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I still remember…the smell of Cyrene as it burned… an image ever present in my sight…a scene I chose for my home… world… I still remember… the ashes… blowing on my legs… the day… the day… my father told me his truth… sigh, it wasn't chaos that claimed him, though at times I wish it were… no…. What claimed him was his own hubris in believing in a life without the emperor! A culture change I could not stop… didn't see coming… and how I deeply wish I could have stopped it!
→ Excerpt by Gabriel Angelos ←
"Through faith we are unbreakable; through prayer we are unstoppable."
For
"There is no peace among the stars, only faith and the promise of redemption."
–→Adapted Sororitas Litany←
High up and above the world, in the far reaches of its heavens, the battle ships of the imperium lay damaged and some broken… There they wait, like little coffins, knowing their tomb is the only thing standing between hope and ruin, as they can see the hungry jaws approaching.
Scenes on a screen… that were paid for in blood… sacrifices… of braver men in scout ships… And while the sister of battle gave prayers to the dead, the canoness stared at the screen and wondered… As the blood angels squinted with such a fury that shook the ship's spirit! Awakening an anger that slept deep within its core! As the scene of Baal's torment flooded their minds… And all this just from the shattered remains of an image from a neighboring star system…
[they are getting closer…] spoke Danicia out in general…
[...] replied the silent voices of those in her attendance.
[ugh! Any news on the fleet…] Ask Danicia
[None yet, my lady, however, we have heard of whispers throughout the vox, that some resurgent fighters have been attacking and slowing down the tendrils, but no news on how effective they have been…] replied a member of her wing…
Reflecting on the news, Danicia sat in ther chair contemplating what to do, as another member rushed into the chambers!
[My lady! Our scouts' report, as well as photo images of the planet, prove that the citizens of Absodon are rioting! However, we have yet to receive any calls for aid! And on further note, it is likely caused by heretics of chaos! What are your orders?]
[Scouts? What of the sisters we have stationed in the city? Shouldn't they have reported this to us? What about the sister we have waiting to pick up our recruits? Any news from them?] asked Danicia with her hand on her chin with great irritation.
[I'm afraid none have come in my lady… from either of them… as well as the team we have sent in to "deal" with the problems… However, photo recording of the planet has shown the recruits have made it into the city, but…]
But?] answered Danicia with worry
[hmm… well… how should I put this…umm…] replied the man, as he nervously stumbled in his words, while at the same time he watched Danicia suddenly get up from her chair with a snarl in her eyes!
["cough" wait, my lady! It's the mechanicus! They want me to report that they have lost contact with the machine spirits that live within the city itself! And that… because of these "circumstances" we are unable to figure out how the recruits are doing… we only know that they are indeed alive… But that's all! And that the bugs within the world are growing more bold by the day… it seems that they can sense that their fleet is nearing the system…]
Hearing this explanation, Danicia took in a deep breath while looking out into the stars from the helm of her ship. Then, turning her eyes downward towards the emblem of her sisterhood, she let out that breath…
[READY MY AQUILA LANDER!] suddenly commanded Danicia as she turned to face her men, with a stern aggressiveness that made them shudder.
[but why, my lady? Aren't you better off…]
[AM GOING FOR A WALK!] replied Danicia suddenly as she cut off her ally's words mid-sentence as if not wanting to hear what he was about to say.
Meanwhile, back in the undercities:
As Molly watched the inferno rounds of her gun roll off the great unclean one's stomach, but burning the plague spore around in a beautiful cloak that wrapped the servant of Nurgel with a laugh, causing a foul stench to arise, and within the mist, came the horrid sounds of croaking… and while holding that smiling… that taunting laugh, the great unclean one, rang his bell again! For within the mist came out spores of bile shoots!
