Ni'iktu (War Moons of Talax)

Archimedes makes his way back to the camp. Part of the ground team are laid out across the ground. Others watch as Levantine goes from each one and places a hand on their head. They're bodies are shriveled up to where bone is more prevalent then muscle.

Those that are standing though are Sarge, Frederick, Levantine, Wyk, all of the men on first watch (Hev and Jenkins) along with Archimedes and Karl.

"All are dead. Taken by the warp trap that came with that fog." Levantine says.

Archimedes counts them. 5 more dead which included the man who carried the heavy flamer. So they were also down on firepower as well.

The group was down to 8 now.

Sarge is the first to spot Archimedes arrival pack, "At least Legion made it." She spots Karl over his shoulder, "And Karl." Karl gives a half assed wave to her.

"All thanks to Legion here. I would of been jungle shit if it wasn't for him." He says in response.

His muscle mass is starting to slowly return and Archimedes can feel it with more weight being put on him. An incidental weight for an Astartes but it meant Karl was getting better.

He sets Karl down, feeling he could carry himself now.

He instantly notices that Levantine was powerless to keep the warp trap from killing off some of the party, that was interesting.

"Consider yourself blessed that you were with me." he says to Karl, the hidden implication not so hidden.

"Its likely that there will be more traps ahead. Shall we continue?" he asks.

Frederick huffs as if what Archimedes said was an insult, "More traps, more jungle, doesn't matter. We're getting to the treasure. My men knew the risks going in and they aren't about to quite now. Are you?"

"No!" Everyone human says.

Seems everyone was still loyal to a fault. However, it does seem Archimedes had scored some points from keeping Karl safe.

Frederick points at the Alpha Legionnaire, "There's your answer, Legion." The captain looks up to the sky, "We have good enough light to move," his head then tilts down back down to Archimedes, "That means you're going to lead us out."

His simply nods his confirmation, and swiftly moves out, taking the lead.

Archimedes had been doing these things much longer than Frederick had been alive. Insurrections took time, and he had plenty.

The immediate threat was Levantine, silencing him was his goal now.
The fact that he failed the psykic trap as well was not lost on Archimedes, he would have to concentrate and not let anymore witchcraft slow him down. The preperation now would make the eventual fight later easier.

He also had Wyk to consider, whose side would he choose when time came down to it?

He thought these things as he moved on.

Spoiler:

Archimedes leads the remaining group back through the jungle once again. Using the dataslate that Cashmere had provided him he's able to guide the group down an easier path then before. Nothing about the Ni'iktu jungle is easy though. The path is still deadly as it takes the group up to a ridge line heading towards a pass between two mountains.

At the beginning of the pass though something is wrong. Lighting bolts jump between the mountains right across the pass. Everyone can see the fried remains of creatures and what looks to humans in the pass itself.

Archimedes feels something tickling behind his ear, "Ah, my favorite game of them all." The psyker from before whispers into his head.

Levantine raises his hand to the lighting storm between the mountains, "This is not a psychic power of any kind." He says as he lowers his hand.

"We can't backtrack. Not right now. We won't make it down the ridge by nightfall." Sarge comments.

Karl looks up at the two mountains, "Maybe we could climb?"

Sarge looks up at the massive mountains, "You first, Karl."

Karl rethinks his idea, "Nah, I'm good."

Archimedes was wary, but undaunted.
He attemots to communicate with the voice again,
If you truly want freedom, it would be beneficial to assist me past this trap here.

Goading information buy threatening non-rescue was always a decent tactic.

Archimedes can here a sigh come from the psyker, "Not one of mine that's for sure. This is one of Cretes designs. He was a Heretek that Ry'Kleth liked do to his trap designs... as you can see. If I remember he built this device you're looking at into the mountains. I'm sure Cretes left a way into one of them as he had to get out himself when he was done."

The Alpha Legionairre remembers the elder Talax who told of the tale of Ry'Kleth leaving with a Heretek and a psyker. So the psyker whispering in his ear was telling the truth.

Archimedes, as the point man, squats down and takes stock of the situation.

A heretek and a psyker.....This could only be a trap set up by the Heretek. I need to figure out a way past this.....

He stays crouched down on his haunches for a good 10 minutes, taking in a good view of the scene and weighing his options. He was a crafty legionnaire, and it took his cunning to make it this far.

