A Bloody Rose Story

{no pictures} 

 Beastmen…what is a beastmen… but an insidious killer! Since birth, they are taught that they are different… A subhuman class… a monster born of either mutation or the warp… nothing more than an Abhuman! They live in their 'shanty towns or slums hiding away from the public view… For their sin is great… the sin of not being human! 

Though once they have served the imperium… and in truth they served it well… they died for it... Bleed for it… and now they burn for it! But the age of strife is over… So, their service is no longer required for the new era! With such feeling festering in the imperium, many in high places are even preparing to remove their status as Abhuman… 

With it gone, they will lose their last wall of protection… A protection that still made them feel… human… And with it gone… where could they go… but to the hands of chaos? Tzeentch welcomes them in with open arms, much like Khorne loves their rage! While Slaanesh loves pretty things… And Papa Nurgle is always on the hunt for more children to adopt! 

A beast… locked with a man's mind… how unfortunate! Though the mutation grants them strength and even though their mind is human… they are forced out of prejudice to become… to become… alone… 

→Excerpt from the great imperium library… codex number… 978-1-80457-238-2[AB]← 

With a day filled with sun, and the wind carrying the scent of blood, Layla walked on a bloody road made of steel and bones… where puddles of blood soaked every crevice… where chunks of armor and weapons lay forgotten or broken! A sad sight that smelled of decay… 

And while she played happily with a Lasgun, the creaking of metal echoed throughout the lonely road… cautiously, she stopped in place, as she tried to hear through the smoke and sparks… but as she was met with nothing but silence… she lowered her gun, but not her guard! 

And while she took one single step forward… a phantom appeared before her! A female beastmen… one with occultist attire that left her top half exposed! Were her eyes were covered with a black blindfold, that describes their tribe signs with painted blood! 

A female goat, with horns that stretch back for longer than one should… with a hunch back and a yellow smile that could kill! Were In one hand she held a staff… a staff made of human bones and fresh heads! That glowed with an eerie light and discharged purple-blue sparks! With red drool, she spoke in a growl that shook the very air: 

[Child of the imperium! Your rose petals are wilting… while your thorns are rotten… And your stalk is fragile… while your roots… aren't deep enough for the water… while we beastmen who have survived since the turning of the ages… have our deep roots… decaying…] 

With a pause and her inner eyes closed she continues: 

[the stars are in conflict… so many voices…] 

Now, Layla did not have a clue what this beastmen was talking about, and decided it would be better not to pay her rambling any mind, and aimed for Lasgun for the perfect shot! And with a pull of the trigger… sent a red laser right through the beastmen! But as the laser hit her dead center, the figure turned into shattered glass and reappeared behind her! 

[foolish rose… we are both kindred witches! How do you not know… how can you not feel the shadow approaching…] said the beastmen with subtle growling causing the area around to turn into a haunting scene of ghostly souls. 

{Oh… I know about the shadow…and like you, if I concentrate hard enough… I can hear the voices… the warp calls to me, just as much as it does you…] said Layla as he lowered her gun with a deep breath, as she realized this was a conversation between Pyskers… 

[if so… then what voice should I listen to…] replied the beastmen as she looked at Layla with a head tilt. 

While thinking for a moment, Layla was going to blurt out 'Why the emperor's voice of course' but stopped herself…as she thought it might be too incentive…And so, with another deep breath, she then turned to look the beastmen in the eye and said with much sincerity: 

{Of all the voices… There is only one that I hear to be sincere… that has any form of love… and that is the emperor of mankind…} 

Hearing this angered the Beastmen, causing the area to shake and thunder violently, while ghostly wails of giant skulls threatened to swallow Layla whole! It was then as a skull was going to eat her, that Layla stared at it while saying: 

{I don't say this out of any belief or religious dogma based on the imperium of man! And I know how you feel about the imperium… and what they have done… and what they have become… And I'm not excusing it by any means… 

But of all the voices… there is only sickness, curiosity, chasing perfection, and rage… with a deep feeling of hunger that never stops… So, what is left? What is left is either the loneliness of silence…Or, a love that calls from a hidden place! 

Do you always want to live your life stuck in rage… in chasing perfection… in sickness… to never be satisfied in either hunger or curiosity? Where's the peace in that? In our war-torn galaxy there is only war… so, why would you choose any other voice but him who offers you some semblance of peace?] 

With a knowing smile, the beastmen said through hidden tears and a finger pointing to the sky: [Oh…foolish rose… this world belongs to them…] 

As Layla followed her finger, she saw nothing but empty blue skies, but the analogy wasn't lost on her. And as she brought back down her eyes, the goat woman disappeared like she never was. 

