Hey guys, Uncle WAAAGH here!
Sorry this chapter was short, my sisters birthday was yesterday, and I had alot of work to do to set it up :)
Anyways, two months, and already, we are at around 20,000 hits, 53 favorites, and 63 follows.
Thank you guys so much!
Anyways, hope you can enjoy!
"I don't trust it." Klaus snapped at her. Lofn sighed, rubbing her face. He was being VERY uncooperative about finding this tomb of his. Surprisingly, the Necron knew where it was, saying it was somewhere near a place called Iris Lake. Of course, Klaus being Klaus, absolutely refused to believe it was there.
"I don't trust it either. But think about it. Why would it lie to us?" She said. To this he snorted, as they continued to walk through the strangely misty woods.
"The real question is why not? It is a xeno after all, and the xeno cannot be trusted." He growled. She furrowed her eyebrows. She would rather not bring up why he trusted her, (to some degree, at least).
"Then why would it be so persistent to come with us?" She retorted, even though she didn't know either. The Necron did not kill them, a far cry from what other eldar described the soulless metal creatures as. She didn't have an answer, but he did.
"To lead us into a trap, and finish us off. Are you this foolish?" He growled back. She pursed her lips. This was the only person that she would even consider to talk to, and this was how he was like. She would certainly have to do some work on him, though that would come later.
"Regardless, it's something." She said, as they came upon the lake. The water was a sickly green, as a thin green mist seemed to surround the woods and water like a thick smothering cloud of smoke. It certainly wasn't the most pleasant thing to breathe, and she coughed, her lungs getting rid of the seemingly nasty air. For once, she was jealous of Klaus's gasmask, who looked at her with something perhaps of humor, and maybe concern. They continued to walk forward, though she noticed that large random clumps of vegetation could be found on the soft ground as they walked. Large piles of leaves, mushrooms, and lichen, seemingly at random, grabbed Klaus's attention, as he approached one of the smaller piles with something alike of interest.
"Strange." Klaus said, prodding one of the piles of vegetation with his shoe. It snarled, as it rose a good seven feet tall. Klaus took several steps back, raising his lasgun.
"Huh. Strange Indeed." Klaus said, before he fired with his lasgun. A small clump of its skin burst into flames, and it growled, as it came lumbering forward, smacking wildly with its 'fists;. Klaus let out a grunt, as he was sent flying several feet away. She sighed, as she drew her witchblade. She focused a small reservoir of psychic energy, as she leaped forward, making several swipes with the witchblade. The witchblade, acting as a focus of her psychic powers, were unleashed on the creature. It howled, as warpfire began to consume the beast. It swatted at the flames that were quickly encroaching on its body. Klaus came over, ending its cries with his lasgun. His chainsword had been broken with the fight against the Necron, which was something he took as an insult against his strange sense of honor.
"A fusion of vegetation and flesh… this world will never cease to confuse me." He said dryly, as more of the clumps of vegetation rose up, making guttural growls. Their backs touched, as Lofn concentrated her psychic powers to make bolts of psychic energy. She let them loose, each bolt scoring a hit against the lumbering bog beasts. However, It only seemed to annoy them further, as they kept coming closer. Klaus was having similar problems, as his rather precise firing patterns were not enough to keep the bog beasts down. It would force them back several steps, but then they would come closer. The bog beasts were now a good thirty feet away, shambling forward rather slowly.
"We must concentrate our fire." She said, as Klaus turned around, putting his lasgun at the same level as her hand, which was swirling with blue energy.
"Point." He merely said. She pointed to one of the lumbering creatures. They fired at the same time, las beam intermingling with psychic energy, as they struck the beast's head. It let out a grumble, as it slumped to its knees, and fell. It was like a synchronized dance, as the pair kept firing with every point. The beasts were quickly brought down low by the concentrated volleys of both psychic energy and searing beams of photons. However, Lofn could feel exhaustion growing on her like fungus on a corpse. Her bolts began to slow, as she tried harder and harder to fling more bolts of energy. She hated this place, and cursed it for its considerably weak warp energy. Though she did not have to worry as much at attracting the gaze of the great enemy, she still hated that it made her look weak. Klaus snaked his arm over her shoulder, propping her butt up on his knee, as they turned to face the last bog beast. It seemed the be the smallest of them all, but it would still be dangerous, as Lofn did not have the energy to fight it in melee, and Klaus did not have a good melee weapon to ward it off either.
"Come on Lofn. One last shot. Bring it down." He said, as the last bog beast lumbered forward. Ten feet. She tried as hard as she could to draw in more warp energy, but she could not. She focused as hard as she could to bring in more warp energy, but she was utterly exhausted.
"One last shot." He mumbled. Nine feet.
"One more." He said, his voice mimicking worry. Eight feet.
"Do not disappoint me. Fire." He said, looking down at her. Seven feet.
