Locum Ignotum Chapter 10
Snow covered everything, laying thickly upon the rocks, boulders and hardened ground. This high up the mountain the trees had long since died out, unable to grow in the constant, freezing conditions. What was left was a barren land of ice and rock, where even animals dare not go. Wrethan reflected upon this as he followed Ganaar ever higher, tracking the scent of the criminal Jediah. The constant golden light gave everything a yellow tinge; reflecting off the snow and making it seem to glow. Just when Wrethan he thought he was used to the ways of this strange land it threw up something bizarre, why the builders of this place would need barren mountains baffled him but there must be some reason.
Wrethan took a moment to think about their Librarian, he was certain that Arvael knew more than he was letting on. The Librarian had been reticent for days now, refusing to talk about what his investigation had uncovered. All he had said were firm admonitions to leave the Menhirs alone, other than that he refused to be drawn. Wrethan was sure Arvael was keeping things from the Company, but then he was a Psyker, his primary purpose was to deal with mysteries so the mundane Marines didn't have to.
Wrethan dragged his attention back to the hunt, seeing Ganaar stooping to examine the snow. Pressed into the white powder was the perfect imprint of an Astartes' boot and the old wolf paused to examine it. "Fresh," he stated, "Jediah is not far ahead."
Wrethan nodded and gripped his Crozius as he declared, "Good, after three days of pursuit the time has come for the reckoning."
Ganaar stood up and kept his axe close as he said, "You intend to cut his thread?"
Wrethan said, "If we must, I doubt Jediah will let us take him alive."
Ganaar led them on as he said, "Tell me of Jediah, was he always like this?"
Wrethan nodded his skull-helm and explained, "We knew he was disturbed from the moment of his induction, there was always darkness within him. The training instructors firmly believed had we not inducted him then he would have gone on to become a serial killer. He was a murderer through and through."
Ganaar seemed puzzled and said, "You lot don't smell like murderers, too much of your Primarch in you. So rigid that the stick up his arse had a stick up its arse."
Wrethan sighed and said, "The Chapter has a need for killers, honour does not win wars alone."
"So you tried to wean him off it," Ganaar stated.
"We taught him to value skill and strength," Wrethan corrected him, "To see the value of obedience."
"You tried to tame the beast," Ganaar said, "But it cannot be tamed, its hunger cannot be satiated. Man against beast, that is the nature of all Astartes."
"Very poetic," Wrethan said, "But not inaccurate, we are warriors first and foremost. Violence comes naturally to us, but it must be tempered with discipline lest we fall as the Traitors did. Jediah has failed that test, yet it is odd that he left his victims alive… that is not like him at all."
Ganaar stepped onwards and said, "Then something of the man remains, the beast has not won yet. His soul may yet be reclaimed and the man brought back alive."
Wrethan followed him muttering, "Given the penances he would have to endure for losing discipline it may be kinder to kill him."
Together the pair pressed on, heading in a field of large boulders. Snow lay thick on the ground here and the trial became stark, the tracks standing out clearly. Ganaar paused by a large snowdrift and frowned saying, "This is too easy."
Wrethan gripped his Crozius and inquired, "What do you mean?"
"The tracks are too obvious," Ganaar said, "Jediah would not be so careless."
Wrethan grasped what he meant and snarled, "He's doubled back, it's a trap!"
Suddenly behind them the snowdrift erupted, as an armoured figure exploded outwards. Wrethan had a brief glimpse of blue armour coming right at him and then a Fractal-edged short sword flew at his face. Wrethan would have died then and there but at the last moment there was a flare of light as his Rosarius activated. A shimmering force field blazed before him, deflecting the lethal edge of the blade and saving his life.
Wrethan's reaction time was blinding, he swung his Crozius at the looming form of Jediah but the warrior expected this and ducked underneath. The Chaplain corrected and came back on the reverse but before he could connect a boot slammed into his mid-riff, driving him back.
Wrethan staggered for a moment then Jediah sprang at him, smashing a fist into his faceplate. Wrethan's head snapped back and he was forcibly reminded that while Novak was the most skilled with a blade, nobody in the Company was as deadly as Jediah. Wrethan struggled to regain his balance and Jediah pounced, relishing the coming kill.
At that moment there was a grey blur and an armoured form slammed into Jediah, it was Ganaar, tackling the warrior around the waist. The pair slammed down into the snow and rolled over and over, kneeing and elbowing each other in a fierce scrum. Jediah tore a furrow down the layered Ceramite of Ganaar's Mark II plate but in return an axe blow smashed his faceplate, destroying his helm's lenses.
The pair broke apart and Jediah rolled to his feet, tearing his helm free. His face was a mask of rage and ferocity, a bestial anger consuming him. Wrethan was uncomfortably reminded of the faces of Khorne Berserkers he had slain and he cried out, "Jediah stand down, temper your humours and be calm!"
From beside him Ganaar snarled, "Do not listen to that, you must fight. Fight for your very soul!"
Jediah leapt at them screaming, "You won't take me back, I won't go back to that. You'll have to kill me or I will kill you!"
Wrethan took a blow upon his pauldron as Jediah slammed into him, bowling them both over. Wrethan fell and as he did so felt a stabbing pain in his legs, it was his hamstrings he realised, Jediah had just severed them. He fell into the snow, his legs flopping uselessly below him as Jediah flipped back up to his feet.
