The Multiverse Project: Warhammer 40,000

All was blood, all was suffering, all was pain, agony coursed through every pore and veins within her frail body. The virus was potent, so meticulous in creation and malicious in objective that it left Isha's mind, so consumed in burning sickness to wonder, did Nurgle not wanted her alive? Or did Luscinia overstep her bound, as she has done so in the past. Even now, after using every last ounce of power she possessed to purge the disease from her system, Isha was confounded as to what the Chaos army truly wanted with her. Isha unsuccessfully held back a harsh cry when thunderous staccatos, the rattling quake made her bones and muscles flared in pain, reminded her of the more immediate concern. Her citadel was under siege, Syrathel was attacking once more, and that was the extent of her knowledge on the matter. She'd arrived at the gate delirious with fever, barely conscious when lord Tanrion and the citadel guards carried her back to the grand bed chamber, where she now resided. Isha tried to move, the speed cadaverous, the silken robe she wore clung wetly to her clammy skin, the stench of sweat and iron so overpowering that she, before she could stop herself, scrambled to the side of the bed and vomited.

"Your eminence?" Isha wanted nothing more in that moment than to hide away, to make herself small inside the stained blankets and mattress, anything but let the Aeldari saw her in such a pitiful state, the goddess of life brought low, looking little better than a crone waiting for her grave. But she continued to retch as the door swung open. "Your eminence! Quickly! Get the towels, a new dress and a bath, swiftly now!"

Eyes blurred by tears, Isha wept and spat the last of the bile from her mouth as gentle hands carried her down from the filthy bed, crusty grimes tore at her skin as she felt the robe being removed. In heartbeats she was naked, the gentle breeze making her shivered. Gone the poison might be, but her strength was spent purging it.

"Your eminence, can you stand?" Her vision clearing, Isha blinked several times until she could see who was standing before her. It was Elnys, her head handmaiden, along with an army of her assistants, all of them wrecked with worry.

"I-I can try," Isha offered softly with a nod.

"Thank you your eminence, we shall assist you with the cleaning while the bath is being prepared," Isha quirked a brow as Elnys's assistants approached her, heads held low in reverence as they slowly, with great gentleness, started rubbing her body with wet scented towels, the task done without haste.

"Should we not be preparing the armor?" Isha glanced at the pile of metal plates lying near the door, the armors, the straps and the clothes stained with blood she had vomited en route to the bed chamber.

"Forgive me for being direct your eminence, but we both know you despise that thing," Elnys gave her a knowing look as the scrubbing ended, and now that the filth had been rubbed away, Isha did felt marginally better. And the steaming bath did looked very inviting.

"But there's a battle raging outside," Isha protested nevertheless, but in her weakened state, she was not able to stop the determined handmaidens.

"Indeed your eminence," Elnys was strangely calm, barely even flinching when a rocket flew over the citadel to detonate against the mountain behind it. Isha blanched, but her words melted into a moan as the handmaidens eased her into the warm water. By all the stars in the sky, it felt good. "I'm glad you approve."

"I shouldn't," Isha hated how contented she sounded, made worse when the handmaidens slathered her with soapy water and perfumed oil. "People are dying in my name and here I am taking a bath."

"You must look presentable, your eminence," Elnys said as Isha took a luffa from one of the handmaidens. "The morale of the troops will soar once they see you up and about again."

"I hope I will be able to inspire such zeal," Isha started scrubbing like always, the arms first, then the chest, the belly, her legs, between her legs, a repetition she swiftly lost herself in. Soon nothing mattered, not the war, not the temperature, not the universe itself, until Isha's singular focus was honed on the motion of the scrubbing. Harder, faster, harder, faster, harder, faster, she need to wash it off, need to get the filth off, she need to be clean. Harder, faster, harder, faster, harder, faster.

"Your eminence," Elnys's steely utterance shattered her focus, the scrubbing missed its rhythm before coming to a stop. Isha blinked, and found herself staring at her arm, the skin pinkish raw and bleeding, the luffa dripping ichor that fell in droplets into the bathtub, staining the water with clouds of black crimson. Her face kindly, Elnys held out her hand, "I'll take it from here your eminence."

"Yes…thank you," Isha handed the bloody luffa to Elnys as her skin mended itself. Within heartbeats the blemished was gone and Elnys and the handmaidens started cleaning her in earnest, their touches soft, caring and reverent. Yet Isha couldn't help but shuddered from the contact, even now when she was free, "not that I'm ungrateful, I truly am, but shouldn't we be hurrying this along? The bombardment is getting intense."

"That would be the case if our situation was as dire as it was before," Elnys said easily and the handmaidens started giggling conspiratorially. Isha found herself smiling along with them, her strength slowly, but surely, returning.

"What do you mean?" Isha asked as water was poured over her head, washing away the soap.

"We are no longer fighting this battle alone," Elnys couldn't contain her excitement. "The Immortal Spirit battlegroup have heeded our call for aide, and now they are here! Last I saw, a significant number of them were amassing within spitting distance of the Chaos army besieging our walls. They will be able to help Tanrion break the siege!"

"Thanks the star for this small boon then," Isha stepped out of the tub and the handmaidens dutifully dried her off while Elnys prepared a beautiful gown of white embroidered in glittering silver. "But my friends, I must ask that you not celebrate prematurely. The battle for our very survival still rages and I must urge vigilance at all time, even when victory is assured."

"Of course, your eminence," Elnys bowed and helped Isha into the dress, the soft, flowing fabric felt a lot better than the armor, even if it provided her with no protection what so ever. "But there is nothing wrong with being hopeful of what is to come, wouldn't you agree your eminence?"

"Yes…I believe I do," Isha was surprised that she actually meant it. Hope was a poisonous thing, a sweetness that can just as quickly corrode your spirit. But was it not hope that had kept her buoyant throughout her captivity? Was it not hope, no matter how small, that had prompted her to escape when the Solace Sun, against all odds, reached her prison? Yes, it was hope that had helped her survive, a light in the darkness, a flame she will hold close to her heart even if it burned her. "But I mean it, we must always be on our feet. I have seen many times how disaster can strike at the moment you least expect."

