Space War: City of Light.

ter

rcanum, Arx A

a brick-built maze that skulked beneath the proud halls of the Librarium Sagrestia. It was barely lit; only an occasional lumen flickered in a rusted sconce, spreading cold light over the lichened bricks. Rats scattered as Mephiston strode through puddles and clouds of steam that hissed from pipes hugging the curved walls. Like all of hid battle-brot

ines with ever-vigiliant gun-servitors and doors imbued with so much aetheric force they shimmered. The Librarians did not speak as they walked each of them deep in concentration. Many

lossal shape. The four Librarians saluted as wall-lumens flickered into life, rev

, grinding voice resonated from it's chest. "Lord Mephisto. I did not expect to see you aga

nly one that could still speak. The only one that still lived. In the years since he had been interred though, Marest never left this sma

inside the Dreadnought's adama

changed, L

s that matter,

d. "I must spea

nly by the wheeze of pistons wor

finally, "but this is not the first time. You have already endur

e, Marest had heard rumours about him. Was he doubted even by s

em to the vaults, but as the Librari

ture is p

guries had not predicted th

hysicall

we need to preform

have been problems with the servitors – specifically the ones I embedded in the vaul

at tried to puncture his equilibrium. "You mad

is no danger. I have checked and double checked the wards. Its pl

t. There is always danger. How di

t as soon as one of them stops breathing I fee a surge in the psychosphere. I have h

r shaved heads bristling with oily black cables. None of them had limbs and they were built into the architecture, but he could see them breathing, slowly, as their mind-wipe

his particular time to

ncient nemesis. It had seemed an odd prediction and he had been methodical in his approach, examining all the alternatives before accepting that this was the right answer. For a moment, he considered

ound. "Even the wisest soul can benefit

he was wasting. "i do not claim to be the

tros. He sighed and stepped back, the gr

is amplified voice crackling down the passageway a

ce was disturbing for someone used to seeing through several veils of reality at once. It was also painful. Psychical pain would have been suppress

h locks both physical and unseen, until th

he wood. Light flickered between his gauntlet and the ancient wood. "wha

Mephiston shove

d to its floor. It was vaguely humanoid but with repulsively alien attributes. It had four impossibly lo

r Mariah, Rhacelus and Antros to follow him across the room. "But

ature. He moved the blade towards the Octocalvariae's f

nce, or that it was even alive. It remained sprawled on

d this monstrosity possibly tell you that yo

t and grabbed Vitarus, y

s' pistol was out in a second and A

nd. He calmly placed his boot on the Octocalvar

tocalvariae spoke Psychically

l filled with amusement. +Perhaps it is only in the c

e Angel," he snarled, his lip curling. "

is why he maintains his vigil." Mephiston wrenched his blade free, slicing through the creature's arm but leaving no mark on its flesh. "It is

+Another obsessive admirer. He c

on protecting me. He thinks I do not see him out there, but I do, strutting about in

ephiston recalled from his last visit, babb

self up on one elbow and gracing Mephiston w

ge through th

why do you think I would

ed Mariah, drawing ba

r to wait. "The creature

ariah, circling the chamber, still gripping her sword a

al. "I wish to travel through the Great Rift to a

training against its restraints. +Prospero? Are

but heading to Sabassus sounded like a suicidal idea, so he had assumed the Octocalvariae would enjoy helping him. He had not expected a question. Suddenly, he had a troubli

he replied. "I know that the regions surrounding the Prosper

f the puppets bu

ve the upper hand. "The cults are predominantly Tzeentchian," he said, "and there are rumours that remnants of the Thousand Sons Legion are

elus. "Forgive me, but is it wise t

ors sunk into the rock. "The Octocalvariae is cut off from th

tedium. And clearly in possession of more facts that the Chief Librarian of the Blood Angels.+ It lent towards Mariah. +Perhaps if

nto the creature. Light pulsed from her psyc

ed, grabbed the sword and hauled Mariah close. Mar

back. The Octocalvariae laughed wildly, ignoring Rhacelus' sword a

g the Octocalvariae down into the black Baalite rock. Mariah reeled away clutch

acelus," said Mephisto

way to end it." Rhacelus spoke with such force that the smug expression faded from the Octocalvariae's faces. Warp-fire glinted in Rhacelus' eyes, rev

you are not sharing wit

ntinued watching Rha

marshalling those cults. The

glaring at the Octocalvariae. His eyes infused with crims

s and taking a deep breath. Then he turned away from the creature and walked into a dark

ross the Great Rift?" Mep

. +If I helped you, Blood Angel. I would be sending you to your doom. Sending you to da

y more damnation

Mephiston shook his head and

, keeping his voice level. "And I

ng. You are an unwitting servant of the Great Schemer, but if you head to Sabassus you have a chance of becoming his willing servant – and a powerful one at that.+ The Octocalvariae waved at the one Lib

you know," s

u really do wish to embrace your fate in the Pr

locked down here for centuries, and has had no contact with

riae smirked

t the blood on Mariah's arm. "Until it manages to touch someone who has

ah p

rst. I made a similar mistake on a previous v

seen m

ocalvariae will remain here until it dies. Any

sured, but Mephiston tur

he routes y

ilus, in the region you call Segmentum Obscur

ld traverse it." For a worrying moment, Mephiston wondered if the Emphemeris might have been mistaken. Perhaps he had misunderstood

!" said

re the creature lunged at him.

said, turning to go. "The c

ai

indicated that the creature was sworn to help him. Try as he might, he could not discern the exact reason why. It was displeasing to proceed without all the answers, but time had forced his

If you are really in such a hurry to hand your so

and folk legends. Even some of the native Baalite religions mentioned it. The name occurred at certain nexus points on the Emphemeris. He had wondered on many occasions what its significance might be and even guessed there might be a c

e was back in his and Mariah's own private Libraries, pouring over mildewed tomes. Various cultures used Dromlach as a metaphor for death, a

s watching him with

n echo of something just beyond our comprehension? Either way, for every fanciful tale, scribbled in a tragic hut, there is a

o find a galactic ser

elus was old enough to be at Mephiston's side before his rebirth as the Chapt

ot abide by the rules of science that govern the rest of the galaxy. She is o

d Antros, closing his book and

Don't be such an easy target. This thing knows Chaos

ns, digesting the creature's words. "Dro

resent here, in your half of the galaxy – the half that has already been claimed by the Lords of Chaos. And, at her other extremity, she is also present in the other half of t

cross referencing then with the texts he was studying in his head. He re-read the lines about how Dromlach w

trate ourselves before a

atly together in his mind. He collated the comparative re

ed. +She exists. Look

" he gestured to the door. "Brother and Lady Mariah,

ed him bit Mariah hesitate

od, vampire?+ It licked its lips where Mariah's blood

curse, her face

ning in his voice was enough to halt Mariah.

ched away from the creature without giving it another glan

o the floor with a rattle of c

great seer of the Blood Angels. Just a simp

nd a shaved head. The body was deformed by the cables that ran through it and the head was dumb and blind, its mouth and eyes no more than puckere

that. But for all his learning he has yet to recognise the f

rying to look up at the bird-headed shape. +Many people have been c

reefold soul. He is a spoke of the Great wheel. He is an implement of the great charge a

ooked hopefully at

e is buying them time, but he will actually hasten their demise. So his fall will be the fall of the Chapter, and what a fall it will be. The Sons and Daughter of Sanguinius, consumed by blood lust and shame. Their despair will leave the

of eyes and leaning back on the cold stone, picturing the moment