As control over the gate is pulled away from her, Mary stumbles backwards. Her shoulders slump as she lowers her hands. The constant outpouring of energy today has taken it’s toll on her. She says nothing as Jharm’s reinforcements begin to arrive. She instead keeps a close watch on the gate itself, monitoring it for any lingering Chaos interference.
She jumps slightly as something reaches out and touches her. She quickly recognizes this as Danyael, though she is surprised when she looks behind her and still sees him in his original position. The gift of energy courses through her, renewing her strength. The smile she flashes in Danyael’s direction is a grateful one.
As she turns back around, her gaze is once again drawn by the Spire. She feels her muscles tense, charged with the new energy provided by Danyael. She checks the interlocking plates of her armor for damage and tests her mobility. The straps and joints have seen better days, but they will hold. The plates themselves are made of a purplish black obsidian that was pulled from the warp itself, and shows little in the way of damage. Satisfied with her inspection, she pulls her broadsword from its scabbard. It is made out of the same incredibly hard material as her armor, so she only inspects it briefly before hefting the blade over her shoulder and turning to Cameron.
“So now what?”
Although he doesn’t voice it, Sepher is also thinking the same thing. He notices that he had brought his spear into a ready position when Jharm’s forces arrived and returns it to his shoulder. He had watched them closely for any reaction to him or the other companions when they first arrived, but they seemed to pay him no heed. Relieved that they appear to not be a threat, Sepher has returned his thoughts to the Spire and the battle that awaits.
Cameron looks to Mary and responds.
“Now we go. But not all of us.”
Cameron scans the courtyard and locates Karyl, Garr, and Kari. He waves them over. Mary joins them.
“I need the three of you to remain here and hold this courtyard. This is the only ground entrance to the Spire that I am aware of. It’s vital that we hold this position.”
Mary frowns.
“The three of you? There’s four of us.”
Cameron does not hesitate with his reply.
“I know. You’re coming with me. Karyl, Garr, and Kari can handle this on their own.”
Karyl, still frustrated about Mary and Danyael, objects.
“Hey man, that doesn’t sound like a really cool idea. She’s the strongest of us, other than you. What if that chain guy and Chaos douche show up?”
Mary nods.
“For once, I agree with Karyl. This sounds risky.”
Cameron does not waver.
“Yes, she is the strongest of you, which is exactly why we need her with us. I doubt that Peterson and Abbadon will come this way, since I’m sure Abbadon has his own way into the Spire. But if they do for any reason, do not engage. Let them come to the Spire and we’ll deal with them there.”
Garr looks confused.
“So to clarify, you want us to hold this point and not let anyone flank you, but if the greatest threat appears, we are to simply let them pass?”
Cameron nods grimly.
“Yes. You’ve already fallen to Peterson once. And this time you won’t have Mary, or…”
Cameron closes his eyes for a moment before starting again.
“You won’t have Mary with you this time. And Peterson will have Abbadon with him. The only thing you could possibly hope to do by yourselves is slow him down. And I’m not willing to risk you all just to buy us time.”
Karyl grins.
“Not sure if I should be offended there, bro. But thanks for looking out for us, I guess.”
Cameron can’t help but smirk.
“I have full confidence in your abilities to hold this position from anything other than them. You’ll have the Marines and Jharm’s forces watching your back, but you three are the only ones I can put my complete faith in. Can you handle it?”
The three elementals nod. Cameron nods to each of them in return.
“Stay alive. Keep yourselves safe. We have work to do once this is over.”
Mary has no outward reaction to Cameron’s statement, but she bristles inwardly.
Yeah. Work that you won’t be around for.
Cameron suddenly shifts his gaze to Mary, and she briefly wonders if he has read her thoughts again. But if he did, he makes no mention of it.
“We should get moving. Time is of the essence, and some of our guys are getting restless.”
Cameron gestures in the direction of Gulgrim and his new company. Mary nods.
“Ready when you are.”
Cameron turns away, hearing Soul Reaver’s message as he begins to walk towards the steps leading out of the courtyard. He hadn’t considered trying to reach Ahriman from out here. He allows his mind to stretch out towards the Spire but soon finds a wall. He replies directly to Soul Reaver’s mind.
It would appear that he’s cut the Spire off from any psychic influence. Not surprising. We’ll have to get inside first.
As Cameron reaches the steps, he drops a blinking transmitter to the ground. Seconds later, a group of 20 Grey Knight Terminators, wearing the same armor as Cameron himself, appear in a flash of light. He converses with their Sergeant briefly before turning to everyone else.
“Alright. Marines. Strike Team. Our objective is simple. We breach the Spire at it’s base, secure the ground level and eliminate any Chaos forces within. Then we have a contingent hold the base while we head up and clear the tower level by level. I’m assuming that we won’t find Ahriman until we reach the top, but we can’t afford to be surprised. Marines! Sound off!”
The marines shout in unison.
“Death to Chaos! For the Emperor!”
Cameron nods as the faceplate of his helmet closes.
“Damn right. Let’s move out!”
Cameron and the Marines begin marching up the steps, heading for the Spire.
