Chapter 7: a walk through the garden
Quintus sighed the Ultramarine librarius was just snapped out of his meditation by a click in the vox of his armour, he was summoned upon by chief librarius Tigurius and as with any of his station you didn't say no to his summons unless you had one Emperor blessed reason.
The grand chamber aboard Robutes flagship he was summoned to was prepared for the occasion with the banners of the Ultramarines as well as the Sons of Guilliman, Novamarines, Silver Skulls, Mentors and Black Consuls though an extra banner hung a gun metal grey skull with the hazard marked pattern of the Iron Warriors legion flew among the descendants of Robute's bloodline.
Quintus of course knew the rumours and saw the Iron Warriors fleet that had been orbiting the Ultramarines home world for the past 4 months taking on for what to them was freshly manufactured non corrupted equipment since before the Heresy, all without firing a shot or making a threat.
The chamber itself was built more like a parliament rows of seats with marines of the librarius sat down in each section though the Mentors as per usual were not sat in their section instead scattered among the groups present to learn more about their allies, at the head of the chamber Tigirus and the heads of the other librarius sat at a table to which Quintus approached getting the lead librarians attention.
"Quintus of the Ultramarines you have been recognized please be seated" Tigirus ordered and with a bow Quintus moved with as much silence as his armour would allow over to his seat in the Ultramarines section, according to the archives and history books he has been pouring over for the last 200 years the sons of Perturabo had no librarius but sat among the heads of the other libarius was a giant of a man in artificer terminator armour. His head was only a blank expressionless metal mask of ceramite with an ancient psykic hood towering over his head of which Quintus couldn't tell how much skin was truly left on the older psykers skull.
Each section in the chamber could hold about 50 marines but the Iron Warriors section looked bare with counting the what Quintus assumed their head was only 30 psykicly capable marines within the entire Iron Warriors legion, this was something that baffled everyone and something that now actually starting to listen in on the conversations around him is what most of the others were talking about.
Tigirus brought the room to a deafening silence with a large shout for order, the Mentors all filed back to their section a strained hum of psykic nerves echoed through the room. At the chamber door Robute Guilliman strode in and behind him a Terran woman dressed in red robes holding in her arms a child dressed in a grey cloth mock up of Iron Warriors armour that had his head dug into her shoulder.
Above the council there was 2 chairs that the primarch and the woman sat down in though Quintus noted how the Iron Warriors all stood abruptly to salute not Robute but the woman that walked by and sat down just as fast without any notable signals from her. Remembering the message sent out from Terra Quintus realized it was the Empress but were they really saluting her? Was the question that was on his mind.
She removed the child from her shoulder and sat him upon her knee his back resting against her as his face quickly turned from that of a soft blush to a hardened scowl that made the Iron Warriors lock up in place.
"Since we are all here we may begin do you agree?" Robute said looking over to his left and to Quintus's shock the child spoke, "of course brother" he said trying to shove the gravel and authority of what was possibly someone far more ancient into his throat but was as effective as a lone guardsmen in a Tyranid nest. The heads of each chapters librarius stood including the Iron Warrior among them turning to the two primarchs bowing their heads before being seated once more.
Tigirus then stood once more "we have all been summoned here for a single purpose, a single mission that the Emperor.. and Empress demands of us," Tigirus spoke quickly adding the Empress's title getting used to the phrase, "we have been summoned to reform the Ultramarines as a legion and to take the fight to the great enemy to recover something of great importance, but first we best know who is among us" he added on taking his seat once more.
The Iron Warrior at their table stood his ceramite mask and armour radiating a psykic aura that left a foul taste on everyone's tongue but it wasn't an evil taste it was still foul but one from devotion to their primarch in absence of the Emperor, "I am Vortek Torun," he said the vox speakers on his armour letting his surprisingly soft voice carry across the room "the Iron Warriors have no Librarius but I am the lead of the Iron Bound Seers, the last students of Prospero and we provide our might where our primarch decides to which he demands us to help you and so we shall" Vortek stated something that every Librarius in the room tried to find any fault or sense of a lie but it was shockingly the truth though the idea of him being a skilled liar wasn't out of the question.
Quintus sat through the hours of debate of the battle plans, of strategies and the warpcraft that will be utilized to provide maximum protection. The Grey Knights representatives eventually showed up to state they have prepared their portion of the strategy whilst the Iron Warriors will open the way and get them in the Grey Knights will stand at the exit to protect their way home.
Then came the discussion of how they would protect themselves from the waves of disease that infest the garden as well as keep nurgle himself from seeing exactly where they are, this is when one Iron Warrior a warsmith called Barak Korr stood the mechadendrites that came from his armour held up a projector. Quintus felt a shudder from the armour as the warsmith used his powers to activate the projector that filled the centre of the room with the red glow of one of the Iron Warriors constructs a warped Razorback with what looked like a Vox Mast coming from its top where the gun turret should be, among the satellite dishes, transmitters and receivers of the mast was flesh and demonic growths a disturbing sight that would have driven the unprepared insane.
