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Well, since the alarms been set off, might as well grab everything.

Thanks Bobakos for the grammatical catches. I really to appreciate it.

Mr. Nobody, those were my thoughts exactly!

Inigo ran through the darkness with Jaska and the others on his heels. He could feel the release of stimulants in his body as his twin hearts pumped. The giants all around him were slow moving as they woke from their slumber but each one seemed to be faster then the last. With a leap Inigo departed the ground, easily avoiding a side swipe from a spinning blade. His hammer descended into the face of an oncoming giant. Sparks and brain manner exploded outward from the connection seconds before he collided with the hulks upper torso. The hovering behemoth casually floated backwards. Now headless it violently shook, its spinning blade chewing through the floor and a nearby statue of a decapitated feline.

Jaska passed him along with two other Ice Angels as he regained his footing. Inigo paused to assess their situation before moving on and in the split second it took him to regain his gait he found himself at the rear of the pack. Beside him ran a marine with a lascannon. A skull helmed marine took up the rear.

“THUKOO!” the combat leader with the case up ahead shouted. The lascannon marine instantly stopped and shouldered his weapon. The skull helmed marine protected his right flank by deflecting a long metallic whip with his bolter while Inigo found himself batting aside a carapace covered claw from the lascannons other flank. A searing burst of light illuminated the immediate area. Another growling voice turned into a gurgling cry of pain, or was it pleasure, he couldn’t tell.

The lascannon sprinted forwarded once again and Inigo found himself the last in the line of fleeing marines, only the skull helmed marine ran along side him. He laughed heartily as the full effect of his body’s combat drugs filled his senses. The rush of battle always cheered him up.

Up ahead, the first marines were fighting two giants attempting to cut off their escape. The other marines ran past the combat into the hall that led them into the museum. Inigo witnessed a marine fill one of the giants with bolter rounds but in its death throes it lashed out with its drill arm. The marine didn’t have time to dodge or even deflect the oncoming blow. The whirling blade passed through the center of his stomach and out through his back. The bloody drill continued to spin even as the giant collapsed to the floor, its hovering capabilities shutting down.

An Ice Angel paused to check on the fallen marine but the downed Angel waived him on while pushing himself off the now motionless drill bit. As Inigo ran past, the wounded marine drew out his bolt pistol in his bloody off hand and gave covering fire. Inigo expected to hear swearing or praying or general yelling but to his surprise the Ice Angel fired both of his weapons at oncoming giants in cold silence. Death was upon the marine and he knew it. He embraced it with the same efficiency in which he lived, using every moment to the benefit of the chapter.

Inigo entered the wide stair way leading out of the museum. The skull helmed marine still stayed next to him as they ran.

“Angel, what was that marines name?” Inigo asked as they moved.

“Brother Bel-Bwuu” was his short curt response.

Inigo ran on waiting for more but as he realized there wouldn’t be any he spoke again, “I’m Honored Brother Inigo and since we are destined to run together, “he chuckled” I’d like to know your name as well.”

The unit of marines exited the stairs and entered into the next dark hall way before the Ice Angel spoke again, “I’m Mi-Luqua Vaz of Squad Kujara.” They ran on for a moment before he spoke again. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Inigo laughed at the absurd timing and politeness of his words.

Without warning the hall way ahead of him erupted with motion. Wide floor tiles shot upwards like pistons in an engine of war. Ceiling tiles plummeted downwards like comets. The unexpected motion caught the marines off guard but none of them were seriously damaged. The blunt force of the tiles wasn’t enough to crack through their power armor, but one marine had his arm pinned to the ceiling while another had fallen and was pulling his leg out from under it. Marines assisted one another as their sudden run was halted by a jungle of pillars.

Inigo and Vaz began to hastily squeeze their way through the pillars as the marines unpinned themselves and continued on. Angels gathered up and began to run again as Inigo wedged himself between the last two pillars. His broad shoulders and massive chest making his progress the slowest of the marines. Jaska and Vaz helped pull him out the last few feet. He nodded his thanks as he heard the tidal wave of growling enter from the stairs they had come from.

The three marines gripped drew their weapons but hesitated to act. Between the square tiles they could see the giants that were chasing them had continued to speed up as their dormant state wore off. Inigo began to laugh despite the sheer ferocity the avalanche of flesh was emitting. “Good luck with that!” he shouted with a chuckle, “Stuck behind their own traps,” he turned to leave as the first of the giants approached the jungle of pillars. His laughing quickly stopped as the sound of retracting tiles filled the hall. He looked over his shoulder at the departing tiles and the oncoming giants.

