THADDEUS AND TARQUINUS: KNOW THY ENEMY

story continued from thus andinus playlist no thy enemy [Music] 12 hours before the event I stand at the airlock awaiting the arrival of the senior inquisitors those three must here a rare thing indeed for they are of the Traditions despite being the best the Imperium has to offer the scourge of the unclean they are hunted to have more than one in any region is an oddity to purposefully pull more together a thing of wonder only an official full-blown Crusade is of equal noteworthiness equal Rarity this this is a crusade in microcosm assets long left to Slumber and now being deployed for the Traditions have gone to war so I stand on the ship of the first victim of this confrontation an Inquisitor of the Ordo xenos who was meant to join join us this is her ship the Huntsman of the Soul it has been cleared now but not without duress not without resistance not a serious bid to stop us perhaps or some might see it as Overkill but their targets were too potent their targets being us of course the stench of burning promethium is still billowing around the ship whenever a b head is opened I had the blotch of sentient goo burnt put out of its misery and for good measure the kind Warriors have been thorough indeed they burnt wherever there had been a person exploded or not pulled apart and made into three-dimensional tapestries or not they burnt everything the first Target dealt with thus was the Elder thing that attack attacked us bed by my own solitary bodyguard then immediately ulated by him also ation he stated one I was not loathe for him to perform yet the stench is hard to take for promethium is not a thing I associate with good memories it is simply too useful to ignore though yet when it is so often deployed its odor can elicit a very strong reaction I want to put in my rebreather to avoid the stench but this would be a clear sign of weakness if we were just our little family here I would yet I cannot defame thus with any outward sign of Frailty of body mind or spirit I owe him that at the very least I will not being shame on our line they arrive by shut the three of them in the one conveyance each with one bodyguard Babble stands next to thadius of course vilia has her strapping red armored Marina of the blood Spears behind her diminutive saet has his sister of battle hovering over him like a crow as usual she is a foot taller dwarfing sard perhaps that was a poor choice of words as two actual dwarfs are also in attendance one a war leader of the kin named anrad the other who does not ever lower his sheened mirrored helmet secretive and stubborn perhaps not the best choice of allies yet when his St is wrong he always knows the right tool to apply to the right balls to get compliance and he chose to bring these kin they are handy in a scrap that is for certain yet they are not immortal nor invulnerable two of them lay in state on their boarding brick herous next to them his shield and sword crossed over his chest the dead kin ceremonially covered with the banner of their expedition the shuttle lands and the Gangplank lowers and there he is my mentor sad ass so fill us in all the way to the bridge Inquisitor Tarin and so I do how we arrived the splodge the horror of the attendant tortion sculptures the exploded men and women the horror of the battle on the bridge the threat at the rear of the ship neutralized by my own Entourage member my solitire he dueled and dealt with a keeper of Secrets a demon beyond the kin of most beyond the power of most to defeat feet or so the keeper of Secrets is a greater demon of slanesh the prince of pleasure and I told them that the thing stated it had a master and it was not referring to she who thirst as the Elder call it this enemy he has it as a thrw or perhaps as a more equal Ally but that is not how it spoke with my friend Inquisitor vilia is intent saet takes notes as I speak and we walk thus just nods along a pensive frown stuck on his mug not good for him to seem to be obviously worried is a sign of great import but is he doing this for me or for the others his eyebrows rais theatrically his tatk delays in my choosing the correct words displays an irritability that simply isn't in his character even now he is acting performing for the others and short of it so he trusts them as much as I do despite their shared history he pretends there is some level of annoyance between he and me a divide that could be used he invites others to probe me later to try to sweep me away from this harsh and critical Mentor at least he said the seeds of this potential and I watch him do it how well do they know each other brief collaborations over centuries games within games this is with our allies we get to the bridge they see what is left of the Ordo xenos Inquisitor pantara and salot takes off his glove closes his eyes and gently places his bare fingers where she was he opens himself to the warp draws in a tiny Slither of power only and then goes about his TR his eyes open but they are pupiless white and gleaming with tiny flicks of light he speaks as if from a distance or in a dream she held out for so long what he did to her questions he asked her again and again about us how many what names what do we know he was angry even when she eventually broke even when she screamed her ignorance he did not believe her or did not want to he was vile his fingers retract and he closes his eyes saot pours out a splash of water from an Exquisite miniature flask and washes his hands blessed one would presume he stands and looks at all of us as he speaks she did not know anything more than our three names she held out longer than I would have done even well had I not a cortical kill switch for such occasion he has a bomb in his head Salah does not mess about does that is I wonder did he put one in my Cranium when I lost half my face when they had the technology to rebuild me did he do it then when will he tell me will he ever do so or am I just shaken to near in silence by the horror of the last few hours I trust this line of thought with Iron Will what if thus has it would actually be reassuring to know it is possible that if I should turn then thas can terminate me I end the deconstruction I listen on Familia says little just looks down her nose at saet she accident because of their variance in height I hope sadus sigh deeply and starts up well thank the emperor for small mercies I can confirm I did not inform her of anything more than that it is a blessing that she did not have the time to work out more salad pipes in but it means he knows he knows how many of us there are where we are who we are and why why we come not so much as all that my friend for he does not know that we are only one prong of this Crusade this is true I do wish you would tell me the other elements but I understand the reasons only one of them knows who are in our group only one of us knows who is in theirs I did not think you would question this caution salet not when he is involved ah sadus you mistake me I'm just used to being the architect in this play I know old friend sard nobody can ever say you were not the most diligent indefatigable nor important in all of this without your constant tiess efforts we would not know where he may be we would not even have a trail to follow without you we would have no way to end the matter matter you do have that which we discussed the small man now seems to raise up and slowly turns to thatas a face so devoid of expression it can only mask unfathomable rage I have nothing left thus nothing for centuries I have spent my lon's horde my Lin's hard one Treasures I traded bribed and brought with it I gave up things that my four Bears had died for I sacrificed more than any here I have nothing left to trade with nothing my holds are now empty but for that one thing yes finally after all of this time I have not only located one but I have claimed it we now have the the method by which we can end him vilia now stares down at salid eyebrows raised and appreciation as he nods down at him he ignores her still glaring at SAS and when this is done when we have performed our duty then you sard will be showered with not only the Gratitude of all of your peers you will be lorded until the end of time and you will be recompensed for your losses we will all give you a segment of our troves but you cannot run all of this too many eggs in the one basket we cannot paint that large a Target on anyone least of all you salad's shoulders now sag he looks down at his reg gloved hands again I know that is I know that heronimus was a loss I have not yet absorbed he was a good man one of the best and we shall drink to his life I am sorry for your loss old friend we had all better get used to this none of us is getting out of this intact you know that don't you vilia snorts and turns on her heels and leaves heading for the engine room and the scene of the duel between the demon and the Elder rather rude or just hard vilia must know that our losses will be catastrophic from what they are all saying yet she does not wish to dwell on it does she care at all or does she care so much that she cannot face the fact she is an Inquisitor of the Traditions so it cannot be the latter heart then a Warrior born thus said of her once now I see it she may just have accepted the cost before it had been paid it is the anti for merely being involved for one does not hunt monsters without gaining their attention and their hate over the shoulder of salot I see the kin glance at each other anad simply shrugs to his friend end then they return to watch on the unhelmed anrad barks sightseeing done then I don't know how this changes anything we're hunting the bastard he knows we are coming good let him shaking his boots at the thought of when we catch up to him thus and saot both stop and slowly turn to look at the squat incredulity barely hidden um I'm related you are so confident old chap but perhaps he isn't really the sort to shudder under his blankets eh salad Pips in