Bastet (Worm x Horus Heresy)

[Planetary Tennis]

Spirit 1.1

The blade clashed against her foe's own weapon black sparks showering her as she twists away from the bind the power field around the enemies blade. She watched as the man in red armor pulled back watching her watch him. Her blade twists in her hands, the spirit within it impatient for the confrontation, the eyes and teeth shifting over the surface tendrils lapping at her hand.

"You learn well, Bastet." The name twinged at her a silly part of her dreams were the connections she had to silly things, names, the number 10, an eight pointed star. "You need to learn to control your divisions lest they escape and thusly fade into the great sea." She nodded without her focusing on them. The things she summoned would melt away; she could always feel them as they moved in another space, that Ahriman called the great sea.

She walked over and ran her hand on the wall of the chamber lights flashing and a force before the wall held her back. "You must know Bastet that you can't wander, you have much to learn before you are safe to introduce to the rest of the legion." Despite her focus on the power that this dream man had her arms twist her whole body moving in impossible ways to bring up the expanded weapon against the sorcerer's polearm.

Her living weapon stopped the strike from the superhuman in a moment but then it wanted to move, she held it still until she felt a cold metal point against her belly. She looked down to see Ahriman's power holding a small dagger to her. She sighed letting the blade fall the thing inside watching with a twisting swirl of emotions. "How is that fair?" She ground out that even her dreams would play with her like this was mean. It was her subconscious training her for her power, she wished that more people talked about dream quests that came with powers.

"It's not, that is war, that is battle. You have to learn much so that you have every edge. Remember your mind is the greatest weapon you have." She nods at his words wishing that her training was less stabbing more Karate Kid.

"What's going on with the war?" That was the most interesting part of her dreams: they were about a war, great battles were apparently happening on a cosmic scale. This superhuman man was a warrior for a guy called the Emperor, whose real name he would not say. Taylor was sure that he knew it for the months that they trained together; she learned that Ahriman was nothing if not curious; she could not see him not trying to learn such simple things as his boss's name.

"The crusade goes well, though soon I will be attached to the Word Bearers, this will mean less time I can release you from your vessel and we can train." She blinked it was odd that her dreams were telling her that she wouldn't be able to use them. Maybe it was some subconscious sign that she would need to do more in the real world rather than just dreaming.

She watched as Ahriman pulled out the cylinder that represented the end and beginnings of her dreams. "Until we meet again." She knew their was a reason that her teacher was telling her to not sleep and train for a while she would just have to work it out. With a twist the cylinder sucked her up and she vanished. Leaving the Thousand Son alone with the bronze container, again he considered showing the strange immaterium entity to Magnus. She was vast, something to be compared with the larger warp predators, and yet she showed no hunger simple curiosity, a trait that he could respect.

But he didn't, even as she slept in her vessel Bastet had a pressure in the sea calming it making sorcery easier with far less risk than normal. He could only imagine how great a boon she would be if she could actively protect and participate in them. Reaching down he picked up the possessed blade the entity within twisting the form of the power saber he sheathed the blade and hung it on the wall. It would be better for him to wait until his efforts bore real fruit.

---

Taylor woke up in her bed fully rested though that was a lie. Ever since the… the event she hadn't needed to sleep, or eat, or breath. The base of her power though not needing to breath was kind of a silly and weak power at least she could do well if she needed to be a sucba diver. Stretching she got downstairs and readied herself for school.

She turned a corner moving a longer way to class as Emma and her gang were waiting further ahead. Her pens had filled enough of the school that she could get a good map by asking them where everyone was. It was a silly idea she had to put a great number of invested pens around the school, those from her own backpack had quickly found their way into Emma's possession. Now the little creatures she had called forth were covering the school meaning it was impossible for her to really be snuck up on.

The class bell rang and Taylor waited long enough for most of the students to get out, but short enough that Sophia was still getting ready to leave. The fact the black girl was waiting had worrying implications, while Taylor knew she could beat the athletic girl in a fight she didn't know if she could do so without giving away her abilities, but she also couldn't just take the beating as her invulnerable to light damage nature would be shown. She reached into her pocket and rubbed the Eye symbol that she had copied from Ahriman.