"I'll be sure to keep my excitement and optimism in check then," Elnys and the handmaidens shared a companionable smile with her, their sunny disposition in the face of adversity was infectious, to say the least. "As long as the great gate stands, I believe we shall prevail."

"I shall pray that you are correct, Elnys," Isha nodded.

"But surely your eminence, you must be curious about the Immortal Spirit battlegroup," Elnys went on and the handmaidens started gossiping with vigor. "I've heard so many things about them, the good, the bad, the downright ugly, why, I truly don't know what to believe."

Isha titled her head to the side, blinking thoughtfully, recalling her many conversations with Tanrion and Celalira, "I honestly don't know what to think of the battlegroup, but if you ask me, I believe them to be warriors of the most noble character, stoic, calm and righteous in baring."

"Jesus fucking Christ they just blew the fucking gate to motherfucking kingdom come!"

"Everybody spread out and get down! Be careful of the freaking debris and falling rocks! Look out! Oh my God, spread out, spread out! Ahhh!"

"Oh, Isha is so fucked dude! Yo, she's gonna get fuck hard! Fuck!"

"Bloody fucking hell, Isha isn't the only one who's fucked. We'll be in the shitter if we don't do something quick. Bloody fuck, this is bad mate, this is very bad!"

"I told you we were wasting time."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP ERIK!"

Laura and the girls shouted at the Swedish elf in unison, the acoustic assault was so bombastic that it eclipsed the battle in front of them for a few seconds. Okay, so maybe Erik was kinda right, because they did took their sweet time setting things up, making sure that the formation was immaculate, the tactic flawless, but Laura wasn't about to let the Swede know that, the pipsqueak would never shut up about it. Besides, it's not their fault the Solace Sun were a buncha useless wanker who can't even hold down a simple wall. The bloody thing was larger than the one in China, the citadel itself was studded with lasers, and they somehow still managed to get fucked over. Then again, that bomb was just a few megatons shy of being atomic, the gleaming white gate and the surrounding walls were gone, looking more like a gaping mouth filled with broken teeth.

"Yep, we really need to speed things up," Damien, perched atop the hatch of the Ultramarine's Rhino, pulled the cocking lever of the twin heavy bolters and swung it at the citadel now consumed by a roiling mushroom cloud, poison snow of dust and soot falls around them, "looks like we're gonna Théoden the place! Gallus, have everybody gear up, we're going hot yo! Antalok, how far are we from Syrathel's rear? Stop snickering you idiots, you know what I mean!"

"Four kilometers, Brother Sergeant," Sergeant Antalok answered, the clicks and clangs of loading weapons resounded in the background.

"The Steelwall Brigade are moving to engage us," general Mavia, put in charge of the combined Imperial Aeldari armored formation, spoke hurriedly into her earbud, "permission to engage the enemy sir."

"Go for it love and kindly clear us a path please, quick and decisive but don't get bogged down in a prolong fight, be on the move and don't stay still," Laura gave the Tallarn general the go ahead, then tapped her earbud some more, choosing the correct frequency. "First wave, form up! We're going in first! The Solace Suns are fucked and it's up to us to save Isha now!"

"As you wish," Galatea responded tightly as the Sororitas's Immolators, Aeldari's Falcons, Chimeras, and the Astartes lone Rhino swiftly got into an attack column and rolled forward, four tanks abreast, forming up behind the trudging phalanx of King Russes and Fire Prisms. Herself braced inside the hatch of a Myrmidon Humvee driven by Yuki, with Lita riding shotgun and Nikki lounging in the back seat, Laura hurriedly smacked the roof.

"Get us to the front love!"

"You got it!"

Laura squawked when the Myrmidon lurched forward, the front wheels almost lifting off the ground as Yuki put the pedal to the metal. Within moments Laura was squealing in delight as Yuki showed off her impeccable driving skills, speeding, swiveling and darting between other Myrmidons, Falcons, Vypers, Chimeras and Immolators, earning many angry honks from those who didn't appreciate the Japanese exarch's epic talent with the wheels. One very rude Bloody Rose even shouted mean words at them.

"Jesus fucking Christ Yuki, slow down, holy shit!" Nikki shouted as she was thrown all over the Humvee's rear. "I rather get kill by those Chaos assholes, not your shitty driving!"

"Fuck you, my driving's amazing!" Yuki punctured this point by Tokyo Drifting in behind the Ultramarine's Rhino.

"Erik! Erik!" Lita popped her body outside the Humvee's window and waved hurriedly at Erik, who was crouched atop the Rhino beside Damien. "Throw me a rope! Get me outta here, help me – ahhh!"

"Oh no you don't!" Yuki grabbed Lita's robe and hurled her back inside the Myrmidon, the Japanese giggled while the Mexican screamed.

"Take aim and engage! I repeat, pick your targets and engage! Be swift as the searing desert storm brothers and sisters! For the Emperor! Hataa almawt!" Mavia interrupted the banter with a thunderous barrage, the phalanx unleashing their payload simultaneously and sped forward. "Be ready to push through, I'm making you a corridor!"

"Keep in formation! Close ranks!" Damien bellowed over the intercom and the attack column compressed, each vehicles now rumbling just a few inches from each other, never breaking formation. Laura found her Myrmidon sandwiched on the flanks and behind by six other Humvees, belonging to the Fire Guards, Iron Guards and Homeland Rifles. Her admiration for the sight ended when a series of brilliant fireballs erupted in front of them, the blistering heat battered her face.

"The way is clear, the Steelwall Brigade is spreading out, I'm giving chase until they're out of our hair. Ae-Shin, I could use some of your jets right about now!" Mavia said. "Good luck my brothers and sisters! For the Emperor!"

"For the Emperor!" Damien threw his corna into the air, prompting everyone to raise the heavy metal sign as the Ultramarine's Rhino thundered forward. "Into the fire people, we're engaging the enemies for real now! All guns blazing! Courage and honor! In the name of the Emperor, let none survive!"

Laura flipped the switches on the lascannon and swung the mounted weapon sideway as the column plowed through the flaming corridor left behind by Mavia. Holding the trigger down, Laura blasted a group of Black and Tan looking bastards to sizzling gibs as the vanguard plunged into the Chaos's line, the rearguards unable to form a coherent defense against the battlegroup. By the time the destroyed gate loomed into view, her lascannon flaring dangerous white, Laura found out why the Chaos army didn't bother to put up a fight.