I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation did thus tell you nothing Carl of the kin sadus now scrunches his own brow a little and looks disparagingly down and salet for only a second before clearing his head with a shake and looking back at the kin all shall be revealed very soon with will gather and discuss this Quarry of ours in full but none of us want to go over this 20 times so it will be done all at once but yes salid andad does indeed know the goal the stakes and the danger salet impassively RS if you say so sadus he turns on his heels also walking after vilia his black armored shadow the sister of battle only inches from him as always the loss of heronimus cleared in his gate slow steady and controlled he is mourning later when the other inquisitors have returned to their own vessels the Eldar Faria comes abroad tan irade the heart of fire High farer of craft worlder noon he seems to float aboard his steps so languid and careful almost as if he is trying to minimize his contact with the very deck of the ship he sniffs and looks at me wellow points that Helm at me blank and baleful his head gear is his mask as much as his protection he is not the leader of his community he is not the joyful Eldar soul when he wears this he is wrath he is war he is a personification of Eldar power and his mouth shows nothing as always of his inner Spirit many beings have died on this ship and not just recently not merely in this attack that slew The Inquisitor he looks around himself again but he is obviously not looking at the bulkheads but at the psychic residue that remains from the past I will never mourn the loss of this Inquisitor of the Odo xenos if you had any wit you would not either thus many are the hard decisions that an Inquisitor must take none of my kind have Clean Hands you know that not like this that is I have met others of your your order MERS this is different she must have enjoyed her work that is all I will say he then walks striding with purpose but no less Grace the boy how fair is he perhaps a little shaken but then he met an ancient Dennison of Cora he'd have to be an idiot to go utterly unfaced from that indeed I wish to check on my pupil well he's in engineering at present chatting with his ally I shall meet you on the bridge then when I have confirmed he is hail he bows and then wanders off I walk onto the bridge and look again at what I have done because it was I who asked this Inquisitor to join us I thought she would bring a different set of skills to the mix Oro xenos could have come in handy I thought but even they the other inquisitors are not as wary as we of the Traditions he found her he ordered his minions to board her ship needless to say they was little she could have done against a concerted effort from The Soulless that's our bag you see so the greater demon crept through the warp and brought the homunculus with it barded the ship then they slew their way to the bridge went back to play when they had neutralized The Inquisitor then they interrogated her as only the dark ones can the hated dark half of the Elder soul I might not be Odo zenos but even I know that there are many forms of Elder as there are of humans I whisper a silent prayer to the emperor for her Immortal soul and tan irade Glides towards me he exudes calm so he is ruffled and the Elder fluidly but swiftly takes off his Helm placing it in the crook of his arm something subtle has been done to your ward I cannot say what but it is a concern subtle explain a shadow a marker of sorts I cannot explain it yet I will watch him and then confer with our text it may take time sadus I'm reeling does he have it the time it is just a smudge on his order old friend not a time bomb of that I am quite sure I breathe again don't let him down far here he is your pupil and I will die for him if it is called for he is my pupil he should say the same about me of course he is true let us hope you can find out what this subtle marker is and remove it oh I will thus I will I changed the subject but not much he has a homonculus in his orbit how it has not been known before I can think of only one human that they had treated with pile yet imaginations are many is he using them or are they using him the elanes was here acting catspa not the other way around and the truly brilliant will stoop to conquer a dark lord of Kara B to mon K he is as far above your kind as to be on a part with our own let us hope this mulus is a pariah an outsider a rogue kicked out of the dark city we cannot face the might of a coven thus you know this not were we 10 times our number could we do this more than aware but as we have discerned so recently the circle breaks swiftly amongst their ilk the only good thing about R bastards none follow them out of anything but opportunity or fear we will break down his alliances we will Slaughter his most fanatical minions and we will haul him into the light of day and then then we shall stake that bastard through his heart cut off his head and cast his Ashes to The Winds of a 100 nebula he takes a step back and bows sadus yes no matter what happens from here I will always be grateful for meeting you 8 hours before the event vilia has bariel behind her I have Baron behind me as we walk the decks of her ship the banter is practically non-existent a shame crew offer tight salutes as she processes past them disciplined orderly vilia is workmanlike but woefully ill equipped for dealing with equals at least cognizant of her dictatorial lexicon she keeps her points economical and without contention she states matters that could elicit no real comment it is very much like walking next to an engineer who has never had to speak with anyone as she lists off her own resources an impressive vessel indeed she will be more than able to support the kinf far power in any void combat but the two strength is in her holes we enter a darkened Bay and she gets me to stand dead center as she flicks on the lumens my jaw drops S I Look to her and find she is beaming every bit as much as the lumens her guard down in this one moment she is a truly stunning woman her eyes sparkle as much as my own I smile broadly and Nod to her repeatedly in total appreciation we both look on her resources a full fance of aut Mar and varying types so somewhere on this ship must be a veritable cabal of tech priests she has not revealed yet the sight is astonishing entire cohorts of castac THX and even a few she calls sanitars Whoppers they are I dramatically put both of my hands out and then clap heartily as I State no soul to tempt no mind to possess no promise bribe or Co verion can affect them this vilia is utter genius vilia nods back and then Thor taking my arm in hers we now stole around these battle autometer as she explains their weaponry and capabilities if she Unleashed all of this at once she could take over a small City and right now I'm Mighty glad that she is on our side then she takes me to find the others we wander for a bit before she stops and Barks at one of the crew asking where they are he points to the back of the ship and States differentially though not through fear they are in the arena vilia scrunches her nose a clear sign of confusion then she looks at me and we disengage and pick up the pace we now stride with purpose what the heck are they up to this time and as the doors to this Arena open my heart sinks like an orite sarcophagus in a lake when I see exactly what the kids are indeed up to for Casto and tarnus are both shirtless and have a slick of sweat over them some more bruises forming too if I'm not mistaken they are pacing around each other circling as they both hold training swords and as one both barbon and bariel step Sideways from behind us both to make certain they can see one would imagine tonus has a wolfish grin on his face his hair falling forward to near cover his eyes framing said grin Castoro is Stern and seems stolid he whips his head forward then rolls to the side toness unfortunately takes the bait and strikes down hard but corrects his Vector as soon as Castro rolls catching him in the ribs as he does so Castro completes his move and stands witing slightly at the effort those ribs are bruised at the very least probably cracked and then it happens Tara slaps him on the butt with his sword as he passes him a move clearly emulated from barar and Castoro sees red he turns and aims his sword at tonus his neck from behind Baron bars a word and tonus rolls forward the sword passing over his head but only barely the huge Marine in red now bar something at barbon I cannot make it out over the shouting in the arena as tus Rises he hurls his sword aside and dies on Castro screaming at him Castro's own sword stays in his hands and he brings it up hard catching tarus under the chin he is brought off his feet and lands hard his head making a cracking noise on the ground all can hear Baron takes a step forward or is he going to stop the engagement but the other Marine steps at him Baron swivels and places his hand on his sword bobel hunkers down and matches his move both growling at one another while this is going on Castro takes a few steps and kicks tonus in the ribs a revenge of sorts tonus rolls with it then comes up on one knee he then looks at Castor and his eyes are light with warp power in warning Castro takes one step back then throws forward his hand and his own eyes flash he unleashes a wave of force towards tarz who stands placing his hands together and a Mystic form appears in front of him it is not a human sigil the force slams into it and the ward holds Castro steps back shocked he Narrows his eyes he looks like he is about to do something worse when finally I interject aham gentlemen as fun as all of this is perhaps we should save our energies for the enemy eh Inquisitor ters Baron you will come with me I turned to look at vilia she nods I nod back but it is CT she has trained Castoro he reflects on her so this is how vilia runs things is it survival of the fittest disappointing perhaps she is not the