THADDEUS AND TARQUINUS - THE MEASURING

foreign [Music] ERS playlist the measuring tomorrow I give my judgment tomorrow but it is no mercy to have this delay the knowledge of my decision hangs around my neck with all the weight of a battle badge Thaddeus was not overstating or exaggerating when he dubbed our calling the loneliest Road for in all the Galaxy there are a few with our power we hold the emperor's bull his writ his seal we can requisition or commandeer anything from anyone at any time we are inquisitors even planetary Governors and high nobility sweat in our presence alone yet the weight of it all the crushing suffocating burden of knowledge of History or the basic understanding of what is actually out there what we face what we are forced to do the blood on our hands and tomorrow it will not be on the order of my Mass sorry Thaddeus my Superior it will be entirely on my say-so it will all be on my hands an Exquisite torture arranged by an elder they wish to test my limits what they call measuring if I pass the farsier will train me in a psychic art unheard of I am told but if I do not hit the passing mark I am too powerful to be allowed to live and make no mistake he could do it this tan hearing aid of craft world and noon he is easily and by quite some margin the most potent being on the ship perhaps not the most dangerous perhaps but certainly the most mighty even should he wish it I doubt even Thaddeus in his entire Entourage my friends could stop the Elder yet the being with the most chance of doing this is in my Entourage so strange to even form that sentence let alone speak it out loud my Entourage is my first curse to be beholden to Spanish at the end of his days and Elder he serves me for the time being a high Bart match up to no pressure eh but then I've been trained for this all of my adult life since my world and everything everyone on it was destroyed by the neverborn the demons I stand to inherit the mantle of the Thaddeus the wisdom a tradition a line of inquisitors the stretches back to near the beginning of the ordos the great organizations three Auto hereticus they hunt the traitor the witch the subverses order xenos who would have a fit if they knew who we were fraternizing with right now for they hunt down the alien the xenos and of course my own order the order mailias we are the enemies of the Demons the unclean a role that is now a crusade for me vengeance I will destroy the powers of chaos wherever I find them it is now my burning desire the reason I spring out of bed every single morning no matter the events of the day before I Bound for my covers I shed my calmed mind in a single breath and I become what I need to be and I am Lusty to get about I will confound encountered and eventually bring to Brooke all of them gods and all who Aid them and thus now I've been tasked to put to the question the last of my people a soul ship that escaped the destruction of my world the horror that was Unleashed they jumped erratically then have been going for years guided to unpopulated Worlds where they could resupply guided to a long marched Journey that takes them where the powers of evil wish them to be or such as a song sung by the Elder farsier and there are too many coincidences to ignore it certainly looks like he is right and then of course I found a proof the terrible reality of the situation with which I was faced these last few days have researched and read by Night burnt and bullied through boundaries and brains throughout the day have been indefatigable but finally I have come to my conclusion tomorrow will be hard and I would have it no other way I am still but I must soon be forged further I will need to be hammered into salamike and then auromite I must be the perfect weapon to prosecute the most terrible War so I now welcome the hardships and I welcomed a test it forces me faster on my road these are the blowers that will shape my burning Soul make me into the man I need to be the Thaddeus the scourge of the Warped ones the wisdom [Music] we stand alone in my Chambers spacious for a vessel of their size but then it is my ship hence I gained the best quarters just the two of us late in a night me and the farsier Tania grenade the heart of fire of The Craft World of noon he has an ally so old he is considered above suspicion he had better be for I am utterly buggered he stands tall at his full height he is nearer to Bob on statter than my own his hand is placed on my armor he is communing with that which is inside no it's not me I stand some distance away making sure not to interrupt or distract him his eyes are light with psych a fire as is so often the case when they touch the warp yet he is able to perform this task with such ease he looks at me now his task is simple but will take time he is obviously flagging that we should banter while he performs this erskum Duty and so I begin if the others knew what we are doing I'd be crispy fried in a minute others says Elder Aldo zenos Auto hereticus some of my own order even we have maintained this pact for centuries millennia from almost the beginning of your Imperium I was a child when I first heard of what had been bequeathed upon your line I was insulted at the time we gave your kind the greatest of all gifts possible from an elder craft world we gave you our future but then without you there would be none now I see that this is exactly as it should be you gave us back our home saved Our Lives saved our souls without your predecessor we would not exist at all but we did not ever dream that your kind would be able to maintain such an agreement such an alliance your kind see us all as the same we eldari you see the predictions of the allergies and nice those of cormor are you see the dancers of segora who's James and Jess many do not survive yet you see us all as one so to your kind we are in constant fickle cruel and untrustworthy Horrors or [Music] this ignores the nuances and before I done the farseer's mask I lost Nuance as well about your kind you monkey I saw you all as one but now I know better I would never treat within astartes or a sororitas for that would mean certain death for me or them I would never treat even with an Inquisitor of the auto xenos but I treat with you but also one of the traditions we always started your tenuous line would be extinguished by the enemy or your own kind long centuries ago or that one amongst you would arise that would spit in our faces ignore the pact in the fruits you have gained thereof yet of all your kind all even of the traditions it is your line your Thaddeus who has been the most constant Even in our dealings with each other the sadius and our craft world your input has aided us more than just the ones when the gift was given but since you have been ever constant a shining light in a world of Darkness and as the Rana Tundra approaches we know I know that yours will be a powerful force for good a much needed one but our love of your line cannot distract us from the reality of talk winners yet I will assume that you have trained him to be able to match this