“Damn,” was all he muttered as he broke into a sprint.

Never laugh at the enemy, they will be quick to make you the fool instead.

His sacrifice will be remembered.

I really like the way you have fleshed out the characters man And you give an even better look on the chapter's character with this installment (ofc imho)

Excellent work. Love the interaction between the marines in combat. Snatching little bits of humanity wherever they can.

Mr Nobody wrote:Never laugh at the enemy, they will be quick to make you the fool instead.

That is very sound advice Mr. Nobody, but I don't think Inigo would agree with that, lol.

Bobakos wrote:His sacrifice will be remembered.
I really like the way you have fleshed out the characters man And you give an even better look on the chapter's character with this installment (ofc imho)

Thanks Bobakos. That is ultimately why I am writing all of this, to flush out my chapters character.

Gitsplitta wrote:Excellent work. Love the interaction between the marines in combat. Snatching little bits of humanity wherever they can.

Thanks Git. I enjoyed their little chat as well.

Visions of giants disappearing from reality filled his thoughts as he pulled back his arm for his throw. His thumb touched the activation switch built into the vortex grenade. At the pinnacle of the backward motion he pressed the button. His arm began to move forward, but half way through the motion he realized the button hadn’t moved. Awkwardly he followed through without releasing the grenade.

“SHAZBOT!” he swore as he quickly adjusted his footing to keep from falling. He took the grenade in both hands, once again examining it to uncover its secrets. The clanging of blades and flesh on bars and the walls was still intensifying. He activated his helmets audio muffling system so that he could concentrate. It dramatically cut back on the noise as if he was suddenly submersed in water.

The seconds felt like minutes as he closely examined the grenade. A dull crack pierced his noise canceling system and Razzik was forced to look up. One of the bars had been broken, but not like he had imagined. It had been torn out of the mechanism that forced it from the ceiling. The cracking sound was from the metal snapping into pieces. The other giants seemed to take notice and were soon putting forth their efforts at the ceiling of the bars. Several other bars soon followed suit.

Razzik’s sense of urgency wanted to reinstate itself as he witnessed more bars dislodged but before he could look down at his grenade a brilliant explosion of light erupted from behind the giants somewhere in the museum.

Every single giant paused and looked to their right. Razzik ceased the noise cancellation system to try and catch any clues as to what could have created that bomb like light effect. The area had gone deathly silent, even the giants had stopped growling and mumbling with anger. The dark museum was now glowing with flickering light coming from beyond Razzik’s view.

In that silence a yell began, at first he didn’t even register it because of the low frequency but as it grew another voice joined it. The two toned scream had such power that the floor shook. Weapons fell off racks, statues toppled. Non-hovering giants and marines alike adjusted their stances to avoid from falling. Razzik turned the noise canceling back on but it didn’t seem to help. He shut his eyes and screamed in defiance as the trembling rattled his entire body.

When the screaming stopped a rumbling replaced it. It reminded him of a hanger deck when all the ships started their engines. At this point nearly all of the giants were now moving away from Razzik towards the light, their own muffled noises returning as they moved towards the unknown.

Razzik looked back to the grenade still in his hands when he realized he had the perfect window for escape. The flickering lights from in the museum suddenly grew in brilliance. In fact, the museum lit up brighter then when all the glow globes were on. Razzik finally located a hidden ring at the base of one of the spikes on the grenade. With a satisfying click it turned and he was able to press down the activation button. He deactivated his armors noise cancellation system so he could hear the sound of the vortex grenade when he realized an oppressive silence had over taken the room.

Slowly Razzik raised his head. The museum was still glowing but there wasn’t any growling. There wasn’t even rumbling. He stared ahead waiting for some clue as to what had happened to the giants. He scanned his armors sensor settings. Nothing had changed except the amount of light in the area and the temperature.

“Forty degrees?” Razzik thought to himself.

Several deep thuds tore him away from his rising temperature gauge. A distant crash echoed from the hall. The rumbling began again and Razzik witnessed a jet of white hot liquid shoot horizontally across the barred doors opening. Instinctively he shielded his face with his arm. When he lowered it he saw the thick ichors from the jet melting through statues, bodies, and the floor with ease. Razzik’s temperature gauge had spiked again. It was now nearly seventy degrees warmer then when they had entered the room.

The thudding grew nearer and a shadow fell over the door way. Razzik was shocked with awe as a jaw bone and the bottom half of an eye filled the door way. The iris was wider then he was tall and it was looking right at him.

