A/N: Aaaaaaaaaaaand we're back! This chapter introduces 'The Lady Inquisitor', a character that will come to play a heavy role in the story. I hope you like her! I certainly do! :3
Thanks again for the support this fic is getting. It's so awesome to see you guys are getting just as much fun out of this as I am.
Without further ado, MORE RWBYHAMMER 40k!
Book One: Baptism by Fire
-Chapter 6: The Lady Inquisitor-
"I am not the type to stampede through a battlefield, nor bludgeon my foes to death. No my Lord, I am but a dagger. Humble, unseen, and silent in the night." – The Lady Inquisitor
The practice hall rang with the clash of arms, a song of steel that soared into the upper reaches of the Black Ship. The Lady Inquisitor was sparring with her acolyte, exchanging a flurry of blows with blunted blades. Pouring her rage and frustration into a strangled cry, she leapt forward. Performing Exterminatus always weighed heavy upon her mind. She'd purged the Augustus system of its insidious plague, but at a steep cost.
Her power armor hissed and whirred as she danced around her charge. Sheer black and trimmed in the brightest of silvers, the ceramite plates were well polished, gleaming under the chandeliers. Runes by the dozens lined her arms and legs, wards to protect against the unknowable malice of the Immaterium. A long brown duster hung over her armor, matching her wide-brimmed inquisitor's hat.
Her acolyte struck, bringing the sword around in a vicious arc. With a deft step, she blocked the attack, spinning around to lash out at his unprotected flank. He sidestepped, settling into a guarded stance. He was breathing deeply, worn from several hours of exertion.
Still, he rushed forward. A clever feint from the red-robed apprentice separated them, allowing a second to catch their breath.
"Well struck, Ira."
"Many thanks, my Lady." He replied. His hood dipped slightly, an indication of his humility. She chose that moment to strike, her coat whipping behind her as she sprung forward. Caught off-guard by her vicious haste, her opponent stumbled backwards. He brought a wide strike around, hoping to shatter her arm.
She flattened, falling under the sweeping blow. It was a risky move, and wholly unnecessary, but it would teach young Ira to prepare for the unexpected. The sword ripped her hat free, letting her ivory hair fall free about her face. Her hands caught her fall, and settled her into a predatory crouch. The Lady Inquisitor lunged forward, throwing a shoulder into her acolyte.
"Oof!" The blow connected with his exposed chest, sending him flying into the air. He crashed to the tile floor a few yards away. He made to stand, but his master's sword was already at his throat.
"Always keep an eye on your opponent, Ira."
"Yes, my Lady. Your second lunge was a stroke of genius." He said, breathing deep. She stuck an armored hand out, and he grasped it.
"It was not. But it was surprising, no?" She hauled him to his feet.
"It was."
"As it should have been. Do not assume the forces of Chaos will take a predictable path. Learning this increases your effectiveness ten-fold."
"I feel as though such an approach is just as useful off the battlefield." She allowed him a brief smile.
"An astute observation."
A sharp rap of knuckles interrupted their conversation. A voice called out from behind the heavy metal door that sealed them inside.
"My Lady, the documents you requested have arrived."
"Excellent. I shall attend to them immediately." She turned to Ira, scooping her hat up. An intricate mosaic of Malcador the Sigilite graced the floor, a feature personally requested from the Titan shipyards by the Lady Inquisitor.
They bowed to each other, a traditional expression of respect among swordsmen.
"Ira, meditate on today. I will summon you again for tomorrow's training session." Ira nodded, striding off to his quarters with palpable relief. He was an exemplary student (she would accept nothing less), but he still had much to learn.
Most Inquisitors kept a stable of acolytes at hand, and formed large retinues that followed them around on their duties, but the Lady Inquisitor was not like most of her comrades. Ira was her one and only acolyte. Yes, her team was smaller than most, but frightfully effective when brought to bear. Only the best attended her, and she was always looking for new applicants. Not many made the cut. Fleeing the practice hall, she made for her office.
Steps, clipped and sharp, echoed down the halls of her Black Ship. The Lady Inquisitor's duster swirled and swept about her, pinned tight to her power armor.
She reached her office, guarded by two Imperial Stormtroopers. They were kasrkin, Humanity's best and brightest soldiers, hailing from the fortress world of Cadia. The Lady Inquisitor had adjusted their armor to her whims, the drab olive-green plates repainted a fierce black and graced with a red sash across their chests. Their faces hid behind sheer white masks.