S of her line she purports to be what was all that about he's a prick I say or at least he's being trained to be one I wanted to take him down down a not or two a prick huh I know you would never react so on your own behalf I've never seen you rise to taunting unless it is in the defense of others so I'll take it that this was about one of us or was it me this is important toness I gulp I look him deep in the eye it was about one of your entourage I ah he made a Lous comment about Ursula then he's only human it's not what he said it was the way he said it but he did worse did he now I suck in breath and pout out he derided us all by deriding me I look away gotcha why is this so important thus because the boy takes his marching orders and his perspective from his master which means that vilia either has a mighty high opinion of herself or that she merely has a mighty low opinion about us or me and that could lead to real issues later we must watch them because of a slight I retort because evil cares nothing for others toners you know this a lack of empathy or respect for one's peers it is the footstep to betrayal oh joy quite as I said we shall have to watch them 4 hours before the event so we are ready it has been so long centuries in the making potentially seconds in the breaking how can it work we Face a being from old Earth an ancient of horror how can it not work so many of us are gathered to this one course this one aim the Traditions have held the line for 99 generations and now we feeled so many of us that remain in the one Venture the one Crusade and deep down I know I must say goodbye to them possibly all of them and I must do it now not what they are gone but now while they still breathe for this will be my last Campaign Will he end me will I avoid my destined fate at his hands instead but no matter what happens whether it be him or my long-standing Doom this will be my last campaign my last hunt urela and the squad have prepared a veritable banquet I have secured the kind of AMC and other Liquors that are once in a lifetime experiences they deserve it all of them and more we will drink and make Merry we will bond then salot and I will unleash the stakes the purpose there well the chances of us getting out alive I shall enjoy the first stint I shall burn this moment onto my memory we shall drink and take our Oaths like Heroes of old yet of course without the lack of blemish on our souls for none of us are pure not we inquisitors I hate this time this present era what I am forced to do to protect a rotting Administration a tyranny Beyond description few know the depths of horror that we commit upon one another every single day and that is with no urging or influence from the dark Gods yet I defend this indefensible realm for otherwise there is no hope if humans remain alive there is always a chance we can return to our brighter future yet to do that we must [Music] endure I pray to my Emperor I ask him to forgive me my trespasses what I have done to his children often in his name I know he is not the progenitor of our race yet he is my God for without him there is no hope for Humanity no hope for the universe and to defend that hope I will give my life and those of all I am about to break bread and drink with survival this thing is a cancer a sickness that must be removed from the body of our race and we shall act now after so long we shall finally hunt him down and for that alone if he wipes out my Entourage my family my very line yet if he is truly slain well I will see it as a price well paid I joined the others on the disembarkation bay I helped them all pack up the food load it into the drop craft I watched them all intently barar and Louie are racing each other to show how much they can move and fastest barar is indulging them both Louie and the catch he need not compete with any he is old now Bon is older than even I and yet he is not weary the Marines are made of different stuff not just of form but of purpose of spirit time does not erode them as it does us and yet he plays with them performs for them because they need it and he knows it as well as I for 200 years have we discussed this particular path in his own way he is doing as I am preparing to lose them I leared it from him you see he has a pronatural way of knowing somehow perhaps feeling is a better way of putting it he has never known it in the Forefront of his mind but when I look back how he went with the twins to their hive and met their friends how he took sharp out to a feral World hunt how we drank with sash that night despite how it would never affect his posthuman physiology always weeks or even days before they departed this world he somehow knows deep down inside perhaps a vestage of the light that once possessed him the light of the emperor himself Baron was once a weapon of his Divine Light and this this faculty may be his reward he does not know it would never be able to see it thankfully he does not single anyone out he does not act uncharacteristically warmly towards Ursula thank the throne of all of them but the boy I cannot face her leaving us she was so small when we met yet so brave with all the world hating her she did not become a mirror as so many do she refused to hate back and she grew into someone I am so proud of every day and every way and I watch barble if I were selfish I would make this one request I hope I die before barble I had always been a bit odd you see and even on my Craig children are cruel to those who were different then my master 98 took me on but did not take to me his Entourage reflected this so in all of the universe Baron was the first person to ever treat me with respect he an aares a vessel of The Emperor's own wrath he was my first friend the first of many so many lost so many gone now I feel the weight of my years now enhanced by the memory and mind forged by Thaddius 98 I cannot forget I recall them all every last one as if they were here before me their images their voices even their sents filled my mind so many a rockus cheer comes from the catatan breaking my re y I will add these moments to that Eternal memory I watch my colleagues again Baran has one of course Lou sticks his tongue out as he then falls about laughing showing that he has moved only a quarter of the amount of Baron persuading all that he only did it to get the Marine to do the hard work he laugh some points and baron he laughs as well well watching him I know it's going to be bad I will be leading these wonderful rare intelligent skilled and unique people onto a pathway to Hell barbon comes over and sits next to me for a short while he is the only one I can talk with this way and so I am burdened my heart on him old friend I cannot but collapse in on myself my old fears all this work possibly for nothing to risk my entire reputation on the one event for everyone will only remember how I die not what I achieved not what I strove against or four they will Mark me remember me or they will throw me into the footnotes of History never to be learned from followed if I mess this up my entire life is for nothing or so many will feel he looks at me sternly as always ready to put the proverbial boot into my posterior no sadus no you refer only to your peer is you have shown scant concern for their opinion before I start now when you do die for die will must then your life will be its own Testament and its own prosecution what you have done will be weighed by the emperor I know you fear him as you should but this one thing it has kept you more honest than any of your ilk I have met yet you forget that he will see all he will see the lives you have saved the worlds you have defended the course you have taken and the reasons why and if I can be so bold you have nothing to fear not from him vilia does not respect me Bara oh so this is what brought all of this on why should she respect you you've done barely anything together respect is earned I had thought my age and connections would bring on a tiny bit at least it merely means that vilia is weak how so old chum because she takes the perspective of her late mentor her predecessor she does not have the mind will or Independence to make her own judgments she is a poor replacement for vilia 98 that may be Baron but many would say the same about me nobody of worth that is nobody of worth you are 10 times the man of your predecessor 10 times I say your blinker loyal to me will get you killed one day Baron no little man it is what keeps me alive to serve you has been the greatest honor of my life I can barely believe it he has never said this to me before he was chosen by the emperor himself throne I hope I do not let him down it is time I've taken a huge gamble so much as at risk will we even make it out of the night yet for this to work I have to risk all we Bor the drop ship and head for the deserted planet we shall speak Under the Stars this night and let Fortune favor the Bold the event we land on a world at dusk finding a place with glorious woods and open Stars the next hours are ones I hope never to forget thadius was right of course tribe is built by eating together on long tables we sat on pews and scoffed down the beautiful banquet and to avoid more than half of the dishes due to my obligations to my tutor yet even he was present and the AMC flowed I was not going to have any myself yet Thaddius practically insisted I have a draft or two trust me you are going to need it by night's end we all knew as we died and poked harmless fun at one another roystering and carousing we knew it was coming then when everyone had eaten their fill even the ains and that was no small task and everyone had drank their fil well the Catan still harboring some of the bottles of AMAC then saulot looks to thadius and all three inquisitors of the Traditions rise as one we walk for a short stint to an area with many small fires around a circle the fires on the outside to keep us warm or to protect us from Intruders perhaps or more likely to cut us off from the rest of the world and