Captain Razzik had battled countless bizarre creatures and not once shown any fear in the line of duty but something about that eye held him in place. He wanted to move. He wanted to throw the grenade right at the reptilian eye but he couldn’t. As he watched the eye move silently away he realized that his death was imminent. The front of the creatures long snout pressed up to the door way. Razzik saw the volatile liquid cascading down the creature’s throat. He saw it erupting into flames between man sized teeth before departing its mouth.

An explosion of light blinded him as heat washed over him, sensors shattered, and several armored systems overloaded. When Razzik opened his eyes Nefas was on top of him and they were across the room in a heap at the base of a shelf. A path of melting shelves and relics was only a few feet away. The bars were gone and the mouth was moving away so the eye could look in once again.

Nefas sprang up off of him and without a word, sprinted along the outside wall towards the back of the room. Razzik saw the vortex grenade in Nefas’s hand as he ran. Razzik began to get back up when the eye peered in once again. It scanned the room before falling on Razzik once again. The rumbling restarted but this time Razzik didn’t hesitate to flee.

With surprising speed Nefas reached the rear of the room. He threw the vortex grenade into the hole that contained the decapitated body of the insane marine. Nefas then dove away as did the other nearby marines.

The thin shaft that had recently held the body of a marine suddenly ceased to exist. A perfect twelve foot sphere of material had, without fanfare, vanished. No noise, no light, no awe inspiring explosion, the grenade simply displaced material to the immaterium.

“CAPTAIN!” Shar-Takazz shouted from the other side of the hole.

Razzik dove forward into a shelf as a jet of lava like phlegm melted his previous position. He rolled over to see that the wall hadn’t even been able to stop the liquid. It destroyed the metal and stone alike. All around him a wide assortment of gear laid strewn about some of which had magnetized to his armor.

“DOWN THE HOLE, NOW!” Nefas commanded as he jumped feet first into the black pit in the floor. Marines scrambled to follow. Shar-Takazz waited by the hole for Razzik to get up as another jet of liquid shot into the room, this time on the other side of the hole. Not needing further motivation he shuffled on all fours towards the hole. He nodded to Shar-Takazz who then jumped into the void. A few seconds later he was doing the same, except head first.

Major Props for the Mork & Mindy reference! Wow, have you been busy! You're making a play for not only the best but the most prolific writer on dakka.

Dragon.... cool.

Thanks Git! I want to make up my own 40k swear word but I haven't settled on the right one just quite yet, so in the mean time I'll borrow a word from Mork and Mindy.

After glancing at the dakka fiction section I think you'd be right about me putting out the greatest quantity of fluff. The quality, on the other hand, well that's another story.

Naw man... you're the nuts! Don't doubt it for a second!

A squat beam of light flew over head and the crash of a giant brought a smile to Inigo’s face. He could hear a surge in their angry growling and incomprehensible shouting. Up ahead he saw Thukoo and several other marines pausing by a bend in the hall to provide some covering fire. Thukoo began to move as Jaska and Vaz passed the position.

Inigo chuckled to himself as Thukoo, who was carrying the massive lascannon, began to run faster then him. The marines were now moving in two bunches. The combat leader was up ahead with four others. Inigo was trailing the other bunch with Jaska, Vaz, Thukoo, and another two.

The growling behind the marines began to build. The tsunami of sound continued to crescendo and soon marines began to look around as a two toned roar over came all other sounds. Inigo risked a glance as they ran down a wide hall. The giants behind him were slowing and looking around. Their movements were twitchy as if the scream was overloading their thoughts.

Jaska ran closer to Inigo. He gave Inigo a side glance that gave away his question before he had spoken.

“No, it’s not the giants. Keep running!” Inigo shouted. He didn’t even know if Jaska or the others could hear him but his word and actions seemed to focus the marines nearby. They once again moved ahead as fast as they could even as the crescendo continued and the ground began to shake.

Inigo had no doubt what was making that sound but decided to keep his information private for the time being. It would only lead to more questions.

Finally, without warning or fanfare, the roaring stopped. The sudden lack of ground shaking noise left a dull ringing in his ears.

In the next few minutes they had passed the area that Jaska, Nefas, and he had joined up. It seemed like days ago when they opened that door and entered the lounge area. Inigo wondered how much further they had to go before reaching the wall the angels were heading too.