Spoiler:

Archimedes took the scene in front of him and pondered. If the Heretek built this into the mountains there must be a way in like the psyker said. Right? So Archimedes scanned around for a door of sorts. There was nothing that stuck out but eventually Archimedes could see what was natural and what wasn't. Eventually he found the lines that would be a door on the mountain to the left.

He walks over and presses against it and it slides to the side. An ancient and stale air comes rushing out covering Archimedes in dust. He found the door alright.

"If its not sorcery, then it must surely be technology." He says to those who dared follow.

He raises his bolter, and warily steps inside, keeping an eye out for threats and the source of the lightning arcing across the valley.

Spoiler:

A bit of commotion comes from the ground party as Archimedes finds the entrance and steps in. Soon Wyk and Sarge are backing Archimedes up. Everyone else seemed to stay put.

Archimedes and those who followed press through a short tunnel carved out into the mountain. Eventually come into an opening. Not just an opening though... a large hollowed out section. Cables and other contraptions surround one side facing the valley. They all lead back to a massive metal ball in the middle.

Archimedes notes things crawling along the walls. They blend in perfectly until they move. They seem to be service servitors who attend to the lightning arc machine. They haven't become hostile to the group as far as he can tell.

Sarge lets out a quite whistle looking at the massive area, "Damn. If it was a tad bigger we might be able to park the Holy Curse in here."

Archimedes looks around, bolter still at the ready.

He already suspected the servitors would attack them if they disabled the machine-that was just the kind of trap Rykleth would leave.

"Sarge, Wyk? What kind of explosives do we have?"

Spoiler:

Archimedes counts around 10 service servitors.

Sarge points to Wyk whose chest is bristling with frag and krak grenades, "I can rig Wyk's and your grenades up into a big cluster. Would make a good sized explosion. Where do you want it?"

He smiles under his helmet, "where it will do the most damage."

Spoiler:

He points to a jumbled mass of machinery.
"unless you have a better idea?" he added.

While he spoke, he kept his facing towards the servitors, he didnt trust them.

Sarge gathers up all the grenades from Wyk and Archimedes and walks to the central machine.

The servitors start to hiss as she approaches. She stops and looks at them and defiantly takes another step forward. The hissing stops and the servitors move into action. They skitter around the walls of the hollow and start to combine together with one another. Whatever they were forming was going to be quite big...

Archimedes estimates it will take them a few minutes to finish forming whatever they are creating.

[About 3 rounds until the servitors are done linking together.]

Archimedes doesnt hesitate, "Forget the grenades for now. Kill those servitors."

The whole point of using the grenades was to destroy the contraption without getting their attention, now that that was all shot to hell, time to go to plan b.

"Wyk, show me what you got."

He takes aim at one of the servitors taking up the position as a base unit, a leg if you will.
Once confident, he fires a round from his ancient bolter heirloom.

Spoiler:

[Round 1]

Archimedes round smacks the servitor and shreds it. It tries to stay connected but it peals away and falls to the ground with a heavy thud.

Wyk motions to Sarge to toss him a grenade. She tosses him a frag and he launches it at the center mass of the servitors.

Wyk:

The grenade pops off right in the center of the "formation". Four servitors drop to the ground inoperable. With half of their strength taken from them the servitors abandon their formation and drop down to the ground and try to attack Sarge, Achimedes, and Wyk.

Sarge drops the pile of grenades and sights a rushing servitor.

Sarge:

Her shot goes high.

[Servitors are within charge range.]
[5 Servitors remaining.]

[End of Round 1]

Archimedes had suspected something. It was just like Ry'kleth t leave a trap like this.

Now they were fighting servitors.

The combination they had just attemoed was unlike anything he had ever heard from lobotomised servants, but Ry'kleth was a cunning bastard.

"Sarge, back off. Don't let them get to you. This is light work for me and Wyk, it will just take some time." he saya, loosing off another bolt round at the nearest servitor to Sarge, trying to keep her out of harm's way.

half aim, single shot

Spoiler:

Archimedes shot sheers an arm off the servitor Sarge missed just a second ago. It collapses to the ground unresponsive.

Wyk doesn't wait for the servitors to get close. Instead he charges in.

Wyk:

Servitor:

Wyk charges forward and in one clean swing without stopping severs a servitor clean in half at the waist.

Sarge takes aim again at another servitor.

Sarge:

Her shot lands true but the servitor doesn't go down.

All the remaining servitors turn their attention on Wyk and charge at him.

