The first thing I did when I awoke was check the back of my hand. Sure enough, the Mark of Slaanesh was still there, glowing a faint purple, confirming the events of last night were not just the product of my own troubled mind. To think I had formed a binding pact with a God of Chaos… I could still hardly believe it even with her Mark adorning the back of my hand.
Spoiler: Mark of Slaanesh
There was another piece of evidence suggesting the events of my lucid dream were real, however; my newfound vampiric hunger, one which I could feed at the same time that I sated the Red Thirst. My tongue felt the points of my newly sharpened canine teeth as well. Perfect for neck biting.
Though my patron seemed to have given me some instinctual knowledge of my new powers, some questions remained. For example, how would the vampiric portion of myself react to the blood rituals that I engaged in? The requirement to drink blood was clearly related to the spiritual aspect of consuming someone's life essence, rather than the physical sustenance contained within the blood itself. Hopefully then, they would prove even more effective at quenching my new thirst than drinking blood the 'normal' way.
I rose from my cot, noticing that I was not the only one awake despite it being so early in the morning. Lucinda was fast asleep on the couch, while Angelica remained awake, spotting me immediately.
"Keeping watch? Cute," I remarked.
"I remain vigilant, heretic," Angelica said, her voice full of contempt.
"Paranoid, are we? Well, we can soon fix that," I drawled, grabbing her as I poured a small amount of Warp energy into her. Just a small bit of biomancy to make her fall asleep. Curiously, the whispering of daemons that inevitably occurred in the back of my mind whenever I drew upon the Warp seemed quieter than normal. Perhaps my new patron was making it more difficult for them to find purchase within my mind? It seemed the most likely explanation. Which made me wonder; did this positive aspect of Slaanesh have daemons as well? Something to ask the next time I slept.
With my new concubine unconscious, I took my time combing through hers and Lucinda's minds with telepathy. Apparently Lucinda had suggested playing along in order to gather information last night, having identified Gabriel as the greater threat. She wasn't wrong, but I was still surprised. I hadn't been aware that Sisters of Battle even knew what pragmatism was.
Regardless, it gave me an idea for making some discreet telepathic adjustments. I didn't make Angelica any less devoted to the Corpse Emperor. Nor did I make her actually like me in any way. Rather, I simply increased how far she was willing to go to maintain the facade of information gathering, eventually culminating in her considering it more important than the information itself, or even escaping. At the same time, I eliminated the mental barriers that prevented her from thinking about how attractive she found me. Something which, due to my Blood Angels heritage, was plausible enough to go unnoticed. I then made the same changes to Lucinda. Finally, I erased the last few seconds of Angelica's memories before triggering her to wake up again in a few minutes, while I went to take a shower.
As I expected, she was awake by the time I reemerged. I gently brushed my mind against hers, noticing how angry she was with herself for apparently falling asleep on the job. I resisted the urge to smirk as I put on my power armour's undersuit.
"What do you think you're going to achieve by maintaining watch?" I asked, as I began attaching the ceramite-plasteel composite armour plates to my undersuit. "I have you utterly at my mercy, unable to even injure let alone kill me without a weapon. If I did try anything untoward, there is literally not a single thing you could do to stop me."
"I will face death looking you in the eye, rather than be unconscious," she replied.
I couldn't help but snort at the ludicrous response. "Well, you'll be glad to know I'm heading out now, so you can get some sleep. I suppose I'll see you later," I said. I left my quarters, my Force Axe and Storm Shield in hand, intending to head for the main sparring hall. The door didn't actually have a handle, instead having to be opened and closed via telekinesis, ensuring no non-psykers could get in or out. I telekinetically manipulated the internal mechanism into the unlocked position, allowing me to actually open the thing before I stepped out, closing and relocking it behind me. Perfect for keeping any unruly Sororitas from escaping.
I first headed for the mess hall to both quench my thirst and get breakfast, serving blood as well as more conventional fare. Certainly, it was a luxury we spent more resources on than most warbands. No doubt my Iron Warrior cousins would call it a waste. Unsurprisingly, Gabriel held any form of asceticism in contempt, which was one of the few things I agreed with him on. In his mind, taking pride in one's austerity was something done only by those unwilling to admit that they were too weak to claim what they truly wanted for themselves.
Refilling our stocks of blood was another benefit of raiding a defenceless world like Adderoth. As far as I understood, consuming blood was not something that was done too frequently by loyalist Blood Angels, just enough to keep the Red Thirst at bay. While Gabriel encouraged us to indulge, practical considerations prevented us from doing so too often, with us only really able to let loose whenever we made planetfall. The stocks of blood kept on our ships had to be carefully rationed and mixed with preservatives and anticoagulants, which did negatively affect the taste, but it was better than nothing.
I wasn't waiting long before I was joined by my favourite person in the Angels Transcendent, the only one I could truly call a friend.
"Well, someone's made waves within the honour guard, Mel," Camael said jovially. We were roughly the same age, him being one month younger, with us having grown up together on Gildar Secundus. Like me, his body had taken to the gene-seed particularly well, making him a powerful warrior despite his relative youth.
Spoiler: Camael
"Just doing what the powers-that-be require of me, Cam," I replied, spotting the towering form of Michael sat at the head table at the other end of the mess hall. With his helmet having fused to his face, he was forced to drink his blood through a built-in retractable straw. "They wanted a biomancer, and I played the part of one."