They rounded another bend into a pitch black expansive area full of chairs and tables that looked diabolical in nature, especially through Inigo’s night vision. He approached Vaz to ask how much further, when torrents of clear liquid began to shoot out from hidden nozzles in the walls and ceiling ahead of them. The front group of marines took the majority of the gel like fluid and they instantly slowed down. Two marines fell over as the thick gunk hardened to a heavy paste, then to a ferrocrete like material in mere seconds. Inigo and his group came out unscathed, at least until the harpoons hidden in the lofty dark ceiling began to drop down.

The forearm sized barbed projectiles fired down in tight knit groups. Thin cords connected the projectiles from their firing mechanisms hidden in the ceiling. The barbs plunged into tables and chairs, armor, and gel. Electrical currents coursed down the long cords and soon sparks erupted as the hardening gel spread the current around to all who stood on it. Those in the front group of marines not breaking free of the gel were now thrashing as the barbs sent their incapacitating currents streaming into their armored forms.

After the burst of energy the barbs began to lift up their hooked victims back towards the ceiling. Inigo and his marines ran in to aid them. Jaska fired his plasma pistol into mechanisms in the ceiling while other marines went about cutting the strong cords with their knives and blades. Inigo used his hammer to shatter the now solid gel that held some of the marines in place.

The marines were sluggish and dazed but quickly recovering as their super human anatomies abolished the after effects. Clearly the voltage of the barbs wasn’t set to handle the modified astartes.

“Maul, you look terrible,” Vaz said to a marine that had an extra layer of armor because of the hardened gray matter encompassing his body. A dozen barbs were stuck in the gel across his shoulders and back.

“Remind me to beat you when this is over,” the marine sarcastically responded as he attempted to dislodge more of the hardened material from his armor. It broke away in large chunks of gray rubble.

“Let’s move” the combat leader said as he picked up the box and unstuck his foot from the floor. The box was surprisingly untouched by the gunk.

“Balathu, movement up ahead,” Thukoo said as the party turned towards their exit.

Inigo didn’t see anything at first but soon pairs of red eyes could be seen in the distant darkness. He slowly moved forward as the gunk covered marines struggled to get to their weapons. As the eyes got closer Inigo began to analyze what they could be. The pairs of eyes were lower to the ground then the giants, many of them weren’t even as tall as a space marine. There numbers were steadily growing as the long hall way ahead of them filled with running humanoids. He drew his hammer as a smile crossed his face, the anticipation of the incoming waves of enemies bringing on a fresh wave of excitement.

The combat leader held the box in one hand and a chainsword in his other. He stepped up behind Inigo, “Son of Hades, would you clear us a path?”

“Absolutely,” Inigo grinned.

Without waiting for further word he jogged forward. The people running at him were similarly masked but not as modified as the giants. They were scantily clad and wielding cruel blades and hooks. As they entered optimal range, bolter and pistol fire streamed around Inigo. Inigo surged forward as the dead collapsed in front of him.

He stomped over several of them and let his hammer crush the life out of the next. Inigo rolled forward like a boulder down a mountain, it didn’t matter what part of him hit mindless aberrations, they were knocked aside with crushed limbs and shattered bodies. Each of his side swipes would hit multiple enemies before he reversed his flow and swung back around. Despite the damage he was causing, the drooling men and women continued their onslaught, jumping and stabbing with reckless abandon. They scratched and clawed, stabbed and jabbed, as they died. Inigo took dozens of glancing hits in the first minute before a systematic burst of fire began to match his swinging rhythm of attack.

Inigo smiled as he realized the Ice Angels had been studying him to better determine how to accompany his method of combat. Well placed gun fire always covered his exposed flank at the extremes of his swings or when he altered from side to overhead attacks.

The battle waged on for minutes as they fought through the torrent of bodies. Inigo didn’t waiver or slow as he forged ahead like the prow of a ship cutting through waves. The hall turned into a foyer with multiple exit halls and paths. Glow globes were still lit above him in the lofty ceiling. The sterile light surprised Inigo, up until the gun fire started.

The marines had broken into the room, fanning out like a wedge. Thukoo and a marine with a plasma gun held back taking aim where their superior weaponry was needed. Inigo hadn’t seen the gun positions until it was too late. Crystal shards, razor thin discs, and all manner of coated projectiles flooded the room at random from hidden alcoves in the walls and above the halls.

The scantily clad horde was only a diversion. They had walked into another trap. Inigo witnessed waves of the weapon wielding humanoids fall over from the sporadic fire. He brought up his hammer to protect his face as a stream of crystal shards passed over him. The projectiles broke apart upon impact, only one pierced the joint by his elbow. A moment of searing pain made him grit his teeth before the pain was removed from his thoughts.

