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sharp limbs from the floor； and so armed； he followed the trail of blood left by the haemonculus。
With the tip of one blade； Marduk parted the strips of heavy； semi…transparent material that hung
from the doorway leading from the circular room that had been his entire world for the gods knew
how long。 He moved cautiously forwards； eyes darting around him； seeking any threat or movement。
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This room was larger than the first； and circular； and half a dozen chambers led off it； each
partially hidden behind hanging； translucent strips。 He could hear groans and muffled shouts from
within those rooms； voices crying out from raw throats whose owners had clearly heard the sound of
Marduk’s escape。 Some of them sounded familiar； but Marduk ignored them； focusing his senses on
finding the whereabouts of his twisted captor。
The centre of the room was bare except for a torturous bladed slab akin to the one he had just
escaped from； with pale； thin lights shining down upon it。 This table had a score of bladed arms
extending from beneath it； but they appeared lifeless； or at least dormant。 The room had dozens of
hovering shelves and tables around its circumference； each one with strange perverse implements
and objects arrayed upon it。 The light was dim； pulsing faintly from the floor and the ceiling； but he
could see the trail of blood on the floor clearly； and he quickly saw his wasted torturer crawling
away from him； one hand still clamped around its bloody throat。
With a roar； Marduk leapt forwards； ignoring the pain in his tortured limbs。 One of the eldar’s
wasted； skeletal hands was reaching up towards a flickering rune that hovered before what Marduk
took to be a sealed； circular portal； but before it could activate the doorway； Marduk stabbed one of
the slender blades down into the back of its thigh and dragged it backwards。 It gave a wet； gargling
cry of pain as it struggled futilely against him。
Marduk knelt over his eldar tormentor； twisting the blade ruthlessly； feeling it grinding against
the bone； and smiled。
“How do you like the feel of that； xenos filth？” he snarled。
The eldar did not answer； but the bladed arcs of the circular portal slid aside soundlessly； and
Marduk shifted his attention to the new threat； leaping forwards and spinning the twin blades in his
hands before he even saw what was coming。
There were two creatures； vaguely eldar in appearance but altered； like mutant versions of the
slender xenos。 One was a woman； her body covered in tiny scales that flushed an angry red； and the
other was almost reptilian in appearance； with hundreds of shivering quills inserted into its flesh。
The first blade struck the woman in the side of the neck before she could react； nigh on
decapitating her； and his second blade stabbed towards the other creature’s gut。 Spines emerged
from its wrists and it deflected the blow with a circular sweep of its arms。 Then it threw its arms
towards Marduk。
The First Acolyte swayed backwards； moving his body out of range of the creature’s touch； but
the spines in its wrists shot forward。 Marduk twisted； but even so one of the spines sliced a shallow
graze across his side； shooting pain blossoming from the scratch。
The female creature was on its knees； holding its head in place so that it did not flop to the side。
Its scaled body was covered in rich； hot blood。
Marduk backed towards the centre of the room； stepping over the prone form of the
haemonculus； which had managed to knock a surgical implant to the floor and seal its neck wound
with a spray of a synthetic skin。
The spined abomination； enraged by the harm done to what Marduk guessed was its mate； threw
itself towards him wildly。 Marduk’s blade swung up； swatting aside a pair of spines that were shot
towards him。 He rammed his weapon deep into the creature’s side； wrenching the blade up under the
ribs to pierce the heart。 It slumped to the ground； hissing in hatred and scrabbling at his flesh as it
died。
Moving to his torturer； which stared up at him venomously； Marduk hauled it to its feet。 Holding
it upright by the scruff of its thin neck； Marduk moved towards the circular portal； intending to step
into the corridor beyond。
Claws dug into his shoulders as the female creature； its horrific neck wound all but healed with
astonishing swiftness； landed on his back。 It bit deeply into his neck； and Marduk dropped both his
captor and his weapon。
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Reaching over his back； his hands brushing past something cold and smooth attached to the back