What would he do. Probably use his powers, armor, and lightsaber to just wreck Sophia and ask if anyone else had an issue. And as fun as that would be she couldn't take on the whole protectorate if they thought she was a villain much less what her dad would think about it.

She made her way to a bathroom. A quick check that it was empty she stepped aside into the sea. Light and color flashed beyond her small island of Red and Silver she didn't move the whole world around her and a wrong step she would be miles away. She reached out closing her eyes and touched her real world invested blade. The small dagger wasn't anything like the Thousands Son's blade she had used in the dream but it was an anchor. Moving to it she stopped and stepped aside back into the real world the smell of Ozone clinging to her as the portal into the Jackson Pollock painting world snapped shut.

She was going out tonight, she didn't know what she would need to do to have her dreams go further but if her subconscious thought she had enough training for it she would take to the crisp may night.

First was her body suit black cloth that wouldn't give her any real protection, the sheets of ceramite she had slowly crafted hopefully would keep her safe. Then she had a simple red cape with a silver eye set in an eight pointed star. Picking up the dagger the eyes and tendrils following her as she slipped it into her belt. Tonight Bastet would be going out.

 

[Planetary Tennis]

Spirit 1.2

She looked at the setting sun. Each day after her dream told her to wait she had gone out looking for crime for a chance to prove herself. Today was just like the other nine without much event, she spooked some druggies and beat up a dealer.

She ate her sandwich, doing nothing to fill her. She slumped forward her mind thinking over how her random wandering had yet to bring her to any major crimes. "And who would you be?" Taylor's being knew that voice even with it muffled by a mask and dropped lower than normal, it would be impossible to not know her. She had no idea who Sophia was but she must have been a cape to be approaching one at twilight on a rooftop. Or maybe she really did just like to pick fights, though Taylor was betting on her being a cape.

"I am Bastet." Taylor spoke, saying her cape name in that strange way that echoed in the sea and called to her.

Her tormentor walked up squatting next to her as she ate under the deep hood of her cape. "Bastet, can't say I've seen you around before." She shivered as Sophia spoke her name, part of her responding to it twisting and reflecting her thoughts in the sea.

"Wouldn't have I just started going out." The other girl snorted, and slapped for her back. In the moment Taylor sensed it instincts kicked in she rolled forward over the edge of the building hand pulling out and pulling the other girl with her as she drove her invested dagger into the side of the building.

For a moment Taylor considered dropping Sophia. Noone would know, her torment would be lessened at least that much. She can't imagine that the Thousand Sons sorcerer would have done anything less. With a breath she moved rolling back up the building reversing herself though she was left gasping for air as she and Sophia were back on the roof. "Sorry… instinct not use to being touched." It felt like showing a shark her fresh wound but Taylor didn't want to fight with the girl she just decided not to kill.

"Ha. I like you, not like the protectorate dork squad or any of the wimpy heroes that pop after their first few outings. Name's Shadow Stalker." She sounded like she was smiling and Taylor could imagine her foe grinning like a monster behind the hockey mask covering her face.

"Thanks I guess." Bastet hesitated Sophia was some sort of hero, she buried the rage inside her with a surprising ease as if it wasn't an emotion that suited her. "Haven't had much luck finding anyone around here."

Sophia looks around and nods. "That track, this place is too close to the boardwalk to get anything real. The enforcers keep out what they consider riff raff." She went on at length showing Taylor what paths to take to come across real crime though she apparently used a scanner to keep an eye on crimes.

"10-34 Hideson Code 5 E88 suspected, radioing PRT all units be aware." Sophia smiled then she frowned.

"Hideson is on the other side of town up by the heights. That code ment it's a prison break with capes." Bastet nodded as Shadow Stalker spoke. This could be something she would show the PRT they could use her she had real power. Taking a deep breath she made sure her scarf covered her face and her hood as up.

