The courtyard erupted with a terrible sound like shattering glass, followed by a hellish wail that shook the convent to its foundation. Katherine blinked in surprise to see Flavia interposed between her and her doom, the daemonic weapon splintering into hundreds of tiny black shards as it struck her upraised arm. Naomi's jaw dropped in shock, but only for half a second before her skull was itself shattered by the vicious backhand Flavia countered with.
The last of the daemonic sisters pounced upon Harodia to be met by the whirring teeth of her Evicerator. The psychic Repentia was drenched in blood as the weapon carved through the devotee of Chaos. Katherine, Eve, and Flavia stepped up next to her, the Canoness waving the Celestians and Seraphim behind them, "Get into the Convent, Hurry!" Innumerable tentacles and pseudopods looped over the battlements like grappling hooks, the protoplasmic Chaos Spawn pulling themselves over the wall. Sisters of Slaanesh were climbing up their trailing tentacles like ropes and dropping onto the walls. Dozens of crimson-skinned, bat-winged Succubi swooped down into the courtyard, laughing and singing their siren songs.
Katherine, Flavia, and Harodiah stood at the foot of the steps, hacking and hewing at the daemons while Eve stepped back slowly, the righteous retribution of her plasma pistols searing and scorching through those who tried to outflank the three sisters. Magdalena's Bane slashed through daemonic flesh, crimson flames licking up the blade as it sensed their corrupt presence. The Arm of Saint Victoria crushed skulls and ribcages, breaking arms and legs in flashing streaks of gold as Flavia fought beside the Canoness. Harodiah's psychic might shielded her from the long claws of the Succubi while the Eviscerator shredded warp-spawned bodies.
When the last of the sisters had entered the doors, Eve shouted, "We're in! Let's go!" Katherine, Harodiah, and Flavia retreated, still fighting against the vicious claws and unnatural strength of the Succubi, backing their way up the stairs. As the reached the door, they saw the great front gates of the wall blasted apart by massed fire from the corrupted sisters who had once been Dominions, bearing heavy, anti-tank weapons of daemonic nature. Daemonettes poured in through the shattered portal while the four Sororitas stepped back inside the convent and slammed the doors shut.
Katherine leaned her back against the doors, her breath coming in gasps as Flavia and Eve engaged the thick bolt locks. One of the Succubi had raked a claw across her cheek, and the blood flowed freely down her face. Flavia stood next to her, the golden hand of the Manus Victoria against the door as if she could hold it closed against the whole host of Hell. The Canoness took her by the shoulder and led her through the Narthex and into the main hall, "Come on…those doors won't hold long."
Along the sides of the Nave, Lay-sisters knelt with bolters trained on the entryway. The crossfire would create a kill zone in the Narthex as the enemy bunched up trying to squeeze through the entry. The Celestians had taken up position at the Crux of the hall, where the sisters would retreat to when their position was overrun. Down the hall to the right was the long corridor that connected the Convent with the Cathedral further down the same city block. Katherine pointed to the handful of Dominions, "Drop those Stormbolters and get Meltaguns from the armory and fast! We'll need them against the heavy armor of the corrupted wenches. Lay-sisters, grab those storm bolters and disperse them amongst yourselves. They'll try to wear us down with waves of the Daemonettes first to minimize losses to their shock forces."
The walls of the Convent shook as weapons fire struck the doors, raining dust down upon them. Flavia and Eve knelt in the center of the tile floor, readying their weapons. Katherine turned to Harodiah, "I hate to ask you to do it…but I need you to unlock your powers, Harodiah. I need you to loose them upon this Warp Spawn. Can you do that?"
Harodiah nodded, though the bile was rising in her throat at the sensation of allowing her mind to touch the formless madness of the Immaterium. "I would open my mind to the Eye of Terror for you if you wished it, Mother Superior." Her eyes dropped to the floor for a moment, where the blood and ichors of the daemons were running down her body to drip and pool on the tile. "If…if my mind should become overwhelmed…threatened to be swallowed by the Warp…will you…"
Chapter 32: Attack on the Convent
Mulai dari awal
