Chapter Six: Cathedral of Madness
In the heart of Cartaxa II stood the grandiose Cathedral of Saint Veritus, a towering monument to the Emperor's glory and the pride of the local Ecclesiarchy. But to Eversight Soulflayer, the cathedral was nothing more than a blasphemous mockery. For within its hallowed walls, High Cardinal Arkan Voss had secretly pledged his allegiance to the Whispered One, twisting his congregation into unwitting puppets with the aid of a xeno relic. The artifact allowed him to implant thought commands, turning the faithful into mindless thralls ready to die at his command.
As Faithful Death descended into Cartaxa II's atmosphere, Eversight prepared his Deathwatch retinue in the shadowed depths of the warship. He fixed each of them with a cold, dark gaze.
"Brothers, the sheep within this cathedral may once have been innocent," he growled. "But they've been corrupted beyond mercy. We enter, we purge, and we leave no doubt as to the Emperor's wrath."
The Marines' eyes glinted with anticipation. Brother Garran Striker hefted his Fury Spitter, the weapon's upgraded barrels and drum magazine practically vibrating with restrained chaos.
"More for the fires, sir," he chuckled. "Let's give them a holy war they won't forget."
With a nod, Eversight led his retinue down to the cathedral, each Marine cloaked in xeno-stealth technology. Their silhouettes shifted and flickered like mirages, unseen by the cathedral guards and the crowds that filled the massive nave. Inside, High Cardinal Arkan Voss stood at the pulpit, his voice a seductive hiss that wove into the minds of his congregation, strengthening his hold.
"Faith is our shield, my children. And today, we embrace a higher purpose," he droned, his voice laced with hidden malice. He caressed the xeno relic concealed beneath his robes, its vile power whispering commands into the minds of his followers.
From their hidden positions, Eversight and his Marines observed as the congregation grew eerily silent, their eyes unfocused, their bodies rigid. Eversight's crimson gaze zeroed in on the Cardinal, who sensed the shift in the air and narrowed his gaze.
"Protect your High Cardinal!" Voss commanded, raising the relic high. Instantly, the congregation's eyes turned glassy, and they moved as one, rising from the pews to form a human shield around him.
"Here we go," Brother Kaelen Voss muttered over the vox, drawing his plasma gauntlet.
Eversight's hand morphed into a gleaming flamer. With a grim smile, he launched a torrent of purging fire into the advancing thralls. Screams filled the cathedral as the flames tore through the front lines, but the rest marched on, unseeing, unfeeling, even as their own burned comrades collapsed at their feet.
"Mercy, swift and relentless," Eversight murmured, watching as his flames consumed the first wave. "Continue the advance."
Striker's Fury Spitter roared to life, the dual barrels spitting out a cascade of explosive rounds that ripped through the thralls. The sheer force turned bodies into charred fragments, painting the sacred stone floors with a sickening blend of blood and smoke.
As Eversight pressed forward, his Marines followed in perfect, deadly silence. Brother Daedric Thorne's shuriken catapult cut down thrall after thrall with pinpoint precision, each spinning projectile severing limbs and heads with cold efficiency. Brother Raxus Ironmaul's Void Lash cracked forward, its deadly arcs severing thralls who dared to close the distance, leaving them writhing and broken in his path.
The high pulpit loomed ahead, and Voss's sneer faltered as he locked eyes with Eversight's blazing red gaze. "Inquisitor," he spat, clutching the relic as if it would shield him from judgment. "You cannot stop the Whispered One's will. His truth is stronger than your Emperor's lies!"
Eversight's smirk turned deadly. "Your faith dies here, heretic."
As he advanced, the thralls surged again, bodies piling up in a desperate attempt to shield their master. Brother Azrael Tyvor's splinter rifle whispered death, the poison-tipped rounds punching through their defenses, leaving twisted corpses in his wake. The reek of burnt flesh and poisoned blood filled the air as Eversight tore through the last line of resistance, his retinue methodically dispatching any who dared approach.
Finally, he stood before Voss, who raised the relic in trembling hands, muttering fractured incantations. "The Whispered One will strike you down, Inquisitor. I am his vessel!"
Eversight's arm shifted into a serrated blade, and he struck forward, knocking the relic from Voss's hands and slashing across his chest. The Cardinal staggered, clutching his robes as dark blood seeped through his fingers.
Voss's voice turned to a wheeze, a note of desperation tainting his tone. "They will… they will remember me…"
With a brutal twist, Eversight drove his blade deep, absorbing the Cardinal's memories. Images flooded his mind—rituals, hidden caches of xeno tech, whispered names of other heretics. He saw how the Cardinal had embedded commands in the minds of his congregation, enslaving them to the Whispered One's vision.
As Voss's last breath rattled out, the congregation—those who still lived—collapsed, free from the heretic's influence. Eversight's gaze swept over the remnants, pity briefly flickering in his crimson eyes.
"Your souls are cleansed," he muttered, turning to his retinue. "Make sure there's nothing left of his taint in this place."
His Marines spread through the cathedral, setting fire to the remaining thralls and the relics they found hidden in the reliquaries. Brother Garran Striker laughed as his Fury Spitter boomed one last time, leaving the once-holy place in ruins.
Back aboard Faithful Death, Eversight sifted through the Cardinal's knowledge. He had seen traces of the Whispered One's influence reaching into new corners of the Imperium, each lead marking another potential purge. His Marines stood ready, their armor still marked with the blood and ash of the cathedral.
"This Whispered One's grip is deep," Eversight growled. "But we're cutting it down, inch by inch."
The Deathwatch Marines nodded, their loyalty unwavering. They knew that the darkest battles lay ahead, and they were more than prepared to face them.