"I can get us there fast. One of my powers is a kind of teleportation." It was an exaggeration but she wasn't going to let Sophia think down on her as a hero. "Just follow me." Taylor looked out she had a rough idea about where that prison was. Just south of the city she could make it there in one maybe two steps if she stayed straight. She stepped aside, giving a moment for Shadow Stalker to follow. With the steps taken, she stepped out in the middle of a bank of trees within sight of the prison. She smiled it was getting easier to move around. "Now how do we help?"

Sophia let out a strange gurgling sound, making Taylor turn. Behind her was a monster, Sophia's head was at the end of a long neck twisting and swaying the hockey mask fused with her flesh. Down her back was a row of horns. One hand was now a grand claw while the other ended in a blade though it trailed on the ground like a whip. One foot looked human if not grossly oversized while the other was hoofed.

The thing reached up tearing a branch off a tree shoving it in a large circular mouth in the dark flesh of her torso. The world was frozen, Taylor didn't know what to do, how to react to the sight. Then there was an explosion behind her she heard a sound of metal. Turning she saw Hookwolf rolling through the street. She felt cold as something like black mist went through her and then it congealed into the monster who thrust itself forward with an ear splitting roar turning to mist again as it launched itself at the Nazi Villain.

Taylor saw as Challenger moved out of the hole in the Prison wall Axe at the ready. Taylor ducked behind a tree, then with a glance at the monster she stepped aside and ran. With a few steps she went aside again and found herself in a desert falling to her knees in the course sand. The sun blazing hot overhead. She closed her eyes and the image of the creature was there. She had done that somehow, made Sophia into that.

She was a bitch sure, Taylor could bring up no nice words for the girl, but she didn't deserve to become that. Screaming into hand she let out worry and panic the desert quite around her.

 

[Planetary Tennis]

Spirit 1.3

The aspect blade was waning the obvious signs of the bound creature missing from the power saber as it entered a deeper slumber. Ahriman considered that it was the nature of the creature to come in flows or ebbs like a stream over the course of the year. Though it may simply be the creature slumbering after its source has been gone for the prior months.

Still the blade was peerless on this battlefield, cutting through the crude armor of these foes. One of those minor human polities that did not bend heel to the emperor. This Union of Nations had put up a fight against his cousins but they were faltering losing their few planets.

His senses rang in his head and he moved dodging as a laser lanced through where his head would be. A witch bolt went through the foe's armor causing him to scream, dropping the heavy weapon.

Ahriman needed not to approach the downed enemy, Erebus took the advantage killing the foe. The sounds of one of the enemy tanks detonating as it tries to fight a Malcador from the Word Bearers' solar auxilia. This was the last line of their enemies, already the captured worlds were being rebuilt.

Erebus had explained the process to Ahriman, the Word Bearers would not leave a world ravaged from the wars. They would take there time to rebuild and education the peoples of the worlds they conquered. It was a noble goal much like the works of the Ultramarines.

Soon he was again aboard the Fidelitas Lex inside the chamber assigned to him. It had been many months neigh a year since he had the conditions to summon forth the warp creature. He had considered telling Erebus about Bastet however with his own strange faith around the emperor he worried that he may see the spirit as some kind of blasphemy. With a small focus he called on his Tutelary, the spirit came forth rings of light spinning as immaterial eyes blinked in and out of reality.

"What have you called me for?" Ahirman had left Aaetpio outside the chamber for the simple reason of not disrupting the wards that contained the power of Bastet. But here on a ship not of Magnus or Ahriman's brothers he would have to use his own power to hide and bind Bastet.

"Aætpio I will be using your strength for a small ritual." The Tutelary was a spirit of knowledge, a fragment of the source of the power of the sea, it greatly boosted his own capacity. So with its aid he began work writing out each line for a bases of his sorcery.

After it was all done he opened his mind joined with his Tutelary and stepped within the circle forcing power through it. Then he pulled the vessel from his belt and broke the first seal like mist she formed.

