The air around me began to sing with many voices, all of whom were either screaming in agony or ecstasy as I watched the flesh of the Chaos Champion begin to ripple like water. I could even hear voices pleading for their lives, and others, blessing Grikk'ahn as he held his four arms skyward, laughing in rapturous bliss.
"Stop him!" I yelled, empowering my voice and beginning to focus my own energy within myself. From above, I saw Alberich dive on his flying disk, his daemon glaive as bright as a blue comet in the ochre gloom of the sandstorm. How he wasn't falling off in this wind was a mystery, but I was grateful to see him reach back with Valkyrie, and hurl a Warp bolt of his own at the transfiguring Champion with a scream.
The Warp bolt dissolved as it struck some kind of barrier that had surrounded the gibbering Champion, who was now growing taller. Another crack echoed under the yellowed brick road as I took my own energy, pushed it into the staff, and hurled my own magic missile at Grikk'ahn. While my bolt was able to pass through the Champion's shield, it was neutralized with an outstretched hand. Lian, ever brave, then charged the figure, his power sword outstretched and electrified. Despite his rage, he too was repelled by an invisible barrier, bouncing off of it and getting knocked to the road.
"You can't stop me!"I heard Grikk'ahn howl with defiance at us."I am blessed with the pleasures of eternity! Six hundred sixty six souls scream in perfect harmony within my breast, and now all are one! "
Alberich desperately summoned another Warp bolt down on the twisting marine, diving closer to the Champion as he let his magic fly. It showered over the shield in a cascade of sparks, and Grikk'ahn was still untouched by our efforts. A sickeningly wet tearing sound filled the air as I saw the Champion grow another pair of legs, his armor transfiguring to accommodate his shifting form. As his lower back bent horizontally and perpendicular to the ground, he now vaguely resembled some kind of entirely humanoid centaur with an extra pair of arms. His lower body then began to swell into a round shape that somewhat reminded me of a poisonous spider, and on his abdomen, gold representations of screaming faces pulled across his armored skin.
Watching this all happen before me was revolting, and the Champion's white eel face began to stretch and pull, enlarging as it wore a mask of utter bliss. His neck lengthened, becoming serpentine. Could we even stop this at all?
...Omega... the wind whispered to me again. Was it just me, or were the phantom wind voices getting louder?
So far, I had been the only one to puncture the Champion's shield, but we needed to try to fight back! I began to rally more energy, and I tried to penetrate whatever barrier stood around him with another furious blast of hot blue electric fire, only to find it also dispelled again by an outstretched clawed hand as Grikk'ahn laughed mockingly at me. "Does the little bird flirt with me? Does she wish to get my attention?"
Above, Alberich again dove around, gathering more energy for another strike. Lian had pulled himself back to his feet, and I could now see that he had a bleeding head wound. What we were doing wasn't working, and we needed to do something, and fast!
The Blanks! I thought quickly as another of my strikes ended up going nowhere. If they're still alive, that is...
Alberich, see if you can get to Morai and Ennoia and see if they're alive. Wake them up if you can. I don't think you can get through Grikk'ahn's shield, but maybe they can! I transmitted in mind to the flying Tzaangor.
Understood, he replied to me, and turned around, his glaive dimming as he dismissed the Warp bolt.
A long pair of pink tentacles exploded off the shoulders of the Champion, and I began to back away. I brightened my own energy once again, and sent a fiery projectile up against Grikk'ahn, which was again deflected with a laugh. A quick search for my helpful tornado buddy revealed that it had since dissipated, and that the eye of the larger storm currently above was set to soon pass directly over us.
Again, I focused my power, forcing myself to become enraged at my circumstances, and screamed. A kinetic wave of force pushed ahead of me, which was actually successful at causing the ascending thing that had once been a Chaos Space Marine to stop laughing at us.
"Misbehaving little bird sings so sweet! How I wish to caress her!" Grikk'ahn growled at us. The long black tongue lolling outside of his eel mouth abruptly lashed out, and like a gecko, he reached for me, a full five meters away! He was able to latch on to my leg, and began to drag me forward. However, he unraveled his tongue shortly after it had grappled me with a cry of pain, and I saw that it was smoking as if burned. He began to cough. "She is a spicy treat protected by a magic staff! I will take her toy stick from her!"