For a moment Inigo had no immediate targets. He scanned the room and saw the number of gun nests surrounding the room. Each was a separate alcove with a person physically attached to their weapon. Guns and flesh had melded into a bizarre amalgamation of pain and pleasure. Some were bent back in ecstasy as if firing their weapons was some sort of release. Others were screaming their hatred through long barrels that spat all manner of projectile. Inigo couldn’t understand their words but he could feel their intent. He once again cursed whoever did this to these creatures that were once human.

Another shower of razor discs hit the floor next to Inigo. He dove to the side to avoid the torrent of spinning metal. He heard the continuous thumping of metal on floor before a change in tone made him look back. The Ice Angel plasma gunner had taken several to his leg and back as he fired at the alcove behind them. The marine fell face first to the floor.

“Inigo, Jaska, Venthu, Vaz, clear out that hall,” Balathu, the combat leader said as he pointed towards their exit. Fire continued to rain down on them as more crazed people ran at them. Thukoo and the others systematically took out the gun alcoves while assisting the fallen plasma gunner. A handful of guns had already been silenced but dozens still fired, their streams of death hitting marines and enemies alike.

Jaska ran forward with Vaz at his side, Venthu was right behind, his green glowing powersword crackling with pent up energy. Inigo moved to follow as more twisted humanoids ran into the room from side halls.

The four marines fanned out and met them with the Emperor’s fury in their hearts. They slashed and hammered, shot and pummeled the crazed minions that assaulted them from three sides.

Corpses quickly piled up around them and the floor was thick with bodily fluids. Inigo swept his hammer out in a wide arc to keep some minions at bay. Vaz was to his left reloading his bolter. Once he was done the marines pushed forward once again. The path exiting this room was another twenty feet away.

With an overhead smash Inigo crushed the skull of an incoming woman with two curved sickles. She collapsed next to Inigo but before her body hit the ground a skinless feline barreled into Inigo.

He crashed to the floor and slid into a pile of body parts. The feline bit down on his forearm as it tried to pin him to the floor. In such close quarters his hammer was worthless so he punched and kicked and tried to roll out from under the cat. In response, the feline lashed out with an extra pair of arms that ended in long sword like talons. One hit the floor but the other pierced Inigos backpack right past his head.

The red eyed cat let go of his forearm and bit at his face but a razor disc from an unknown gun ricocheted off the floor near him and into the side of the cats face. The feline tumbled away from the hit. Inigo didn’t hesitate to get up and finish the cat off.

“Where in Hades did that come fro…..” Inigo shouted before another cat barreled into him and knocked him back over.

This time Inigo continued the roll and ended up on top of the cat that lashed out with four paws and two talons. Inigo concentrated his effort in destroying the cat’s throat. When he finally hit his mark his fist past through the skinless front of its throat and he crushed the spine of the cat into the floor.

Getting up again Inigo saw Vaz shooting in short bursts into incoming creatures while Jaska held his flank. When his gaze passed over Venthu, he knew it was too late. A pair of quadruped avians had surrounded him and when he darted forth with his sword, a quick snap of a beak separate his hand from his arm. He cried in pain as he fired off his bolt pistol, but without the blade the birds easily moved in for the kill.

Inigo could only shout in frustration as the two birds removed his other arm and then began to eviscerate his chest plate. He ran over to him as Vaz and Jaska moved to assist. Inigo and Jaska dealt swift revenge to the birds while Vaz knelt down and held Venthu’s head with one hand. The marine tried to spit out a few final words but could only twitch as his body hemorrhaged blood and organs onto the floor. Vaz gently laid his head back down as the fallen marine went limp.

Jaska jumped back to block another incoming cat as Vaz stepped over to retrieve the fallen power sword. As he did another stream of crystal projectiles frantically passed over the area. Two hit Jaska in the back pack while another pierced Vaz’s shin guard where he had previously been damaged.

The sharp whine of venting plasma cut the air nearby. Inigo turned to see Balathu and Thukoo, but Thukoo was wielding a plasma gun. The cords from his lascannon were shredded and dragging on the floor behind him. One more marine, the one Vaz had called Maul hobbled right behind him with an unconscious marine was over his shoulder.

“We need to get out of here!” Inigo shouted as he turned once again towards the exit. Waves of enemies still ran out of the various hall ways towards them and he prepared to repel more skinless cats, scantily clad crazies, and gawking razor beaked birds.

The marines were in a loose configuration around the wounded when the ground began to shake. The twisted creatures continued to advance but the shaking slowed them down.

