Fatigue shot through Admu's body like electric shocks, the strain of non-stop combat and the exertion of her new powers taking its toll on her. She was surrounded on all sides by Grey Knights, with the one in front wielding a halberd, two to her left wielding swords, and two to her right wielding a set of falchions and a large hammer respectively. The knights stood motionless in an attack formation, analyzing their opponent and waiting for her to make the first move. She was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling and creating clouds of steam with each labored exhale. Several tense minutes passed, as a drizzle began to rain down on them from the dark clouds above. Rivulets of water dripped down the gleaming silver armor of the Grey Knights, slick from the holy oil used to anoint them. Their weapons emanated steam from the heat generated by their psychic energy, glowing the same shade of pale, ethereal blue as the eyes of their visors.
Who are you? Admu said. What qualm do you have with the people of this world?
"All daemons know and fear the name of the Emperor. We are but the tip of his spear; we do not interpret his will - we are wielded by him." Justicar Mattias said.
Admu growled.
Leman spoke highly of his father… I trust his judgement. There is no way such an honorable and righteous man would allow such injustice to take place in his name!
Then this is the Emperor's will? Admu said, pointing to the burning silhouette of the city behind her.
The grey knights were silent. Admu's face twisted in rage.
Liars! She shouted.
Admu dug her hands and feet into the dirt, propelling herself towards the Justicar with great force. Her charge was abruptly halted by the deceptively fast strike of a hammer from her right, sending her reeling to the side. The strike was more painful than she had expected and left her with a ringing headache despite the attack landing on her right arm. The Grey Knights unloaded their stormbolters on her, and she quickly dashed behind the ruined Taurox after one of the shots grazed her cheek. She brought her hand to where the bolter round nearly missed her and felt the faint wetness of blood that heightened her sense of danger.
Something's different about these ones. She thought. I can't be as brazen as before.
As if in response to her heightened stress, a strange feeling shot through Admu's spine. She felt something inside of her change, as if realizing something she had forgotten a very long time ago. She began to feel a tingling in her fingertips, and looked up to the sky where she heard a faint rumbling of thunder. She instinctively raised her hand into the air, and in an instant a bolt of lightning shot down from the clouds and into her palm. The bolt of electricity was painful to hold, like gripping tightly a thorn-covered rose. In her left hand, blue-green energy coalesced into the shape of a bow strung with a cord of light. She nocked the lightning upon the light-bow and drew back the cord before emerging from cover and firing. The bolt of lightning screamed through the air, striking one of the Grey Knights and sending him flying backwards. She fired more lightning arrows in rapid succession, years of hunting combined with natural instinct making her a devastating markswoman with a bow. The other Grey Knights scrambled to avoid her shots while the halberd-wielding Justicar charged towards the Taurox with blinding speed. With a single swing he cleaved the vehicle in half, forcing Admu to leap out of danger but not before the halberd's blade could graze her arm with a light cut. Once again, she felt the same stinging sensation inside of her head, like whispering voices invading her mind. She roared in frustration and felt her fiery anger erupt from inside of her in the form of the orange-gold flames surging from her back. Her tail erupted into a long stream of fire, and she swung it towards the Justicar like a whip. The torrent of flame tore through the earth, kicking up chunks of asphalt and sending the Grey Knight commander hurtling backwards. Another grey knight charged at her with his sword but deflected the blade with her horns. She grabbed another, tossing him into the hammer-wielding knight.
Admu fought against the platinum-clad knights savagely, exchanging furious blows and tearing apart their surroundings in the process. Her claws and horns dug deep wounds in the earth, the lightning from her bow struck over and over, and the fire of her mane-like aura left smoldering scars all across the battlefield. Yet, this was proving to be more resilient and far less affected by her powers. Admu found that not only was her strength gradually draining as her exhaustion grew, but her powers were somehow muted against these silver-clad warriors. Her lungs were beginning to burn from constant exertion, and the muscles in her arms and legs smoldered with fatigue. She was heaving like a cornered beast, her eyes full of wild frenzy. The Grey Knights were not untouched, however, the blunt force and elemental magic of her attacks breaking down even their blessed artificer armor and building up internal damage with each blow. This daemon was proving a much stronger foe than they had anticipated, especially for one with such an unassuming physical presence.
