to the commander that there was a plasma fire aboard the starboard flank a large Hollow lift flickered to life in front of the trio it displayed a flickering image of an imperial slingshot class transport vessel and not even half the size of the kanchetka there was something however incredibly wrong with the ship its whole had been somehow corrupted its metal was covered in bulging blisters and weeping sores its armored exterior softened with rot into something that impossibly resembled decaying flesh Heretics they could have been following us all the way from Soros for all we know is this your doing as well Inquisitor are they following us because of whatever it is you're carrying Inquisitor talk to me the echoing sound of explosions against the ship Shields could be heard throughout the room they are testing us seeing if we'll strike back hold fire let them think that we've got nothing wait for them to close in and then take them down with everything we have one of the crewmen shouted out to the captain telling him that the battery systems were not responding and that the same error message was being reported from all of their Gunnery systems he slammed his fist against the display Throne of Terra Inquisitor we have no warp drive no Vox with which to signal for assistance and now we have no guns whenever you're hiding in my sanctorum I want it destroyed jettisoned gone from my ship now all the while we have it on board our systems are useless and we are defenseless that is a tiny vessel manned by a handful of Heretics you are an imperial Naval commander and I am repulsed by your cowardice just then another one of the crewmen informed the commander that hostiles had been detected alongside the ship they were on a boarding vector Inquisitor this is impossible force of Mind Commander trees it is force of mind that renders the impossible possible it is force of mind that grants us strength enough to endure and vision enough to Triumph it is through force of mind that we invoke the miraculous you will not disappoint me Commander Captain Brandon mobilize the guard yes sir I will not let them set foot on this ship like a fat bloated parasite the enemy vessel managed to latch onto their ship captain Brandon was running down the hall leading a squad of praetorians towards the location of the breach she asked one of the men under her command if he managed to get the Vox system working but he informed her that he was still hearing nothing but static she told him to keep working on it while they moved they had no idea what they were walking into and they needed to get in contact with the other teams suddenly a terrified voice managed to cut through the static of the Vox it was distorted and breaking up but Brandon could hear a woman screaming to keep shooting on the other end give me that this is Captain Brandon Squad reinforcements on Route what is your position over they're taking casualties but they won't stay down home position I repeat hold position no get back don't come any closer can you hear me I repeat can you hear me sit tight we're on our way [Applause] Throne what the hell was that on the box Captain what do we do now what do you think we do Guardsmen we go in suddenly a voice that was somehow much more clear without any Distortion cut through all of the static it was Inquisitor Aaron she said Captain Brandon report reporting ma'am I want you and a squad of your best to fall back and defend the sanctorum and Inquisitor I can confirm that we have troops maintaining the contact point but they need assistance you know as well as I do that your troops are Beyond assistance defense of my sanctorum is now your priority your orders are to kill anyone who attempts to enter that includes ship Personnel do you understand captain Captain yes Inquisitor I understand Brendan cut the link Throne help us she's gone insane come on we're falling back she tells one of the praetorians that she's leading to get on the box and tell all units to draw the enemy away from the sanctorum and to establish a Kill Zone he asked her about the prisoners in the carcerarium leave them they're safer in their cells anyways besides there's none I would feel any remorse over losing the man seems visibly shaken snap out of it what the hell is wrong with you ma'am what exactly are we dealing with here you're in the guard son you want to ask questions then go join the Inquisition now move the corcorarium was located deep within the battles of the ship and away from the immediate chaos the prisoners could see signs of what was going on but it was subtle at first the heat steadily beginning to rise there was a rancid rotting smell that hung pungent in the air at first they thought that simply the sewer system had backed up oh that was until they heard the snapping sound of distant lazfire moving cold closer and closer with every passing minute the rising stench was almost Indescribable it was utterly awful and completely foreign to everyone everyone that had not been on Soros Vosk recognized it immediately he knew exactly what had boarded the