"You don't give yourself enough credit, my friend," Camael said as we sat opposite each other at a table in the corner of the cavernous room. We weren't waiting long before a pair of slaves brought us some food, along with two glasses of blood. "You might make it to the lofty heights of an exalted sorcerer at this rate."
"Not for another few centuries, especially when advancement depends more on one's devotion to their patron God than skill," I replied, not trying to keep the disdain from my voice as I sipped my glass of blood. The new beast within me relished the drink, as it occurred to me that this one glass held a far greater volume than you were likely to get from biting someone's neck.
"That goes for the rest of us as well, I fear, though I'm hopeful that He's more likely to notice those with greater skill," Camael said as he drank his own blood. Like the majority of my brethren, Camael did not deal much with mortals, and had never sought to have his own sex drive restored. His obsession was entirely martial focused, aspiring to become the most skilled swordsman in the galaxy, surpassing the likes of even Lucius the Eternal.
"So anyway," he said between bites of a pastry, "how have you been Mel? Did you 'acquire' any new concubines?"
I snorted, practically able to hear him say the air quotes. "A pair of Sister of Battles. I fancied someone a bit feistier."
"The much vaunted defenders of the Ecclesiarchy, eh?" he chuckled. "It'll be a challenge breaking them in, assuming you don't just mindbreak them."
"If I did that I might as well have picked any pair of mortals," I replied. "No, I'd prefer them to think that they are still playing along in their attempt to gather information while engulfed in the sort of pleasure that only I can provide."
"You have a pretty high opinion of yourself, don't you?" Camael grinned.
"Why do you think I chose to specialise in biomancy, Cam? Manipulating biology to increase one's capacity for feeling pain or pleasure beyond what would normally be possible is the sort of thing that our patron appreciates."
My friend nodded. "I have little need for such… indulgences as you know. I'd rather focus all my efforts on mastering the blade."
"Why not do both?" I asked. "Learning to tear people apart with the Warp did not stop me from learning to use a Force Axe, though I am not too proud to admit that you are more skilled than I."
"You just answered your own question," Camael replied. "I don't want to spread myself too thinly. I would rather my skills be narrow but deep than broad but shallow. Who knows, maybe one day I really will defeat Lucius the Eternal in a duel."
100 CP gained, current balance: 100 CP.
I blinked in surprise as more floating text appeared before me, just in case I needed more confirmation of my pact with Slaanesh. She hadn't mentioned this 'CP', and I had been too preoccupied to ask. Something else to speak to her about later.
Ever perceptive, Camael noticed my distraction, slight though it was. "Mel? Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," I replied. "Hopefully the opposite is true. Stop by my quarters later, I'd rather discuss it somewhere private."
He raised an eyebrow, but just nodded, allowing the matter to lie for now.
"Getting back to what we were just discussing," I continued, "I would argue that flexibility is more important. Be strong where the opponent is weak, and all that. No offence Cam, but you wouldn't stand a chance in our duels if I drew upon the Warp."
"And yet I can't, so I rely upon the support of those who can," Camael shrugged. "Like it or not, we remain creations of the Corpse Emperor. He intended for us to fight side by side, using our strengths to mitigate each other's weaknesses."
"To think my strength was one he intended to purge from humanity, by all accounts," I remarked. "Something that our fifteenth legion cousins learned the hard way."
"I never said his plan was any good," Camael grinned as he downed the last of his blood. "Anyway, how about a few practice duels to start the day? I see you brought your axe and shield along."
"What an excellent idea," I replied as we rose from the table, eager to put my newfound strength to the test as we headed for the main training hall. One disadvantage of living on a twelve kilometre long warship was the time it took to get around. Even with the main inhabited portion concentrated in the centre of the ship, it still took us more than 15 minutes to reach our destination.
For once the training hall was quiet, with many of our brethren already having their fun with the mortal population down on Adderoth. We stood opposite each other as I drew my Force Axe and Storm Shield, an act that Camael mirrored with his own Storm Shield and Power Sword, a gleaming blade of triple hardened adamantium, the same material as the head of my axe.
Neither of us moved for a few seconds, keenly watching each other. Since I had agreed to not use the Warp to increase my physical prowess, it was very rare that I actually won duels against Camael. He was a couple of inches taller than me, an even nine and a half feet out of armour, but not quite as broad. He was, however, as quick as a whip, which usually mattered more than brute strength in duels like these, especially when power armour tended to even out differences in strength. Not to mention the skill gap, having mastered the art of sword fighting at its absolute highest level. The question was, would my vampirism be enough to give me the edge for once?
I let Camael take the initiative, not wanting to immediately give away my newly augmented physicality. Sure enough he rocketed towards me with preternatural speed, feinting a blow towards my bare head only to redirect his blade towards my shoulder. I raised my shield to block quicker than he expected, grinning as I saw his eyes widen.
"This is one of the things I want to discuss later," I said quickly, not letting up any pressure even as I spoke, attempting to hook away his shield with my axe. I caught the edge with the beard of the axe head, twisted to lock it in place as I yanked it to the side. Camael tried to pull his shield back but he was too slow. With my axe holding his shield in place I rammed my own shield and shoulder into his chest with enough force to make him stumble as I brought my axe around. He tried to parry with his sword, but after I'd forced him into an awkward position he couldn't redirect my heavier weapon, bringing the axe blade to a stop just shy of his neck.
Camael just stared at me in shock. "You didn't use the Warp just then, did you?"
"Not in the slightest," I said smugly, as more floating text appeared before me.