"Brother Zacharias!" Justicar Mattias shouted to the hammer-wielding knight. "Pin the daemon down while I and the others assault it directly!"
"Affirmative." Zacharias said.
The Grey Knight raised a hand to his temple, focusing his mind on the daemon in an attempt to temporarily incapacitate it. Admu felt a pressure forming around her skull, like the atmosphere was growing thicker and heavier. She saw images flash inside of her mind, visages of bright gold and brilliant suns, and recoiled at the intrusion. She turned her attention to her attacker, her eyes locking in on the concentrating psyker. The Grey Knight stumbled backwards as the flow of psychic energy reversed tenfold. It was as if he were trying to pin a mountain with a rope. The feedback hit him immediately, with bolts of warp energy arcing from his helmet as he attempted to sever the psychic link. He released his grip on her mind, then opened his eyes to see Admu's hand collide with his face. She viciously slammed the Grey Knight's head into the ground, embedding his helmet in the pavement. She dragged the knight across the ground and sent him flying through a ruined building, the Grey Knight smashing through three walls before finally being arrested by the fourth.
Admu looked up to the sky, feeling the cool rain upon her skin as she released clouds of labored breath into the air. The droplets of rain mixing with the blood, sweat, and tears upon her face. The four Grey Knights struggled to get back to their feet after the damage Admu had inflicted upon them, leaving only the Justicar standing. Admu stumbled forward, weariness and exhaustion threatening to overtake her. Her head and shoulders were slumped over while her antlers continued to smolder with blue-green flame, albeit crackling and sparking as if running out fuel. Her arms hung loosely at her side, burning with fatigue. Admu and Justicar Mattias stared at one another from across the battlefield, both wounded and breathing heavily. In an instant they clashed, the Justicar's halberd becoming a streak of light while Admu became a blur of orange fire and shadow. Admu suffered a glancing blow to her thigh, the Justicar's chest plate was slashed, and the brawl continued. Behind a broken piece of wall, the inquisitor huddled in fear and watched as the two warriors struggled.
The Justicar thrust his halberd towards Admu's chest, but she deflected it and grabbed his arm instead. The Grey Knight tried to raise his stormbolter but Admu grabbed that arm as well, pinning the Justicar down on his back. He struggled against her grip, trying to grab his polearm that lay just out of reach.
How many… how many more have to suffer and die? Admu said. I don't want to kill you… I don't want to kill anyone…
Tears dropped onto the Grey Knight's armor, her face contorted in a mixture of rage and sadness. She looked into the Justicar's mask with a bitter expression, her beastly eyes appearing more human for a moment. She closed her eyes as tears gathered in them, then opened them suddenly. She whirled around to see a sword-wielding Grey Knight sneaking up on her and she swiped at him on instinct, carving a deep gouge into his chest. The Justicar took the brief window of opportunity to grab his halberd and plunge the blade into Admu's shoulder. She released a bloodcurdling scream, piercing the ears and minds of the inquisitor and Grey Knights alike. She looked down at the Justicar with a frenzied expression, lunging at his arm and tearing into it with her teeth. Her fangs broke through his armor and pierced his flesh, shattering the bones of his forearm. The Justicar shouted in pain as Admu violently shook the Grey Knight around like a rabid dog, smashing him against the ground and flinging him through the air while he flailed helplessly. She threw him down on the ground, held his other shoulder down and began pulling. There was a sound of armor cracking, bones snapping, and flesh tearing as the Justicar's arm was torn from its socket, causing the Grey Knight to howl in pain and claw at the gaping wound where his left arm once was.
