Corbulus barely gave the Black Legionnaire a look as his head exploded from Nero's shell. The fool had done a good job shooting the hell out of the heretek, and perhaps he had thought it was due to his skill and not the heretek's combat incompetence. Regardless, he lost his head, and turned to try his luck against the Alpha Wolf, and soon after lost his head, literally. Just then, the sound of twin engines roared towards him, and he sidestepped behind a carcass of a predator, allowing the shots to impact the charred steel rather than his damaged armor. Aiming his pistol after the speeding bikes, Corbulus loosed a number of shots with his bolt pistol along with Nero, who had popped out from his overwatch position to join in with his bolter. Alas, the vehicles had managed to escape the hail of fire and quickly headed in the direction of vox's voice's instruction.

Turning, Corbulus waved the young pup down from his position, and barked his orders over the vox. "Check for armored transport inside. We're departing this world." As Nero nodded his understanding and ran into the motor pool to secure both the building and a transport, he walked over to the motor pool, just happened to pass the prone figure on the ground. The Alpha Wolf raised his chainaxe and revved it up before pointing it at the mystic, still laying in his pool of blood. "My name is Corbulus, and I can kill you as easily as it would take me to step on your head heretek, nevermind drive this weapon into your body. Remember that, and remember that your life is now owed to the Alpha of the Wolves of Horus. Next time you refuse me, your body will not lay in pool of your own blood: I will personally feed every piece of your split body to the nearest daemon hound I see."

Just then, the vox blared with Nero's voice, "Lord Corbulus. I've secured the facilities. There's a land speeder, some assault bikes, and a rhino in here. I think we can make the most time in the land-"

"Take the rhino. It will give us better protection."

"Yes Lord Corbulus." With that, another engine soon roared to life in the motor pool, and Corbulus turned his attention back to the bleeding mystic. He walked over to the corpse of the Black Legionnaire before taking the pierced helmet with the shot head in it, sticking it on to his trophy belt. It was not much, but it was a start. The Alpha Wolf then kicked the dead astartes' bolter to the mystic's side.

"Find your own way to the rendezvous; if you can't pull your own weight, then I have no use for you. And if you survive, remember what I said this day: your life is mine." There was, of course, the chance that instead of gratitude or at least a return favor in the future, the mystic would simply do he could to bring down Corbulus out of spite, but that was a chance he had to take. If he was walking into a trap anyways, then that would reduce the risk to null. So, nothing to lose, everything to gain. As the rhino pulled up, the Alpha Wolf opened the rear hatch and entered before the wounded heretek could even raise the bolter in his direction, and with clunk, the hatch closed and locked, and the armored transport sped in the direction of the voice over the vox channel.


@High_Adept_Zeth

___________________


The rhino sped past hills and other scenary of the wartorn planet, including a Thousand Son sorcerer that they had met earlier, and towards the occupant's destination. Emptied, blown out buildings, half filled minefields, corpses of men and machine alike. Corbulus paid little heed to all of it, focusing on getting to his destination in one piece. Nero on the other hand, tried unsuccessfully to hide his gaping at everything. After a while, they managed to arrive at a fork in the road. One path looked to head to the no man's land full of trenches, mines and heavy bolters/autocannons. The other led the rows of fortresses that made this world a fortress world. The last one led an Imperial outpost of sorts, the road that the rhino turned down.

Passing a ghost town of an outpost, what concerned Corbulus was the complete lack of bodies around. Staffing an outpost like this would have taken hundreds, if not thousands of humans here, and yet here they were, lacking in even one body in the entire complex. Had they been elsewhere, the lack of noise from the rhino engine would make the silence errie. Just as they passed the last of the structures, they were greeted by mounds of corpses, all piled on top of one another. At the end of the road, three figures stood. What the Alpha Wolf saw was the visible stench and oozes coming out of their bodies. He stopped the transport before getting out.

"We're leaving the rhino?" Nero asked incrediously, before hastily adding as Corbulus turned to him, "my lord?"