Saluting crisply, they opened the heavy oaken door which was inlaid with spiraling silver designs, and dominated by the rosette of the Ordo Hereticus. As the doors swung open, artificial sunlight streamed in through the windows, bathing the office with a shining, brilliant light. A mound of papers sat on her desk, as tall as she was.
A truly impressive tower of leather and paper. Oftentimes, she wished for more planets to invest in cogitators for their bookkeeping needs, but some worlds remained hopelessly barbaric.
She fingered the locket about her neck, the one of utmost importance.
"Only the Emperor is inviolable." She murmured. There were heretics everywhere. They infected every aspect of the Imperium, and brought dangers uncountable along with them. Dangers that must be purged, eradicated, cleansed in holy fire. Heretics, butchers, and liars.
Sitting on her high-backed chair, she closed her eyes. Her mind reached out to the Warp, sifting through its roiling currents. Before her, the stack of papers separated into hundreds of leaflets. They spread into the air, slowly rotating around the Inquisitor as she murmured a quiet prayer. Her breath frosted before her, the room temperature plummeting to untenable depths.
Useless. Useless. Papers crumpled and soared across the room before freezing into warp-frost and melting away. It was a tad reckless, using her psyker abilities in such a matter (and telekinesis wasn't really her specialty), but the Lady Inquisitor always prized efficiency in all things. And Chaos had never tempted her. Hers was a pure heart, staunch and unyielding, tainted by the psychic though it was.
She centered upon a document, her mind focusing on a scroll as it unfurled before her. It was a shipping manifest. It had a few names scribed upon it, one of which was of vast importance to her. The name ran like blood off the page, reeking of death and corruption, bringing forth uncomfortable memories, but also the rush of victory. Finally, she had found him, and the plans that had been set forth a decade ago could now come to fruition.
Releasing a pent-up breath, she relaxed her hold on the Warp, the relevant documents coming to rest before her. It was time to strike. A vox-caster sat in her large and luxurious desk. She tapped its activation stub with her foot, picking up the receiver as she did so.
"Captain Barnes?"
"Yes, Lady Inquisitor?"
"Plot a course for Elodia IX, in the Rodresfiel Subsection."
"Yes, my Lady. I will inform you when we are about to enter the Warp."
"My thanks, Captain. Haste is of the utmost importance." Her foot left the stub, severing their connection.
As her fingers wound tight together, she pondered her next move.
The Scythe of Morning left its orbit around a burnt and blackened planetoid, preparing to enter the Warp. In six hours' time, she emerged from the depths of her mind, a course of action chosen and meticulously plotted.
Like regicide and clockwork, she thought, standing. Pressing a button, she activated the holographic map that projected from her desk. In a flash of emerald light, countless symbols and worlds sprung into being and danced across the enormous map. Tiny figures sat among them all, each one incomparably dangerous. They were constantly moving, constantly prowling. But The Lady Inquisitor did not fear them. No, she hunted them.
Like regicide and clockwork.
She tipped a figure over, grinning broadly.
Awakening from her slumber, Yang surveyed the battleground before her. The dust had not yet settled, and bodies littered the earth. She coughed, a rattling, broken sound. Pushing herself to her feet, she scooped up her helmet and lasgun. Limping forward, she tried to make sense of what happened.
The sounds of war were still present, but distant, alien. The ones who weren't lucky enough to die were screaming, left behind by their comrades during the press of war. Holding one of her arms, she made her way towards the sounds, feet tripping over corpses both human and ork. Blood soaked gravel crunched softly beneath her boots, the red foaming up about her feet as she plodded along. Pain pulsed through her every step, an aching tug that pulled at the edges of her awareness.
"Augh! Someone, please!"
Yang found a wounded soldier splayed on the ground, trying to stuff his entrails back into his body. Her hand went to her mouth, but could not stop the vomit from spilling forth. Crimson rope spooled about his hands, and he screamed and screamed. Sometimes he called for the Emperor, sometimes for his mother.
Wiping her mouth, she made her way towards him. Tears ran down his face, and trails of blood leaked from the corners of him mouth.
Reaching him, she shook his shoulders, trying to bring him into reality. His helmet tumbled off, revealing his roan hair and notched ear. No. Impossible. It was the boy from the Departmento Munitorum, the one she winked at those scant few months ago.
"MOOOOOOOOMMY!" He cried, lost in his death throes. It was then Yang knew what to do. Her lasgun found its way into her hands, the barrel pushed against the boy's forehead.
"I'm sorry."