"Lofn, I will do whatever you want for one day if you shoot it now." He said, forcing it out of him. A bolt flew out of her hand, striking the beast in the eye, It growled, as Klaus fired the lasgun, and struck it in the other eye. It fell to the ground like a rock, its body making a whump noise as it fell. Lofn smiled. He bet too much.
"You owe me." She said, looking up at him, smiling slightly. He sighed, as he realised what he had done to himself. He glanced back down at her, his pointed gasmask enveloping her vision.
"Can you walk?" He asked. She huffed.
"Yes." She said, though she was clearly lying, as she was taking greedy breaths, and struggled to even stand. Even Klaus could see through her lie.
"No you cannot. It appears that I must assist you." He grumbled.
"You owe me." She repeated once again. He groaned, stowing his lasgun onto his back, as one arm went beneath her neck, and the other went underneath her legs. With a grunt, he lifted her up, as they began to walk once more. Neither said anything for ten minutes, as Lofn focused on getting her energy back. Her head was pressed up against the cold metal armor plating of his greatcoat, and she looked up at him. He looked down at her, his cold blue eyes absorbing her features, before looking back up.
"I think this is it." He mumbled. She looked in the direction he was looking, and embedded in a small cliff face, was an ancient, black door door. And on that door, they saw the double headed eagle in faded yellow. The aquila. They stood there for twenty seconds, looking at the door with uncertainty, before at each other. Lofn had become very adept at reading his barely shown emotions, even through his mask. And right now, though he would never possibly admit it, he was as worried as she was, and also as uncertain. He took a deep breath, and looked back at the door.
"Into the maelstrom of battle and uncertainty we march, for we are the emperor's light." He muttered, as they came closer to the door, and he poked at a small, rusty panel with one of his fingers. The door slid open, and inside was a descending spiral staircase. She looked up at him, as he began to mutter prayers, his voice barely audible. She tried to copy him to the best of her ability, something that Klaus on the inside approved of. He began to walk down, as they were enveloped by the black void of darkness.
/
Klaus took the last step down. It was pitch black, and they had no way to see. He gently lowered Lofn to the cold ground, as he slid in a new power cell to his lasgun, putting the empty one in his backpack. He fired. For a brief moment, the corridor was illuminated. A small pile of wood could be seen in front of them, and a twisting stone corridor greeted them, before the light was gone.
"Strange." Klaus mumbled, as his hands reached out for where the wood pile was. Grabbing a stick, he put it down, and fired his lasgun again. The las beam struck the wood, igniting it. Without any fuel, the fire would not last long.
"Come." He said, as he led Lofn forward through the twisting labyrinth. It was one long, and continuous hallway, and they were silent, preparing themselves for what would await them within these halls. They soon came across a large, ancient chamber. In the center of the room was a small altar, an image of the god emperor. It was a small statue of gold, yet masterfully carven. Small spider webs were interwoven over the statue itself, a thin puddle of water forming around the steps. Rings of skeletons were found all over the room. Skeletons of vastly different races, most likely indigenous life forms lied, but strangely, their armor and weapons didnt even seem to be damaged. He examined one of the skeletons. Ancient armor still clung to its forms, weapons in its hands. Virtually nothing of the armor was touched, and it was nearly fully enclosed in it. Whatever killed them did it from either from the inside, or perhaps some strange sort of witchcraft and magick.
"What… what happened here?" Lofn asked in confusion, as they came closer to the shrine. Klaus did not answer, as he kneeled infront of the statue, keeping his head down low. He would not dare to disrespect the statue, but he had a question to answer.
"I do not know…" He answered truthfully, still looking down at the feet of the statue, prayers leaving his lips. Lofn stood beside him, as she looked at the statue, and then at him. She sat down next to him, patiently waiting for him to finish what he was doing. He took a deep breath, and sighed. For once, in a very long time, he felt calm. At ease. Something he didn't realise how much he enjoyed. They sat together, looking at the small shrine. Faintly, he could hear the bells of cathedrals, church bells ringing softly in his ears. He looked up, looking at the statue. Perhaps it was some sort of phenomenon, or an outside source? No, as he looked at the room in front of him, he realised that their were no exits, the only exit being the hallway they had entered from previously. Lofn noticed this too, and looked behind her. She was silent, something uncharacteristic of her, and he turned around. He paused, as a large pillar of dark red fire burned brightly in front of them. Roughly eight feet tall, the pillar of fire continued to burn brightly, and Klaus realised with a pause that the church bells were emanating from the pillar itself. The pillar of flames surprisingly did not even move, but he did not want to risk touching the flames. The flames licked at the air, the church bells ringing softly. He had never seen anything like this, but he knew those bells. Those were the bells played at cathedrals of the emperor, of the ecclesiarchy. He would know, as he had once fought with the sisters of battle. Though he did not enjoy the fact how zealous they were with purging everything of holy fire, it was something he did approve of.