bring a faximile of unity perhaps either way there is only one entrance to the circle in the middle of the fires and the inquisitors all move AB breast as they I walk into the middle we all follow strange for such an event to be used almost like a right yet I suppose it is exactly what this is the Pomp and secrecy a way to infuse our unconscious minds that this is a memory to be made and held on to a moment in the history of all who are present a marker a divining line from before and after for nothing will be the same after tonight thus has said it again and again preparing us all for this event the event and so we all walk in and the inquisitors signal for us to sit most are cross-legged others tuck their legs under their posteriors the cat chant and some sit with legs out in front of them leaning back and they begin s at fast we meet here under the stars of a distant sun far from home yet unified in purpose we meet to take an oath once taken it can never be discarded recanted or ignored for tonight we reveal to you the history of our Quarry the nature of the to we hunt many will be the things we tell you this night few of which will not challenge your very conception of reality the very basis of your own faith if you have it so if you are in any doubt whatsoever have any love of Life want for Joy any goal Beyond this task then we ask you to rise now and walk from this place none will stop you none will think less of you none will treat you roughly but we insist you go a full minute passes and in that minute I walk the paths of the future not in the warp but of my own heart despite my loyalty to thus and all present my new family I want to rise I want to walk from this place go to the ship take santara and find a Planet somewhere to land there and wed her the last woman of my people matched to the very last man and we would raise beautiful gifted gentle children those who could play the drums and reads we would love for a lifetime than pass Into Obscurity a life lived well yet this is not the truth for every night I would sit upon our porch looking up at the stars while my family or sat inside in the warmth of our fire dozing the night away I would be trying to work out where everyone was I would try to work out if they had one died by the hand of our enemy and every night I would wait for the cold knock on the door or the burst of engines heralding descenting ship one filled with the minions of the enemy on other nights I would look for demons wondering if my children would live beyond my protecting presence and when I looked at them my children I would realize I damn them to a life alone for one cannot repopulate a world with one family I would never forget walking away from this battle I would never forgive myself for doing it my life though longer would taste like ashes I wipe away this false dream nothing can come of it I will learn from the Elder I will wipe the foul memories from her mind then I will set her free and she can have that life lived well I have nowhere else I can go I have nothing else I can do this is my destiny even if it be my Doom and so I remain sad none have moved none have left so Thaddius now steps forward and begins in Earnest and in tones he was ancient before the dawn of the Imperium he was old when Humanity took to the Stars immortal he has seen the rise of every Empire a servant of evil he has architected many of their downfalls only one other knows of his power only one has ever defeated him and that was the god emperor of mankind solid continues he is one of a rare type of human perhaps one of these is born every 10,000 years some say we cannot be certain of anything but they are different to the rest of us mutants yet have a defined and ancient lineage and they they are Immortals they can be slain time and again yet will always regenerate will always return they are called perpetuals and some of them are truly ancient and one of these beings is the Emperor of mankind what we know of this one our enemy is scant indeed forever has he been cautious but Through the Ages we have hunted him and my forbears have uncovered many a mortal about his past this is the combination of thousands of years of hints and clues collected the work of near 300 years years of dedicated investigation by me and my AIDS he the enemy has slain many of our own number ended entire lines of the Traditions saying countless other inquisitors yet I have collated these hints and Whispers rumors and even lies and this is what we have deduced he is ancient indeed he was born born before the current ERA before even the first Millennium and he was an ally of the god Emperor himself once then he betrayed the Lord of humanity the emperor has taken many guises in the past has walked amongst Humanity many times always trying to guide us to help us to show us the way and it is in one such era that he created a golden realm a place of honor courage knowledge wisdom and Truth he surrounded himself with Warriors of skill and conviction from his castle and realm he intended to be an icon a symbol of what could be what humans could be yet the emperor's realm was torn down from within whispered lies Secrets unveiled a snake was at the center of his court causing it all and the enemy undermined and subsequently destroyed the emperor's Grand Design from within as they speaks my vision changes the lights bleed down a solot hypnotically tells the tale I see the Flames around me dim the stars above glow brighter but are hued in red now Lou sits beside me but now turns and and glares at me I can hear a whispered chant distant but where does it come from I cannot make it out salot speaks on yet he could not kill the emperor but he tried with dark allies for even then there were things that stalked Terror then called Earth and the enemy made contact with beings as dire and deathless as himself thinking himself Mighty he took to the open field against the master of mankind at a battle called Camlin with powers of his own and monsters collected from every dark corner of the realm he struck yet his powers were no match for the Emperor of mankind and of all the Minions he took to that battle only one remained at its end in the last moment of the conflict he faced the emperor himself and was brought low but before the last strike could be given by the emperor to destroy this horor Immortal Soul the last of his monstrous adherence intervened and ran off with his dead body grievously wounded the emperor could not give Chase and though the emperor healed from his wounds his shining realm was destroyed his dream crushed by one of his own from that battle the enemy recovered and Drew breath again and hid on Earth with that one ancient thing that saved him for it too was Immortal deathless a vampire Millennia passed and the emperor must have believed that they had died or they had always eluded Ed him yet eventually humanity went to the Stars the enemy waited beyond the time of the Long March ships they both waited until travel was faster destination sure and safe then and only then he slipped from Earth that is now holy Terror and he went out amongst the stars for tens of Millennia this being had has met every stripe of unclean being this man has made every form of PCT with every demon or xenos he found he has boasted so much it is impossible to believe even a hundredth of it he has claimed to help start the cybernetic Revolt he has claimed to be instrumental in the beginning of old night he has claimed to have killed trillions of Our Kind he has claimed to have ruled Empires to have beaten Crusade Fleet he has claimed that the emperor began the Crusade to find him and he does not consider Humanity as his own he sees us as Vermin to be used and ruled nothing more his one weakness his arrogance he has claimed much before the kill only one having escaped his clutches before the sword could fall this is how we know these things he let one get away they did not last long thereafter but long enough to record what they had witnessed what he had claimed in his time he has gained Powers beyond belief as I said there is not one foul entity he has not fraternized with and we know he has been building his own forces beyond the light of the astronomicon he has gone with this vampire and there he has going even further in might and we now know he has a homonculus and a keeper of secrets in his Comet saet then nods to Thaddius who then nods to the farer and it is then the tan irade stands we have known of him for thousands of years yet he defeats even our scrying ways where mostly long have we hunted for him as well along long has he held us back but of late his movements have been Bolder his ripples in the warp more easily discerned because of it we see him but cannot predict him and we know that he has eight Dark Souls in his orbit some are human some are not but all his Lackey has souls as dark as he he is a central fulcrum and if he is not stopped he will be a powerful enemy in the end battle the r aandra there will be no greater calling for any of you in all of your lives this is why you were born this is your destiny the Elder sits again and salid continues he has gone beyond the Imperium and now Masters an army yet his power and cause have never been temporal so we think this is a distraction we think he plans something far more dire than mere ships and soldiers some here have experienced his hate and Evil evil close up and practically firsthand and as I listen on his words seem to Trail away as he starts to uncover who here has crossed this being's path Devin the ogrin twins the Carl of the kin the sister of battle familia's predecessor did he mention Ursula I cannot hear the details I cannot see much now Louie is now shaking me the lights from the fires are gone all I see are two stars burning bright in the forest Beyond I can hear the chant now strange and distant I'll see you soon I'll see you soon I'll see you soon I'll see you soon I'll see you soon I'll see you soon and on it goes and by the throne I am the one Whispering it the