The lasgun hissed, and his suffering was extinguished. No tears came to her eyes, no anguished wails over her deed. Just cold acceptance and unbearable weariness. She shouldered her lasgun and marched on, picking and climbing her way through the bodies.
As she descended the hill, the haze of dust about the air faded, revealing a line of green-armored soldiers and vehicles. Still clutching her arm, she made her way towards them. Only the occasional bellow of a Basilisk sounded, throaty and earth-shattering.
"Halt!" Someone shouted, leveling their lasgun at her. "Name and… oh, Emperor!" Yang raised her hands, seeing three figures approach her. Their faces were twisted in horror.
"I got something on my face?"
"You… um… Holy Terra. You alright, Trooper?" Yang thought for a second. Besides the general pulsing pain, everything seemed to be ok.
"I'll make it, thanks. You…um. Hm." She found it incredibly hard to concentrate. "Do you know where… Gamma Platoon is? They're probably looking for me." One of the Guardsmen set his lasgun aside and jogged towards her.
"Hey, easy, easy! Why don't you take a seat?" An extraordinary suggestion. She sat, relief overcoming her as soon as she fell.
"I take it that we won?" She asked. The man nodded, sweating.
"Minor casualties too. Sent the xenos packing, the foul things." He spat. "Commissar Daniloft and the Colonel took a strike force out and killed their warboss." He looked her over again. "Are you sure you're ok, you… uh… here." He reached into his tunic and handed her a small box. She pressed a button on the side, and a mirror popped up.
A demon stared back at her, and she watched its features slowly distort. The reflection was not one of Yang, but one of a blood-soaked and wide-eyed monster. Dried blood covered every inch of her, from head to toe. Her hair was matted and stringy, spilling out from under her helmet in a tangled mess. Some of it stuck to her armor, blood sealing it into place. She blinked, unable to recognize herself. A hand went to her face, to touch it, make sure it was real.
"I… um. Thanks. I need…uh... Do you know where Gamma Platoon is? They're probably looking for me." The guardsmen just shook his head.
"I'll see what I can do though. Hey, Gudfriedsdottir! Get on the vox, get a location on Gamma Platoon." One of the soldiers nodded, speaking a few words into a vox-caster. "We pushed ahead after the main ork force broke. Right now, we're setting up a perimeter. Are you sure you don't need a medic?" Yang shook her head. Her eyes did not leave her arms, both of which were coated in viscera.
She unhooked her canteen from its place and took a few swallows. The water was stale and warm, and tasted vaguely of dirt, but to Yang, it was sweeter than sugar.
The guardsmen led her to her platoon. Fighting to regain her composure, she took deep, filling breaths, but nothing seemed to work.
"Golden Throne of Terra!" Someone exclaimed. "It's Yang! Yang's alive! Holy groxshit, get over here, guys!" The voice was familiar… Ros? It had to be Ros. Sure enough, the red-haired woman bounded forward, wrapping Yang in a crushing hug.
She sank into the embrace, letting her face fall to rest against Ros' shoulder.
"You're alive! But how? I saw you with that bolter… God-Emperor be good! Just how strong are you?!"
"You were magnificent." Caolin said, limping up to them. Bandages were wound tight around his shoulder, and his face was covered in soot. "Like something out of Scripture. I could have sworn your hair was glowing."
Yang accepted the praise, paling behind the dried mask of blood. She'd been very careful not to show off her aura... I must've gotten carried away... Thankfully, he doesn't seem... too perceptive. She let loose a slow breath, trying to still her heart. Breathe, Yang.
"Thanks so much, Trooper." Ros said to the guardsmen who had brought her. They nodded, saluted, and walked off.
Rhain joined them,straining under the weight of his vox-caster.
"You're alive! You're a mess, but you're alive!" He said, laughing. "We were crushed when you disappeared!" Mael showed up too, elation evident on his face. He clapped Yang on the shoulder, beaming.
"What's all this about?" A familiar, gruff voice cried out. Jorvis stalked up to them. "There's xenos about! Why in the-" He paused. "Why, it's Trooper Xiao Long!"
"In the flesh, sir." She managed. His metal eye refocused.
"Exemplary effort, Private. Now get that blood scrubbed off and grab your lasgun. Damned orks could come back at any moment!" She nodded.
Mael rolled his eyes. Caolin looked irritated at the Sergeant's comment, but let it slide. Her friends... despite her earlier worry, her friends were all alive...
"We'll be here for awhile, ok Yang? Why don't you take a load off, get settled." He said.