Feat accomplished: defeat Camael in a duel. 50 CP gained, current balance: 150 CP
Apparently Slaanesh considered that to be noteworthy, not that I had any context for how much 50 CP was worth. I was beginning to wonder if it was some sort of currency for purchasing powers. She did say it drew from the wider multiverse too. Perhaps this Celestial Grimoire wasn't unique to myself then?
"Anyway, shall we go again?" I asked.
My friend's eyes narrowed. "Yes. We will," he replied, sounding more subdued. No doubt he'd be more careful this time.
With my little secret out in the open, I decided to be more aggressive the second time around. Had we been enemies, this wouldn't even be a fight. Besides using the Warp to increase my strength and speed, I could now attempt tactical teleportation using my new vampiric powers. Teleporting with the Warp was rarely used in such a fashion, the transition between realspace and the Warp not being instantaneous. When I could disappear in a puff of smoke and immediately reappear somewhere else, however? It was something to practise with Camael later. In private, of course.
I charged at him, but my speed didn't catch him off-guard a second time. My axe hit his shield with a loud clang, its in-built energy field generator not currently active. Annoyingly, he'd angled his shield in such a way as to deflect my axe to the side, its momentum leaving me open. Camael thrust with his sword as my torso, but I managed to bring my own shield around just in the nick of time to block, buying me enough time to bring my own weapon back around, which he blocked with his own shield. With us both blocking each other it was tempting to go for a headbutt, but we'd long since agreed to not use them when duelling. If we were fighting for real, we'd be wearing helmets.
I instead chose to ram my armoured knee into his stomach, more to create distance than as an actual attack. A mistake on my part; he must've anticipated what I'd do, and used the moment where my foot was off the ground to push me back. Ordinarily that might have cost me the duel, but I managed to bring my foot back down just in the nick of time to not completely lose my balance, something that I would've been too slow for before.
Undeterred, Camael pressed the attack, hoping to catch me out before I could properly recover. With my shield in an awkward position, I brought my axe up as fast as I could to block or parry. This time it was me that underestimated my speed; rather than catch his blade with my own weapon as I intended, the heavy adamantium axe head smacked against the side of his blade with enough force to knock out of his hand.
"Not what I meant to do, but it worked," I said idly.
"You've got some explaining to do, Mel," Camael muttered as he retrieved his sword.
"And I will," I replied, as we once more got into position.
We continued our duels for another couple of hours, the gap between us growing smaller as Camael became more wary of my new limits. During that time, I gathered that my new vampiric strength, while great enough to put one firmly above the human baseline, wasn't that significant relative to my already superhuman strength. Once he'd adapted, Camael again managed to win more of our bouts through his superior skill, if not quite as many as before.
After quenching my thirst with a nice cold glass of human blood, we left the training hall, making small talk as we wandered the many hallways that led to my private chambers.
"I doubt they'll try, but get ready to catch any Sororitas that might attempt to make a break for it," I said as I telekinetically opened the door.
"Where would they even go?" Camael asked.
"Battle Sisters are not known for their logic, Cam," I said loudly enough for my new concubines to hear.
"So you have returned. How fortunate for us," Lucinda said sarcastically.
"Indeed you are," Camael replied as we entered. "I'm sure you'll make Melekh very happy when we get back to Baal superior."
"Quite," Angelica said with a note of disgust.
"Feel free to use the cogitator to alleviate boredom, assuming you haven't already," I said. "For now, my friend and I need to have a private conversation."
"What are you-" Lucinda was cut off as I grabbed her and Angelica, drawing upon the Warp to push them both into unconsciousness.
"Now Mel, how did you get so strong all of a sudden?" Camael asked.
"Well… it'll probably be easier if I just show you," I replied, using telekinesis to unlock my gauntlet, showing him the back of my hand.
"You- the Mark of Slaanesh!" He exclaimed, aghast.
"Yes, I know. Trust me, it's not as bad as it looks," I replied. "In fact, I dare say this is the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"How's that?" he asked gravely.
"The Prince of Pleasure came to me in my dreams last night," I explained. "Not the being with which we are so intimately familiar however. As I have now learned, the God I once served is merely the most prominent aspect of the being we know as Slaanesh, one empowered by negative emotions, which are far more prominent in this galaxy. I was approached by another aspect, one empowered by positive emotions. Taking the form of a female aeldari, she explained that the weakening of the barrier between the materium and the Warp has allowed her a degree of influence she previously didn't have. She seeks to supplant the negative aspect, and possibly even the rest of the Gods of Chaos to rule this plane alone. To that end, she invested a portion of her power to make me her champion."
"And you believed her!?" Camael yelled. "How do you know it wasn't just the negative aspect in disguise!?"
"She presented me with a binding pact," I replied. "Not the usual trickery that daemons engage in with ignorant idiots. This was the real deal, the kind of thing that not even gods can break without severe harm. The pact stipulated that in exchange for my service, she would not attempt to consume my soul or anything of the sort. She even promised to preserve my soul when I die within an afterlife of her creation. Not that I intend for that to happen anytime soon. I've got so much to do, Cam. Like getting rid of Gabriel," I said, grinning like a madman.
His alarm faded. "Are you absolutely certain?"
"One hundred percent," I replied. "Anyway, after I entered into the pact with her, she explained that the powers she would grant me would draw from planes beyond this one, minimising my enemies' ability to counter them. The power she granted me last night was a form of… well, vampirism. Granting moderately increased strength, speed and durability, it's normally seen as a curse because it requires the affected individual to drink blood."