ship and what was moving towards them he had a flashback of milky white eyes and wide rictus grins of flailing tendrils and fat distended bellies leaking like rotten fruit but he was trapped in his cell there was nothing he could do but wait he could feel the terror building within him but as he would find out later the enemy had far more reason to be afraid than he did he suddenly heard the sound of Captain Brandon's voice coming down the Gantry shouting to her soldiers she was arranging her men in strategic positions throughout the carcerarium all along the rafters above their cages the praetorians locked their guns on the Great Hall far below waiting for their targets to appear off in the distance there was a menagerie of bloated and gurgling moans coming ever closer the terrible sound was mirrored coming down each and every one of the adjoining Halls it was horrible it was the sound of an army drowning in its own filth things too big to be flies swarmed around vosk's cage nipping at his skin in the dark the failing lights had eventually died and given way to complete Blackness the only light now was coming from the praetorian's torches at the end of their guns Vosk watched From Below in his cage looking up at the praetorians readying their firearms his gaze then shifted down towards the Great Hall the first signs of movement came into view their putrid bodies barged in through the entryways flooding the Halls a legion of white eyes into quivering mass of rotten flesh gleamed back in the dark tendrils of necrotic flesh Rose from the masses like billowing clouds of rotten smoke the Abominations he had escaped on Soros had returned to haunt him to the praetorian's complete and utter horror they realized they recognized the uniforms of many of the individuals in the crowd Captain Brandon shouted out to them that they weren't their comrades anymore steady those rifles I want head shots only then she gave the order to open fire dozens of channels of last fire lit to life in unison bathing the carcerarium and flickering red light tearing into the invader's front lines the Carnage these weapons inflicted would have absolutely decimated any other foe but the Heretics seemed completely oblivious to the smoking craters in their bodies they lumbered forward trampling over the fallen and marching towards the nearest staircase another volley of last fire was Unleashed noticeably less focused than the last as the praetorian's nerves began to get the better of them it was then that something new came into view behind the wreaking mob it was human Fighters cackling deranged cultists that shouted Eldritch words of command and readied their auto rifles to take aim at the praetorians the Legion of the Dead spread out in every direction and began to scale the walls like jungle Predators spreading their rot as they moved towards the ship's Defenders Brandon shouted out to her men to affixed bayonets as the creatures dragged their way up the balconies one of the creatures got fully onto the Gantry and began to bash one of the praetorians to the floor with a makeshift Club of bent metal one of the Guardsmen turned and tried to assist his comrade but a tentacle shot out from the creature grabbed him around the throat and began to strangle him in a shower of Gore Brandon's sword lashed out severing the tentacle and freeing the man in the same motion she spun through and brought the blade up to impale the creature under the chin she ripped it free and the monster crumbled to the floor its eyes shot back up at her just in time to see her boot coming down to pulverize its head into wet slop she grabbed the man by the back of his uniform and dragged him to his feet and pushed him back into line before rushing forward into the next melee Vosk watched Terror from the confines of his jail cell these things these impossible Eldritch monstrosities had left him broken yet still returned to haunt him for his cowardice but something about watching the way Captain Brandon fought the way she commanded her troops watching them stand their ground against something so horrible ignited the fire in his veins once again but eventually the living Heretics began to retreat as the last of the pox Walkers were cut down not willing to let any of the Heretics Escape she sent off the remaining members of her Squad to chase them down Brendan walked over to one of the corpses and picked up a blinking box that Vosk recognized as an auxiliary distressed Beacon she was trying to read somebody on the other end and determine their position but she was greeted with nothing but static Voss yelled at her from his cell saying that he knew how to fix it he was intimately familiar with the equipment having a background in calm systems at first she told the prisoner to shut up but after several minutes of failing to get anything but static she eventually dragged the heavy array and the corpse it was attached to over to his cell she she told them to fix it but he told her that he would only if she let him out she said that she didn't have time for this her Guardsmen were