Servitors:

Wyk:

Wyk is able to knock two attack from the servitors plasma cutters but two still make it through. The plasma cutters punch through the marine's armor with ease but his superhuman toughness keeps him going.

[4 servitors left. They're all in close combat with Wyk right now.]

Archimedes takes aim at the ones bearing down on Wyk, now it was a good time to make his good graces.....
Confident, he fires another single, well placed shot.

Spoiler:

Archimedes puts a well placed shot right past Wyk's left shoulder pauldron nailing a servitor for a kill.

In a mighty display of swordmanship Wyk whips the Chain Greatsword above his head and swings it counter clockwise into the attacking servitors. The remaining servitors go up in pieces of metal and oily gore.

[Combat is over]

Sarge looks at the grenades at her feet and then over to Archimedes, "Shall we get back to business?"

Wyk revs his chainsword cleaning it off servitor pieces. He gives a nod to the Alpha Legionnaire as he does so.

He nods, "Now there's no need to blow this place. Who knows what kind of ancient technology it may hold? Look for a way to disconnect the power or turn it off. But don't do it until we thoroughly make sure it's not trapped."

He begins his own evaluation of the esoteric machine and how best to disarm it without wasting precious munitions.....

Spoiler:

"Didn't take you for nostalgic, Legion." Sarge says as she returns the grenades to Archimedes and Wyk.

Archimedes circles the device a few times before he spots a central cable. One good tug on it and it disconnects and the device shuts down.

Sarge listens to her ear piece and then looks to Archimedes, "Captain says the lightening has stopped."

Sarge and Wyk begin to head back to the entrance.

[Want to stay and look around or head back outside?]

He takes a last look at the contraption, still wary of the vault's traps.
Appeased for now, he steps back outside and begins walking down the valley, wary for anything else.

Archimedes emerges back outside to find Sarge, Wyk, and Karl waiting. Meanwhile Frederick has pushed on with Levantine, Hev, and Jenkins down the cut.

They all move to catch up and come out themselves in a unnaturally made crater. In the center of it is a black obelisk with large double doors on the front.

Looking at the dataslate this is the place.

Frederick looks over at Archimedes, "You first, Legion."

He nods and warily walks don the crater walls.

The traps Ryborn had left made him nearly jumpy at every noise or shadow. Only his centuries-honed battle reflexes kept such primitive urges in check.

Spoiler:

He searches for anything to be suspicious of, and finds no reason to be concerned.

Maybe the Rogue trader put too much stock in the other traps? he muses, not convincing him self.

When he makes it to the obelisk, he inspects the doors for traps and to see what sort of locking mechanism it might've had.

Spoiler:

Archimedes comes across no traps nor does there appear to be a lock on the doors or any kind.

He knocks first with a gauntleted fist.....just in case.

No one's home.

"You going to bake them a cake and welcome them to the neighborhood too?" Sarge asks in jest.

"I like baking." he replies sardonically.

Without anything left to do, he opens the doors and walks in.

The large doors part with no problems.

Upon entering a massive light flicks on illuminating the interior of the obelisk. The walls are covered from the bottom to the top in a 360 painting. It depicts a raid on a human settlement. Raiders are tearing into the local defense force while citizens cower or run for their lives. A well dressed figure holds his power sword upward with an impaled human head upon it. This must be Ry'Kleth.

"You approach my cage, Astartes. Remember... freedom is all I ask." The psyker says into Archimedes mind.

In the center of the floor a staircase descends down.

The team makes there way down.

"A power warp presence is ahead." Levantine warns, "It is quite angry and distressed."

The party prepares themselves for what Archimedes already knows. The staircase comes to a stop in a large rectangular room.

In the center their is marble column. On top of it is a glass jar... with a brain inside.

Beyond the brain is a barren wall. At the corners of it though a large slabs with runes stamped on them.

"Levantine, what are we looking at?" Frederick asks.

"The brain of a psyker." He responds.

"Hmmft, Hev, destroy it." Frederick commands his heavy gunner.

The autocannon rings out but the shells are met by an invisible shield around the column and jar.

"Fools! Ry'Kleth would not make it that easy." The psyker projects into everyone's mind.

"Levantine then. Remove this brain in a jar!" Frederick orders.

Archimedes knew things were coming to a head.

During the descent his mind raced with options and modes of attack, Levantine first, then Frederick if necessary.

