Visius was confident in his terminators as he made his way to the command deck. But an itch in the back of his mind grew, as if he felt the weight of his choices manifest. He,out of all the odds, found a lost, blooded child of the Corpse Emperor.
And he was not about to let the opportunities of such a find slip through his fingers.
The bridge was not far. A reason why he kept Isis within his quarters, for the proximity.
The corridor gleamed from fresh polish, as servitors and cultists made their way to their respective purposes.
As he made his way, he felt their presence before he even made the turn that led to the bridge.
There were two of them. Their lithe forms were paradoxically twisted and captivating at the same time. Their noses were small and somewhat flat. The skin was pale as darkened hair shimmered and fell over their skin, giving them a striking manner. The daemonettes moved forward once his gaze rested on them, their bodies swaying and jarring with every movement in an intriguing manner. Both of them were hermaphroditic in the manner of their god, sporting both aspects.
The armor they wore was as twisted as their bodies. Mostly black, with silver trim but seemed to play with striking hues of color as they shifted their bodies.
It covered one breast of a woman as it allowed the other of a male to show. Each one had a claw as if a warped version of a crustacean, while the other sported elongated fingers, tipped with deadly sharpened talons.
Their legs were bare and buckled backward at the knees to form the lower legs of that of a beast. Claws tipped the toes and clicked upon the metal floor as they approached.
Knowing smiles spread across their twisted faces before they spoke in unison.
"Will you not dance with us, Master?"
One spoke with a shrill pitch as the other a grated bass. Both harmonizing and off setting, causing the inner flesh of those that heard, to hum with slight vibrations.
"Let us make you smile."
Visius laughed softly.
"Nothing would bring me more joy than for us to dance." He gripped their limbs, pulling them close. Swiftly, he altered his grip, his hands went for their necks in a firm choking grasp as a seductive laugh left his lips.
They both withered in his grip as one slowly raked its claws across the armor of his torso, while its crab-like claw clamped around his hand.
The other seemed to extremely enjoy the ordeal as it dug its claws into his mutated hand and began carving a symbol into its flesh. Through its teeth, it rasped, its throat fighting to work under the pressure. Its high pitched voice grated on his ears.
"Remember...who you...belong to."
It hissed, forcing its voice to become even higher.
The other continued, its claws creating a scraping sound off the armor.
"What is given...can be taken away."
The symbol the daemonettes carved, gave off excruciating pain as it burned deep to the bone. But, the gift of the God of Excess was absent. There was no euphoria. No pleasure from this pain. No gratifying sensation.
Visius' stilled momentarily at the threat.
Together, they spoke, hissed... Grunted.
"She… can not exalt... you.
Like we can."
The claws dug deeper now, the symbol almost complete. "Give us the prize. Let us play with it, Master. And you will rise... champion, you will be made. All will tremble at -" Their voices rose in a scream, a bellow, as their bodies stiffened.
Visius had released his full power into them. Chain lighting coursed through their bodies and crackled throughout the corridor. Smoke streamed from their orifices as they were cooked from the inside out.
"My power is my own!" His voice overpowering their death cries. In his grasp, their necks curshed to ash as their bodies began to crumble before him, their voices finally fell silent.
He ended his assault. What was left of the daemons, disintegrated into dust, and fell to the floor.
Visius casted his gaze to the ceiling as if speaking to someone.
"You would do well to remember that." He snarled.
The sensation of burning pain brought his attention back to his hand. The symbol still burned profusely, as if still being carved upon his mutation.
Snarling, his blade made an eerie hiss as it was drawn. Without hesitation, he hacked the mutation from his limb. It fell to the ground next to the charred remains of the daemons with a fleshy thud.
Roaring with outrage that could be heard throughout this portion of the ship, he stomped his way back to the bridge, slashing rends in the bulkheads as he went.
...
Isis had followed the cyborg, whom Visius had called Heretek Striigg for what seemed a while. This was the most she had walked since on the Hell-Ship, and even on there, it winded her. She quickly felt her endurance dwindling away.
Her breathing was beginning to labor by the time Striigg had stopped at a set of large doors. The two terminators halted their steps, flanking her. She stole a glance up at one.
Its size made her feel like a child, as she had to slightly tilt her head up. Its face...helmet disturbed her. It looked as if the helmet fused with the flesh of his face, making it one part.
He must have sensed her looking at him, for he turned his head to peer back down at her.
The light reflected off the visors where his eyes would be, and she felt her hackles rise.
Quickly, she turned her head away, back to the door. But that site wasn't any better.
Striigg was just finishing sending noises, clicks, and buzzing sounds to a head that was encased within the wall next to the door. The head had its eyes replaced with optics, and the mouth looked to have had a speaker forced within it.
Disturbed and regretting this decision entirely, Isis folded her arms closely, playing with the thought of running. Glancing to the side, she saw that the corridor was full of people. She could run...hide... then what?
As if anticipating her thoughts, the terminator took a step, blocking her view.
She heard a sound from the head in the wall, and the doors opened swiftly, causing her to jump from the suddenness.
Giving a silent wish that they would quickly give her a sedative before any more disturbing sites, she was ushered in.
