Wrath and Duty 4

<StaffenGM> From emptiness you were born. From emptiness you were saved.
<StaffenGM> And from emptiness, you stand together once more.
<StaffenGM> Divided you stood,
<StaffenGM> United you will fall.
<StaffenGM> Such is your measure.
<StaffenGM> The hive you once stood in is no more.
<StaffenGM> Instead,
<StaffenGM> In its place,
<StaffenGM> You find yourselves standing on the concourse of a mighty palace,
<StaffenGM> Its walls painted in rich reds, gold fixtures lining the marbled tiles of the paths between the buildings,
<StaffenGM> And a jeweled beetle cresting the archway leading to the grand dome of the central building.
<StaffenGM> The sky, however,
<StaffenGM> Is dead and grey.
<StaffenGM> Above, in the sky, the daytime moon of Avestris hangs high in the sky. You are still on the same world on which you began.
<StaffenGM> But Dathamir Hive is not where it should be.
<StaffenGM> And in the distance, you can still see signs of the battle you left behind,
<StaffenGM> Between the PDF and the maddened Dathamiri citizens.
<StaffenGM> Medjed steps forward.
<StaffenGM> "The Marble Library," he declares. "My home of ten-thousand years past; my sworn duty; my legacy. In these halls is the accumulated knowledge of thousands of brilliant minds."
<StaffenGM> He turns to your assembled -- reassembled -- Kill-team.
<StaffenGM> "And now, I fear, it is for naught. Thou... nay, you must help me to send it back to the warp, to make right this anomaly."
* Invictus looks at the structure that stands before him, images run through his head.
* Priad slowly twists his head to and fro, giving their surroundings a critical eye. "So shall it be done." He intones, remembering as his previous vision floods his memory.
* Herbert looks down at his blade, he is fallen to one knee giving the appearance of the Knight bowing in reverence to the sight before him.
<Priad> The Apothecary is relieved to see that his equipment is undamaged as he brings his bolter to bear, his Narthecium in adequate repair unlike earlier...
<StaffenGM> Around you, grey figures stand, frozen in time, locked in combat: the Khrave, and the Astartes who desperately fought them back.
* Herbert rises looking around him.
<Draco> "This is familiar."
<Invictus> "Same, it is as I know the layout of this place."
<Priad> "And yet very strange." He looks to Medjed. "Where are we, ancient one?"
<StaffenGM> "You are on Avestris still," says Medjed.
<Herbert> "When," Herbert interjects.
<StaffenGM> He is staring at one of his comrades, locked in battle still.
<StaffenGM> "You are where you were, moments before," he tells you. "But this is what stood here, ten thousand years ago."
<Priad> "Ten Thousand years..."
<Herbert> "What forces have caused this, ancient one?"
<StaffenGM> "Ten thousand years ago," he echoes, "as the galaxy stood on the precipice of civil war, I walked these steps desperate to scry the future and find a way to prevent disaster. But in my haste, my divining numbed the auguries which watched the stars for invasion. And as the Khrave fell upon my Library and put it to the torch, I made a desperate gambit to save my legacy."
<StaffenGM> "I cast this Library into a spell to divert it to shelter. But instead, the land was sent to the immaterium; and ten millennia later it has reappeared. The strange happenings on the planet when you arrived were manifestations of the Library realigning with reality."
<StaffenGM> He lowers his head in shame.
<StaffenGM> "A glass pit was all that remained after I stole away to the warp. The people of this world thought to occupy the space and build a city where it stood, fools that they were. I fear that I have wrought a great toll in suffering."
<StaffenGM> "Inquisitor," he turns his gaze to Eveline, "I would subject myself to your authority once this is done. Thou wilt judge me as one in this time does. But first I must beg you and yours: help me put to rest my brethren, and end this anomaly, lest it swallow the planet whole in the distortion!"
* Herbert looks at the ancient marine, and then at the Inquisitor.
* Eveline_Ebbesen quietly stood in place as she took in the sight and the detail of what was to transpire. Then she would speak calmly. "The plea is considered. We will assist, and when this task is done, Judgement will come."
