After clearing out the Slaaneshi Cultists around the landing zone, Thomas advanced into the island's darkness.
A strange smell wormed into his nose.
Following the scent, Thomas looked toward a great cauldron.
Churning chunks of meat gave off a rich, heavy aroma, mingling with the bloody reek of the thick broth.
Within the "Wizard's" Eye of Secrecy, which he could not shut, illusory images surfaced.
Crablike claws tore through pale flesh.
A winding long tongue coiled around chunks of meat and swallowed them into a gaping maw.
Thomas raised a hand, and the Mind Servitor lifted the Bedrock-pattern Bolter and blasted the nauseating cauldron apart.
The road gradually widened. The Chief Librarians spread out, using Gryphon's Roar to purify the Slaaneshi Cultists.
Thomas led the squad straight toward the center of the island—the most evil place he could sense.
Following the heavy musk, he saw a fallen hermaphroditic creature.
The armor he wore was ornate and bizarre, far beyond the technical level of his followers and the Ocean Tribe.
One side of his chest swelled upright, while the other retained a man's flatness.
In his left hand he raised a strange weapon, while his right arm was bent into a crescent hook.
The tribe's Slaaneshi Champion let out a shriek, swift as the wind, flashing across the six bone-white steps of the Moon-shaped Temple in an instant.
The "Wizard" raised his hand and threw out Catachan Bramble, petals, and leaves. The Bramble grew wildly, linking the petals and leaves together.
Bramble wrapped around the bent legs, petals clung to the ornate greaves, and leaves drilled into the gaps.
Hiss, hiss, hiss...
From within the Slaaneshi Champion's abdomen came a strange hissing cry. His belly swelled like a balloon, then burst.
Amid the explosion, his stomach, the undigested flesh and