The Enemy Within
By: Chase Hillock

	The charnel reek of burning human flesh reached through Veers’ re-breather as he strode past the hastily built pyre of the plague zombies and troopers lost in the attack. A few soldiers stood around the blaze to watch the bodies. Veers heard several lasgun shots as a trooper on the far side of the pyre saw one of the bodies try to rise again. The Inquisitor climbed back up into the Salamander and grabbed a rag from a crate on the floor. He sat down on one of the transport’s benches and began to cleanse his hammer of the daemon-zombie ichors. Veers wondered to himself how an entire hive-city could be riddled with any contagion of Nurgle’s devising, unless the powers of the foul Chaos God of Pestilence had it’s powers summoned here. The plague would have spread like a wildfire in dry grassland with the hive’s air system. Those that caught it would spread it to others till the whole hive was corrupted, or dead. The “zombies” weren’t just living dead, they were bodies infested with the demonic essence of a God. Veers looked out the back hatch of the tank at the hive. 
	Deep gray sand stretched in all directions, streaks of multi-coloured chemical patches dotted the landscape. The hive itself clawed up into the sky for several kilometers and was rooted below ground an equal distance. Its surface was jagged with towers and masts. Noltan was small for a hive, but it was one of the most important hives in this sector. It was an industrial center, in charge of making weapons and ammunition for the vast armies of the Imperium. This was a common role for many hives. The hive’s waste was stored in the lowest levels, the population was crammed in the habitation sectors, factories dominated the middle, with the merchants and guild-ruling classes in the top. Not a way to live in Veers’ mind, but hives were very prosperous and in great demand for the work they could put out. 
	Veers set his hammer down and proceeded to wipe his gauntlets clean as Colonel Krav walked up. Veers couldn’t see the man’s face through the skull gas mask, it’s tinted, black eye pieces hid the Colonel’s gaze. “The men are ready to proceed, your Lordship. I’ve spread the troops out into an attack formation. We’ll take Noltan back, no matter the costs.”
	“Very good Colonel, expect resistance as soon as we reach the city. Let’s move.” Veers stood and pitched the soiled rag out onto the road. He called his staff members back to the Salamander and the tank was soon off and trundling after the Colonel’s Chimera. Luther was poised in the turret with the army standard of Kreig in his hands. The banner’s coal-black surface snapped in the wind, the death head’s motif read “pax mortis”. Time ground on as the army advanced twords Noltan. 
	The sky grew darker and darker as the imposing mountain of a city grew on the horizon. Veers heard a faint buzzing sound as they got closer, this droned on for another hour until Veers was close enough to make out the sound’s source. Many of the troops and vehicle crews were watching the sky in silent disgust. The thick back clouds weren’t clouds in any sane sense. The sky-filling black masses were swarms of bloated corpse flies. Many flew around the men, landing on visors and weapons only to become part of the man’s uniform as gloved hands crushed the monster-flies bodies. The army soon found itself marching into the cities outskirts where many store houses and water tanks dominated the ground. The hives leviathan main gates filled Veers’ sight. The Colonel sent squads forwards to check the area. The buzzing of the untold millions of flies above them drowned out any and all sounds.
	Bright flashes started to ignite on all sides of the Death Korps advance squads. Veers looked through the insect haze, he saw a zombie in the jumpsuit of a hab-miner have it’s leg ripped from it’s body by a las round. The creature continued to claw its way forwards. Several more zombies cleared the warehouse that hid them from view. Shagrath swung the Autocannon at the mass of bodies and decorated the building and pavement with them as the high powered shells ruptured skulls, rent rib cages open, shore off limbs and shattered spines. The squads fired on full auto now at the unseen enemy beyond the warehouses. Luther waved the banner to call them back before he gestured several armoured units up the street. The tanks turrets swung and spat death as soon as they cleared the retreating squads. A rusty brown warehouse and connected garage flew apart in an amazing ball of fire and shrapnel. The five Lemun Russes spread out to cover all avenues, the heavy bolters mounted in their side sponsons throwing streams of explosive shells into the hordes of staggering corpses. 