dying and he countered by saying that if she let him out then they could help them together she laughs and tells him that there wasn't a chance of that happening but if he managed to get the system working then she would recommend that his case got reviewed he said that they both knew he would be long dead before anyone had a chance to review his case he refuses to help unless she agrees to let him out Captain Brandon you are Valiant and you cannot possibly understand the torment of a coward I ran once once and that simple decision has haunted me ever since on the blood of my father I swear I would rather face a thousand Horrors than suffer such a damnation again if I am going to risk death let it be at your side Captain she needs the system working so she reluctantly agrees and shoots the lock off of his cage he immediately gets to work like he said he would but she keeps her sidearm trained on him she tells him if he tries anything then she won't hesitate to put a bullet in him eventually he finishes his work and a woman's voice can be heard on the other end is anyone there Captain Brandon carcerarium sector report woman on the other end tells them that they are having trouble maintaining signals on all their voxes and mobilization efforts have been crippled those things were everywhere aboard the ship and they had no idea what was going on or what was causing them Brandon tells the woman that she had an idea of what might be causing all the strange occurrences aboard their vessel and it was most likely coming from the sanctorum where The Inquisitor had stashed her mysterious Relic she told her to maintain defensive positions and that she would get the systems back online soon and with that she cut the feed she turned to Vosk and asked him if he was ready to go pick a fight with an Inquisitor Vosk looks absolutely stunned by this and he asks her if the situation was really that bad she laughs and tells him that she reckoned he picked the worst possible time to ask for a second chance they had to get moving and she would explain the situation as they walked with that the unlikely pair made their way towards the sanctorum Vosk and Brandon took the maintenance passages to head deeper and deeper into the bowels of the ship and Brandon never stopped talking it first it seemed like she was just explaining all of the relevant information that he would need to know about their situation and what their plan was ultimately going to be but he noticed that she kept mentioning seemingly irrelevant details multiple times he recognized it as a defense mechanism one that he had seen other soldiers in the astral militarum do in the past she was trying to distract herself from the horror they were facing if she kept talking she would keep focused on the task at hand the maintenance tunnels were pitch black and the only light they had was attached to the end of Captain Brandon's gun as they descended deeper and deeper their boots began to slosh in shallow water they realized many of the passages had begun to flood the heat was also Rising exponentially and became almost unbearable causing Vos to barely be able to keep up with the captain frustratedly she told him that he was more than welcome to wait behind and wait for those things to catch up to him it was his choice but she needed to keep moving they needed to get to the sanctorum as quickly as possible the troops that were buying her time were tough but they weren't going to be able to hold out forever with that she wounded his pride a little bit but but the heat was so exhausting he wasn't able to articulate a retort so he just kept moving if the lack of light and the heat weren't bad enough the area they found themselves in also completely reeked of the Dead Brandon noted the smell was so awful that they wouldn't even be able to smell their enemies coming the torch at the end of her gun was like a piercing Spear of Radiance in the darkness and with its assistance they were able to slowly but surely make their way they noticed a sign on one of the walls that indicated they were heading in the right direction as they kept moving through the darkness Brandon told Voss to try to get somebody over the Vox if they weren't able to outright destroy whatever The Inquisitor was hiding then they were going to need bodies to help them get it off the ship he wasn't having any luck though there was basically nothing but static on every channel the closer they got to the sanctorum the more interference there was he figured he could try to boost the signal but there was a high risk that the power cell would burn out and then they would be completely cut off from everyone else the idea of actually making contact with somebody seemed hopeless until all of a sudden Voss started to get something coming over the system whatever it was it was faint and it was hidden between the frequencies he strained to hear it and pushed the headphone piece deeper into his ear eventually the sound managed to make its way all the way through the static into his absolute Terror he heard only a single