<StaffenGM> Medjed solemnly nods.
<Invictus> "How do we proceed then Brother Medjed?"
* Draco checks his boltgun and pistol for any problems "With bullets."
<Herbert> "You wish to see planet-wide heresies banished... with projectiles," Herbert delivers the question with scorn.
<Draco> "With enough firepower, anything is possible."
<StaffenGM> "We must reach the core of this aethereal event," says Medjed. "And it is centered on my scrying chamber, in the Grand Dome. Once there Comrade Invictus and I shall draw off the warp-concentration which is causing this anomaly. Be warned: with every step you take in this distorted space-time, life will move again through the beings here. Discretion is not unwise."
<Herbert> "And tell me, you fool, what firepower we can count on," Herbert takes a few steps toward Draco.
<Draco> *points to his bolter* "The Machine Spirit is with us. It is enough."
<Priad> "Brothers! To the task at hand, this is not the time. We'd best heed our ancient brother's words."
<Herbert> "Pathetic..." Herbert says, looking away from Draco, to acknowledge Priad's words with a simple nod.
<Draco> "Agreed, Apothecary."
<Invictus> "Shall we proceed then? The more we wait, the more likely for our task to fail and the world will be lost."
* Eveline_Ebbesen brought her hand up to gesture, familiar to the order of Famulous. As she began, a low chant would start to sound- an utterance of a prayer. Soon to follow, a fresh flow of incense would follow. With the ritual complete, she would steel herself. "We proceed."
* Herbert makes the sign of the Aquila at the end of the Inquisitor's prayer.
* Priad nods to the Inquisitor after bowing his head respectfully.
<Herbert> "A wise decision to beseech the Emperor for his blessing, Inquisitor."
<Invictus> "Lets move forward my brothers, and as Medjed said be Discrete as possible." He then begins his way forward to the Library.
<Herbert> Without a word, Herbert proceeds.
<Priad> Priad follows.
<StaffenGM> As you step forwards along the marbled path to the Grand Dome, the dust on the ground and in the air before you begins to move again, as though caught on the wind.
<Draco> "Never waver.
<Draco>  Never retreat.
<Draco> Never doubt."
<StaffenGM> Ahead, two mighty Khrave warriors beset a trio of Astartes. One Marine is in the process of being cleaved in twain. The other two are firing boltguns against the alien which bisects their battle-brother."
<StaffenGM> And as you approach,
<StaffenGM> They come to life once more, bolter rounds hitting the Khrave warrior in the abdomen.
* Axel leaps into action,jet pack roaring to life as he attempts to intercept an attacking khrave. Unfortunately the Xeno dodges out of the way
* Draco fires at the other creature and has managed to make it angry.
* Priad adds his burst of bolt shells to Draco's, still not killing the filth.
* Eveline_Ebbesen joined in by finishing the disgusting creature off with a rather well placed shot from her inferno pistol.
* Invictus charges the final Krave, he then channels the powers of the warp through his sword. his strike lands and cuts through the creature's armor slaying the beast with one mighty strike.
* Axel preps himself for another swing before watching the Ultramarine slay the beast before his eyes. Instinctual rage wells up inside him and he prepares to berate the Astartes. But visions of greens eyes and the Chaplins voice quenches the flames and he mearly states "Clean kill." before returning to Herbert's side
<StaffenGM> As the last Khrave falls, the Astartes who were fighting them fall to their knees, screaming.
<StaffenGM> Their helmetless heads turn to dust, and their armor falls empty.
<StaffenGM> Medjed balks at the site.
<Draco> "It was a good effort, Axel."
<StaffenGM> "What?!" he snaps. "But -- why?"
<StaffenGM> "Ahmous, Mermet--" he looks back at the group. "This shouldn't be happening!"
<StaffenGM> Up ahead, another scene of battle begins to reanimate: two Astartes with crackling shields push back against half a dozen of the Khrave.