Admu rose to her feet and spat out the severed arm, wiping the blood from her mouth as she struggled to stand on wobbly legs. Her vision was beginning to become blurry, her heart was pounding so intensely it hurt her chest, and it felt like her lungs were filling with water. She felt a sharp pain in her leg, turning to see a wounded Grey Knight sticking his falchion into her thigh. She grabbed him and threw him into a building, then turned to slash at another Grey Knight charging at her with his sword. Another jumped on her back and carved into her with his blade, and she slammed him down into the dirt. She fell to her knees, coughing up blood and clenching her teeth in pain. Her arms wobbled until they too gave out, and she fell face-first into the mud. The Justicar struggled to his feet, blood still dripping from his severed shoulder, and picked up his halberd with his remaining hand. Admu's form began to waver and fade, the fierce and savage pagan god replaced by a more demure and mundane physical form. She lifted her head weakly to look into the eyes of the approaching Justicar. He loomed over her, gripping the handle of his halberd tightly. She bore an expression of resentment, sorrow, and pain, tears and blood flowing down her face in equal measure. He hesitated for a moment, rain dripping down his expressionless mask, and simply looked into her eyes with the blue light of his visor. His head turned, as if breaking a spell, and he raised the point of the halberd into the air above Admu's neck.
"What are you waiting for, Justicar!? Banish the daemon!" Inquisitor Guillaume shouted, emerging from his hiding place now that the threat had been dealt with.
"Why do you hesitate, Justicar? Finish the warpspawn and let it be done with!" Brother Mattias said.
"Cannot… move… armor… stuck…!" The Justicar struggled to say, his limbs remaining motionless.
Frost began to build along the edges of the Justicar's armor, encasing his armor and freezing its joints solid. A cold wind blew across the ground, turning the mud to frozen earth in seconds. The battered Grey Knights found themselves surrounded by clouds of frozen fog up to their knees, trailing through the ruins in ominous tendrils. Reality tore open in front of them, revealing a warrior clad in steel-blue armor, a helm of elk horns, a billowing cloak of iridescent snakeskin, and wielding a black sword of fire. His left hand was outstretched, the great crystal eye embedded within his golden gauntlet blazing with arcane light from which the frozen air poured like water from a vase. His boots tread heavily on the frozen earth, with each step shaking the Grey Knights to their core. Admu smiled.
"Step away from the girl." he said.
A sword-wielding Grey Knight charged towards him, raising his weapon to strike the unknown interloper. Leman caught the sword with his own, deftly parrying the blade and sending it flying out of the Grey Knight's grip. He smashed the attacker's face with the butt of his sword, sending him flying backwards and caving the mask of his helmet in. The hammer-wielding Grey Knight charged forth and swung the heavy head of his weapon down on Leman. The wolf-king effortlessly dodged the strike, grabbing the Grey Knight by the neck and slamming him down into the earth with a thunderous impact. The falchion-wielding Grey Knight and the other sword-wielder charged at him simultaneously, and Leman swatted their weapons away like toys. He grabbed each by the helmet, slamming their heads together and tossing them aside. As Leman approached Admu, Justicar Mattias broke free from his icy restraints and swung the halberd at him. Leman simply caught the hilt of the polearm, kicking the Justicar away and discarding the halberd in the dirt.
"Are you alright?" Leman said, in the softest voice he could muster.
"I think… there are still… some parts that aren't broken…" Admu said, laughing softly before coughing up some blood.
"Please, save your breath… It's good to see you again." he said.
"Y-you… too." she said.
Leman stretched out his hand, and Admu grabbed hold of it. He helped her up, though she was unable to stand on her own. She leaned against him, the primarch shouldering her and helping her to walk. Inquisitor Guillaume, frozen both literally and with fear, trembled at the sight of them. Leman cast a venomous glance towards the inquisitor, sizing him up with a disgusted grimace.
"You are beneath me, worm." Leman said, causing the inquisitor to shrink back in fear.
The Grey Knights, thoroughly beaten and battered, could only watch as the two walked slowly off of the battlefield. Even still, the maimed Justicar crawled towards his halberd and used it to struggle to his feet. With his legs shaking he managed to get to his feet and raised his weapon for one final attack. He took a single step forward and was frozen in his tracks.
