A slow clapping of hands rang out in the dark chamber. The old ork swirled around, searching the darkness with his torch. Imisha curled up against the stone cradle, feeling helpless and useless.
"So you finally figured it out" came a taunting sinister voice from the darkness.
"The dirty little secret. The missing piece of the puzzle. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow." Imisha desperately swirled left and right trying to locate the disembodied voice. Panic was rising inside her.
"Took you long enough" came the same voice from a completely different direction.
The old ork snarled and bellowed into the compact blackness as if tasting the evil intent in the air.
"Your precious little hope..." there was the sound of galloping hooves. The feeble torch in Imisha's hand seemed to dim and only caught a shadow moving at the edge of the circle or ruined statues.
"...is really here to kill all of you. It's priceless!" the laughter was unearthly.
"Do you think it was worth it, little farseer? Considering all you lost? When you lie there in your own piss, unable to move do you feel proud of your choices? Hmmm? Do you feel proud?" An inhuman snicker echoed in the cast chamber. "Well look at it on the bright side: at least you won't feel a thing when I cut you open."
Imisha knew that voice. She crawled deeper down towards the crib. The ork stepped in front of her, shielding her from whatever was out there.
"I can't thank you enough for leading me here. Quite a little wonder they manage to hide away here. My mistress will learn much from studying this chamber. Enough to snuff out your pesky little upstart god for good." To the right of them one of the statues collapsed under a heavy blow.
"We wouldn't want you all to die, would we? Do you want to know a secret? It's because death is too good for you. Only eternal suffering will do." If hate had a voice, this would be it. Tears of terror was running down Imisha´s cheeks.
"But really all of this doesn't matter. You see my mistress has already won, like she always does. The final battle has already been fought. You feel it don't you? Deep down? Do you want to know a secret? My mistress has already crippled your little god. Broken her. Desecrated her. Stole her father and ate her mother in front of her very eyes." With every word the voice sounded like it was coming closer but still the flickering torches found nothing in the darkness.
"Do you want to know a secret? Do you know what your saviour did when her family was slaughtered?" The laughter rang out once again. "Nothing! Not a thing! She just lay there and let it happen" A small rock came surging out from the darkness, landing right next to them, making them both jump. "Now one has to ask: If she can't protect those closest to her, where does that leave you?" The last few words sounded like they came from right next to them.
"Her father ain't dead yet!" the old ork called out defiantly into the gloom.
"Oh, isn't this precious? The brute has been enchanted has it? Caught a whiff of that sweet pointy eared fever did it?" The evil voice giggled.
"Does it want to know a secret? She..."
"...is just using me? Yes yes, she already toldz me datz. Da be no secret" The ork scoffed at the black. An annoyed hiss sounded in the dark. Seeing the ork stand tall in the face of the terror Imisha found her composure again and whipped her terrified soul back in line.
"Yer surez talkz a lot. But yer don't knowz her very wellz. We met peoplez like datz beforez, me and herz. People who talked lotz, who underestimated herz. It didn't turn out too wellz for dem."
"I am no people!" came a defiant roar. Heavy steps were coming closer.
"You are making it mad" Imisha hissed.
"I wantz it mad! I think da be our only chance" the ork shot back. The then took a deep breath and continued taunting the dark.
"Whateffer, I could carez less! But yer fearz her. I can smellz it in yer big and fancy talk. Yer is afraid. And datz means yer is lying. She aint lost yet. She still be fighting. Isn't dat so?" The darkness was silent, the heavy footsteps stopping.
"What, no sassy comeback? Outwitted by an ork?" Imisha flung out, getting caught up in the moment. Her comeback was somewhat diminished by the fact that she was still hiding between her protectors legs. She looked up sheepishly. "No offense"
"Noon taken" the ork smiled down at her. After a period of silence the evil voice in the dark spoke again.
"Last time we met I made you a promise, little farseer. I told you I would eat your children. And that you would get to watch." The steps continued to come closer. Imisha clutched at her stomach.
"Do you want to know a secret? I always keep my promises."
With a clinking of chains a giant shadow separated itself from the compact darkness before them. Two slender yet enormous hooves stepped forward, crushing the stone under them. The coarse leg hair was braided in elaborate swirling patterns with each knot ending in a golden chain. These chains ran up the luscious legs as they transformed from goat like to silky pink skin, sometimes submerging in the flesh piercings. In the groin the chains coalesced like worms into a massive engorged member of metal which stood erect out from the body, swaying from side to side as the creature moved. All along the shaft knife like barbs thrust out from within the squirming mass of chains.
Down the torso ran a series of heavy breasts, like that of the stomach of a sow. But where the nipples should have been each instead had a tiny mouth, full of gnashing teeth. Attached to the shoulders were four arms, the upper pair ending in slender smooth skinned hands and the lower ones twisting into gigantic crab like pincers. Above the shoulders sat a pink bull's head, with multiple set of horns spiralling up towards into the darkness above. It was a nightmare such as neither of them had seen before. But those eyes, even in the bovine face. Imisha knew those bull head shot forward, big black swirling eyes shining down on them.