Inside, the main room was large. At first glance, it reminded her of a mad scientist's laboratory. There were several machines within this room, four, in fact. Computers lined the walls, as well as what looked to be coolers or cabinets. Cables dangled from the ceiling, connecting to the machines. While other cables snaked across the floor.
One machine had a body hooked within it.
Its midsection was cut open. Ribs had been removed, exposing organs and entrails. It looked as if the rib cage was in the process of being replaced with metal. Cables and hoses snaked in and out the body. In her horror, she could see the heart. It still pumped.
His arms and legs had been brutally removed, and small hoses and cables were also present within the severed limbs.
Her eyes shot up to the face of the body. She wanted to look away, to run, but her body refused to move. Hoses had been inserted into the eye sockets and mouth. The jaw was extended past its normal opening width. Surely it had been broken to allow so much within it.
She was so engrossed in the site that she vaguely heard a voice come over a speaker. It sounded like a command, but the words were lost on her. It did manage to jar her out of the nightmare she looked upon, and she quickly turned to see Striigg at a machine opening it up. This one also had a place for a person to be inserted and strapped to a narrow metal table. He had swiveled it down horizontally when he looked up at the terminators and spoke. His words were quick and harsh sounding.
Two other cyborgs came from an adjoining room, and they, too, spoke.
Isis glanced at the machine Striigg was apparently setting up for her, then to the machine that hosted the horror.
"Screw this..." She said quietly as she made a step to the door.
The voice again came over the speaker, filling the room, and she swore she could hear it from the other side of the door as well, echoing down the corridor.
At once, the terminators acted. One had placed himself at the door and readied his weapon as if he expected something to come through. The other had moved to the center of the room, his arms lifted slightly, his hands flexed as they held a massive looking cannon that sported what looked to be a large speaker shaped like an open maw.
Isis could feel the tension in the room grow.
Striigg had moved toward her now, his legs clicking on the metal floor as he approached her.
Isis moved to the door. She was gearing up to use her powers to get her out when she heard yelling and then weapons fire outside the door. She froze, feeling the beginnings of panic now. Turning back to Striigg, and backed away from him.
He stopped, she could feel frustration roll off of him.
Striigg halted, spoke, and motioned her to come, to follow.
"I don't think so, Frankenstein." She replied,shaking her head and taking another couple more steps away.
She pointed, hastily, to the machine housing the flayed person.
"Not happening, I..I change my mind!" Her voice, an octave higher,due to her rising fear.
Striigg responded with movement again, pointing to her, with a metal skeleton looking arm, then to his head. His movements were now abrupt, his patience thin.
Isis knew what he wanted now. She didn't want to. She definitely did not want to be in his head. Being in his laboratory was bad enough.
She made another step to the door, the terminator barked several words, she felt it was directed at her. She could feel her heart pound in her ears.
Striigg was speaking rapidly now, his movements growing more frustrated.
Feeling trapped, she relented and entered Striiggs mind.
Instantly, she felt a duel nature. One living, another machine. But both intertwined to become one. Vastly different from anything she had dealt with before.
She didn't have much time to ponder when Striigg sent a series of thoughts to her, followed by unknown words and algorithms she did not understand.
The thoughts were brief but direct.
She understood now. Striigg had painted the picture perfectly.
Visius had called for a culling of his fleet.
Another cyborg, this one had steel legs, came up beside Striigg and handed him a spear of sorts. At the top, a wicked point curved downward in an arch. Controls were embedded in the staff, cables seemed to move on their own accord from his body and interlaced themselves onto the spear. Lights from the controls lit up just above where he held it, and an electric hum emanated from the staff.
He sent her more thoughts. He wanted her to move away from the door, in the back room.
One thought, though... she had almost missed it. She didn't think he meant for her to pick up on it.
'Visius would kill him mercilessly if she was harmed.'
That thought gave her a small security.
She glanced at the mutilated person within the machine. Striigg must have picked up on her hesitation from the site, for he answered her question before she was able to form it into a thought.
"That is a potential servitor. Your procedure will be less invasive." The thoughts were swift and dismissive. She had been told of a servitor before.. the zombie cyborgs. Her gut rolled at the thought. Before she could think any more of it,
"Now come, quickly. I will not start the procedure until the culling is finished."
Isis swallowed, his last thought was not reassuring, and forced herself to move forward into the other room. She kept her eyes down to the ground, not wanting to see any other horrible surprises.
She noticed that the other two cyborgs that dressed like Striigg, but had different appendages had weapons of their own. They were busy at the computers, and the sound of locks at the door responded to their inputs.
Once in the back room, Striigg positioned himself at the doorway, his back to her.
A few minutes passed when an explosion rocked the bulkheads, the sound of bolter fire and horrific blasts of sound brought Isis to her knees, and she covered her ears desperately trying to block the discordant onslought.
...
Jigrinn collected her psykers quickly.
Visius had created a divergence. Divided them. She laughed to herself. He was foolish thinking he could turn his back on Slaanesh.
The entire fleet was stunned at the orders to destroy all daemons.
But it was the perfect opportunity for her to act. Thousands were turning upon each other like rapid beasts.
It was perfect.
She desperately made contact with others aboard the other ships and found that the Captain of the Blade of Bliss was not siding with Visius on the orders.
Time was of the essence, and if this was going to work, it had to be now.
She gave her psykers swift instructions and sent them to their tasks.