"This is our Shadow Shields," Barak said in a surprisingly joyful but extremely controlled tone "one of the abominations of the plague lord is bound in the mast along with 7 servitorized cultists to help control it, stay within 70 meters of each and you shall be protected from all the diseases 'blessed' by the great enemy" the statement was met with absolute disgust and uproar.
The idea of using a demon engine was that which made even most critical of the imperial cult shout "BLASPHEMY!" the uproar requiring the shout of Robute and Perturabo together to silence the room, the orders were final they would use the demon engines to protect themselves from the plagues and they would use the kidnapped nurgle cultists to crack open a doorway to the garden.
Days later Perturabo took his choice of 1/10th of his legion and took off with the Inquisitor whilst the remaining primarchs not prepared to walk through the gate that the Iron Warriors prepared were sent back to Terra where Cawl and his acolytes were going to greet them and aid in the reconstruction of the legions.
The chamber where the gate was built was a temporary construction with artillery guns traced on it ready to bombard it when they leave to leave no trace on Macragges moon, the chamber was simple in construction with various wards of protection carved into the metal walls and floors to burn any neverborn that crosses the gate even if they managed to get through the gate. At the front of the chamber Iron Warriors nailed Nurgilite cultists to the wooden frame of the gateway before wrapping chains and psycoactive wire around their still twitching and alive bodies all while the deranged cultists still blurted out cursed verses from their blighted book.
"I wish there was a more pleasant way to punch that bloated cancer" Erda said thinking aloud and having dawned a gold and red armour brought to her by the custodes, Robute turned to her looking down at her "you're about to walk into the realm of Mortarians twisted lord and you're asking for it to be more pleasant? I see where Fulgrim gets it" Robute said with Erda getting a surprised and satisfactory look on her face.
"Ah so you have your fathers sense of humour" Erda giggled out making a nearby Ultramarine Quintus stop in his tracks, "my lord, my empress," Quintus said bowing as far as his armour would allow before giving his report "the engines have been prepared… must we really use them?" Quintus asked a sense of unease in his voice leaving unknown if it was unease at the joke or the engines, behind him in a line each demon engine of the Iron Warriors a Razorback with a Vox tower plagued with a trapped lesser demon of Nurgle with more cultists attached to it the gags in their mouths to prevent them from screaming as tainted vines burrowed into their flesh.
Grey Knights surrounded each Engine each Knight holding banners with sigils that glowed a semi-golden semi-silver light that caused the engine to groan in pain when it tried to move towards the knights. Robute and Erda looked back seeing the organized groups moving around, Librarius moved into position forming defensive patterns around the engines with Robute and Erda standing near the front with custodian guard's.
The pair turned to the forces Robute drawing out the Emperors sword the blade catching light and burning its usual glow, Erda conjured a sickle of warp energy "put that sword away my son the great enemy will see it like a lighthouse once the door is open" Erda said with Robute looking confused. "Fine" he said after a few seconds a sigh of exhaustion on his lips but Erda took it as her son desperately wanting to jump into the fight to play hero a concept that bright a slight grin to the mothers lips.
Thoughts of the life that should of been with her, Neoth and their sons whilst she expected being a mother to 20 demi-gods to be physically exhausting she never thought that she would have been in their current situation.
Quintus and Barak stood 5 feet behind the pair bickering about the ethics of their situation the practical and theoretical this made Erda also smile at the fact that by technicality the space marines were her grandchildren, when a grand bell sounded the booming rings made the cultists nailed to the arch way convulse, during their thrashing they screamed out their verses pleading for the way to the garden to be open for Nurgle to welcome his grandchildren's souls as the word they were bound to began to dry and grow cursed fungi as the wire strapped to them glowed a sickly green.
Erda took the first step and soon the entire convoy too over 500 souls stepping into the garden of Nurgle it did not matter if they were Custodes, Grey Knights, Ultramarines or Iron Warriors they were stepping into a hell of disease and unending decay, the Iron Warriors demon engines rumbled their shrouds to life just before they crossed the threshold protecting the half chapter strong force from being outright killed but didn't protect them so much from the awful smell.
The ground itself was that of mud on the verge of becoming sludge the bacteria and plant matter that threatened to creep and strangle the life from the intruders withered and died as the shrouds passed over. Robute looked over the cursed swamp-like land with disgust as the group travelled relatively undetected, through fields of mushrooms growing from corpse marshes to dense forests that needed Iron Warrior defoliators servitors to walk up front to clear a path for the approaching demon engines.
The Deathbell Lilly Fields rang their horrific chimes a choir that sung of mortals perishing as they passed, further and further they went all the while Erda honed in her senses using her ancient powers to hone in on a signal that spoke of fear, regret and hate. It pained her hearts to know what Mortarian had done and to be playing this sick and twisted game of Marco Polo with the suffering emanating from his soul sickened her but she pressed onward.