stars fall from the skies becoming smaller I can see them in the forest now coming toward me they next to each other held within something that approaches they clear the tree line and I see the stars they are held within a face I can feel the wind now Rising swiftly into a hurrian force the clouds above are dark I can sense the lightning that crashes down near our Circle they're screaming now has stopped they is screaming Louie now shakes me so hard my teeth chatter in my skull but I cannot move I cannot take my eyes from his it is him the face is dark the nose long and aqualine the blonde beard speckled with silver to denote his Antiquity even as an immortal and beneath the nose a twisted grin he is coming at me I hear STL at scream orders familiar too sadus I cannot hear I cannot see I only see him the enemy he runs at me a blade coming out from behind him cannot see his body it is dark smoke only he charges me the blade going through my Center it is not physical he has cut my soul the Darth spot in my chest where my soul connects to my body he slices it then slams out his fist I am punched from my own form floating above it now as he sinks his Essence into it and wears my body like a suit he I my body stands the fires around our Circle explode upward to 30 ft or more none can escape through them I see Sparks appear around it my body as now I witness two marines a sister of battle and Castro on clips of Balter fire towards me the enemy laughed as the shells explode on my own Shields and the dark my Asma and glyphs that now surround him and all are in a semicircle around me him it I'm screaming but cannot be heard yet vilia and Ursel look directly at me they can see me with their witchs side thus steps forward shouting for all to stop firing and they do the wind whips round the fires burn but within the circle silence Reigns as he opens my mouth and a terrible voice comes out a tenacious little saot of the Traditions you gather your troops around you but I ask myself why you know you cannot cage me you know you cannot kill me your God cannot help you cannot protect you for he is no God I've seen so many of you before why add yourself to the P this is your last warning I Know Thy faces I Know Thy names one and all come to me as a supplicant or come not at all for otherwise I will destroy each of you in turn and in detail he tilts his head down and glares at them all smirking insanely and is not even concerned when the lights now appear around him he nently twists his head to find the farer but does nothing to stop what happens next runes had must have taken time to create must have been done while he gave his little speech now unveil themselves around him the fire Seer steps towards the enemy now chanting his own battle c a song of true power the word strike the enemy and keep it busy as the glyphs now burn brighter yet not all are fully formed I see some being created as I am not but soul I can see my tutor's warp weaving as it is made the enemy w a hand and pulls many apart the Elder is not fast enough alone so I add my own mind to his Endeavor opening myself to his wisdom I act on Instinct and not as an architect I help build the runes with a heart of fire the Elder Faria and the runes burn brighter still and then begin to revolve around my body around the enemy around him he smirks as he then Winks at the farer you little Elder you will be first and then we have him well more to put it the runes now Blaze inwardly burning his Spirit he gives no sign of discomfort as the runes force him from my body and back into the warp and away from this place he is banished and the instant he is gone I leap back into my body like a drowned man onto a raft I topple forward and dig my fingers my real fingers My Flesh fingers into the ground splitting nails and skin I used the pain to know to know that this is my body I claim it it is mine the fires are gone consumed as he left my body the shouting ended Darkness all is silence all look at me I raised my head up and looked to thus and then s in the Starlight they can barely make me out but hopefully they can see in my eyes I know his name saot raises an eyebrow then say it prove to me that you were not in League with him say his name I look up at thas he is Dawn eyes wide B he nods in the affirmative I look at stylet and spit mad his name is madra saot looks tarus and familiar and nods curtly the boy will need to be purified or euthanized see to it thus or I will my mentor looks at me somberly but nods I pant gasping at air my body now lets me know how revolted it was how desecrated it felt and I do what I am now fast becoming known for I lose my part of the banquet across the ground Ursula and Louie are now next to me haing my head out of the pool of puke as I lose Consciousness it as I do I recall something another line under the whisper my whisper the one forced from my body for in the instant it took me over he used my own powers to scan all present a statement left resounding in my mind a secret so dire that he found it immediately of course but no other could but who did it come from a phrase statement or question I cannot tell but it clamors around inside my mind I sit in a large grock side chair in sas's quarters the room is warm and the liquor goes down well perhaps it had too smoothly F honest and we have been discussing the remains of the ship is it even worse repairing should we leave it here and send a message to the Ordo xenos they may not be overjoyed if we requisition this vessel but then who would tell them I feel that that part of the conversation has ended as he rises and I pass him my glass a delicate thing made of rare materials could you believe bius he walks to the drinks counter behind me I'm y there is something something I did not wish to divulge in front of the other inquisitors Goan he is pouring more of that deliciously warm AMC a now refilled glass appears in my vision over my shoulder I take it without turning sadus then pours out his own that is who or what is alarus sadus has stopped pouring then he responds practically a whisper something is wrong why do you ask I lean back in my chair and go to raise the glass to my lips before going on a bit dramatic perhaps but it is then that I see it in the reflection of the glass and amamos SEC that is is standing right behind me but he has silently pulled out his bolt pistol and is now aiming it at the back of my head honesty is my only recourse if I lie now I am dead when he was in the driving seat so to put it he used my abilities far more adroitly than I could at present he scanned everyone he reached into their minds he avoided only you and saard I cannot tell why but when he did I heard a whisper a statement a hidden secret kept in the heart of one present and it was this I am alarus I take another Swig not knowing if it is my last pausing for only a second to use the reflection to see that the bolt pistol has now disappeared as swiftly and silently as it was drawn thus walks back into vision and sits in front of me heavily his eyes are thinned he is thinking what does it mean Master it means that we are in a whole world of pain and misery it means that we have a serious issue it means that one of our allies is secretly an agent of evil but is he here to hinder us or help us I really hope this is one of those events where you actually Spill the Beans he sigh but not for drama he is about to burden me with knowledge again and this time I know it's going to be bad I it is time you have proven yourself it's time we spoke of the Horus heresy it is oh yes it is because that name it comes from those times 10,000 years ago or more it is the name of the primarch of the 20th Legion of the alion is aartis the traitor Lord alarus it is time time I told you what happens then why and how it affects everything we do so let us begin and over the next 4 hours he does exactly that he unleashes the truth on me he tells me all about the horror and I will never be the same for the knowing I am exhausted spiritually mentally physically I slept for 10 hours but none of it was unbroken my mind swims as I try to keep the thread of the Elder my tutor but it is impossible I cannot do it I know he is now rushing things I know the event affected him as much as me he pushes me to absorb his lessons yet it is too alien to complicated without the explanations he gave only days before he pushes too hard he has just used his hip movement to inflict the secondary meaning of the third sentence should be linked with the fifth meaning of the glyph particulate we are using his fingers dance as he indicates the next statement should be linked to the symbolic nature of Fu not the Thunder element and taken in the past tense as well but not the apocryphal as he wits on I stop scrunch my eyes clasp my head with both hands and boom I'm not an elder he stops and looks at me a gas I've not grown up with this stuff cing through my veins I've not grown up with your tails and layered nuances of inflection and meaning you said you would train me not some hundred-year-old Elder who knows what you're talking about me and you knew I was a mon so this is your fault if you cannot train a human then just admit it eat the humiliation and then both of us can move on he is stunned he looks at me blankly then raises one eyebrow as his mouth opens yet it closes again and he frowns he is thinking and that is amazing to me for the Elder think and feel factors faster and more deeply than we humans yet I have stomped him utterly I throw my hands out wide and exasperation and simply glare at him maniacally when nothing comes from the farer I shake my head and blatantly stop out of the room but as a door closes behind me my shoulders slacken I trudge looking at my boots as I do they take me back to my quarters I sit on my bed and take off said boots Then Fall backwards onto my bunk and seee it's not my fault it's him it has to be it has to be otherwise I have just thrown away everything thus is going to kill me and he'll be within his rights to do