40K Dark Heresy: The Danse Macabre

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2008-03-20 01:47pm

Varnius hesitated, trying for a clear shot and not getting one.

Academia Nut · Post by **Academia Nut** » 2008-03-20 02:05pm

Gently setting down the heavy stubber as it would just endanger his comrades in the dome, and his duffle filled with ammunition, his sword, and his shotgun as they were dead weight at the moment, Quintos pulls out his lasgun and shouts down at them, "Where's Lazarus?"

It seemed that they were just going from one disaster to the next with this mission.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2008-03-20 02:08pm

Raj Ahten wrote:
DPDarkPrimus wrote:Xerxes hears the frantic com chatter while on the way to the armory. "What's going on? Do you need backup at the dome?"
"Yes. It's a Horror show down here, no threat, but you have to see this shit,"
Lazarus Responded.

Xerxes continues walking to the armory for a moment, and then the wretched trooper's screams carry through the com channel into his earbead, followed by the cries of the others there.

"I can check the armory for rope to haul y'all up, or you want I should get there and help you deal with those screamers now?" he says into his com.

Brother-Captain Gaius · Post by **Brother-Captain Gaius** » 2008-03-20 02:14pm

Zak eyes the grenades dubiously for a moment, then nods curtly to Diver and hustles down toward the dome, again speaking over the party's vox channel:

"Um. Our guide seems to have provided me with a few incendiary devices. They wouldn't by any chance be useful at the moment, would they?"

Block · Post by **Block** » 2008-03-21 12:11am

With a sigh, Verum launched himself at the man, the thing, the horror that was grappling with Lazarus. Not wanting to kill a man that was clearly suffering and wasn't at fault for his actions, he lashed out with the flat of his blade, landing a vicious body blow, stunning the man. The thing holding Lazarus staggered, but continued to rant.

"Lazarus, it's time to make a decision, do we knock him out or do we finish him off? I know they're servants of his divine will, but I'm thinking the merciful thing would be to release him."

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2008-03-21 12:46am

While Verum and Lazarus dealt with the wretch below, the platform continued rising upwards towards the surface. Already they were too late to get back on, and in just a few moments, it reached the top, the ancient machinery that powered it fell silent as the plasteel locked back into place.

The chamber below was now cut off from the light above, and the moaning of the wretches was now the only sound other than the two men's voices that filled their ears. The only light came from an eerie yellow glow that came from the ooze dripping from the tubes the wretch had pulled out of himself. Slowly, several of the wretches began to sound out in unison, almost as if they were chanting.

Feil · Post by **Feil** » 2008-03-21 01:47am

As Varnius and Gelt came out of the dome, Cyrine noticed that Gelt was wounded. The cut looked ugly but with the use of the medkit she was able to clean and patch it in a few seconds; he would be as good as new in a day's time.

RIPP_n_WIPE · Post by **RIPP_n_WIPE** » 2008-03-21 08:08am

"Arbitor Gelt!!" Octavius approached his fellow arbites "What happened to you? What's in that place?"

Vehrec · Post by **Vehrec** » 2008-03-21 09:32am

"Never mind me! Lazarus and Verum are still down there with those poor souls! One of them went mad and attacked him, and Verum stayed behind to help fend him off! I tried to put the wretch out of his missery, but I failed and wound up back on the platform as it started back up." He then grabbed Octavius by the arm and staredinto his younger collegue's eyes. "They all need our help down there. They used to be servants of the Emperor, and at the very least they deserve his Mercy."

SylasGaunt · Post by **SylasGaunt** » 2008-03-21 10:06am

"Octavius move your fething ass!"

Havelock was already on the lift, pistol drawn, aquila glinting.

"Gelt what triggered the lift to descend? We need to get down there?"

Raj Ahten · Post by **Raj Ahten** » 2008-03-21 10:55am

While he was struggling with the crazed guardsman, Lazarus came to several realizations. The first was there was no possible way the man could survive. It was shocking that he wasn't already dead. The second was that the person who did this to the man was still out there. That filled Lazarus with a rage, a rage he had only rarely felt before.

He knew what must be done. He let go of the man, gore dripping from his armor and hands. Lazarus drew his autopistol and lined up a shot, the strange glow providing the only aimpoint.

"Verum, stand back."
Once Verum was clear Lazazrus said,
"May you find the peace in death that you didn't have in life, at the Emperor's side."

He then put a single round into the raving guardsman's skull, ending him. It wasn't a quick death though. He gurgled noisely for several seconds. The helmet he had been wearing had provided some protection.

Lazarus now had a little more time to take in the sorroundings. The unearthly glow and the chanting only enraged him more.