I saw a look of understanding in his eyes. "Something that you'll be doing anyway."
"Exactly. More importantly, it also allows me a couple of more unique abilities. Namely, teleportation and the ability to turn into mist."
"Really?" Camael asked, surprised.
In response, I willed myself to be on the other side of the room, and so I was. There was no flash of multicoloured light like with Warp-based teleportation, I simply… shifted.
"I don't expect to keep my 'blessing' a secret forever, or even for very long," I said. "What I would like to do is keep the full extent of my abilities as much of a secret as possible. To that end, I would appreciate your help in practising with my more esoteric abilities in private. Tactical teleportation, for example."
"Sure," Camael said. "Will our brothers be able to tell that your 'blessing' didn't come from the negative aspect of the Dark Prince?"
I shook my head. "She claimed that not even Gabriel would be able to tell the difference. Granted, being bound to a host will have left him more disconnected from the Prince of Pleasure than most daemons, so I can't assume the disguise is perfect, but until I come across a Keeper of Secrets I don't think I have too much to worry about."
"And if we did, we'd probably be dead regardless," he replied with a wry smile. "Unfortunately, I don't think you'll be able to do too much practising in here, Mel. Either find somewhere secluded down on Adderoth, or wait until we get back to Baal superior."
"Slaanesh said that there many other different forms of magic not related to the Warp, including this one, so I don't think I need to worry about any other sorcerers noticing," I said. "But yes. A room like this is too small to practise duelling with teleportation."
"What about this mist you mentioned?" Camael asked. "We should see whether anything can affect you while using it."
My body dissolved into a cloud of mist. I didn't spread out too much, not feeling entirely comfortable with my soul being bound to something so insubstantial. Camael wafted a hand through my mist form, which passed through harmlessly.
"That's what I thought would happen," I mused as my body reformed. "We should test to see if it applies to anything physical."
Camael drew his sword, swinging it at me once I'd returned to my mist form. Once again it didn't affect me in any way.
"Let's hope it works on bolt shells as well," Camael said. "Can you even hear me when you're like that?"
"Yes," I replied as my body reformed again. "I can see as well. Not that I have any idea how. Clearly, the mist is more spiritual than physical in nature, so I don't think I could suffocate anyone with it. Still, maybe I can use it to get about in a more… discreet fashion?"
I once again dissolved into mist, as I began moving. First just around the room, before floating up towards an air vent in the top corner of the room. Sure enough I had no trouble traversing the narrow passage. I went a few more metres before floating back into my quarters.
"Unfortunately, I suspect that any trained psykers will still be able to detect me through their Warp-sight, so it's only really useful if I'm certain there are none around," I said once I was corporeal.
"Or if it's the only way to avoid an attack," Camael replied. "No secret is worth your life, Mel."
"I suppose. Anyway, my new patron said that her influence on this plane will continue to grow so long as I remain bound to her, allowing her to grant me additional power, though she didn't go into specifics."
100 CP gained, current balance: 250 CP.
Spoiler: Horus Heresy: The Primarchs - Primarch Armour (cost: 0 CP)
"Oh. Maybe it's not as long as I… thought…" I said, trailing off as my eyes scanned the floating text. Well, that was certainly something.
"Apparently, my patron is not limited to offering gifts solely from other planes," I remarked, barely able to believe what I was reading.
"What has she given you?" Camael asked.
"If I accept? An Artificer-crafted suit of Terminator armour. Cataphractii pattern."
His eyes widened. "That's… beyond valuable. Of course, it would also make you stand out like a sore thumb. Not even the honour guard have armour like that. Do you really want to risk putting a target on your back?"
I sighed. "I know. I could also just choose a 'normal' suit of Artificer armour, but, well…"
"You want the ridiculously rare relic, don't you?" he asked resignedly.
"Of course I do," I replied. "A lot."
His expression turned thoughtful. "Maybe there is some advantage to receiving something that our brothers will recognise. You could claim to have received it from the Prince of Pleasure, bearing your Mark as proof, while also using it to draw attention away from your more… exotic abilities."
"A good point, Cam," I replied, as I made the purchase. If there was an advantage to serving under Gabriel, it was that the rules he'd set for the Angels Transcendent were rigorously enforced. Theft wasn't tolerated even under ordinary circumstances, but for something bestowed upon me by Slaanesh Herself? Any would-be thieves would be lucky to only have their blood drained by him. Hopefully between that, and the fact that I'd only ever take it off within my private quarters, I wouldn't have to worry about the greed of others.
A second later there was a quiet 'woosh' of displaced air as a new suit of armour appeared in the room. The same ornate red and gold which decorate the armour of every Angel Transcendent, though with a glowing purple gem in the centre of the chestplate, the Imperial skull and eagle iconography replaced with gold stars of Chaos and purple Marks of Slaanesh.
Spoiler: Melekh's new armour
It seemed that every purchase that I made came with some inherent knowledge of what I was purchasing; that was how I knew the slab like pauldrons contained archeotech shield generators superior to anything that had been produced since the Horus Heresy, with the raised back of the armour also housing a Conversion Field generator that would block any incoming attacks powerful enough to penetrate the armour itself, working in concert with its impressive sensor array.
"Yes… every detail has been accounted for," I said quietly, casting out my Warp-sight. "It contains psychic wards as well, equivalent to those within my power armour… I suppose the built-in psychic hood should have been a giveaway."
"What I want to know is, how long will it take you to put on?" Camael smirked.
"Is that with or without telekinesis?" I asked dryly. I heard him laugh as I began changing out of my power armour.
