Their Minds Unleashed

[embalancer]

Ok the idea of this story is a psychic duel from the prospective of a Libby.

Please feel free to let me know what you think and be aware that proof reading is not my forte.

Enjoy (I hope)

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The peaceful calm of the hallway was a diametric contrast to the swirling storm that I could see within the warp. Demons swirled around like flies most I barely acknowledged but some of the larger ones I could just about hear whisper something foul but indistinct, but nothing that would permeate my mental defences.

However my moment of calm was soon shattered by the staccato of bolter fire behind me as a squad of centurions and sisters stood holding the heavy tide of advancing cultists back that we had just fought through, my power armour splattered with gore, blood dripping down the blade of my force spear - The Last Song. Ahead lay a large door that had been smeared in blood of the torn up corpses of the acolytes that lay at the foot of it, but I could see the was more than that. For hidden within the blood flaming white runes blazed within the warp to bar my entry.

As I strode I lowered myself through the ascensions lowering the layers of protection between my mind and the warp and then drew the warp into my mind. Within a moment the eight paths were laid out before me like a white light through a prism. The red of energy, orange of warp, the green of nature, yellow of matter, blue of mind, indigo of space, violet of time and white of soul. I drew the orange path of warp into my mind, with it the power to manipulate the tides and currents of the Empyrean or the sea of souls. After a moment I had enough power for what I wanted to do, I shaped the warp energy in my mind and then unleashed it. Any psyker would have seen from a halo of the orange warp energy encompass my head and from it nine tendrils shot off it and latched themselves onto the runes and pulsed a torrent of warp energy down them like a mighty storm surge. With too much power placed upon the runes each gave one death-flare before burning out. Barely breaking stride I pressed through the door to confront the evil that lay within.

And evil I found there. Along each of the walls foul banners had been hung with runes that were weakening the divide between the warp and reality. Underneath hung corpses with great gashes across their mid drifts and the blood dripping into burning braziers below. In the room the maelstrom of the warp all rushed and focused around a crystal on the alter at the end of the room which then flowed into the former Inquisitor Kulatrov that knelt before it with his back to me.

"I had hoped it would be you" He said in his quiet sombre voice that now had the edge of something otherworldly about it.

"Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment." I quoted "but you will not be disappointed for much longer."

The inquisitor got up smoothly like skill and turned around. I could see the mutations already taking place with bony growths around the eyes and mouth with what appear to be feathers starting to poke through which contrasted with his dark skin. His power armour had been desecrated and all signs of the holy inquisition had be broken off or defaced. In a fluid and practised manner he drew a wicked curved blade and held a defensive stance as well I sensed him drawing into the warp and out of the halo of power that formed a great snake poised to strike.

"No Blood Raven you are too late." He sneered. "My ascension is at hand, and not even the great Mage Breaker Titus Cain can stop me." and with that he lunged.

I brought the Last Song across my body ready to absorb his attack and readied my mind for the incoming mental attack as my mental shield formed into the shape of a Raven. It was here that he first surprised me.

The general rule when a psyker fights an Astartes is to lead with the psychic attack and quickly follow up with the physical attack while he hopefully debilitated from the psychic attack as all things being equal a mortal has no chance in duelling an Astartes, but the Inquisitor slammed into me physically first and it was not the physical attack of a mortal it felt more like being charged by an enraged Ogryn, which was quickly followed by the mental attack and the snake lashed out with the force of a charging tank. My raven crossed its wings to absorb the attack of the snake, while I fell back as I absorbed the physical blow.

My force spear was pressed into me but centuries of war and duelling meant I knew what I was going to do on instinct rather than analysis the situation. I shifted my weight and spun round and cut my spear down, leading the force of Kulatrov's strike into the floor. As he went passed he lashed out with his mind and the snake rose high into the room and struck at the raven several times. The raven stood but with each deflected strike sent shockwaves across my psychic avatar leaving cracks and weaknesses in its wake.

Kulatrov continued his assault using his momentum to bring his blade over head and swing into a diagonal cut for my head. I dodged the cut but while he swung with the sword the psychic serpent simply swung and clubbed my Raven with its body causing more damage and this time it felt that I had been clubbed physically as well.

I had had enough. I lowered myself through the ascension opening my mind further to the warp and drew upon the red path - the path of energy and shaped the warp into the head of my spear which acts as a focus keeping the called upon energies in check. This caused the eldritch aura around the blade to flare brightly and in a moment I released it as a concentrated wave at Kulatrov, which knocked him off his feet and skidded across the room.

"It seems your reputation is not for naught" Kulatrov said getting up "which will make you a worthy sacrifice to my master"

I held my tongue for a retort as he raised his hand and began to draw from the warp again. with witchfire soon engulfing his outstretched hand. I powered up my psychic hood, within the warp a beam of light arced between my head and Kulatrov's. The warp around Kulatrov started to become more stable as I forced his mind further and further away from the warp. Kulatrov snarled as he struggled to draw from the warp and the witchfire round his hand soon guttered and died.

Kulatrov soon let out a below of anger and launched again with a series of rapid sword strikes of surprising strength, I am equal to them however. But they were good enough for me for him to break the hold of my psychic hood was having. As soon as it was broken a halo of warp power formed around his head he and he launched a series of strikes against my mind as well as my body. I stood my ground but only just for he was a powerful psyker as well as a skilled swordsman.

It was then that I began to see faint blue lines of warp fire under Kulatrov's skin that were the same pattern as his blood vessels and the skin had began to burn and necrotise. As I struck a counter riposte The Last Song soared upwards but he managed to move his head out the way but not quick enough to catch some of the feathers that had mutated out of his skin. As they left his body they soon withered and burst into embers of warp flame. Kulatrov then let out a yelp of pain followed by a wave of power that took me off my feet and sent me skidding along the hall. Then I realised that I was a fool, that I was too late. Kulatrov had gone too far and thanks to that gem on the alter was now ascending.