"Well shit, they're inside the citadel," Erik aimed down his iron sight and let off a few shots, the showoff. The column was now spread out before the gate, the vehicles grinding to stop. "They pretty much left the stragglers to die."

"At least they made good target practice," Nikki leapt out of the Myrmidon with impolite haste and went to her knees, mashing her smiling face against the sooty burnt earth. "Oh land! How I missed you, let us never part again! I love you so much!"

"Oh boo-fucking-hoo, you fucking drama queen!" Yuki spat as she walked around the Humvee, looking ready to give Nikki the boot. Laura propped herself out of the hatch and leapt down, almost knocking the staggering Lita off her feet.

"Sorry love!" Laura helped steadied Lita. "How are you feeling?"

"Traumatized and confused," Lita made a face, drawing immediate ire from Yuki as the Rhino's ramp in front of them slammed open. The Space Marines marched out of the APC, their steps crisp, weapons held at the ready, a picture perfect poster shot for a Game Workshop advertisement.

"They're flooding the citadel," Erik jumped down the Rhino and made a superhero landing beside Damien, a bad habit he picked up from Tangmo and Henry. "But I can still see heavy fighting inside, even along what remain of the wall. The Solace Sun is giving them one hell of a fight."

"Whoa. I mean, I knew this entire planet is basically Gondor in space but damn," Damien waved at the citadel before them, half the place was already engulfed in flame, swarms of Heldrakes circling the pulsing crimson smog, "this place is literary fucking Minas Tirith."

Laura nodded silently, conceding the point to the Eight's resident Tolkien expert, a title that infuriated her to no end, since she was British and he Canadian. The design of the citadel was identical to Minas Tirith, a gigantic seven layer wedding cake of marble and white stone with its back pressed against an equally large cliff face, the surface and façade was more flowing in artistry though, elven in architecture. And the place was fucking huge, bloody hell, if she was to use the visual from Return of the King as reference, the citadel appeared to be four time bigger than the Gondor capital. Laura frowned, something that big was bound to be equally complex.

"So we just run in after them?" Yuki turned to look at Laura with a quirked brow.

"Of course lady exarch, how else would we approach an enemy?" Eldul barked loudly as the Sororitas, guardsmen and Aeldari fall into ranks and files around them.

"With caution and tactics?" Raine spared Eldul an annoyed glance as she led the Antari forward, Duskhound and Wyldborn at the front. "But I have to admit, charging the heretics now do have its charm. The enemy doesn't seem to care that we're behind them."

"I disagree, lady commissar," Heloise spoke up, sabre held at the ready, the Sacred Rose Celestians forming up behind her. "We best advance at a nominal pace, rather than an all-out charge, nothing good can come from replicating the heretic's tactic."

"Then we shall be wise and collected in our attack," Cain agreed wholeheartedly before giving a disappointed Sulla an apologetic smile. "Perhaps next time Sulla?"

"Then it is settle," Galatea marched to the front and raised her power zweihander to the sky. "Have the Immolators and Chimeras form a triple rank, every file spaced out thirty paces to act as shields for the infantries, with the Falcons guarding our flanks. Double time and keep close, the eldars will not be able to hold out for much longer."

"Do not underestimate us, lady canoness," captain Marwen of Biel-Tan came to stand beside Galatea, speaking politely but sternly. "I would also request that you replace the mounted heavy flamers with heavy meltas. That way friendly fire and collateral damage could be minimized. It would be a poor portent of cooperation if the Solace Suns are slain by the battlegroup."

"Yes, you make a good point," Galatea nodded and relayed her command easily, making no fuzz much to the surprise of the hardliner canonesses and Marwen herself. "It will be most ill advised to anger your goddess, and we already have four other gods to content with."

"She is the goddess of life and healing," Marwen narrowed her eyes on Galatea.

"I am not taking that chance," Galatea went on. "She was imprisoned by Nurgle for ten thousand years, no one escape such captivity without being tainted."

"Oh holy fuck, she's absolutely right mate," Laura blanched and turned to an equally horrified Yuki as the main characters gathered around them. "What if we found Isha and she mutates into some kind of fucking Plague Daemon or some shite?!"

"Tangmo you there?! Come in dude!" Yuki tapped her earbud before the Aeldari can make their heated retorts.

"I'm a little busy right now," Tangmo growled, not quite peachy with his predicament, "the Chaos punk ass bitches are sending Titans our way and the weeaboo won't shut the fuck up about his crappy shows, so what the fuck do you want – shut up Henry, I don't care about that blonde bitch doing the Muay Thai moves!"

"Is Fanduin there? Ask him if Isha is infected by Nurgle or not," Yuki went on.

"Oh fucking shit you're right, hey Fanduin!" Tangmo bellowed. "Yo, you and Celalira knew Isha, right? As in, you guys talked to her and shit? Okay, good, did she looked dodgy to you…I mean is she possessed or something? You sure? Did y'all check? Full body scan? Full body bath? MRI? Okay calm the fuck – calm the fuck down Celalira. Yes, I'm suggesting that Isha could be carrying something from Nurgle – hey! The fuck?! Okay, okay, I believe you, put the fucking Singing Spear down woman! Fuck! It's my friends risking their lives over there, Jesus. Anyway, Yuki, Isha's clean but ultra-weak, so don't expect any help coming from that direction."

"Thanks dude," Yuki tapped her earbud just as Tangmo started arguing with a woman, probably this Celalira, and turned to the canonesses. "There you have it ladies, Isha's fine…well, as fine as someone who'd been through all of that horrific shit could be."

"Both literally and figuratively," Laura agreed and swept her gaze over the main characters, grinning at the handsome ranks and files. "I think that's enough talk for now, don't you think?"

The main characters roared their assent, sharp and loud like thunder, the peal rang piercingly over the din of war.

"That's what I wanna hear!" Laura barked uproariously, reached behind her back, her fingers hovering over the claymore for a moment before deciding on the Hellgun instead. This was gonna turned into a messy urban fight, might as well be geared correctly. "We're moving out lads and lasses! Forward!"

