Space War: Blood of Sanguinius

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black powder. Mariah had come here in search of a vision, in thrall to a prediction, but Thermia had seep

a vast, shattered fist- a ruin, surrounded by monsters. She had been sure that the Chief Librarian was on the b

uman soldiers, heading towards her at a slow, exhausted plod. She flicked the safety off her bolt pistol and strode on to meet them. The dust worms had left half of Thermia's settlers insane. The evacuation force had spent almost as much time killi

eir faces were hidden behind thermal imaging goggles and heavy, bulbous rebreathers. They looked like thick-jawed attack dogs, the best Thermia had to offer, but Mariah could see they were as burned out as the rest of the planet. These veter

y dropped into combat stan

ar with a gruff yell. He looked up at Mariah's power armour

She scoured the men's souls, searching for the sce

, when she realised she m

Blood

at his men, clearly

s" said Mariah. "T

st Mariah thought is was relief, but then, as the man looked at the

art from despair. Conquer that and the Emper

her drew back his shoulders and stood upright, giving Mariah a stiff

r camp as we speak. Yours is the last manned outpost.

tood what she meant: Thermia was b

e saw gunfire to the east. I guessed it was a relief force, but..."

s over. It is time to leave. I was sent to check for sentries such

daemonic shape, striding toward

e force than ever before. The same crimson eyes. The same murderous rage. The same c

did y

nium pounding. Then the visio

red at her

back the way they had come. There was a line across the horizon, ju

ay, but he knew we were surrounded. He sent us this way to scout the pe

. "A fist jutting from the ground. Somewhere

place, my lady. It's no

e to see it before I go. The fleet leaves at dawn." she was talki

to make for the docks. Then he trudged back the

a building up ahead. It was a squat, pugnacious-looking tower, constructed of battle-scarred ferrocrete and bristling with guns. As they crest

fumes for signs of the enemy as they ordered the few remaining Guardsmen towards the docks. Mariah frowned knowing she should be down there with them. She had done as ordered and found the only strays she could. Now s

group of Guardsmen, about a dozen of them, huddled together for safety

said Myos. "Why are th

ey landed and she understood what was about to happen.

eatures of the grave. It was clear that the name was significant to him, but nobody had the courage to ask him why. Mariah could not see the Sepolcrali yet, but their hunting call was unmistakable: and eerie, metallic scraping, like blades being sharpened. After a few minutes the Sepolcrali emerged from the trees. They could almost have been mistaken for more flurries of ash flakes – pale, serpentine shapes,

his Tactical Marines were half a mile away and it was clear that they would not reach

" said

his lasrifle. Mariah could see the xenos more clearly now, unfurling themselves across the ash with a gentle, rippling motion. They where grotesque –billowing sp

tred for the creatures and conc

she re

red yards or so away from the Gu

, silent and lethal. He fell feet first, chin raised and eyes closed. He had the handle of hi

explosion of ash and immediately began to kill. He whirled through the pre-dawn glow, gli

en similar scenes several times since the start of the campaign, but she still watched with unabashed awe. Mephiston looked like a terrible deity, fallen from the heavens to mete out the Emperor's wrath. As Mephiston whirled and parried, Mariah muttered a prayer, thanking the Emperor for showing her the glory of this divine retribution. Then sh

issed Myo

e. He was much closer to the swarms of Sepolcrali

other of the monsters but Captain Vatrenus saw him and mus

e sword. Mephiston saw the danger too and summoned wings from the da

dart-like shape that plunged straight down Prion's throat. It was a revolting sight, but Mariah could not look away. It looked like Prion wa

corpse, blasting chunks of flesh from the body and jolting it back across the moonlit hillside. Th

weapon – blasting them aside with a wave of his hand. They disintegrated in to a cloud of embers, but hundreds more swir

ptain Vatrenus' squads had dropped to their knees and opened fire, attempting

he delay. She looked at Myos. "Wait here. W

"My lady, do you understa

reply and waded

light spilled from holes in the dead man's flesh and his head lolled backwards at a hideous angle, swinging from side to side as he began to run down the slope. The Guardsmen on the earthworks opened fire, howling curses. Flash

ached the earthworks, the men on the counterscarp tried to flee but the giant moved with shocking speed and grabbed two of

o catch them, slicing int

en towards the storm of sepolcrali and, by the time Mephiston reached the earthworks, there were half a dozen of the lurching colossi. With every moment that passed they grew even larger. The one that had been Prion was

revenants, but the shots only seemed to add to their ghastly vigour. Mariah was still hundreds of yards away, but she rais

the storm of dust worms at the edge of the forest. They raced up the slope, closed on their foe and attacked with flamers, spewing columns of p

em where now thirty feet tall and the ground shuddered as they advanced. Mephiston look tiny in comparison, but he waved away the Guardsmen that had approached until he stood alone. He shimmered wit power, as

in combat before and she saw that, even now, dwarfed

sword blazing, and saw Myos stumbling after her through the ash, refusing to sit

ters head detonated. Ash, blood and brain matter poured down its chest as it dropped to its knees. The impact of its fall shattered wind