“By the throne!” Balathu shouted as he tried to stabilize himself while shooting at the enemies that moved in to surround them. A group of crazed humans with whirling flails stumbled at him from one side while a pack of cats assailed Inigo and Jaska from the other side. A larger then normal avian rushed in from behind with a trio of smaller birds. Vaz and Thukoo combined their fire at them to keep them at bay.

Inigo crushed the skull of the first cat but took deep slashes across his right leg and arm from another. Jaska’s chainsword cut off the arm of the first cat in a shower of sizzling blood but the cat batted aside the follow through. Jaska put two rounds in the cats head before another cat leapt into the air at him.

The ground continued to shake as Thukoo was knocked aside by a flail and stomped on by bird, he stabbed at the birds flank before firing a super heated blast of plasma into its throat. The plasma gun was smoking, its barrel and coolant systems on the verge of over heating.

Inigo slew the last cat in the immediate area and stepped over to help Balathu who single handedly fought back a gaggle of the drugged people. Inigo took several blows from curved blades and spiked flails as he intervened but each swing of his hammer shattered the bodies of the enemy.

The ground a dozen feet away from them began to change in hue. Steam began to hiss out of unseen cracks and stress fractures that grew by the second. Light broke through the ground and shot up into the room. Without thinking Inigo turned and grabbed Balathu as he did. “GET BACK!” he screamed as loud as he could.

An instant later molten lava spew into the air. Chucks of the floor melted in the air as a creature of epic proportions penetrated the room. Inigo and the other marines were washed away by the surge of rubble and debris. Heat poured over them as if the door containing a ships plasma generator had been flung open.

A two toned booming scream issued from the monsters two heads. Super heated liquid shot out of its mouths and covered scrambling enemies and the gun alcoves. Inigo and the other marines got up and witnessed the monster partially emerge itself from the floor. It easily reached up to the ceiling, its massive body dominating the room. Horns and bony ridges adorned its expansive hide. Its dark carapace was back lit by an internal furnace. It seemed as if its skin was so hot it was made of lava and some how contained by the bony plates that covered its body.

Thukoo jumped up and raised his plasma gun to fire. Inigo pushed it away so he couldn’t take the shot. “Wait,” he spoke. At the sight of the magnificent beast, calm over took him. His blood lust was sated and he could only stare open mouthed as the Linnorm melted half of the room with one head while consuming birds, cats, and people alike, with the other.

Not knowing what he was doing Inigo stepped forward. Jaska reached out to stop him, “No my friend, its okay.” Inigo said as he glanced back at the red armored marine.

“How do you know that?” Jaska retorted.

Inigo thought on that a moment before responding, “I don’t.” He chuckled at his honest reply, then turned and slowly stepped towards the giant reptilian behemoth.

The eating head tossed back the corpse of the large bird and swallowed it whole. When it was done it quickly swung back and stared at Inigo. The other head spat out one last blast of lava like phlegm before it too swung around and stared at Inigo.

Inigo could feel the unease of the marines at his back. He didn’t know why he was approaching the Linnorm, yet he kept taking steps towards it. One of the heads was sniffing at him, smoke billowing out of its nostrils. The other head shook in the air as it stepped up and down with it’s front claws. The ground shook at the movement. When the two heads reconvened they were side by side. It was like staring down two landraiders with all their guns pointed at him.

Cautiously he took another step. The heat was intense. His armor was running at maximum capacity attempting to keep him cool. Sweat poured off his brow and he wanted to remove his helmet. One of the massive heads stretched a little closer, its forked tongue whipped out of its closed mouth. In the blink of an eye the tongue passed on both sides of Inigo. He stopped and stared, unsure of what else to do.

“What are you doing Inigo?” Balathu quietly spoke, concern dripped in between his words. Inigo hadn’t realized how far he had walked. The combat leader was fifteen paces behind him.

Without answering Balathu, Inigo raised his hand out just like he had before. The two heads of the Linnorm continued to stare. With one rumbling step the monster got closer and the giant maw of the nearest head turned so that the massive reptilian eye could look at the marines and Inigo, without its snout in the way.

The eye itself was taller then Inigo. In that eye Inigo saw his reflection. His armor was heavily damaged. Shards and discs were embedded in his gray plate and blood splatter covered his entire body. Behind him he could see the handful of remaining marines, each sporting their own wounds. When he saw the box still tightly held in Balathu’s hand, he tightened his jaw and stood tall. He attached his hammer to his back and with both hands removed his helmet. Sweat poured off his face into his matted beard as the intense heat pummeled his skin. When he looked back up he stared at the Linnorm. He knew what he had to do.

