The massive iron doors groaned as they swung inward, their rusted hinges screeching in protest. The air beyond was thick and stifling, heavy with the tang of molten metal and the faint, coppery stench of blood. Servius’s sharp green eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, his claws scraping faintly against the warped stone floor. Behind him, Adrasta moved with deliberate care, her autogun raised and ready despite the dwindling ammunition in her magazines.

  The chamber beyond the doors was vast, its vaulted ceiling lost in the gloom above. Pillars of twisted black stone rose like jagged fangs, each one etched with pulsating sigils that oozed an unnatural light. At the far end of the room stood a massive throne, carved from what appeared to be a single slab of obsidian and adorned with jagged, rusted spikes. The throne’s edges were draped with the tattered remains of Imperial banners, their once-proud Aquilas defaced and twisted into profane symbols of Chaos.

  And on that throne sat Kael Dravak.

  The Chaos Champion was massive, even by Astartes standards, his hulking form encased in Terminator armor that seemed to pulse faintly with the Warp’s energy. His crimson armor was scarred and battered, its once-pristine heraldry now obscured by layers of corrosion and daemonic growth. Spikes jutted from his pauldrons and helmet, their edges gleaming faintly in the dim light. His eyes burned with an unnatural crimson glow, and his lips curled into a cruel sneer as he regarded the two intruders before him.

  Dravak rose slowly, his movements deliberate and menacing. In his hands, he held a massive power maul, its head crackling with arcs of Warp-infused energy. The weapon hummed with malicious intent, the glow of its energy casting eerie shadows across the chamber.

  “So,” Dravak rumbled, his voice a deep, guttural growl that echoed through the chamber. “You are the ones who have been causing such... inconvenience.”

  Servius didn’t respond. His tail flicked sharply behind him as he raised his bolt pistol, his green eyes locking onto Dravak with cold precision. Beside him, Adrasta tightened her grip on her autogun, her scarred face set in a grim expression.

  Dravak chuckled, the sound low and mocking. “I commend your courage, mortals,” he said, his voice dripping with contempt. “But courage alone will not save you. You stand before a Champion of the Dark Gods, and your lives are already forfeit.”

  Servius’s voice was cold and sharp when he finally spoke. “You talk too much.”

  The Chaos Champion’s sneer widened into a malevolent grin. “And you will scream too little,” he replied, his tone laced with malice.

  Without another word, Dravak raised his power axe and stepped forward, the ground trembling beneath his massive boots.

  Dravak moved with terrifying speed for a being of his size, his axe crashing down toward Servius with the force of a meteor. Servius darted to the side, the weapon slamming into the ground where he had stood moments before. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the chamber, cracking the stone floor and throwing Adrasta off balance.

  Servius countered immediately, his bolt pistol barking as he fired three rapid shots at the weak points in Dravak’s armor. The explosive rounds struck the Terminator’s shoulder joint, but the heavy ceramite absorbed the brunt of the damage. Dravak barely flinched, his burning gaze locking onto Servius with a predator’s focus.

  Adrasta opened fire from the side, her autogun spitting a controlled burst of rounds at Dravak’s exposed flank. The bullets sparked harmlessly off his armor, but they drew his attention for a brief moment—a moment Servius capitalized on.

  He lunged forward, his knife flashing in the dim light as he struck at the gap between Dravak’s torso and arm. The blade bit deep, carving through ceramite and into the flesh beneath. Black blood sprayed from the wound, hissing as it hit the floor, but Dravak’s roar was more one of rage than pain.

  The Chaos Champion swung his axe in a wide arc, forcing Servius to leap back. The weapon’s head crackled with energy, the faint, ghostly screams of the damned emanating from its surface as it passed through the air.

  “You will die screaming!” Dravak bellowed, his voice shaking the very walls of the chamber. He turned toward Adrasta, his crimson eyes narrowing as he raised the accursed axe. “And you first!”

  Adrasta’s breath hitched as Kael Dravak barreled toward her, his massive form an avalanche of crimson armor and crackling energy. The air seemed to warp around him, the sickly glow of his power maul illuminating the jagged edges of the chamber with a pulsing, daemonic light. Her knuckles tightened around the grip of her autogun as she fired another burst, the rounds sparking uselessly against his corrupted Terminator plate.