Leman stared at the Grey Knight over his shoulder, and the Justicar was struck with an indescribable sensation. For a moment, in the swirling clouds of frozen fog, he thought he could see a towering wolf 50 feet tall staring down at him, its blazing yellow eyes like lascannons straight through his heart. He dropped the halberd and fell to his knees, watching as the mysterious stranger tore open reality with claws of ice and stepped through with his companion in tow. The swirling warp tear began to sew itself closed, soon evaporating into nothing but empty air… and the two were gone without a trace.
Leman and Admu emerged at the entrance to the corrupted Stormbird, landed far away and safe from the reach of the Inquisition's troops. They walked into the open cargo door, and Leman laid Admu down on the floor. She had mostly stopped bleeding thanks to her innate abilities, though it would likely take a much longer time for her to recover fully. Her eyes were half-lidded as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Her nose twitched as the stench of the still-corrupted ship reached her, and her face twisted in disgust. She weakly reached out her hand and touched the hull of the stormbird, her fingers emitting a soft green glow that soon filled the interior of the ship. The grime and growths coating the vessel shriveled up and burned away into nothing, leaving behind a clean yet still somewhat decrepit Stormbird. Leman's axe, Starvore, still embedded within the controls, seemed to become calm in response to this, wrenching itself out of the console and falling to the ground with a clattering sound as it was no longer needed to keep the machine spirits at bay. Admu, now completely and utterly drained, fell to the ground with a loud metal 'thud' and began to snore, sleeping deeply with a serene look on her face.
Leman sank into the seat of the cockpit, activating the engines and preparing to escape this godforsaken planet once and for all. After that… he didn't really know. He had wished to go to Fenris, to see his sons once again… but after recent revelations he was no longer certain of this.
The Vlka Fenryka were strong, but no legion was strong enough to take on the entire Imperium at once. So much had happened while he was gone that it pained him to even imagine it, how the Imperium could have descended to such a state, helmed by zealots and madmen, with the galaxy plunged in darkness and the traitor legions once again roaming realspace with impunity. Yet, no matter how much he desired to turn that 'inquisitor' into mincemeat, his gut told him that he would be courting disaster. No matter how much the fool's zealous proselytizing made him want to vomit, he wanted nothing more than to avoid the horrors of the civil war that Horus had plunged the Imperium into once again - a risk he would be taking were he to reveal himself openly in opposition to imperial authority, no matter how corrupt. No, he had to be more tactful, he needed to know more about the state of the galaxy itself. Fenris would be safer without him, at least until he could figure out what was going on and formulate a plan. His mission was still to find his fallen brothers and somehow cleanse them of their chaotic corruption… trying to fight his loyal brothers at the same time was just madness. How had Guilliman been caught up in all of this? How had he even returned in the first place? The last time he had seen his brother he was locked in stasis, mortally wounded by his traitorous brother Fulgrim. Guilliman could be slightly egotistical in his own bookish way, but he was an honorable and - above all - rational man. Leman certainly did not take him for someone who would genuinely believe the writings of Lorgar. Even more worrying was the fact that, the moment they had re-entered realspace, Leman felt something was… off. He did not notice it at first, but like a low hum in the back of his mind he gradually became aware of it, a sensation that made it feel as though someone - or something - was watching them. It gave him an uneasy feeling, but without any clear indication of what was causing it he was forced to ignore it.
At the very least he could take solace in the fact that they had saved the survivors of this planet. Leman turned to Admu, still fast asleep in the cargo hold.
No doubt it was you who did the most to save them. Leman thought.
He remembered the Death Guard's panicked response to her devastating counterattack on their ground forces, by all accounts she had utterly annihilated them. Her hatred of Chaos almost surpassed his own. Then a worrying thought entered his mind.
