Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 309

"Scatter!" Reddam hollered as the battle rolled over them, "Break into the corridors and lose them in the maze!"

"How the Frak do we do that?!" Joffel snarled.

"Use your head, we know this Starfort, they don't. Now move!"

Kazao didn't have to be told twice. He fell back from the swirling battle, barley avoiding a hail of bolt rounds that plastered the walls around him. Everywhere violence raged, the clash of Transhumans in a conflict without lines or order. It had started so well, Secundus' attack on the rear had taken the invaders by surprise, forcing them to conduct a fighting withdrawal. Exactly as the moribund teachings of the Codex demanded. So close the Amber Vipers had come to trapping the speartip in a vice, but then a wave of reinforcements arrived behind Secundus, catching them in a beartrap.

Kazao could see the fight raging in the path to the Forge. Grappling figures in red and yellow giving battle to amber-clad Brothers, while red and black warriors waded in. There was even a flash of purple, as the few Soul Drinkers engaged, adding even more confusion. The madness of the melee was more terrible than anything Kazao had ever known, the contest of Space Marine against Space Marine beyond the bloodiest battles the Amber Vipers had waged. Everywhere blood was spilled, as battle cries and curses rang loud. Bolters thundered, chainswords snarled across armour and bodies hit the floor with a thud. Far more amber-clad than otherwise, Secundus was bleeding.

Nearby Joffel and Larus traded blows with a Howling Griffon. The Primaris warrior drove his knife across Ceramite with tremendous strength, leaving deep scars across plate. Joffel's bonesword and Larus' poisoned knives made scant impression otherwise, Ceramite impervious to their blows and the foe moving too fast to find joints. Tebes was facing off with a Blood Raven, his mining pick rang loud every time he connected, slamming home over and over. He was suffering dozens of blows in return, a sharp knife marking his plate deeply but neither could land the finishing blow.

Sergeant Reddam however was faring better. The crackling tip of his Power Spear was lethal and the reach his weapon afforded gave him an advantage. He was trading blows with a Howling Griffon, each strike leaving molten runnels dripping from ruptured armour. Reddam pressed his assault furiously, each motion tearing another furrow into the foe. His attack revealed bitter experience in its precise fury, the Old Seventeen didn't speak of their past but Reddam betrayed his deep knowledge of this kind of warfare. He'd killed Space Marines before and it showed.

Kazao's situation was more perilous. He saw a Howling Griffon barrelling down at him, a chainsword in one hand, a bolt pistol in the other. The barrel of the gun was coming to bear and Kazao was in no doubt the shot would be lethal. In his hand his short-grenade launcher seemed a pathetic defence, but then he had loaded a Krak grenade. His grip squeezed and the tube made a pooft noise, as a fat round left the muzzle.

Kazao's aim was slightly off, the round missed the hearts by a degree and instead caught the foe by the shoulder. The grenade detonated in a thundercrack of light and noise, tearing the warrior's left arm clean off. Kazao expected the Howling Griffon to fall, or at least pause, but he did not. Showing less concern than an Ork the foe crashed into the Amber Viper, bowling him over completely. Kazao's weapon flew from his hand as he fell, shocked by the unflagging zeal of his foe. The blast had knocked the charge off-kilter and the chainsword only chewed the floor, but a knee to the midriff told Kazao this fight was far from done.

Kazao reacted by slamming his right fist into the gaping wound that had been a shoulder and the impact elicited a grunt of pain. The nerves must be on fire to produce even so small a response from a Howling Griffon, but it availed Kazao nothing. Again he struck and again, and on the third attempt the enemy finally shifted.

The Howling Griffon rolled over and came to his knees, lashing out with the chainsword in a lateral sweep. Kazao however had relocated, he surged to his feet, barely missing being gutted as he swayed back. The foe seemed off-balance, over-extending with the weight of his swing. Perhaps the wound was finally getting to him, perhaps he was struggling to compensate for the loss of an arm but Kazao saw his opening and took it.

He barrelled into the foe, trying to rip the throat out with his bare hands. The enemy couldn't react fast enough and suffered a bruising strike to the larynx but the high gorget of his Mark X armour blocked a killing move. Kazao snarled in frustration but was stunned a moment later when a helm slammed into his faceplate. The headbutt drove him back a step, then the Chainsword swept up and over, coming down to bisect his skull.

Kazao saw the blow coming and instinctively reached up to grab the arm at the wrist. Gauntlets closed about the limb and held fast, stopping the strike an inch from his helm. Shock rang down his arms, but not half as much as took the Howling Griffon. The Primaris redoubled his efforts, pressing down with all his might but was unable to budge the weapon an inch. Snarling teeth revved past Kazao's helm, vibrations making the jelly in his eyeballs dance, but he grinned in joy. The Primaris should have been stronger, they were made to be stronger, but Kazao was an Aberrant, his strength was unnatural.

Kazao slid one hand to the elbow and levered backward, forcing the arm up and away. The Primaris seemed unable to process this reversal and spat, "What kind of freak are you?!"

"I am an Amber Viper!" came the response.

Quick as a flash Kazao let go one hand and snatched up his fang. He plunged it into the gaping wound on the flank. The point sank deep and then gas-compression ejected a vial of acid into the foe's innards, spraying blood outwards in a shower as flesh exploded. Concentrated acids tore into vital organs, corroding them in seconds and burning out blood vessels in an instant. Death came swiftly after.