AN:
And so, Melekh goes for a mage tank build, as well as becoming even more dripped out. All power rolls going forward will be random. The one just above I did picked specifically because I thought the story would be more interesting if he can't keep his pact with Slaanesh under wraps. Like ReplyReport Reactions:Student of Zelretch, Sorain, Xryuran and 278 othersShakieJun 16, 2025Add bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks 5 - Pest control View contentShakieBad girls = best girlsJun 19, 2025Add bookmark#22As I quickly learned, Terminator armour was not designed to be put on and taken off unaided.
Though my patron had sized the suit specifically for me, the sheer bulk would have made it impossible to put on without telekinesis. As it was, it still took more than ten minutes to attach the thick armour plates to my undersuit and its synth muscles. My instinctual knowledge told me that the plates themselves were a ceramite-metaplas composite, stronger than the ceramite-plasteel used in regular power armour as well as being much thicker, all mounted on a sturdy adamantium frame that made it self supporting.
Something that I quickly came to appreciate as I began to move around in it. With most of the bulk coming from the thick armour plates rather than the internals of the suit itself, it was a lot more ergonomic than its outward appearance would suggest. It wasn't difficult to move around in… just rather slow. Obviously, the suit's greater inertia made it slower to accelerate and decelerate. I could probably still run in it if push came to shove, it would just take longer to reach my maximum speed.
Not that I minded too much; I was not the quick and nimble type, ducking and weaving between my enemies' attacks, it being a bit difficult to dodge a barrage of bolter fire anyhow. I instead focused on making myself as hard to kill as possible, hence why I'd spent so much effort creating my Iron Flesh Warp technique.
There was, however, another unexpected complication.
"Oh, that'll take getting used to," I muttered once my new helmet was on.
"What will?" Camael asked.
"I hadn't appreciated the full extent of the armour's sensor array. I effectively have 360 degree vision now."
"Handy and disorienting," Camael commented.
"It seems the things I purchase do come with some instinctual knowledge of how to use them," I replied. "In this case, I feel like a basic training manual for using Terminator armour has already been downloaded into my brain, along with the associated muscle memory for moving around in it. That's not the same as actual experience, of course."
"I just realised, your armour will synergise well with your powers," Camael said. "It might slow you down physically, but presumably your teleportation is still instantaneous. And teleporting to anywhere within your line of sight is especially useful when you can see in all directions… Now that I think about it, don't suits of Terminator armour usually contain teleportation beacons?"
"Yes, but they're restricted to wherever the teleportation homer is aimed," I replied. "I am still limited by distance, so I can't teleport to a moon from a planet's surface even if it's in my line of sight. Apart from that though? I can go more or less wherever I want."
"You know Mel… given enough time, with enough boons from this positive aspect of Slaanesh, you might be able to supplant Gabriel as our leader," Camael said quietly. "If or when you choose to do that, you'll have my full support."
"I'm glad of it Cam, but it won't be that simple. Even if I banish him to the Warp… hell, even if I manage to truly kill him, I don't think too many of our brothers will follow me in his stead. Say what you will about Gabriel, he knows how to instill loyalty."
"Oh, I didn't mean anytime soon," Camael replied. "We need allies we can trust before we launch a coup. Maybe someday your new patron will give you something to, you know… enforce loyalty."
"I'll have to wait and see. If you couldn't tell, I don't know what I'm going to receive in advance," I said. "Speaking of our glorious leader… I think I should ask for him to grant me an audience. I can't hide this, so I think it's best to get it out in the open."
Theoretically, Gabriel had an open door policy if someone needed to speak to him for whatever reason. In practice, he was trusting that his underlings weren't stupid enough to disturb him over trivial matters. If they did, while they likely wouldn't be killed over it, he had ways of making their lives… unpleasant.
Not that I expected that to happen to me. Bearing the Mark of Slaanesh was a big deal. Exactly how he'd react I wasn't sure, but I couldn't imagine it being negative.
-x-x-x-x-
I had to take off my new suit of armour, not wanting to attract attention just yet, as I spent the rest of the day helping out with the processing of Adderoth's population. For my part, it involved helping the more senior sorcerers find anyone with a hint of psychic potential. Something which was apparently becoming more and more common as the millennia passed. Whether that was due to the weakening barrier between realspace and the Warp, or the Corpse Emperor's steadily growing power, I couldn't say.
It was during this time that my brothers began the process of 'enlightening' the people of Adderoth to the ways of Slaanesh. However, even on such a backwater, the population was simply too large for the Angels Transcendent to do it all by ourselves. To aid us, we had brought a contingent of mortal cultists from Baal Superior with us, the most fanatical true believers. There was hardly a shortage of such individuals, born and raised on a daemon world ruled by Astartes devoted to the Prince of Pleasure. Tellingly, none of them had come from my private estate, my brothers not failing to notice how I encouraged a more moderate form of Slaaneshi worship.
It was later that evening when I decided to request an audience with Gabriel. I changed back into my new suit of Terminator armour, leaving my helmet off for the time being. I got more than a few curious looks from my brothers as I stalked the halls of the Tears of Sanguinius, but I ignored them.
"Halt. Who stands before the throne room of the Archangel?" Said one of Gabriel's honour guards, standing guard when the room was not in public use. It was a testament to his professionalism that he didn't comment, or even look surprised, by my appearance.
"Sorcerer Melekh. I seek an audience with Archangel Gabriel. It relates in part to… well, this," I replied, gesturing to my own body.