so I think just this once I will hide in my quarters today I simply can't face it all I'm so tired I have not slept well those eyes burning into my soul the wind deafening the shrieking from those around me every time I close my eyes yet I am an Inquisitor I order my body to rest I breathe through one nostril I clench all of my muscles then relax them consecutively I shut down my mind I do it by Will alone I create the lump of chalk in my mind I can see every last molecule of it every shade light and dark it is solid in my mind and as real as any I've picked up and used to write on a board I use it to draw a circle in my mind a perfect circle around me I close my eyes then open them again slowly I control the imagery I will experience light shines on my face I can feel the breeze in my hair and my skin as my eyes Focus I can see the Rolling Green grasses of my home clouds languidly float through the blue skies I am at peace and I rest here I can hear the distant Whispers of my concerns as my mind Rebels against my own command but I am his hammer I still my mind I become the Dale the wind the clouds I merely exist and by so doing I shut down my mind and slip into a controlled sleep later before I open my eyes my senses raise alarm I do not react quickly I assess there are two presences in the room above me shading me from the light is a being I suspect this is my usual morning caller although I'm slightly perturbed he was not here yesterday after our argument I honestly did not think I would see him again yet there is the second stimulus a slight weight on my chest a strange smell not unpleasant but not familiar the being above me does not move the thing on my chest repositions itself blowing its body onto me more fully warmth a vibration comes from the thing on me a sound but also a resonance that seems to bathe my entire body somehow it is relaxing very but so odd I cannot help myself I must see and as I open my my eyes there it is a thing of predominantly orange fur with white flashes and then blue leonine eyes two ears long pointed equidistant spaced on the top corners of its head obviously some form of quadruped and rather warm it yawned and its tiny mouth had sets of rather Fierce looking teeth well if they were not so adorable L dainty it blinked but kept eye contact with me tilting its head to the side slightly somewhat like a canine but smaller fluffier it moved up by body and then moved its face closer to my own I narrowed my eyes slightly in case it swiped or bitted them yet it just licked my nose then pooped it with its own then turned around and walked down my body again now sitting on my legs it was mesmerizing yet when I stopped following this new thing with my eyes I could not but notice my tutor stood above me as he always did head down so eye contact was unavoidable after your Outburst a few days ago you do not deserve a gift of such Rarity yet you are stupid so to progress we must Rectify that shortcoming because you're stupid this will make things easier in our sessions you will bring it to everyone without fail it will of course Aid you in your general life but make no mistake this is to help me to help you it is not a toy nor a slave so treat it well they are loyal but only to those who are worthy of the affection lessons will begin again when you have formed a bond with him I look down my body at the thing what is it the Faria responds he is a guying the bond with him effectively and swiftly you must have him present in all but dangerous situations he is too young to be bought to battle not yet how do I bond with it him the usual treat it like a mate you are wooing what does that even mean hush now when you have built a bond the gyx will make you see it will clear your ailing order it will quiet your mind and those are just the least of the bounds it will bring okay but how play with it you fool oh don't bother trying to change what I'm about to tell you either he chose not me he told me told you what I refer of course course to his name the Faria now straightens and Glides towards the doors as he goes through them he whispers over his shoulder his name is rubout he is gone I stare at the fluffy Ginger thing now vibrating while sitting on my knees if I ever meet anyone from the auto hereticus I am a dead man it is an odd thing small seemingly delicate yet it can move fast and can slay smaller things in itself as if possessed rats often on ships nobody really knows why somehow I think route may be a perfect counter to that situation because I set out on a brief stroll and it already caught one the guing CR the rat instantly but leaves certain segments on the deck some form of sack and of course its skull I can see that I may well get into trouble for this with Ursula and baron especially wait a minute where will it defecate I am concerned to say the least oh perhaps I can train it to leave itself in Devin's Footwear or perhaps not I have no idea what its capabilities are is it intelligent can it be trained at all so I then try to play with it as described I try running to see if it will catch up like a Kine it does not it just sits and watches me I jump at it to see if it wants to play fight like a Kine it does not it backs away then turns its tail on me and walks to a safe distance I try to beckon it over which of course it ignores I straighten as I hear giggling we have an audience it seems I turn and see both santara and Ursula with their arms looped through each other's elbows as they walk up the corridor they then proceed to point at me and laugh like little bells I personally had no idea they were talking yet and then the two brush past me and approach my furly thing Ursa asks what is name is I Rumble back route and there is a stunned silence for a good two seconds then both ladies burst into outright uncontrollable laughter it wouldn't be so bad but it does not feel that they're laughing with but at and it's not the fluffy thing that they're laughing at they turn on the fluffy thing and CP its name at it they gush over it showering it with compliments while using high pitched childlike voices then they use their hands to make slow stroking patterns across its back from head to tail it walks around between them doing that vibrating thing again but even louder and so I watch it flops onto its side as they stroke and gently scratch it with their fingers twisting and turning in seeming ecstasy the thing vibrates even louder yet when I shake my head and turn to walk off it jumps up and simply ignores the ladies now it follows me as I go accompanied with the sound of giggling bye route they both say in unison that could get old really quickly yet if I am honest I am happy that Ursula has dained to take Sara under her Wing Throne knows she needs every scrap of kindness anyone can give her and that counts for both of them we are short on some supplies but mostly on information we now know we have to venture beyond the bounds of the Imperium we need to be prepared hence we approach a small planet the last one before we venture Beyond and there we land sadus and his peers break us into groups and we are instructed to go out onto the town by hitting every bar Market or place of gathering where tongues are loose and guards down we intend to find out looking for ship Crews and captains who may have ventured Beyond listening to wives tales and gossip from all and Sury the levels of the hive we visit are various and general levels of threat we consider low so as the night goes on we break up even further doing all we can to gather every room legend or eyewitness account we can and personally I feel most of my night has been wasted So eventually I return home the rumors are many xenos of course but their descriptions from drunks and waes were so exaggerated or so formulaic that I cannot believe a single word I will report every nugget of information I have gathered but my guts tell me that these are merely Tall Tales yet when all of our reports are combined perhaps amongst all this dross are a few diamonds so I will be thorough my report will miss nothing I stalk back into the hanger going directly to our shuttles has agreed before I can get even two paces inside I feel the war of emotion hit me the background buzzing in my mind exploding into loud Whispers as feelings are running so high that even the cloaked and barricaded minds of the teams are overflowing almost broadcasting I round a shuttle and see our secluded hanger area at the back three ships one for each Inquisitor there is a gathering around what seems to be a stretcher on wheels someone is covered in a sheet a child perhaps for the stretcher is not long it's cargo even shorter so I seow and walk carefully all are aware of my presence they are veterans but they ignore me saet is looking mournfully at the body vilia is glaring at the man next to it as he gives his report behind her face shrouded in in darkness sadus stands his arms crossed over his chest his boot is slowly lifting and tapping down deliberately and perpetually holy thone I pad closer but quietly the man next to the body is tall heavily armored and has a Helm under his arm his shoulder pads his Weaponry a St batt on chainsword heavy set LZ pistol he is one of the bies one of the best he is no less than a judge he continues I attempted to save him judged for perss but they had already inflicted multiple mortal wounds vilar is now looking at the body not at the judge is that the beginning of a tear in her eye it must be the light for it is soon gone salad speaks on her behalf it seems thank you for your efforts judge Josephus we commend you but we wonder why you would intervene for an abhuman the judge stiffens I've been battling these scum for months lost all of my team to them vilia now shifts her gaze and looks at him coldly he returns her gaze and nods as he says but that is only why I was there this man was an imperial citizen your damn straight I tried to protect him when did you discover his station cherub SED when I attempted to administer medical intervention