11-14-2017, 10:06 AM
The sister continued, following the road towards the settlement, her spirits somewhat higher than they were before. The morsel of food left her sated and the fact that she had the chance to ply her trade left her spirit fulfilled. She was still confused, a feeling of spiritual emptiness still gnawed at her heart, but she wasn’t in the depths of despair she was only hours prior.
Her surroundings certainly weren't responsible for her raised spirits. The tree line had become denser the deeper she ventured into the moore, though the majority of the branches had been stripped of all foliage. The air was still cold and muggy, which made the sister’s nose run ever so slightly. It was also ever so slightly beneficial as the faint scent of necrotic flesh she had detected at the portal had only grown more pungent as she continued. It had grown from only being detected by her attuned senses to the dominant aroma in the air. It was also too quiet, only the wind whistling through the tree branches, the soft trickling of a near by creek and her plasteel boots crunching through the gravel could be heard. None of the calls of birds, animals or insects that she’d normally expect to hear whilst walking through an underdeveloped world such as this.
She felt as though some predator was watching her from the bushes. She was anything but prey. She kept the mantras of her training in mind and walked with a confident gait, remembering the hells she’d walked through and survived before.
The sound of metal clattering in the distance quickly chased all other thoughts from her mind. The sounds of battle came, emanating from a nearby source in the woods, not far from the road. Evangeline turned her head in the direction of the cacophony and noticed a boot print in the mud, similar to those she saw around the strange battle site with scarred and pockmarked earth but no bodies to go along with them. Even if she hadn’t made that connection she’d have gone, but the notion that answers to her predicament seemed so close by pushed the sister forward even faster.
Her boots drove into the turbid waters forcefully. She had made charges through pockmarked battle lines before, this was no different. Muddy earth began to cling to her base of her robe and caked on her boots, so she sought higher ground, climbing upon logs and stones, striding between them with small leaps. All the while the fetid scent of decaying flesh grew.
Then, in the distance, after a minute or two of running, she saw the cause of the commotion. Through the dead trees she could make out forms of several people swarming around one individual. The bronze of covering her legs and held in each of her hands shimmered even in the dull light of the wretched swamp and the red of her hair and flickered in the soft breeze like a welcoming fire. Evangeline was reminded of a Sister Repentia, one who had felt as though they had slighted the Emperor in such a way that demanded years of repentance. Though her stance shook that illusion. It was a professional fighting stance to be sure, but with none of the confidence of those who had been trained under the watchful eyes of the Ecclesiarchy. It was timid in a way, as though this was her first life or death fight against real men.
Her assailants on the other hand were much more suited for their environment. Men dressed in primitive clothes wielding chains, crossbows and axes against the warrior. From her distance she could make out the mottled pattern of their discoloured skin. Coupled with the stench, the signs were all too familiar. Even if the red haired woman was of use in a fight, they would be out numbered, facing those cursed with blessings of dark gods. But she was a Sister of the Adepta Sororitas, and she had a duty to destroy heretical abominations wherever she saw them.
A roll of her shoulders brought her rifle into her hands, right as the leader began to bring his axe back for an attack. Evangeline had to slow to a quick stride to take an accurate aim. She pulled the trigger and the air cracked as the laser of her lasgun burned through it and punched a small crater in the leader's arm, forcing his blow to the side. She fired again, this time at one of his cohorts, striking him directly in the mouth. Fire erupted from his maw as the energy from the shot caused a chain reacted inside him. He seemed to scream an impossibly inhuman tone as his vocal cords and lungs were the first to be incinerated. The abomination fell to his knees, clutching at his throat, collapsing in a heap when nothing of it was left but ash.
Enraged the leader lifted his axe up again and pointed it in her direction. He cried out in a repugnant tone, unintelligible to Evangeline but it's intent was clear. His companions turned to the sister and ran at her as quickly as their infected bodies would allow as he turned back to the red haired legionnaire.
The sister took a shot again and again, faster now, as quickly as she could get the sight on target. The faster shooting causing her to miss her mark a few times, but most of them found their way to the center mass of the heretics. She may have fallen a another, she couldn't tell, but the majority of them only stumbled as they were hit and continued more enraged than before. In one deft motion she slung her lasgun back over her shoulders and unsheathed her power sword, Ascalon, just in time for it to protect her from a chain coming at her stomach.
She deflected it and followed through, her heavy blade cutting through the infected flesh of the welders arm. As the severed appendage fell into the muck Evangeline ran him though, looking into his clouded eyes with a remorseless glare. She had seen this before, and had her suspicions confirmed. The abominable tendrils of the Ruinous Powers had found its way to this forsaken land.
"May the Emperor have mercy on your soul." She said with a venomous inflection before the creature went limp and slid from her blade.
Evangeline then looked around at the group that had now surrounded her. She took her Rosarius from her belt and flung it around her left wrist.