"One moment," said the guard, as his fellow entered to pass along the message, neither of us exchanging words while we waited for him to return.
"Very well. You may pass," said the guard, as the two of them held the doors open. I wasn't asked to disarm; I suppose it could be considered a power play on our leader's part, that he was so confident in his ability to kill us that he didn't consider disarmament necessary. Which was true.
The walls of the cavernous throne room were covered in frescoes depicting various scenes glorifying the Chaos God of excess, be they battle scenes or blood rituals. The floor, ceiling and pillars connecting them were made of the finest marble, an ornate red carpet leading through the centre of the room up to the raised dais where Gabriel's throne rested.
"I am at your command, Archangel," I said, bowing, though my newfound lack of flexibility meant I had to bend more using my legs than my waist.
"Rise," Gabriel commanded. "It is good that you are here Melekh, even if your reason for being so is not what I would have expected."
"Oh?" I asked as I rose.
"Indeed," he replied, rising from his throne, spreading his wings as he launched himself into the air, landing before me. "The competence with which you conducted yourself while providing aid to my honour guard did not go unnoticed. Certainly, Michael seems to think you have a good head on your shoulders."
"I am honoured, Archangel," I said. "Perhaps that has something to do with my main reason for being here, a reason connected to yet separate from my new… attire."
"Is that so?" Gabriel asked, intrigued.
I nodded. "Rather than explain with words, I think it would be better to show you," I said as I telekinetically unlocked my gauntlet, pulling it off as I showed Gabriel the back of my hand.
"Well well well," Gabriel murmured. "The Mark of the Dark Prince Himself… an unexpected development, but not an unwelcome one. Pray tell, what were the circumstances which led to you bearing our Lord's Mark?"
"He came to me in my dreams last night," I replied, glad that I'd taken the time to come up with a cover story, and also hoping that it didn't sound too rehearsed. "He told me that He saw potential, both in me, and my more… methodical approach to His worship, which He contrasted to the more ad hoc methods used by our lesser cousins."
"Did he now?" Gabriel asked, clearly rhetorically, a gleam in his eye. His disdain for the Emperor's Children was no great secret. "Fascinating. Not that I doubted our superiority over those… creatures of the third legion. You understand that, don't you Melekh? Where the sons of Fulgrim strive for perfection, we sons of Sanguinius achieve it without even trying."
"One might say they try too hard," I said dryly.
Gabriel laughed. "Indeed they do, my boy, indeed they do. And your new armour… it was gifted to you by the Prince of Pleasure?"
I nodded again. "He called it a 'freebie'. He even gifted me with the knowledge of how to use it. It still took some getting used to of course, but I can definitely see the potential. I was never the quick and nimble type."
"I wonder if He took it from an Emperor's Children veteran that fell while attempting to serve Him?" Gabriel asked, seemingly to himself, his expression contemplative. "Whatever the case may be, you will prove a far more worthy bearer of our Lord's gifts, I'm sure."
"Do you think that our cousins that serve the Four have nothing to offer, Archangel?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Well… perhaps not literally," Gabriel admitted. "While our gene-sire's superiority over his brethren was obvious to all, something reflected in ourselves… there are a rare few exceptional individuals that can approximate our greatness. The Chirurgeon, Fabius Bile, to name but one. I have attempted to purchase his services on a number of occasions, thus far without success. Maybe now that we are in possession of the Primaris gene-seed I will achieve a more favourable outcome."
"Do you truly believe that the new gene-seed is that great of an improvement over what came before?" I asked. "I fear that many of our older veterans remain unconvinced."
"I respect their views of course, but they are too set in their ways to see the Primaris gene-seed for what it is," Gabriel said solemnly. "A path that brings the next generation ever closer to Sanguinius. Not just physically, but spiritually. Something that isn't merely to our advantage, Melekh; it is our obligation."
I decided it would be unwise to point out that Sanguinius fell fighting Horus. "What was Sanguinius like?" I instead asked. "I realise that I am in the privileged position of speaking with someone that knew him personally."
Gabriel's expression turned wistful. "I am unsure if words can truly do justice to our gene-sire, but I will try. Sanguinius was… greatness personified. More than anyone else, more than even the other primarchs, I believe that Sanguinius was intended to inspire humanity to be its greatest possible self. Noble, wise and beautiful beyond compare… well, almost," he smirked, before his expression fell. "More than anything however, I felt there was a great sadness within him. His precognitive powers were second only to the Corpse Emperor. I believe he foresaw that he would one day take his place by the Dark Prince's side, something that he was… not ready to accept. If I have one regret, Melekh, it's that I was unable to make Sanguinius understand the glory of our Lord before he met his end. At least I have the opportunity to carry on his legacy, to show humanity the path of greatness that was cut so regrettably short by his demise."
100 CP gained, current balance: 100 CP.
By now I had gotten used to the floating text that appeared in my field of vision seemingly at random, as I simply nodded, Gabriel none the wiser. "I am glad to be part of this great enterprise, Archangel."
"As well you should," Gabriel said approvingly. "You may go now. I am keen to see you progress on the path towards enlightenment, Melekh."
"Of course," I replied, bowing again before I turned around and left. That hadn't gone badly as such, but now Gabriel's attention would be inescapable. While he might be glad to see me progress in my development as a sorcerer, I couldn't afford to have him see me as a threat. Not until I was powerful enough to actually be a threat.