That's right… my mission here is to save my brothers from Chaos… including Mortarion. My father said he could forgive them despite all that they had done, all that they had become… perhaps even I can bring myself to forgive them… but can you, Admu? He thought.
He activated the plasma engines as the Stormbird entered low orbit and set the navigation system to lead them to the refugee ship along with the rest of the survivors. With any luck, they would soon be rid of this system for good.
Inquisitor Guillaume raised the teacup to his shivering lips with shaky hands, both from the frostbite and from the anxiety building up inside of him. The heavily wounded Grey Knights were being treated for their grievous injuries, though thanks to their uniquely crafted biology they were mostly in stable condition. Fear and anguish built up inside of him as his mind reeled from the ordeal.
"C-commander K-kodiak, what is the s-status of the c-city?" Guillaume said.
The Tempestus Scions' commander, bandaged from his wounds and with his arm in a sling, reported in.
"The enemy lit fires and detonated their ammunition stockpiles as they retreated, slowing our advances even after the… incident. About half of the city is in ruins and the rest is on fire. We attempted to halt the heretics' evacuation with our Valkyries, however an unidentified aircraft harassed what was left of them until we had no more suitable aircraft left to fly. It didn't identify itself, but we believe it was a Stormbird, a remnant from the Death Guard occupation. We were unable to pursue it any further." Kodiak said, his gruff demeanor not wavering for a second.
Guillaume's lip quivered and his eyes were as wide as saucers with a look of grave apprehension. Not only had they been thoroughly thwarted by the daemon and her heretical thralls, but the city he had wanted to preserve as a show of his faith in the God-Emperor now lay in ruins. He had barely managed to accomplish anything here.
"W-where did the heretics evacuate to? T-they must still be in the system, we should organize a search party and-" Guillaume was interrupted by a communications officer holding a voxcaster.
"I'm getting an urgent transmission from the Emperor's Righteousness, sir. Shall I patch them through?" he said. Guillaume waved in approval.
"Inquisitor sir, this is the deck of the Emperor's Righteousness… we've just confirmed that the Terminus Est has entered the warp and left the system along with its remaining escort. We managed to inflict heavy damage on its hull and destroyed an escort cruiser before it escaped." the voice said over the voxcaster.
Guillaume breathed a small sigh of relief. At least that was one problem off of his shoulders.
"…Oh, and one more thing, we detected a merchant vessel orbiting over the southern pole of the planet. It seems as though it was stranded during the invasion but reactivated soon after. We attempted to contact them without success, and they activated their warp drives around the same time as the Terminus Est. We considered intercepting them before they escaped, but warp interference prevented us from contacting you and the last order we received was to pursue the Terminus Est, so we prioritized that instead." The voice said.
"T-they… they escaped?" The inquisitor said.
The voxcaster receiver fell from his hand as the inquisitor slumped back into his chair with a look of horror on his face.
"Wait… I'm getting more warp signatures near the northern pole of the planet… ensign, get me their transponder readings." The voice said.
Inquisitor Guillaume hurriedly pickled the receiver back up.
"Inquisitor… it appears that the rest of the reclamation fleet has just arrived. The Lord Inquisitor says that he wants a report on what's happened in his absence." The voice said.
Inquisitor Guillaume's face went pale.
The engines of the Stormbird disengaged and the hydraulic cushions in the heavy metal landing legs buckled as the weighty machine dropped onto the floor of the merchant ship's hangar bay. It was a mostly mundane vessel, a run-of-the-mill transport ship with minimal defenses and a cost-effective engine designed to conserve fuel for long hauls more than anything else. Its original name was an unremarkable string of letters and numerals designated by the Administratum, however the crew had begun calling it the "Saint's Chariot" for obvious reasons. Leman turned to see Admu still in the cargo hold, having recently woken up from her deep slumber. She was sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees, her head bowed so that her long braids obscured her face. Leman arose and descended from the cockpit, removing his horned helmet as he walked over to the downcast demigoddess.
"Is… everything alright?" Leman asked, still a touch awkward when it came to dealing with other people's feelings after centuries of exile in the warp.