Wyk and the humans were the wild cards. Also going through his mind was how trustworthy this voice could truly be?

Seeing the brain resist an autocannon, Archimedes recognizes that the psyker is truly powerful, but it was now or never.
The second Levatine begins to move, Archimedes springs into action,
"Captain Look out!" he yells, partly to sow confusion and buy a few seconds. At worst the ruse would be seen, at best they would truly think that Levatine was about to strike the captain down.

His bolter was in his hand as and spitting fire at the sorcerer as soon as he said it.

Spoiler:

As Archimedes turns to fire on Leventine so does everyone else but Frederick. The Alpha Legionnaire sold it perfectly that the sorcerer was turning on his captain.

Rounds riddle Leventine. Even with his resilient armor and Astartes physiology it can only withstand so much and this was to much. Bits of armor, muscle, and other unrecognizable bits go flying all over. When the shooting is all over Leventine is in chunks.

Archimedes second sense tells him that right now he has Sarge, Wyk, and Karl on his side. Their recent actions show they trust him and he has won them over from Frederick. Hev and Jenkins are to close to tell and Frederick isn't on his side at all.

Frederick looks at what was once Leventine and starts to back up from everyone, "You imbeciles. You sheep." He looks at Archimedes and points his plasma pistol at him, "Taking the word of a stranger and acting on it! Put this Astartes down!" Frederick yells with intensity Archimedes hasn't seen before.

Hev and Jenkins turn their guns on Archimedes but in a quick flash the Great Chainsword of Wyk cuts Hev down as Karl and Sarge gun down Jenkins. The mutiny was on.

Frederick can't believe what he's seeing as he keeps backpedaling into the room, "Mutin... mutinee... mutineers!"

Frederick, shaking plasma pistol still trained on Archimedes, runs into the column in the center of the room.

"I can handle this one if you want, Astartes." The psyker psychically tells Archimedes.

Archimedes expected the humans to help, but even Wyk? that was quite the shock.

Unless......

Then things skewed in an unforeseen, but not all unfortunate direction as Wyk surprises him again and cuts down Jenkins when he counter attacked.
Now, he had a problem, but some of his personal goals had been accomplished.

"Gladly" he thinks back at the voice. This would be a perfect opportunity to see what the psyker brain was capable of.

As he watches, scenario's and questions play out in his mind. He looks around and observes the chamber. Was there truly any treasure here in this vault?
Or was the treasure the brain itself?
Could he really trust this canned brain?

He mentally reviews every exchange he had with the voice as the chaos plays around him.

Spoiler:

He also had to wonder about the sudden defection of Wyk, what was he after? Was the psker just manipulating them both?

[The psyker seems trustworthy at the moment. He hasn't outright lied or done anything directly to harm you or the group. He genuinely wants to be freed from his prison.]

Nothing happens at first to Frederick but suddenly his body rapidly ages. In a matter of seconds the Captain of the Holy Curse is reduced to dust.

"As a consolation prize to my freedom I will let you all enter the vault." The psyker says to everyone.

"I don't see any other door in here." Karl says.

"I will show you the way. After you free me."

"I will risk it. Its obvious that we stand little chance of destroying this....thing" Archimedes interrupts.
He hoped his "selfless display" would be appreciated by all.

Before he did so, had had to ask a question, "Wyk, Im surprised you saw the truth of the sorcerer's treachery, having been with him for so long. What will you do now? Frederick's goals are no longer ours it seems. Its a shame. "

Once satisfied with the answer, he asks Sarge, Now that the ship no longer has a captain, what will become of her?"
As he listens to the options, his analytical mind operates through scenario's and possibilities.

Once they had at least some sort of game plan, he moves to the jar and picked it up, "Psyker, the captain is no longer among us. We still have a mission and will do as you ask, so long as you let us complete our mission?"
If the psyker could feel, he could easily feel the emotions coming from Archimedes as strong as they were. He tried to convey to the psyker through thoughts that most of what he had said was a show for the others.

Wyk looks at Archimedes before removing his helmet. He can see now see why the Astartes doesn't talk... he has no mouth. A mutation inflicted upon him by the Chaos gods most likely.

He looks to Sarge and signs to her.

"He says Levantine has been a corrupting force on Frederick for some time. His removal was one of need. To bad Frederick was to far gone to pull him back to us. What I will do now? I will follow, Sarge." Sarge says with a small laugh at the end, "What will become of the Holy Curse? I think me and Iontin can figure something out."

