A Bloody Rose Story

{no pictures} 

 Tzeentch…Tzeentch…Tzeentch! Oh! changer of ways! The architect of everything! Oh! God of ravens… and great conspirator! What is that in which you desire… what have you seen in my fate… or better yet… what have you planned in my fate… Oh! Great God of the deceivers… 

What does your pool of unending show you… what have your champions brought back to you from the other side… what have they seen… what of the nine have reported to you… oh! Great god… My god… tell me in which hand, do I dance to your tune… is it to your left or is it your right… 

Or am I but a cog in your plans for someone else… Oh! Magnus… my father… in which have sold our souls… to you… OH! Great deceiver… was our fate merely to be a petty trophy for you… could you not have saved our world Prospero from destruction… could you not have changed our fate from 'his' heresy? 

Why was that fate destined but not another… why were we made a cog for simple Magnus… why can't you change our mutation to fit better with our dreams… or yours… why let us suffer to become ghosts in a metal shell and not something more… 

A metal shell is never changing… and my brothers who have suffered such a fate should be allowed to change… shouldn't they… oh... Great God of the Ravens… if we bring 'her' to you will that change our ways? Will that make you happy? Or will it destroy your plans? I beseech you… oh Lord of changes… make me into a servant bird and I will deliver the messenge of Pyrae to 'her'... 

 →Excerpt by a loyal messenger of Tzeentch-journal log 5 ← 

{A blessed feather of Tzeentch… and a book of Pyrae… what does he want with my fate? What did I even do, to get his attention… no that's the wrong question… I should be asking, what have I 'yet' to do, to have him come to me now…. why are Nurgle and Khorne after me… I get Slaanesh but them… why?} thought Layla to herself, while Miss A was having her own thoughts on the matter. 

[this girl… to have garnered the attention of so many 'deities'... is ridiculous! I mean it's more fun for me but… her fate is sure to be a tangled mess… oh! I guess I should ask her!] 

[hey Layla, who is this Tzeentch fellow? Like what sort of 'god' is he? Is he like that Khorne guy or that Slaanesh person? Or even this grandfather you kept mentioning before?] asked Miss A with interest 

{umm… well he is not exactly like them, other than he is a chaos god. But anyway, his whole thing is about fate and destiny etc.… in truth, he's probably the scariest and worst of all the chaos gods.} replied Layla while she stared at the feather in her hand in much thought. 

[I see… so he's the type to mess with people's future etc.… what a nasty guy... Hehehe… I knew that magical scent smelled familiar!] replied Miss A with a nostalgic laugh 

[so… what do you plan do to with that feather?] continued Miss A with a head tilt, with a silent hidden greed showing between her eyes. 

{for now, nothing, I do know why he even gave it to me…} replied Layla with a shrug 

[in that case, do you mind if I take it off your hands for a while… you know to study it… if nothing else, I could just devour the chaotic energy radiating off it... Of course, that will render it useless and will taste awful but I'm willing to do that much for you!] replied Miss A humbly 

{umm... Sure, you can hold on to it, but! Don't devour it! Just cover it with a blocker or something… along with the book! I will study it later once we're somewhere not here… Okay?} replied Layla with a stern look 

[please my dear… why the suspicious look? Have I not earned your trust yet? Besides where else could you stash such a 'thing'... wouldn't the imperium kill you on sight for even having such an item as this?] replied Miss A in a tone of mockery and joy 

{well… you're not wrong… they would definitely attack me once they find out…but to be fair Miss A, their stupid inquisition will probably already do that if they ever find me in general… not like I can hide all my secrets from those people… {replied Layla a little depressed 

[Don't worry about it! If it were to come to that… then we simply need to kill them! Or maybe change their fates (wink) Mawhahah!] replied Miss A with great joy 

Hearing Miss A sarcastic remark about changing people's fates Layla began to wonder why Tzeentch really gave her a feather just like that… was she really supposed to change someone's fate? Was the book of Pyrae really just a book about Psyker fire mysticism… or was there something more to it… 

{ugh! Dammit! I'll worry about it later! Right now, I need to find…} said Layla out loud but suddenly stopped as she heard a noise in the shadow corridors. 

A sound that echos a scratching noise… or more akin to something sharp that dragged and cut into the metal floor… curiously Layla approached the noise in the dark. While she got closer, the noise changed from a drag and cut, into a wet and crunching noise… 

[crunch…crunch…] 

In the darken corridors Layla made sure to cover her light one step at a time… while the noise of the crunching grew steadily… and when the sound of the crunching was just around the corner of a forking path. She heard an off-putting sound… A rattling and gurgling sound… 

With a deep breath, she turned the corner to see a man who was being eaten alive by a pack of Tyranid Rippers! Small terrifying worm-like creatures, with a hunger that outweighs the devourer himself! Seeing the swarm so close, Layla stood absolutely still… as she stared into the man who cried tears that begged for a mercy kill! 

At this moment Layla was glad she didn't shine her light as she turned the corner… a hard lesson learned from the train outpost… for had she done so… then she would be just like this man here! With a monster chewing on her sweet-skinned throat! 