I recalled Slaanesh's words that that wouldn't take as long as I thought, something that was a double edged sword. The quicker I progressed, the more likely I was to arouse suspicion. Was Gabriel even aware that Slaanesh had a positive aspect? I couldn't assume that he wasn't. Nor could I necessarily keep all of my new powers a secret either though. Hopefully I'd gain at least one that could be passed off as being derived from the Prince of Pleasure's brand of sorcery.
"Tch… to think such armour would go to one so… unworthy," came a sneer from behind me.
I turned around, being disappointed yet not surprised to run into my least favourite person on the Tears of Sanguinius. Battle brother Runon was about a decade older than myself, a Baal Superior native who was among the very first Angels Transcendent to receive the Primaris gene-seed. He'd never liked me or Camael for some reason that I didn't care to learn. Fortunately he wasn't too bright; while becoming a Space Marine did confer an increase to one's intelligence, in Runon's case it just brought him up to the human average. What he lacked in intellect he made up for in viciousness.
"You are more worthy?" I drawled. "Yes, that must be why you keep trouncing Camael in duels over and- oh wait."
Runon bristled. I gently brushed my thoughts against his, not failing to notice the greed within his mind. Even he wasn't stupid enough to attack me over it, but… perhaps this would be an opportunity to reaffirm my position and be rid of a pest at the same time.
"Yes indeed, that would also explain why you feel the need to prioritise the neophytes whenever we run into a chapter of loyalists," I said in a singsong tone, trying to sound as annoying as possible. At the same time, I walked towards him, deliberately making my movements look slow and cumbersome. "After all, we wouldn't want such a legendary warrior as yourself wasting their time on someone that might put up a fight now, would we? Don't worry Runon, I'm sure one as mighty as yourself will find such a priceless piece of archeotech just laying around in some chapter armoury or another. Who knows, you might even make your scout sergeant proud while you're at it."
"Enough!" Runon roared, his face contorted in rage. "I demand satisfaction!"
I smirked. "Do you now? I hope you don't expect me to apologise."
"Then I challenge you to a duel," he replied.
"I accept," I said, grinning.
-x-x-x-x-
In a warband where our leader strictly forbade any sort of infighting, duelling was the only legal way I could spill the blood of one of my brothers. In typical Gabriel fashion, he had laid out strict codes of conduct for how duels were to be conducted.
For one thing, challenging someone of a higher rank was forbidden regardless of the circumstances, in order to ensure no-one tried using duels as a means of being promoted. For another, once someone had been challenged it was up to them to lay out the terms for the duel, be it with swords, bolters or a game of regicide. In addition, if one or both of the participants in the duel was a psyker, the challenger was not permitted to draw upon the Warp, but the person being challenged was permitted.
Obviously, Gabriel didn't want his men dying in duels, yet he was reluctant to ban duelling outright, we Astartes being a prideful lot. His solution was to keep duels to a minimum by ensuring they favoured the person being challenged as much as possible. This was especially acute where psykers were involved, where using the Warp against an opponent was a nigh insurmountable advantage, trained psykers being far too valuable to lose over matters of honour.
"Battle brother Runon, you have challenged sorcerer Melekh to a duel, correct?" Gabriel said from his throne. Runon and I stood in the centre of the throne room, our brothers looking on from the outskirts. While they weren't obliged to attend, duels were uncommon enough that no-one wanted to miss out if it could be avoided.
"Yes, Archangel," Runon replied. He sounded far less sure of himself now than before, yet he kept convincing himself he had a shot, something I learned from gently brushing my mind against his. I'd banked on the fact that he thought I didn't know how to use my new suit, which normally required extensive training to use properly. Training which I had never received… a shame for him that my new patron had given me the knowledge directly instead. Appealing to his greed and dislike of me had done the rest.
"Sorcerer Melekh, do you accept this challenge?" Gabriel asked, using the Warp to amplify his voice.
"Yes, Archangel," I replied.
"What terms will you set for the duel?" Gabriel asked.
"We will fight in melee, using any weapons and armour in our possession," I replied. "I will not use the Warp to directly affect my opponent in any way, but I will use it to affect myself. In addition, we will both consume half a pint of blood before we commence fighting."
"Battle brother Runon, do you accept these terms?" Gabriel intoned.
This was his last chance to back out. In general, doing so at this point would leave the challenger in disgrace, their honour forever tarnished. However, the impact was lessened in instances where the one being challenged set the terms so outrageously in their favour as to be completely insurmountable. I hadn't, as I wanted Runon to accept. There was still a chance he could win this… just an extremely small chance. He didn't know the intricacies of biomancy, the psychic discipline which involved using the Warp to increase one's physical prowess more than any other.
"I do," Runon replied.
"Very well," Gabriel replied. "Fetch your weapons of choice, assuming you are not already in possession of them, then we will begin."
We both were, though we still didn't begin straight away. We were waiting a few minutes for a slave to appear, carrying a serving tray and two glasses of blood, which Runon and I took before we both downed them in one go. The beast within me relished the drink, nice and fresh. Logically, I knew it was barbaric, but… by the Four, there weren't many things that could beat an ice cold glass of freshly squeezed human blood on a hot day. It did make me wonder what exactly the Corpse Emperor was going for by making us dependent on drinking blood though.
Runon and I set our empty glasses down on the tray, before the slave scarpered. Baseline humans were not normally permitted into the throne room, but no self-respecting Space Marine would be caught dead doing something so servile.