	The hellish amount of fire stopped abruptly. Colonel Krav’s vox unit cackled as the tank units sent their report. Luther relayed this message to Veers, “The roads are clear.” Veers sped up to survey the scene of carnage. He could vaguely make out what might have been people at one time, but now all that remained was an avenue of strewn shattered limbs and viscera. Veers smiled as he saw the work of the Emperor being done. The Inquisitor turned back to look at the vast gate into the main level of the hive. He voxxed Luther to send up Major Ludenburg in his Baneblade. Within a few minutes Veers could see a silhouette moving between tanks and troop elements. The monstrous siege-tank pushed the army out of it’s way like a ship in the waves. The black street split and shattered as the huge three hundred and fifty ton tank came into view. Its ashen colours dulled with dust, its morbid markings catching the light, the Baneblade clanked up the avenue past Veers, smashing in through the front of a storehouse to make sure not to hit the Inquisitor’s transport. 
	The Baneblade shuddered to a stop fifty meters from the gate. Major Ludenburg clicked his vox unit to internal coms. “Load and bless all main fire systems. Transfer all weapon controls to me.” He picked up his trademark blue scarf and wiped sweat from his eyes.  His crew of eighteen hustled about in the main hull below him. He had hand picked them from the best crewmen in his regiment. Within seconds the main guns were ready. The Major swung his aiming periscope into position. He moved the joystick to his on his console a margin to the right and up slightly to allow dipping from range for the snub nosed Demolisher cannon in the front of the tank’s hull. He then applied corrections to the battle cannon in the turret he was seated in. When he was satisfied he gingerly placed his thumbs over the firing studs. He pressed. With torrent of flames and a clang loud enough for the Emperor himself to have heard all the way back on Holy Terra, Noltan’s main gates, and a good deal of the surrounding walls, were ripped from their meters thick, centuries old hinges and tossed like a child’s plaything half a kilometer into the hive, crushing buildings and daemon-corrupted zombies in their wake. Major Ludenburg checked his chronometer. Two minutes, thirty-seven seconds… New record. The Major smiled to himself, he’d give his crew double alcohol rations after this was over.
	Veers was amazed at the masterful coordination of the Baneblade’s crew. The Inquisitor regained his composure quickly as he saw the masses of movement from beyond the ruined gate. Veers clicked his vox unit to link to into all squad’s channels. “This is Inquisitor Maximillion Veers. The gates are open. For the Emperor and Kreig, charge, take Noltan back; cleanse this place of its corruption! Charge!” With that Veers dropped the mic and swatted a corpse fly from his face. He banged on the hull and Tezlis slammed the tank into action, speeding towards the opening. The Baneblade was already firing indiscriminately into the hordes of the corrupted population; it’s four heavy bolters scything the creatures down like wheat, the las-cannons flying through bodies leaving nothing behind. It was a waste to use anti-tank weapons on humans, but these weren’t humans. The two main cannons lobbing shells into the masses, being rewarded with geysers of blood, pulped organs, and ribbons of flesh. Veers sped in past the Baneblade as it did its gruesome work, the full contingent of Death Korps troopers and tanks in quick pursuit. 
	Veers’ Salamander crunched up the main entry road, crushing the bodies of zombies and the lucky corpses of those people who never got back up from their deaths. The cities main level was a charnel house. Plague zombies shuffled around in there thousands on this level, Veers knew that many more were on every level of the hive. The streets were caked with filth and disease, bodies were strewn in every direction, many told of scenes of struggle as the poor hiver had fought for their life, others look more like they had been a meal for a Fenris Wolf. Fires were burning in buildings and in parts of the streets. Trucks and other civilian vehicles were over turned and crushed, a few still retained their organic command centers, lifelessly sticking through windshields and twisted awkwardly against shattered glass and twisted metal. The entire city was covered in a layer of what looked like a sloppy mold. Thick and greenish-black, it sloughed down walls and pooled in gutters, it dried in webs and pockets along lampposts and alleyways. Over sized, mutated rats scurried about darting through corpses and filth. The flies were everywhere. 
	Veers called Lars up to him on the observation deck as the Salamander swerved to the right of the main infantry push. The Death Korps were fanning out in perfect order taking the hive street by street, the tanks doing insane amounts of damage to their enemies. The Salamander turned again into a vacant alley. Veers had Tezlis stop. The Inquisitor pulled Lars close so the priest could hear. “Get out your sacred incense, I’m going to attempt to banish these daemon flies, or at least destroy their psychical bodies.” Veers unclasped his tome of exorcism and began to recite the verses to banish the taint of pestilence. Lars lit the censer and began swinging it around the Inquisitor. The flies reacted to the damaging hymns and converged on the Inquisitor. They began to slow as Veers finished the verse. A new form of rain began to fall in the hive as the bloated, pus-yellow flies had their daemonic essence forced out of them. The buzzing stopped as the city received another coating of death.