measuring I just hope the boy is everything you hope him to be I doubt he will match up to you old friend power or not you were the greatest of your number and you always will be even if it is just to me will you protect him will you guide him when I am gone you will never be fully gone my friend that is the price I but he may not listen to me then what if I'm drowned what if he loses it will you promise me you will help him if he will accept it if he is everything you think he is why would I even need to he will be powerful that he is he already is but if he passes the measuring if he is trained by a high farsier of my kind by me he will not require anything from anyone ever again power ability wisdom he may well have it all but he will not have the experience may not have the weather with all to make a Way Forward every time our alliances with the Thaddeus I have been fortunate that their choices your predecessors have made have been universally good ones but our iron stands I will be there for him if that is what is required I can only hope that the web weight gate opens in both directions oh have no worry concerning that he's a Plucky thing headstrong sometimes but I have never doubted his soul he will be there for you when or if you require it the gates will indeed open both ways my friend strange that we use that word so many do with you I wonder Thaddeus if you have used the shield of yours for so long why you could achieve all that you do through force of will and dictate you have the bull the fear of your emperor yet you always seek to forge ties with others they go so much further than hierarchy and Duty are you always to be the beaten understudy your master was not kind to you we both know I witnessed it and we both remembered all too well I he was a psyche I am not so you decided to apologize your way across the Galaxy for all eternity to live in his shadow forever oh no we handed out many many moons ago to be expected so why the ACT what if it is not an act have you ever considered that my friend of course but you are a manipulator you are aware of that at the very least that man that black Templar he would follow you into hell oh he has frequently he made an oath he made an oath to me his oath is not what keeps him at your side nor what permits you to needle him so much we've been through a lot the little telekinetic the twins the sniper even the jokero and so many others over the years I still mourn the twins they were entertaining they thought so erratic yet a duality like a choir they too followed you into hell and like so many they have passed burnt up in your endless unwinnable war and that is the difference between our races if I can be so bold UDOT have been beaten down many races have Humanity was before the rise of the emperor the difference between us is simple and Stark you stayed down did I hit a nerve that is you attempt to goad me so this discourse ends pitifully obvious so when each of your attendants your entourage has seen you feed their friends into the fires have ordered executions haven't treated them to die for you for a cause it is not their own my cause is the same as every human we stand and fall together my fight is their fight I merely show them the way I understand but do they I doubt it no matter what Horrors you show them that is no matter how you throw up argumentative Shimmer Shields you must know deep down they do it for you not the emperor not a war not Freedom or even their own futures they do it for you [Music] yes I know and you generate this loyalty in them such a calculated way truly you were as capricious and cruel as the enemy you hit me with words hard as Aura might farsier ah it is farsier now friend if you were not my friend I would not be listening at all finish your lesson to me for you were as able a spider's eye you see the future you know it's cause at least millions of potentials that are likely so you come for not only are pact not just a squash the threat nor to test the boy you come to teach me a final lesson as well the held our nods and a wry smile appears on his face ah two old Warriors trade truths at last old friend so let us be about it you would best teach the boy how you do what you do to create the grammars of the hearts of all around him but again I asked the why why the pantomime why the friendship I'm trying to surround myself with emotionally intelligent people where I can well for Imperial Stormtroopers of any rate you work with what you can find eh tarkaris already knows the Riddler ceramite as my master once put it but then my master didn't really understand it not deep down he'd pontificate the Flesh and soul are stronger look at what they can achieve but it is as brittle in other ways wet cold steel will succumbed to the elements so too do most Souls for those who do not those that are forged over time they are indestructible Prime Movers but only for a Time so I will use mine wisely he would say do not bother to build Bridges there will inevitably fall into the river of time be efficient if you have their strength but this in my mind was pure folly chain a man to a war he will dig it out or pull it down chain a man's heart and he will place himself in front of you walk into the fires if need be and he will do it with a Stern resolve that shines his best self out into the universe for he will be helping be useful be sacrificing himself for his friends the ones he loves I am hard enough to know how to capture them hard enough to watch them die but I am also strong enough to mourn them when they are gone to respect them while they live by forming a community we are chained to each other but of course I always hold the key to my luck they do not and the difference between a man of honor and a man in love four more days or a grave depending on the skill of the torturer most often it will be the gray the gray a man will defend Secrets by time hold back key information out of Duty but stronger by far is the Loyalty of chosen family a true friendship lover squad team friends it is all the same it is tribe a servant will do as instructed but no more a true Ally will act on your behalf before you are even aware of the need and most importantly I do make true friendship with my Entourage it's not a pantomime no I will never hesitate to sacrifice what many would call a porn no I will not put any of their lives above mine or the mission ever but I do love them you know I chose my Entourage carefully I make sure I can use them can understand him can befriend them and if needs be I make sure I have just enough distance to sacrifice them for the war but the boy breaks these rules you have set down for yourself you never had a lasting lover did you Thaddeus I have loved of course you have but you have never sown your seed have you you have never known the Bliss until now your point I see it when you look at him see it when you explain see it when you both laugh this boy he's not just your protege he is not just your successor is he admit it to yourself if not to me you will need to do this that is for otherwise your vision will