 And while the world turned back to normal, Layla found herself in front of a broken wall of stone and metal… with blood rust, and drag marks! As her radio chimed in: 

[Layla! Are you ok… who were you talking to just now?] asked Mary 

{nothing… just ghosts and whispers…} replied Layla, as she thought about the weird encounter with the beast witch: 

But pushing past those thoughts, Layla looked to the road ahead of her and saw a jagged tunnel that was in a complete mess… she had expected to see some type of courtyard, but instead, she was met with a collapsing metal hallway, where the sight of death was everywhere, coupled with the intense stench to boot. 

But the stench of death wasn't as distracting to Layla's eyes, as the sight of the huge body of a man covered halfway in debris, with a blinking light that showcased its Egyptian style helmet! With a staff still glowing by the power of an unknown tome! 

{it…can't be… why…} questioned Layla to herself as she got closer to the body. 

Now, she expected to see bodies at some point, but what she hadn't expected, was to see a corpse that wasn't either a goat beastmen or a human… but of a member of the thousand sons! Few in number, practically extinct… to lose even a single member was devastating to their chapter… a chapter whose father was the stupidest of all… consumed in his lust for knowledge he doomed his own children to a fate worse than hell… 

As Layla touched the teal blue armor of the thousand sons, her hand slipped onto the only piece of cloth attached to it… a piece of cloth that resembled the image of an Egyptian eye! Now, Layla didn't know much about the Thousand Son, as it wasn't her favorite space marine chapter, so she didn't spend much effort to learn any of their quarks, other than the basic knowledge concerning them. 

As she continued to observe for a little while, her eye couldn't look away from the staff… it was like something on the staff was calling to her… and while she reached out for its, Miss A chimed in her usual tone: 

[this... staff… I see…] 

{you see what?} asked Layla as Miss A distracted her out of her stupor. 

[this staff… is resonating with the demons' heart…its interesting… tell me dear… do you know anything about this…] replied Miss A 

With a shrug, Layla replied: 

{I honestly don't know, maybe because they are both warp entities? I mean, I don't see any other connection… that a follower of Tzeentch and Slaanesh would have in common with each other.} replied Layla as she struggled to lift the heavy staff. 

[umm… so, this guy is a follower of Tzeentch… interesting… but how can you tell, other than the difference in warp print?] replied Miss A, as she watched Layla comically struggle to remove the book from the staff. 

{ugh… because… this man and his 'tribe' once belonged to the imperium… a very long time ago… heroes of a tragic end… by a father's mistake…also because its skin is blue and it has a bird beak!} replied Layla as she plopped the book out from its socket. 

Pondering Layla's words, Miss A had many more questions but didn't have time to ask, as the warp energy around the 'son' began to act! 

[Layla!] Screamed Miss A with much concern. 

{yeah?} replied Layla half-heartedly as she was too busy looking at the book, for it was titled 'The Book of Pyrae'! 

Blinded in her excitement, for books of Pyrae contain within its very runic pages, the ability to teach one how to use and control fire in ways one could only imagine! But that blindness, caused her to miss the sword aimed at her heart! 

For when the rocks rumble, and a twitching hand moves, the red eyes of a bird slowly opened to the sight of his sacred tome being pilfered! Anger consumed the beast, for how could he let a human, who is not of his master, touch such a sacred gift? 

Even with broken limbs and skin entrenched with bullet holes, while the burn marks of Lasgun left their mark… the Tzaangor still had his pride! But while his sword was inches away from her heart, the shadow of a raven, mixed with the sound of a crow, stopped him with its shadow talons! 

And in that brief moment... Nothing existed in the eyes of the Tzaangor until the shape of a bolt round entered its head! while the shadow of a man disappeared like a vision. But in Layla's eyes, all she saw, was the Tzaangor's head exploding with fine brain matter! 

While Layla removed the brains off her visor, she said with discontent: 

{Miss A, why didn't you warn me!} 

[Oh... honey I tried… it's your fault for being distracted by a mere book…] replied Miss A with a puff. 

{A mere book! How could you call this… you know what… never mind… I guess to a C'tan this book would be considered lacking…} replied Layla with a frown 

[anyway, book aside, don't you have more pressing matters to worry about?] replied Miss A 

To her words, Layla looked around cautiously…but she did not see or hear anything, just the cold silence of sparks and flashing lights, feeling a chill, Layla focused her mind, and let the energy flow… And as her mind floated in the ether, the book in her hand glowed with a faint light, as forbidden letters vibrated in its pages… that was when she saw it… a shadow of a bird with two heads! 

Vile and evil, the devil looked at her with curiosity, as it plucked one single feather from its expansion of wings! With it in its hands, the devil set it in blue flames, while it had another shadow of multiple heads and eyes bless it with its breath! 

As the feather consumed its breath, it shined and grew in power! When it finished, the devil pointed one of his skinny claw fingers at Layla and gestured to the book! And with his gesture, the devil fades with the smoke! Leaving behind a lonely feather, as the black shadow with many heads, blew the feather into Layla's arms! 

As she touched it, the world became normal! And with a quick head shake in disbelief, Layla opened the palm of her hand, to see the feather! A feather of Tzeentch!