“I don’t know why I know this, but I know you can understand me.” He began, his deep booming voice echoing in the suddenly quite room. “You’re going to help me.” He demanded.

The two heads recoiled and shook the room as they bellowed. Fire spat into the air. The simple motion seemed to ignite something deep within Inigo. He felt a surge of energy within him like nothing he had ever felt.

Inigo drew his hammer back out and with two hands slammed in onto the floor. Sparks shout out as mason cracked and splintered. “I FREED YOU BEAST! YOU OWE ME!” Inigo screamed, his voice overtaking the searing noise caused by the two spitting heads.

With unnatural speed the two heads flung back to face Inigo. Lava dripped out of one of the maws and sizzled on the floor. The other head laid itself on the floor and slid closer to Inigo, the sound was like rubble tumbling down a hill. The eye looked right into him as the head rested. Inigo felt like his soul was being laid bare before the beast, but instead of waiting for the Linnorm to finish its examination Inigo stepped forward and touched the beast like he had when it was at rest. This time, Inigo thought about what he wanted to happen.

Feth yeah!

You e been holding out on us!

Knightley wrote:Feth yeah!

I agree!

Gitsplitta wrote:You e been holding out on us!

Holding out? I would never.......

The fall was short. In Razzik’s mind he expected to be tumbling into another large cavern. Instead it was quite the opposite. After crawling and diving into the hole in the floor he fell into a small tunnel. Blinking lights along the tunnel illuminated the quiet space.

Razzik lifted his head to take a quick scan of the filthy tunnel he was laying in. One hand went to his shield as a precaution. Squad Rimsin was all around him picking themselves up or examining the gear they had recently relinquished from the room above them, only Zaduga and Nefas stood sentinel watching down the thin tunnel they were in. Shu-Takii was sitting with a volkite cannon lying across his lap. Shar-Takazz stood over Razzik with a hand out.

He took the hand and as he got up he noticed the complex set of wires, tubes, and boxes that were magnetized to his armor. He ignored them and studied the area around him. The smooth walls were dotted with machinery and equipment. It reminded him of the small places between rooms on starships, the hidden areas between decks. Razzik could easily reach out with both hands to touch both walls simultaneously. The smell of stale air and dust twirled in the air. Clearly no one had been in here in a long time.

A slight tremble rattled some of the machinery. Every marine in the tunnel drew weapons and pointed them up. The hole above him was still glowing from the melting equipment and walls. None of them breathed or moved, until the glowing seemed to subside and the trembling seemed to dissipate.

“What the jek was that thing,” Zaduga whispered. When Razzik looked back at him he met his stare. Zaduga was one of the many Angels that hailed from the tribes of the Shatt-el-Hai, a gigantic asteroid belt in the same system as Shattermantle. The old term was one of the few things that they held onto after becoming marines. After a second past Zaguda added “Sir” to his lingering question.

Razzik chuckled at the old expletive and ignored the formal “sir”. Despite his rank he still felt more like a sergeant then the captains he’d fought under for decades. Captains like Tarvu, Shar-Vashu, and Ruusa, for a fleeting moment Razzik wondered if he’d ever be revered like they were.

“I don’t know Zaduga, but I plan to get out of here before we find out more about it.” Razzik said as he regarded his HUD map to determine where they were. According to what he was seeing they should be standing in a room the size of a hanger deck, not a filthy tunnel. “That’s bizarre,” he spoke to no one in particular.

Assuming there was some sort of error, Razzik found the nearest space between rooms that could contain a tunnel such as this. He created a simple path towards the nearest stairs upwards which should take them near the museum. From there it was back tracking to the curtain walls. As Razzik examined the path he realized just how much further they would have to go in order to get back. “Time to move out Rimsin, we have a long way to go in order to get out of here.” Razzik took a step towards where Nefas was standing.

“Captain,” Shu-takii began from his sitting position. The volkite cannon was opened in front of him, “may I have one more minute before we leave. I believe I can get this operational if I….”

“No,” Razzik interrupted. “Time is dwindling and we need to get back to the….” His voice trailed off. He stopped moving and witnessed some of the wiring that was magnetized to his chest plate was twitching, like a leech looking for a patch of skin.

“Captain, that wiring harness is moving across your back pack.” Shar-Takazz said from behind him. Razzik could hear the slight scraping of metal on ceramite.

Slowly Razzik raised his white powerfist. There were several ornate tubes connected to the wires and they were rearranging themselves. Intrigued by what he was seeing he stood still. His first reaction was to shake his hand and try to remove them but as the tubes connected to one another a symbol started to form on the tubes. A black skull within a pointed circle, pale green lights studded the skulls eyes. The plates that created the symbol on the tubes began to reorganize themselves and the symbol began to morph. The sight peaked his curiosity.