  Her mind screamed at her to run, but her body stayed rooted in place, adrenaline locking her muscles in a desperate, defiant stance. She fired again, but the Chaos Champion didn’t even flinch. He was coming for her.

  Dravak let out a guttural growl, the sound reverberating in her bones. “You’ll die screaming, little mortal!” he bellowed, raising the crackling maul high above his head as he closed the distance.

  Servius’s sharp eyes tracked every movement, his mind calculating the trajectory of Dravak’s charge in an instant. Time seemed to slow, the sound of Adrasta’s autogun fading into a dull hum as his predator’s instincts kicked in. He raised his bolt pistol in one fluid motion, his tail flicking sharply as he fired.

  The bolt streaked through the air, slamming into the Chaos Champion’s knee joint with a resounding crack. The explosive round detonated, blasting through layers of ceramite and flesh. Dravak faltered, his massive frame staggering under the sudden blow.

  “Move!” Servius barked, his voice slicing through the chaos like a blade.

  Adrasta snapped out of her shock, her survival instincts finally kicking in. She dove to the side just as Dravak’s power maul came crashing down. The weapon struck the ground with cataclysmic force, sending a plume of shattered stone and molten sparks into the air. The shockwave knocked Adrasta onto her back, her autogun skidding from her grasp and clattering across the floor.

  She scrambled to her feet, her heart hammering in her chest as she backed away, her gray eyes darting between Dravak and Servius. The Chaos Champion turned toward her, his crimson eyes blazing with fury as he raised his weapon once more.

  But Servius was already moving.

  The feline warrior closed the distance in a blur of motion, his knife flashing in the flickering light as he darted around Dravak’s massive form. With calculated precision, he drove the blade into the back of the Champion’s knee, targeting the weakened joint where his bolt had struck. The power blade bit deep, carving through the corrupted flesh and ligaments beneath the ceramite.

  Dravak roared in pain, a guttural sound that shook the very walls of the chamber. He spun around with a backhanded swipe, the massive gauntlet of his free hand arcing toward Servius with bone-crushing force. Servius ducked low, the wind from the blow ruffling the fur on his ears as it narrowly missed his head. He rolled to the side, his claws scraping against the stone as he came to his feet in a crouch.

  “You... dare?” Dravak snarled, his voice a mixture of rage and disbelief. Black ichor dripped from the wound in his knee, hissing and steaming as it hit the ground. His power maul crackled with renewed energy, arcs of lightning dancing along its surface as he swung it toward Servius.

  Servius dodged again, his movements fluid and feline, but the force of the swing sent another shockwave rippling through the chamber. Stone cracked and splintered beneath Dravak’s assault, and debris rained from the ceiling as the fortress itself seemed to shudder under the Chaos Champion’s wrath.

  Adrasta, still recovering her footing, snatched her fallen autogun and fired a short burst at Dravak’s exposed back. The rounds pinged harmlessly off his armor, but the sound drew his attention for a split second again—a second Servius didn’t waste.

  He lunged forward, his knife gleaming faintly with the eerie light of the Nexus as he drove it toward the weak point in Dravak’s elbow joint. The blade struck true, slicing through cables and muscle as sparks erupted from the severed connection. The Chaos Champion’s arm jerked involuntarily, the grip on his power maul faltering for the briefest of moments.

  Dravak howled, his bellow a mix of rage and pain as his arm hung limply at his side, the corrupted tendrils of Warp energy surrounding him flickering weakly. He turned his burning gaze back toward Servius, his expression twisting into a mask of pure hatred.

  “You fight like a rat,” Dravak spat, his deep voice dripping with venom. “Skittering and clawing, striking from the shadows. But you cannot match the power of the Dark Gods!”

  Servius didn’t respond. He didn’t need to. His eyes burned with cold resolve as he prepared to strike again, his every movement precise and calculated. His tail flicked sharply behind him as he circled the Chaos Champion, his ears twitching as he listened for the report of Adrasta’s autogun.