Suddenly Erda found Robute's armoured gauntlet in front of her blocking her path before an order to run for cover was issued, Erda found herself being picked up by Robute as easily as the giant could pick up a briefcase before hiding in fouled foliage.
An evil presence approached a tidal wave of impish nurglings focused their efforts carrying a fat bloated figure upon his thrown parchment in his puss ridden hands before he screamed for silence, helmet audio's had to be silenced as not to be deafened by a command that was like a thunderclap in your ear.
"Now that i have some quiet i need ingredients so- oh? What do we have here?" the bloated figure said his depressed tones having a hint of curiosity as the nurglings lowered him closer to the demon engine, he screamed as his bloated gut reached the field that kept them safe. "RAA! YOU DARE HURT KU'GATH!" Ku'gath roared pointing down at the demon engine before he started to make a noise no creature in the entirety of the warp has ever heard come from Ku'gaths throat.
"You managed to hurt me!" Ku'gath chuckled the thick mucus covered sound came out as he looked down at the part of him that was hurt, the field itself was like a virus that ate at the Plaguefathers gut but advancing no further. "Take this one i may have use for it" Ku'gath said his usual depressed tone coming back as the nurglings swarmed to take the lead demon engine making Erda, Robute and the rest of the front section quickly move back towards the secondary line to avoid the wash of pestilence that would have come.
One less demon engine and losing 30 marines mostly from the Ultramarines and Novamarines, Ku'gath though was satisfied with his prize carrying it away with sizzling nurglings that were replenished quicker than they perished, all the while he boasted about how when Mortarian got up from his slumber in the Death Beds he would have to use the newly acquired demon engine to kill Nurgles pet primarch.
Erda heard what she needed and looked through the warp before ordering the advance, all through the garden onto the final stretch to the Death Beds hoping and dare she even say praying that they could get there undetected knowing that as soon as she took Mortarian the hornets nest would truly be kicked.
There was only 1 path through the Death Beds, a series of rotten planks of wood as thick as tectonic plates held the group away from the trap below. "He is close" Erda said firmly with Robute grimacing behind his helmet at the poor souls trapped, "yes the warp is getting thick with hypocrisy" Robute said with Erda giving an unimpressed look from inside her own helmet before continuing on.
A deep flemmy howl came from the marsh around them with Erda calling back for everyone to look out for Mortarian since the shroud field might be hurting him, splitting into 3 once again Erda prowled up and down the column until she saw a wing jetting out of the ground before slapping the mud in a bit to escape.
He was there and pointing to him she focused and with assistance from some of the Librarius present reached out with their combined power, what was pulled from the muck wasn't the usual form of the primarch but a clock with one of his wings jetting out his organs painfully tangled in the rusted mechanisms. The face of the clock itself was the pained grimace of Mortarian stretched flat as he eyes were forced to rotate by the gears and springs as his tongue clicked with each second passing.
It was a sight that made Robute want to throw up and Erda bubbled with rage but right now she needed to remove Mortarian, "i assume this is going to hurt brother... I am sorry" Robute said with the lungs where the clocked weight shells should be heaved and between clicks Mortarian tried to wheeze out an insult.
That is when the screaming returned as a golden fire engulfed the clock the wood was burned, metal turned to molten slag and what was left of Mortarians form flopped in the Mothers arms before the plague ridden scream turned to the pre-nurgle roar of pain before becoming shrill like the scream of a child. Erda stopped and held Mortarian returned to the form of a baby the tiny 2 year old in her arms like skinny, malnourished and in desperate need for a bath was screaming in her arms.
The sky itself roared as Nurgle felt his realm disturbed with the crone form standing up straight "that is our signal to get out of here" she said as Erda's mother form got up with the maiden form, Mortarian continued to cry before he finally lost steam after a few minutes of the group moving trying to keep distance at the tide of demons that quickly approached.
They had been travelling for so long what must have been 4 days so it wasn't going to be a quick rush back to the portal, Mortarian was asleep in Erda's arms something that she thanked the universe for since carrying a screaming toddler that was resisting the entire time was going to be difficult.
Nurgle shouted again screaming for Mortarian by name, "RING FORMATION!" a custodian voxed the half chapter strong force quickly curling the convoy into a defensible circle as the demons created the hill. They were cornered but this does not mean they were going to stop fighting even as the very shadow of Nurgle himself loomed over them the occasional flash of bolter fire and warp flame flaring out to fend off demons with the demon engines helping slow down the large ones or burn the smaller ones away entirely.
Nurgles shadow loomed closer and Erda clutched Mortarian to her chest as Robute drew his sword the light of the blades flame causing the plague god to yell, the swords light other than just pissing off Nurgle acted like a beacon. A golden tear started to form in the middle of the group an ancient voice that Erda and Robute recognized echoing out from within, it pleaded them to accept his help and with a nod Erda reached out to the tear and felt Neoths presence spread over her and wash over the battlefield like golden lava.
The half chapter strong force was whisked away.