ngs, swooping around the blow and plunging Vitarus into the giant's neck. The revenant staggered back and tried to shake him off, but Mephiston wrenched his blade through skin, bone and

n boiled its blood from within and the next two went the way of

recision, his eyes half-lidded as

had taken its stolen body and fled for the forest. It was almost at t

ms and Mariah saw her chance. "The fight is over," she said, tur

she was meant to seek this place alone. Vatrenus and the others were not part of the visions that had driven

the night. Both of Captain Vatrenus' squads had dropped to their

ling over charred roots. After only ten minutes or so, they reached a broad ash-filled clearing, hundreds of feet wide and ablaze with moonlight. At the centre of the clearing was a stepped crater, spiralling down in

did y

he same hideous figure, the same whirling cloud o

own the slope towards the ruins of a small temple. She approached and looked inside. It was a tragic kind of place, with its shattered columns and exposed rafters but, as she peered through the half-open doors, she saw that it was abandoned. Apart f

r parts of the walls were carved with beautiful friezes. The God-Emperor's hands spread over

le and Lieutenant Myos backed away

g," he said, h

stone fist. Until now, Mariah had only seen the sepolcrali attack in small groups, but this was a host.

a's ash storms were a toxic cocktail of chemicals and particulate matter. The comms networks had all been short s

the xenos were behaving. As they spilled around the moonlit fist and filled

, moving closer to the doors of the temple. Mariah readied his pist

w that Mariah found it hard to look, but she did not need

did y

omething momentous was about to occur. The sepolcrali where touching t

led to Myos. Then she s

vortex, spinning around a figure he could not quite make out. This was the malignant horror she had dreamed of. Fin

, trying to pierce his flesh. She was drunk on prophecy, blinded by premonition. As in the visions, the figure was little m

e muttered, her

launched h

sword in both hands and swinging it in arcs of psychic energy. The sepolcrali burst into sheets of white flame, scattering fragments of ivory meat acr

erpents poured up around the fist. For every ten that Mephiston destroyed, another twenty arrived; for every twenty, another thirty. However lethal his technique, it was impossible for

ng at the edges of the pit, picking off the creatures that had yet to reach Mephiston. He

watch but Mariah found herself wondering what would happen if one of the sepolcrali managed to pierce his armour. If the possessed Mephiston's body in the same way they possessed their other victims... The thought did not bear considering.

atures tumbled down over Mephiston, he began to tire. His sword blows slowed and, incredibly

twisting into a bitter snarl. Mariah could not tell whether the rage was directed at his foes or his inability to destroy them,

ind, howling arcane oaths and channelling great gouts of psychic power through his open

e rolled clear but the blast smashed into the masonry

around for Mephiston. The crowed of sepolcrali had become a mountain, built around the white-hot core of Mephiston's rage. Mariah could barely see him, but his power was evident everywhere. The clearing was networked with

nt, staggering against the shock waves rippling through the quarry as Mephiston's fury grew even

d, covering the mosaic floor in piles of rubble. She half expected to find Myo

ed to leave." she led him out on to th

llapsing walls of the building

h that it seemed as though a sun had formed in the clearing. It blazed brighter until Myos was forced to tur

oug

n shat

of Myos as they where lifted from their feet. She attempted to shield him from the hail of masonry that flew after them. M

ns in their dislocated jaws. A griffon reared protectively

as a new series of vision

roaching through the fumes, calling for help. Her face veiled. Her skin torn away. The

nding vortex had gone, replaced by the paler light of t

roar that sliced through the night, making the

through the rubble to the front of the building. Mariah paused, shocked

ed on, shaki

charnel house. But it was not the piles of corpses that Mariah and Myos were staring at; it was Mephiston. Or at least, Mariah thought it was Mephiston. The thing crouched at the edge of the pit wore the same scal

limbing down the steps. "You destroyed them," he sai

me and his eyes flashed a deep carmine. His teeth gle

Mephiston Cra

up over his head, roaring incoherently. Power spat from

cried

slap, he reeled back down the s

Mariah followed Mephis

unded, Chie

, ready to pounce. "Mariah," he said, his feral voice struggli

re faded from his skin. He looked around at the carnage he had wrought. "What...?" he began, but his words petered out and he looked at M

ross the steps. Mephiston looked from Myos to Mariah, his eyes half-lidded. "Chief Librarian," Mariah sa

lcrali will always recall the d

vealing the waxen skin beneath. His eyes wer

contorted his voice.

at had been so long coming. This was the question

e Chief Librarian's mind. The bond she had felt during the battle was growing – becoming a permanent link between them. Th

" repeated Mephist

r enemy. I saw you st

cked his hand around Mariah's arm, still gripping Vitarus in the ot

" she admitted, she tried to look Mephiston di

something in Mephiston's eyes. He loosed his grip on Mariah and backed away. When he looked up again, all tra

ous. How she have imagined Mephiston

evenants, or this evacuation will become even more of a mess." He took a deep breath, wiped more blood

r but I will summon you when I return t

riah, "I would not

e of accents and Mariah could barely make out the words. "And it would not do to cast doubt on me

began, but Mephiston had alr

bind his wounds and hurry him back to

was