  Dravak roared and raised his axe with his remaining arm, the weapon crackling with unstable energy as he brought it down toward Servius in a brutal overhead swing. But the feline warrior was too fast. He sidestepped the blow, the blade slamming into the ground with a thunderous crash that sent chunks of stone flying in every direction.

  Adrasta seized the opening, her voice a sharp bark as she called out to Servius. “Now!”

  Servius didn’t hesitate. He darted forward, his knife aimed for the weak point in Dravak’s neck. The blade gleamed as it cut through the air, its edge honed to perfection.

  But Dravak wasn’t finished yet.

  The Chaos Champion twisted his body at the last second, his armored gauntlet lashing out toward Servius with brutal speed. The blow connected, catching the feline across his ribs and sending him sprawling across the chamber floor. The air rushed from Servius’s lungs as he hit the ground hard, his knife skittering from his grasp and spinning into the shadows.

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  Dravak loomed over him, his towering form casting a shadow that seemed to swallow the light. His crimson eyes burned with triumph as he raised his maul, the weapon crackling with deadly energy.

  “You should have run when you had the chance,” Dravak growled, his voice a death sentence.

  Servius’s sharp mind raced as he struggled to regain his footing, his claws scrabbling against the stone. His wide eyes darted toward his knife, still lying just out of reach, and then back toward the Chaos Champion.

  Time was running out.

  Dravak’s power axe crackled ominously as he swung it in a wide arc, the jagged teeth of the weapon leaving glowing trails of Warp lightning in their wake. The axe bit into the floor where Servius had been moments before, carving a molten trench through the stone. The sheer force of the blow sent shards of rock and molten debris flying, the heat from the weapon distorting the air around it.

  Servius rolled to the side, his ribs aching from the earlier blow, his sharp green eyes never leaving Dravak. The Chaos Champion moved with terrifying speed for someone his size, his massive frame seeming to defy the weight of his terminator plate. Every step he took sent vibrations through the floor, his crimson eyes locked onto Servius like a predator cornering its prey.

  "You’re fast, little beast," Dravak snarled, his voice carrying the weight of centuries of bloodshed. "But speed won’t save you. I’ve crushed warriors greater than you—broken their skulls and burned their worlds. You are nothing."

  Servius didn’t respond. His breathing was sharp but controlled as he darted to a piece of fallen stone, using it as cover to recalibrate his next move. His bolt pistol was back in his grip, its magazine loaded with precious rounds, but he knew it wouldn’t penetrate Dravak’s terminator armor unless he found another weak point. And his knife—his best weapon for exploiting those gaps—lay just out of reach, half-buried under rubble on the far side of the chamber.

  Adrasta crouched behind a pillar, her autogun in hand, her sharp gray eyes watching the duel with barely concealed frustration. Her shots had done nothing but spark harmlessly off the Chaos Champion’s armor, and she knew better than to waste what little ammunition she had left. She pressed her back against the cold stone, her mind racing for a way to contribute without getting herself killed.

  Dravak stomped forward, his massive boots crunching against the rubble as he swung the power axe in another devastating arc. The weapon sliced cleanly through the stone cover Servius had taken, cleaving it in two as Servius darted away, his tail flicking sharply behind him.

  “I expected more from the one who’s caused such a nuisance to my warband,” Dravak growled, his tone dripping with contempt. “But now I see—you’re nothing but a rat. A scavenger clawing in the shadows.”

  Servius’s sharp eyes darted to his knife, calculating the distance. The weapon lay only a few meters away, but reaching it would mean exposing himself to Dravak’s relentless assault. His mind raced, searching for an opening, a distraction—anything that would give him the fraction of a second he needed.

  Adrasta saw it too. Her gaze flicked between Servius and the knife, her jaw tightening as she realized what he was planning. Her knuckles whitened around the grip of her autogun as she made her decision.

  “Hey, bastard!” she shouted, stepping out from her cover. Her voice echoed through the chamber, cutting through the crackle of the power axe and the distant hum of the fortress. “What’s the matter? Can’t handle one cat and a mortal?”