One of Girkk'ahn's new shoulder tentacles grappled outward, this time reaching for my staff. Instead of using my energy to blast the Champion, I opted to become fast enough to avoid him instead, sidestepping the attack in a blur of motion. "Nope, not happening," I said quickly, trying to cull my fear as the road beneath us continued to fracture. Why was the road coming apart? Did this have to do with Grikk'ahn, or was the world getting ready to die already? I felt a sick sensation in my stomach as I sought a vision of the Heart of Worlds. The artifact was still plummeting deep into the planet.
Due to its magical nature, and the accelerating gravity, I noted that the Heart was now three quarters of the way through the Well! We actually had very little time to escape, but at the very least, if I wasn't getting out of here alive, Grikk'ahn wasn't either. Nabopolassar was very explicit about this world being "unmade" rather than destroyed.
What would it feel like to be unmade, I wondered, beginning to shiver.
...Do not fear, Omega. Fate guides you... the voice in the wind now whispered to me, and I felt my fear suppressed, and my halo brighten. Out of the corner of my eye, a white shape briefly appeared in the sandy wind, but soon vanished.
Another of the Champion's shoulder tentacles shot out to grapple my staff, but Lian was ready this time, and managed to get a good strike in with his short sword, severing the tip of the appendage. It fell to the road writhing before melting into sizzling pink slime. Grossly, Grikk'ahn squealed in masochistic pleasure at this action.
"Oh, just the tip, little bird!" he laughed sleazily, easily regrowing the tentacle. I strengthened my gold shield, determined to not die. There had to be a way to survive this situation!
Tell me... what to... do... Lian shouted telepathically to me with all his might as he stood by my side, watching the sick scene before us. Okay, okay. Think. Nothing we do can really touch this guy and my tornado is gone. We need more firepower! How close was the Divine Retribution? The Retribution has lascannons, plasma torpedoes, and has bite and claw attacks that I have never successfully used. This felt like a better idea than what we were doing now. Quickly, I put my awareness out, searching for our big eagle ship. Yeah, that sounded like a more hopeful idea. Fuck heroics right now. If Morai and Ennoia are dead, we pretty much wouldn't be able to stand a chance against this ascending monster in a conventional fight. While I was indeed stronger, I was still too weak to face a psyker Daemon Prince in battle. A better option would be to use the Divine Retribution's firepower to smash this unholy monster or marooning him on this planet as we made an escape. Bravery shouldn't equal stupidity, and I wanted to survive this encounter!
...Omega!.. Once again, I heard the hissed word on the wind, and it came from the direction of the Divine Retribution. What was causing these voices? Were there ghosts or daemons out here, or was I just losing my mind from all the crap I had been through? Grikk'ahn was still laughing as his body cracked and bent.
The ship was very easy to see in my mind's eye, and I saw that it was only about a fifty meters away, but physically invisible to us in the obfuscating storm. Unusually, when I caught a glimpse of the vessel, I felt a faint presence that was "looking" for me, but I couldn't discern what it was.
They don't move! The women breathe but they are unconscious! I cannot wake them! Alberich cried out to me in mind further down the road. He had reached the Witnesses, who were apparently completely incapacitated. Tell me what to do, my leader! The tone of the Tzaangor's psychic voice was pinched, and I could tell that he was afraid.
Fuck. Well, there goes that idea. Time for Plan B. Alberich, see if you can fit them on the disk, and fly them back to the ship. I'll meet you there, and I'll open it up. I'm going to to try to use the weapons on the Retribution against this guy instead. We can't touch the Champion! I responded.
Understood, Alberich responded nervously. That disk was going to be crowded soon.
Tell... me... Lian shouted, spitting a line of bright red astartes blood on the ground.
On my mark, we're going to run to the Divine Retribution. We can't hurt the Champion alone, but maybe we can stomp on him with the ship and run away from this dying place, I said quickly. Lian turned to me, and nodded.