not be in keeping with your role balance equilibrium the wisdom you see this is how I know he will be better than me because he can already do it he can forge the bonds he will need no matter how that they will always inevitably be one-sided from them to him he has won over Ursula devryn Louis even barbon and that was no small feat I can assure you forget his most impressive Conquest yourself the boy wraps you around his fingers I believe as you're saying you must be prepared to lose him as any of your other many many trainees the time approaches you know it's better than even I I do not have time to search for another I will never meet his kind again he must be the wisdom he must then finally old friend you have found your Achilles heel pray it never arises mandate I do every day every night I pray for guidance from he who sits on the throne on terror every day I ask him I implore him your faith is so confusing to me you know he is a man was always a man your own words I it is confusing I grant you illogical one might say but then logic is hardly a measuring Rod an elder can claim don't make me name the mistake your kind created but before you demure a mocker front cut to the quick what lesson am I to be taught this time is it really worth giving me so many more morsels when my chewing days are almost over if I told you that there would be no point in being here at all you aren't concerned about him a quarry are you quite the opposite that is quite the opposite I'm here for a myriad of reasons not all of them for me or thee sometimes one must stand in the right position to see the tapestry unfold so you can control it so I can guide it being pugnacious about this will Avail you not we both know it is required ra approaches if we are not already in its full Thrones we must remove this particular piece from the board straight from the past or he will be a mighty player of the future perhaps your race will end in this battle of your prophecy but do not confuse yourself with a Galaxy you simply aren't that important none of us are but on this we can all agree this saint must be removed immediately we've hunted him for so long we must be careful so very very careful he could vanish again in an instant your allies are in position nearly we need to gather more forces but we are nearly there let us hope the boy's performance improves what do you mean he's doing really well not well [Music] the farthea then ends his commune with my power armor in the corner and turns to me with a smile on his lips there's always it is stable we build things to last the surrounding armor though honestly Thaddeus we can remove the lattice and embed it into another new set surely there must be something better by now honestly I can't keep explaining this older is better trust me I had to wear what darkness is wearing now and my armor is so much better than his even before your assistance we fell from Grace we were robbed of it yet I always hoped umong K would rise again to be what you used to be this is well as we are old friends I have to say it quite pathetic let's just call it a classic and leave it there shall we it still works it will for Millennials that is then why aren't things going as usual that is simple they know everything you know things are quieter because it is your time Thaddeus it is your time [Music] well consider my debt paid in full I bow and that they'll bowed back and cleared out of my apartment a door opened on the opposite side and out came a huge man whose face I knew as well nay better than my own it is intact Bob on old chum well I'll never condone this fraternization with the Enemy you know that but I am relieved at the news on your behalf of course and of course so you know what is at stake what to do just in case stop clocking I've known as long as you have or is your mind so adult with the crepitude that you are forgetting things now Thaddeus now Obama no we both know I cannot forget anything it can be a heavy weight as it was always meant to be arguably it is your greatest strength I break my morning fast with protein and recap I will need to be sharp today in every meaning of the word I had eaten alone but then Louis waddled in he grabs my arm and walks me by the hand and it is definitely Louis walking me no matter what others might be seeing he leads me through the ship to his area it would force a tech priest into a coma so much built so many projects so deeply alien from one side you could not understand what was on display but when I walked around some from the right angle they were beautiful and strange but their use was obvious and then he continued me round and there they were all of them Thaddeus Ursula Louis well it's time says that is you gained a rank but we were pressed to be off so we missed out one very important element I look on dumbfounded and barbon takes a half step forward the bequeathing of the trappings the arming of the weapon of the emperor himself holy is his name don't worry the weapons you and this is the Prezi segment of the proceedings I beam at him Louis still holding my hand then walked me up further up some stairs to another segment he had prepared an area that illuminated each gift in mirrors and refracted structures of light comically the structures were like the bass but they were all me using the object gifted a sort of condescending yet utterly miraculous guide I actually snorted and giggled and Louis just beamed up at me with that Mad Lib curled back insanely intense grin of his he then let me go and the others followed behind him was Daddy's I could barely believe my eyes as I approached the first gift a weapon that few can use by law a holy weapon it could maglock it had targeting I could link to my eye it had a smooth grip perfectly indented to accept my hand it seemed to hug my power armored covered fingers and Palms when I took it up it's shot on as if touched by the sun it was polished so skillfully but with Artistry as well Different Strokes and Buffs to extenuate the lines the rounds the entire thing gleamed and only one hand in the Galaxy could do this someone who knew these weapons as an extension of their own being the hand of anastatis babon he he had gifted me with a master crafted Balter holy Bolter gifted by one who had been the emperor's own champion bolt-filled mags made with his very own hand I could not look at him could not I was hardening but I was not a completely forged article not yet but from him of all people I would never have dreamed I had to move on there the next moment hit me the next experience never to be forgotten for there was a box with lights a s'more thing I would never have identified it myself but of course the holographic image above it well it said it all this was an incredibly rare thing for it was a self-replenging stim pack designed to be used within the exact armor Mark I wore expensive Beyond conception what had he done to get this I really did not want to know I will console myself that perhaps he has many from a stash somewhere because this this amazing gift would increase the healing capabilities of