Yang gathered them all in her arms, lifting her four friends up and clasping them tight. It hurt, but she held them.
"You're alive," she whispered, sobs threatening to choke her words. "I'm so glad. I'm so glad." Tears poured down her face. "Thank the Emperor, you're alive!"
A/N: So yeah, I wrote the introduction for the Lady Inquisitor, but it ended up being too short to justify its own chapter. And I wouldn't pad it out (I don't pad out chapters, each word is there for a reason) so I included a section from the next chapter, which is the battle's epilogue.
Oh and yeah, Yang killed a nob, not the warboss. Sorry for the confusion, I'll copy my reply to thefluffyone93's review here: "Since the standard woadian probably doesn't know what a Nob is, I didn't put any clarifying language in there". I tried to make it clear he was just a nob (what warboss is happy with just a choppa?) but it was difficult. And if it had been the warboss, you would have known it was the warboss.
So, the Lady Inquisitor is an interesting character. I'm curious to see how she develops. A lot of you have probably already noted she's a bit unorthodox, and that will be expanded upon, I promise.
And yeah, Yang is a little shocked by the ordeal, she's never really seen the full-scale, wholesale meat-grinding slaughter of war before. As to her last line, don't think she's suddenly turned into an Emperor worshiper, she's just starting to pick up the Imperium's lexicon.
Hope you liked the chapter! Please, I really want to know what your reactions are! Every review helps!
Review Replies:
reality deviant: I agree! Can't wait to see what happens! ;)
RED Roman Pyro: Thanks! I tried to capture some of the feel that the official art has in the codex. A wall of lasguns, and that patented IG 'shoot or we're fucked' desperation.
thefluffyone93: You are correct. Since the standard woadian probably doesn't know what a Nob is, I didn't put any clarifying language in there. Thankfully, the Colonel and the Commissar took care of the Warboss. :3
The Walrus of Eden: Glad you liked it! I don't know just yet about other RWBY characters. That certainly would be interesting to see! If they are included, they'll be few and far between. Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter!
DanAbnettFan1997: Yang with the heavy bolter was my favorite haha
L4 of the WEST: MEDIC! TROOPER DOWN! (Seriously though, hope you feel better!)
dksamuri: Yang is from RWBY, an animated series by Rooster Teeth. Very, very anime-esque. Second season recently came to a close. It has its flaws like anything else, but it's worth checking out. If you don't want to invest the time, check out 'RWBY Yellow Trailer' on youtube. You'll get a great feel for Yang's character, as well as her fighting style, in a fraction of the time.
SixPerfections: Wow, holy shit! Thanks so much for all the reviews! I... wow! Alright, I'm gonna try and tackle all your questions and comments here. If I miss any, feel free to PM me! I'm so pumped you like the story and the cover art! Besides Time To Say Goodbye, I love shopping together cool little cover pics. :) Yang's relationship with Warp-Travel will be explored upon further, I promise! I'm also glad that you like the OCs! OCs can be the death of fics, 'cause if they're not done right, they drag the whole story down. I'm thrilled that even a few have managed to catch your eye. As to Yang's sudden acceptance of her new home, know that I fully plan to delineate on what happened back on Remnant to leave her in such a state! I'm glad it got you thinking, as that was more or less the intention. (But definitely could have been done better) As to Romance, fear not! Without veering into spoiler territory, I'll say that I'm no slouch when it comes to romance, and it'll be done as well as I can possibly make it. I've put a lot a thought into the involved characters, and hope you'll be pleased with the result (THAT GOES FOR EVERYONE, BTW!). I was tempted to give Yang a few flings (it's somewhat in character), but it just left a bad taste in my mouth, so I canned the idea entirely.
The Lady Inquisitor is an... interesting woman. That's all I'll say right now.
Oh! Almost forgot! Thanks for mentioning those forums. I just tried to look at them, but found myself very lost and very confused. I'm petrified I'll post something in the wrong place and have an angry mob on my hands! If you know the ropes, please, feel free to post my stories yourself. If you do, all I ask is that you link me the threads! Oh, and wait a few more weeks, because there will be a lot more to discuss. ;)
Seriously, thank you so much for your support! I'm friggin' pumped you're diggin' the story despite all my fuck-ups. Each review warms my cold black heart just a little bit more, and seeing the stack of review emails you left in my inbox made my whole day. :)
Thanks so much for the reviews everyone! At this pace, we'll beat out Time to Say Goodbye in no time!
Next Week: The Lady Inquisitor is on the warpath.
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS, MEN! FOR THE EMPEROR!