Grikk'ahn's spine lengthened as he grew very tall. He was beginning to resemble the Fiend we had killed earlier, but even larger and more disgusting. He had to be at least five or six meters in height now! What sort of monster was he becoming? I didn't want to find out, and we had to find a way to survive!
The Champion was now growing a series of white breasts down the front of his torso, and his tongue now lashed and licked at his own body in mad pleasure at his own transformation.
Be ready, Lian. One...
Two...
Above, I sensed Alberich soaring overhead with Null and the unconscious forms of the two Witnesses. A drop of blood fell on my cheek. Grikk'ahn seemed to be occupied with fondling himself right now, and the shapes of moaning faces began to bloom on his paper white skin.
Three!
Lian and I both bravely turned tail and ran down the road toward the Divine Retribution as quickly as we could. I was upset to see that Lian and I were both running at the same pace because of the Fallen's injury. I pushed my awareness ahead, looking for the vessel in my mind's eye.
"Going somewhere, pretty little bird? The whore is being such a tease!" Grikk'ahn's voice boomed behind us just as the large shape of the Divine Retribution began to appear ahead as we ran. Alberich's overloaded disk arrived ahead of us at the base of the ship's talons, but the Fallen and I weren't so lucky. An excessively loud evil laugh boomed through the wind as something caught me at my waist and pulled me back and to the ground. Lian was able to get a few more furious paces further before he was also pulled back and slammed to the ground by an invisible force. "Playtime has only just begun!"
Something was definitely different about Grikk'ahn's voice now, as it actually sounded like many voices speaking together in a cacophony of screams and moans. It was terrifying!
"Divine Retribution, open up!" I called out as I struggled to get to my feet again, stumbling twice before finding my balance again. I immediately turned around to face the ascending Daemon Prince in the scouring wind, brightening my staff to enhance my protective gold Corona. Behind me, I could sense Alberich hastily hauling Morai and Ennoia up the gangway. He was breathing heavily, and he was absolutely blackened by soot, silt, and ash.
I am here! Tell me what to do! the beastman cried out again to me in mind.
I didn't answer as the yellow veil of the sandstorm began to part ahead of us. The eye of the storm was now passing overhead, and with it, the raging winds began to abate. Unfortunately, I could now feel the pressure drop even further, and I reinforced the air shield around my head to protect myself from the environment. That seemed to work, but this probably didn't feel good for any of my other crewmembers, Alberich in particular.
...Omega... the winds whispered to me again, and then, they said something new as a large shadow began to emerge from the thinning ochre gloom. ...Kill him, Omega... I confirmed to myself that the wind voices were growing louder and more insistent, but whatever caused them was still a mystery. Another man-sized white shadow appeared suspended in the sky for a moment before it vanished.
Behind me, I sensed Alberich hasten his loading of everyone he had collected on his Disk of Tzeentch onto the gangway, which had blessedly opened at my earlier words. I also sensed his fear and revulsion at witnessing what was now advancing before us.
The devil comes to us! the Tzaangor called out to me.
Grikk'ahn was no longer humanoid, and indeed now resembled some kind of nightmarish centaur over twice Lian's height. He now had six "human" legs that moved him forward in a scuttling gait, and they were attached to a swollen abdomen that was armored in articulated in shining gold and encrusted with jewels, almost like a metal spider. His chest was tall, scaled like a reptile, and sported six large breasts that were adorned with gold nipple piercings and tinkling metal chains. He had two pairs of humanoid arms that held four bright pink swords that curved like scimitars. On each shoulder, he had two very long pink tentacles that were held above him in the twisted shape of a question mark. Of everything, his head was the most unsettling. Before, he had reminded me of an eel because of his unnaturally wide fanged mouth, but now, his face had lengthened into a snout, and he now looked like some kind of snub-nosed sea monster with gigantic yellow-green reptilian eyes. His black horns had lengthened, and now formed a frilled line of spines down his back. His forked black tongue lashed at the air before him, greatly lengthened and dripping with hissing amber spittle.
"Holy shit!" I whispered.