The Rhino, the Chimeras, the Falcons and the Immolators roared mightily as they rolled across the blasted field of blood and ashes, keeping in perfect formation, the infantries jogging behind at a brisk pace. Behind them the Exorcists kicked up a rousing song for the advancing troops, all the while missiles flew from the organ tubes, crashing into pockets of enemy's tanks and mechanized troops still lingering around the destroyed gate. Laura grinned when she recognized the marching melody, Dawn of Victory by Rhapsody of Fire, a most perfect tune for the occasion.

"You're not singing this time?" Nikki matched paces beside Laura, the Russian giving her an expectant look.

"I think I'll skip this one," Laura told her, closer to the destroyed gate she could see lasers, bolts and shurikens crashing kaleidoscopically across the air. "Running like this, my keys are gonna be all fucked up."

"Shame," Nikki shrugged, her grin insidious. "Oh well, the nuns are doing a good job anyway, their voices are beautiful. Hey, maybe you and Yuki can take a little break from the singing now, I'm sure Tangmo and Erik can share the songs between themselves and the nuns."

Oh, that seriously triggered her. Laura and Yuki gave the toothily smirking Nikki their crazy daemonic eyes, teeth gnashing, ready to give the Russian a massive beatdown when Lita bonked their heads with the flat of her Singing Spear.

"Oh my God, keep your eyes ahead you idiots we're in the fire now!" The roaring staccato of heavy bolters and sharp shrieking of heavy meltas accompanied Lita's angry chastisement, the vehicles erupting in lights and thunders as the mounted guns poured torrents of death upon the Chaos rearguard. Then the armored column slowed to a halt, the pounding of unleashed weaponries now overpowered by furious, daemonic roars that rolled over them like a stormy gale.

"Daemons charging straight for us!" A Battle Sister on one of the mounted guns bellowed and angled the beam downward.

"That's our queue! Follow me ladies and gents! For the Emperor!" Laura dashed around the Rhino and sprinted to the front, her mates and the main characters stomping close behind. They came to a stop forty paces in front of the vehicles, forming another firing line. Whistling, Laura took a moment to appreciate the fleshy wall of daemons careening toward them, the churning mass comprising of Khornate, Slaaneshi, Nurglite and a few Tzeentchtian monstrosities. Judging by the size, and the fact that they weren't spitting fireballs at them, these lots must be pretty goddamn low on the Chaos hierarchy. "Fire at will! Pick your targets and send those bastards back to hell! Purge them in the name of the God Emperor!"

"Domine, libra nos!" All twelve orders of the Adepta Sororitas cried in unison and unleashed a brutal salvo at the oncoming daemons, Laura squawked when the powerful storm of bolts, plasmas and meltas not only stopped but pushed the mass of nightmare creatures back, the line compressing painful before visibly bulging backward.

"Courage and honor!"

"Into the fires of battle, unto the anvils of war!"

"Mael Danna!"

"For the Emperor!"

Not wanting to be outdone, the Astartes, the eldars and the guardsmen added their firepower to the fray, but their contributions were rendered moot when it became clear that the Battle Sisters' zealous barrage was so horrific in devastation that the horde of daemons were obliterated to near totality, barley a red smudge remained of the formidable host.

"Hey! Leave some for us!" Damien whined as the infantries marched through the destroyed gate. Deeper inside the citadel firefight raged violently, with light already flashing viciously up on the second tier.

"Be quicker then, Brother Sergeant," Bellona growled as they entered a ruined boulevard, the traitor guardsmen left behind poured a suppressing fusillade on the battlegroup, the las and bolts semi competent in accuracy. Too bad they wasted all of it on the Astartes, the bullets pinged pleasantly off the thick ceramites as the Space Marine blasted the traitors to bits with burst of bolts.

"Nikki, Min Jae, Evangeline, with me! We need to secure the high ground, let's go!" Laura sprinted passed the Space Marines and up a big pile of ruin, about two storey tall if she was to make a guess. Nearing the top, Laura slowed her steps and swept the Hellgun at an intact building on their left, nothing but emptiness greeted her, dropped to a crouch, and popped her head above the zenith.

"Honestly, I expected things to be worse," Nikki dropped down beside Laura and looked through the sniper scope, around them Guardians, Homeland Rifles and Iron Guards were settling themselves along the flat top.

"I wholeheartedly agree, this is very encouraging to be honest, I thought all of them would be dead by now," Laura nodded and braced the Hellgun stock to her shoulder, taking in the battle raging below her. Things had stalled, unbelievably. The Chaos forces were now bogged down on a great square situated about a kilometer behind the gate, the place big enough to park two King Ghidorah, and although a large number of them had clearly breached deeper into the citadel, the Solace Sun Aeldari were pressing these lots hard, so fierce was the fighting that the heretics failed to notice the battlegroup's approach. The majority of the Chaos forces were traitor guardsmen, hard and disciplined, meeting the Aeldari counterattack with unbreakable stoicism, backed by a few Leman Russes and about four squads of Khornate Sororitas. Coiling her finger around the trigger, Laura tapped her earbud. "Yuki, where are you right now?"

A salvo of rockets slammed into the Leman Russes, the brilliant explosions sprinkled with twirling mutilated corpses and flaming metals, "you saw that?"

"I did love, it was very pretty," Laura grinned as the Frost Bringers, Blood Roses, Golden Prides, Avenging Knights and Banshee Aspect Warrirors plowed into the heretics' rear, getting up close and bloody.

"I would really appreciate some nice fire support now babe," Yuki said as the Solace Sun, seeing that they were being relieved, sally forth into the faltering mass of heretics and traitors, successfully pushing them into the advancing battlegroup.

"Got it love," Laura trained her unblinking gaze down the iron sight. "Alright ladies and gents, nothing wild and mad this time. Pick out the officers and Chaos Sororitas and end them, let's soften the bastards up before we acquaint those tossers with our bayonets, how does that sound?"

A roaring affirmative answered her, some of the heretics near the rubble turned to look at them with bulging, baffled expression.