With nothing more to do, I pushed my helmet down under my psychic hood, the sensor array coming to life as I saw everything behind me as well as in front of me, before hefting my Force Axe and Storm Shield. Runon was wielding a Power Spear; unlike me, he was the quick and nimble type, wearing the lighter Tacticus pattern of power armour as opposed to the heavier Gravis pattern. Clearly, he was hoping to use his superior speed and reach to wear me down gradually.
It was honestly his best chance of winning, but he didn't know the full extent of my abilities. Thanks to my vampirism, I was at my strongest immediately after consuming blood, allowing me to give myself a slight extra edge while passing it off as what would possibly be my last meal. Not to mention the extra strength I got from just being a vampire. A strength which was growing, with me consuming far more blood than was usual for a 'normal' vampire.
"If you are both ready, then we can begin," Gabriel said, as Runon and I took position opposite each other, a hundred feet between us as Gabriel drew upon the Warp to summon a cage of crystallised blood, the atmosphere growing more tense. This was the point where things got serious; only one person would leave the cage alive.
Sparks of blue lightning flickered between my helmet and psychic hood as I drew upon the ineffable energy of the Warp, casting my Iron Flesh technique upon myself, the outer ceramite layer of my armour gaining a metallic sheen. Thanks to my new patron quieting the chittering of daemons in the back of my mind, I had no trouble keeping it going while I cast three other techniques to empower myself; Warp Speed, Diabolic Strength, and Blade of Baleful Might.
One advantage of Runon's dislike of me was that he'd never sought to learn what things I could do with the Warp, even in situations where it would have been helpful, like whenever we fought together. He'd probably be aware of some basic facts just by osmosis, but he wouldn't know exactly how I could empower myself, especially since most sorcerers fought mainly at range. In terms of technical skill, I didn't doubt that he was better than me. It just wouldn't make as much of a difference as he thought.
I began walking toward Runon, my shield raised, moving much slower than I was capable of even in this bulky suit. While the smarter warriors in the audience wouldn't have fallen for the ruse, I was banking on Runon's overconfidence blinding him to the truth. Sure enough he moved towards me, showing off his superior speed in an attempt to demoralise me. At least he had enough sense to keep his weapon between us. It wouldn't be enough.
Runon thrust his spear at me, which was the opening I'd been looking for. I suddenly batted his spear to the side with my shield, ensuring to strike the flat of the blade, my Warp Speed now on full display as I charged with my axe held high. To his credit, my opponent recovered quickly, using the momentum of his moving spear to bring the other end around as he skittered backwards, maintaining distance between us. With Runon himself out of my reach I swung at the haft of his spear, hoping to bisect it.
This turned out to be a mistake as my opponent shifted his spear, catching the haft of my weapon on his own, before pulling back with both hands, his spear caught in the bearded axe blade as he tried to yank it out of my hand. He in turn made a mistake by underestimating my strength; since he was lighter than me, he succeeded only in pulling himself forward. With my axe locked in place, I attempted to smash the bottom edge of my shield into the top of his helmet. He let go of his spear just in the nick of time, allowing himself to be disarmed rather than have his head caved in.
"You seem to have trouble holding onto your weapon, brother," I mocked. "Do you think I would have accepted your challenge if I thought you might win?"
"Do you think I would have challenged you if I thought you might win?" he retorted.
I scoffed. "Only because I tricked you into thinking I could barely move in this suit, Runon. I hope you enjoy your afterlife as a plaything of daemonettes."
Runon drew his combat knife, refusing to be baited yet again, but by now the duel was a forgone conclusion. I made sure to position myself between him and his spear, without which he had no choice but to enter the reach of my axe. Something that he knew; I charged at him again, which he easily evaded, but he didn't dare attack without his spear, clearly hoping to retrieve it. Rather than run around the same side as my axe, he dashed to my left, which I had anticipated. I tackled him, my greater mass easily knocking him to the floor, leaving him helpless as my Force Axe caved in both his helmet and the skull underneath.
"Sorcerer Melekh is victorious," Gabriel declared, as he dispelled the cage of crystallised blood. There was no cheering, but there was some polite clapping as Camael came over.
"That was a good duel, Mel," he said, sounding relieved. "I guess his things belong to you now."
"For whatever that's worth," I replied, as Gabriel flew over.
"Melekh, you have clearly demonstrated your superiority over your opponent," Gabriel said, landing before us. "Yet I must ask; as a trained telepath, did you use your powers to bait Runon into challenging you?"
"I did not, Archangel," I replied, with complete honesty. "I sensed his greed and overconfidence, but I did not directly act upon them. I baited him with nothing but words and trickery."
"I see," Gabriel murmured, eyeing the corpse. "It is clear that you took the opportunity to rid yourself of a rival, yet without using the Warp I suppose you didn't actually do anything wrong. Still, I would… strongly suggest that you refrain from doing so again in the future."
"Of course, Archangel," I said. Gabriel gave me a curt nod as he wandered over to Runon's corpse, clearly wanting to drain its blood, Camael and I not needing to be told to leave.
"So… was it worth it?" Camael asked, once the door to the throne room was closed.
I snorted. "For the chance to be rid of that pest, and to head off the greed of any others? What do you think, Cam?"
AN:
One advantage of Warhammer being more of a setting than a story is that I have greater scope for creativity without having to worry about contradicting canon. Fleshing out the culture of the Angels Transcendent has certainly been interesting. It's something that will continue in future chapters as well, especially before Melekh gets too many more powers to start exploring instead. Like ReplyReport Reactions:Student of Zelretch, Xryuran, Sorain and 247 others