Renouncing Faithby LexingtonIshinia slithered through the air vents inside the Greenskin base, not making a single sound as she passed through. The Temple Callidus had been given the order by the sacred High Lords themselves to find and destroy a particularly dangerous Ork Warlord known as "Smart-Ork". The name puzzled Ishinia, but she knew not to question. To question was heresy, and to question an order from the Emperor's Chosen was unthinkable. Her faith in the Immortal Lord of Humanity swelled in her chest as she walked forward, ready to complete another mission, and serve her beloved Emperor. * * * Smart-Ork sat in hs chambers, pondering this new turn of events. Something was coming, he knew, but a feeling that almost resembled fear resided in the old Greenskin's heart at the thought of the source of this dire portent. Dreams were something unique to him, as the rest of the Ladz were too dim to have such thoughts pouring through their heads in their sleep. In this particular one however, he once again saw the place that haunted his memories - The Warp. It brought him visions of a human - an assassin - coming for him, trying to end his WAAAGH!, and destroy his precious plans forever. * * * Ishinia quietly opened the wooden door to the Warlord's chambers. A crude bed and a chair were the only décor, both set beside the wall. The Warlord, back facing her, was asleep in the chair, snoring loudly as Greenskins did. She smiled at how easily this one would be dispatched, ending this mission. Her hand slipped to the carefully-hidden and sheathed C'Tan Phase Sword as she approached the Warlord with silent steps… Even from all her years in training, Ishinia could not dodge the huge Greenskin's hand as it whipped out and grabbed her arm, crushing bone and muscle into a twisted, useless mass. Her superhumanly-honed reflexes could not save her from the brute force of his pull, which brought her crashing into the wall, and then around again to the floor. And even her faith, indoctrinated into her since birth, could not keep her from falling into blackout as the hobnailed toe of the Ork's huge boot slammed into the side of her skull. * * * Smart-Ork stared down at the fallen human, no longer a threat. However, he knew all to well that if he let her lay there for long, she would awaken soon, and quite possibly kill him. He reached down with his enormous power claw, and grabbed her legs by the calves, crushing the bones and sinew inside, and did the same to her undamaged arm. He then picked her up by the legs and arms, and drudged his way towards the Mekboy shack, still wondering how he knew so well when to strike at this foe… * * * "Warrzat, boss?" one of the Meks asked, taking a close look at the human. "Warrzat 'oomie doin' in da base?" "Itza Imperiul Assassin," Smart-Ork informed him. "Yoo get 'er armz an' legz strapped ta a table sumwhere. We got sum werk ta do on dis wun." "Assassin? Boss? Yoo know whut dey kan do! Whut iv she'z jest fakin' sleepin'? She mite jump up an' git ya!" "Dat'z why I want 'er strapped down, ya git! Wiv da biggest strapz uv metal yoo kan git!" "Err…rite boss!" the Mek yelled as he ran to the Partz Shed. * * * Ishinia awoke, groggy and unable to move. Every muscle in her body ached, but she suppressed the pain easily. It was then that she noticed her arms and legs. All of them were strapped down with huge pieces of welded metal, and firmly nailed down, literally, with huge nails and bolts that had been pounded through her feet and hands. Then, after that initial shock, she saw the huge Ork whom she had attempted to assassinate, standing over her. "Kill me, foul Abomination!" she yelled at the thing in the Orkish tongue best she could. "You'll get no information from me!" "It's not information or death I seek from you, human," the gargantuan Ork spat back at her, in pure and perfect Low Gothic. "It's something much, much more horrifying." Ishinia stared in horror at the Greenskin. The name, it's carefully-made plan, her defeat, all of it made sense now. Underestimation had been her downfall. "Emperor preserve me," she whispered. "And that is exactly what you will not receive," the Ork said, leaning above her. She noticed now that its Power Claw had been removed in favor of a new metal appendage, filled with small saws, blades, and other unrecognizable objects. "Before this day is through, you will know that your Emperor is nothing but an ancient myth, made to scare your childish minds into obedience!" "My faith in my Emperor can withstand your torture," she replied with cold determination. "Such words have rolled off the tongues of a thousand heretics who have died under my blade. You'll kill me before I renounce His Holy Name." As soon as those words escaped her mouth, the Ork stabbed a small knife into her shoulder blade. It cut through, and then began to move, slicing in different directions, shooting drug-amplified pain throughout her body. Ishinia did not do so much as flinch from the torture. She merely stared at