Counting her blessing, she quietly backway, not firing a shingle shot, while at the same time staring into the pleading eyes of the man. But with a shrug that showed her thoughts, she calmly went the other way. But just as she was almost out of earshot… a crack of a static noise rang from her radio! 

[Layla! Are you okay? You haven't responded in a while…] said Mary at the worst possible time! 

As Layla cursed to herself as she heard the radio break its silence, she rushed to turn it off, but she was too late! She could already hear the bugs at the end rushing at her back! Panicking, Layla rushed through the tunnel system! Dodging and jumping every obstacle in her way, she couldn't even feel the pain from her previous injury to her leg! 

But as she got deeper into the fort… Deeper than she originally wanted to… she was forced to jump over barely squeezable debris and fallen structures of many artworks, and as she ran, the bugs got closer, for they didn't struggle to get past all the Nooks and Crannies as she did. 

She could hear their feet clinging to the metal, to the rock and the machinery… they were getting closer… the chorus of drool and hungry growls sounded like one big beast of a monster was on her heel! Fearing the worst she slid under a beam hitting a dead end! 

{no!} she yelled as she heard the horde behind her! 

With no way forward she pointed her gun forward knowing the Lasgun was a poor fit for this situation but what else could she do? Her psyker energy bubble wouldn't be able to hold up for long even if she conjured one, while her burning sword could only slice one bug at a time… even swapping to miss A powers would only prolong the end for a few more moments! 

And while Layla ran her mind through Ideas, she looked up to see a green light above a camera! Staring at the camera, Layla knew people were watching her, she didn't know why she knew, she just did. It was in those moments of intense staring, that a voice broke the awkward silence! 

[sorry battle sister… but we can't open the door… not when those bugs are so close…but if you can kill them… Then that's a different matter entirety!] said the voice in a cold tone of superiority. 

{bastards!} replied Layla as she slammed what she believed to be a wall but a few moments ago, with her fist. 

[Layla… you may not like it but I do have a suggestion…] said Miss A in all seriousness 

{I think I know what you're about to ask… but do you really think it's a good idea? We don't know what will happen if we use the feather…} replied Layla 

[Layla… There no time…] said Miss A as the first ripper's eyes shined through the green light given off the camera light. 

[yes! but this is only one small way to enter!] replied Layla as she got a crazy idea to buy time. 

[Layla what are you doing?] replied Miss A with puzzlement 

But having no time to converse, Layla ignored Miss A's question, as she looked at her Lasgun and smiled! And with her smile, she clicked the overcharged button! With it pushed, the gun made its warning beep as it got cherry red! And with its heat, it burned the soft part of Layla's gloves. 

With the steam and the burnt smell rising from her hands, Layla tossed the gun from her hands, as the bugs poured through the hole, Layla then took out her sidearm and took her shot! As the shot hit the overcharged Lasgun it exploded! Killing and burning the Tyranid bugs! Their screeching cries were but music to Layla's ears! 

But even when they cried, they pushed through their melting flesh! Through their eyes popping and their limbs that fused to the metal floor! They dragged their mutilated bodies even tearing away any parts of their body that were now useless, while others even ate their fellow rippers! 

The sight disgusted Layla, as she watched the bugs tearing into each other to get through! The sound alone was too disturbing to describe… As bugs ripped each other throats or bodies in half! Their blood coated every corner and hole, and every artwork, that was once devoted to the halls. 

Seeing their filthy blood coat the artwork of the emperor annoyed Layla, for a reason she didn't understand… she just didn't like it! It caused her hand to shake around her sword… to the point, she charged ahead and slaughtered bug after bug! Tiny creatures where one slice could kill two or three, but even so… their numbers were relentless! 

Growing tired, Layla began to worry as a bug that was missing its lower half, lunged for her! But paying it no mind, she nailed to the door with her sword! Its dying noise was, but an unpleasant background filter as she stared at the collapsing entrance! 

Finally, she was able to get a moment of respite, despite the hardships… however as she leaned on her sword by the knee, she could still hear them trying to gnaw their way in! 

{bastards, don't know when to quit!} screamed Layla to herself 

[Layla! If you're going to do it… Now's the time!] chimed Miss A without hesitation 

 Knowing what Miss A was talking about, Layla nodded her head, as Miss A released the feather and the book into her hands! But as Layla held the feather in her hands… she hesitated! 

[what's wrong Layla! Hurry we don't have much time] said Miss A as she could see the entrance moving! 

{Miss A… if I do this… there is no going back… I may even become a slave to Tzeentch!} replied Layla as she completely ignored the bugs' attempts to dig inside. 

Their growls and screeching were but white noise to Layla's ears, as she stared at the feather that could change her destiny. Time itself didn't just slow in her undecided mind, at some point, she couldn't even hear Miss A ramblings to convince her to do it! 

She just stared at it, as a bug's head popped out of the hole, screaming! With a heart racing, Layla moved her hand over the book of Pyrae! And while putting aside her worries about the feather for the moment, and instead, she focused her Psyker mind on the book! She didn't know why she did it, she just felt called to try. 

The moment her mind reached for the book; was the moment the book spoke to her! In the voice of Magnus, the red!