"Well then, fire at will," Laura pulled the trigger, the super lasbolt punching through a grey Antebellan captain's chest, sending him flying into a pile of ammunition boxes. With the Hellgun set to semi auto, Laura killed the two lieutenants he'd been talking with and a girl holding up the regimental standard, a lasbolt for each, the Antebellan can only watch in horror as their superiors and flag bearer dropped dead with grotesque pirouettes. Around her the guardsmen and eldars were gunning down the Chaos forces with equal finesse.

"They're breaking!" Min Jae yelled over the hisses and pops of Zetton and Zodd lasguns, the controlled volley easily dismantled the heretic's ranks. Compounded this with the fact that most of the Chaos Sororitas were dead and the battlegroup was plowing mercilessly into them, many of the traitors surrendered, hands raised in the air. That went as well as everybody expected.

"We are not accepting quarter, are we?" Evangeline shot Laura an amused look.

"Of course not love, we have a reputation to keep!" Laura magnetized her Hellgun to the power pack and unslung her trusty claymore, grinning ear to ear. "Fix bayonets people! We're not letting the Sororitas and the Space Marine have all the fun! Follow me to glory! For the Emperor! For Isha!"

Laura, with Nikki at her side, leapt over the mound and sprinted down the surprisingly gentle decline, the hundred odds guardsmen and eldars bounded after the pair. It was pretty cute how the heretics tried to fight back, Laura couldn't stop laughing when her claymore bisected an Antebellan officer, shoulder to hip, before plowing into a couple of Black and Tan troopers cowering behind him, limbs and heads flying as the British inquisitor cut them to pieces with her gigantic Scottish sword. Laura was looking for more victims but found only corpses sprawled around her, most of them adorned with smoking bullet holes.

"You are most welcome," Nikki slid in beside Laura and flicked her radiant platinum blonde hair prettily behind her back, looking like an absolute superstar. "Don't let Yuki catch you staring like that dude."

"Yuki would have done the exact same thing," Laura made a point to look Nikki up and down, slowly, before returning her gaze to the bloodletting around them. Predictably, things were going to the shitter for the heretics, their immediate future reduced to either death at the hand of the battlegroup or the Solace Sun.

"Still, it really is a damn shame you are not singing. I've always wanted to know how Rhapsody's song sounded when sang by a girl…"

"Alright fine!"

With a mighty war cry Laura dashed into a thicket of frightened traitor guardsmen, her claymore flashed scarlet as viscera flew in glittering radiance, all the while listening to the Sororitas rendition of Dawn of Victory. Laura grinned when the nuns' harmonization reached the end of what should be the guitar solo. Decapitating a Black and Tan officer, Laura took a deep breath and belted out the verse, channeling the bombastic, brutal melodic timbre of Noora Louhimo.

"Tragic and furious, the clash of the steel of the gods!"

A wall of fleeing grey Antebella guardsmen exploded in a geyser of blood, and bursting forth from the misty crimson came none other than Yuki, twin katanas blazing. She flashed Laura a toothy grin and sang the next verse, unleashing the soaring octave of Elize Ryd. Oh, Laura loves a duet!

"And so magic, the power, the sword in his valorous hands!"

And like before, Laura and Yuki became one in mind and weapons, transforming into a tornado of graceful death that plunged mercilessly into what remained of the heretic's force. Backed by the Sororitas booming choir, the pair continued singing the epic symphonic power metal song.

"Oceans of fire are blasting the throne of the demons!"

"And from distant red skies, the thunders are calling his name!"

"The name of the master of pain!"

A small huddle of heretics and traitors now stood before the dementedly grinning British inquisitor and Japanese exarch, courage having long fled their quivering frames, and that last vestige of dignity crumbled when Laura and Yuki pounced them, swords flashing murderously, and roared the closing chorus.

"For Ancelot! The ancient cross of war! For the holy town of gods! Gloria! Gloria perpetua! In this Dawn of Victory! Gloria! Gloria perpetua! In this Dawn of Victory!"

Striking a badass pose after eviscerating the last of the traitors, their backs to each other, looking absolutely heroic, Laura and Yuki laughed loudly as they basked in the screaming adoration of the Sororitas, guardsmen and eldars that bear witness to their bloody spectacular performance.

"That was fucking awesome," Yuki said between deep panting.

"Totally," was Laura equally out of breath reply as a dandy looking Aeldari warrior of the Solace Sun approached them. "And here comes an adoring fan now."

"I can't believe the rumors were true," the battered looking eldar, a Dire Avenger of some sort judging by his armors and gears, blood seeping from wounds on his arms and forehead, came to stand before Laura and Yuki, every breath wrecked with pain. "You people do sing."

"Did you like it?" Laura asked sweetly, ready to smack him with the claymore if he answered wrongly.

"It was rousing," well, he might have given the correct response, but was it too much to ask for him to be a bit more perky?

"Who are you?" Lita cut in before Laura can continue, bringing the conversation back to the war around them.

"My name is Tanrion, the supreme commander of the Solace Sun," the eldar bowed shallowly, grimacing from the pain which was obviously radiating from the wet, dripping crimson gash on his abdomen. "And you are Warseer Lita?"

"I am," Lita nodded and held out her hand, Tanrion took it and shook firmly. "What's the situation commander?"

"Fucked," Yuki's funny, but unhelpful comment drew healthy laughter from the battlegroup, Aeldari included. Lita swiftly shut her up with a glare.

"Vulgar as the comment might be, the Banshee exarch is not wrong," Tanrion waved at the smoking ruin around them. "Our defenses have been destroyed, we've suffered heavy losses, our forces are being pushed back, and the Chaos hordes are pouring into every nooks and crannies of the citadel."

"Like she said, you're fucked," Laura repeated Yuki's observation and glanced at the topmost peak of the citadel. "And Isha?"

"She is safe," Tanrion cast a despondent gaze at the ground. "She has to be…by all the stars in the sky, she must."

"Yeah, and moping isn't gonna help, is it?" Nikki joined the conversation. "So how are we gonna retake the citadel?"

"I will consolidate all of our remaining forces in the lower tier and have them bolstered your battlegroup," Tanrion waved over one his subordinate and relayed the directive. "We need to move fast and hit them hard, break their attack from behind and rush with all haste to the topmost reaches of the citadel."

"That's a nice idea and all," Yuki deadpanned, not one bit impressed with Tanrion's plan. "But by the time we slogged through Syrathel's forces and reached the top, Isha would already be dead, or worse, captured."