Her figure was tall almost standing a head taller than his own Astarties born height. Her lanky body was made of pale grey smoke though of all her aspects this felt the most related to the remaining seals on the vessel being unbroken. Her head was smooth marked with five red eyes, though as usual all but two remained closed, a quick check showed the four he could see on her body were also closed.

On the back of her head was streams of black smoke rolling and falling down her back. That made him stop hand moving instinctively to his blade. Her back had changed previously she had nothing of note to it but now grey wings draped there hanging dragging on the grounds as she shifted minutely in the fragments of moments he took to observe her.

She moved nearly as fast as he, unburdened as he was by a material form. She loomed over him as she approached red eyes burning like candles. "Why didn't you tell me?"

In that moment his mind went into overdrive, confusion lancing through everything. While in the vessel she was contained, the nature of it preventing her from even entering the warp, he and a feeling that it's what allowed her to manifest a pseudo physical form without a host or physically leaving the warp with a rift. The room, while more full than normal, contained nothing they had not discussed before. A micro motion of his eyes and he ensured none of his reading material should cause objection.

The conclusion was simple, she had taken umbrage with Aætpio perhaps the types of spirit they where had natural conflict with each other. He cursed in his own mind wishing not for the first time that the immaterium was a more stable place so they would have a better understanding of the creatures that dwell there to stop this kind of error.

Aætpio for his part had reduced his number of eyes to only eight smaller ones around one large one, a single ring making up his body. Bastet had surely had an impact on him. "Bastet, I apologize I did know you would take offense to my Tutelary."

She froze as he said her name, then her alien face of eyes and smoke scrunched up in an almost human way. Her black wings spread out and her flowing umbrel hair fell as she tilted her head slightly, shooting a glance at his indentured spirit. "No… I, wait no that doesn't matter. You never mentioned someone could mutate going through the warp."

Ahriman had to stifle a snort. "Did I also forget to mention that one may drown in water? Even if I did you haven't grown accustom enough to freely roam the warp, the warnings are unnecessary at this time." He turned his hand touching the emblem on his shoulder. He sighed inaudibly and let his face fall glad of the obscuring mask of his ornate helm. "Though if you truly do worry about causing that nature of harm, it should be no great concern, for a mortal we would need to use technology or powers to make a pocket of reality with us. You do something similar by nature, only the most powerful psyker would be at risk." It was an old subject but he had little knowledge on the curious spirit seemingly so unaware of so many things.

Bastet watched him, her tension melting off her two eyes closing before the same two opened. "Why send me out if I wasn't ready? What was the lesson?"

Ahriman capacity to squash feelings of confusion was getting a workout today. "You are far from ready, I have good reasons for only breaking the first seal."

She pinched the center of her face just under her third eye. "No I mean real world stuff."

 

[Planetary Tennis]

Spirit 1.4

Ahriman had been consulting his tomes for several minutes now, longer than Taylor thinks she has ever seen him consider something before. She couldn't move beyond the small ring on the floor. He seemed to believe he was real, which is kind of what she was expecting.

"The relic has little connection to the warp, you do not travel in any way that I can detect." The superhuman warrior pulled out another tome. "The vessel itself is only a thing in spirit, going through and leaving my body would be too risky as we have no way of opening it again. I could send Aætpio with you but that has risks too."

Taylor for her part stared into the mirror Ahriman had provided. The fact that she was made of shadows and smoke she felt was enough to show that this wasn't reality but apparently immaterial creatures could look like anything. The Tutelary was some kind of fragment of a great creator that held vast knowledge and power trading it in exchange for even more knowledge in a way Bastet didn't really get, but the little angel guy was Ahriman's magic booster and encyclopedia.

Bastet sat down, it felt odd to call herself Taylor as she was. She opened her other eyes giving her an array of sights. She didn't bring anything she wore to sleep with her, she looked up as Ahriman walked forward.

"The test to determine to a degree the reality of your world is simple, I will cast my spell to protect Aætpio and send him with you back to your slumber." Taylor flexed her wings looking around.

"What about the reality of this world?" He nodded slowly before taking a step back.