A high pitched whine suddenly pierced the thin tunnel. Everyone turned to regards Shu-Takii. He still sat on the floor with the volkite cannon in his lap but the dark weapon was now vibrating with new life. A volatile glow illuminated Shu-Takii as the coils along its back seemed to suck in the light from around him.

“Philosir will be excited to see these, “Shu-Takii said as he closed up the panel on the guns side. He drew out a cord from a rear panel and plugged it into his chest. Lights blinked momentarily and he reached down to flick one switch on the side of the cannon. Silently the ancient weapon floated up and hung in the air at elbow level. Shu-Takii stood up next to the gun. He turned and picked up the other identical cannon that had been lying next to him.

“Less then sixty seconds and I’ll have the other one operational Captain.” The Techmarine in training stated.

Impressed by Shu-Takii’s skill and speed he nodded an approval to the marine.

“Zaduga, scout down the tunnel and see where it leads. Nillahfin, head the other direction and do the same. Report back in sixty seconds.” Razzik commanded. Instantly confirmation blips crossed his HUD as they silently moved in opposite directions. Shar-Takazz and Barru stood on opposite sides of Shu-Takii. Razzik gave a glance to Nefas who was by himself standing between two machines the jutted out of the wall. He was motionless as if deep in thought.

A click on Razzik’s fist made him look back down. Five barrel like tubes were now side by side along the outer side of his powerfist. The skull symbol was gone and now a blue winged ice shard adorned the tubes. The Ice Angel chapter symbol was a perfect replica of the one on his chest.

Chaos could bend its self to be viewed in a way so it will be ignored in passing. I smell tech heresy incoming

Nice... but I'm confused. I must have missed something. Will need to go back and do some re-reading.

Git, what are you confused on? My writing or Knightley's comment?

I must have missed where all this new stuff came from... I mean it must have come from "the collection" but the thing on Razzik's PG (digital weapons or grenade launchers?) I don't remember him obtaining at all. Like I said... I'm sure you covered it, I've just missed it.

 Gitsplitta wrote:
I must have missed where all this new stuff came from... I mean it must have come from "the collection" but the thing on Razzik's PG (digital weapons or grenade launchers?) I don't remember him obtaining at all. Like I said... I'm sure you covered it, I've just missed it.

Ah no problem, just check out the section where Razzik dives into the hole away from the Linnorm. One of the last sentences I added just a little blurb about equipment magnetizing to his armor when he was on the floor. Prior to that when squad Rimsin was running around looking for explosives to destroy the bars they were also pilfering some toys for future use.

Got it. Will re-read those sections. Thanks Ice!

Any time Git.

What did every one else think?

Anti.
Fething.
Grav.
Drives.
Are.
Awesome.

I'm glad you like Alie. That was actually one of my first ideas for loot they would find.

 IceAngel wrote:
I'm glad you like Alie. That was actually one of my first ideas for loot they would find.

Well as far as I understand it, he has something similar to a multimelta hovering next to him. I find that incredibly cool. Does he even have aim it, I wonder?

“……. location… repeat……. is your…..”

Broken sentences pierced the vox. Razzik tried to respond but he had no way to tell if anything was being received.

“……traps……” was the last he heard before the vox cut out. The crossed head set symbol blinked by Balathu’s icon along with all the other icons for squad Plafwu, Kujara, and Inigo.

“We shouldn’t be out of range. What is happening?” Razzik asked to the marines around him. No one answered. Shu-Takii was rapidly resetting and activating the second cannon. Razzik watched his docile fingers delicately replace several parts and in less than sixty seconds the second gun was floating in front of the Ice Angel. Two cords connected the guns to the user.

The second whined as it charged up. Shu-Takii tinkered with some settings while Zaduga and Nillahfin reported back.

“Tunnel continues on Captain, no exits.” Zaduga replied first.

“The tunnel continues on this way as well Captain,” Nillahfin began, “but I’m hearing activity up ahead.”

“Elaborate Nillahfin, what do you hear?” Razzik requested. He was already heading that direction. Shar-Takazz and the others moved to follow.

“Sounds like ships and” Nillahfin paused mid sentence, “and screaming?”

Teaser...

yeah, so?

lol

You didn't like me writing and posting giant posts so I gave you a little one to think about. I don't see anything wrong with that.

<=== "Short Attention Span Theater"