the suit it would perhaps mean the difference between life and death that little extra zip when required to get me out of hot water after all the kickings noogies Haymakers headbutts back beatings Jabs hooks elbows knees and shoeings I'd received devryn the soppy son had given me the gift of healing from Ursula a gift Beyond thoughtful a challenge a thing of beauty and Terror both some might see it as a simple deck of cards inanimate unthreatening but this it is not it is a set of The Emperor's Tarot crafted exquisitely nearly as much so as its Giver through it I can touch the very essence of the master of mankind and implore Him to guide my hand through its youth it's rare use these are not toys they're a weapon of Prophecy and every prediction is a many edge sword only a psycho can power it can make it more than just cards even in the hands of Thaddeus it will be nothing more than pictures but in the hands of a psycho like Ursula and I it is said that the emperor himself leads Humanity to Salvation through these cards that I now own a gift from one damn soul to another thank you Ursula the next was clearly from Louis as I could not understand it at first either then again I looked at the holographic images above it and my mouth fell open for there I saw what it did when a noise Marine nearly locked my head off when Thaddeus had to break reality so I could live he used such an object such a device and the image confirmed it of course with this this ring for a few times only in all of my existence or it I could Master time itself I could stop it Louis had made this this is what he had drawn me to really this was a gift Beyond Reckoning [Music] Darius of course was the last bubble now stood next to him was a long object covered in a black satin covering hanging down from it he stepped forward and beckoned me to dip my head I did and he removed the sigil I had won since meeting him my mentor my master my friend the saddeus he then took out another far more heavy more ornate a more powerful thing my true Sigil of inquisitorial power my very own refraction field generated from the inquisitorial sigil he turned to Bob on who carefully transferred the covered object from his hands to those of Darius the old man's eyes glistened as he took the next step to me and then whipped off the satin covering with dramatic Flair and he boomed behold Temperance the blade of the wisdom one I could never wield 99 have held this sword as a duty only a score were able to explore its two depths its potential its potence it is a center stormcast weapon a focus a reservoir and a defense against attack ones it is temperance some say it was forged by the emperor himself in gratitude to one of his most able aides whose name is now lost to the sands of time its proximity alone burns the unclean the purity of its maker folded into its every fiber and it is a force weapon Beyond Compare and now Inquisitor Darkness it is your it requires only a Pious wielder who can channel the power of the warp along its blade and through it you will scour the unclean from the Galaxy he passed it to me I could feel its weight far less than you would imagine I looked down the blade it was perfect in every detail I could spend a lifetime just admiring it but my reverie was broken by the chipper words of tharias now that you are properly tooled up let's go meet that Elder shall we show time I do not take all of my trappings to this meeting I will gather them when I require them it is a habit a micro ritual in our group from barbon and Devon to Ursula and even I we use the prep time Center I've seen it many times of course the really trash tier banter as all are really concentrating on themselves their weapons the need to change tack to transform from detectives and humans to weapons of war Thaddeus and I walk the decks in silence he knows I am trying to remember all the details of the last few days the fact that I will need to present perfectly and succinctly my case will need to be made to the best of my ability we reach his door and I am ready it is indeed a study has put it Showtime the door swings open with atom attack grinding noise even before we reach for the comms to Proclaim our arrival he knows of course he knows and there he sent with only two chairs one for him one for Thaddeus but he has no liquor in his hands this time he just pins me with those crystallizing eyes Thaddeus does as expected I walked to the chair and sits across from him facing me also but I am not intimidated this is all just part of the play the dance the trial I will allow the Elder his moment and he begins so we have watched you perform your investigation we have watched you clumsily burn out the minds of many over the time we have watched you talk and talk now what is the result of your labels or does it would be Inquisitor see like it or not I am an Inquisitor and I have my conclusion my judgment let's have it then don't scrimp as they say show your working old chap so you're working the Elder has thrown more than a few shaft at me in this preamble I Rise Above it is his job to make this measuring as challenging as possible so I retain my Center simply to spite him with each interview I have been not just surface scanning the candidates I've been traversing the very depths of their souls I have asked questions designed to elicit strong reactions have pushed a human to get her the thing inside at first I was not certain I could discern no taint not directly but this was not the entirety of the situation for there is such a small Kern of control in each of them that they are utterly oblivious to the threat I almost missed it in many of them but by the end of the second round of questioning I discerned a background presence an echo in the warp hiding in their minds and it was the same Echo the same presence in all of them as soon as the riggers of the day were spent I took to the books and my hunch has now become my only response for I believe that I have found the truth of the matter the presence is weak because it is spread over the entirety of these people a mini School Slither of corruption hides within them all like the tentacles of a larger form the being hides parts of itself across them all my judgment is that this is a rakshasa and it is very real and really dangerous sadius now looks to the farsier he pins me still with his eyes but finally for the first time since I've walked into the room throughout my entire report he now blinks languidly closing his eyes while looking at me opening them as he turns to Thaddeus who then nods to him and Returns His Vision to me and what is your decided course of action how will you deal with the situation if I am correct then to destroy it will be a challenge and a costly one for it is Tethered to the physical plane by those it possesses hence for us to destroy it or banish it at the very least we must remove its tethers all of them considerations if I am correct if this is indeed a raksasa then there is no alternative We Must Destroy every single tether and if I am right the Elder now speaks you are I wait for anything