Minerva fired her bolter into a beastman with a plasma gun as he brought it up to aim, blasting his chest apart. The other beastmen fell under the fire of Cornelia's squad, their lighter weapons spitting ineffective fire before they went down. Another infiltrating squad annihilated, the sixteenth they'd encountered. They'd found and assisted the remnants of several PDF platoons, tracking in on their vox signals. Artemis had reported finding several more units who'd lost their casters.
"We're bleeding them, but not much," Cornelia said. "We should hit their main body." Minerva had been expecting the suggestion for some time; Cornelia was always one for the direct approach.
"Window of opportunity has passed," Minerva replied. "They'll be ready for us." If the PDF hadn't been on the edge of collapse, she might have gone in with the Thunderhawk strafing run. "When the Militarium arrives we'll have a better opportunity."
"Still, there must be larger concentrations further down," Cornelia argued. "We could hit them."
"Soon," Minerva promised. "We still have PDF forces to rescue." Tactically, there probably weren't enough still out there to really matter, but strategically it was good for the PDF to know the Astral Amazons would have their back, and personally Minerva didn't like the idea of leaving them to die.
o - o -O - o – o
+My Lord, I request permission to withdraw the assault force+ General Ulthrak sent to his master.
+Not yet+ Thoth replied. +Convince them conquest of the southern continent is our goal. You must hold until they commit heavy forces+
+My Lord, respectfully, without your presence they will likely suspect the ruse+ Ulthrak sent, clutching his staff tightly in a furred hand rimmed with hoarfrost. +They have committed their Astartes and will expect an equivalent counter+
+Kaltharax suggests the time is right to mass deploy the Neverborn+ Thoth replied. +Use them to preserve your forces+
Ulthrak was not entirely pleased with that idea either. Neverborn were hardly obedient to Tzaangors unless the masters bound them strongly, and he only had a few outside the daemon engines that were bound so. But an order was an order. +Shall I deploy the chained ones as well?+
+Do so+
o - o -O - o – o
"Large scale summoning will begin in four minutes," Medea reported. "If not interrupted, will persist for two hours. Sacrifice rite."
Arachne cursed silently. She might not have the Librarian's knowledge of warpcraft, but one thing she did know was that sacrifice rites, once started, tended to not be picky about who was sacrificed or how. That made them nearly impossible to interrupt, because the deaths of the ritualists could simply accelerate the ritual. In other words, they were going to have to fight a lot of daemons unless the inquisitor had a trick up his sleeve.
"Should we fall back?" Minerva asked over the vox.
It took fifteen seconds for Medea to reply. "No improvement," she finally said.
"We're going to have a difficult time keeping the PDF with us," Arachne remarked, making sure external address was off.
"Leave that to me," Europa replied, then turned to the PDF. "Attention," she called. "More of the monsters from the initial incursion will be coming. They will be coming in great number, now that their slaves have failed to break our lines."
"You have, I am sure, seen the ravages left in their wake. They now seek to strike against the hive, make a final push to break through and secure it as a fortress against the soldiers of the Imperium, gain shelter against the righteous wrath descending upon them. We must stop them, for the sake of the billions within the hive, and more beyond."
"It will not be easy, but I tell you now that I have faced their like before, with brave mortals at my side, and triumphed. They struck at Telerion, the sector fortress itself, to deny you aid, yet we stand with you now. Hold your positions, trust in the Emperor, and know that we will be victorious."
"Aye!" said the lieutenant. "We've put paid to them before, and by the Throne we will again!"
"I thought talking about how dangerous the enemy is scared mortals," Arachne voxed privately.
"They'll be scared when the enemy shows up regardless of what you say," Europa replied. "Being truthful helps prepare them."
"Initial wave incoming on the main road in six minutes," Medea voxed. "Do not break the chains."
Arachne thought about asking what that meant, but decided not to bother.
Six minutes later, she saw movement down the road, but not the kind of daemon she'd been expecting. Instead of the bounding pink horrors or any of the flying beasts, or even the serpentine flamers, she saw tall, spindly red figures, wielding blazing swords, with silver chains wrapped around their limbs.
"Inquisitor, we're seeing daemons that aren't on your reporting list," Arachne voxed even as she opened fire. "I think they're Khornate."
"Describe them," Malachi replied calmly.
"Blood-red, humanoid, thin, have flaming-"
"Bloodletters," Malachi said, sounding surprised. "Yes, definitely Khornate."
"I assume the silver chains I'm seeing are keeping them under control?"
"Most probably. It's very likely they weaken the daemons as well, so-"
"Medea warned us not to break them already," Arachne interrupted.
"Quite," Malachi said. "If you need reinforcements, contact the brother-captain."
"That doesn't look like it will be necessary." It certainly didn't seem like the assault would carry through, even with the sporadic effectiveness of ranged weaponry, especially as the mortars further back opened up. "Wave attacks on prepared positions are rarely effective-"
There was an earthshaking roar, and another figure burst into view.
o - o -O - o – o
"Get down here now!" Arachne snapped.
Medea was already stepping onto the teleport pad. Her vision was still cloudier than she'd like, but she saw the threat clearly enough now. Brother-captain Ollerus gave the order to deploy, and the pre-charged teleportarium activated, taking her, the Grey Knights, and the Inquisitor to the surface.
It spat them out among the barricades, able to see what was incoming. A massive, crimson bulk, leathery wings bound together by chains spreading out behind a horned head. In one hand it carried an enormous axe, which appeared to be coated in dried blood. The other held a lashing whip.
