Legends of the Smoke Jaguars 77
Auspex stations lit up with threat warnings, shrill cries of enemies closing on the hidden fortress. A response was swiftly forthcoming, garages rolling up their doors to allow Quad-4's to spill out. They bounced on thick tires as they tore away, dozens of them, gunners sweeping for targets. The Bronze Beast had been expecting an attack and knew well that offence was the best defence, so his personal guards had been ordered to ride out and challenge any intruders. Into the distance they charged, racing to greet the foe head-on.
Aapo watched them ride off and grinned at the subterfuge. The guards had been fooled by that annoying wretch K'oy, the cyber-simian lurking on the far side of the chasm, making a ruckus. Hanphu had claimed his pet could simulate the noises of an entire Prowl, right down to vox-chatter and thermal bleed, and he'd been proved right. To an auspex it looked like a band of Space Marines were marching towards the fortress, the only way to penetrate the ruse was to note the lack of vibration from boots hitting ground. A considerable number of guards were heading on a wild Thrope-hunt, and given the Smoke Jaguar's reputation for subtly it would be hours before they admitted there was nothing to find.
The three Smoke Jaguars were already entering the chasm, making their way along bunker roofs and augur posts. No other force could walk past their enemy's eyes without being seen, but they managed it. Hanphu paused at a vox-mast, to plant interference jammers, but Aapo was more concerned with the large tank strapped to the Magpyr's rear. Hydrogen Cyanide, enough concentrated poison to kill a thousand men, enough to kill Methuselah for sure.
Takana paused at a reinforced hatch and planted a Transonic mine. Aapo drew his bolt pistol and Obsidian Blade as he waited, while Hanphu levelled his Multi-las and Takana energised his claws. A high-pitch whine arose and Aapo tensed, in moments they would engage the Bronze Beast's personal guards, the final obstacle between them and their prey. Vengeance for Xavaar and Engar was at hand and Aapo was eager to claim it.
A momentary pause as the mine found the perfect harmonic frequency and then the door cracked and disintegrated into a pile of rubble. Takana was through first, his wings folded back as he drove through the narrow aperture. Sounds of alarm were cut short as the frenzied crackle of disruptor fields dicing flesh rang out, then Aapo was tearing through the door. He found a narrow chamber, designed to bottleneck attackers and leave them pinned in a crossfire. It hadn't made any difference; the Dark Fury's assault was so sudden not a shot had been let off and his claws made an abattoir of the defenders.
Already Takana was driving onwards, pressing into the corridor beyond. Aapo raced after, checking the rear and finding it clear. Hanphu was a step behind, his precious cargo held safe. They wasted not a moment to waste so they raced on, moving as fast as their legs could take them. Down a short stair, then onwards, chasing their elusive foe. Their final destination was unclear, but it would be down, everything important on Xilbalba was buried deep.
"The heart-foe knows their den is penetrated!" Aapo yelled.
Hanphu scoffed, "My trinkets have filled their pictscreens with contacts. Let them chase sensor-ghosts."
"At least we got rid of K'oy," Aapo smugly noted.
"He'll be back, trust the Magpyr's promise, it takes more than a few dozen Heavy Bolters to end him."
Takana didn't join the conversation, redoubling his efforts. He drove into a wide chamber, and Aapo's jaw fell as he saw it stacked with Promethium barrels along one wall and Heavy Bolter ammo pallets along the other. Dissembled Quad-4's lurked in corners, and a whole machine was hoisted aloft, to expose its undercarriage. A repair bay, stocked with flammable greases, ammunition and fuel barrels, anything but safe, a PDF Commissar would have a fit at the sight but the Bronze Beast's guards cared not. Faces came around as jaws fell in shock, but hands reached for nearby tools with practised speed.
"Stay your shooting!" Takana yelled as he drew back his arms, "Guard the Magpyr!"
"With a knife?!" Aapo barked.
"No man matches a Smoke Jaguar in combat!" the Dark Fury roared as he leapt into the fray.
"Says the one with the lightning claws," Aapo hissed.
Takana met a half-dozen foes headlong and his claws went to work. Arms fell in steaming chunks, entrails were spilled and throats slashed. Takana hit them like the Wroth of Damolos, his armour and wings as much a weapon as the shining claws. The Dark Fury met them in battle and none survived his first pass, alas that was not the end of the fight. The noise drew attention and a door slammed open to the left, disgorging a score of guards, then the right was kicked wide to let even more through.
"Orruk were less trouble," Aapo groaned as the twin mobs came at them. Takana drew the greater share of foes but some slipped past and headed towards the two Astartes lurking in the rear. Aapo sheathed his bolt pistol and levelled his knife as a woman came at him, yelling herself hoarse. Her attire was torn ganger leathers, exposing strips of thigh and belly. Aapo thought it distinctly lacking in protection, more akin to criminal Underhive scum than a PDF uniform but the shock-maul in her grip was more than enough to end him.
A swing for the head he met with his forearm, jarring his bones and causing sparks to singe his brow. The woman tried to whip it down to connect the flaring tip but he kicked her knee and sent her stumbling backwards. His right arm however was busy fending off a burly man with a chainknife currently trying to introduce the spinning edge to his intestines. Aapo's reach was greater and gifted the man a vicious cut to the pectoral, parting leather like parchment. To his surprise the man didn't falter, red eyes and wet breath proclaiming he was dosed up on Slaught. They all were, chemical-boosters making them stronger and faster.