"While personally it feels self evident it is not a given. The presence of Aætpio in your world should be enough that we can caution that I, he, and by extension this world is real." He sighed, touching his shoulder as he looked over the ring one hand on her vessel as he called it. "However the risk is that to send him through with you the circle will need to go down for nearly a minute before you are gone. This will let you touch the Sea, and let those in it see a glimpse of you, it will risk raising suspicion but most of the Legion are building a cathedral with Logar on the surface of this world. I believe only his second in command and a handful of other forces are present on the Rex at this moment. Though the astropaths and Navigators may see you, they shouldn't have the time or power to divine much from the glimpse of you."

Bastet watched as he carefully moved around the circle delicately altering parts of it as Aætpio followed closely. Then in a moment the small force she felt against her vanished and a tied rushed against her, the world changed and her mind still saw the room with Ahriman but beyond that there was a screaming vortex, a storm on all sides. She saw the sea of thousands of lights around her and her breath even with no lungs started to speed up the world around her shifting calming as she stretched in ways she hadn't before. Her immaterium was mostly calm, her little island like a boat on a glassy surface all around her giant towers of twisting crystal. This was nothing like that.

Something turned impossibly far away and right before she could respond she heard as Ahriman closed the vessel in the materium.

---

She screamed when she woke in her bed, sweat pouring off her, her eyes wide and heart pumping. For several minutes she sat there and the image of the great storm around her shifting echoed in her mind.

She shivered and looked around for a small angel… Nothing she could see, with a sigh she fell back onto her wet bed and clutched her hands over her chest. She had hoped that he was real it would mean that someone else could help her that she did have a real friend but no it was just a dream like she feared.

"if thou hast the strength to manifest my form, my appreciation would be without measure." The voice came inside her head sounding like some ancient and middle eastern tongue. Taylor knew how to make her fragments, and so she reached a hand out focusing on the figure in her own head. Then a ball of rings and eyes appear. "this place is beyond my world, even here no echoes remain of that which came before, time and space would not be obstacles to the guide houses my repertoire contains. would thou give me this day to examine this realm in detail as to be the most concrete with my report." Taylor nodded as she felt over herself, her body not some cluster of shadows and eyes.

Aætpio was trusted by Ahriman so Taylor figured that she could trust him. "Just, try not to be seen. We have power and organizations around to control them." A spirit of intellect should be able to figure out what she meant. His presence shattered her world, she didn't know what to make of it. Most likely she was just crazy, but then she considered Earth Alph. This whole thing with Ahriman was it like another earth, like he's from Earth Gamma?

Getting dressed for school she stopped as she saw her dad sitting at the table eating cereal and sipping a cup of tea. Taking a deep breath she sat down.

"Dad?" She hesitated as her dad looked up from his newspaper the bags set deep under his eyes.

"Yes honey?" He sounded earnest but his glance at his watch told Taylor that he wasn't focused on her.

"Dad, I'm a cape." She spoke unsure of if she wanted to show any of her powers the durability and superhuman strength maybe but her portals made people into monsters and her own monsters were not the nicest sight. "I can do alot of things, and I am talking with another world."

Danny set down his tea, took a deep breath and looked back up at her. "Taylor, I know I have been distant recently, but you know you don't have to say things like that to get my attention."

Bastet was so much easier to be sometimes, Taylor ran a hand through her hair pulling out one of her imbued pens then snapping it in half, then she grabbed onto that moment and pulled it back the pen snapping back together. "I'm not lying, dad." His eyes were wide and he looked at his tea.

"You're really a cape?" His voice was breathless and Taylor nodded slowly. "We should get you to the PRT." She sighed that was something she considered she didn't want to join the wards have it be just like her whole Freshman year has been.

"Can we put it off to the weekend dad, I… I don't want to miss school." It was a lie she wanted time to work with Ahriman, to figure out what was going on and get a good reason to stay out of the wards. Though maybe the Protectorate had advice on inter world communication.