it was then that I noted his sigils and how I attacked you to be here who did this says saet pointedly Hive ganger scum calling themselves the Lords of midnight they've claimed half this Hive and expanding to others Planet Side I await support from sector command as I said they took out my team the local enforcement is paid off spineless and pathetic they will do nothing the tap tap tapping of Thaddius boot stops for a moment a cough comes from the Shadows salot nods do you know where they are the locations are known to me they have two main centers of operation as they have two leaders both locations are heavily defended salet and familar both turn as sadus finally steps into the light and his face is harder than I have ever seen it a bulge passes on his forehead as he now unfolds his arms and walks to the body and whips off the white sheet look look at him he shouts at us all and we did it was no child it was the rattling from familia's Entourage it was the Cotto an odd name but that had been his we saw his white gray hair where any he was left because he had obviously been doused in flamable liquid and burnt not promethium or anything fast and not all over him but they had burnt him while he lived they had smashed his legs cut off his feet they had broken his arms so badly they looked like power cables the blood around his mouth could only mean that they had cut out his tongue and we all knew this must have taken at least an hour they had smashed his hands and feet so he must have heard some of them what they did to his face I will not describe it it was perhaps not a mercy that the old Cotto had been so tough and then thus pointed something out for all of us to see as he lifted The Last Remnant of the Cotto shirt it came off in his hands it was practically the only spot not burnt or marked with blood then thus frowned so Darkly as he turned it to us his jaw muscles clenching and unclenching so hard I thought his jaw might break Throne it was there right in front of them the Sigil of the Inquisition they knew he was one of us and they did not care dadus folds it and passes it to vilia and then she slowly takes out a different small cloth it is red she throws it so it covers the Cotto's face and thadius worlds on the rest of us the flag is raised these Dum will face the full force of The Emperor's Hammer Inquisitor ters you will take this judge Joseph us as your guide you will take barbon tck bariel sister Lucretia Ursula Devin and his Squad and Casto you will go to the second location you will create a constricting encirclement you will force them all into the base then you will kill every last one one of them Josephus looks at him utterly unruffled what of the first occation you will give those coordinates to vilia salet and I she will exact Justice personally we inquisitors will be supporting her and at that vilia puts her wrist up to her lips and calmly States into her Vox prepare the cohorts for combat drop by the end of this night every ganger in the hive will know by the dawn every Hive on the planet will wipe them out in the emperor's name no mercy the Marines all cast the ailla then turn on me and we take shuttle back to our respective ships the other coming to ours when done we rush to our armories then out again and board the shuttle a red flag scorched Earth I bring Temperance my Bolter my armor my steem gift from Devin I bring it all but I bring that which will Mark our judgment I make sure to bring that I look around me and see death incarnate Bon has not been heless all the time time the other teams are present yet he is dire of countenance he has both of his swords crossed over his back he has his Bolter of course but also his hand flamer and Plasma Pistol tck is also in black but has no Bolter on his back he has two oversized gauntlets on both have large holes over the knuckles lightning claws he also Sports some form of complex backpack with wing likee effects on their sides could it be is that what I think it is and there is the huge blood spear dwarfing even the aartis but he is now in another suit of War plate heavier it must be gravis he has a small missile system on his shoulders and two huge power fists with attached bolters holy Throne he looks like a walking tank not the size of a Terminator or dread Nord but not far behind I have ask myself if he could match barar in his tactical dreadn armor but I think not sister lucrecia has a Godwin Diaz Balter just a little smaller than the Marines but I am told nearly as lethal she has her own power blade of course and a Rosary that seems a tad to ornate if that's not a field that I'm a jiro's uncle speaking of which Louie isn't coming along for this nor are the Eldar or the squats this is an imperial matter Devin has his best rifle plenty of ammo mags and enough blades to start a knife shop and his brothers his many augin mates are all tooled up for an extended battle plenty of ammo Ura for the first time ever I see her in armor I had no idea carapace lies seemingly if not definitely made just for her she carries no gun she has no blade she does not need them she is the weapon yet I can see the small backpack that I know to be filled with stims and spray skin and the like cter he has his own set of power armor LA to Mark the mine it looks shinier but he moves slower H he has a l gun a Power sword but a short wide-bladed stabbing type like those often seen on MRA but it is the huge weapon he rests on the ground and holds the handle to that really marks him he has a thunder hammer and of course he wears his psychic Hood as do I the sister does not Pat an eyelid yet I cannot help but wonder if ban SK crawls with three witches around him but it will make no difference it is barbon he will act as honor dictates always the coordinates and potential enemy numbers are related by Josephus as we head towards the planet about 200 he stated give or take a score or two and I am heading up the attack even a month ago I would have crossed my eyes and gobbed probably would have let out a little little pee but not now I have been hardened not enough but a good amount I've heard the fall of an elder Soul I've been forced to personally put the last of my people to the sword compared to that wiping out gangers will feel like a waste of life but certainly not of effort how dare they and this is not really about the this is about the Inquisition if gang of scum can be allowed to do this even the once unanswered then we will all be in danger from any Street Thug who likes the look of our belongings armor guns or swords they are about to learn the truth in our claim we are the emperor's Hammer as we set off we see the lights of drop pods coming down from familiar ship streaking before her shuttle I almost feel pity for them the gangers almost time passes we move to our location Joseph is filling Us in there are really only four entrances to this segment of the hive and our Target building has only two well on the ground we approach and extend my mind and scan the area I confirm there are one 194 of them in this area but only 73 presently conscious that won't last of course and I can sense no psychers amongst them good this will be a straight fight well for their part Dean Squad is to play Watchdog at the Junctions to make sure we don't get any visitors while we are about our task I open up on my Vox speed bobel you would advance to Junction one Casto and lucrea Junction two barbon Junction 3 Ursula Josephus and I will take junction 4 cat a chance to hit and hold setting up sentry guns and positions at the Junctions nobody gets out nobody gets in t will take position above and descend when we are through and heading towards the main building when the firing starts land down brobo you will meet up with Castro and lucreta at the rear entrance and assault it and then head down Castro will place the charges babon uror Joseph ver and the I will assault the main entryway and hit their Barracks then the leadership at its core Castro's team to support when finished TK start at the top and work your way down to us any questions there were none we strike for the Cotto and for the Emperor within 10 minutes we are in place Devin and his crew are strung out and are stealthily advancing on the locations it is the middle of the hive but the differences in the levels at this point are considerable hence the buildings on this level seem to have a wide expanse above them perhaps once there were taller Habs here which is likely especially by The Refuge and Rubble yet these new constructs have only four levels maybe five I hope the task I said to tck was not unreasonable but then he is ravengard the air is stick with a ground stink of musty Grime rusted metal and deep composition stale air heavily recycled fires burning from vents yield some heat but more confusion in heat hazes that hinder Vision I am on point Joseph and Ursula covering our flanks we step around or over multiple gangers who have been dragged out of sight throats slit or necks broken the catch are built for jungle warfare but this is little different in many ways low visibility due to the Clutter and plenty of background sounds rebounding off the buildings they move like the wind and Eve and I have issues tracking their movements at times we reached the junction and three bodies are stacked inside there is Devin I put down the sentry gun maglock to my back he sets it up pointing outwards then takes up position looking inward while one of his friends is looking to our rear Josephus Ursula and I do not stop we Crouch but move forward from cover to cover when all hell breaks loose the signal as a Spire above us is hit by vilia drop pods the entire structure shudders for a second then bobia clearly hits resistance as we can hear explosions going off on the other side of the building it is four stories each containing empty Windows of Plenty a broken Jagged gas fringes many of the tolike holes in the walls giving the base a skull-like Visage all intended of course as two sets of fires are in the upper stories