phrase being repeated over and over chill ran up his spine and he pulled the feet out of his ear it was bulb in Brandon's torch suddenly burst and the pair was plunged into complete darkness they fumbled around in the dark until they were eventually able to find each other alright there we are now just feel your way along the wall the south gate to the sanctorum should be at the other end of this hallway a captain wait what what is it something up ahead listen at the end of the tunnel the pair could hear what sounded like footsteps coming in their Direction creeping in the darkness it's impossible to tell just how many of them there were because of the reverberations on the walls but they were definitely not alone voskired The Telltale click of a new clip being loaded into a ladsgun and then suddenly it barked to life sending blinding Spears of red light down the hall straight into an entire horde of feeders The shambling Horde in front of them was not their only enemy though as the pulsing muzzle flare of Brandon's gun revealed a wide grinning rotten face inches away from vosk's own the thing Unleashed a gurgling Roar and the Darkness fell once more in an instant it was on him he screamed for the captain to help as she continued to lay fire down in the incoming horde she spun around and buried multiple bolts into the attacker's skull it just kept staring and grinning at him even as the blast popped its brain matter and sent it dribbling down his arms come on firstborn do you want to die on the floor or on your feet she squeezed the trigger to reveal her next Target then swept her fire towards it ripping throats and detonating heads weaved with tentacles just beyond the horde was the entrance to the sanctorum in the pulsing red light Voss saw more gleaming rictus Smiles illuminated in the darkness of an archway right beside them the shambling monster started to pour in from all directions closing in on the pair and cutting off any chance they had of Escape boss went to grab for Brandon's sidearm and noticed she had several grenades attached to her belt one of the disgusting creatures suddenly lunged for Brandon and knocked her back into Vosk as she struggled with the monster Voss could hear even more of the creatures flooding into the room trudging in to surround them Vos dropped beside her and fumbled for her belt until he was able to get a hold of one of the grenades he felt the spring-loaded snap as he yanked out the pin and hurled it into the horde that was in front of the sanctorum's entrance he grabbed Brandon around the waist and ripped her from her attacker's grip diving to the floor just in time for the weapon to detonate in the middle of the horde sending rotten chunks of fettered meat spiraling through the darkness the grenade had the secondary effect a blast testing the sanctorum gate wide open the faint flickering light from inside the sanctorum's depths illuminated the hall they were in now mired in ruined bodies pasted Gore dripping from the walls and ceilings Captain get up there are more of them coming down the Halls they have overrun the ship we need to move he dragged her to her feet his Vox horn is feeling heavier than ever before and the pair ran for the door they crossed into the sanctorum and Brandon said well done firstborn now see about getting the gate shut again I'm not ready for more company once they were safely inside they managed to barricade the gate shut it was Secure for now but they knew it wasn't going to hold forever Brandon told Voss that The Inquisitor would for sure be aware that the sanctorum had been breached she would certainly know that somebody had come for her and she asked fosk if he was still up for this he told her that on his honor he was so she smiled and pressed her last pistol into his hand she told him that if anyone tried to stop them not to hesitate I I understand but she's a an Inquisitor I know but she's happy to see the entire ship go down just to protect something she's already lost that sounds like a good reason for all of us to die does it it does not then don't hesitate firstborn he nodded and they both headed deeper into the sanctorum sparse Lumen candles gleamed like stars failing to brighten the immensity of the sanctorum the place felt like a furnace the air was so unbelievably hot that it scorched the nostrils just to breathe it the entire area was Heavy with the smell of what Voss thought was burnt wood they slipped into cover behind some enormous pillars and peered out across the central Nave he was startled to see dozens of Silent figures seated in Rose upon the pews some of them were slumped over While others were seated upright and looking directly forward none of them were moving erected before the figures seemed to be some kind of giant Clockwork machine it was wrapped around a huge black metal canister that for some reason had been plastered with Purity seals the entire higher thing seemed to be comprised of levers ratchets and Ticking cogs that's it that's the thing that's causing all of our worries right there it looks like these