Chapter 9
Eragon flailed his limbs as he fell, then hit the water with a loud splash. He felt himself sink, dragged down by his equipment. He kicked out, moving his limbs faster than a regular human could hope to. Slowly, he made his way to the surface. His head broke through, and Eragon gasped as his lungs filled with air. He was still forced to exert his full abilities just to keep afloat. He looked around and, spotting a dry ledge above the foul water, struck out for it. The filthy water churned around him, and Eragon tried not to think about what he was swimming through.
Reaching up he finally managed to grab the ledge and haul himself up. He spat water out of his mouth and rubbed it out of his eyes, then looked around.
The waterfall he had just jumped from spilled down into a large room with a channel cut down the middle. More pipes led down into the room and filled the channel with their putrid contents. Across the room Eragon saw Korosov pull himself up out of the water. He hauled himself out, then stood up and pressed himself flat against the wall of the chamber. He looked up and, seeing Eragon, motioned for him to keep silent. Eragon did so, checking his heavy bolter in the process. He looked up the waterfall, remembering the mob of pursuers that had chased them down here in the first place. He could hear their shouting and the sounds of their weapons going off. A few minutes later he heard them arrive at the waterfall, their war cries reaching a crescendo, then fading awkwardly as they realized they couldn't see their prey.
Eragon started to move to another position in order to see the pursuers, only to stop when Korosov frantically shook his head. He held still, and together they waited as the infected pursuers searched for them. Eventually they left, but from the sound of it they left a few of their number to guard the tunnel, in case Eragon and Korosov came back.
Korosov apparently reached the same conclusion, for he made no move as the main group departed. He looked at Eragon sternly. Eragon nodded silently, and remained as still as he could.
They remained so for what felt like an hour. Korosov seemed to be a man of unnatural patience, and Eragon had inherited a portion of Saphira's. There was no sound or movement from either of them as they waited for the guards to leave or relax. The latter happened first, Eragon heard, from their increasingly bad tempered communication.
Korosov, making sure he had Eragon's attention first, pointed at the guards, then drew a line across his throat. Eragon nodded, gripping his heavy bolter. They would have to shoot the cultists, seeing as they were at opposite ends of a waterfall. He waited for Korosov's signal. When it came, he immediately ran out and, sighting in on one of guards, pulled the trigger. The bolter roared, and the guard was perforated with holes and small craters in his flesh.
At the same time Korosov rushed out, took aim, and shot a guard in the head. He switched targets and did the same. The guards, taken by surprise, fell relatively quickly. They tried to fight back, but the surprise of the attack defeated them.
Eragon nodded as he felt the last guard's mind fade away as its body died. He turned away from the sight to see Korosov, whose stern features were now leveled at him. He gripped his bolt pistol in his right hand. With his left, he motioned to the other side of the chamber. Eragon nodded and followed. His footsteps echoed around the chamber, and though water no longer dripped from his uniform he still felt damp and cold.
He reached the end of the chamber, where the ledges merged into a bridge over the water. Korosov met him there, bolt pistol still in hand. Eragon frowned, and almost readied himself for combat. He stopped when it occurred to him that it would only alarm the commissar further, and he did not want to provoke a fight down here.
"The main group should be far enough away by now to not have heard our shots" Korosov said. Eragon nodded. "Now what?" he asked.
"Now we discuss your abilities" Korosov said, looking at Eragon speculatively.
Eragon tensed. There was no way his psyking had gone unnoticed, not after ripping an Astartes in half, especially with a man as observant as Korosov. He waited for Korosov to make the first move, desperately hoping that it wouldn't result in a fight.
"How long have you been psyking" Korosov asked.
"About a year" Eragon answered warily.
Korosov frowned, and gripped his pistol tighter. "Have you had training?"
"Yes, but not for psyking here. It worked differently at my home"
Korosov looked confused for a moment, before looking at Eragon's forehead, at the mark the Emperor had placed there. Eragon's eyes tried to follow his gaze, then stopped as he realized what Korosov was looking at. He hoped that the mark would avert a fight.
Korosov said reluctantly "The Ultramarines say you were marked by the Emperor for his holy service. I do not know why He did so, but He has. At least I can say that you are no Chaos sorcerer, for no sorcerer would wear that mark. But if we survive this, you must go to the Adeptus Astra Telepathica"
"The Ultramarines said they would train me if I conduct myself well in the Guard"
Korosov nodded and holstered his weapon. "So be it" he said.
Eragon relaxed, then their situation came back to him. They were underground, lost in the sewers, with no way of knowing how to get out. "What do we do now?" he asked Korosov.
