Exitus Ultima Chapter 20
"What is it?" Epsilon asked as he peered at the dancing flame.
Beta cradled the spark in his gauntlet as he told them, "The Mendix Ignis."
"And that's supposed to be... what exactly?" Delta pressed.
"The flames of beginnings," Beta explained.
"That's a poetic and very vague answer," Talgor snorted.
Beta glared at the obtuse comment. Once more in the Alpha Legion's underground base their army gathered. The cryo-caskets were empty, the Glykonae within stirred to life and dispatched across the planet. Reports of their activity were pleasing, many Imperial snoopers had been killed, for minimal losses. The new weapons, for they could not be considered Brothers, were as strong as promised and surprisingly hard to kill. The remainder stayed near the hub of XXth Legion planning, ready to deploy on a moment's notice.
The cavern rang with the assembly of squads, born sons of Alpharius rubbing shoulders with renegades and turncoats from other Legions and former loyalists, but all now considered Brothers. They were higher in their leader's esteem than the Glykonae, but still disposable if necessary. Beta was concerned only with the true leaders of the splinter, the foursome coming together to plan their strategy.
"The Mendix Ignis is an echo," Beta explained, "Before Chaos, before the rise of Necrons and Old Ones, the Warp was a peaceful realm of gentle energies and neutral spirits. Realspace and the Empyrean were in balance, a harmony of dimensions instead of the conflict we know today. There was no roiling tide of horror in the Warp, but power emanated from all quarters, creative and malleable, inspiring the Materium to grow, as it fed the Immaterium in turn. Galactic war poisoned that cycle, but a few remnants escaped the calamity. Persistent echoes of the universe as it once was. I thought this all a myth, until Harbinger actually summoned it."
"And that is supposed to impress us?" Epsilon scoffed.
Beta was annoyed, "You look at a primordial spark left over from the creation of the universe, one of the keys of the cosmos! It is to the Warp what cosmic background radiation is to realspace."
Delta rolled his eyes, "What he means is, what can it do?"
Beta sighed, "There are certain primordial elements known to still exist, the language of Enuncia, the Seven Singularities, the Ghostwind and the Mendix Ignis. Each able to rewrite the laws of reality, reshape worlds and tear down the walls between Warp and Realspace. This is such a tool."
Talgor frowned, "Really, that little thing?"
Beta sniffed, "The flame of beginning is but a potential at the moment, yet energised and amplified by dark rites it can overturn the universe. A sacrifice would be the most expedient method, more important the better."
All three shared a loaded glance as Delta ventured, "So the sacrifice
of a Primarch would..."
"With such a monumental death Harbinger could rip the galaxy in twain. A new Cicatrix Maledictum, from here to the former Eye of Terror, linking the two rifts. Realspace is barely holding together after one rending, to suffer two means the galaxy is done for. All reality will fall into the Warp, all worlds will become Daemonic playgrounds. Harbinger plots nothing less than the final victory of Chaos, the ultimate extinction of all life... starting with us."
Silence fell across the caverns as all eyes turned to the Sorcerer. The other squads had doubtless been listening in, as Beta knew they would, and the prospect of extinction consumed their attention. The others didn't seem pleased either. Scowls of anger spread over their faces as realisation stole over them. Lips curled and eyes narrowed in unreasoning hatred as the truth dawned.
It fell to Delta to spit, "This is your fault!"
"Mine?" Beta blinked in surprise
"You brought us into this, you brokered a pact with a Daemon!"
"You all agreed to it!" Beta argued irately
"We agreed to kill Guilliman," Epsilon snarled, "To claim the glory of killing a Primarch and the power that came with it. We were promised our names would resound across the galaxy, not to be torn apart by Daemonic claws!"
Loud grumbles of agreement rang around the cavern and Beta noted numerous hands drifting to the grips of bolters. A thread of danger rang through the crowd, the sense that violence would erupt any second. Anger was boiling below the surface, a rising tide of wroth looking for an outlet and Beta was the most convenient target. The Sorcerer knew his grip over the others was slipping, that they dared to dream of ending him. Almost he reached for his powers, but knew he could not prevail against so many, not all at once.
He glared at his kindred and spat, "You would risk breaking our compact, over this?!"
"A cooperative that leads us to ruin is no use," Epsilon hissed.
"We were so close to our goal, just trust me a little longer," Beta implored.
"Trust, somehow it's always us doing the trusting and you sneaking about. No wonder the Imperial Lapdogs close on us!"
"What's this?!" Beta started.
Talgor explained, "We've lost contact with another mission, many operatives and a Glykonae. They were ambushed by loyalists en-route to cleanse another lead. This isn't some random mischance either, it's the Storm Heralds. They are on our tails, heading towards a confrontation we can't avoid."
Beta breathed in relief, "This is good news."
"Good?!" Delta spat.
"Yes, don't you see. The Storm Heralds Librarian, he knows Harbinger's True Name, the Daemon's ultimate weakness. He comes to us, bringing the means to defeat Harbinger. All we need to do is capture him and extract the True Name, then we hold the balance of power."
"You hold the power you mean," Delta snarled.