<Herbert> "You doomed your brothers when you unleashed the forces of the warp, ancient one."
* Invictus looks at Medjed and then and what remains of the men.
<Axel> walks to the ancient Marine and lays a hand on his shoulder "None of this should, let us hope they are at peace,"

<Priad> "Their duty is at an end, ours is not."
<Priad> "We have a duty to not let their deaths be in vain, ancient one."
* Invictus bows his head to make a small pray dead.
<Priad> "For the Emperor! For Ithaka!" He roars as his finger squeezes the trigger and a burst of bolt shells racks the nearest Khrave. His burst takes a mighty toll on the creature, but it still stands.
* Axel Once again leaps into combat, bringing the chainsword down on the creature, but it's unnatural form blocks the blade from hitting anything vital
* Herbert fires his jump pack in the same direction as his squire, striking at the vile xenos to his inheritor's flank, chainsword tearing at its adbomen.
<StaffenGM> The first of the Khrave turns from the assault and charges Priad, who dodges it quickly.
* Priad dodges the Khrave's attack, leaning back as a claw rakes air clean over his helm.
<StaffenGM> The fourth of the Khrave swings its shining warp-bayonet at Axel, but also fails to land a strike.
<Axel> "Careful of their weapons master, you shouldn't sustain more damage."
<StaffenGM> The second and third of the Khrave lock into combat with one of the defending Astartes, but their attacks wither against the Marine's storm shield.
* Invictus seeing the Khrave locked in combat with Priad, he steps over drawing out his blade, he then channels the warp through the sword and strikes down the creature killing it with one swing.
* Priad nods his thanks.
* Invictus nods back.
* Draco feels the rage of his ancestors as he charges one of Khrave. He rips and tears with furious hatred.
<StaffenGM> The fifth Khrave tries to strike down Herbert, but cannot land a blow.
<StaffenGM> The first of the two shielded Astartes lands a direct hit against the final Khrave assault him, however.
<StaffenGM> The second is not able to do so.
<Priad> Freed from his own melee, Priad turns to assist his brothers, he locks his boltgun to his thigh and whips his sealance out. A well-crafted weapon familair to the Chapter of the Iron Snakes. He charges, his boots thumping into the marble and slams into the xenos. His weapon pierces the thing gouging deep into it's flesh. The Khrave shudders and dies from the shock of the charge, much to Priad's priade. "Well met brothers," he
<Priad> replies to Draco and the ancient one while he yanks the sealance out.
* Axel Refuses to be shown up by the other Astartes, he brings the blade whirrling into the creatures flesh
<StaffenGM> The fourth of the Khrave strikes back at Axel, cutting deep into the Squire's armor with its warp-bayonet.
* Invictus sees the fifth Khrave that is locked in combat with Herbert and charges in, he then slices through the creature with his warped charged sword, slaying the beast as the warp energy slices the creature in half.
* Draco is screaming in binary and charges the Khrave attacking Axel. He rips the creature into pieces using his servo-arm.
<StaffenGM> As the last of the creatures fall dead, the two Astartes lower their shields.
<StaffenGM> "Hail to thee, Brother Medjed, and goodly timed," says the one. "We thank thee and thy companions, though I know not their queer heraldry. From which Legion--"
<StaffenGM> The man stops speaking.
<StaffenGM> Both he and his companion fall, screaming. Medjed rushes to one, crying, "No! No!!"
<StaffenGM> But it is too late.
<StaffenGM> They are as dust.
<StaffenGM> "This cannot be happening," Medjed sputters. "I am able to walk this plane, yet they cannot."
* Invictus reaches out through the warp to see why the marines are dying, he feels the moment as they past and their souls are sucked into unreality along with there corporeal form.
<Priad> Priad's fists ball up in containted anger. "We must press on ancient one."
<Invictus> "I'm sorry Brother Medjed, but it seems what ever his happening, their souls are being pulled into a sort of unreality."
<StaffenGM> "Yes," says Medjed, standing up. "We must."
<StaffenGM> The Grand Dome of the Marble Library looms.