Relics - A Malum Vigilia Short Story - Chapter 2

[FattyLumpkin]

Chapter 2

 

Eli lowered his fist.  The hounds ran into the tunnel at a matched pace. Temur and Batu led the cell in a sprint, barely able to keep up.  For thirty meters the only sound was muffled foot and paw steps. Eli could see the heretics down the corridor on his multi-spectrum lenses, set to low light, and to reduce flash. The cultists heard them and moved from their positions around a fire to gaze into the darkness. Three targets.

Lumen was the first to breach the perimeter of the fire’s illumination, and shot a blast of light down the corridor so bright that Eli could feel its heat. His lenses compensated, registering a bright flash and a spray of coals as Olaf smashed through the fire. He saw the cultists fall backward, reeling from the sudden blinding light. Temur and Batu were closing on them as the hounds raced past to the next group. The two in formation behind took a step to the side, sighted the cultists, and brought them down in three muted bursts. Eli and Naran rushed past, giving the rear guard to them.

The cultists down the tunnel did not understand what was happening, seeing only a bright flash, stealing what vision they had. Another flash, and five more were brought down. Over half. Eli and Naran rushed past four more of the Cell that had stopped to shoot. Eli smashed the brazier Olaf had thrown to the ground underfoot as he ran. The cultists had begun to shoot in their direction now.  Every shot went wide. They had grouped up, in an ignorant attempt at safety through numbers. Seven targets. Lumen's light went off again, this time in a strobing pattern as he and Olaf pounced on two of the cultists. Temur and Batu smashed two into the walls so hard with their crackling shock mauls that they fell limp to the ground. Eli and Naran finished the group with two bursts from her, one from him.

“Life signs clear,” Naran said, in the now-darkened tunnel.

 

Eli looked down at the cultists as his cell fell in behind him. They were a different strain of heresy than the monsters that roamed the streets. Eli wondered what made them different. Why had their minds been spared, and their bodies left weak and fragile? Were they the chosen few, or a tool meant to usher in a new age of bloodshed?

 

He returned his attention to the present.

 

Eli could not make sense of what he saw at the end of the tunnel. He blink clicked off his lenses to see with his own eyes. Long, chaotic rays of vibrant color pierced the dark. He attempted to parse the information in front of him by following the walls leading to the entrance, but his eyes quickly lost purchase. The stone walls dissolved into dozens of overlapping patterns of light, color, and shadow. A far-reaching shard of yellow light touched Eli’s hand and illuminated something curious on the floor beneath him. He bent down to examine it. He plucked a strand from the ground to confirm it was real.

 

Grass. Real green grass sprouting from the grooves in the blood-soaked stonework, growing thicker as they advanced.  Eli heard Khorig, his warding specialist, murmur, 

 

“What is this place…?”

 

Eli opened a channel to Spire Cell.  “We’re approaching the courtyard. Give me an update.”

 

“I’d double-time to the objective. The daemons seem drawn to the steps, but it’s been a while since the cult has released more hostages to hunt, and they’re starting to wander the grounds—looking. The cult’s warding priests fill the plaza on the other side of your approach, keeping the fiends off the stairs. There is one that’s likely to notice you on your way.”

 

The man paused.

 

“You seen the grass yet?”

 

“Yes. And the lights.”

 

“This place is expensive.”

 

“Keep an eye on us as we approach, but do not give away your position,” Eli said, standing back up, letting the blade of grass fall.

 

“Aye,” said the man, and cut the channel.

 

The grass covered the ground now, and they were almost out of the tunnel. The roof vanished from their sight as they entered the field, revealing the source of the lights: the largest building Eli had ever seen, made entirely of stained glass. Past a clear half kilometer of grass, the massive west wing of the cathedral loomed over them, displaying scenes of glory against daemon, xenos, and mutant. Beyond that, the central tower stood kilometers high, shining so brightly with deep purple moonlight that Eli could not make out the images—only the chaotic, tainted light they cast. He looked to the sky and saw the towers surrounding the cathedral disappear into the violet mist, several times higher than the church itself. He could just make out the massive mirrors that shot moonlight into the cathedral, covering every surface in sight with refracted light, shining as a mighty monument to the God Emperor of Mankind.

“Khorig, you have point. Everyone spread out. Use the lights to conceal yourselves. No gunfire out here, we can't afford to be noticed.”

Eli turned to Khorig. He bore many favors of the inquisition on this day. His armor was etched with hexagramic wards, and a rosarius lay affixed across his chest like a belt of ammunition. Lashed to his left arm was a simple polished black bar; a null rod. In his right he wielded a power stake, long enough to plant like a staff, and humming with an invisible field of energy.

“Are you ready?”

“Of course,” Khorig said calmly and quietly.  “Do not attempt to aid me unless absolutely necessary. Limited contact with the foul things is best.”

“Agreed.” Eli said. Khorig began his advance.

 

Temur and Batu fell in behind him at a safe distance, followed by Eli to the right, and the rest of the cell fanning out in a wide pattern, finding paths of darker light to follow. They sighted a red-skinned beast ahead at roughly two hundred meters, bent over examining a corpse. It was big. As they grew closer, Eli saw it no longer bore any clothing, now much larger than it had once been. Eli was surprised by how human it still looked, though it no longer showed any signs of gender. Great ram's horns framed its face, and a long tongue fell from its mouth. Its legs ended in huge, hairless hooves.