Turning back to the trio at the end of the road, Corbulus scanned the area, and saw the corpses of the two Black Legionnaires. Having saved the trouble of running the fools down with the transport, he smiled and replied, "the road narrows too much, and something tells me those three aren't exactly going to let us drive by." Looking around some more, he saw that the three astartes of Nurgle had built some sort of barricades, and also that there was a good piece of cover to the side, equidistant away from both the road and the trio. He waved to the young astartes and they moved over, positioning themselves at a piece of blown out rock-crete from both the road and the three astartes, not engaging the latter.

"We wait. If we and those fools heard the message, then more might come. Let's see how the situation develops before we strike," Corbulus said, just as the next arrivals made their way into the area. Pretty soon a motley bunch of survivors had gathered, all heading in the same direction, all blocked by the zealous servant of Nurgle. Just then the head of the road block spoke, and the Alpha Wolf scowled. While he respected and served Nurgle, he didn't do so in favor of any of the other gods. To be undivided meant a tricky balancing act, and he enjoyed not turning his own body into a cesspool of diseases. Interesting enough, there seemed to be a plague marine amongst them. Would he be sympathetic to the trio? Now Corbulus's eyes scanned the area, keeping a tactical view over the situation and seeing just how this would all play out.


@Vlayden

"Well now it seems we got a large road block ahead." Fera said, looking at the plague marine blocking there way, a alpha legionnaire at there side, a word bearer.
@DeranVendar
"Orghast is that one of your Kin up there? if so would you like to take gifts some of us at the moment not need to help boost yourself in grandfathers nurgles domain? Think you can talk him into letting us through?" Fera asked possibly half jokingly as she saw the plague marine from inside the chimera, As she did she spotted two other groups moving nearby by foot or by vehicle, all of them with quite some numbers, and possibly looking in the means for diplomacy.

Activating the vox inside the Chimera she would attempt to hail the two groups anyone with voxs within the group would get there message.

@Maleth @Kalle @Vlayden @Skarboy @WanderingJester @High_Adept_Zeth
"To the other groups coming upon us, we request that you identify yourselves as friend or foe of chaos, If friend I have a possible offer that may help strengthen us all and increase our chances of survival, If we cannot get through these guards guarding our way to the vox signal I suggest banding to together to reach it instead of weakening ourselves fighting each other when we could work together to bring down stronger pray together, and get off this rocket in the process." Fera said, her voice calm and tactical picking each word carefully incase the other groups could be potential dangers, Since they were up here She could only guess that either they were A other survivors wanting a way out of here, or B imperials coming to respondent to the distress signal and cutting of any ways of escape.

Satharn was not impressed to find that their living roadblock was another mound of diseased flesh and less pleasant things. He understood the appeal of following the Blood God. The Changer of the Ways was as untrustworthy as a being could be, but the powers he granted those who cared to serve him were undeniably useful for navigating the warp. He didn't see much use for the supposed "unending pleasure" of Slaanesh - surely a junkie was just a junkie and always looking for their next fix, whatever their obsession might be - but the one he simply couldn't fathom was the Plague God. Why would anyone want to become a walking nest of parasites and pus?

He glanced sideways at Orghast but didn't have anything to add to Fera's ideas. He nodded.

"Could do worse than add our forces together. Does this thing have a working gun?"

"I find artillery beats the wittiest riposte."

Ausarius' march was, sufficed to say, a calm one - he hadn't met any other Imperials along the way and he did his best to seem harmless, if such a thing was possible; perhaps more accurately, to display himself not in a malevolent light. He didn't wish to fight after all, but simply leave.
Still, at seeing the rhino zoom past him, he did little more than raise his spear in greetings - politely, at that, before continuing on his way. Once out of sight, his hand once more came to grasp at his breastplate from the stinging pains.

Blasted... Shrapnel. He thought to himself, kicking aside some rubble on his way to the destination. Though once there, he was.... Well; surprised that so few had come here. He wasn't quite sure why; perhaps surprised that so few survived, so few had come here on their own volition, or surprised that everyone was so...


Average. Simple. He thought to himself. It was surprising to see this many non-Astartes, who actually were anything more than gnats; admittedly, the attitudes of the other posturing swine that he was reluctant to call his 'brethren' was rubbing off on him, he knew. Though, seeing these Astartes, and how varied they were, was a shock.