"You have taken chaotic taint within yourselves and have thus broken your covenant with he who sits upon the Golden Throne." She caught the talisman in her hand and gripped it tightly. "Prepare for sentencing."
Her surroundings certainly weren't responsible for her raised spirits. The tree line had become denser the deeper she ventured into the moore, though the majority of the branches had been stripped of all foliage. The air was still cold and muggy, which made the sister’s nose run ever so slightly. It was also ever so slightly beneficial as the faint scent of necrotic flesh she had detected at the portal had only grown more pungent as she continued. It had grown from only being detected by her attuned senses to the dominant aroma in the air. It was also too quiet, only the wind whistling through the tree branches, the soft trickling of a near by creek and her plasteel boots crunching through the gravel could be heard. None of the calls of birds, animals or insects that she’d normally expect to hear whilst walking through an underdeveloped world such as this.
She felt as though some predator was watching her from the bushes. She was anything but prey. She kept the mantras of her training in mind and walked with a confident gait, remembering the hells she’d walked through and survived before.
The sound of metal clattering in the distance quickly chased all other thoughts from her mind. The sounds of battle came, emanating from a nearby source in the woods, not far from the road. Evangeline turned her head in the direction of the cacophony and noticed a boot print in the mud, similar to those she saw around the strange battle site with scarred and pockmarked earth but no bodies to go along with them. Even if she hadn’t made that connection she’d have gone, but the notion that answers to her predicament seemed so close by pushed the sister forward even faster.
Her boots drove into the turbid waters forcefully. She had made charges through pockmarked battle lines before, this was no different. Muddy earth began to cling to her base of her robe and caked on her boots, so she sought higher ground, climbing upon logs and stones, striding between them with small leaps. All the while the fetid scent of decaying flesh grew.
Then, in the distance, after a minute or two of running, she saw the cause of the commotion. Through the dead trees she could make out forms of several people swarming around one individual. The bronze of covering her legs and held in each of her hands shimmered even in the dull light of the wretched swamp and the red of her hair and flickered in the soft breeze like a welcoming fire. Evangeline was reminded of a Sister Repentia, one who had felt as though they had slighted the Emperor in such a way that demanded years of repentance. Though her stance shook that illusion. It was a professional fighting stance to be sure, but with none of the confidence of those who had been trained under the watchful eyes of the Ecclesiarchy. It was timid in a way, as though this was her first life or death fight against real men.
Her assailants on the other hand were much more suited for their environment. Men dressed in primitive clothes wielding chains, crossbows and axes against the warrior. From her distance she could make out the mottled pattern of their discoloured skin. Coupled with the stench, the signs were all too familiar. Even if the red haired woman was of use in a fight, they would be out numbered, facing those cursed with blessings of dark gods. But she was a Sister of the Adepta Sororitas, and she had a duty to destroy heretical abominations wherever she saw them.
A roll of her shoulders brought her rifle into her hands, right as the leader began to bring his axe back for an attack. Evangeline had to slow to a quick stride to take an accurate aim. She pulled the trigger and the air cracked as the laser of her lasgun burned through it and punched a small crater in the leader's arm, forcing his blow to the side. She fired again, this time at one of his cohorts, striking him directly in the mouth. Fire erupted from his maw as the energy from the shot caused a chain reacted inside him. He seemed to scream an impossibly inhuman tone as his vocal cords and lungs were the first to be incinerated. The abomination fell to his knees, clutching at his throat, collapsing in a heap when nothing of it was left but ash.
Enraged the leader lifted his axe up again and pointed it in her direction. He cried out in a repugnant tone, unintelligible to Evangeline but it's intent was clear. His companions turned to the sister and ran at her as quickly as their infected bodies would allow as he turned back to the red haired legionnaire.
The sister took a shot again and again, faster now, as quickly as she could get the sight on target. The faster shooting causing her to miss her mark a few times, but most of them found their way to the center mass of the heretics. She may have fallen a another, she couldn't tell, but the majority of them only stumbled as they were hit and continued more enraged than before. In one deft motion she slung her lasgun back over her shoulders and unsheathed her power sword, Ascalon, just in time for it to protect her from a chain coming at her stomach.
She deflected it and followed through, her heavy blade cutting through the infected flesh of the welders arm. As the severed appendage fell into the muck Evangeline ran him though, looking into his clouded eyes with a remorseless glare. She had seen this before, and had her suspicions confirmed. The abominable tendrils of the Ruinous Powers had found its way to this forsaken land.
"May the Emperor have mercy on your soul." She said with a venomous inflection before the creature went limp and slid from her blade.
Evangeline then looked around at the group that had now surrounded her. She took her Rosarius from her belt and flung it around her left wrist.
"You have taken chaotic taint within yourselves and have thus broken your covenant with he who sits upon the Golden Throne." She caught the talisman in her hand and gripped it tightly. "Prepare for sentencing."