Space War: City of Light.

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m a great height and they seemed to be lying on a vast shard of rock, like a continent torn from its home and left drifting in the stars. The buildings must once have been elegant and grand, with looping, organic curves, and sinuous lines. But a great catastrophe appeared to have ripped through them and they now look

e size of that thing! By Sanguinius. Its bigger than t

ing a window on the ruins beyond it, the diamond framed a kaleidoscope – rainbow-hued prismatic shapes, turning around each

shattered building, the landscape was littered with wrecked ships, everything from small xenos transport

e from the xenos fighter he has possessed. Near the building he saw what looked like a transitway- a broad looping concourse that wound its way through the r

itators. "Reasonable amounts of oxygen. No obvious pollutants. Keep checking your e

own on the bleached transitway. As soon as the Penseroso had settled, Mephiston and Mariah

ing orders, scattering the intercessors across the ruins so

force-swords drawn as they stared at something they had spotted through a gap in one of the ruined wall

e with their Chief Librarian and Mariah and be ready to give covering f

pointed his sword down at what looked like the remains of an amphithea

in the xen

w arched joists reaching up overhead, but the roof was long gone as they all looked up at the sky. Vast though they

ular location. The ruins stretched for miles in every direction – he and Mariah had seen that q

us. "The xenos will have seen

ad left two Intercessors watching over it, but the rest of squad Turiossa was stalki

Mephiston looked up at the diamond light that dominated the ruins. The thing was clearly a portal of some kind. It must be their

he said, looking b

munitions belt. "The glutted scythe, chap

flicked through the pages, but Rhacelus hesita

t we are. Commander Dante trusts us, and he f

deepened. "I am not ashamed, Chief Librarian." He tapped the boo

in turn. "Sure, of our purpose. We have nothing to hide. Everything we do

l hesitated. "Doubts lead to questions," he said. "And questions lead to wisdom." He was

"Enemy fighters are minutes away from destroyin

palms. Before the welts had time to heal, they quickly held out their hands to each other, forming a circle. They each closed their eyes, and they drank the

d their gauntlets, sheathed their knives, and read from the Glutted Scythe,

ards the gunship, thrown by nothing, spilling from every doorway and ruined column. They washed over the gunship

Blood Angels, looking up the steps t

the back on her belt. "She will be waiting for us when we return." She waved he

ship had been. His gauntlet clanged against the invisible hull, an

id Mariah. "The xenos wil

way they had come. "I am surprise

they have focused their at

send the Blood Oath through that

e ran. The pale sky gave everything a harsh, bright glare and the shadows were so

lter fire rang out, ech

he rows of seats. His carefully attuned hearing immediately recognised the weap

rty was carrying

the way he had come. Rhacelus, Antros

y of yo

hey all

hich direction

e,+ repli

sa," said Rhacelus, openin

, with half of the squad. The rest of the squad is twenty feet south-eas

ar sensation. He thought he could feel the rumble of plasma engines, r

that? The e

Mariah. +And s

stened hard.

ah n

from somewhere near the stage. The engine sounds swelled in volume and as the noise grew the light began t

wild. Other noises joined them – the sounds of armoured boots clattering down com

Brother-Lieutenant T

napped R

twork, a burst of static, then he spoke again. "Is that you Lord Rhacelus? Are you on the stage?

e to their feet, bolt rifles raised and spitting a furious barrage over Mephiston's he

clear of the Intercessors' shots and then stood, p

he slender, fast moving aeldari he expected, the figures stomping across the stage were hulking giants, clad in warped,