poor wretches were gathered in worship of it but what in throne's name is it why is it ticking whatever it is let's put it out of commission and get the ship back online other than a pair of Mind lock servitors that had entered the sanctorum from a passage to the left there were no signs of The Inquisitor so the pair Advanced creeping low and staying in the cover of the pillars they moved from Pew bench to pewbench keeping load to the ground as they crept forward the bulky Vox harness that Vos had been wearing around his chest accidentally bumped into one of the pews when this happened he noticed the figures seating in it crumbled Ash and Bone matter falling from inside of its sleeves to the floor in front of him upon closer inspection the bodies had been completely blackened as if they had been burned alive they wore captives fatigues much like his own but they were red even though the bodies had been completely charred somehow the clothes had been untouched chains Shackled their wrists and ankles to the benches and each had a crude brass circlet printed with Arcane circuitry clamped around their blackened skulls as Vos stopped to examine one of the body bodies he could have sworn he saw a figure crouch in the Shadows on the other side of the hall glaring at him his mind went back to the lurking Inquisitor and a chill ran down his spine but before he could turn the aim of his pistol on it he heard Brandon call out to him from behind the machine she had found The Inquisitor he blinked and the figure had vanished he figured it was just his nerves getting the better of him before heading in her Direction he took one last glance back where he thought he had seen a figure and when he did the darkness seemed to seethe with Whispers what are you staring at firstborn get over here he shook his head and The Whispers were gone he turned back and ran over to Brandon's side there in the back of the machine strapped into some kind of cockpit was Inquisitor Aaron she was wearing a brass circlet similar to the ones the figures and the pews had she was gazing off into the middle distance oily strands of white hair hanging Loosely in her eyes her face was Dripping beads of sweat and her eyes frantically darted back and forth all of the chronometers around her belt were wildly ticking away she was mumbling and Whispering some kind of Mantra by force of Mind shall space resist form by force of mind computation by force of Mind shall we endure she made no move when they approached her and didn't show any indication that she even noticed they were there even as Brandon began to unbuckle her Myriad restraints it looks like those poor wretches were consumed by this machine they were psychers I recognized their fatigues her leadership must have requisitioned them from the Black Ships Bound for Terra and now she is allowing herself to be consumed for what purpose or to keep this machine running it doesn't make any sense I don't care how much sense it makes I think we only have a few minutes more before those things break through the barricade help me get her out of the machine so we can shut the damn thing down he helped to remove the last of the restraints before hauling The Inquisitor out of her seat her circuit was still tight around her head attached to the headrest by a mechanical tendon Brandon hacked through it with her knife and dropped the limp Inquisitor to the floor instantly the Clockwork machine began to slow Dial's word lights flashed and something seemed to drain from the atmosphere the Vox started crackling again indicating that it was working Vosk flipped through every channel and heard chatter on every single one of them thank the throne signal all units in advance and inform command that we have taken out the source of the interference the ship system should be coming back online they decided that they were going to make their escape through the entrance of the sanctorum opposite to the one they had come through but they'd have to be quick before the dead managed to break in Brandon reached out to help The Inquisitor to her feet and she suddenly sprang to life in a panic shouting no no don't she scrambled to her feet throwing herself at the cockpit they had pulled her out of desperately trying to hook back into it she scrambled to reattach the circuitry only to find that Brandon had severed it she wailed and sobbed frantically and feudally trying to reattach it she ran her hands over the dials flashing red and dropped to the floor sobbing as if she had lost a child to you Savages have any notion of what you've just done how many years this has taken me what it took to get this far what you have cost The ordochronis Inquisitor the situation has reached critical I was forced to take drastic measures and decommission this machine before the ship was overrun the telltale signs of the Walkers banging and tearing at the barricade could be heard echoing throughout the room ma'am we have to get you to safety now she reached out her hand to The Inquisitor but she slapped it away you weak-willed wretch all you had to do was