	Veers didn’t hear the shot, nor did he see which way it had come from as servo-skull XXIV exploded in a shower of wires and bone splinters. The shards stung the Inquisitor’s face as he fell crashing to the metal deck. XIII span around his head and began removing the slivers of XXIV from Veers’ cheeks and forehead, spraying disinfectant as it went. Lars scrambled over, “Are you alright my Lord?” Veers was nodding and waving his hand as the priest approached. 
	“Get Tosh.” Veers mumbled as his head swam. The priest hurried to the edge of the deck and called for Tosh to come up, the entire staff looked shocked and concerned. As Tosh hurried up the steps, Lars told the rest of the group what had just happened.
	“What happened sir?” Tosh inquired as she slinked up into the deck bay. 
	“Someone or something just shot at me, see if you can spot it. If anything moves, I want it brought down now!” Veers yelled as XIII finished its work. Tosh slid up into a crouch at the end wall of the deck and raised her sniper pattern long-las over the lip and spotted down the scope. She scanned left and right for several seconds before catching a slight movement through a pillar of smoke. 
	“Sir, it’s a marine! We’re getting support already?” Tosh looked confused as she stared at the now approaching Space Marine. Veers looked at her for a vital second before his eyes went wide as he realized how close he had just come to death.
	“Shoot it! Tosh, shoot it now!” Veers roared.
	“But sir, it’s a marine…” Tosh trailed off in mid-protest as she made out the marine as it drew closer. It’s chest plate and midsection were bloated and discoloured, streaks of filth and pus ran from rents and cracks in its armor. Its face was blue was sickness and bore scores of pox and boils. One eye was a mass of writhing red worm-like tendons. Tosh shrieked and fired right into the worm mass. The back of the marines head came away with a wet crack, brain matter leaked down the marines back and covered it’s suit’s power core backpack. It continued to stomp up the alley; it swung its bolt gun up to point at the back of the tank. Tosh composed herself and took aim again. As the marines finger tightened on its firearm’s trigger it’s head came away, the ruins of its face were flung to the ground leaving nothing but the marine’s jaw. The huge armored form slumped and crashed into the pavement, dead.
	“Death Guard plague marine…” Veers said as he looked at the pile of metal and dead, corrupted flesh. “Traitor marine… heretic. No wonder this hive fell so quickly.” Veers looked over at his sniper, “Tosh, I want you to get up high somewhere and see if you can pick off more of these traitors, shoot any that you see, is that understood?” Veers questioned.
	Tosh nodded and gathered up her things before sliding out the side of the tank and slipping off into the city silently. Veers turned and called down to Tezlis to move out of the alley. As the tank started to gain speed another marine span around the corner in front of the tank. Shagrath threw a hail of Autocannon shells at it. They slammed and skipped off the marine’s armor, doing little to no damage. It then staggered as a round flew right into it’s throat and spun the body around to land face first in the black muck of a gutter. “Nice shot Tosh.” Veers voxxed with pride. The tank pounded over the armored bulk of the marine as it sped onto the next street, Autocannon slapping zombies into the pavement as it went.
	Sergeant Haller kicked in a faded green door to a hab-unit. His squad followed him in and spread out to cover the hallways. “Careful boys, I hear voices downstairs.” Haller crept upwards to the stairwell, nine pairs of boots followed. The slid down the steps to a crusted door, a horrid stench passing around its gaps. The Sergeant pointed trooper Dervan to open the door to the room which the sounds came from, his fuel tanks of his flamer clanking gently as he shuffled forward.  Dervan pulled the door open and jumped inside intent on turning it into an inferno, but what he saw caused him to freeze. Seven filthy green robed people sat in a odd arrangement on the floor, a sickly yellow nimbus of power hung in the air above them. The men chanted and made symbols in the excrement before them totally unaware of the squad of troopers charging into the room. The largest of the cultists looked up at the Death Korpsmen and grinned, black stumps of teeth poked from white and purple swollen gums, he laughed as Sergeant Haller put two rounds into the fat magus’ chest. The shots brought Dervan out of his stunned revere and he turned the other six into screaming, running pyres; the chemical fires turning them into tarry black wads of the floor. 