The Howling Griffon collapsed, smoking profusely as his organs corroded. Kazao however was left holding his knife, seeing the thick runnels of blood painting it end to end. Tranhsuman blood, so beautiful and enticing. Before he knew what he was doing Kazao unclipped his helm and lifted the faceplate. He pressed the knife to his tongue and licked the blood off, then flipped the knife and lapped the other side.

Transhuman blood painted his tongue, so glorious, so powerful. Better than thin mortal vitae, purer even than the polluted blood of the revenant. Hyper-adrenaline, genhanced blood cells, genic markers, all washed over his tastebuds, filling him with joy and vigour. His hearts beat faster, his breath was light and his thoughts quickened. It was the essence of life itself.

"Kazao! Get over here!" Larus shouted. Kazao's reverie was cut off as reality crashed back. He was in mid-battle and standing in the open licking blood off his knife. Hastily he slammed his helm shut and moved out, stooping to scoop up his grenade launcher. The others were falling back, trying to retreat down a side passage. As to the fate of their rivals Kazao could not say, but Tebes was bleeding from the flank, being supported by Joffel under one arm.

"Are you ever going to not get hit?!" Joffel barked as they limped back.

"Not... today..." Tebes wheezed.

"Move faster!" Reddam barked, "We must disengage."

"Where were you?!" Larus spat as they withdrew.

"Fighting and killing," Kazao hissed.

"Tell us later, we've got to..."

Kazao saw it before Larus did, across the way the speartip of Howling Griffons marched, falling back in crisp order. At their heart their Captain stood proud, his armour battered but intact. Over one shoulder he carried a tub in a red robe, Archmagos Castabore, but in the other his bolter thundered, putting precise shots into pursuing Amber Vipers. Kazao saw the moment Ryneon noticed their presence, saw the bolter come about and the squeeze of the trigger as he lined up a shot for Larus' head.

Time seemed to slow as the round left the barrel. Kazao's awareness was hyper-keen, stoked by the blood he had ingested. Every nerve was on fire and his hearts beat furiously. His hands responded on reflex, reaching out to shove Larus back. Everything seemed so slow, as if moving through treacle but Kazao's hands hit first, clearing the way. He swore he could see the bolt round as it flew past, spinning in the air, then shot away and slamming into a wall beyond. Kazao could scarce believe it, Ryneon had missed.

"Kill them!" Ryneon roared in fury.

"Run!" Reddam barked as he turned to dash up a corridor.

All along the passage Secundus scattered, withdrawing in the face of superior force, but Kazao heard a dozen feet clanging behind, as his squad was chased into the mess of twisted passages and broken accessways that filled the Serpens Rex. Reddam took turns at random, following no pattern Kazao could discern. He put his head down and ran, keeping pace with ease. Tebes was struggling but somehow kept up, though the effort pained him. Twists and turns came and went, random choices at junctions and open doors taken advantage of when they appeared.

Shouts of confusion rang as the pursuers were faced with a plethora of choices, splitting up to chase the fleeing squad. Kazao wished he could say they lost the hunters, but they would not give up so easily. Still the confusing warren bought them precious minutes, allowing them to stay one step ahead of death. Till they ran into a locked door.

"Get it open!" Reddam spat as he spun on his heel and presented his spear to the dark corridor.

Larus banged a runepad and spat, "It's not responding!"

"Kazao, attend to it!" Reddam spat.

The others presented bolt pistols to cover the rear as Kazao ripped the panel open and peered at the interior. "It's broken!"

"I know that, do something!" Reddam hissed.

"I'm trying."

"Be quick, they'll be on us in seconds!" Joffel barked.

"I'm working on it!"

Kazao poked the coils and diodes within but found it was not responding, "There's no Motive Force in this spirit. It's dead."

"Force the door!" Larus spat.

"Wait," Tebes hissed, "Try this."

Kazao glanced at the proffered tool and memory stirred, he snatched it up eagerly and started applying it to the mechanism, as Nathanal had shown them. "What was that?" Joffel asked without looking.

"Doesn't matter," Tebes sniffed.

"Don't tell me it's a sodding Micro-lathe," Joffel groaned.

"Erm..."

"Well?"

"You said not to tell you," Tebes responded.

Kazao ignored the talk as he dug at the mechanism. Touch here, the artisan had said, connect here and the door should... A moment later the frame rattled as the door wheezed open. One panel parted, the other firmly stuck, but enough to squeeze through. Kazao leapt through and then turned to pull Tebes through the opening. A moment later Joffel wriggled through.

"I'm never going to hear the end of this," Joffel groaned.

"I don't know what you mean," Tebes stated smugly as Larus forced himself through the opening.

"Don't say it, not one word about micro-lathes, you hear!" Joffel snapped.

"Would I do such a thing?"

Finally Reddam squeezed past, yelling, "What are you standing around for, we have got to go!"

They sprang into a run as Kazoa asked, "Sergeant, did we win or lose?"

"We're alive, that counts as a win in my book."

"So what happens next?"

Reddam growled, "Next: we regroup and prepare for them to come back twice as hard and thrice as angry. We've just shown we can meet them on equal terms, so we can expect them to hit us even harder in return. This fight has barely begun."