your duty find a way around the problem keep the ship safe and running that's your job that's what you do by force of Mind shall we endure Inquisitor the interference made it impossible to do that interference the interference was nothing nothing but fluctuations in the retention field Echoes In Time ripples in the immaterium faces pairing through the gaps in Space by force of Mind shall we be bound you and your commander had just done your duty given me more time I could have contained it until we reached Port contained it contained what The Inquisitor suddenly began to scream and convulse as she frantically clawed at the circuitry around her head I've heard enough leave her firstborn we have to move Brandon was already halfway up the hall motioning for Voss to follow the thought of those things tearing their way through the gates filled Voss with Terror he knew as soon as they broke through they would only have a few seconds he knew his only Escape was about to be cut off but something compelled him to remain still for just a few moments longer I said leave her but I need answers I need to know what she risked Our Lives to protect Come With Me Now Vosk that's an order he grabbed the inquisitor's trembling arms and shook her violently forcing her to face him give me a reason Inquisitor what is it why damn us to protect this machine it's not a machine scaldingstein began to rise from Aaron's mouth as she spoke her tongue sizzling her eyes swelling like bubbles she spoke her last words ah it's it's a cage from within the great black cylinder beside them came a great and terrible rumbling a sound that reverberated throughout the entirety of the sanctuarum then came the word that terrible familiar word that made his blood seize to ice The Inquisitor screamed in terrible pain as flames burst from her eyes fire consuming her flesh as quickly and savagely as if her blood was made of promethium it happened so quickly that by the time he released her the fire had already vanished snuffed out of existence what was left of The Inquisitor clattered to the floor in a desecrated Heap smoldering bones wrapped Loosely in embroidered finery God emperor what happened to her it was just then that the pair could hear the barricade finally being ripped apart by the shambling ravenous horde their Blasphemous forms flooding into the sanctorum Rotting Flesh glistened in the luminance of the candlelight and the hall filled with bloated bodies Brandon's last rifle roared to life and Voss took aim with his pistol to assist in the culling they were going to have to fight their way out now but something was different the fear that Vosk had felt before seemingly had been replaced with joy a joy that swelled within him with every pull of the trigger every time he ruptured one of their skulls with a well-placed shot he felt this overwhelming feeling of Retribution the Mindless creatures shambled through the hall tripping over each other and smashing into the pews scattering the ashes of the drain psychers most of the monsters wore the filth trodden uniforms of praetorians Brandon went to fire another shot and heard the Telltale click of an empty clip almost as if she had been completely overwhelmed by the same sense of rapture that Vosk was feeling she she threw her empty rifle to the ground and screamed you think I'm done do you I am a praetorian I am never done come on then all of you she pulled her sword and went charging Into The Horde hacking and slashing through the attackers Voss suddenly found he was out of ammunition as well and picked up a nearby candelabra stand in which to defend himself with they realized that this was it this was where their militarum careers would come to an end but if the sanctorum was to be their tomb they would go down fighting duty until death that's what it meant to serve the Imperium to restore his lost honor the only thing that mattered was that he stood in that Hall and fought fought until The Bitter End like he had pledged to Captain Brandon the tide of deathly Smiles closed in around them death itself was literally bearing down on them it was just like it had been back on Soros but this time there was nowhere to run yet Vosk felt he had nothing to fear there was a massive bang and then over their heads they could see a rent rectangle of jagged black metal go flying across the room it crashed into the descending horde with such force that it smashed a dozen of them apart the door kept rolling through crushing even more to paste in its wake they could hear the rumble of fire behind them its heat completely overwhelming Voss stared Straight Ahead his body was unable to turn and look at whatever had emerged from The inquisitor's Relic from the corner of his eye he could see Brandon standing at his side she was staring backwards her eyes unblinking and wide with fear but the most terrifying thing of all was she was staring up at something twice her height prone Hall Mighty Voss had conquered his fear of the impossible but this this was something even more malign and completely unknowable he could