further when he does not build on his statement push on then we must be wary for as the amount of its tethers reduces like water being accumulated from small cups into another those who remain will only grow in taint hence they will grow in power as their numbers are reduced those who remain will be more and more of a challenge until finally it will have no choice but to manifest fully in the few or even the one who is the last to be dealt with and then we will be facing a being of immense power here now interjects again so just so we are clear say it tell us the fate of the refugees from your world I demand you two said out loud I incline my head to him but not low of course my judgment is this in the name of the Holy Emperor with a power invested in me as his holy Inquisitor wittingly or not I find them all guilty of corruption their lives are all forfeit every last one of them Must Die Thaddeus looks at me with an expression I've never seen it is not pity it is not respect it is something else I cannot Define it but I am now uncomfortable under his gaze even more so than the triumphant look from the Elder he seems to be relishing this speaks I do not know if it is to break the tension to distract me from the eye of the zenos or perhaps to protect me from myself despite that we have common cause I do not like this crystallizing thing in front of me [Music] especially not now when tonight we take them while they are at the most groggy at least able to react to our next steps but know this as their numbers shrink we may well be put through the hardest fight of Our Lives to which the Eldar snorts derisively and Thaddeus just gives me a call stare the L now speaks again then tonight we shall see what we shall see the last trial awaits you boy indeed we shall see Inquisitor Darkness prepare thy panoply of War we shall Purge this taint together [Music] [Music] the time comes I am prepared we all are decked out for a war We Gather different Squad are holding outside the pens controlling key passageways and Junctions thalius and his Entourage me with the two Eldar the Solitaire a good span away from we too but present we stand on the bridge watching the chronometer tick down but all eyes are on the screens as the process begins I had to at least attempt to reduce or mitigate collateral damage I am not wrong I pray I am not thus I go for the easy out from the start minimal contact maximum effect I order the flooding of the pens with toxins nothing they would notice not huge gouts of rolling smog not a funny smell that rubs some of their breath and causes panic a Sublime and subtle concoction it takes less than an hour to arrange there is no night nor day aboard a ship so you'll have to forgive me my previous descriptions it's just easier to think of shifts as periods of light and darkness it's how we humans work bred into us when we arose on a solitary orb instincts now past their use but hardwired in nonetheless Evolution as some call it is not fast it seems hence I wait until they are asleep the least drama the better and if I am wrong then they will go into their final sleep and to be frank outside of my body being willed to rest I never will again sleep that is it has the gases are leaked into the holding pens I hold my breath in anticipation one half of me wants to be wrong broken with guilt thereafter but wrong the other half of me is infected with ego I do not want to be wrong also the thought of being executed by the farseer does add a certain free song of consequence to the situation I cannot deny but I clear my mind of all such concerns as I watch the screens like a hawk and there it is almost imperceptible to the untrained eye but some the old the weak the most malnourished the Young their chests stop moving they stop breathing and that is exactly when all hell breaks loose both figuratively and actually as a Survivor start to wake and explode into activity almost as one they drag themselves to their feet in unison they start to scream and Bellow they are Furious but they are not dying twenty percent do not rise but those that do are now livid berserk they fling themselves at the cage Wars like an avalanche acting in concert some subconscious Mastermind grips them as each of the pens shows exactly the same Visions at exactly the same time even when summer crushed against those cages blood pooling at the base of the pins they do not stop they break containment in all six pens becoming more ferocious as their numbers dwindle relief and disbelief strike me as two swords shoved into my breast I am right and they are possessed by evil this is the real deal and I am ostensibly in charge for a second I am transfixed rooted to the spot watching the screens Lotto century guns swing into life and bark out with each volley two or more of the remaining refugees is caused to dance a shot's tear into through them dead before they drop though that is now becoming so a process as well the sentry guns run dry as the half remaining now shrug off their fire the Skins toughened to warplate their injuries healing and instant arms legs limbs recurring in seconds they bludgeoned their bare hands on the reinforced doors all across each holding zone until the shock of nearly all they battered them down blood stick doors are punched in or torn off their hinges and they are loose the images assault my senses I'm only snapped from my torpaw by hand being pressed on my shoulder from behind behind this gauntlety it is Darius your orders Inquisitor his hands slide off me as I swivel to look at the group we always knew this might happen so let's get this done as each of them Falls the power of the demon will be constrained within fewer vessels but that means each one will be far more powerful than before as you have seen shall be damned careful as each Victory is a stepping stone to Ultimate defeat we go about as hard and fast there are no Innocents in this room or on this ship there can be no room for hesitation or you will and all of us our cause will be lost we do what must be done in the emperor's name thalius babon Ursula and Devin you will advance towards holding pins one through three I shall take my Entourage and the farsier to deal with pens four through six Louis will stay behind and use shielding to protect the fundamental systems of this ship devryn audio Squad to pull back and hold outside of the bridge and set up the heaviest fire they can serious you and yours cut off any heading back this way I shall try to head towards its Center as the numbers come down they will cluster around a central point to maximize their defense there I shall strike hopefully you will keep up and be able to assist questions none raised a hand or made any move so I finished let's get this done go and us we broke up the bridge doors opened and Thaddeus just gave me a solemn nod then took the usual gang to the right we headed to the left we jogged for a while and the Solitaire swiveled on his toes and span around to snap something at the Elder it was not hidden it was not in eldari he spoke in Gothic I trust there will be no