Ganaar leapt axe in hand as he bellowed, "The beast has its fangs in your spirit but you are not gone yet. You must fight it; fight to remember that you are a man not an animal. Gather your strength and fight for all your worth!"
Jediah flew at him and roared, "Blood for the Company, Skulls for the Chapter!"
Ganaar met him with the flat of his axe, knocking him away as he yelled, "Remember who you are, you are Jediah, born of the Storm Heralds. You are a Brother and a man; do not let the beast take you down into the darkness!"
Jediah snarled, "It's too late for that, all I see is the darkness."
Ganaar barked, "No, you knew better when the beast tried to take you. You did not kill those mortals, the man in you would not allow it. Bring forth that man, he must drive the beast out and stand with us. A beast could not do that, it would not recognise friend from foe but you still can, come back to us!"
"I can't stop, it won't let me," Jediah screamed as leapt, "The darkness is all!"
As Wrethan watched they smashed together, blades flashing to tear and gouge. Jediah's sword slashed across Ganaar's arm drawing blood but the Space Wolf's axe flashed upwards drawing a red line across the warrior's face. The pair wrestled back and forth, hammering away at each other. Jediah's sword flew from his hand in the scrum and Ganaar's axe was knocked from his grip.
Wrethan watched their furious combat, the pair smiting each other with depthless rage and he couldn't tell which one was more bestial and savage. Then Ganaar leaned back before slamming his head forward, smashing his skull into Jediah's. The Storm Herald was dazed and unable to stop a follow-up punch to the gut that dropped him to his knees in the snow.
Jediah looked up, blood pouring from his split head and he gasped, "I can't do it, I can't live in peace. You'll have to kill me, that is the only peace I will ever know."
Ganaar's face filled with rage and he cried, "Peace, you dare speak to me of peace?!"
Ganaar slammed a fist across Jediah's face, snapping his head back. Jediah sprawled in the snow but Ganaar grabbed him by the back of the neck and heaved him up, he tensed then slammed Jediah's face into a boulder. The stone cracked under the impact and blood ran freely down Jediah's stunned face as Ganaar roared in anger, "There is no peace among the stars, there is only war!"
Again he slammed Jediah's face into the rock, shattering his nose and as the blood flowed down his chin Ganaar bellowed, "There is no peace in the hearts of men, there is only war!"
Once more Ganaar slammed Jediah into the boulder, spraying shattered teeth everywhere as he screamed, "There is no peace to be found in death, there is only war!"
He span Jediah around and grabbed at the gorget then he drew back his fist and furiously smote the warrior across the face as he yelled, "This is who we are: war within!" Once more he smashed Jediah in the face shouting, "War without!" then again his fist struck crying, "War eternal!"
Suddenly Jediah's hand shot up and he grabbed Ganaar's fist, not in challenge but in acquiescence. Jediah breathed through a mouth of blood and shattered teeth, "Stop, I yield."
Ganaar gripped him by the gorget and barked, "You are yourself again… the man speaks now not the beast?"
Jediah nodded and gargled, "I see now, the darkness retreats. I am… myself once more."
Wrethan forced himself to his feet, his hamstrings already reknitting as he said, "You have broken faith with the Chapter's teachings."
Jediah bowed his head and gurgled, "I have, I shall pay penance."
Wrethan picked up his Crozius and growled, "Indeed you shall, your agonies shall be severe."
Jediah didn't argue but glanced at Ganaar and said, "No one has ever shared my struggle before. The darkness, I knew it was a part of me but the way you spoke, it made me see that it had to be fought. You brought me back… you saw into the very heart of me."
Ganaar stepped back and looked away saying, "It is a battle I know all too well, I fight it every day."
Wrethan was surprised and said, "You do?"
"Ja," Ganaar said, "The others pretend it is not in their hearts too, that they can live happily without war but I see the way it chafes at them. They all yearn for it but they deny it with talk of peace… peace the very word is an insult. Peace is an illusion; war will find us all sooner or later. It is inevitable, if not from outside then from within."
Jediah woozily struggled to his feet and said, "You are right, it was shameful of me to surrender to the darkness. I let peace defeat me."
"The beast hungers," Ganaar stated "It keeps you sharp, gives you your strength but it is not tame. Always we must struggle to master it, lest it turns on us and makes men into monsters."
Wrethan shook his head and said, "We must return, you have recompense to offer and…"
Suddenly there was a most unexpected occurrence. The warm golden light that had been constant and unwavering since their arrival unexpectedly flickered. It disappeared for a moment, plunging the mountain into darkness. Nothing could be seen for there was only inky blackness all around then it was gone.
It was like blinking, so sudden and sharp that it was almost unnoticeable. Wrethan thought he was mistaken but then it happened again; pitch blackness engulfing the whole land for several seconds. Time stretched out into an eternity before the light returned, making the snow glow once more.
Wrethan saw the shock on Ganaar's face and said, "Does that happen often?"
Ganaar was wide eyes and said, "No, not once in all the centuries I've been here."
Jediah blinked and said, "What does this mean?"
Ganaar picked up his axe in a fierce grip and declared, "It means that you have returned to us just in time, war has found us at last."