"Holy is correct, pretty little bird!" the new Daemon Prince hissed out at me in a musical voice. "Oh what a pretty, pretty little bird! Sings so sweet! So desired by those of Slaanesh! I must admit that I respect your resilience, the fight in your eyes. Your struggle is beautiful. And, because of that, I will now give you the opportunity to praise and worship me, as I have done all of my respected foes over millennia. If I find you pleasurable, perhaps I won't gift you to Am'Erika, and you can be my..." a long stream of hot yellowish saliva poured out of Grikk'ahn's mouth. "...divine wife."
"We would never join with you, monster," Lian barked angrily.
"The offer wasn't for you, fool," Grikk'ahn laughed, and then spat a gout of amber liquid at him, which Lian luckily dodged. The bricks below us began to dissolve. "I think I'm being reasonable enough. You've impressed me, a living god, and for a pitiful mortal, that's something special. I'll even let your little friends go. Maybe we'll see them again, and they'll offer an even better fight when you are joined to me. What an excitement, don't you agree, little bird?"
I directed my psyker sight backward, and sensed that Alberich was struggling, but that he had been able to load everyone but Null aboard so far. He was coughing, weakened by the thin air. Close to the front of the ship, I witnessed something unexpected. Virgil was helping him at the top of the gangway! Virgil and Alberich were talking, and then, the beastman shouted back to me in mind.
You face a powerful devil, and Virgil says there is a sword on board here that has been enchanted against such things! Lian can wield it! Virgil says it can destroy Grikk'ahn!
A magic sword? Was that the sword Lian had taken on board with him?
"You'll let everyone else go?" I asked, not responding to Alberich. Maybe if I keep Grikk'ahn talking, he'd fuck up, like any ridiculous over the top evil villain in this scenario. If anything, it would give Alberich time to get everyone inside.
"Yes, my sweet little gold bird. If you come to me with open arms and allow me to joyously defile you, both body and soul. I am most enchanted by the glow about you. It seems familiar to me. What causes such a shine? Why, I have been ever so curious!"
...Kill him, Omega... the wind suggested to me instead.
"Lian, go back to the ship," I instructed the Fallen beside me.
"What? No! He'll-"
Lian, listen to me. There's a daemon-killing sword on the ship. Take it from Alberich an-
"Listen to your mistress, dog," Grikk'ahn barked as he scuttled slowly toward me, his eyes cringing and squinting as he looked at me in hunger. "Go back and do not interrupt. Better for you to flee this world anyway. She'll be safe with me. I can always hunt you down and devour you another time, now that I have your scent."
I felt extreme conflicting emotion bleeding from Lian as he turned and hastily walked back to the ship.
Another crack emerged under us, and the earth rumbled as if in pain.
"This world dies," the new Daemon Prince hissed at me as he advanced. "You did something to kill it. I am impressed at that. A lowly mortal woman killing an entire world! The little bird has a lot of willpower! And I am impressed at your pragmatism. Your ship will not be able to escape in time, but you can live on when joined with me in eternal bliss instead of dying in the devastation to come. I suggest you consider my offer." The Champion's four swords vanished from his grip, and he held his four clawed hands out in a gesture of welcome as he gazed hungrily down at me.
"Yes," I said, discretely mentally viewing Lian as he trotted back to the ship. I furrowed my brow, making a show that I was contemplating his offer for a few moments. "I like to think I'm reasonable. You know, I've been hunted by both the Imperium and by Chaos, and honestly, I'm tired. I really am. Tzeentch is after me, Slaanesh is after me, and everyone wants me dead, and I'm sick of my useless crewmembers too. So tell me, how does this work? Will I get to live on with you?" I said, feeling the earth groan under me again as I put on my best poker face.
Grikk'ahn appeared both surprised and amused, and licked the air ahead of him with his black tongue, tasting it like a snake. "I devour you, body and soul, and your essence becomes a part of me, as countless others have come to know my embrace over hundreds of years. We will be eternally joined in bliss, my little wifeling! And that jewel you wear, I do wonder about that as well. A glowing star upon your fair breast, visible even when it is hidden under your clothes. Much of you is intriguing!" Grikk'ahn extended his tongue as he loomed over me, drooling yellow acid all over the road in hunger. "That gold light from your staff, it nearly burns me."