accidents the heart of fire was also just for war and as I looked at him I could believe that they once owned the Galaxy entire his head held was high his stance flawless get a spear with him which emitted a small wine it looked delicate and durable at the same time yet it was undeniably a thing of War I could feel it in my mind to match the moan that hit my ears by which side showed it bloody and red glowing like the center of a star runes across every inch more likely scored in at a molecular level if I was not putting the Elder on too high a pedestal then the farsier bristle the two did not speak but their fingers erupted into action the farseer began the solid hair responded this went on until I could scarce make out the mudras and forms they deployed and just as swiftly as it had broken out the Elder thumb war ended both then went into their positions the Solitaire took Point bounding and tumbling as he zipped forward as if he were evading a wall of fire already he was almost impossible to make out in his Destiny field a ball of swirling lights and shadows dazzling and bemusing all at the same time and this helped amazingly for not only did he light the now darkening corridors but he was an irresistible Target and he clearly knew it the first to break cover just screamed at him as it erupted from a side hatch over six foot five its arms were distended and had muscles where none should be it arms swiveled at the elbows in near any direction a bunch of hands on short tentacles breaking from just below the forearm its face was contorted in a Perpetual mad style yet its features were unpleasantly still so human it lashed its upper limit my guardian however its size did not match to his otherworldly speed he rolled under the flailing sweep and brought up his blade a spectral Lambert green sparked across the long curved blades and sizzled as they cut the arms from the Beast then in the same fluid movement he pirouetted and sliced the head from the shoulders as he landed and glared at his handiwork another beast turned the corner as he moved towards us it gained in speed before our very eyes I aimed with my new pistol and three bolts rang out the first two were merely pinning placement shot one right of him one left the last hit dead center and its head punched backwards and then instantly became a fountain of blood and viscera as it then staggered and stood across the floor as the bolt round exploded within its skull two down we move on swiftly following the sounds of screaming they had gotten into the crew quarters had moved down a level so we hastened and there he was at all points just outside the Arc of a swords win but otherwise right behind me watching my every move my every decision the farsier I take a fraction of a second to slip from the moment I contact Ursula and wait I have made errors before I will make certain she is accepting of this contact luckily she is and she lets me slide into her mind like Quicksilver I see their party is busy but fruitful Devon is shooting out opponents as they Rush on the auto guns could not pierce the skin of these Horrors but Devon's weapon is much heavier perfectly placed in their weakest points and if I know devryn he has some of the most lethal bullets in the galaxy he punches one off its feet with a perfect hit to the solar plexus finishing it with a headshot as it falls barboun shuffled forward never raising his feet too far from the ground never committing her maneuver that would see him unable to alter his stance or redirect in a single instant the blade he is using now is a Power sword its energy is also crackle as he decapitates one then ducks and twists and lobs the legs from another then there is a sickening crunch as Ursula twists its head near off finishing it so barbon can move on salius himself is no slouch either Shield's flare forming an egg of White Energy over him for a second as a massive claw comes swinging down from a side alley he stepped into the blow protected by his shield and brings up his own blade the thing is cut neatly in two now thalius is actually scary strong for his wizard appearance and the warplate his power armor augments that further but that Grog sticker of his is no laughing matter either I may wield Temperance but that is a mastercrafted weapon in his hands of near commensurate's worth it seems they move in concert as much as our foes hard-fought experience hard gains to boot nobody wants a repeat of the event with the noise Marines the twins so they are tight as coordinated as I have ever seen them good at least they are taking this as seriously on their side I skipped the entirety of my attention back to my own body as they move forward again as we match their progress but this is getting worse as predicted for each time one of them is failed the lights flicker then come back less bright than before and I am now sweating profusely from my brow my hair sticks to my head with each one we destroy it is only getting hotter in here almost imperceptibly but it's accumulated effect will Cyprus of all strength and vitality make every swing of sword or Bolter a more tasking exertion making every breath more labored my Solitaire Ally makes good speed but waits for me to catch up by stopping like a statue then when I am close enough he sets off again the next three are a surprise one jumps out of the Solitaire who bounds over him easily but two more come from flanking the alleys mine is fast but Yelps and crawls backwards when I merely raise and ignite Temperance it's attack halted I cut it to ribbons behind me the farsier clocks one coming straight towards us from his quarter he takes two incredibly Swift Paces that launches his spear at the foe it weighs as it flies and bursts into lava and Flame Illuminating the corridors in a burnished flickering Gold light for an instant everything looks touched by gold but his spear Burns through the monster and flies gracefully but forcefully back to his outstretched hand three more down we continue on I extend a trail of my mind towards Ursula she attaches I see Barb on dive into a group of six of them I want to look away but it is Barb on and outnumbered in close as each of them dies one by one they get faster but so does he different has a line of three corpses in front of him taken down right before his field of view down a corridor each headshot ends the advance yet now each headshot becomes two or three to bring them down but he is holding sadius now has his melter gun in two hands and he's using her to tellic effect Burns and smashed corpses litter the corridor he covers basilar is supporting the others hurling these creatures back or at the very least slowing them down before any get too close but it's not going to be sustainable I can feel her mental fatigue already it is only matched by her physical exhaustion I asked her to tell Thaddeus we should meet up and I give coordinates they can't all keep this up as the heat is rising as more of them are terminated I know I use Beast terminated cast words now is the time for Action I cannot weaken they are at this present moment