Admu looked up, her expression muted with a distant look in her eye.
"Wha- oh, yes, I'm fine." she said. "Just… just a little tired, that is all."
She rubbed her eyes, still slightly red and puffy, and took a deep breath. Leman sat down on a nearby crate and rested his arms on his knees.
"I am sorry that your first impressions of the Materium had to be this… though I suppose simply hiding the ugly side of our nature would have been dishonest. I… heard what you did, and I am impressed. You handled yourself quite well." Leman said.
"I don't regret what I did to those plague marines. Nor do I regret defending the civilians and guardsmen from those stormtroopers." Admu said. "But… those silver marines said that they were serving the Emperor, that it was his will to do all those horrible things."
"I know." Leman said. "It appears that much has changed in my absence… more than I could have imagined. Perhaps now I can truly say that I understand how you feel, seeing such dishonorable acts committed in your father's name. Had I been in your place down there, I would have likely done the same." Admu smiled slightly, a feeling of mutual empathy shared between them.
"Does it get any easier, Mister Russ?" Admu asked.
Leman looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"What?" He said.
"Killing." She said.
Leman looked down at his feet, staring at the floor in silence for a moment.
"No." he lied.
There was a long pause between them, and a heavy silence hung in the air. Admu exhaled sharply.
"It's alright, Mister Russ." She said, putting on a fake smile and patting him on the back. "Together we're going to make the galaxy a better place, right?"
"Right." Leman said.
For all of our sakes… Leman thought. I hope you are right, Admu.
Leman stood up and placed the hood of his cloak atop his head.
"I'm going to speak with the guardsmen and find out where this ship is headed." He said. "Then we must decide our next move."
"Wait, Leman!" Admu said.
Leman turned.
"Thank you. Y-you know, for saving me." Admu said, her cheeks blushing scarlet.
"You're welcome, Admu." Leman said with a soft smile.
He emerged from the side door of the Stormbird, stepping on to the metal floor of the hangar bay with a loud clunk and approaching a female guardsman who had been waiting outside for him. She was writing something down on a dataslate when she looked up in surprise upon seeing her second giant in less than a day.
"Oh! It's… you… I'll be honest, from the voxcaster I thought you would be… shorter." Sergeant Kelly said.
"I had to make some emergency repairs to my transmitter." Leman said. "Apologies if the signal was not very clear."
"Uh… who exactly are you again?" She asked.
"I am Admu's companion. Is that sufficient?" He said.
Kelly shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, whoever you are, you saved our skins by chasing those Valkyries off our backs. How is the girl doing anyway?" she said.
"She is resting, recovering from her wounds." He said.
"Good. She deserves it more than anybody here. Damn well saved all of our lives. Twice!" She said.
"Sergeant, where exactly is this ship headed?" He said, cutting through the small talk.
"We're crossing the Cicatrix into Imperium Nihilus. Navigator says there's a trading depot on the other side where we can stop, and the Inquisition won't be able to reach us for at least a few months. Gives us some time to resupply while we look for a more permanent residence. Plus, it's got a local psychic beacon that allows for longer warp jumps, so that's a bonus." She said.
Leman furrowed his brow in confusion.
"Cicatrix? Imperium Nihilus? I… am not familiar with these." He said.
Kelly looked at the towering stranger with a look of concerned bewilderment.
"The… Cicatrix Maledictum? The Great Rift? You know, the giant goddamn warp storm that tore the galaxy in half?" She said, as if explaining why water was blue.
Leman's eyes widened.
"Wh-…what?" He stammered. "When did this occur?"
Kelly looked around, half expecting one of her subordinates was playing a trick on her.