	Trooper Sig walked up the far wall past the fading yellow nimbus, “Why do you think the freaks nailed dolls to the wall sarge?” He strode up to look at the dolls but stopped short as he saw that they weren’t children’s toys at all. Wide eyed he retched into his mask. He fell over and tried to pull his mask free so he didn’t drown in his own vomit. The cloud in the center of the room fired lightning and shadows emerged from the haze. The first creature stepped from the miasma of light. It stood almost two meters tall, its hunched spine causing its skeletal face to hang in the middle of its chest. It fixed Sig with its one cyclopean eye; the single horn protruding from its head oozed bloody pus. It held a rusted, filth covered sword in three-fingered hands. Its entire body was covered in a yellow green parchment of flesh, torn and distended in several places, its entrails coiling out its side to hang like a morbid tabard. Worms and maggots filled the beast, crawling from holes in the daemons hide. The monster stepped over Sig, the trooper coming apart in a gristly spray of organs. Thirteen more of the Plagued bearers spewed from the cleft in reality the cultists had made.
	Sergeant Haller’s men fired on the daemons as they advanced on them, their lasguns punching into the bloated daemons of Nurgle as they moved with inhuman speed. Trooper Dervan’s arm flew into the air before a blade sped through his torso and erupted his fuel tanks. Sergeant Haller and the rest of his squad, as well as a good portion of the building were shredded by the blast. The daemon pack passed through the inferno of the building and out into the street. They shuffled off to look for prey. 
	The Death Korp were making great progress into the hive, many squads were advancing into the higher and lower levels. Colonel Krav was speeding across a bridge into the palace district. He sat in the crew hold with his command squad, Trooper Loken carried the armies standard, Trooper Grax and Trooper Hus both carried bulky heat weapons called melta guns, and Vens, his medic. The Chimera trundled into the clear streets of the palace district. They weren’t getting any signs of enemies. Luther had the other Chimera mounted squads and supporting Lemun Russes spread out to cover more ground. His own transport continued straight into the merchants bizarre. He heard his driver curse as they turned onto a through street, the Chimera jerked as rounds smashed into its hull. The Chimera’s turret mounted multi-laser and hull mounted heavy bolter belched streams of fire at the cause of the disturbance. Luther pulled himself up into the turret and opened the hatch to use the pintel mounted storm-bolter. He saw a squad of mutated and sickly-bloated marines firing on his tank, one of them held a plasma gun. He swung the twin-barreled storm-bolter around and fired on the plasma armed marine. The marine pitched forward as it’s left knee guard buckled and its arm popped and flew away from its ruined elbow. The other marines were to far from the tank to do too much damage to it, but the firepower the Chimera was dealing out was taking a toll on the marines. Four lay in spreading pools of brackish-blood, the one Krav had hit was still down. As the Colonel watched several heavy laser rounds doubled up another and left his body crumpled with the others. The last was rent apart as the tank span it’s weapons on him and fired a final salvo. 
	Colonel Krav closed the hatch and prepared to have the tank move out again as a loud explosion threw the tank across the road, cart wheeling it end over end several times before it came to rest against a building. Luther lay in a heap on the roof as his squad tried to regain their wits. Smoke billowed in through the driver’s compartment. Trooper Hus managed to get the back hatch to open. The Colonel and his men cleared the smoking wreck. Luther took a head count but only counted four, he climbed back into the tank to get trooper Loken. He found his standard barer held upright against the tanks sidewall by a seared metal beam; it’s jagged edge protruding from the man’s ribcage. Luther picked up the bloodied flag and crawled from the tank. He turned and walked around the side of the crippled vehicle to see what they had hit, he jumped back within a second as he saw what he was up against now. The Chaos Dreadnaught stood four meters tall; it’s right weapon mount had a twin-linked lascannon while the left sported a heavy, rusty and dented wrecking ball. The chain supported ball dragged a deep furrow in the street, the monstrous machine’s feet crushed into the asphalt with every step of it’s iron shod feet carried under the seven ton weight of the walking tome’s body. The chaos marine piloting it would have been interned into the machine after he had been mortally wounded in battle, the machine would have kept the organic parts alive as the marine used the machine to fight as he had when he was “alive”.