"You taught us never to trust," Epsilon growled, "You shouldn't be surprised we doubt your word."
The other squads were moving now, encircling Beta, making sure every angle was covered. The Sorcerer knew he was on the cusp of being attacked and all the spells in the galaxy wouldn't help much against a bolt round in the back. Anger ran through them like an electric current, stoking every heart to mad rage. The fragile compact that held this cell together was fraying apart, risking their destruction. His chances of surviving the fight were slim, the odds of prevailing without their aid were non-existent. He had to stop this before it started.
"What is the alternative?!" Beta retorted, "We have a Greater Daemon planning to dump us all into the sea of souls and thousands of loyalist scum roaming the planet looking for us. Between them we stand no chance, you all know it to be true. If we fight among ourselves we are done for! The Alpha Legion depends on unity to function, an alliance of the alike and like-minded. That is why I offer to share the power with you, to share Harbinger's True Name."
"You offering to share?" Delta snorted, "The eternal liar?"
"You'll be there when I learn the True Name, you'll know what I know."
"Thissss trrrrick!" Epsilon probed.
"I cannot defeat Harbinger and the loyalists alone. I need you, as you need me. Our compact is all that holds us from total defeat!"
"Never trust," Delta growled, "Never let them see your backs."
"Glorrrry cannot be shared," Epsilon spoke with a drunken slur, "Power shall not beeee diluted!"
"Brothers, be calm!" Beta implored.
"Kill Guilliman," Talgor hissed, "Make him regret what his precious Codex did to me! Main him, kill him, burn him! Maim, kill, burn! Maim, kill, burn!"
"Claim the thrrrrone," Epsilon drooled, "Claim the Empirrrre!"
"I shall become Alpharius," Delta breathed, "Become him and claim all that he was and is and shall be."
Bolters were moments away from being let loose, every finger on a trigger. Beta had never seen the Alpha Legion act so, their cold reason swept away by a tide of rising anger. Emotions so long buried were spiking, sweeping aside rationality in a red haze. The XXth were cold and calculating but suddenly everyone was sinking into the mire of rage, with as much self-control as a Khorne Berserker.
Even Beta was affected. His eyes beheld not the cavern anymore but himself, standing over a defeated Harbinger. His body swelled with stolen Daemonic power, changing, becoming immaterial, becoming a Daemon Prince. His face ripped apart as a fanged goat's skull grew from his skull, crowned with many antlers of jagged aspect. His robes became cloaks of feathers and wings of flame spread from his back while mocking faces sprouted over his armour. Harbinger screamed in denial as Beta ascended to the courts of the Warp, usurping his place as the Cupbearer of Tzeentch. Beta wanted it, more than anything he had ever known he wanted it, but this wasn't his desire, it came from outside. Something was making him think this way.
Beta cast about in anxiety, then he saw it, the Mendix Ignis dancing merrily in his palm and suddenly he understood. He drew the flame to his hearts and passed his other hand over it chanting, "Tace, tace, obmutesce et ne ultra loquaris." A mesh of golden bars sprang between his palms, caging the Mendix Ignis in a prism of light. A buffer against its preternatural power and a shield for the soul. The effect was instant, the vision of majesty evaporated, leaving him cold and shivering.
Everyone else staggered as if slapped across the face and Epsilon gulped, "I... I couldn't think a single thought... everything was anger... all I knew was rage..."
"The Mendix Ignis, its power brushed our souls," Beta explained.
Delta was shivering, "I saw myself posing as the Primarch, wearing his face."
"The flames of creation stoked your emotions, heightened your passions and broke down the walls of inhibition."
"You said it wasn't of Chaos!" Talgor accused.
"I said it was the purest expression of the Warp," Beta retorted, "It merely amplified your own desires, revealed the truth of your hearts. The Mendix Ignis showed you your most secret longings."
Delta shuddered, "Take it away, keep that thing far from us."
"On this I agree," Talgor grunted as he shook his head, "That frothing madman is not who I am."
Epsilon concurred, "I don't like losing control. That thing destroyed my brilliant mind. I will not become a drooling idiot!"
Beta saw the crowd stir in agreement, none of them liking what had been revealed in their hearts, the unvarnished truth of self was a reflection few could look upon without disgust. Gently he said, "Very well, I shall put it back where I found it, but first: Flammae principium novi dominum tuum!"
Green sparks passed through the flame, causing it to flare for an instant before returning to normal. "What did you do?!" Delta hissed.
"Merely a failsafe," Beta assured them, "To keep Harbinger from killing us all, just a little cantrip, to ensure we can stop him in his tracks."
"You can block Harbinger's rituals?" Talgor asked.
"I can now. He'll never see what I've done, not till it's too late anyway. Now we hold the advantage"
A murmur rang through the room as the splinter relaxed, their cold demeanour returning. Once more they were the calculating schemers of the XXth, who acted from ruthless practically not wild emotion. Heads had been spun by the Mendix Ignis, but their souls remained as cold as ever. Beta was pleased and declared, "The shadows have served us well, but the time has come to emerge into the light. First, we defeat the Storm Heralds, then Harbinger. Too long have we let others chart our future, now we seize control of our destiny and the stars will shake at our passing!"