The Key was growing warm again as it sat against my bare skin, and I looked at my staff, and saw that it was bathed in the same gold light as I was. I didn't need my staff to keep this aura up, but maybe the Champion didn't need to know that? Instead of coming up with another lie, I decided to appeal to Grikk'ahn's libido to divert his attention. Followers of Slaanesh were often written as horny degenerates in the lore, despite the Pleasure God's portfolio actually being sensation, perfection, and excess, and not sex explicitly.
I licked my lips as I looked at the monstrosity, making an awkward show at being sexy. "Well, maybe you like it? Pain can be good though, right? I mean, you're not running away, and you walked right up to me even when you were getting toasted. You enjoy that pain, don't you? I'm sure you Slaaneshi boys know all about that," I said to him with a seductive grin. This worked, and I watched as he became entirely transfixed upon me. I felt like a snake charmer holding the attention of a deadly giant cobra.
...Omega... Deception... the psychic voices in the air gently observed. That's right, disembodied wind things. In my upper left breast pocket, I felt the Nemeses Argentum begin to grow warmer as I started to charge it with energy.
"And how do I know the little bird isn't being deceptive toward me, hmm? How can she prove that joining to me is her desire?"
I cleared my throat, and readied myself. This would have to be an incredible bluff, and I hoped he bought it. "You see this staff? This is the Force Staff of Zuze, similar to the one Malcador the Sigilite owned. It's an artifact of great power. Let's be honest here. If I was tough enough to kill you, I would've done it, but deep down, I'm just an untrained horny psyker chick on the run from the Inquisition. This staff is how I've been able to fight back at all, and the cause of that gold aura. And now that I'm standing here, I find that I enjoy this feeling of being threatened and abused by you, a beautiful new immortal god. Seeing you ascend right in front of me has really awakened something in me."
Grikk'ahn appeared skeptical, cocking his fanged eel head at me. I could see that his pupils had slightly dilated in interest though, so I at least had him on a hook. To prove my sincerity, I dropped my staff in a demonstration of surrender. It fell to the road with a dramatic clatter. At the same time, I consciously dimmed my radiance, drawing it back within my body. A faint shimmering aura remained around my form, protecting me from the elements. Grikk'ahn grinned evilly as the white skin on his body flushed pink with arousal. The monstrosity was now towering over me, murmuring and gibbering in anticipation, the pupils in his reptilian eyes now fully dilated in interest. "See? And I noticed you liked drinking that light, even when it burned you," I said as I stood my ground. He had bought it. I began to slowly unbutton my shirt with one hand, causing the Champion to drool in interest.
"Oh yes, indeed I do!" A long pink shoulder tentacle gently wrapped around my waist, and lifted me up to eye level. Even with my Corona dimmed, I could somehow tell that the Champion felt pain as he gripped me. As he held me, Grikk'ahn stepped angrily down on my staff in triumph. "And now you cannot fly away, even if you wished, little bird. You've bewitched me with your forwardness, and I now understand why Am'Erika was so eager to own you. I will claim you as my own instead! Your suffering will be delicious. I will not let your blissful agony be brief, as I have promised Slaanesh my direct attention on you. This I promise you, little bird. You have made the correct choice." The overconfident idiot even left my hands free so I could continue unbuttoning my shirt as he pulled me close to his monstrous daemon eel head. "The kiss of entropy. The thrill of death. Being on this planet has heightened my love of the sensation of the draining of life, and I have learned new tricks! Oh, you shall enjoy eternity as a part of me, just as hundreds of others scream within!"
...Kill him, Omega... the wind whispered, and the Heart of Worlds began to gradually disintegrate as it reached the proximity of the outer core of Nubua, much sooner than I had anticipated. ...Kill him...
"Your light, my sweet, it still clings to you in a faint shadow. It is ever so familiar," Grikk'ahn purred to me in many voices as he held me close to his head. My shirt was partially undone, and my Key was fully visible, softly glowing over my heart. I reached with my hands, swallowed my disgust, and pulled my fingers across his white scaly cheeks, causing the daemonic monstrosity to shudder in bliss. Where my fingers touched his bare skin, he was burned, leaving black marks that smoked. "Ah, as much as I enjoy your dimmer, more natural glow, please swallow that radiance so that I may devour you more effectively, my love. Eternity awaits!"