	Luther took a second the think. He looked at the small grouping of buildings around him and an idea popped into his mind. He sent his men up the alley and to his right. He drew his bolt pistol and leaned out from behind the tank. The Dreadnaught was twisting around looking for new targets. Luther put three round soaring into the walker’s shoulder armor, they all exploded harmlessly on the rusted metal but the walker turned on the colonel. Luther waved the banner he carried over his head and fired a few more bullets at the monster as it charged at him. He ducked back around the tank as the wrecking ball tore through the hull like it was wet bread before it came clear from the front. Luther prayed to the Emperor that the driver had already been dead. As the Dreadnaught stepped back to face the wreck Colonel Krav ran behind it and emptied his bolt pistol’s clip into the things back, sparks flew and a deep booming scream of pain and anger ripped from the trapped marine inside the machine as one of the rounds passed its armor into the insides of the giant. Luther ran across the street away from the wreck and the Dreadnaught, the machine span on him and stomped after. Troopers Grax and Hus ran from their cover at the rear side of the charging walker, their melta gun hissing, they both fired right into the machines waist joint, the metal melting instantly. The upper half of the mech smashed into the street, the screams of frustration from the pilot chilling Luther’s bones. Two Chimeras and a Lemun Russ swung around the corner and rolled up to their Colonel. “Let’s take the fight to the enemy.” Luther exclaimed as he climbed inside one of the transports. The three tanks crunched past the toppled Dreadnaught, leaving the insane marine raving in his tomb.
	On the far side of the merchant’s district, Commander Ashton rode in the turret of his Vanquisher pattern Lemun Russ, its extra long barrel apt at throwing shells harder and faster then a standard Mars pattern Lemun Russ. His machine was flanked by a Lemun Russ commanded by Ashton’s rival, Commander Zaz Previte, four Sentinels stalked at point. “Picking up energy readings, sir.” one of his gunners relayed as he watched the scanners. 
	“Take us to those coordinates.” He called down to his driver. The group of machines changed course to locate the new readings. The whistle was heard before anything was seen. One of the Sentinel’s cabs blew out leaving the legs standing with smoke and fire flying from its drive system. Ashton looked in the direction of the shell and saw three spider looking machines at the end of a side street. Before he could react one of them scurried up the road, it’s spiked leg caps stabbing into the street. Its upper torso had a snub nosed cannon centered in its hull, a twin-mounted autocannon was affixed to its right side and a evil looking flamethrower dominated its left. The machines “head” was a rusted metal daemon mask, balefire burned in the eye sockets. It reached another Sentinel and swung its front limbs up, both ending in huge metal claws. They slammed into the lighter machine, the claws searing metal and pilot apart with equal ease. It was a Defiler. A daemon engine. Zaz had already lowered his cannon at the machine, he fired. The shell detonated in the Defiler’s torso and rendered the towering monstrosity into a gutted hulk. Ashton lined up a shot at the two other Defilers up the street and loosed a shell at them; it struck one slightly lower then where he had wanted it. 
	The Defiler left the ground as Ashton’s shell geysered the street below it. The Defiler fired as this happened, it’s own deadly shell screwing off into the buildings across the boulevard. The final Defiler roared and launched a shell at Zaz’s tank, the round smashed through the front hull mounted lascannon, the internal explosion tossed the turret ten meters into the air only to have it come crashing to the pavement. Ashton yelled as his tank fired again, the high powered round shot through the defiler before exploding in the building behind it, tons of stone and cerimite came crushing down on the two Defilers, crushing them to scrap components. Ashton clanked past the collapsed wall, the two Sentinels in tow revenge on their minds. 
	Hours past as the Death Koprs did their job of cleansing Noltan of the taint of the Plague God. Veers monitored all vox traffic, giving orders where needed, sending prayers to those that were lost. He directed Major Hain and his entire 13th company to take the lower levels of the hive; the amounts of zombies were thinning in those zones. Major Sponeck was up in the higher levels with Colonel Krav. Veers was getting reports of more and more marines being encountered in that sector. The Inquisitor had Major Glaise split his forces in the main levels to send the Colonel reinforcements. The tank divisions of Major Ludenburg were kept spread out with the infantry; Ludenburg himself was on his way up top with his Baneblade to help crush the marines in the Palace sections. Smart man. Veers thought. The Inquisitor sat back as Tezlis parked the Salamander in a park. “Looks like we got the job done here faster then we had thought, eh Max?” Shagrath asked with a chuckle from up at the autocannon. 