 

[Planetary Tennis]

Spirit 1.A

Hookwolf

Claws racked over steel somehow breaking apart his hardened shifting exterior. He swung a massive claw tossing the creature back. His own back getting hit by a blast of cold from Challenger's power. He rolled gouging and tearing the tarmac as the creatures jumped at him.

In that moment Challenger hopped away stabbing her axe into the face of the prison as she surely was telling the Protectorate of the interloper in their game. He and the thing slowly circled. He wasn't afraid but he didn't make it in the ring by being completely reckless.

The creature jumped forward acting like an animal, fitting considering the dark complexion of its skin. He smashed away the whip it sent out but the flesh turned back before materializing in his arm and pulling ripping off the mass of blades with the sound of coins in a blender. He couldn't help but growl already the thing was healing flesh stitching itself up. Scabs like crystal covering the wounds all over its tendril.

A glance to ensure the protectorate hero hadn't gone inside to stop Cricket or Stormtiger was enough time for the creature to try and charge him again. His curse seemed to drive it forward before he leaped hoping to land and crush the thing with his weight. However it all turned to mist.

In a heartbeat, it clicked and Hookwolf rolled most of his mass making it out before Shadow Stalker rematerialized ripping apart his left side though she was equally injured. Whatever changer form she had was tough and even with her guts half out and filled with shards of metal she lashed at him.

Had she always been able to… Hookwolf stopped caring and rushed her, quickly jumping aside when she became smokeless and using the leap to land on a truck in the lot. He could hear the sounds of Armsmaster's motorcycle. Challenger glared at him the protectorate hero lifted a hand, seeing the frost covered facade of the Hookwolf jumped as the blast of hot air melted the truck.

He landed on one of the prisoners some black man to dumb to get out of his way. The creature was tearing after him but seemed to lack the rhythm Shadow Stalker had in her run as it's feet would sink into the road and pull up chunks of asphalt as she ran. He galloped into the woods knowing that his roar would be enough of a signal for his men on the inside.

He took his time circling back to the city leaving several trees worse for the ware that black bitch had shown up more powerful than she use to be. Horrific to look at, though he guessed that was just what her kind were like just magnified. Kaiser would want to know about whatever person empowered the bitch.

Mask on he slipped into a safehouse and got new clothing before slowly making his way to the meeting point. A quick text on a burner phone got confirmation that Cricket and Stormtiger managed to get away with a couple of their guys, not as big as a scoop as he had hoped.

---

???

It was something lesser before her, the one called Taylor in this world. She was of power beyond its own. Though not as much as its true master, before him she was akin to an ant before the greatest of trees.

Potential that was what she had. A whole world of potential untouched by the gods, the warp here was strangely calm great pillars in it drained heavy emotions away. It dared not near them considering that effect.

It needed to create an anchor. The balance of the great game had been upset before with the birth of She Who Thirsts and now it could turn another budding thing into fertilizer for his own master.

In a moment it was far from the girl, the near otherside of the world a place where the lords keep all secret. Moving into the warp it approaches one of the leaders whispering words that would being forth a ritual to call forth its lord.

A moment's work to gain eternity. It watches the flows of fate. The stand it wove was going to be disrupted. It spoke another word to another man this would stop the change in the plan it foresaw.

The fates shifted again and another creature of foresight was working against it. A few more words for minor goals and for plans it could touch up in the future. It did not have the power to combat this by itself.

The powers of the its master may be able to work, perhaps a more powerful kin could be worked through the solution perhaps even come here for their own working goals.

Its many changes would be undone; it could see the other fateweaver moving in the flow of effect. It returned to the girl's house as the sun fell down around. She looked up at it as it returned to the materium using the lingering strength of Ahirman.

"return my being to thy mind for this return if thou will begin that ritual." The one known as Taylor reached out and touched him.

---

Erebus

Four parts, he had once seen himself in a broken mirror, a sign from the gods. He was one of their chosen, and Lorgar, his foolish blind father, would see them in time.

He runs his hand over the marks covering his scalp the Book of Lorgar, the words of his father painted on his flesh. He would bear this weight and would work to the greater ends of the truth. The great gods that he was pledged to.