The Champion was fully transfixed on me, gazing at the Key with hypnotized hungry eyes. He even somehow missed that the Nemeses Argentum was now covered by my undone shirt next to my breast pocket, and away from his direct view.
I received a vision of Lian loping around behind the Champion. He was wielding a long shining sword. You're fucked now, asshole, I thought. I smiled sweetly, touching his face again and keeping his attention fixed entirely on me. I consciously shadowed my light further to oblige his request to buy Lian more time, and Grikk'ahn's eyes sparkled in happiness, knowing without a doubt that he had won. Space Marine psykers always think they're such hot invincible shit, and Daemon Prince Space Marines were even worse. They're used to having all the lore and stories center them, so I guessed it made sense. Main character syndrome to the extreme.
The Daemon Prince slowly began to open his cavernous jaws, and I could hear the screaming of all the people he had devoured, willing or not, over many thousands of years. Deep within his throat, I could see the shifting of tortured and laughing faces shifting in his daemonic guts. Grikk'ahn dislocated his jaw wide, and pulled me toward his mouth...
...Only to roar in surprise at the feeling of a blessed longsword being sunk into a part of the gold armor on his spider abdomen that had been melted away by the pink horror! Grikk'ahn remained holding me in his tentacles as his head whirled around to confront Lian, and I took that opportunity to remove the Nemeses Argentum from my front shirt pocket, push more energy into it, and plunge it deep into his exposed left eye!
Some kind of magical circuit was reached between the two weapons, and as I was thrown away from Grikk'ahn's grasp, strong psychic visions began to assail me at the speed of light. I saw a very large Space Marine with long blond hair wearing elaborately decorated green power armor falling in battle, and a world breaking under my feet. The cries of war echoed around me, and I felt a terrible feeling of betrayal. I heard a single name screamed out before I was brought back to the present.
LUTHER!
I scrambled backward from the flaming form of Grikk'ahn, summoning my force staff to fly to me in the process. Holy shit! Lian's sword!
"You bitch! You fucking bitch! What have you done!?" many voices screamed in a symphony of agony above me. Grikk'ahn was no longer salaciously playful, and was now on fire. White flames covered large portions of the Champion's body, and his pink swords were summoned back into existence in his four hands. A furious single eye as hot as a dying sun found me, and many legs began to run to me as I still struggled to my feet. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you, whore! Suffer forever!"
"You will not kill her!" Lian yelled at the top of his lungs as I saw the bright shape of his sword cut down a second time on Grikk'ahn's spider abdomen from behind. The monster roared in pain, and swung around again with his four swords to meet the Fallen's radiant blade. The Champion was now absolutely and desperately enraged as he swung madly at Lian. The Fallen was miraculously able to parry each of the four swords as they struck at him in a whirlwind. The Nemeses Argentum slipped from the Champion's blinded eye, glowing white like a star as it fell to the road.
With a quick mental tug, the enchanted shears flew to me, and I clutched them like a dagger in my free hand as I willed the light in my Corona to shine as bright as it could in a halo of protection.
...We come, Omega!... the voices on the wind began to sing. The Heart of Worlds was crumbling below. We had to get out of here! Behind both Lian and Grikk'ahn, I saw a white translucent figure in the shape of a man pull itself into existence out of the ugly dark yellow air. As Lian's bright sword furiously parried the immolating Champion's blows, the white ghost rushed through the air. The Fallen's aim was true once again, cutting one of Grikk'ahn's legs off at the knee. At that precise moment, the white ghost passed through the Champion, and emerged holding another ghostly figure. This one was another man, and he was being held by his long hair as the mysterious specter dragged him away and into the Nubuan sky.
Lian continued to fight, furiously parrying, his head bloodied. But still, he held his own, and the flaming form of Grikk'ahn began to slow as he bled black daemonic ichor all over the road. Two more white ghosts appeared from the winds. They both rushed Grikk'ahn, and the two of them pulled a larger soul from the Champion's heart. This one looked large enough to be a Space Marine, and he struggled, but could do nothing as he too was dragged away into the sky.
