I spat out a gobet of blood and saliva as the pneumatic lift carried us several decks with a series of grinding hisses. Sybdol chattered nervously, largely a series of complaints about the Aldeari and their pretentious arrogance. Hadrian responded largely with grunts and conversational parries. Sybodl continued to gnatter until the doors opened to reveal a large plushily carpeted hallways flanked by pillars carved with scenes of Imperial triumphs. His palarva cut off suddenly as, seeing no one in sight, Clara hit him behind the ear with the stock of her gun, dropping him in a boneless heap. We stepped out and closed and locked the lift, safeguarding the body from immediate risk of discovery.

"How will we know which room is his?" I asked. 

"The one with the most gold inlay I suppose,"  Hadrian chuckled, then his face turned serious. "Look I'm sorry.."

"Forget it," I responded curtly, drawing my pistol from my pocket and checking the load. He looked about to continue but then nodded and moved off down the hallway. Not for the first time I was disturbed by all the Imperial iconography on the walls. I wondered if Vorn really believed he was still serving the Emperor, or if it was simply the fact that the pieces were beautiful. I've certainly seen aristos displaying art which is pleasing in form but blasphemous in content. Chaos worshipers do tend to be a tad more into enforcing orthodoxy. Toward the end of the hall we reached a large door with an impressive set of wooden doors carved to represent a vast hunting scene. Hadrian nodded and pressed the touch plate beside it. The door began to open on pneumatic jacks, revealing a large chamber beyond. The center of it was a fountain with several cupids blowing water through guilded trumpets. Fruit trees grew in shallow pots, carefully trimmed to look like wizend human faces. Towards the far side were several doors which lead into sleeping chambers and the like. Before those chambers was a large marble desk piled with slates and holoprojectors. Inquisitor Vorn dressed in black and with his rosette hanging around his neck stood behind it, three other men were with him. Well two were men. One was a thing out of nightmares. It was eight feet tall and dressed in heavy ceramite plate of archaic design. It was a lurid blue, inlaid with golden scrollwork of astonishing beauty. An ornate headdress rose from it's helmet, bedecked with more gold and bands of lapis that blazed with inner light. The runes on its armor made me queasy and compelled me at the same time. A traitor marine. The Emperor Save us. All four figures turned as we entered.

"You." Vorn said in a flat tone. Clara swung her submachine gun up and opened fire. The unholy warrior somehow managed to put himself between Vorn and the burst, his armor sparkling with dozens of hits. He strode forward unconcerned, drawing a sword of writhing shadow from his belt and unholstering a bolt pistol. Vorn dived behind the table and came up a moment later with his own bolter. I fired twice, one of my las bolts hitting the table and setting fire to several books. I reached out with my mind and struck at the traitor marine, something ancient and malicious struck back, shattering my will. Hoar frost bloomed on every surface, the leaves of the fruit trees freezing instantly. 

YOU DARE! the voice echoed in my mind like the tolling of a great bell. The Traitor charged at me with incredible speed. Clara was reloading and Hadrian was shouting something and firing, trying to take down the unarmored Vorn. I drew all my will together, but knew from my brief brush with the marine's mind that I had no hope of besting him directly. Instead I gathered all the cold from the hoarfrost and focused it on the ground between us. A sheet of ice three inches thick sprang into existence. I sprang aside, evading the blade by no more than an inch as several thousand pounds of Marine went past, unable to alter its trajectory on the near frictionless surface. I emptied my gun into him as he went, but it didn't even mar the beautiful finish of the ancient armor. He hit the door with a crash, sending splinters flying from it before rolling to his feet. I ducked behind one of the pots, as shots cracked around me, fumbling to reload my weapon. One of Vorn's associates was hit in the side of the head, his brains splattering over the wall as he ran for cover. He collapsed to the ground, his ancient body spasming under unconscious control, the other human ran back into the bedroom, ducking behind the cover of the door. Now we had Vorn and his ally in front and the abomination behind us. We were in big trouble.