"What? No sassy comeback? Don't you remember me?" The androgynous monstrosity threw their own taunt right back in their faces. Imisha did knew the daemon. It had possessed the dancer she had electrocuted in the dressing room. It was the one who had stabbed her, robbing her of the use of her legs before fleeing back to the warp. And now it was back to finish the job.
To consume her and her children. Imisha started shaking, tears flooding down her cheeks. The ork however stood firm.
"Nopes. But thanks for coming out in da lightz where I can seez yer" A rapid series of loud beeps sounded from the the ork open hand, revealing an armed grenade.
It all happened so fast. There was a deafening boom, a bright flash of light and before Imisha knew it the ork had picked her up and was speeding away into the darkness. The whole chamber shook, rocks falling from the ceiling. Behind them the daemon roared in pain and fury.
"Now it's really mad!" the ork snickered as he sprinted away from the daemon, carrying Imisha on his back. "I had forgottenz how much I lovez dem grenadez!"
"We can't let her leave! If this is indeed the birthing chamber of...your daughter...we can't let her pry into it's secrets!" Imisha shot back, hanging over his shoulder with all the dignity of a sack of potatoes.
"We haz no chance against dat! Best thing we can hope forz is to warnz her! And for dat we need to live!"
"But where will we run? We can't go back up! No chance we will get into our suits again with her after us!" Imisha really fought to keep the panic out of her voice. There were few fates that the Eldar feared more than being devoured by a daemon.
"I noticed a new tunnel into da rubble when we first entered dat I have notz seenz before. I be guessing dat da little one formed it last time she waz herez. I think da be our best bet." the ork panted, steering off into a new direction.
"Why didn't you mention this before?" Imisha asked incredulously.
"Yer was so excited about da scribbles! First time I have seen yer happy aboutz anything since yer got stabbed. For once yer didn't have that look like yer gotz gretchin shitz under yer nose!" Imisha sent a gaze of pure spite at him. "Yes dat look! Thought I let yer have dat moment." The heat rose in Imisha's cheeks while she bit her tongue. That's how you treated a child. Had it always been like this, with people going out of their way to accommodate her? Was she truly an adult at all or just a wilful child that no one had the energy to argue with?
Finally the ork put her down against the rocky wall. They were standing in a tunnel carved into the rubble covering what must be the center of the chamber. Imisha realized that the chamber had to be much larger than she initially realized and that the circle of statues where they had found the crib must have been positioned almost along one of the walls. Neither of them dared to light their torches but in the faint light from up ahead it looked like the rocks had been forced to fit together into an arch that supported the entire ceiling.
"Do yer smell smoke?" The old ork sniffed the air.
"Sssh" Imisha hushed. In the distance they could hear the enraged daemon searching for them out in the chamber. Imisha could feel it out there in the warp, searching for her. She threw up the walls around her mind as tight as she could and beckoned the ork closer.
"Let's go deeper. There seems to be a light up ahead." she whispered. The ork picked her up and sneaked as quietly as possible deeper into the tunnel. When they passed around the next bend the tunnel into the rubble opened up into a larger cave. In the middle of the cave stood a perfectly round runed arch made out of the same black stone as the statues. The runes glittered with a faint light.
"Great. Scribbles dat glows..." the ork sighed and started to turn around.
"No! This is a webway gate! I mean, I never seen one like this before. But it has to be." Imisha patted the ork repeatedly on the arm in pure excitement, urging him closer to the arch. Putting Imisha down next to the stone arch he scratched his head.
"Now dat yer say it's I think she mentioned sumthing about datz. Wut it be?"
"It's a gateway into the warp. If I can activate it we can escape!"
Ever so carefully Imisha lowered the walls around her soul and reached out. In front of her the gateway hummed to life. So it was a webway gate! Imisha smiled and poured more power into the gate. But she shouldn't have. For from outside in the chamber came a triumphant screech and the sound of hoofs rushing towards them. Imisha cursed, of course the daemon would notice a portal into the warp opening.
"Whatever yer is going to does, does it fast! Like red onez fast!" the ork mumbled through gritted teeth.
"Do you have any more grenades?"
The ork pulled up another jagged scary looking bomb. "Last one. But it will only piss it off even more. Daemons dat big be hard to kill."
Imisha looked around in desperation. The webway gate was powering up but way too slowly. Opening it was like trying to explain something without speaking the language. The gate was so different from any Eldar gate she had ever used. And she also had the nagging suspicion that there was not enough power left to open the gate even if she did manage to convey her intentions to the thrice damned machine. That left but one choice.
"The tunnel. Collapse the tunnel!"
"Da ceiling might come crashing in and crush us!"
"It's that or be eaten! At least this way we have a chance!"