Aapo was forced to retreat, edging dangerously near to Hanphu. A third man was trying to tackle the Magpyr and the Vibroknife in his grip could do serious mischief. If Hanphu could shoot they'd all be dead, but one stray shot could ignite the Promethium and then everyone would die. As if that wasn't bad enough a fourth man with a Rebreather was trying to aim a wide-bore gun at them, uncaring for the damage it could do. Aapo could take them for sure, but all at once, while having to protect Hanphu, that would require sacrifice.
Aapo saw the first two guards coming at him and made the choice. He faced the woman and flashed his hand out, gripping the haft of her maul. The Chainknife dodged his Obsidian Blade and tore over his flank, chewing at Carapace armour and sending raw splinters into his side. The pain was intense but Aapo mastered it and yanked his left arm across. The woman was pulled off her feet and sent headlong into the third man, smashing him down with discharging forces. They fell into a tangle while Aapo's freed hand grabbed the arm trying to extract his kidney and then he headbutted the guard.
The man staggered back, concussion penetrating the Slaught-rush but clearing the fire angles. Aapo flung himself aside as the fourth man fired, burping a spreading mass of sticky tendrils at Aapo, a Webber meant to capture and debilitate. The Doan was fast but a tiny corner brushed his arm and he hissed as skin tore away Monofilament shards had been embedded in the substance, enough to lacerate the skin off a man and they clung to Aapo, binding him to the wall behind.
Aapo flashed his blade and cut the strands, leaving a mass of cloth and skin behind. Aapo's arm wept blood but more worryingly the gunner was adjusting his aim, he would not miss a second time. Motion in the corner of his eye, the Chainknife wielder coming back, crazed by Slaught and pain. Death was smiling upon him, but Aapo found the closeness of extinction exhilarating. Aapo threw aside notions of safety and hurled himself towards the attacker, free hand grabbing at a loose tunic. He twisted and shoved, heaving the knife wielder into the path of the Webber just as it discharged. The mass of sticky strands was loosed before the gunner realised what had happened and it hit the ganger dead on and wrapped him in cocooning filaments. The strands constricted and he was bound tight, but the shards within tore through leather and skin with ease. He fell to the floor as he struggled to get free, but his efforts only made the web close quicker. Blood flowed, tendons were cut, fingers and nose fell away and still he writhed. A painful death, slow and wretched as the web diced him down to the bone marrow.
The gunner's aim fell in dismay and then Aapo was on him. One thrust of his Obsidian Blade and the heart was stabbed through, ending the man's life in a single strike. The pair were locked together and Aapo saw the veil parting in his rival's eyes, beholding vistas only the dead can see. The afterlife called and Aapo held him close as the man passed from the world of the living. The lifeless body fell and Aapo turned, only to find Hanphu wiping his boots clean on the bodies of fallen foes. Their skulls were puddles of gore and the edges of the Magpyr's ankles spoke of a most gruesome ending.
"I got them," Hanphu quipped.
"I can see that," Aapo sighed, "We should..."
"Look out!" the warning cry rang.
Aapo spun on his heel and saw a dozen more foes charging, faces crimson with Slaught. Sharp knives were in hand, pistols and shockmauls. One Doan could not stop them, not while shielding Hanphu, but their path took them near the hanging Quad-4. Aapo dove for the dying man and snatched up his chainknife. He threw it high before he'd even righted himself, his perfect aim seeing it slice through one of the corner chains. The Quad-4's rear dropped violently, snapping the other chain, causing the entire machine to drop like a swinging pendulum. The charging foes never saw what hit them, one second their prey was ahead, the next a mass of metal weighing twelve hundred kilos was coming the other way. Those in front were pulverised by the impact, those behind were thrown to the floor, with half their bones shattered. Barely had they hit the ground when the remaining chains snapped, dropping the Quad-4 on their prostrate bodies, crushing them in a thunderous din of deforming metal.
Aapo whipped his head about, seeking more foes but none remained. Takana's lightning claws had made a red ruin of the bay, painting the walls with blood. A few chips and scuffs were to be seen on his plate, his tally of murder was many orders of magnitude greater than Aapo's and the Doan stood humbled. Aapo shook his arm, where Webbing had torn the skin off, but Larraman cells were already clotting. A small price for clearing their path, the way was open. Aapo was exhilarated by the fight, his blood singing. Once more he had tested himself against adversaries of quality and had himself proven superior. His fine mood was soured however when K'oy came dashing through the door, jumping onto Hanphu's shoulder.
"There you are my friend!" Hanphu chuckled.
"How in the name of sanity did that thing catch up?!" Aapo gasped.
"The Magpyr hears a fine tale of his bravery, I shall regale you later."
"Ignorance is bliss," Aapo muttered as he bent down and pulled free the gunner's rebreather, attaching it to his belt for later.
Takana stalked over and spat, "My hunger for vengeance has not been sated!"
"Yes, let us not dawdle!" Hanphu chirruped.
Takana growled, "We do not stop till we find the Bronze Beast. Methuselah has an appointment with death five hundred years overdue."