the abomination, and firmly knew that even if she died, the Emperor would not allow such a creature to do more damage. "Your stamina is exemplary, human," the Ork said, looking down at her through his visor. "Tell me, do you truly believe in the purity of your Imperium, and those who serve it? Are they truly the great vessels of your Emperor's 'wisdom'?" "Of course they are," Ishinia replied, with a fierce determination. "The High Lords, and those below them, are true servants of the Emperor's grace." Ishinia began to wonder why she was even conversing with this horrid mutant. It deserved a death by the Emperor's purity, and no information from her. And how did it have the slightest idea about how Imperial government was run? The Ork made a grunting noise that almost sounded like a chuckle. Slowly, he bent down, glaring at the assassin with cold eyes, barely visible through the slits in his metal head-coverings. Ishinia felt his breath upon her bruised face, and remained calm, ready to strike at the first chance. "You poor, foolish little thing. Your Emperor's minions are less pure than the targets they send you to destroy. I, at least, do not hide my goals through plots and conspiracy…" With that, the Ork reached back behind his head, releasing unseen clasps. Standing back up, the huge Greenskin bowed his head down, wedged its fingers between its head, and the metallic covering that hid its face. Slowly, the covering was removed, and his head raised back up, revealing the withered green face behind, and a strange marking that Ishinia could barely make out in the darkness. But when she looked harder, the full horror of this creature began to fill her, as she recognized the branding on the Ork's skull. The Imperial Eagle, official symbol of the Imperium, the cryptic numbering below it confirming its origin. This abomination was created by order of the High Lords themselves. Ishinia screamed. * * * "Da Boss iz 'ere ladz!" Ishinia's vision came back, blurred by exhaustion and the pain. She remembered little of what had gone on now, in her current state of drugged stupor and half-consciousness. Ishinia soon came to realize that she was being dragged out onto some sort of ramshackle stage. Her body and spirit broken, she posed no danger to the Orks now. She was being carried by her head, undoubtedly by that giant Ork who had tortured her. Light came through, as she passed through to the open air. Everything seemed like a dream to her now. Hundreds of green aliens spread out below her, screaming loudly in their guttural language. "Ladz!" Ishinia heard the giant Ork yell in its native tongue. "Ladz, I've alwayz been tellin' ya about 'ow da 'oomanz iz wurshippin' dis false Emperor uv theirz, an' dat dey wuz silly gitz fer it, rite?" "Yer!" "Well, now, 'ere'z a treet fer ya! Wun uv da best 'oomie fighter'z in da 'ole Imperium, an Assassin, iz rite 'ere, an' she ain't beleivin' in 'er Emperor no more, sinze I gave 'er a good talkin' too!" Ishinia felt herself being lifted up, to be shown to the crowd. "Tell them," the Ork ordered, tightening his grip around her skull. "The Emperor is nothing!" she yelled in the Ork tongue, trying to fight back the pain. "See dat, boyz? See 'ow eazy it is ta break a 'oomie?" Ishinia began to cry softly. Her faith was shattered. The Emperor was nothing but a dead man, his ancient visage used to frighten humanity into obedience. Everything she had believed had been a lie. "Lissen ta dat! Da 'ooman iz cryin'! She knowz dat she'z nuffin' now, an' dat da Orkz iz da best an' da greatest! When dey know dat der little Emperor ain't nuffin but a story, dey iz weak!" Ishinia sobbed more. "An wot do we Orkz doo wiv sumfin' dat'z weak, ladz? We krush it!" Ishinia felt the Ork's fist tighten harder on the back of her head. She screamed out, but her voice was lost amongst the cheers of the Orks below. She felt herself letting go as her skull began to crack. And, in a moment, the pain worsened, and then abruptly stopped as her world turned to black. * * * Smart-Ork stood over the crumpled body of the Assassin, her blood and pieces of her collapsed skull still remained on his hands. He grinned at the enormous motivation the little display had given the Ladz. He was also proud of his own accomplishment; he had destroyed the faith of a human. And not just any human, but one indoctrinated with her faith since birth, and had known nothing else. Smart-Ork turned away from the Boyz, and exited towards his chambers. His victory was complete once again, and now it was time to take another world. But he was still puzzled by how he knew to strike at the Assassin. They were trained from birth to kill swiftly and silently. But when he struck, it was almost like he had done it on instinct, without thinking at all. Putting these thoughts out of his head, Smart-Ork sat down and began to rest. Perhaps his dreams would once again bring him a vision of the future…
LexingtonNet - Home of Insanity
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