feel his rigid neck creaking as he forced his body to turn to see what had hurled aside the lid of the Clockwork sarcophagus at this point in the story everything Fades away and we find ourselves as the audience back in that cave with Vosk waiting out the winter storm oh what did I see you ask by my father I do not know but you have seen statues of the astartes yes those armored Giants so like demigods it's almost impossible to believe they are real well a figure such as this stood before me a monument drenched in Flames its power armor appeared to me brutish and ancient and in lieu of a chapter symbol it was covered in bones and skulls a veil of flames rippled over ceramite so impossibly black that to look upon it was like staring through a hole in reality and out into the starless void I thought at first this Apparition was just a hallucination brought on by the Euphoria of battle and then it glared down at me Throne saved me it glared down at me and I was left with no doubt that an unspeakable force of will existed Beyond those piercing red lenses I shivered so thoroughly that I fell to my knees in supplication the lower half of its faceplate was broken and showed off the grinning teeth of a huge skull its gums began to part and a roar escaped those fleshless lips the war was not an entreaty but a bellowing of Triumph of the prisoner long held now finally released the Flames dancing around its body intensified blazing so brightly Vosk had to Shield his eyes from the intense glare The shambling Horde had recovered and gotten to their feet they began to March forward once again dangling innards dragged across the floor as they walked they grinned stupidly clutching their clubs and knives as they shambled towards the Flaming monster with a single hand it raised an enormous Bolter a weapon somehow more bone than metal it fired three deafening shots as the creature moved effortlessly and silently towards the horde the shells impacted the front ranks detonating and showering the rest of the creatures in putrid Gore Captain what is that it's it's a miracle it was impossibly fast despite its enormous size it rushed into the shambling mass of bodies and lashed out with an enormous knife row upon row of grinning heads thudded at its feet the Walkers were undaunted and continued their Advance the creature fired a sweeping volley into their ranks sending feted limbs spiraling through the air something overtook Captain Brandon in that moment she screamed for the throne and charged in hacking and slashing at the enemies that had almost killed them she cut her way through until she was side by side with the giant both were completely lost to their zealous bloodlust butchering the enemy in a mutual righteous frenzy the giant skinless mouth opened once again and howled and fury a sound so loud and terrible Voss had to clamp his hands over his ears it reverberated through the ship Like An Earthquake as if it had been an announcement of the destruction to come as recompense for its imprisonment the fire that burned around the apparition's body heightened to an Inferno know obscuring its black armor completely until it became a living column of flame the fire flooded the hall devouring everything that it touched it was as if it had a terrible sentience independent of the Giants as if the specter's rage had been made manifest it was a Mindless hunger that sought to purge everything in its path including the ship that had held its Master captive choking rancid smoke filled the air yet Brandon continued to hack away laughing maniacally it was as if she was completely unaware of The Inferno that was about to consume her Vos looked around he could no longer see the giant only the Raging Pillar of Fire that had been left behind but he could hear the terrible sound of Bolter fire somewhere outside of the sanctorum the sound of every shot echoing throughout the entire ship he wriggled out of the Vox harness and dashed to her side dodging flaming wreckage that fell from the ceiling he eventually caught up to her and grabbed her arm enough Captain we have to go this way get off of me and let you die running through a wall of fire not a chance I said get off of me she flailed and struggled against his grasp the heat was getting more intense flame scorched vosk's hair and beard as wreckage fell from the ceiling to crush the remaining attackers she went limp in his arms they both watched on as the swirling tide of flames consumed the last of the fetid monsters Brandon howling with maniacal laughter the entire time the scene shift to a little while later Vosk had managed to drag the captain out of The Inferno and into an adjoining Corridor leaving the sanctorum and everything that was inside of it to its fiery fate Brandon Twisted herself in vosk's grip she told him to leave her bee but he knew as soon as he did she was going to try to rush back Into The Inferno so he tightened his grip and kept pulling forward she had saved him from his fate and now he was going to do the same for her The Inquisitor had restrained whatever that thing was