"Do you have a better idea?" Tanrion hissed, not really warming to the Japanese exarch.

"I do actually, thanks for asking!" Yuki chirped brightly, further infuriating Tanrion, and waved at the smoldering destruction around them. "Now, I know a little bit about castle and such, my country's very famous for it, so I'm gonna bet Laura's cute little rump that there's definitely a secret passage we can use somewhere around here."

"…Yes, there are many clandestine routes that take us up to the citadel's highest tier," Tanrion blinked blankly, unbelieving that this most obvious piece of information had somehow eluded him.

"You got a good suggestion for me?" Yuki asked.

"I do, actually," Tanrion nodded vigorously. "But the path is not conducive to large force of arms, if we chose it we will be without heavy support. Furthermore, I cannot guarantee its safety."

"Oh, don't worry about firepower my dude, we got more than enough!" Damien declared proudly, fists on hips, chest puffed out, striking a Superman pose while the Astartes behind him, Ultramarines and Salamanders, nodded solemnly. "The Space Marines will proudly spearhead this attack, right guys?!"

The sixteen Space Marines roared in unison, ready to kick arse and take names.

"So who else is coming with us?"

"As much as I want to join in this little shindig, someone needs to direct the main forces here and put the pressure on the heretics," Erik spoke up. "That way, I can keep the majority of the Chaos forces concentrated on us, while you guys sneak around and rescue Isha. I'll be sure to give all of you a red carpet welcome when you return. And when I say red carpet, I meant corpses."

"You're the best dude, happy hunting," Damien and Erik bro fist.

"I would ask that the majority of guardsmen and eldars stay with me," Erik turned to the colonels and Aeldari captains, all of whom nodded firmly.

"It'll be good to attack a fortress for a change," Evangeline grinned.

"We'll give them hell," Min Jae's laugh was soon joined by Xiphos, Akecheta and Alistair.

"Alright, who else is coming with me?" Damien snapped his head at an especially loud explosion that went off on the citadel's second tier, steels and masonries tumbled down like an avalanche, "better make it quick people, time is money."

"We are, duh!" Lita waved at herself, Yuki, Nikki, and a score of Banshees and Guardians, Marwen and Firnera were grim with determination, eager to spill blood in the defense and rescue of Isha. "It's eldar time dude!"

"Not without us," Laura winced a little when Galatea and her canoness buddies joined them, "we and our Celestian squads will be accompanying you, lady Warseer. We have not yet ruled out the possibility that the Aeldari goddess have been corrupted by Nurgle."

"How dare you?!" Tanrion pointed his power sword at Galatea, which earned him mocking laughter from the canonesses. The eldar commander was having a hard time maintaining a fighting stance thanks to his many injuries. "I will never let you mon-keigh scums harm a single hair on her eminence's head, do you hear me?!"

"By the Throne, the man's in love!" Morelia bellowed and the nuns laughed even louder, and it was this feminine mockery that made the red faced Tanrion lowered his power sword, embarrassment dousing his threat.

"Alright knock it off you bullies," Laura cut in, mercifully settling the Sororitas down. "Now, with that settled, let's get a move on…"

"If it's not too much to ask, lady inquisitor, I believe we shall be accompanying you also," none other than Ciaphas Cain, the Hero of the Imperium, joined them with a dashingly handsome smile, unperturbed by the blood and gore decorating his awesome commissar coat. Behind him came Amberley and the Valhallan main characters. "Seems only fair that members of the Militarum be present in this most historic offensive, and with Jurgen here, I believe we can stop whatever sorcerous power Syrathel can throw at us."

"That's great Cain, we'll love to have you with us! But please, umm, can Jurgen, like, be at the back? He's giving me the heebie-jeebies already," Lita smiled apologetically, but nervously, at Jurgen, who politely saluted and took several steps back, causing Kasteen and Broklaw to blanch. Ever since joining the Immortal Spirit battlegroup, Jurgen's quirk of being a blank became public knowledge, much to Amberley annoyance, since she wanted it kept a secret. Hell, the man himself doesn't even know what a blank was.

"Have room for more?" Amberley's face soured visibly when Severina Raine and the Antari main characters joined the growing taskforce. The lady inquisitor and the lady commissar traded quick, and decidedly, unfriendly looks before turning to Laura. "The Duskhounds and Wyldborns are specialist in urban warfare. They will prove to be of great assistance in this undertaking."

"The more the merrier love!" Laura beamed brightly at Amberley and Raine. "But can you two maybe keep clear of the firefight? Because me and Yuki already brought ringside tickets to your match, and I don't want a refund if one or both of you ended up dead."

"The tickets are already on sale?" Heloise quirked a brow and urgent murmurs rippled across the gathered guardsmen and eldars.

"I already got the last batch, every seat around the ring had all been taken," Firnera traded nods with Miriya.

"I got a seat up in the second tier," Marwen added.

"D wing or E wing?" Amaryllis asked.

"E wing," Marwen answered.

"Most of E Wing is pretty much taken," Bellona of all people joined in, shrugging at Amaryllis. "You and Heloise better move quickly, or the good seats are going to run out."

"What nonsense are all of you talking about?!" Tanrion roared, interrupting the very nonsensical conversation that pertained nothing to their current predicament, "why are we wasting time talking about this?! Isha is in mortal danger! If you people are too busy with this farce, then I shall not wait any longer!"

"Oh, don't get your panties in bunch you wanker, we're ready to go, right guys?" Nods from the main characters answered Laura. "See? Now how about you stop throwing a hissy fit and lead the way? I'm sure her highness Isha longs to return to your loving arms."

"Ugh! You dirty barbarian mon-keigh!" Tanrion spat in elvish, but jokes on him, Laura understood everything and blew him a kiss. Growling, the eldar commander took off with his battered retinue, his gait a pained limp, and switched back to English. "Follow me then, quickly!"

"I think you should stop teasing him," Lita slid in beside Laura as the taskforce easily fall into steps behind Tanrion and his entourage, "even if you're right."

"Pish posh, he'll take it because he need the battlegroup to save his beloved Isha," Laura smirked and caught up with Tanrion, the elf meeting her sunny disposition with a frown. "Hello, me again, just dropping by to see how you're doing. How's your gut by the way? I can get Verity and Alnelle up here if you want."