  Dravak’s head snapped toward her, his crimson eyes blazing with fury. “You dare mock me, worm?” he snarled, his voice a thunderclap of rage. “I will crush you beneath my boot.”

  He started toward her, his power axe dragging across the floor and leaving a trail of molten rock in its wake. Adrasta stood her ground, her breathing steady despite the Chaos Champion’s terrifying approach. She raised her autogun and fired, the rounds sparking harmlessly off his chest plate but keeping his focus firmly on her.

  It was the opening Servius needed.

  The feline warrior moved like a shadow, darting across the battlefield with fluid precision. He reached his knife and scooped it up in one swift motion, the blade gleaming faintly in the flickering light. He turned toward Dravak, his sharp green eyes narrowing as he calculated his next strike.

  Adrasta fired another burst, the autogun clicking dry as the last of her ammunition was spent. She tossed the weapon aside, drawing her combat knife as Dravak closed the distance.

  “You think your defiance matters?” Dravak growled, his voice dripping with malice. “You will die screaming, just like the rest.”

  Adrasta smirked, a faint, grim curve of her lips. “You talk too much.”

  Dravak roared, raising his power axe high for a killing blow. But before he could bring it down, Servius struck.

  The feline warrior lunged forward, his knife flashing as he drove it into the exposed cables beneath Dravak’s armpit. The blade pierced through corrupted flesh and armor alike, drawing a spray of black ichor that hissed and steamed as it hit the ground. Dravak bellowed in pain, his arm jerking involuntarily as sparks erupted from the severed cables.

  “Now, Adrasta!” Servius barked, his voice sharp and commanding.

  Adrasta didn’t hesitate. She surged forward, using the distraction to close the distance between herself and the Chaos Champion. Her combat knife was in her hand, but it wasn’t her weapon of choice. As Dravak twisted toward Servius, she reached for a krak grenade strapped to her belt, her fingers working quickly to prime the detonator.

  The Chaos Champion snarled, his attention torn between the two enemies who had dared to challenge him. “I’ll kill you both!” he roared, his power axe swinging wildly as he tried to shake Servius off.

  Adrasta moved with grim determination, ducking beneath the swing of the axe and closing the final gap. Dravak didn’t even notice her—not until she drove the primed krak grenade into the exposed cables at the base of his neck.

  “Your gods won’t save you now,” she hissed, her voice low and venomous.

  Dravak’s crimson eyes widened, the realization dawning too late. Adrasta dove backward just as the grenade detonated, the explosion ripping through the Chaos Champion’s armor with a deafening roar. The corrupted ceramite and flesh tore apart in a spray of black blood and molten shrapnel, the force of the blast sending Dravak crashing to the ground.

  The aftermath of the explosion left the chamber cloaked in a haze of dust and smoke. The acrid stench of molten ceramite and burning flesh hung heavy in the air, mingling with the faint metallic tang of blood. The massive, broken form of Kael Dravak lay sprawled across the shattered stone floor, his terminator armor split and mangled from the blast. Sparks danced across the jagged edges of his ruined plating, and his crimson eyes, once blazing with malevolence, now flickered weakly, like dying embers.

  Servius staggered backward, his chest heaving as he took in the scene. His tail flicked sharply, the movement betraying the tension still coiled within him. His knife was slick with black ichor, the blade still clutched tightly in his hand. Slowly, he turned to Adrasta, his sharp green eyes narrowing as he registered the sight before him.

  Adrasta lay crumpled against the base of a jagged pillar, her scarred face pale and slick with blood. One of her arms hung limp at her side, the jagged bone of her shoulder exposed where a shard of ceramite had torn through her armor. Her breath came in shallow, ragged gasps, and her sharp gray eyes fluttered open and closed as she fought to stay conscious.

  “Adrasta!” Servius barked, crossing the chamber in an instant. He dropped to a crouch beside her, his claws hovering uncertainly over her battered form as his gaze swept over her injuries. The blast had flung her across the chamber like a ragdoll, and it was clear that the damage went beyond the visible wounds.

  She coughed weakly, her bloodied lips twitching into a faint smirk as she looked up at him. “Still... breathing,” she rasped, her voice a whisper of its usual strength. “Takes... more than that... to kill me.”

