Chapter 26 – The Iron Maw
The gates of the manufactorum loomed above them like the walls of a fortress. Towering slabs of ceramite and steel, reinforced with iron studs and layered plating, they were meant to hold back entire armies. Siege guns might have taken hours to crack them. But Gaius did not bring guns.
He brought his blade.
The Captain stepped forward, his blue and gold armor shining in the haze. He raised his power sword, its edge glowing with a fierce, humming light. Then, without a word, he brought it down in a single, sweeping strike.
The blade cut through metal as though it were parchment. Sparks sprayed in every direction, molten steel dripping and hissing as the sword burned its way through. Gaius carved a wide, arcing wound across the gate, then slashed again, his movements steady, deliberate. The massive door groaned under the strain before splitting apart, falling inward with a crash that shook the ground. Firelight bled from the edges, and smoke rolled out in heavy waves.
The path into the manufactorum was open.
"Forward," Gaius ordered, his voice calm through the vox.
The Ultramarines advanced without hesitation, stepping over the ruined gate into darkness.
The manufactorum seemed to breathe around them. Lights flickered on across the walls, shadows twisting as gears and hydraulics hissed to life. Then came the sound of clattering chains and grinding metal.
Gun-servitors woke.
They were everywhere, slaved into the walls, ceilings, even the floor beneath the Marines' boots. Once-human torsos fused into the manufactorum itself, their heads twitching, dead eyes staring blankly as heavy bolters and plasma cannons locked into firing position. A heartbeat later, the entire corridor lit up with muzzle flashes.
Streams of fire screamed toward the squad, cutting sparks into the steel floor.
"Spread formation!" Gaius commanded.
The Ultramarines obeyed instantly, moving apart in a precise pattern. Bolters roared in answer, each shot tearing apart a servitor's weapon mount or blasting its ruined body into silence. Chainswords revved as the first wave of Skitarii stepped out from the smoke, their glowing optics scanning, rifles raised with machine precision.
The two forces clashed in the doorway of the manufactorum, a storm of fire and steel.
One Ultramarine smashed through a Skitarius, his power fist crushing metal bones. Another swept his chainsword across three servitors, sparks and gore spraying the walls. Gaius himself cut a path through the thickest gunline, every swing of his sword splitting armored torsos and severing weapon mounts.
The squad pushed forward, unyielding, their formation never breaking.
Above, the chat members were silent at first, the sheer volume of the battle leaving them stunned.
Tony spoke first, his voice tense. "Those… those things in the walls. They're people. Or they were."
Mindy swallowed hard, her hands tight around her knees. "They're using bodies as turrets. That's… I don't even…"
Naruto's teeth clenched. "Damn bastards!"
Saeko stayed quiet, her sharp eyes following every detail. But her pale knuckles showed what she thought.
The squad pressed deeper into the manufactorum. The air grew hotter, filled with the stink of oil and burning flesh. Conveyor belts rattled overhead, carrying half-finished weapons and machine parts into the shadows above. Pipes hissed steam, casting the halls in a constant fog.
It was in these cramped, twisting corridors that the Iron Warriors' cruelty revealed itself.
Grenades wired to doorframes. Pressure plates hidden under floor panels. Melta-charges set to blow entire walls. Chemical vents ready to drown intruders in choking gas. Every turn was another trap waiting to spring.
One Primaris Marine, younger and eager, nearly stepped onto a plate concealed beneath a patch of grime. At the last moment, a veteran reached out and pulled him back. A second later, the trap exploded harmlessly in front of them, a cluster of grenades tearing the floor apart with thunderous force.
The young Marine exhaled, his voice low but clear through the vox. "Thank you, brother."
The veteran's reply was short, almost dismissive. "Watch your steps. You will not always have me."
But the lesson was learned. The younger Marine stayed closer in formation, more careful now.
Then came the voices.
At first, just static, a hiss from the manufactorum's hidden speakers. Then screams. High, terrible, human screams. Men, women, and children crying out, calling for mercy, begging for death. The walls themselves seemed to cry.
The squad kept moving, their steps never slowing.
But above, the chat members could hear every word.
Mindy flinched. "Oh my god… that's, those are people."
Tony grimaced, eyes narrowing. "This is psychological warfare. They want you rattled. They want you running into traps."
Naruto shook his head, his fists trembling. "I don't care what they want! People are dying! Gaius, you have to move faster!"
Saeko's voice was quiet, almost pained. "…It's cruel. They want to break your mind before your body."
The screams didn't stop. They grew louder. Louder still, mixed now with the crack of whips, the sobs of children, the laughter of tormentors.
And then came the words.
The speakers boomed to life, deep and cold.
"Ultramarine," the voice said. "Every moment you waste, another life is lost. Another soul broken. Come faster, Angel of the Corpse-Emperor, or their blood will stain your honor."
The voice chuckled, low and cruel.
"Or perhaps that is what you want. To watch. To hear. To remember their screams as the last sound in this world."
Tony froze on the spot. "Corpse-Emperor? Wait, hold on. Their Emperor's dead?!"
Mindy covered her ears, trying to block the sound. "Make it stop… please…"
Naruto all but shouted, anger and grief burning in his voice. "Then go faster! Don't just walk, RUN!"
But the Ultramarines didn't run. They didn't panic.
They slowed.
Their formation tightened, every angle covered. They moved more carefully, not less, their discipline absolute.
Naruto's shout echoed in the silence, carried on the feed. Gaius turned his head slightly, his eyes narrowing beneath his helm. He didn't say a word, he didn't need to.
The weight of his gaze alone pressed down like a mountain.
Naruto froze, his voice faltering. He wanted to shout again, but the look stopped him. It wasn't anger. It was something heavier. Something colder. The weight of a man who had seen this before, too many times.
Naruto swallowed hard, his fists trembling at his sides.
"Why… why aren't you-" he started.
Tony cut in quickly, grabbing Naruto's shoulder. "Because that's the trap, kid. They want him to run. To make mistakes. To rush into something worse. If they move faster, more people die. You get it now?"
Naruto's breath caught. Slowly, he nodded. "…I see."
He lowered his head. "…Sorry."
But Gaius said nothing. He only turned forward again, leading the squad deeper into the manufactorum.
The further they went, the worse it became.
Every wall hid a weapon. Every corridor reeked of blood and smoke. The air itself seemed poisoned, each breath thick with ash. The servitors came in waves, bolted into the ground, the walls, the ceilings, their bodies more machine than human, their minds long dead. Skitarii fought with machine precision, rifles crackling, cybernetic limbs whirring as they aimed without hesitation. Augmented slaves hurled themselves forward like fodder, their broken bodies collapsing one after another.
But the Ultramarines kept their pace.
Methodical. Cold. Unstoppable.
For every trap, there was a watchful eye. For every ambush, there was a bolter waiting. For every slave forced into battle, there was a blade that ended their suffering.
And through it all, the chat members could only watch, helpless in their distant world.
End of Chapter 26 – The Iron Maw
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