The Night Lord concerned Ausarius, as through the millennia he'd learned to rely on one thing about them: That they would be unreliable at best and backstabbers at worst. He'd seen schemes go perfectly until moments away from victory where they would go onto their own interests, leaving the rest of the group to fend for themselves as they fled to 'safety'. Perhaps it's best to make plans that never rely on that one, He thought.

The other Astartes that wielded twin blades was a peculiar one; something of him reeked of distrust and unease to the Prosperan, but he had relatively... Decent armour - MK IV, a rarity to see fully, even if it had its chips and unique 'additions'. Might be reliable, might not... We'll see.

The sight of the Khornate had intrigued him briefly, if only for the fact that she had survived this long; though the fact any survive for more than one battle always amazed Ausarius, though he wondered why such a thing did amaze him. Perhaps simply how they seemed to charge mindlessly at the enemy. Who knew. We'll see if this one has any sense left; one can hope.

The Death Guard was a surprise, sufficed to say. To see such a figure turned to~... normalcy. His hand squeezed at his spear at the sight, a moment of sympathy coming through his mind along with the relief that he'd not taken to Tzeentch's teachings and worship - Ausarius always found that it was best to rely on himself rather than reach out to... Foreign help, moreso once it became clear that their lives were in such a risky situation due to the Flesh Change. His mind lingered back to Ahriman for a moment, his distant friend having been the reason for so much change in his Legion and the loss of so many friends...
Ahh, well.

Lastly, that Astartes that had been there earlier at the Motor Pool. A clearer view of the man allowed the Sorcerer to straighten himself a bit, partly out of respect - he could see that this was perhaps, for the lack of a better word, a 'proper' Chaos Marine. Mismatched armour, and trophies upon trophies - most seeming to be from fellow Astartes.
A pity, he thought to himself, despite his clear posture that showed respect. Might have made a good man without such influences.


Still; his gaze went towards the Plague Marines in question, the Thousand Sons Astartes taking a single step back; though anyone looking at him could tell it wasn't out of fear, or anxiety, judging by how he tightened his grip on the spear and brought it to bear, the hand at his breastplate lowering to grab at the lower haft of his weapon and his posture coming a bit lower to the ground. The helmet dipped forward ever so slightly and his breathing, once ragged and irritated, now getting clearer as he used his third lung. No; he wasn't getting ready to flee or put distance between them.

He was just getting ready.

Once more, he'd try to tap into his psychic reservoir and bring one hand up, allowing the power to surge through his veins and mind, that familiar momentary headache (for the lack of a better term, such things not feeling quite discomforting or painful, but just too bizarre to feel 'comfortable' with and ignoring) coming over him; his senses heightened and he felt his muscles tensing up.


If possible, he'd then unleash such Hells upon the enemy - his outstretched hand tensing up as it unleashed psychic bolts of pure, lethal lightning at the lead Plague Marine, a moment of rejoice coming through as he'd see the armour brightening and crackling from his show of power.

Perhaps as a show of 'force', his own psychic capabilities would see to - even if just aesthetically - crackle along his power armour, running along the runes and brightening them for all to see. The gold and copper would brighten and waver, whilst the blue upon his armour brightened to that like a sunny day - not to mention the crackling of electric force that coursed along his form. His tattered robes would flap in the wind that was created from such a show of force, the two strips of cloth waving in the air behind him.

For the promises I've made, I'm not damned being stuck on this planet.





OOC: Using Smite upon the enemy leader, one defense on self.
@Colapse

Corbulus heard a female voice over the vox channel, as Nero popped his bolter up, aiming in the group's general direction. With an outstretched hand, his leader lowered the weapon, not out of fear or respect for the group, but rather tactical sense. They were between outnumbered and heavily outnumbered, and while the humans of the group did not concern him, the astartes does. Speaking over the vox channel, he addressed what looked to be a khornate woman in question. "Who is this that demands my identification? If you have a name and an offer, then speak. Elsewise, your suggestion has been noted."