"We find our way out" Korosov said. With that he started forward. Eragon, doubtful of the plan but fearful of the commissar, started forward as well. He stopped when the commissar whipped around and grasped Eragon's hands.
"What?" Eragon asked.
"Look at your hands" Korosov replied. Eragon did so. The backs of his hands were a little rougher than they had been before his service in the Guard. But what caught Eragon's attention were the boils that had formed on them. They were relatively large, like oozing mountains that disfigured the landscape of Eragon's hands. In the stark white light of the illuminators they appeared pale red. They were like the boils Eragon had seen on the corpses of the slain Eris regiment soldiers, whom he now realized had been attacked by the infected in the tunnels.
"Am I infected?" Eragon asked, dreading the answer. He hoped beyond all that he would not mutate into one of the diseased hulks that they had just killed. Such a fate would be almost as bad as permanent separation from Saphira. Eragon forced that thought from himself.
"It would appear so" Korosov said grimly. He let go of Eragon's hands and looked at him. "We need to get you out of here and to a Hospitlar, before the infection grows too strong"
Eragon was surprised at the concern the normally callous commissar was showing. He opened his mouth and then closed it, hoping that they could somehow find a way out.
Korosov turned and started down a tunnel leading away from the chamber. Eragon followed him, his heavy bolter ready and his illuminator panning across the tunnel.
They struck out into the darkness, the only light coming from the illuminator each one carried. The noise of the waterfall soon faded, and the only things to be heard were the drops that fell from the ceiling, the sound of their own breathing, and their footsteps. All of these echoed around them. Eragon's enhanced hearing many times detected rats that scurried through tunnels in the walls, anxiously avoiding the two giants that intruded on their domain.
They came across a large cylindrical chamber. Up its side ran a ladder that was pitted and rusted with age. Korosov stopped by it and muttered "Finally" He then grabbed one of the rungs and started the long journey up. Eragon slung his bolter across his back and proceeded to do the same.
Up and up they went, past pipes that spilled more foul water into the chamber below. Twice, a rung pulled clear of the wall, and Eragon was forced to grab onto another to prevent himself from falling.
Finally, they reached the top, Eragon pulling himself up and over after Korosov had done the same. Without a pause, Korosov got up and, choosing a direction seemingly at random, walked forward. Eragon quickly followed.
They continued to do this. Whenever they came across a ladder they went up. Eragon, recognizing the pattern, hoped that it would yield results. But it continued to ebb. No matter how they wandered, no matter how many ladders they climbed up, they were still lost, with no idea of where to go other than up.
If Korosov felt any of this as well he showed no sign of it. His stern features were always the same whenever Eragon sighted them. His gait never changed, he never stopped for rests of any kind. Eragon marveled that the stoic commissar could show none of the emotions he was surely feeling at this moment.
They came to yet another ladder and started climbing it. Eragon followed Korosov up, his mind already used to the routine. When they reached the top however, Korosov stopped, and looked down at Eragon. He made the motion for silence. Eragon instantly tensed but remained quiet. He understood immediately what was going on. Something was waiting at the top of the ladder. It hadn't discovered them yet, that much was clear. Evidently Korosov did not know what was waiting for them.
Korosov continued to wait, holding still as a statue. Then, he whistled softly, and ducked down below the top into a crouch. Eragon watched in puzzlement at first, then watched as a hideous, infected face with an eight pointed star tattoo peered over the edge. Before it could react Korosov lashed out, grabbing its head and using it to haul himself up. As soon as his feet were on the ground his bolt pistol was out and pressed against the infected man's head. He hissed "Not a move you filth or I'll blow your head off"
The terrified cultist nodded, and did nothing as Eragon pulled himself up onto the platform. He aimed his bolter at the cultist, but didn't pull the trigger.
Korosov yanked the cultist up to his feet and said threateningly "Now, you are going to lead us out of here or I swear by the Golden Throne I will shoot you where you stand. Understand?" he snarled.
The cultist bobbed his head up and down and then started forward. Korosov, keeping his pistol leveled at the cultist's head, followed. Eragon lowered his heavy bolter but still kept it cradled in his hands, ready for use. He followed, relieved that they finally had a way out. His thoughts turned to what Korosov would do to the cultist when they escaped the sewers. Undoubtedly he would gun him down as soon as their way became clear. Eragon resolved to stop this from happening. After all, he had led them out.
They continued forward, illuminators fixed ahead. The darkness remained as black as ever, but Eragon was optimistic that they would find their way out.
As they continued forward Eragon's ears picked up a new sound. It was the sound of a man's voice. Eragon couldn't make out what he was saying yet, but from the tone it sounded like he was projecting to a large audience. Eragon frowned. It was just as black as ever, so why he would be hearing a crowd down here was beyond him.