Causing Akos to act in the manner of a Librarian, and setting a pysker barrier around himself! while trusting in his surbornated armour to keep them safe from these foul creatures' taint! But as for Molly…she put all her trust in her shield…
But as her shield absorbs the shots, Molly couldn't fully cover herself, and for Wienart! And while the slime of them dripped off her armour and shield, off her helmet, she looked down to see Wienart in deep distress as his flesh and skin melted! As he screamed, his body mutated into a grotesque monstrosity of pain and sickness!
But oddly enough, it wouldn't kill him… but leaving him in a state of pain and coherence, as it would not let him sleep! Seeing him in such a state caused Molly to yell out his name, as Akos put his hand on her shoulder and said through the backdrop of his men's bolter rounds:
[sister… There's nothing you can do for him now… we both know, no…including himself, knows… that his duty is at its end…]
Understanding what Akos meant, but taking in a deep breath nonetheless, and turning away from him… Molly pointed her weapon right at Wienart's decaying body. And while looking right into his eyes, that pleaded for the bullet… Molly gave it to him… she gave him the emperor's mercy… and as the fire burned away his rot, he gave back to Molly a smile as he became but ash!
But as he burned, and the mist slowly dissipated between bolter rounds, there Molly could see just at the edge of the mist, three glowing eyes! Filled with hunger and hatred, filled with only the desire to feed on the flesh of the living…. Standing up to the knees of the unclean one, Molly was shocked to see, as more jumped out of the mist!
Creatures that resembled what Molly believed to be toads… frogs of some kind…but tainted and corrupted by heretics or by natural mutation… Molly didn't know, nor did she care at the moment, but while they landed, a few continued to shoot out that strange bile of diseases, while others lashed out with a long sticky tongue! Tongues that grab hold of the guardsmen that came! Pulling them into their mouths! Swallowing them whole or crushing them, it didn't matter, but Molly could hear it all… see it all…
And while watching the sons of the emperor charge headfirst into those creatures… while their chain blades rendered corrupted flesh and blood… she decided…To do the same! Charging into that crowd with her shotgun! Blowing holes into creatures' stomachs! While ducking and dodging tongues larger than her head! While her back held her shield that absorbed the bile mass…
Like a dance, she weaved herself through the sons, through the monsters, and around surviving gaurdmens to claim heads… flesh… and blood! But as her ammo became all but spent, she swapped to her mace, and with it, she caved in a frog's eyes, burst their skull with lightning, all the while singing a hymn to the emperor in her mind!
Watching her dance, from within his/her palace walls, the god of desire…Smiled… she smiled as if she could even smell the rawness that festered in Molly's armour, while the god of changing ways, scent out a raven into the world! While the god of war delighted in the sight of bloodshed, in the turning of skulls of his rival gods, men… but as for the father himself… he grew in agitation… but smiled either way, as everything was still as planned…
But all too soon Molly began to notice… that through all the bloodshed… as even the high began to cool itself from her head… That all around her, the tongues became more numerous… more accurate… as if they only wanted her…As easy prey, was noticeable more ignored…
That even Akos, who was busy keeping the unclean one at bay, could see it… thus scuffing at the sight, Akos yelled at the uncleaned one:
[HA! What! Am I not worth more than some girl? Me! A librarian of the Blood Angels! LOOK AT ME!]
While he screamed those words, out came a torrent of lightning and flames from within his hands and mind! Burning toads to pure bones, to melting the pox servants of Nurgel who followed from behind! But while the undercity shook, and high above in the dark ceiling of the foulness of the air… a booming… a bellowing… croak that overshadowed Akos in every way!
Then, as all was silent, while everyone looked up, they heard the sounds of falling rocks… of breaking metal… of crushed stones… as something huge jumped from wall to wall… to monument to monument of the emperor… and then with a large tongue, it consumed a son of the emperor! Quickly and like lighting he never saw it coming…
Making little work of the shell that encased the son, as if it was a mere pebble in the way, crushing and breaking the soft flesh that remade within like a treat, the giant toad made itself known! Where one eye alone was the size of an Astartes! And this creature had the same three eyes as its smaller cousins… but more versatile as it had multiple eyes within the three… while its skin wasn't the same sickly green, but pitch black like the shadow cast by the emperor himself!