They fucking turned them into witches. The damn heretical cunts.

His face now a mask of of rage, Lazarus said over the comm bead,
"Lazarus here. We are fine, for now. The fucking gangers turned these people into abominations. They glow in the dark and now they are chanting something."

Losonti Tokash · Post by **Losonti Tokash** » 2008-03-21 01:37pm

As soon as the lift had returned, Nixios had set himself to figuring out a way to operate the lift. He was quickly able to fashion a mechanism for raising and lowering the lift, but at a slight cost. Turning to the others, he said "I can get you down there and back, but I was forced to splice the lift controls with that of the doors. If we lower the lift, they will close and vice versa. I must stay up here to operate it. Who will assist them?"

Academia Nut · Post by **Academia Nut** » 2008-03-21 01:40pm

"I'll go," Quintos says, a slow, steady burn building in his eyes as he double checked the power pack on his lasgun. His weapon still had plenty of spirit left in it for the task ahead.

Block · Post by **Block** » 2008-03-21 01:46pm

Seeing Lazarus' action, Verum sheathed his sword, unslung his shotgun and began unloading on the chanting men.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2008-03-21 02:02pm

Given the near total lack of light, the number of bodies, many of which were already dead, Verum's shots go wild. Fear sets in even deeper and the assassin's hands shake even more than they were a few moments ago. The act of reloading the weapon itself becomes difficult, and the shells clatter to the ground.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2008-03-21 03:28pm

Xerxes checks the armory for some rope and some demolition charges, in case they can't get the lift working again.

Vehrec · Post by **Vehrec** » 2008-03-21 05:36pm

"I'm going back down there. Its not fit for any good Imperial citizen to look upon, but I'm going back down there." Serghar reached into one of his pockets, pulling out a glow-lamp and switching it on. "We may need this down there." Stepping back onto the platform he took a deep breath and muttered something about needing a strong drink after this.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2008-03-21 05:40pm

Xerxes activates his com, a small part of him hoping that those trapped below won't pick up the transmission.

"I hope you all can get the lift working again, 'cause the armory don't have any rope or demo charges," he says.

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2008-03-21 06:27pm

"We need to kill them all," said Varnius. "Now. Before they damn us all."

Brother-Captain Gaius · Post by **Brother-Captain Gaius** » 2008-03-21 07:46pm

Heaving for breath, Zakary stumbles up to the group at the dome, clutching his grenades protectively.

"...Hoo, yes, I'm here, I brought some incendiaries. Point the way, and the Emperor's fury shall be brought down upon the unclean, castigating that which would hide in the darkness and so on and so forth... oof...," he proclaims breathlessly.

RIPP_n_WIPE · Post by **RIPP_n_WIPE** » 2008-03-22 08:12am

"Indeed. Let me at some of those that we may cleanse this place."

Raj Ahten · Post by **Raj Ahten** » 2008-03-22 05:05pm

As the Acolytes above waited for the platform to descend again, Lazarus went about the bussiness at hand. First, he had to get Verum to stop using the damn shotgun. Richochets were a real hazard down in this pit.

Lazarus grabbed Verum by the arm and said,

"Enough with the shotgun! If we must kill these witches, be carefull about it."

Lazarus then went about carefully putting a round into the head of every one of the wretches in the pit. The glow barely provided any illumination, so it was a difficult task. Lazarus took his time to line up the shots and say a brief prayer while doing so. There was no pleasure to be had at this; it was a grim duty.

There will be a reckoning, oh yes there will be one.

SylasGaunt · Post by **SylasGaunt** » 2008-03-23 01:00pm

Havelock waited on the lift platform, pistol at the ready.

"We need to get down there. There's work to be done."

The priest looked grim.

"Might I suggest someone help Zak in rigging those charges? I'm not an explosives expert but firebombs aren't to my knowledge very good and blowing open walls. Use those to rig the armories and we can blow them as we go."

Losonti Tokash · Post by **Losonti Tokash** » 2008-03-23 01:05pm

"Agreed. I'll lower the lift now." Nixios turned and began fiddling with the controls, dropping the elevator once again.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2008-03-23 01:14pm

Once more, the door to the dome slammed shut and the lift began to move down, back into the chamber below. Once again, the sight of the bodies, alive and dead came back into view as the light from the dome above spilled back into the chamber.

Lazarus was covered in gore and viscera, blood and a strange ooze. He and Verum were standing over the dead body of the one wretch that has assaulted Lazarus on the platform just a few moments prior. The nearly chant-like groaning of the wretches stopped as light pierced their tortured eyes, causing them to howl in pain once more.