14th Black Crusade - IC

[Donan]

"I serve the Gods. If you need me and my skills, wouldn't you simply take them? I think I prefer to offer them, less painful in the long run."

[Henry the 57th]

"Of course I would take them. Mortal desires mean nothing next to fighting the Long War. But you offering them makes things more convenient. And it saves me the bother of having to put you down like so many others who attacked me when I demanded their service." Vul gestures to the mutant skull on his trophy wrack. "That fool being only the most recent of them. I'm glad you see sense. You're in." Vul says, not even considering the possibility that the others might object - if they didn't like it, too bad.

[Donan]

Katria ducks her head humbly, using both that and her hood to hide the faint smile of victory that flickers across her lips. "Then I serve, Lord." She raises her head, expression earnest again. "The Inquistion is like a colony of rats, you can never get them all, and they're everywhere. I'd bet good money that the one you tangled with will get replaced in a flash when you finally sort him out."

[Henry the 57th]

"I'm well aware. Over my many centuries of life, I've put down exactly 237 Inquisitors and countless acolytes by blade, bullet, or sorcery. And still there are many, many more." Vul shakes his head in annoyance. "Still, every Imperial death is a step, no matter how small, towards the day when we stride on Terra once more and the False Emperor is finally ended for good."

[Donan]

"Did you persaude any of those 237 to give you anything handy before you finished them off?"

[Henry the 57th]

"I ripped what I desired from their corpses, if that counts. Beyond that, even the most radical Inquisitors I've ever met would never have dealt with an Astartes of the True Legions. Besides, I have no interest in talking with the Emperor's puppets."

[Emperor Ing]

The Plague Marine listens to their conversation, seriously doubting the "killed over 200 Inquisitors" claim. He wonders how long it'll take for them to notice he's sitting up. His hand long-released from the medic.

[Mekboy]

Alicia met the impassive stare of Vul's helmet as he lectured her. "Suicidal or bold? I cleared the way to the Inquisitor and captain. Khorne was pleased, and has rewarded me. There was no opportunity for bloodshed other than my own in that prior corridor." Tuning out from the rest of the room as Katria fussed with the medical supplies, Alicia focussed on her new weapon.

Spoiler

Show

Try and put the sword away until I actually succeed.

[Henry the 57th]

Vul snorts. "Khorne did not reward you. You fell in battle. The Hellblade was pried from the grip of the Bloodletter after it attempted to murder me. I gave it to you because you would have more use for it than I. But if you wish to continue your foolish attacks, then I suppose I shall be reclaiming it shortly from your corpse."

[Donan]

"Oh, I just hope for a chance to tear the names of others out of him before we leave his corpse to rot." For a moment the cheery look on Katria's face is gone, replaced by a cold, endless anger that fills her eyes. "I'd like that. I think you would too."

[Emperor Ing]

Aaalll exiiist...to be reclaaaimed...in eeentropy and deeecay. Theee fffaaaallen will fffester. A gift...of peeestilence...fooor the iiinquisitor. Heee....will not suuurvive.

[Henry the 57th]

"Yeeeesssss..." Vul says, drawing it out and sounding very happy about it. "I love the look in their eyes as they die."

Vul invokes his abilities, and suddenly Katria sees a memory of his in her head.

Spoiler

Show

From the perspective of a towering Terminator, she watches as Vul charges a hard-looking, tanned woman wearing a rosette and power armor. Their swords clash, power weapon against force sword. Her plasma pistol darts under Vul's guard and fires point-blank into his chest, but he doesn't even feel the heat through his armor. Vul and the woman swing their swords at each other, Vul being far more aggressive. The woman begins to slow as the duel goes on.

"What's the matter, dear Inquisitor? Slowing down in your old age?"

She grits her teeth, ignoring his taunt. Suddenly, Vul spots his chance. His sword crashes down on hers, his massive strength forcing it to the ground. Even as she attempts to pull it out, she fails to notice the chainfist screaming at her from the other direction. She spies it just before it tears through the left leg, and she goes down, screaming in agony and spraying blood. Her sword and pistol fall from her hands.

Vul's shadow looms over the writhing woman. "I've been waiting a long time for this." he says, fierce joy coursing through him. "Time to die, my dear Fiara."