While on its back, it carried hordes of its young still in eggs that oozed all kinds of acidic plagues! Its drool caved the floor in, while its weight confounded it! Where each croak made the very air vibrate with enough force to shatter hope!
And seeing such a creature land right on top of the impulsor… smashing it to pieces and killing the men inside by sheer weight… angered Akos, but turning his attention to it was a mistake, as the great unclean one didn't let that side! And so, without even the slightest hesitation, the great unclean one threw his bell! Right at Akos!
As the bell shadow grew over his, Akos tsk his tongue, as he summoned a shield to protect himself, but the weight of it was too much for him to bear! Shattering his shield but barely avoiding taking his life, Akos was thrown to the door of one of the great elevators!
But as he recuperated just in time, to feel the elevator door open, as reinforcements came in the size of three Furioso Dreadnoughts! But as their assault cannon hummed… as their bullets shredded the lower creatures… the giant sneered in annoyance, as it charged a bile so large… it drew a single tear in Nurgel's eye…
Noticing the giant abomination extending its stomach, the three dreadnoughts didn't let up the fire, even running the guns dry, even charging at the creature in preparation for a melee confrontation. But it was meaningless, for as they grew closer, they were too late… As the giant toad regurgitated a bile so large it could make a small lake!
To make matters worse, as the acidic, poisonous bile flooded the feet of the dreadnought while sweeping lesser men away, the giant toad released its young to feed! While good men screamed and turned into juice, the great unclean one just laughed as he stood in it! And while the excess of the muck poured through the railing to burn down the innocent who lived further down…
Their screams reached even Molly's ears as she held on for dear life to the rails! As the tips of her clothing that stood between the gaps of her armour melted… as her shield covered most of her flesh… but after words became useless, melted rock… tossing it to the side, even her mace was only as good as a hard rock now, though tankful she found that the shot gun on her back was some how still use able…
And so after flexing a cock to the shotgun and praising the machine spirit, Molly stood up to look around her to see that Akos was still alive, though injured and on one knee as his hastily made shield was cracked like a mirror… while the dreadnoughts that absorbed the blunt of the waves for Molly, as she just so happened to be in the right spot when the bile came rushing.
But though luck protected her, the dreadnoughts weren't as lucky… Sparking and shaking, with their coffins exposed in different variations of damage. She could see the men inside, the living corpses… And as their hearts beat stalled… rage… ignited it! Causing the corpses to suddenly shout as one! As if their rage replaced the very air itself! They screamed inaudible words, though Molly was sure that Akos knew the words they spoke, but still, that was just an afterthought to her, as she watched them stagger back onto their feet! With their power claws glowing in an ominous color of black…
Dwelling in that darkness, the three charged back at the giant toad, as it lashed out its tongue in an attempt to consume the middle dreadnought! But as its tongue came slamming into the dreadnought's chest, and his weakness began to show…He denied it!
And as that little corpse machine stood its ground, only to be pushed back a few feet! Hell, even the creature found it strange, as it was unable to retract its tongue! Then the pain struck it! As the middle dreadnought not only didn't fall or get swept off its feet like an insect, but even had the power to jab its power claw deep into the fat section of the toad's tongue! Shredding it and dousing the floor in poisonous blood! And while the middle one stood its ground, the other two dreadnoughts turned their attention to the thinnest part of the tongue, and like a savage beast, they tore at it till it severed!
As the toad reeled back in its bloody parts, it roared in both anger and pain! As it leaped to the dreadnoughts! Seeing the creature come right for them, and yelling words like traitor in a black haze, the three joined as one as they pointed their claws at the toad!
But before Molly could see the end, Akos used his pysker forces to pull Molly back to him and into the elevator! And as the great door came closing down, all she could hear was….BOOM! Followed by a bellowing LAUGHTER!