Archimedes reaches for the jar but his hands press against the invisible field surrounding it, "A prison as I said. This field is not of my making. It is my armor and my ball and chain." The psyker says in a agitated tone, "Your mission is your mission. Do as you please with the vault after you free me of course."

Archimedes looked at the jar, for once, he had no idea how to proceed.

"There is a barrier, I'll need a minute." he tells the others. He stands, and looks around the room, at the walls, images on the walls....anything that could help him to free the psyker, from its prison.

Spoiler:

[No need to roll for anything.]

Archimedes knows that power field generators are never far from their wards. So whatever was protecting the psyker's brain has to be within this room. The only object that sticks out is the column the jar is sitting on...

Without hesitation, Archimedes brings fourth his bolt pistol and fires a mass reactive round right into the pedestal.

It was abrupt and caught the rest of the crew off guard.....

The round punches through the pedestal and explodes from within shattering it. A secondary explosion goes off with a blinding flash.

When the dust settles the pedestal is destroyed and the jar lies on the ground unharmed.

"Thank you. As promised..." The psyker communicates as the glyphs on the back wall glow. A portal then materializes, "The vault."

Without a word, Archimedes moves to the portal.

He pauses before stepping inside, "Hold the area, this should not take long."

With a final breath, he steps inside the iridescent portal.

"What won't take long?" Archimedes hears Karl asks as he steps through the portal.

Archimedes can feel himself being pulled in every direction and and he comes slamming back together as he exits through the other side.

In front of him he sees hills of books. Literal hills of them. He must be looking at hundreds of thousands of reading material. They range in genre from history to tomes full of spells and rituals.

A look around reveals that Archimedes is in a massive metal box. There are no windows and the light source is unidentifiable.

One oddity in the whole vault is a Baneblade tank that is half buried from a collapsed hill. Ry'Kleth must of run out space in his vehicle vault and stashed it here instead.

He walks forward and studies the tittles as he makes his way towards the baneblade.

His hands never strayed too far from his weapons, Ry'kleth was far too clever, and left traps and tricks around every corner.

He wondered if any of these book would hold any use for him or his legion, history was a treasure in itself.
Still, the baneblade was the sore thumb, and he needed to know what about it prompted his mission.....

Spoiler:

There's to many books for Archimedes to mule over one by one. With the vast amount there was bound to be some stand outs but Archimedes isn't seeing any.

The Baneblade could of easily vaporized Archimedes as soon as he walked through the portal. It didn't though so it must of been unmanned.

Looking over the mighty machine of war Archimedes sees there a few things stuffed in the barrel of its main gun. He can't make them out from this distance though.

Atchimedes moves closer to the main armament of the weapon.

The baneblade cannon had shells that well the size of adeptus heavy dreadnought plate. The barrel of the tank's main gun was wide enough for Archimedes to squeeze through, if he so desired.

For now, he was content to climb up the front of the tank to inspect the barrel closer.....

Looking into the barrel Archimedes spots a shrine. Bones, symbols of chaos, dried and stained cuts of skin surround a tome. The tome is made of living sinew that surrounds a small orb in the center. Inside the orb the powers or warp rage.

Archimedes is then greeted by an intense and clear vision.

He sees the book in the hands in a series of different people. Every single one of them leads massive armies composed of heretics, traitorous legionnaires, and demons. He then sees himself holding the book and leading these forces...

Archimedes was nearly dumbstruck by the sudden, intense visions coursing through his skull.

As they clear, he was more convince then ever of his course of action.

THIS! this, is what he had come to destroy. Not the baneblade, not the books, not the psyker brain.

He takes a krak grenade off of his belt and pulls the pin.

"Hydra Dominatus." he says, forcing away the memories of the heresy as he says the legion's mantra.

He casually lets the grenade roll down the barrel where it would destroy the book and the orb.

The krak grenade goes off with a thud in the barrel. Looking in Archimedes can see the book and shrine are in pieces. The orb lays in the middle of the barrel taunting Archimedes. Old stands of sinew slither back while new strands sprout forth from the orb. The book is reassembling itself.

Archimedes frowns underneath his helmet.

Obviously this.....relic....would require more to kill than he had necessary.

He makes his way into the baneblade. If a krak grenade could not do it, then he would fire off the baneblade cannon and obliterate it beyond existence.

If that didnt work, he would have to get more creative.