The woman, already pale from extreme blood loss, can do little as Vul raises his sword, execution-style, and brings it down, punching through her heart. She tries to scream, but no sound comes out. Vul smiles as the light leaves her eyes.

As the memory ends, Vul says, "my most recent arch kill. More than 70 years ago and a millions of light-years distant."

[watupwithdat]

Qaeviir again was not too interested in the conversations going on around him, instead he observed the khornate and her seeming mental battle with the bloodletter blade. To him it looked like she had troubles letting go of it, her facial expression either one resulting from her close encounter to death or perhaps an added mixture of intense focus to best whatever malicious spirits contained within the blade. Judging by what the Magister had heard about those blades in the past from "colleagues" dabbling in the manufacture of daemonic engines, the latter seemed like a likely bet.

"Is something the matter, girl?" he asked Alicia as she struggled with the blade, hiding a mischievous smirk behind the innocent mimic-mask.

[Donan]

A wide smile slowly spreads across Katria's face. "Very, very nice.. How do you want us to start off then? Best not to let him run too far, right?"

[Henry the 57th]

"He was on a penal transport headed to the prison planet. I am confident we will find him there. For the record, his name is Inquisitor Xarrow."

[Mekboy]

Alicia gave a short, sharp laugh. "I fell in battle? How odd that I am here before you. One would have thought an Inquisitor would be more thorough. Khorne favors me, witch. You cannot deny that."

Riled, she replied to Qaeviir. "This is a warrior's weapon. It does not rest easily."

[Donan]

Seeing a possible dispute coming, Katria attempted to head it off. "If we're going, should we nudge the Captain that way? Maybe we can even head off the transport before it really gets anywhere."

[Henry the 57th]

"You live through luck, and because I dragged your broken form off the ship, revived you, and healed your wounds, ungrateful whelp. I can deny it and I do. I have fought alongside some of Khorne's greatest champions, and I know well what his favor looks like. You are not so favored. Khorne has little use for those who fall before their enemies. Except of course," Vul grins nastily. "As another skull for his throne."

To Katria, Vul says, "Yes, yes that would be wise."

[Emperor Ing]

What iss...to happen...aaafter the iiinquiiisitor falls?

[watupwithdat]

We'll see if you can handle it, I suppose. I'm intruiged with the outcome. he thought as he looked at the blade for a few seconds silently.

"I do want to study. That blade. At some point." He wanted it to be known for now. So he could easily convince her to give it up to him for a while at a later point. Soon, he hoped. "Assuming you can find yourself to let go of it. That is."

[Henry the 57th]

"There's a ritual we have." Vul replies, "To drag the planet into the depths of the Screaming Vortex."

[Emperor Ing]

Aaand that... the Plague Marine looks to the Slaaneshi Mutant skull iiis what yooou killed that over?

[Henry the 57th]

"Yes." Vul says simply enough. "He proved unwilling to cooperate."

[watupwithdat]

The Magister got distracted from his eyeing of the bloodletter's blade when he heard a ritual mentioned.

"That?" he asked, not sure what they were refering to. Some thing that possessed the rituals?

[Henry the 57th]

The de Orbis Mysteriis and the other tomes. Vul projects into his head. And kindly refrain from saying the name out loud.

[Emperor Ing]

Gloooorious. He replies simply, a sickly grin invisible behind the gas mask.

[Donan]

"Oh." Katria nods, but seems fairly lukewarm on the talk of rituals. "Captain, then!" She turns and ambles out of the room at a fairly suprisingly turn of speed.

[watupwithdat]

"You said 'that' and 'he'." the Magister clarified, as Vul with his psychic intrusion had clearly misunderstood the question. Qaeviir was aware what ritual they were refering to, but he did not know where they had come from.

Short memory he has, forgetting what I told him the last time he implanted his thoughts in my mind. His fingers subconsciously signed a few curses over the sorcerer of the Black Legion as a show of his irritation.

[Henry the 57th]

"The skull." Vuls points to the mutant's burnt skull on his trophy wrack. "It belonged to the former owner of the ritual. He refused to cooperate, and so was killed."

[watupwithdat]

"Hm." he uttered, still slightly annoyed over the breach into his mind. Instead of delving further into the previous possessor of the rituals he turned his attention inwardly. He wanted to make sure the sorcerer had not tried to do more while projecting his thoughts into the Magister's mind.