The noise surged as the crowd broke into cheers. Apparently it was loud enough for Korosov to hear, for he lunged forward and grabbed the head and neck of the cultist. With a savage jerk he snapped the man's neck. The man crumpled to the ground, dead, as Eragon looked on in stunned disbelief.
"You just killed our only way out of here" Eragon snarled.
Korosov turned and covered Eragon's mouth with his hand. Before Eragon could remove it Korosov hissed "He was leading us into an ambush, now be quiet!"
Eragon froze. Korosov slowly removed his hand. Eragon breathed in, and listened again. The cheering was dying down, and the speaker was continuing his oratory. Korosov motioned forward and then started sneaking in the direction he indicated. Eragon tried to emulate him, but he was not so successful. Still, they encountered no further infected until they reached another chamber. Korosov put himself in a prone position, and continued forward by crawling. Again, Eragon copied him and continued forward.
They emerged out of a tunnel onto a sort of balcony. The water which they had been walking past flowed past them and fell off the side in a waterfall. Eragon's eyes swept the room and widened. Korosov kept quiet, but Eragon felt sure even he was reacting in the same way.
The chamber was the largest they had seen. It was large enough to hold a whole contingent of guardsmen, and indeed, there were squads of guardsmen there. All of them were chained or bound in some way, and all of them were forced into a kneeling position. Behind each stood an infected man or woman with a weapon in hand. Behind the guardsmen stood a crowd of cultists listening with rapt attention to the man that stood on a podium speaking to them. The whole chamber was illuminated by lights that had been set up around it.
The man was another of the infected Astartes. He towered above the cultists, his bloated, disgusting body clad in ruined armor. His very form bespoke corruption, from his dripping, cracked boots to his horrifically mutated face. It was so disfigured from boils, scars, burns, and sores that it looked like a child's nightmare come to life. Its blackened teeth were filed to points. Pus and other bodily secretions ran down his armor to pool on the floor.
He was speaking, projecting words to his audience, and Eragon found it hard to believe that such a ruined face could speak so fluently.
"Yes, our enemies crowd around us" he was saying, "We have lost some of our brothers and sisters, and our allies are nigh eradicated, but have hope, children of Nurgle, for Grandfather Nurgle is a compassionate god who shall never abandon his children. Though he is the patron of death, he is unwilling to see it come to his followers, and hence has blessed us with his favors. And soon, he shall grace us with the presence of one of his very own angels!"
The crowd roared its approval, and Korosov's eyes widened further. "Throne" he whispered, "It's a summoning" and he appeared to consider something. He then nodded, and started to aim his bolt pistol carefully at the preacher.
"Yes" the abominable preacher continued "Once our sacrifice is complete, once the blood of these our enemies" here he gestured at the bound guardsmen "has been spilled, we shall be graced with the presence of one of the sacred plaguebearers!"
Hundreds of diseased mouths screamed their approval, and with horror Eragon realized that they were about to sacrifice the guardsmen. He started to stand up, but felt Korosov's hand stop him. The commissar whispered "Stay down, then free them when the Traitors have left" He then sighted down his pistol, held his breath, closed his left eye, and pulled the trigger.
The bolt pistol went off with a thunderous retort, and the shot flew from the barrel of the gun. The shot was true, and the projectile impacted with the infected preacher's head, burrowing through layers of diseased flesh before the mass reactive fuse went off, detonating inside the Astartes head. His head bulged briefly before rupturing, spraying bits of bone, brain matter and blood everywhere.
A shocked silence filled the chamber. Then Korosov stood up and shouted "Death to His enemies!" He shot off another round and then fled.
"Kill him!" one of the cultists roared. The cultists flooded out of the chamber, hissing garbled war cries through infected mouths. Some stayed behind to guard the bound guardsmen, but the majority fled like a tide of the plague.
Eragon couldn't believe it. Korosov had just sacrificed himself to allow Eragon to free the prisoners. But the plan wouldn't work. There were still a few cultists left, all armed with autoguns. Eragon knew he couldn't take them out at a range: they were too durable and there were too many of them. He would have to psyk again.
He reached out with his mind and seized control of one of the guards. As soon as he dominated his mind he made him attack his fellows, shooting with his autogun. The others took a second to overcome their shock, but they reacted quickly and gunned down the mind controlled guard. Eragon shuddered as he felt his death, and for a moment he regretted his action before pushing it aside and repeating the process.
Soon there was only one guard left, heavily wounded and clearly frightened. It turned and fled, probably fearing that it would fall under the same spell.
Eragon had a terrible nosebleed. His mind felt like it was one fire, and his head ached. Worse, the daemons had assaulted his mind twice, and the second time had taken a few seconds to fight off. He would have to limit his pysking for the rest of the day, else he risked injury or worse, possession.