"Uh, right after Cadia fell? The whole Thirteenth Black Crusade thing? That prick Abaddon and his traitor legions blew up the whole damn planet and nearly invaded Terra… though to be honest I'm not really sure what's been going on since. We were deployed on that godforsaken rock Leprus before the news hit, and it's about the last information we received before the warp storms blew out our long-range communications. Then those loathsome plague marines showed up… and now here we are." She said. "Oh, and apparently one of the Emperor's sons, Guilliman came back…? I think I remember reading about him in one of our textbooks at the schola and hearing about him in some of the Ministorum's sermons… but I couldn't tell you much more. They don't exactly keep us guardsmen informed on the day-to-day politics of Holy Terra."
Leman looked away and rubbed his chin, digesting this earth-shattering news.
"Do you know where I could… refresh my knowledge of Imperial history? I have… been away for quite some time." Leman said.
Kelly rubbed her chin in contemplation.
"I don't know much about where they keep that kind of stuff, 'cept maybe Terra, though I suppose that's out of the question. The Inquisition doesn't really like people digging into historical matters very much. Actually… you know, now that I think about it…" Kelly said, reaching deep into her memory. "I think the Blood Angels' home world is on the other side of the Rift… started with a 'B', I think... anyway, I remember hearing stories about their chapter master, he's supposedly the oldest Astartes in the entire galaxy, least the oldest one that's still in one piece. Dante, I think his name was. He'd probably know a lot of Imperial history."
"The Blood Angels…" Leman said, a pang of sadness shooting through him as he remembered his beloved brother Sanguinius. "Thank you, guardswoman. I will heed your advice and travel to Baal to seek an audience with this Dante."
"After giving the Inquisition a bloody nose like that?" Kelly said incredulously. "Eh, I'm not gonna question you two's judgment. Just don't expect us to take you there."
"We will find passage ourselves once we dock at our next destination, we don't wish to draw more attention to you or ourselves. Your assistance thus far has been more than enough, soldier. Thank you." Leman said, turning and heading back into the Stormbird.
"Good luck, stranger, and may the God-Emperor bless your journey." Kelly said.
Leman winced.
"...And with you." Leman said, through gritted teeth.
A man in a dingy grey coat walked through the ruined city streets of Leprus, followed closely by a tall and imposing woman carrying a dataslate. The man had short, roughly cut black-and-white peppered hair, with a bristly stubble covering his square jaw and cleft chin. He had a lumpy, angular nose and squinted eyes, framed by a pair of bushy eyebrows. He was wearing a heavily worn coat, its black color long since faded into a dull grey. Beneath his outerwear concealed a suit of tough yet discreet power armor, designed less for battle and more for personal protection. He had a custom-made boltpistol slung upon his hip and a small Imperial aquila hung around his neck.
His companion, the tall woman that stood behind him, was heavily augmented from head to toe with advanced cybernetics. She wore a form-fitting combat suit, designed both for stealth and hand-to-hand combat with heavily armed foes. A large sheath hung on her back, a scabbard holding a sword of clear Aeldari craftsmanship. For this reason, some ignorant humans may have even mistaken her for an Eldar herself, though any actual Aeldari would have never mistaken her cold, machine-like countenance for one of their own.
"...and what did the report say about the fate of the Death Guard?" The man said.
"After omitting 3 pages of exaltation towards the God-Emperor, I believe I can summarize the inquisitor's findings in a single word: 'unknown'." The woman said in a husky, metallic tone.
"Typical." The man said with a scoff.
They entered the camp of Inquisitor Guillaume and his Tempestus Scions, now thoroughly taken over by the freshly arrived forces. Far to the edge of the camp, in a somewhat intact domicile amidst the ruins sat the inquisitor himself, pacing back and forth in the company of the Grey Knights and Commander Kodiak. He had received word that the Lord Inquisitor wished to speak with him and was understandably nervous. He hoped that his emphasis on his faithfulness to the Emperor would save him from any… undue reprimands.
The man and woman entered the building, catching Commander Kodiak's attention.
"Commander, I'd like to speak with the inquisitor alone." The man said.
Kodiak nodded, and promptly exited the room. The Grey Knights moved to exit as well.
"You stay." he said.
The Grey Knights stood at attention.
"You must be this Inquisitor Francis E. Guillaume I've heard so much about." the man said, holding out his hand.