  “You’re not dying here,” Servius said firmly, his voice edged with a sharp determination. He reached for her good arm, but she shook her head weakly, her scarred features twisting into a faint grimace.

  “Don’t,” she said, her tone soft but resolute. “You’ve got... a mission. Can’t waste... time on me.”

  “I don’t take orders from you,” Servius growled, his tail flicking sharply behind him as he reached for the medkit strapped to his belt. “Stay still.”

  Adrasta coughed again, a faint, humorless chuckle escaping her lips. “You’re a stubborn bastard, you know that?” she muttered, her voice laced with faint amusement despite the pain.

  “Save your breath,” Servius replied coldly, his sharp green eyes narrowing as he inspected the wound on her shoulder. It was bad—too bad for the limited supplies in his medkit to fully address. But he could stabilize her, at least long enough to get her back to the ship.

  As he worked, Adrasta’s gaze drifted toward Dravak’s shattered form. The Chaos Champion’s body twitched faintly, his massive frame shuddering with the last vestiges of life. His crimson eyes flickered weakly, locking onto Adrasta with a gaze that still burned with hatred, even in his final moments.

  “You...” Dravak rasped, his voice distorted and broken. “You... dare... defy the will... of the gods...”

  Adrasta’s smirk returned, faint but defiant. She forced herself to sit up slightly, wincing as the movement sent a fresh wave of pain through her battered body. Her gray eyes locked onto Dravak’s, and she spat a glob of blood onto the ground between them.

  “Your gods,” she hissed, her voice trembling but venomous, “can choke on their own lies.”

  Dravak’s body spasmed one final time, a low, guttural growl escaping his ruined vox-grille. His crimson eyes dimmed, the flickering light fading into darkness as his broken form finally went still. The oppressive weight of his presence lifted, leaving the chamber eerily quiet.

  Adrasta slumped back against the pillar, her strength fading. Servius finished binding her wounds as best he could, his sharp eyes flicking toward the ruined corpse of Kael Dravak before returning to her pale face.

  “You did it,” he said quietly, his tone uncharacteristically soft. “You killed him.”

  “We killed him,” Adrasta corrected, her voice barely above a whisper. “Team effort... Cat.”

  For a moment, there was silence between them, broken only by the faint hum of the fortress’s shifting walls. Servius sat back on his heels, his claws flexing against his knees as he considered their next move. They were deep in enemy territory, Adrasta was gravely injured, and reinforcements could arrive at any moment. The odds weren’t in their favor.

  “I’ll get you out of here,” Servius said finally, his voice hardening with resolve. “But you’re not going to be able to fight. You’ll slow me down.”

  Adrasta chuckled weakly, a faint, rasping sound. “Guess that means... this is where we part ways,” she muttered. “You’ve got your path... and I’ve got mine. Just... promise me one thing.”

  Servius’s sharp green eyes narrowed. “What?”

  Adrasta’s gaze locked onto his, her expression serious despite the faint smirk tugging at her bloodied lips. “Make it count,” she said, her voice steady despite the pain. “Whatever you’re doing here... whoever you’re trying to save... make it count.”

  Servius nodded once, a sharp, deliberate motion. “Very well.”

  Adrasta closed her eyes, her head resting against the pillar as her breathing steadied slightly. “Good,” she murmured. “Now go. Before more of those bastards show up.”

  Servius rose to his feet, his tail flicking sharply as he turned toward the massive iron doors leading out of the chamber. He glanced back at Adrasta one last time, his sharp green eyes lingering on her battered form.

  “Stay alive,” he said quietly, his voice carrying an edge of finality. “I don’t want to have to come back and clean up after you.”

  Adrasta chuckled faintly, the sound fading as Servius stepped through the iron doors and into the shadowed corridors beyond. The fortress seemed to stir around him, the oppressive weight of the Warp pressing against his senses as he moved deeper into its twisted depths.

  The battle wasn’t over yet. But Kael Dravak was dead, and the path forward was clearer than it had been before.

  https://youtu.be/aB8olPdio_o?si=_5b_2_ptgynFtusz