	“Don’t get your hopes up Shagrath. You’ll get to kill more soon enough.” Veers smiled at the huge man at the cannon.
	“Fine then, and when we get back to the ship I’ll drink you under the table again like I did last time!” The hardy man laughed, the noise peeling from him like rolls of thunder. He turned back to scan the boulevard. He cheered at the pack of daemons that were shuffling down the road at them. Shagrath laughed again and fired the cannon. Several of the daemons were blasted apart, fading back to the realms of chaos. The smile left his face as the cannon cycled dry with a clack. Veers heard this and ordered everyone out to see the monsters off face to face.
	The back hatch dropped, Reinholdt loosed off a burning ball of blue plasma at the nearest daemon, it vaporized as the heat turned its corrupted flesh to steam. Shagrath added to the toll as his plasma cannon enveloped five of the daemons in a blast the light up the whole street. Then the daemon swung in a new direction. Tezlis jumped down from the driver’s compartment, his metal feet clanging on the street. He turned around to face the daemon that stood over him. Another plague bearer launched itself at him, he tried to leap back. He tried again. Why are my leg units jammed all of a sudden, running diagnostic. Tezlis thought to himself. He brought his head unit down to see the serrated filth sword sticking from his mid-section. His arms weren’t responding either. Oil and lubricants slid down his legs and chest, what little bits of blood in his still mixing with the black grease. His sight swung to the sky and he found himself back in the tank. His eyes filled with static and clicked before they faded. 
	Veers took advantage of the daemons stupidity to rend Tezlis apart. The three men armed with plasma weapons banished the last of them in short order. Colis yelped and Veers swung around. He stopped cold as he looked back up the street. The entire way was fill with hundreds of the tall, atrophied plague daemons. The other direction of the avenue wasn’t any more promising. Veers strode out into the middle of the street leaving the two warriors guarding the priest and the scribe. The ground shook and the front of a building behind the daemons at the head of the lane caved in around a massive figure. It waded through its smaller kin, it’s massive girth sloshing against the plague bearers. The living embodiment of Nurgle himself stood before Veers, a Great Unclean One, the avatar of Nurgle. It chuckled, it’s rounded frog-eyes glazed over with death blinked as it scratched at the ropes of tree thick entrails. Nurglings, miniature versions of the Great Unclean One, played and rolled around in the spools of guts like children at a party. The Great Unclean One picked one up and pet it gently before tossing it into its gaping maw lined with seven rows of dagger sharp teeth. It shook its head as it swallowed, the rings and tokens hanging from it splintered and shattered horns tinkled with the movement.
	Veers said nothing but depressed a button at his waist. The air spun and crackled with blue lightning. A blue nimbus appeared in front of the Inquisitor. It expanded to fill the center of the street, twenty meters in all direction of the Inquisitor. With a bright white flash and a booming snap the energy faded. Veers stood in the middle of a contingent of the Emperor’s most prized warriors. The majority of them were far taller then Veers, their armor gleaming black, the lines of purity etched in their suits shone gold. They all carried wicked halberds, the blades crackling with blue energy. Four of them carried large Incinerators, flamethrowers that spewed streams of holy oils and purified tainted flesh. A another, much larger group stood at the head of the group. 
	Their armor was the same as their smaller brethren, but far bulkier and even more ornate. There were five of them, the man in the center was Grand Master Octavius of the Gray Knights, the Ordo Malleus’ own chapter of Space Marines. Specially trained and equipped daemon hunters. Octavius raised his halberd and the Grey Knights turned in even groups to face the daemons at either end of the street. He lowered the halberd and all of them launched into attack. Storm-bolters firing as they ran, incinerators gouting waves of holy fire, the Grey Knights destroyed daemons in droves. Veers followed Octavius as he and the other four terminator armored Grey Knights rushed the Great Unclean One. The lesser daemons were being sent back to hell with the righteous attack of the Grey Knights. 