"I fight for the honor of mankind, the honor of humanity!" Lian bravely yelled as he fought the weakening flaming monster. More white shapes appeared, each pulling struggling shades from Grikk'ahn's form as they flew through the beleaguered Champion of Slaanesh. "I fight for my primarch, I fight for righteousness, and most of all, I fight for the Inheritor of Mankind!"
I pulled within, seeking my own energy reserves, and with a motion of the staff, I sent a fireball of warp energy at Grikk'ahn's head, which connected with an explosion of light. Many more ghostly white shapes of people appeared in the air, and I could now see their features as they became more coherent. I recognized them! These ghosts wore the same clothing as the people I had seen in Sebastian's vision, and their robes were a similar style to Nabopolassar's. These were the ancient trapped shades of the Independent Empires, and their prison was disintegrating along with the Heart of Worlds!
White ghosts assailed the flaming form of Grikk'ahn as he madly fought Lian, pulling souls from the Champion as they passed through him. I could see now that Grikk'ahn was now actually physically shrinking as he bled both souls and daemonic ichor.
"Fight harder, heretic!" Lian said, bringing his magic sword across, severing one of Grikk'ahn's arms. In response, I saw something unexpected. The Champion actually looked like he was trying to withdraw from battle, and was backing up, his sword strikes all defensive. The white shades continued to tear souls from him, and he was now obviously weakening. The Fallen was an absolutely incredible swordsman!
"This isn't over, dog!" Grikk'ahn raged at Lian in a choked voice. "I am immortal! I will find you again! I will bring Am'Erika next time, and she will destroy all of you!" Since the Champion was fully distracted again, I used my energy to psychically grip the Nemeses Argentum. I began charging it with energy again, and willing time to slow down so I could get a clear shot at Grikk'ahn's other eye from this distance.
Lian laughed, and gripped his sword in two hands. "You know not the blade I wield, do you, beast?" His sword glowed bright, and he held it dramatically aloft. "This is the sacred sword of my order, a holy sword passed down from trusted brother to trusted brother since the Horus Heresy! You stand in the presence of your doom."
...Ready... Time had helpfully slowed once again, and at my side, I could now see many white shades standing around me, each wearing a peaceful smile and touching my back and shoulders with comforting white hands. A ghost resembling Nabopolassar was touching my head. ...Your aim be true, Inheritor... all the voices sang at once as I concentrated. ...We will direct you...
...Ready? I heard the voices whisper to me as I held my Anathema Blades aloft in midair. Lian was once again locked in a struggle with the Champion, and now, the two of them were slowly turning in the decelerated progression of time as they fought. Very slowly, Grikk'ahn's remaining eye began to reveal itself. The Champion was struggling, and his torso was still ablaze and white ghosts still assailed him, but he still fought and still lived. Daemon Princes were very tough!
I drew my willpower back like a bow, and pushed as much power as I could into the artifact that floated above my hand. The white light emanating from the Nemeses Argentum became difficult to look at.
...Now!... the voices instructed me, and I telekinetically hurled the shears the entire six meter distance down the road, and right up into Grikk'ahn's remaining eye just as Lian's sword found purchase deep inside the Champion's chest.
A deafening psychic scream threw me back to the ground, and I hastily brought myself upright once again, ready for more fighting. However, I noticed that I was beginning to shake with overexertion. Even through I was now stronger, everything that I had done had severely taxed me, and I was finally starting to get tired.
What I saw was unexpected. Everything was quiet, and around all of us in a perfect circle, a host of white phantoms stood watching. Lian was now on the ground, his sword knocked from his grip. I blinked, praying that he wasn't dead, but I discovered that time had actually completely halted save for myself and the white ghosts. Where Grikk'ahn had been was now a singular white shape in the form of a normal-sized Space Marine standing over Lian. I blinked. I thought the process of killing a Daemon Prince would be different, but I was admittedly inexperienced in that department.