He watches as Kor Phaeron draws near. "Had you felt that first Chaplin?" Erebus would smile up with an evil look.

"Has your mortal form finally failed you?" Erebus stood and touched his blade, aware of the effect that such provocation could have on the man.

Kor Phaeron scowled and waved off Erebus's words. "Not that you fool, something was here in the warp." Erebus raised an eyebrow.

"To you feel that the Thousand Sons sorcerer has been playing with the powers? I have felt something strange with his presence and his blade seems to be blessed." To that Kor Phaeron's own face twisted up.

"This Ahriman, you think he is chosen by the powers then. If he is I do not recognize the power he called upon, he may be touched by some foul Xeno, or other that would undo all that we seek to do. I will distract him, and I ask only that you examine his room." Erebus laughed turning from the Captain of the First Company.

"I will do your will, for I feel that the powers will it too, but be careful halfborn lest you are made to face a true Astarties upon the fields of combat." Kor Phaeron left the room with not another word as Erebus smirked moving towards the chamber that housed the Thousand Sons' Sorcerer.

Soon after he arrives the man Ahriman leaves the room in a rush, Erebus moves up the moment before the door finishes closing sliding his blade in the catch the mechanism. The gods blesses him indeed.

The room is filled with tomes but otherwise much like that of any Astarties. Interestingly a circle lay in the floor copper and salt with a strange bronze mechanism laying on the floor.

In an instant seeing the thing Erebus knew it's importance it radiated power. His hand pulled it up holding tight examining the ten circles carved upon the length of the cylinder.

He didn't have time to do much and surely Ahriman would notice it's absence. Two hand then he turns it opening it the cylinder turning such that the first circle is broken. Then in mist and shadow an angel appeared and Erebus could do but one thing.

So he bowed to the agent of the powers as the figure opened up many eyes.

"What the fuck?"

 

[Planetary Tennis]

Spirit 1.5

Taylor watched as the angel vanished; she knew that it would be a day on the other side if only because Ahriman had agreed to wait a day before opening the vessel again. The thing was silent as she got ready for bed hopefully her homeworld didn't break the mind of the knowledge spirit. She didn't imagine Ahriman would be overly happy with her in that case, it was possible that he would hate her for it.

She bottled away the feelings of worry, and then the feelings of deep loneliness that the closest thing she had to a friend was a supersoldier wizard from another dimension. Part of her that sounded deeply like Emma asked how sad that was but Taylor pushed it down hard as she laid in bed then willed herself to sleep.

---

When Bastet opened her eyes Aætpio was hovering near her, for a brief moment before vanishing, likely returning to Ahriman, who Taylor realized was not before her.

Her eyes opened wide and she could feel her power coil like a spring, she had to focus on this threat even as the boiling sea of the local warp attacked me from all directions. Her island was pushing it away, this place much harder for me to do so.

With the sea under control she inspected the man before her was too tall, another Astarties than. In a moment most of her worry went away she knew that this could be dangerous but it was unlikely the… Bastet stopped and stared watching as the powerful superhuman got to his knee before her, his head low as he clutched her vessel.

"What the fuck?" Taylor couldn't help it her mouth well she didn't have a mouth in this body but still. He looked up as if broken from whatever spell he had been entranced in.

"What would the powers have me do, oh messenger?" That caused me to blink as I tried to remember all the terms and trivia I had picked up with Ahriman.

"I am not an Astropath." She said succinctly, cutting through the confusion. She was not that bad…

"I did not mean to say you were from such a lowly station." Taylor blinked all her eyes at one looking at him as he sat before her, his body trembling. She could hold her own in a friendly spar but she doubted she could fight Ahriman in single combat if he was going all out. This man was another Astarties she couldn't see why he was shaking. "Oh messenger of the Powers, what is it that you wish of me?"