The ork shrugged his shoulders, nodded and lobbed the grenade into the tunnel opening. Then he sprinted back and threw himself on top of Imisha. Before Imisha had time to protest the ground heaved as if the earth beneath them wanted to throw up. A tidal wave of dust and stone washed over them, knocking the ork away from her. Imisha was lifted of the ground and thrown around like a fly in a whirlwind, constantly pelted with rocks, dirt filling her lungs and threatening to choke her. Ears ringing she at last fell down to the ground again. Desperately trying to draw breath she half retched half coughed up the dust forced down her throat and looked around. The air was filled dust and visibility was all but zero. Then Imisha noticed that she was all wet. Wet and sticky. Fearing the worst she instinctively reached out into the warp for her children but the three sparks were still there, growing fiercer. Hand trembling she reached down to find the wound. It had to be on her lower body because she could not feel anything seriously wrong with the rest of her body. Pushing herself up into a sitting position she started examining her legs.
"Are you ok?" she called out for the ork. No answer came back. Imisha finished checking her legs but found nothing. When she withdrew her hands she understood why. They were covered in blood. Green blood.
"No..." she stammered and started searching around, crawling on the rocky floor using only the strength of her arms.
"Dat be a big boom" came a faint voice from the dust. Imisha frantically crawled closer. Finally she found him. Under a piece of rock twice her size.
"Sit still, I will get you out! You are going to be alright! Just...hang on!" With great effort Imisha summoned a storm inside her soul and started to focus it on the rock.
"I might be an ork. But I aint no stoopid. Save yer strength." the ork smiled back, spitting green blood. Looking down Imisha saw what he meant, the flesh below his shoulders were essentially mush.
"Now both of us be legless. Da legless duo!" he smiled before a bloody coughing fit consumed him. "Good title for a book, me thinks" The ork pulled Imisha closer.
"Yer find her. And when yer do yer tell her dat I never forgetz her. And dat I went out with a boom."
"You saved my life again. Why?" Imisha stammered.
"Yer knows why" The old orks eyes glazed over, as if looking at something far away.
"I don't" was all Imisha could muster as he faded in her arms.
"Yer life, and da life you yer babies. Dem be...dem be..sa...sacr..." And with that he was gone.
Imisha had seen much death in her years. She had extinguished countless lives herself. Seen friends fall around her. Witnessed the death of whole planets. By now she should be quite numb. But she found she wasn't. Not by far. It was with a heavy heart that she closed the dead orks eyes and muttered an ancient prayer for those who passed beyond the veil.
It grows inside you like a tree, he had said. So slowly you can't see it. But one day you find yourself loathing death and pain. If it is as he said that this is some seed planted by the death goddess then why does she inspire such fervent belief in the sanctity of life? When her sole purpose must surely be to take it all away?
The sound of shifting rocks snapped Imisha back to reality. Something was digging through the rubble now blocking the tunnel. And it wasn't hard to figure out what it was. Summoning all of her remaining strength Imisha threw her mind against the gate yet again, praying that it still stood. It responded even more sluggishly than before. Fear filled Imisha as the sounds of rocks crashing against the floor outside the chamber came ever closer. She would never open the portal wide enough for a her to enter in time. Was this finally the end?
No. Her body might not be able to pass through but her mind might. Focusing her soul into a needle she punched through the gateway barrier with all of her strength. The gate resisted vigorously, trying with ever greater strength to force her back out. Hanging on by her mental fingertips tips Imisha sent a single word out into the endless tunnels of the webway before the gate collapsed.
Help!
Her strength utterly spent the lone farseer collapsed on the floor. Helplessly she was forced to watch as the daemon slowly dug it's way into her chamber. Her body screamed in pain, her mind was almost blank. Every ounce of energy she owned had been spent. Time seemed to stand still until finally a giant bull's head peeked through a hole in the rubble. Second later the daemon pushed it's whole body through the hole. The ork's grenade and the collapsing tunnel had hurt it, Imisha could see the daemonic aura flickering angrily. Daemons belonged in the warp and when damaged they lost their hold in the material dimension. Hurt them enough and they were banished back to their home. But even at full power Imisha would have stood no chance against a daemon this big, weakened or not. As it was she couldn't even flee. The pincers at the ends of the monster's arms clicked eagerly. Imisha found she didn't even have the energy to feel terror.
"There you are" the daemon smiled down at her, her big blank bovine eyes full with madness and hatred. "Now shall we begin?"
A deep feral roar from deep within the webway blew the portal wide open. It instantly exploded with light as it activated fully, the runes on the surface crackling with eldritch power. A giant scaled leg stepped through, razor sharp claws sprouting from the flesh like gleaming swords. Another massive leg lumbered through. After that came a giant reptilian jaw, full of teeth as long as Imisha's arms. Yellow glittering eyes almost blazed in the gloom of the chamber. A steady stream of saliva ran from the slavering jaws as the beast stepped forward towards Imisha, mouth wide open. With the greatest care it picked her up in it's massive jaws and set her down again next to the portal. The beast nudged her affectionately and uttered a worried purr from deep within as she collapsed on the ground. Then it turned its enormous head back towards the daemon and roared in challenge with such intensity that small rocks brooke loose from the ceiling and rained down all around them. The earth shook as the whole dragon squeezed through the portal.
"The female is mine. I claim her! You may never have her!" cried the exodite chieftain perched on top of the dragon as he lowered his lance and charged.
Authors note:
This deus ex machina damsel in distress type of ending is not very good writing. I guess sometimes you want to improve and try to be clever. Other times you just want to try to write some cool shit with dragons.