The inquisitor, too distracted by his own racing thoughts to notice the man enter, turned in surprise.
"Oh, yes, I, uh…" The inquisitor coughed to clear his voice. "I am Inquisitor Guillaume, at your service… and you are?" he said, shaking the man's hand.
"Ah, apologies, I've forgotten to introduce myself. I am Lord Inquisitor O'Niell, and this is my assistant, Anand Catha. We've come to discuss the report you submitted." O'Niell said.
"L-Lord Inquisitor!?" Guillaume shouted.
Guillaume froze in shock, then dropped to his knee in reverence. O'Niell rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"I-I apologize my lord, I-I didn't recognize you!" Guillaume said.
"Yes, well I prefer to operate discreetly." O'Niell said. "Now, I have important matters to discuss. Particularly, I want to know about what happened last… the incident with the Grey Knights."
Guillaume stood up and cleared his throat.
"O-of course, my lord. Justicar Mattias?" Guillaume said, gesturing towards the Grey Knight commander.
The now one-armed Justicar stepped forward.
"As you know, we encountered a daemonic entity of unknown rank and affiliation near the end of the siege. It attacked our ground forces and the inquisitor, after which my men and I intercepted it." Mattias said, while Anand furiously typed on the dataslate. "...After a long and hard-fought battle, I nearly bested the daemon and banished it back to the warp… until…"
"Until…?" O'Niell said.
"Until he appeared." Mattias said.
"Tell me more about this warrior you mentioned." O'Niell said, his interest piqued.
"He was clad in armor and decoration unlike anything I had ever seen, Imperial or Traitor. He towered above us, at least as tall as a terminator if not a dreadnought. He commanded ice magic and deflected our attacks as if we were nothing, tearing through our armor like parchment. It was no daemon, but a man." Mattias said. "After he defeated my men, he picked up the daemon and made his escape, I tried to pursue them but…"
The Lord Inquisitor raised his eyebrow.
"He stared at me." Mattias said.
"He… stared at you?" O'Niell said.
"I have only felt that way one other time in my entire life." Mattias said.
"When?" O'Niell said.
"...In the presence of Lord Commander Guilliman." Mattias said.
O'Niell took a deep breath, his face deathly serious.
"You understand what you are saying, Justicar… you believe this was a primarch? Are you sure of this?" O'Niell said.
"As sure as I can be." Mattias said.
O'Niell turned around, rubbing his chin with a grave expression. He turned back around to face Inquisitor Guillaume.
"And none of your men know of this? Only the people in this room?" O'Niell said.
"Affirmative, Lord Inquisitor. I have kept this information under lock and key, mentioning it to nary a soul until your arrival." Guillaume said proudly.
"Good, good… tell me, inquisitor, do you happen to be wearing a Rosarius at the moment?" O'Niell said.
"W-why of course, my lord. It has probably saved my life more times than I can count." Guillaume said.
"May I see it? I would like to inspect it, just to be safe." O'Niell said.
Guillaume pulled the Rosarius out and handed it to the Lord Inquisitor, who picked up the small trinket and examined it carefully.
"See? In perfect condition, I assure-"
Guillaume's head exploded into gore, splattering the wall with blood and bits of brain. O'Niell re-holstered his bolt pistol and placed the Rosarius in one of his coat pockets. The Grey Knights did not react.
"One less loose end, one less incompetent inquisitor." O'Niell said, wiping bits of skull from his coat. "I just saved the Administratum days of paperwork for his eventual court-martialing."
O'Niell turned to the Justicar.
"I trust this secret is safe with you, Justicar?" O'Niell said.
"Of course, my lord." Mattias said.
"Good. We will have to institute a total information quarantine. Anand, assign a detail to follow the rebels into Imperium Nihilus. We need eyes in the dark to ensure this knowledge spreads as slowly as possible, preferably not at all. We will have to return to Terra as soon as possible." O'Niell said, breathing deeply to calm his nerves. "It's even worse than we thought."