the enemy I will mourn them later for now they must be stopped Ursula sends darius's agreement and we carve a path towards each other or that is how I remember it now or when regaling new acquaintances I wish to impress but it's not really the truth for we had already been fighting for a half hour and the rush around the corridors in this not inconsiderably sized vessel meant minutes or more between contacts sweating in the heat listening for movement or Ambush the jump scare of their first real cry or the pounding of feet towards us the flickering lumens Dalling by the death every single one of them we killed the lights got dimmer now all was half light and tinged in red blood ran in nearly every Corridor the crew were not all fast enough to evacuate areas most were but not all creeping and chasing punctuated by mere fleeting seconds of unfathomable ferocity but I had a dancer of Zagora armed with powerblade I slew by sword any who got past my Balter shot the farseer threw anything coming from our rear in precise and efficient ways impressive if we ever had the opportunity to witness them but we got there and there he stood smirking of course no lad you take us to the most incredible places for me it's the Ambiance unmissable Matilda and I are positively Painting the Town patting his custom melter I'd like to boldly go you know that indeed the jocularity ended so where are we in your estimation it's end game I've done the math there is only a call left and as predicted they are Contracting to a central point or they would have hit the bridge by now then turned to Devon but we will need it secured I need you there different to make sure we hold it even one of these last beings will be a nightmare so get back up there and take Ursula with you keep us safe she is your last line of defense Thaddeus owes me he knows I am being kind the oppressive waves of energies corruption that are now coming from the center of this Hive of scum would possibly override either of them force them to flee something different or even earthier would not live down easily he Winks at me so no one can see okay xanius you sure you don't want to take us through this one two of course but will I now Charles stand on your own two feet Inquisitor Darkness am I gave him my naughtiest wink myself and my Aid will take Point bubble and Thaddeus to follow fastier at the rear observing capacity only of course all of them just curtly nodded and then we moved and we're headed for the cargo base and Armory the way would have been lit badly if it were not for the harlequin we followed this bouncing and some assaulting Willow the Wisp and in encounters were brief I would Crouch onto one knee and steady my pistol and then I barbon and Thaddeus would unleash death at them we got another four that way the numbers rapidly diminishing further but we knew the next situations would be different they had thrown the last Berserkers at us you see to sacrifice them so those who could control themselves would gain even greater power redeeming using us to call its herd of the last it considered chaff we Advanced carefully the corridors to the cargo bay widened and had gangways above perfect for an ambush so barbam pushed forward and I let him he is a statis he is Built For War but he was no more deadly than my own escort not one wit babon now took stock of the bodies of the last we slew at range and instead reached for his chain sword we burst into the cargo bay to a vision from one of darius's textbooks a graphic one the heat Haze was now obvious everyone even barbon sweated but in the shimmering Vapors Rising the reflection of other worlds and images were half ghosted across the Mind's Eye a whisper of another way another future but amidst The Madness of constantly swirling and reconstructing Wars and green floors there stood the last of them engorged with power they were malformed and bursting Jets of blood spurting and then dripping from their bodies as their muscles rise under their skin which cracked and split all but one the petite redhead who stood right there next to the Abomination she was seemingly untouched unchanged thus the blatant vessel of evil sadius just about managed to catch up with me as we both looked on that's predictable yep well I mean there's no smoke without fire so it must have detected something in you the only way I can respond is to say hold that thought I know is that I saw a commanded my warrior punch me away through and he leaps into action and blitzes forward like a streak of lightning he Zips towards the enemy and becomes a whirlwind of blades and death when he impacts upon them to go down as he speeds past another larger one stops him and feels his wrath the first scorer strikes from the Harlequin does not even properly pierce the hide of the newly augmented horror but the further 40 strikes in mere seconds shows result the Harlequin steps back and the thing just falls apart he had cut so many times he had broken Edge apart slice by slice Barbour engage has slaughtered one opponent with precise but Savage blade work his chainsaw digging deep into the foe but another came up too fast and body slammed him then stood atop his chest and pummeled down with his fist Thaddeus took off the assailant's head with his own blade but not before barbon had been stuck a rain of blows then Thaddius pulled out Mel tillner again standing over barbon's body like a faithful Hound defending its Master a bit of a turned around there but I don't have time to help I Pelt towards the obvious center of the event the infestation the girl she of reads and drums the possessed santara she smiles at me as I Rush towards her I look more sultry than any even Ursula has given me in any other situation I would have had a hard time trying to avoid the effect she is striking and she are closer to say the demon knows it but that entity has underestimated my resolve I will not hesitate to strike even she the last woman in the universe who knows of my home I see her eyes narrow as I do not change my Pace or expression and it happens I'm caught in the moment acting on autopilot there is no thought just action actions that changed my life who I am how I look at myself what I envisage as my ability it begins as I feel the sword its power its potential I open myself to it I do not know why I feel that all that I have to give and lighter raps from it as never before I Advanced and the blade in my hand has a wheel of its own as you'd Arc in the air but it does not strike into santara it passes only inches from her body but eyewitness ruins English crumble in his flight through the air surrounding her I felt a tiny bit of resistance like The Cutting of an umbilical subtle at the present now her eyes widen as if some part of the gaima has been dispelled yet her faced and contorts into a star again as the entity regains control she darts out with her fingers aiming at my unprotected eyes I twist my head a fraction as she moves so fast I cannot hope to avoid her Sally yet I adjust just enough for her fingers to stand into only my left eye the metal one she does