of his neck； he grabbed the feral creature in his crushing grip； and threw it over his head towards the
wall。 It tore a chunk from his neck as he hurled it away from him； and he cursed as blood gushed
from the wound。 The creature spun in the air like a cat； and landed on the circular wall on all fours。
It did not fall； but rather remained stuck there； staring at him with hate…filled eyes。
It skittered up the sheer wall and onto the ceiling； and raced across it towards him。 When it was
three metres from him it launched itself from the ceiling； reaching for him with outstretched claws。
Marduk stepped into the creature as it flew towards him； and slammed his fist square into its
face。 Its skull crumpled beneath the blow； and its limbs went limp as it flopped to the ground。
Having seen its regenerative powers already； Marduk gave it no chance to recover； and ripping the
blade from the gut of its dying companion； he hacked completely through the creature’s neck and
tossed its head to the far corner of the room。
Swaying with blood…loss that his enhanced physiology struggled to stem； the result of the
torturous wounds covering his body； Marduk dropped to one knee。 His hands reached up behind his
neck； towards the alien device that he had felt attached to the base of his skull when he had hurled
the she…bitch monstrosity from his back。
His hands closed around a smooth； coldly metallic artifice embedded in his flesh。 His fingers
gripped the device around its edges； and his agonised muscles strained as he sought to rip it away
from his flesh。 The pain was intense； and it felt as if he might rip a part of his mind away with it； but
Marduk ripped the alien device from his neck with a powerful surge of adrenaline。
The force of Chaos hit Marduk like a roaring tidal wave； staggering in its power。 The full force
of the warp rushed to fill the emptiness of his soul as the null…field generator that kept the power of
the immaterium at bay was ripped clear； and his body was suffused with the power of the dark gods
once more。
His vision swam； and blood dripped down his back as Marduk stared dumbly at the black thing
in his hands。 Synthetic claws with patches of skin and hair still clinging to them rimmed the ovular
shape。
Understanding came to him。 The gods had not deserted him。 This foul device had merely cut
him off from its blessed presence。 It was a form of null…field generator。 Marduk hurled it away in
disgust。
Burias stood alongside the Coryphaus； Kol Badar； on the foredeck of the Infidus Diabolus。 The
Idolator had docked with the mighty strike cruiser less than twenty minutes earlier； and Kol Badar
had straight away ordered the warp engines of the ancient ship fired up； preparing to jump into the
roiling ether and leave this cursed system behind。
It had been a tense flight from Perdus Skylla； for the damage done to the Idolator had meant that
they had drifted； powerless； through the Imperial armada。 At any moment； Burias had expected them
to drift into the path of a broadside； and for the fragile shuttle to have been blasted to smithereens。
Once clear of the blockade； they had drifted for tens of thousands of kilometres； until at last they had
been drawn into one of the strike cruiser’s immense docking bays。
There had been unease as they had disembarked from the shuttle and it became clear to the
waiting warriors that Marduk was not accompanying them。 Refusing to address the Host yet； Kol
Badar had ordered Darioq…Grendh’al confined to his spartan quarters； and stalked to the strike
cruiser’s foredeck in preparation for warp jump。
Flickering screens of red light showed the relative position of the Imperial and tyranid fleets； and
though the Imperials must have been aware of their presence； for the Infidus Diabolus had left the
surging radiation of the system’s sun to come to meet the damaged Idolator； they had made little
move to break their blockade to intercept them。 A single cruiser with a host of escorts had formed a
rearguard behind the bulk of the cordon； though it had made no hostile move towards them as yet。
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Indeed； there was only one ship nearing weapon range； but the blinking screens relayed that this
was nothing more than a passenger freighter； and scans had come back negative for weapon sweeps。
It was of no consequence to the powerful strike cruiser。
Burias felt Drak’shal stir within him； and his eyes rolled back as he ventured inwards； to witness
what had roused the daemon from its slumber。
“Jump on my mark；” said Kol Badar； instructing the daemon…symbiotes that acted as the strike
cruiser’s command personnel。
Burias blinked as he came back to himself； and turned towards the Coryphaus； di