"I am quite fine, my lady," Tanrion was snappishly polite, nose turned up to the air.

"Whatever you say mate, but Damien's gonna start carrying you around if you slow us down," Laura stabbed her thumb at the Canadian Marine, who waved at Tanrion with a maniacal, mechanically distorted laugh. "By the way, is there any way for us to contact Isha right now? Things like earbuds, walkie talkies, that sort of things."

"…No, I do not," Tanrion had that face when someone realized how massively he fucked up, it was so gut wrenching to behold that Laura hadn't a heart to tease him. The commander recovered quickly and stammered. "But she is safe up on the highest reaches of the citadel. She is protected by our best warriors and most trusted servants, no forces of Chaos will be able to reach her."

"And you're sure about that?" Laura narrowed her eyes on Tanrion.

"Yes, I am," Tanrion didn't looked or sounded sure in the least, the combined fatigue and injury was making it hard for him to maintain a stern composure.

"As long as she doesn't start running around like some idiot damsel, then I guess she'll be fine," Laura shrugged.

"She is not well, poisoned, so I doubt her eminence would be in any condition to move," Tanrion told her and ended the conversation by fixing his attention forward, no longer heeding Laura.

"I'll take your word for it," Laura tipped her awesome inquisitor hat and slink back to join her friends.

"How did it go?" Yuki asked.

"Shitty," Laura groaned and shook her head. "They have lasers, planes, missiles, spaceships and magic, but the Solace Sun are still trapped in a medieval mindset, treating Isha like some damn queen in a tower. They don't even have any bloody means of contacting her right now."

"Shit, that is bad," Nikki made a face, "and what about the goddess herself? Tangmo and Henry mentioned something about her being sick?"

"Yeah, apparently she was poisoned," Laura stabbed her thumb at the Sororitas behind them. "Good thing the nuns came along, we may actually need the flamers if the sickness proves…uncontainable and infectious."

"We can't let her die Laura," Lita shot her that knockout puppy look that could melt a Space Marine's armor with its raw innocent sweetness. "We can't, not when we're so close to saving her."

"I know Lita," Laura flashed her a reassuring smile, because honestly she wasn't about to let the Sororitas get trigger happy with Isha anyway. "Chill, she's probably just a wee bit under the weather and bedridden right now. Isha's not going anywhere."

"We have to flee."

Isha hurried to the door of her bedroom and, with Elnys's help, pushed it opened soundlessly. The jittery handmaidens gathered close behind them, whispering hushed fearful words. She can sympathize, because after the great gate was destroyed, the same fear now weighed her down.

"Your eminence, I must truly advise against this. It will be safer if we are to remain within the chamber," an explosion ended Elnys's sentence, so near and so loud that pieces of plaster drifted down from the ceiling and send furniture jumping off the ground. The baleful cacophony was completed by the handmaidens' unbridle wailing. "By Isha! Sorry your eminence."

"No offense taken," Isha grinned, she'll never get used to hearing her name uttered in such a manner, and slowly slipped into the wide corridor beyond. Glancing left, then right, finding nothing but eerie silence, Isha slowly waved her retinue of handmaidens over. They assembled at the door, peaking over the frame but not going over the threshold, and it was only after a less than gentle prodding from Elnys that they stumbled into the hallway. "Don't worry, it is quite safe."

"If you say so your eminence," Elnys joined Isha then gazed around the corridor, alarmed and apprehensive. "Where are the guards?"

"They probably headed off to fight the invading army," Isha offered but Elnys was not in the least placated.

"Tanrion and Celalira had made it extremely clear that a cadre of Dire Avengers must be on this floor at all times, and that under no circumstance were they to leave your residence unattended," Elnys said quickly. "They should be here."

"They were."

Isha spun at the feminine voice drifting down the corridor to her right, the familiar timbre almost made her crumbled into a crying heap. This can't be real, she can't be here, but no matter how many times she repeated those words, a mantra borne of desperation, Isha knew it was futile, because the woman herself was standing at the other end of the hallway.

"Hello Isha," Luscinia smiled. The same smile she wore before bringing the scalpel down. But she was not wielding the surgical blade this time, no, she carried a curved, jagged dagger in her hand, wiping it clean of blood recently spilled. Unlike their many encounters, the Nurgle Champion had shed her apron and dress and was now encased in an armor of greenish black. "I hope you don't mind, but I saw myself in."

"The Dire Avengers, where are they?" Isha asked despite knowing the answer.

"They thought they could stop me," Luscinia tossed the stain cloth away, the dagger piercing in sharpness and radiance, specks of obsidian danced on the steel as she approached Isha. Elnys placed herself in front of Isha while the handmaidens screamed and bunched up fearfully behind her. "I proved them wrong."

"To the stairs! Quickly!" Isha grabbed Elnys's arm and dragged her toward the spiraling grand staircase situated directly in front of her bedchamber, many of the handmaidens had already bolted in that direction. "We can't fight her, come on!"

"A very correct assessment," Luscinia said as she followed at an unhurried pace, a predator utterly confident that her prey will not get away. "Why drag this out Isha? We both know how this will end. Save yourself the strength for what is to come and give up, I might even go easy for the first few days."

"Keep running! We need to flee the citadel! We…"

"AHHH!"

The bloodcurdling scream brought Isha's flight to a skidding stop, Elnys colliding so hard into her that they both crashed to the floor. Groaning, Isha and Elnys staggered up to their feet and were almost knocked flat again when the handmaidens backed into them. Looking over their shoulder, Isha almost screamed when she saw another woman, her red armor more resplendent than Luscinia, hovering above the stairway, draconic wings flapping easily while her horned visage glared at them with disdain.

"You know, for someone who always put on a stoic face, you do love to show off," it wasn't the horned woman who spoke, Azarvhin if Isha correctly recalled Tanrion's briefing, but another woman now ascending the stairs. The clanging of stiletto heels on marble was loud and jarring in the encompassing silence now that the handmaidens had stopped shrieking, and it wasn't long before two more armored women emerged on the landing, carefree in bearing and aloof in temperament, as if they were out for an afternoon stroll.