Eragon carefully stood up and jumped off the balcony, hitting the ground and rolling into the impact. It hurt, but he hadn't broken anything. He then walked over to the bound guardsmen, who had watched the proceedings with confusion, and now were looking at Eragon in surprise. Their surprise deepened as they made out Eragon's features and the mark on his forehead.
"Who are you" one of them, a sergeant, asked.
"Eragon Shadeslayer, Squad 74 of the 17th Eris regiment" Eragon answered. "I'm here to rescue you"
The guardsman smiled in relief, and Eragon walked over to him. He saw that he had been expertly bound with a rope of some kind. Eragon tried to untie the knot, but it defeated him. Instead, he grasped it with both hands and gave it a sharp pull. The rope snapped under his strength, and the sergeant yelled "Ow! What the feth are you doing?" as the rope slapped him.
"Sorry" Eragon said, moving to the next guardsman. He repeated the action, and the second man was freed as well.
Eragon proceeded to free the rest of the captives. There were about forty in all, and by the time he had freed the last one his arms ached from the effort. He looked up to see the guardsmen staring at him in amazement.
"How did you do that?" one of them asked.
"I'm strong" Eragon said shortly. "Do you know where they put your weapons?"
They did, and after going down a side passage they reclaimed their lasguns and other equipment.
They were moving back into the main chamber when Eragon started to hear the shouts and sounds of autoguns going off. He turned to the other guardsmen and said "They're coming back"
They froze, and then a sergeant asked "How do you know? I don't hear anything"
"I do" Eragon said firmly. "Get ready"
The guardsmen did so, taking up positions and leveling their weapons as the entrances to the hall. Some of them fixed bayonets and stood on either side of the doorways. And then they waited.
Soon they could hear the garbled shouts of diseased men and the sounds of their weapons going off. Eragon realized they must still be after Korosov.
"Korosov!" he shouted. "In here!"
For a moment nothing happened. Then one of the sergeants called out "Hold your fire men, got a friendly" Korosov came pelting into the room, his breathing ragged but otherwise none the worse for wear. He nodded at Eragon, who nodded back. He then turned and said "Alright men, the Emperor's marked man has freed you, now be ready to show His wrath to those who would have sacrificed you"
Some of the men growled affirmatives, but many looked at Eragon in a sort of wonder. Eragon nodded to them, hiding his discomfort at their stares.
A chorus of yells met them as the first of the cultists rounded the corner. The ones in front stopped as they realized their former sacrifice was free and ready to turn the tables on them.
"Fire!" Korosov roared. Lasguns immediately ripped into the cultists standing in front. The first line was nearly vaporized by the barrage leveled at them. They fell to the ground in pieces, whole sections of their bodies burned off.
More pressed forward, only to run headlong into a kill zone as some forty lasguns tore through them. Some fought back, leveling their guns and firing into the room. But many were blinded by the light of the room and the guardsmen's illuminators, and so their fire was clumsy and inaccurate. More and more pressed forward only to be torn apart by volley after volley of disciplined fire. Some nearly made it into the chamber, only to be speared through the head by the bayonets of soldiers waiting for them. It was a massacre.
Eventually the charge stopped, and the infected cultists started to flee.
"After them!" the sergeant yelled.
"No, hold your position" Korosov barked. The sergeant backed down, probably expecting to be shot by the commissar. However, Korosov didn't, instead turning to Eragon and yelling "Bromsson, take a prisoner"
Eragon sped forward like a greyhound, weapons at the ready. Pouring on his elven speed, he flashed down the tunnel and after the fleeing cultists.
The cultists were still running in an undisciplined rout, and it was easy for Eragon to catch up and butcher most of them. Soon only one was left, whom Eragon tackled to the ground.
"Come with me if you want to live" Eragon snarled, his chainsword at the man's throat. The cultist nodded, too scared for words, and Eragon stood up. The cultist followed suit, and together they went back to the central chamber.
They soon reached it. As they entered, Eragon saw some of the men bandaging their wounds or helping their comrades up. Korosov spotted Eragon with his prisoner, and made his way towards them. "Now" he growled, "you are going to show us the way out of these sewers. Do not dare to lie, for the man who captured you is marked by the Emperor and knows when any man lies. If he says you are lying I will personally send you to your judgment by the Emperor. Am I clear?" The last sentence was said with an extra layer of menace added to growl in his voice.
The cultist stole a look at Eragon, who tried to look intimidating, then cast his eyes to the floor and said in a gurgling voice "Yes"
"Good" Korosov said. "Now, show us the way out"