Corbulus could spot several different chaos space marines, including a Night Lord, a Death Guard, and the Thousand Son from before. There was also another astartes that resembled the Thousand Sons but was not. Before he could do anything else, the sorcerer sent a torrent of lightning at the three Nurgle worshippers blocking the way. Some distance away from both groups, the Alpha Wolf kept a keen eye on the situation.

This is about to get very interesting.


@Vulpas

OOC: Both doing two defensive moves at the moment, otherwise just holding position.

@WanderingJester
"Names Fera, Our group over here is has a couple skilled individuals and hands that maybe useful in helping us all escape from this shitshow abbadon left us with, What I purpose is a truce to escape this world between our groups, All work togther to get out of here and face these foes, possibly such as these gate guards that this thousand son is about to engage," Fera said spotting the thousand son using his witchery already before even trying diplomacy or words, He maybe even charging to his death facing his foe alone one to three if the the other groups or his did not interfere.

Looking back to Satharn and hearing his question about artillery she answered. "We got a multi laser on the top, and my heavy bolter is possible to use out the top as a extra heavy weapons to punch through power armor. Evening the odds for the witch maybe a good option if they decided to only force themselves upon us or himself and may make us allies with these other groups." Fera said her vox momentarily turned off while she talked to Satharn before turning it back on to speak to Corbulus again.

@Vulpas | @Jorimel | @DeranVendar

"I doubt any of you would fit properly into the multi-laser turret. And your Heavy Bolter would never make it through the hole. So I will command the armament, and you shall choose to engage whenever you see fit." Valu said with precise accuracy. Or was it just that the Khornate Cultist knew his odds in close combat against the Space Marines they faced and really didn't want to push his luck today?

Either way, the Alien-in-disguise armed the multi-laser and took aim upon the Plague Marine and his company. Seeing that one fellow already engaged the pest-bearing individual, he thought best to aid them. After all, Satharn, his life debtor, already somewhat made the insinuation that this is how the attack shall happen. "Die, so we shall get off this rock!" He roared, more to himself than anyone in particular.


@Colapse
OOC: Full-Out-Attack vs. Plaguebringer Ukris via chimera multi-laser; Providing Support for @Vlayden

Wherever due to his incompetence to place shots or Sobek`s outworthly resilience, the Cyrabor survived just barely. Lying in a pool of his vitae fluids, Sobek twitched, his nerves sending misfiring signals into the muscles, struggling to breathe. Luckily his attacker was dead by then, taken care of by a well-placed headshot from what he could see.

@WanderingJester
Suddenly a shadow fell over him, hefting a giant axe with bloody teeth aranged on it like a piece of a lower jaw taken from some behemoth. He could see his death looming in its bite. The towering figure spoke with a baritone of a half-breed:

"My name is Corbulus, and I can kill you as easily as it would take me to step on your head heretek, nevermind drive this weapon into your body. Remember that, and remember that your life is now owed to the Alpha of the Wolves of Horus. Next time you refuse me, your body will not lay in pool of your own blood: I will personally feed every piece of your split body to the nearest daemon hound I see."

He did not need the effectivness of his vox-grillie to compare the similiarity between this voice and the one on the vox. Sobek knew it - it was him, the offer seemingly still standing, the creature for some reason wanted Sobek bound to him. Brushing off the arrogance that exhumed from the figure, Cyrabor attempted to respond but only managed to squirm in the pool of his own liquid.
Whats wrong with my voice?

As Corbulus drove of, Sobek, first slowly crawling and then managing to kneel over the webbed Black Legionnaire, opened the power pack at the back of its power armor. With decades of experience with Astartes arms and armor flying behind his eyes-that-were-not-eyes in a sickening blaze of adrenaline and deadening numbness of life seeping from him, Sobek opened the power-pack with experts knowing. Avoiding the deadly coils of the power-plant that supplied the armor with power, he reached out with his good, shaky hand for the vials.

The liquids of various colors sloshed in vials and Sobek clutched them in his bloodied and oil-stained palm, fighting against the growing numbness that was towering over his brains, hampering his memory and other cognitive functions. It was the shadow of death, leering from the black abyss to claim him.