	The Great Unclean One waddled at the advancing terminators and Inquisitor. It swung its giant scythe at the group. One of the terminators caught the blade in the field of his halberd and deflected the blow. The giant daemon re-doubled its attacks, it became a blur as it called upon all the powers of Nurgle. It croaked then its face ballooned before it vomited a stream of corruption, waste, and maggots. One of the Knights fell as he stepped in front of Octavius to protect the Grand Master, his ancient suit of armor giving no protection as the vile cocktail flooded his suit. It swung again, Veers darted forwards and brought his hammer down with both hands on the daemons wrist, the truck-sized joint popped and shattered under the force of the blow, a burning I was left on the tainted flesh. The monster swung it’s other massive fist at the Inquisitor, swatting him away like a bug. Veers slammed into the street several meters away, his armor scratched and severely dented. Reinholdt and Shagrath laid down cover fire as they rushed to get their lord and master. Veers tried to stand, but pain flared all around his chest. XIII shot him up with a massive amount of painkiller. Veers knew his ribs must be a mess, but he staggered back towards the Daemon , scooping up his hammer on the way. 
	The Great Unclean One  slammed another terminator armored Knight into the street, his superhuman body taking the bulk of the damage. Octavius launched himself at the daemon and buried his halberd up the hilt under the things chin, he began the prayer of banishment. Fear grew in the avatar’s eyes s it felt true pain. It brought its mouth down to sear the Grand Master in half, forcing the blade deeper into its throat as it did so. Veers staggered up and met the daemons face head on and sent it snapping back with a wet crunch, teeth and sickly fat flying with the concussion. Octavius finished his recitation of the prayer and sent the holy blast of energy into the creature’s head. It’s exploded as the fires shot through its body. The Nurglings screamed and wailed only to die as the energies of the dying daemon exploded outwards. The shockwave bowled over every last Grey Knight, every daemon vanished in the blast wave’s  wake. The millions of plague zombies left in other areas of the hive collapsed into true death. The Death Guard plague marines retreated and fled into the wastes away from Noltan. 
	Octavius picked up Veers and held him like a father would a child. “It is done.” The Grand Master whispered to Veers. The Inquisitor nodded painfully. 
	“I pray you did not loose many of your battle brothers.” Veers forced out with complete concern.
	Octavius nodded solemnly, “Brother Sanrith fell to protect me, Brother Bethor was laid low by the daemon but he well live to fight again. The Justicars inform me only five of the other men fell to the monsters. Do not worry yourself Inquisitor. We did our job as you did yours.” Octavius set Veers down on a set of steps into a ruined building before walking back to his men in the center of the street, the fallen held with them. They then vanished as soon as they came, teleported back to the ship.
	It took Luther several hours of having his men comb the hive for survivors before he let his guard down. He drove up to the field hospital where the past four hours the Inquisitor had been in surgery. His entire ribcage had been shattered and many of his organs punctured. Had it not been for his armor holding him stiff, he would have died. And he still managed to help see of the cause of the corruption of this hive. Luther walked into where the Inquisitor would be brought out to convalesce. 
	Luther went out to deal with the body detail, his casualties were severe. Luther then went back to the hospital. Luther waited for the surgery to finish. Veers was deathly pale when he was finally wheeled out six hours later. Luther sat until the Inquisitor came too. Veers looked over at the Colonel, “Looks like you some fun today Luther.” Veers grinned slightly as Luther remembered the black bruise that covered half his face and the shrapnel tears in his uniform.
	“Not as much as you, my Lord, it would seem.” Luther smiled too, the action unfamiliar to him. Tosh brought the Colonel a mug of recaf and checked on Veers. Luther cleared his throat of the smoke and dust of the past day. “Causalities are not as bad as I had though, although I did loose many fine men, Major Glaise was one of them. As soon as we can clear the hive out and get the recovery teams in here to clean it up, we’ll be off to the trenches. 
	“Not true sir.” Tosh interrupted. “At the exact time that Veers saw off the daemon lord the entire enemy front committed suicide. The troops found the whole lot of them with their gun barrels where their heads should have been. The planets ours again.”
	“The crusade fleet should let us know our next job soon then.” Luther remarked, a look of anticipation in his eyes. Luther nodded and gave his thanks to the Inquisitor before he turned and left the room. Veers told Tosh to get the others and to send for the Gun-cutter, their work was done, it was time to head back to the ship.

-Fin-