The central white ghost stood unmoving for a bit, and then began to slowly turn around, watching all the other shades surrounding him. His pauldrons showed an unfamiliar design of some kind of heroic winged lion holding a sword in its paws. The stranger's eyes then caught mine, and his face shifted to confused surprise.
His features were innocent, almost boyish for a Space Marine, with high cheekbones and a proud expression. His skin was smooth and unmarked. Intuitively, I knew here that I looked at represented a young Marine, only into his first few decades of service. He cocked his head, and looked at me curiously.
"Who are you?" he asked me in a hollow voice.
"I'm the Inheritor," I found myself answering as I stood close by. The white ghosts surrounding us began to whisper and chatter among themselves in excitement.
"The Inheritor?" he asked me, obviously confused. "What's that? Am I dead?"
I didn't answer that question, and instead asked him, "What is your name?"
"My name is Grikk'ahn, Honor Guard of the Sons of Ulthunas. What is your name?"
Intuitively, I found that I didn't want to give him my name, so I decided to be mysterious and said, "I am the Inheritor. I am Revelation."
More excited whispers from the ghosts. I could see that many of them were smiling.
"Where are my brothers? I'm dead, aren't I?"
"I'm afraid so," I said, walking forward, leaning on my staff for stability. Yeah, I was definitely getting tired.
"Why can't I remember the battle I died in? Did I fight well at least?"
I took a deep breath as I looked at the face of the confused young marine. Was this the brave soul that used to be Grikk'ahn? Was this the memory of the brave fighter that had been subsumed by ages of corruption and the consumption of souls and dark magic? When I walked close to him, he looked at me almost like a frightened lost little boy asking where his mom and dad were. Even after everything that I had seen from him, the emotion of pity began to fill my heart.
"You did, Grikk'ahn," I said, answering honestly. "You fought very well."
He nodded, and I saw him exhale a deep breath. "So, this is the end. What comes after?"
"The story keeps going," I said, not knowing what else to say.
The lost memory looked down at me in contemplation, and I saw a single tear fall from his sad eyes. "Your gold halo. It looks like the Astronomicon, the gold light of the Emperor Himself. I saw it in a dream once, before the nightmares came. That's what it looks like. I remember now. It is very beautiful."
"It's because of who I am, Grikk'ahn."
"Revelation. The Inheritor," he puzzled, and looked at me again from his height. I blinked, and suddenly, I was looking down at him from a very tall height instead. I smiled down at him warmly. At the root of it all, I found myself genuinely feeling sorry for this memory of a man.
"I think I understand now," he said, pulling a slight smile across his face. From where I stood above him, he definitely reminded me of a small lost child. "I-I think I'm ready now."
I opened my arms, and the memory of the courageous Honor Guard that had once been Grikk'ahn, Defiler of Purity, walked to me, his chin up and brave for the last time as he faced his judgement. "I forgive you," I said to him.
"My soul to you, Inheritor," Grikk'ahn said to me as he fell into my embrace, and then, he was gone.
Time restarted, and I found myself being hastily pulled to my feet by Lian, who was holding an absolutely massive sword that blazed blue fire. The ring of white shades was gone, and Grikk'ahn was nowhere to be seen. On my chest, the Key felt hot and wild once again as a new soul ignited within its heart. Images of a Space Marine psyker fighting Chaos began to fall upon me involuntarily, filling me with energy and chasing the exhaustion from my limbs.
"I have destroyed him! We must go!" Lian said, holding me as he placed the Nemeses Argentum in my hand. I said nothing, and with a quick mental pull, I telekinetically summoned the staff to me once again.
As we both limped our way to the Divine Retribution, I could now see that the white shades had reappeared in the sky, surrounding us in a wailing whirlwind. The spirits began to sing, their voices harmonious in an ethereal choir of the undead. I could make out only a few sentences said in the ancient tongue of Nubua in their sweeping song.
"The Omega is victorious! Eternal blessings upon the Omega! We are saved, and we are unmade! Praise the Inheritor of Mankind, the Traveler from Heaven beyond time!"
More cracks began to arc across the surface of the road as the Heart of Worlds continued to dissolve, falling through the outer core of the world. We had killed Grikk'ahn, but we were not out of the woods yet!