Khorig stopped in a rare patch of white light fifty meters from the daemon, and the rest of the cell stopped with him. He stabbed his power stake into the ground and raised his hands in the sign of the Aquila, offering a prayer to the God-Emperor. The beast noticed him and let out a throat-tearing scream as it burst into a sprint.  It was easily a foot taller than Khorig, and must have outweighed him by a hundred and fifty pounds.  Khorig stood ready to react. The beast came one stride away from striking range of him when the leg it stepped forward with failed, suddenly losing strength. The daemon almost fell to a knee, but managed to keep upright with one outstretched arm. Khorig reacted, stepping out of its trajectory and turning ninety degrees, ripping a long gash into its side.  The wound began to spew smoke as if lit from a fire on the inside. The fiend let out a guttural exclamation, shifted its weight, and brought the arm it caught itself with up in a wild strike in Khorig's direction. Khorig threw himself under the beast's attack and slammed the null-rod into its elbow. The arm went limp and the beast's momentum carried it forward, sending it into a spin. It fell away from Khorig.  He saw the opening and pierced the back of its neck with his power stake in one swift application of force. The daemons head burst into flames.

Batu let out a scoff.
 

“Bastard makes it look easy...” he said,

Khorig removed the stake from its neck, letting it fall forward,

“Would that you all were warded as I am,” he responded humbly

“I don't want that witch :cuss:...” Batu said as he began to move forward once more.
 

The cell continued advancing to the cathedral wall. Spire Cell had said to double time, but Eli trusted Naran to keep a wide watch on life signs in the courtyard. The wall was not far and they would be able to reach it quickly if anything appeared.

Eli looked up at the massive west wing of the cathedral. It was all he could see, save the structures even taller behind it. It was difficult to not be awestruck by the scenes displayed on the cathedral. Beings of myth and legend doing battle with the vile and hated. Scores of Imperial saints. The never-ending battalions of the Imperial Guard. The Adeptus Sororitas and the winged Saint Celestine. Mighty witch hunters of The Inquisition. The enigmatic tech-priests of Mars. The royal Custodian guard. And the Emperor's ever vigilant angels of death—the Adeptus Astartes. All these and more were present, depicted in bold geometric cuts of glass, blazing in chaotic light.

Eli felt relief as he stepped into the shadow cast at the base of the massive wall. A strip of darkness roughly two meters wide ran along the cathedral, and he could tell the rest of his cell was also put at ease, here, in the shadows. They still had to reach the forward outer corner of the west wing, where they would turn the corner to see the massive highway and grand plaza. As the cell filed past him, Eli saw something out of the corner of his eye. In the other direction, the rear corner of the west wing, two humans walked into the field. Eli could barely see them, and blink clicked his lenses to zoom in. A man and a woman, both marked on the chest like the captives in the garden. They were filthy with blood and dirt. They must have managed to escape one of the hunts. But what were they doing?

“Naran, give me audio on those two,” Eli commanded

“One second. Ok, link up.”

Eli heard the man speak as he backed away from the approaching woman

“What are you doing? Stop, stop it!”
 

The woman was carrying a shard of sapphire blue stained glass in a bloody hand, and slashed the man across the chest. He recoiled in pain and stumbled, falling onto his back in a patch of emerald light.

“You're weak. You've always been weak! The things I've had to do so that we could make it... While you whore and gamble our future away!”

The man put his hands out in protest,

“Please, please! Don't do this! I love you! I've always loved you, since we were kids! Remember?”

She slashed at his hand, cutting three of his fingers off. He shrieked in pain

“Shut up! I am not going to die here! If anyone is going to die IT'S YOU!”

The woman pounced at the man's throat, and slammed the glass home. The body went limp beneath her, and she began to beat it with her fists.  

 

She craned her neck to the sky;

“Blood for the Blood God!” She screamed in a horrible, breaking voice.

She dug her nails into the man and ripped away bloody strips of flesh. Eli returned his vision to near focus.

“Blood for th-” Eli cut the channel, but could still hear her finish it, faintly, even at this distance.

“-e Blood God! Blood for the Blood God! Blood for the Blood God!”

Eli turned away from the scene, grim determination now settled on his face. Time to end this.

As the cell continued along the wall Eli opened a channel to all cells.

“We're approaching the objective. Once we turn the corner we'll be seen. Spire cell, do you have locations marked?”

“Aye,” came the reply

“Armor cell, I need you here in five minutes once the operation goes loud.”

“I'll drive faster then. I suppose.”

“Interdiction cell, are you ready?”

A deep, vox-grilled voice replied “Affirmative”

“In the Emperor's name. Stand by. Go on my mark,” Eli said, leaving the channel open.

They had reached the corner of the west wing. Eli returned to the front of the cell and placed his back against the wall. He exchanged looks with the rest of his squad. Around the corner were hundreds of daemons like that one, as well as the most dangerous elements of the cult.

Eli looked down at his hounds, more enthusiastic in their duty than he could ever be.

He took one last breath, and gave the command.

Edited March 8 by FattyLumpkin