"I am not without vice," Azarvhin landed softly, left of where Isha and her charges were huddled, the Khornate Champion's majestic dragon wings folded over her shoulders, the membranous flaps covering her like a cloak. "And I believe I must look my best for this occasion. After all, we are standing before a goddess."

"That's Isha?" An armored woman of ethereal beauty, the Slaanesh Champion Miriael if the purple tinged armor was anything to go by, tilted her head to the side, and Isha couldn't help but felt a little insulted by the clear disappointment on the woman's face. "Huh. I was expecting something more…grand, I guess? Like Celestine, not sickly and barely awake."

"Your poison truly was potent Luscinia, to bring a goddess so low," the sapphire haired woman, Syrathel, the leader of the Chaos army, glared at Isha, wary and cautious, the crowned tip of her staff angled downward. "But you'll be a fool to underestimate her. Tread lightly she has power aplenty."

"Stay behind me," Isha hissed and Elnys herded the handmaidens into position, lambs congregating around the shepherd who would fend off the wolves. The four Chaos Champions laughed at the display, but Isha squared her shoulders and stood straighter. "You will not harm them, and I will not be capture again."

"You will," Luscinia said easily, amused by Isha's defiance. "And you have doomed these fools along with yourself. How sad. I'll be sure to let you watch when I vivisect them, another failure to add to your name."

"I want that brunette," Miriael licked her lips as she leered at Elnys, who unbelievably dared to glare at the Slaanesh Champion. "She looks feisty."

They were trapped, but Syrathel was right in one regard. Diminished though she maybe, Isha was still a goddess. She was no fighter, that distinction belonged to Khaine, but Isha was not without means to protect others. So she summoned her power, the essence that resided deep within her soul, drawing forth more and more until the burning light of her life dimmed to near snuffing, stopping only when darkness crept across her vision and Elnys had to hold her upright. But she got enough. Arms quivering as if set upon by fever, Isha held up her hand at Syrathel, and unlike her companions the Tzeentch Champion saw what was about to happen.

"Get her!" Syrathel shouted too late as light, bright, pure and piercingly white, bloomed from Isha's hand, a new sun dawning within the citadel, banishing all darkness and shadows with its brilliant illumination.

"This way!" Isha didn't know where the reserve of energy came from, but she took Elnys's hand and dashed through the door on her right, the train of handmaidens close at her heels as they burst into a waiting room, crossed the spacious chamber within heartbeats, and was shouldering open the exit when furious roars erupted behind them.

"You bitch!" Syrathel staggered drunkenly after Isha, the pounding of her boots furious.

"The same fucking trick!" Luscinia spat and Isha couldn't help but smirked, she had used the same blinding flash when escaping Nurgle's Garden.

"Not nice! Not nice at all!" Isha hazarded a glance back and shirked, embarrassingly loud too, when she saw the four Chaos Champions plowing across the waiting room, furniture battered aside like trees caught in a hurricane. She was pushing Elnys and a gaggle of handmaidens through a side door when her eyes and that of Miriael met, the Slaanesh Champion was snarling. "Fine then, I'm not going to play nice either!"

"Hurry!" Isha herded Elnys and the handmaidens down a narrow corridor set inside the wall, a path she, along with every secret passage within the citadel, had memorized. So with swiftness that surprised even Elnys, Isha led them into another large hallway, the one south of her chamber, and sprinted toward a nondescript wall with a large portrait of a Phoenix lord above it.

"Quickly, this won't hold them for long," Isha reached out her hand and the marble façade parted to reveal a flat bone white console panel, her fingers dancing swiftly over the blue screen, typing down the correct command prompt with easy familiarity. If there was one lesson she had exceled in, it was the working of these machines, the speed in which she mastered even the most complex algorithm surprising many. Pressing a series of glowing keys, loud clangs of slamming metals resounded from the corridor they had emerged from, followed by furious feminine roars and violent pounding. Allowing herself a cautious smile, Isha continued typing until a door parted soundlessly beneath the portrait, revealing an elevator big enough to fit a dozen people inside. "Get in, now!"

The handmaidens needed no further prompting and bolted into the elevator, pushing and shoving with impolite haste. Isha couldn't blame them, because despite the blast doors it was clear by the sound that the Chaos Champions were drawing closer. Some semblance of order returned when Elnys started shouting orders, before she herself enter the elevator.

"We're inside your eminence, everybody is still miraculously here," Elnys chuckled mirthlessly. The handmaidens however were not very receptive of her attempt at a joke. "There's still plenty of room, come…"

The transparent door slid shut before Elnys can reach her hand outside, Isha offering the flabbergasted woman a sad smile.

"Y-Your eminence?" Elnys stammered, unbelieving of what had just happened.

"Please stay safe," Isha turned away from Elnys and continued typing on the console, the runes and numbers blurred by tears.

"Your eminence please!" Elnys started banging on the glass wall, the handmaidens crowding around her, also pounding the transparent barrier. Their looks of disbelief were heartbreaking.

"They are after me Elnys," Isha had finished the last line of runes. All that was left now was to press the activation icon. "I cannot allow any of you to suffer in my stead. I know what Luscinia will do if she captures you…other must not endure what had befall me."

"Isha, please! Don't do this! Please!" Elnys, the strong and stoic Elnys, was weeping openly now.

"Goodbye my friend," Isha can feel tears running down her cheeks as she pressed the icon. "Flee this place."

The elevator dropped away, taking with it the stricken façade of Elnys and her forlorn cry, Isha was not even allowed a sob when the wall behind her burst open, dusts, plasters, woods and metals flying into the hallway.

"There's nothing more annoying than a lamb who doesn't accept her fate," Azarvhin growled as she and her companions moved to surround her.

"She had always been crafty," Luscinia added, the dagger held easily in her hand. "But don't fret my friend that's the only trick she got."

Luscinia was right, so Isha did the only thing her current circumstance allowed. She darted right, down another hallway before Syrathel can closed off her escape, the four women shouted furiously as they made their pursue. The citadel was her home, the labyrinthine passageways and every command console was known to her, things that can be used to deter this hunt and buy her enough time to think of a viable plan to flee. It was a plan doomed to fail, but Isha made a promise to herself then that she will never let Luscinia take her alive.