for too long and now the fires of its rage were going to consume the entire ship they had to keep moving Captain whatever madness has infected you I can't let you go there is no need for you to die she continued to laugh like a crazy person and said it doesn't matter there's nothing more we can do you have to come with me we can find a way off the ship together suddenly Brandon's Madness seems to fade and she has a moment of Lucidity she reached up and pulled off a Talisman that she had had hanging around her neck and placed it firmly in his hand there are savior pods further up this Corridor you Talisman to activate one of them and get out of here Captain you must come with me when they find you tell them what happened here the others need to know who who needs to know we all do the militarum all of us who fight and die for the throne we Face death always watch our brothers and sisters get slaughtered in their thousands but but it's not for nothing not now you saw that thing you saw it you saw the miracle you saw it as clearly as I did we need to have faith we need to have faith in our service I admit I didn't believe it before but but I believe it now can't you see she reached out and grabbed his face pulling him in close her eyes were wild again she was desperately trying to impart the same feeling of rapture that had overwhelmed her psyche onto him death is not the end Captain what was released in that Hall was not death but damnation you served me with honor firstborn now honor me with remembrance have faith Guardsman Vox tell them our story she ripped out of his grasp and screamed in righteous Fury she turned back and ran into the Flames of the sanctorum before he could stop her the fire rushed out to meet her and traveled on past as if in pursuit of Vosk he turned to run as the hellish Inferno chased him all the way to the Savior pods and out into space the scene Fades away and we as the audience find ourselves back in the cave with Vosk I remember hearing myself gibbering prayers to the Emperor as I watched the ship grow smaller and smaller out of the porthole of my pod fire burst and glittered all over the hole of the ship and finally the kanchatka burst as if it had eaten its fill of The Inferno I swallowed and braced for the inevitable shock wave it hit and shook my pod with the fury of a collapsing star I was shaken into unconsciousness but right before the darkness took me I thought to myself that the sound of the shock wave sounded all too familiar do I believe that death is the end no no I know this for certain there are things that we of the militara must face out there in the emperor's Galaxy things worse than any heresy Horrors unfathomable and yet Brandon was right we must have faith because some of those Horrors fight for us he tells us for many nights now that out loud he has been repeating the story over and over again in a seemingly futile attempt to remember it in its exact details but there's something wrong he says no matter how hard he tries certain gaps keep appearing in his memory and the story is fading away he says it's like a pecking bird pulling worms out of his brain he says it's strange but it feels like the memory itself was trying to slip away as if the fire that he saw was still within him still in his mind it was trying to burn away all of the memories of what he had witnessed by telling a story out loud he keeps the fire at Bay he laughs and preemptively apologizes because we're probably going to end up hearing the story again when we meet up with our Squad in the morning he says he's sorry for bringing the rescue team down to this planet and wasting everyone's time he tells us that the memory of his Landing is still incredibly blurry and he asks what planet he even ended up on what was its name he had no idea what sector he was even in he asks us to tell him exactly where we are there's a long pause and then he sighs he says why am I even asking you there is no you there is no rescue party no ship come to fly me home just my own head inventing companions to keep me from going mad same as last night same as the night before just voices in an empty room almost as if his memory has slipped even further he begins to introduce himself to us once again like he did at the beginning of the story telling us to warm ourselves by the fire and eat some of his rations he tells us he promised us a tale a grand one and he would surely tell us if he could only remember it

Channel: WesHammer

Views: 337,905

Keywords: warhammer, warhammer 40k, warhammer 40k lore, lore, the watcher in the rain, the way out, perdition's flame, horus heresy, astartes, space marines, astra militarium, legion of the damned, legion of the damned lore, 40k inquisition, 40k inquisitor, warhammer 40000, chaos, chaos gods, nurgle, nurgle lore, deathguard, pox walkers, dark lore, scary story, creepy pasta, scary stories, ghost story, scifi horror, horror, warhammer horror, weshammer, chaos lore, dark tide

Id: EFfOBB8OOOQ

Length: 59min 7sec (3547 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 19 2023