a bunny hop backwards and grasps her now broken left hand as I simply buffered her over with a pommel of my blade spalling as she is when I stand over her the Farsi is at my side he whispers in my mind now now is the time strike I whip my head around to take stock of The Fray my Aid has the last one backed into a corner Thaddeus has three more dead at his feet as he remains above the only barely conscious bar bone who is to my utter surprise getting to his feet it is just this one being now as my age the Solitaire cars are mutated mountain of Flesh in front of him into cuts of identical sizes as he unleashes all of his Pentium Fury pain suffering and misery and within another second there is only Santana now I look down on her but my mind is blank the blade Temperance drags more power from me through me from my body and a warp along its Edge and it begins to Glow brighter and brighter I reach out with my mind and state back to the Elder fascia summon your strongest Fields thy stronger Shield not that winds pick up around me covering the room building in strength at a staggering speed soon all are placing their feet wide to avoid being blown over and the light continues to grow my mouth opens and words are wrapped on bin I speak the choices given to me are sleigh or suffer the unclean to live yet now I say no more for I choose the third path I choose the golden path and with every word I entone the light shining from The Sword Temperance grew brighter and brighter and expanded out from the blade engulfing the entire Bay I am a servant of the emperor and in his name I Proclaim get ye heads call back to your realm of Shadow and torture and death I call upon the power of the master of mankind I am his conduit damage cleansing flame I am his hammer as I stand there feeling the power of Eternity using my body pulling it more energy from me into the blade the light now becomes so intense I am blinded as are all around me a screamer sounds around a room as if torn from a thousand throats reverberating ulating but a pitch impossible for a human to create and then it is over the light simply ends as I let go of the blade and topple backwards I pass out my mind returns to activity but I feel a dainty hand caressing my face my eyes open and above me are the blank crystalline orbs of the Eldar farsier I am spent I feel as though I've walked A Thousand Miles lifted a battle part above my head I am so tired used up my eyes swim to try to gain Focus never before have I experienced such Force such power being used even in the presence of my first Master her the sensei the Elder takes my chin in his hand and his eyes widen as he in tones glad you could join us now it is time to finish the job he forces me to look at the girl santara she has asleep on the floor but whimpering like a wounded animal hey I do not want to but I touched the wharf again just like smoke in my hands I will my connection to increase I feel pain erupt behind my good eye I send my spirit into her mind I am as careful as I can be but I'd leave no stone unturned and there it is she is free of the taint holy throne we're Temperance I have cleansed her I pushed the Elder off me and slowly rise and steady I draw myself up and I look him deep in the eye as Thaddeus edges closer this is the moment everything hangs on the next few seconds and we all know it [Music] no you heard me she is now free of the taint I will not harm her now I know will anyone else present I Inquisitor talk with us I forbid it this is how things are going to go down I will now receive training from the heart of fire then under his guidance I shall clear her mind of all of this an advanced technique alternatively I have already failed the test right here with this situation and you will crush my brain where I stand and waves a hand and I am then introduced to a whole new level of pain my nose bleeds that I fall forward onto my knees holding my head he is indeed crushing my brain squeezing the life out of me cannot stop him I am too weak my nose is now a river of blood escaping my brain Thaddeus is a statue barbon takes a rough and unbalanced half pace forward but that is holds his arm they held our leans into my face and Whispers is she worth dying for losing all of the Power the cause is she worth everything so gritted teeth his face swinging in front of me as I Endure Agony as never before I spit of course not she is a single woman but she is a human my role my job my reason is to defend my people from the unclean the traitor they're never born xenos offers the Elder as my old Master once said the death of a woman is a tragedy but the deaths of those thousands and even millions of ancestors that could have come from her genes a Calamity for all of humanity so Eldar I will not yield do what you must but end the charade decide and with that the Elder turned on his heel my pain abruptly ends but the mere memory of it makes me lose my last meal on the floor I gasped and placed my hands on the deck to steady myself the bleeding ceased the retreating Elder hurled over his shoulder sadius your charge has passed the measuring man I swore he winked at the old codger and Darius gas would air as well finally it is over but of course for me it had just begun [Music] tomorrow I would begin my training with the chief farsier of craft anoon and the exhaustion then claimed me when I crumpled to the floor again I woke in the apothecarium I'm getting used to this particular scenario yet I still felt so drained again focus on the one thing of importing the room the beaming face of Thaddeus he has sat with me for throne only knows how long and then the words come out oh why didn't we just do the burning light and cleansing flame thing with them all together he says with a mischievous twinkle in his eye feign anger of course you to dump that guilt on me like I knew what was going to happen you had no idea at all none zero his face drops he looks at me intently did I well did you contact with the divine his eyes are wide and open but glistening and I see it he is jealous God forgive me as he Envy in his eyes no I channeled righteous wrath alone one you helped instill in me ma that is he returns to normal and odd surgery well let's hope there are plenty of light shows to come we're going to need everyone hide wager things are going to get rough did you just say get rough how yay much much worse man it's time we discussed why or more to put it comb to be continued

Channel: Baldermort's Guide to Warhammer

Views: 52,687

Keywords: Warhammer 40000, Warhammer Lore, Warhammer History, Warhammer Stories, Warhammer Trivia, baldemort, Baldermort's Guides to Warhammer, Balder, THADDEUS AND BOY, Ordo Malleus, Inquisitor, inquisition, Demon Hunters of the Inquisition., Warhammer Audiodrama, Grimdark Stories, THE THADDEUS STORY SO FAR, THADDEUS AND TARQUINUS, barbon, Ursula, Devrin, Baldermort Stories, Baldermort, Lore, Thaddeus, Story, THADDEUS AND TARQUINUS - THE MEASURING, THE MEASURING, Tarquinus

Id: qg8_ET20fqw

Length: 89min 51sec (5391 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 18 2023