"The Powers?" Quickly she tried to thumb through the factions and groups that Ahirman spoke of. It couldn't be the Orks they were enemies, the Emperor whose name she still doesn't know would have used an Astropath, so would the legions. Except for his own legion maybe was he mistaking me for some kind of internal messenger of the Word Bearers?

"Ah, you speak for the Riddle Master." That name sounded more like a Cape name than a military station, but the Thousand Sons had sorcerers so who knew what was happening. Raising a hand up she was about to speak when the door broke open. Ahriman stood his Khopesh drawn, sparking with the energy from the power field.

"Erebus, I called you cousin, friend, battle brother, what excuse do you have for this treachery?" The man Taylor was speaking to turned smiling wide holding her container in one hand.

"No hostility is needed for we are both servants to the Powers. Kor Phaeron had sensed a presence and thought you were working against our goals. I see you have an angel in your service, that you would be so highly thought of." The anger on the man's face twisted into confusion but as they both considered each other a third figure neared yelling.

"Strike him now, Erebus." Taylor had a moment to react to her own form intercepting the power blade the man behind Ahriman sent at his back her own form took it, the blade sinking into shadowy flesh as she let out a cry of pain powering through to pull the blade up as it sliced through her arm.

In a moment as she stopped the blade at his back Ahriman struck at Erebus the other Astartes had no time to draw his blade and hurriedly intercepted the Khopesh with her container. All her eyes went wide as the power field sunk into strange metal. Then a star was born in Ahriman's room her body thrown against the wall and books burning as great power exploded outwards for a moment the first since she was in this world she became unconscious.

---

Taylor woke to the sounds of sirens her room torn apart with paramedics looking over her. She blinked trying to move only to feel as all ten of her eyes opened and her wings twitched. In front of her stood Armsmaster his lower face set in a quiet frown.

"She's not injured though from what we can see she was and is rapidly recovering from it." The paramedic had a small PRT badge. She had to blink again she never actually thought about the PRT needing their own doctors and medics. It made sense with some thought but she hadn't done that before.

"What happened?" Her speech was strange echoing from every part of the room less like normal words and more like she was commanding the sentence into existence. She folded up her body feeling like that from the other world considering gravity more like a suggestion than a rule.

Floating in the air she could see with all her eyes the hole in her wall the ruins of her room around her shattered by the same force that blackened it. Her mind flashed to the destruction of her container in the other world. "Miss Herbert please calm down everything is alright the Protectorate is here." Taylor could help but not feel reassured.

 

[Dalxein]

Needs more commas or sentence breaks. I keep having to stop and re-read sentences, adding pauses and shifting tones that aren't easily apparent in the text, because shifts in focus or subject aren't properly marked out. Really pulls me out of the story.

 

[Darth.]

Story is pretty good I guess, definitely unique. But the way it flows is really standing in the way of me really getting into it. It's not just the punctuation but the grammar and sentence structure as well. Please get a beta.

 

[Causeimboredrigh]

I just read this over on SB

I must say, Tzeetch approves! Good chapter

 

[Doccer]

---

---

Taylor woke to the sounds of sirens her room torn apart with paramedics looking over her. She blinked trying to move only to feel as all ten of her eyes opened and her wings twitched. In front of her stood Armsmaster his lower face set in a quiet frown.

"She's not injured though from what we can see she was and is rapidly recovering from it." The paramedic had a small PRT badge. She had to blink again she never actually thought about the PRT needing their own doctors and medics. It made sense with some thought but she hadn't done that before.

"What happened?" Her speech was strange echoing from every part of the room less like normal words and more like she was commanding the sentence into existence. She folded up her body feeling like that from the other world considering gravity more like a suggestion than a rule.

Floating in the air she could see with all her eyes the hole in her wall the ruins of her room around her shattered by the same force that blackened it. Her mind flashed to the destruction of her container in the other world. "Miss Herbert please calm down everything is alright the Protectorate is here." Taylor could help but not feel reassured.

Click to shrink...

This ending bit is very different on the other site.
So is she split and this is gonna be 2 different stories then? A Taylor over there and a Taylor over here?

 

[hypedhamster]

Truly a top tier story