His medicae mechadendrite snaked over him to his head, its bulky attachtment slowly vibrating, as if the artificial limb was emulating his near-death condition. With the frantic activity of a drowner clutching at the lifesaving belt, he slotted the liquids in the input sockets of the mechadendrite. After a moment, mechadendrite stabbed at his neck and top of spine with predatorial swiftness of a serpent, biting its prey.

The bleeding slowed, and the lights of various color expoded behind Sobek`s vision as numbness was replaced with burning sensation that took over him like living fire. He hoped he got the dosage right, otherwise he would burn his system. As Astartes grade combat-drugs leered him away from the edge of death, he shakily stood up, picking his webber pistol from the icky pool of mixed blood and oil.

Finding a medi-pack inside the workshop, he patched himself as best as he could, mounting one of the last vehicles that remined whole in explosion-charred workshop. Everything carried the stench of sooth and ash now. Boarding the skimmer that levitated atop the collumns of contra-gravity, Sobek gunned the Land Speeder out of his workshop, not looking back.

As air blazed past his mask, he thought of everything that happend in the past day and how much he has been thought. Was I hasty in my decisions? Prehaps too eager in heresy of abandoning the Many-Eyed God?

He wanted to curse at the indecisivness of it all but another blurt of eye-jarring static and white noise streamed from his vox-grillie. Sobek attempted to use flesh-speak but realized that something was in his throat clogging the vocal-cords but not airways. He tried spitting it out, to no avail, only black-bloody spittly goo coming out.

Having a moment of peace he calmed down and rewinded his recording of the vox-broadcasts he knew he missed in the frenzy of battle. The first one was the aborted, at the time, offer that in the end kept him alive, and the second was a destination toward salvation.

"Its a trap." was the first thing that passed though his overworked head. A local warlord rising from the ashes of this debacle, in an attempt to pick up as much crumbs from Despoiler`s table or at least, the remains of what he has left behind.

I have not come this far, survived this long only to sell myself again. But...service with a room for my agenda? Unlikely but prehaps. There is bound to be survivors that in the death of their masters find freedom, or at least sufficient promotion so they dont have to toil for other`s ambition.

<Everyone>

With those thoughts in mind he swevered the Land Speeder around, blazing uphill through the mist. Slowing down as auspex and auger devices failed him and the terrain became increasingly difficult, Sobek noticed a barricade upfront. With a graceful glide it landed on the ground as Sobek shut down the vehicle, observing the gathering ahead from a safe distance and the subtlety that the enclosing mist provided.

Orghast's own laughter was like a miasma of carrion feeders crawling through the air. Plague Marine approached Ukris, understanding him flawlessly. Even as las-fire and witchfire artillery poured itself past him Orghast walked on steadily, as if he were still a bloated monstrosity marching to war. Lifting his bolter to his mouth he kissed it gingerly, tongue sliding around the broken casing section. Lifting his head away the Death Guard spoke while aiming his bolter at the Apothecary. Much as he hated the vile purity of fire, chances were that the mender would keep its wielder running for far longer than needs be.

"Ukris, dying here befits neither of us. This is Nurgle's Garden, and it is not our place to defile it with our shame. We shall return after his blessings return, after we have earned them once more. There is a wide galaxy that still needs to hear his word! Let us go and honor him with deaths uncounted and countless more lives converted. Then we might make this place a true, festering jungle in honor of his eternal pungency. Let this worlds inhabitants think things have changed, we shall teach them otherwise in good time." Hound trotted up alongside Orghast, not a glance spared. It was a beast of war, and if things turned ugly, seeing as they were destined to with the combat technically already happening, chances were the dog would be able to take a hint and do what it needed to.

Actions: Balanced - Attacking the Apothecary in the event of active return fire, Defense on self.

Corbulus watched as the Plague Marine lumbered after the Sorcerer's and the chimera's las-turret's attack to his comrade blocking the road and trade words. Just then the woman's voice came over the vox again, and he responded, "unless you serve that corpse on terra, or the arch-failure, then I have no qualms with you. As for my assistance: offer me something, and you might get it. Otherwise, feel free to throw yourselves at the roadblock until this world crumbles into dust. I care not what you do." Just then he noticed the land speeder, and a familiar figure next to it.

So the heretek had survived after all, he'll just have to see for how much longer.


@Vulpas