"Eighth host Bloodthirster," Ollerus said, either willing to disclose some knowledge or forgetting Medea was on the channel. "Engage at range." The Grey Knights raised their storm bolters and opened fire.
Medea raised her hand and threw a bolt of lightning at the daemon's skull. Ineffectual, unsurprisingly. It was not one of her primary skills and she could barely match a Theta, hardly enough to hurt the Blood God's own. It achieved the intended effect of drawing attention, however.
The Bloodthirster howled and charged, wings straining against the chains but failing to get it airborne. "I will have your skull, sorcerer!" it screamed. Medea could feel its rage pushing against the bindings, but they held, draining away its force. It was slower than it could be, weaker.
Still strong enough; she could see that if she matched her force sword against it the axe would smash it from her hand. The futures spilled out, and she saw it follow her usual minimal evasions, strike her down. There were futures where she scored a cut, but in every one of them she died. None of the cuts inflicted serious damage. She leapt backwards and the axe crashed into the ground in front of her. The whip lashed out at her, and that she could parry. An explosion of light threw her backwards when the weapons met, but the whip was forced back.
The PDF, amazingly, was mostly holding their ground, firing their heavy weaponry into the daemon, some of which phased through and the rest of which seemed to barely hurt when it struck. Europa's squad joined in, including the precious plasma weapons, and Nyx seared it with lascannon fire.
Malachi was chanting, ice forming on his staff and spreading to his fingers. He was reaching out to the bindings, tightening them. The Bloodthirster turned towards him, and Ollerus stepped in between, continuing to pour storm bolter fire into the daemon's chest. It was blowing craters, far more effective than the other weaponry, but even that was not enough to seriously injure the daemon. He raised his force sword and caught the descending axe on it, his terminator armor straining.
Medea took the opportunity to step in and stab the daemon in the back of the knee, carefully avoiding the chains. Even with her full psychic force channeled into the blade, it struck bone and stopped, and she sidestepped quickly to avoid the kick in response. It whirled on her again.
"Name!" shouted Malachi. "I need a name!"
Medea had no idea how to get a name, short of an impractical search of futures in which she considered trying every name she could pronounce. Instead, she dove away from another stroke, continuing to look for futures where she could truly hurt the daemon. And preferably survive. None materialized; she couldn't defeat a Bloodthirster in melee combat, not even bound as it was. She had to keep it distracted, until the Grey Knights' weapons finally told or the Inquisitor got his name. Even that didn't seem promising over the long term.
The futures narrowed, the daemon learning her reactions. Brutal and rage-bound though it might be, it was still a champion of the god of war in all its forms. It was likely she wasn't the first or the best seer it had fought, and certainly she wasn't the best swordswoman. It wouldn't be long before it struck home.
Nyx could see that too, and intervened. Medea considered calling her off, but saw that it would be futile and didn't bother as the dreadnought crashed into the Bloodthirster, swinging her fist into its chest. For the first time, the daemon staggered, the physical weight of the impact telling where psychic force did not. That didn't stop it from whirling its axe around into Nyx's leg, shearing through armor with trivial ease and toppling the dreadnought.
Malachi suddenly shouted a syllable no human throat should be able to voice, and the daemon shuddered and turned on him once more, leaping at him too fast for Medea to keep up. A Grey Knight interposed, and the axe came down on him, to be met by a force halberd. The daemon wrapped the whip around the haft of the halberd and yanked, sending the Grey Knight staggering forwards. The axe withdrew and struck again, this time getting past the Grey Knight's guard and caving in his chest, but not before Malachi uttered another syllable. The Bloodthirster reeled.
Medea could tell what voicing the true name of the daemon cost Malachi; he wasn't going to be able to finish. But it was having an impact, even incomplete. The wounds, at least the ones the Grey Knights had inflicted, were starting to affect the Bloodthirster. Medea drove her force sword into its back and was rewarded with a bellow, then dodged another kick and jumped back to try to avoid the blast of the grenade Ollerus was about to throw.
The grenade detonated in a burst of powder, and suddenly her future sight cut off and her blade went dead. A wave of disorientation nearly drove her to her knees. Medea drew herself up; gifts or not she was still an Astartes, and her sword still had a physical edge. Not that it was likely to matter much.
She was greeted by the sight of the Bloodthirster collapsed to the ground, hideously burned where the powder had touched, before it vanished in a crack of inrushing air, leaving the chains behind. Malachi had fallen, losing hold of his staff, and the glow of the Grey Knights' force weapons had gone dark.
There was a moment of stunned silence, before the PDF burst into cheers.
o - o -O - o – o
"Daemon is down," Arachne reported to Minerva, keeping an eye on Medea, who seemed to be swaying slightly. "Nyx is disabled but her sarcophagus isn't breached. One of the Grey Knights is badly injured, and Malachi is unconscious but doesn't have any injuries I can see."
"Do you need Vesta?" Minerva asked.
"One of the Grey Knights is apparently an Apothecary," Arachne replied. "I don't think they'd want our help regardless. Medea might need her though."
"I'm fine," Medea said, not sounding particularly fine. "It will pass."
"Keep Malachi safe," Minerva ordered. "Do you need to abandon the position?"
"If they have another one of those, probably," Arachne said. "If they just send in the lesser daemons we can hold with the Grey Knights."