"What is this?" He pondered, glancing at Lofn from the corner of his eye, to which she shrugged, though he noticed the smallest tinges of fear plucking her strings.
"I'm not sure…" She mumbled. They looked back at the pillar of fire, as the church bells began to ring faster. Though still quiet in volume, they were ringing constantly now, as a figure began to appear in the flames. Klaus pulled out his lasgun, and Lofn drew her witchblade. It seemed to be an ambush of some sorts, but he could not be certain. The church bells began to ring louder and louder, as he could see a hulking figure form in the flames themselves. It was midnight black, contrasting brightly against the pillar of flame, though for some reason it was blurry, and unfocused. Strangely, it seemed to be in the shape of a space marine, though he knew of no space marines who appeared in such an entrance. Lofn suddenly gasped, as horror overtook her face.
"I know what it is…" She said in shock. Klaus partially turned to her, concerned. If she knew what it was, and with such an adverse reaction, it couldn't be good.
"What is it?" He demanded. She looked at him, and he could see the fear consuming her eyes. Certainly not good.
"My father told me stories of beings from the warp itself that fought for the emperor. Ghosts of long dead space marines, long dead heroes, given one last chance to fight for the emperor… they could be spirits, they could be daemons… but they're…" She said, dragging her sentences, infuriating Klaus. He snatched her by the robes, shaking her.
"SPIT IT OUT!" He roared, though he instantly regretted it, as the pillar of flames died down, though it coated the beings shoulder pauldrons. A black helmet glared at him, fiery red eyes looking at them. Bones and skulls were embedded all over its armor, ethereal flames clinging to its armor like promethium. A large boltgun was held in its hands, though it was not pointed at them. However,
"They are… Legion. They're… They're... The Legion of the Damned…" She muttered, as the figure took one step forward. Then another. Then another. The figure came forward, one step at a time, boltgun still in hand. Every footprint he left in the stone was covered in ethereal flame, every footstep made a deep echo. The church bells still rang, but were soft and quiet. The only sounds were the figures menacing steps forward, and the slow breathing of Klaus, and the rapid breaths of Lofn. Finally, it stopped. Three feet away from them, its fiery red lenses started intently at them. Klaus took one step forward, looking at the mighty space marine.
"Who… who are you?" he asked calmly, not afraid of this… thing. The space marine glared at him, and then it spoke. Its voice was a low growl, a whispery collection of words spilling out of its mouth grille.
"I have many names. I was once Battle Brother Ranes. Battle Brother Nodon. Battle Brother Rachmiel. Battle Brother Turiel. I was once many space marines, each wishing for the same thing. One last chance to fight for the emperor." It said, before it looked down at him again, the flames on its shoulder pads and the flames surrounding its feet growing brighter and brighter, changing colors from blood red to sunset orange, and then flickering back to red.
"But I am no longer them anymore. I am Legion, for we are many."
/
Ahriman opened his eyes. His whole body felt like it was on fire, pain ripping and snarling at his nerves. He ignored this, as he tried to focus where he was. He then realised with a pause that he couldn't see himself. He could feel himself, yet could not see himself, which was peculiar. He raised his hand, and tried to look at it. He could not see anything. However, he could clearly see where he was in. The warp. It was chaotic, and made no sense, but it made just enough to understand where he was. Ahriman of course, was no stranger to the warp. Being one of the most powerful psykers in the galaxy, he was quite knowledgeable of the warp. However, the warp felt strange here. He reached out in his mind. The warp here was chaotic, yes. But compared to the warp he was familiar, it was like comparing a small kitten to a ferocious lion, saying that they were both the same, savage animal. He began to formulate theories of what had happened. Judging by the evidence he had so far seen, he was trapped in the warp, which possibly meant that he was physically dead. If that was the case, he would need a mortal host. One that was worthy of him to posses. He snorted. He always wondered how it felt like to be a daemon, and now he knew. Though he didn't think he was technically a daemon just of yet, which certainly would have been a success in some degrees, he was still trapped within the warp. He paused, as excitement began to overtake him. He could learn so much here! If he could figure out how to turn into a daemon, and change back into mortal form, no words could describe how much power he could have. He could learn so many secrets… Immortality… Unlimited Power… and most possibly, the one thing he wished for the most. Godhood. Ahriman cackled, rubbing his nonexistent hands. He would learn many things, but first, he would have to get back into the mortal realm. He floated forward, intent on finding the material realm, and finding someone worth harboring his intellect.
Review Time
Guest: Maybe, but yet again, currently the gang is in Ashenvale. I could certainly arrange for it though :)
rc48177: Well, you forgot the dark eldar, but no one likes to write about them, for many reasons *cough* lemons *cough*
King Rocket: It shall indeed, but not in the way you would expect it :)
RedRat8: Chaos always fights each other, but sometimes they can put aside their squabbles to beat other failures *cough* abbadon *cough*.
LordGhostStriker: I dont intend to add the weeaboo space communists, so dont worry :)