given the effect of eyes looking out above I catch sight of a dark thing going through an upper story window T is in we must hasten we are there right at the foot of the stairs to the front entrance when shouting begins to erupt from within the six men outside the open doors are large ugly and ritually scarred from head to toe they are armed with stubbers bullet projectile shooting weapons that remind me of orc Weaponry loud clumsy and inaccurate we burst out of cover firing I shoot one in the head before I take my first step Baron picks out two more and their heads explode as he gains direct hits with his Balter two more in quick succession gives strangled noises as they rise from the ground for a second and their heads are twisted sickeningly backwards before they then dropped like rag dolls Ursula Jose shoots the last one the heavy L gun burning the chest clothes and bones of the ganger a painful death it screams out in agony but with balter's blazing and power armor involved all attempts at stealth are now dropped Baron bounds up the stairs firing into the building as gets near its Summit I know each and every shot will mean a dead enemy Joseph streaks up the stairs also taking cover at the door frame firing inconsistently Ursula is behind me well behind my power armor as we hit the top of the stairs inside are a score of gangers each charging forward some into cover most just pelting towards us our Firepower cuts down a swaye of them as Ursula now lifts up up huge slabs of masonry from the ground and HS it at any concentrations of them Josephus then pushes inside with Baron and both skirt the main room going down the sides Baron has his chain sword out Josephus his Bat on both shoot advance and then slam their weapons into their enemies the gangers are being smashed as neither take a pause for a second baronn is faster and further up the hall his enemies human into viscera blood splashed across every inch of his progress Josephus has turned the settings of his baton up to a maximum it seems for each strike of it is like being hit by a lightning bolt his victims light up as they turn into smoking puddles of twitching muscle and hit the ground none rise I am slaying as well of course but not fast I am keeping an eye on matters with my abilities you see I send my mind forward and see what the others are doing T is making good progress Castro's team is receiving less resist resistance so are moving fast yet Through The Eyes of the gangers this aggressive Marine is even more devastating than Baron he punches down walls with his massive fist people practically turning into exploding blood bags when struck Castro strikes his thunderhammer on the ground and uses his own abilities to then send the shock wave out a wave of force that carries foes off their feet and slams them into walls and ceiling sister Lucretia is stunningly Swift also bolters punch anyone Rising back off their feet and she is efficient with any who clothes with her a swing of her gun butt cracks Limbs and heads any who assault her with melee weapons are blocked by a swiftly drawn sword then beheaded or gutted and she shees her sword after each strike her Bol her back in her hands and dealing out more Justice I mentally hear the waking of a 100 Minds as a gang has arise from their Slumber it seems that they must have celebrated very hard last night their attack of the Cotto obviously many of their minds are groggy and disjointed on come downs from drink or drugs they slam into each other as they rise I nudge here and there and phase break out amongst them fists are first but they escalate fear it infects them all now for none can stop our onward March into their base they are dying and they are afraid just like the Cotto must have been Revenge we pass into another room but cannot seep past it they seem to now be closing doors and barricading them or at least preparing cover for when we punch through them Baron picks up speed and slams into one set rolling to the side as he always does fire rips out over his head as soon as it gutters and screaming comes from within Ursula picks up the doors and flings them to either side of Baron culling many of the gangers as they fly babon has reached the other door I take out those who rolled down below the doors as does the judge Josephus and barbon has already reached the next set of doors where there are clumsily pushed over tables and chairs it is not an impediment as his chainsaw takes off Limbs and ends lives with each sweep at one point three gangers jump at him each with large Blades of their own he Grand stands for a moment permitting each to strike him as their weapons break on on his War plate he then kills them all in the one round swing Ursula then takes the doors and half of the wall out and hurls them backwards into the next room and so it goes on each of us silent each of us centered each of us acting without order or even thought we are death we are his hammer the last room the main one was so it appears FR is huge and densely populated they have had time they stand behind their barricades and we hit a wall of Firepower but it is erratic and not accurate barbon hurs in multiple frag grenades and more join them from above the Carnage they inflict is widespread T then appears amongst the Enemy Number his claws slicing through them like a harleyquinn Josephus Baron and I charge in Ursula covering us and taking out anyone escaping our blades and Baton pathetic loud bullets bounce off our power armor even josephus's carpus though it is rare for any of us to be directly tagged it happens yet the Stars cannot penetrate our power armor a few knots of gangers have weaponry that could be a threat but it is in the hands of children that is all they are they stuttered around this Hive beating and bullying crushing hopes lives and entire families all because they thought they were strong now now they know they are not a melter blast shoots over Bon's head and the pistol and the hand that holds it flies into the air with one flick from his power sword a plasma weapon is then aimed at me but its owner is cooked as I take his mind and keep the finger pressed down his hands and body turn into a star as a weapon overloads because it is never shot from a side wall broel arise he rushes through the reinforced wall as easily as barbon does doors not even missing a beat Bobo's arms come up and gouts of Balter fire Raks lines of gangers down he does not slow or stop barreling into them his power fists now sending broken ganger corpses flying into the air for they are dead when he hits them Castor and lrea sweep in or so thunderhammer and Power sword whirling as they do my arm raises and Falls raises and Falls each time a ganger dies snuffed out on the edge Ed of temperance and then we are all done each of us stops and looks around for more opponents only to see the others panting covered from head to foot in blood and gore a few on the ground moan but not for long as lucr and Castoro now walk among the Fallen she shoots him in their head and he crushes any left alive with his hammer not raised overhead no merely lifted to waist height then dropped on them the falling masonry clouds of powdered Rock and Sten of death are everywhere the gangers are not I turned on Castro and break the silence Chargers set he just nods at me I use my V speed Devin all still clear his voice crackles back that they had one attempted push to get in two two to escape none passed them they finished all involved so none escaped I look around to them all the target has been destroyed we head out now and so we did I watched as the explosions ripped through the building's keystones and it crumbled in on itself I Hur the token into the center of the debris The Token goes off and there well over 80 ft up nearing the very ceiling of this level it shines from that point to the ruins beneath a massive holographic projection clearly of Lou's making and the Sigil of the Inquisition Burns brightly above the ruin it was once the home of the Lords of midnight I reach out with my mind I commune with thatas I watch as the lines of autometer March back to their Landing pods the other Target is utterly destroyed a burning pit is All That Remains where it stood vilia melted the entire thing and an identical holographic projection floats about the now cooling metal and lava yet I am sure she blooded her autometer first we all returned to orbit in our respective ships we monitor comms picked and feeds across the entire planet just to make certain the message has sunk in and it is as stadius stated none on this world will ever forget this night none will challenge the Inquisition ever again we are not to know that this would be our last bloodless battle the last time we would all walk out alive with the Lords of midnight gone josepher stated that he had no Mission he was a good man handy in a scrap held a very different perspective to most of us already involved I scaned him extensively got a second opinion surreptitiously from the farer and we confirmed it he was pure so Thaddius and I discussed our situation and he is now with me my second this judge is now in my Entourage so I take the time to fill him in and days later as prepared as we can be we set off and headed out into the darkness beyond the light of the astronomicon beyond the bounds of the Imperium to begin the hunt to be continued

Channel: Baldermort's Guide to Warhammer

Views: 43,704

Keywords: Warhammer 40000, Warhammer Lore, baldemort, Baldermort's Guides to Warhammer, THADDEUS AND BOY, Ordo Malleus, Inquisitor, inquisition, Demon Hunters of the Inquisition., Grimdark Stories, THADDEUS AND TARQUINUS, barbon, Ursula, Devrin, Baldermort Stories, Baldermort, Lore, Thaddeus, Tarquinus, THADDEUS AND TARQUINUS - A DECLARATION OF WAR!, DECLARATION OF WAR, 40k lore, warhammer 40k lore, warhammer stories, warhammer audiobook, audionovel, warhammer horror lore, warhammer 40K narration

Id: wkuYQSj1-QI

Length: 125min 25sec (7525 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 01 2024