The moment the explosion happened, Karim Decalemus, Chapter Master of the Fury of Flame Chapter, felt his heart sink for no reason. A violent tremor followed, and rumbling blasts began to echo from within the lower decks.
In that instant, Karim was certain he heard laughter.
"What happened?" someone asked over the vox-channel. It was Martigus, who excelled in close combat. "Chapter Master—"
"—I know." Karim's voice was low as he brought his Power Sword down and took a traitor's head. The heavy body in brass armor collapsed onto the deck, skulls hanging from its pauldrons scattering across the floor.
Laughter rang out ahead of them. It was Elder Bartlett's voice. An unsettling synthesized tone poured from the speakers as a power claw, under flickering red light, dismembered a traitor in an instant. Flesh and blood spread evenly across the metal of the claw's palm, then sprayed outward with another swing.
"It is It."
The elder laughed as he spat out those cold words. His voice echoed through the corridor, mingling with the voices of the traitors howling blasphemous war cries, yet louder than all of them combined.
"It found you in the end," Elder Bartlett said as he slaughtered the traitors. "Prepare yourself, Karim Decalemus."
"Prepare for what?"
"Death," the Dreadnought said. This time, he did not laugh.
"Benson Hendricks, report to me!"
The sergeant shouted the Destroyer Squad breacher's name over the vox-channel, then the names of the five battle-brothers supporting him. He kept calling them for two straight minutes.
No one answered.
Damn it.
Seeing there was no response, he switched vox-channels. Pale-blue runes shifted, vanished, and Chaplain Demos's voice appeared beside his ear, urgent. "Sergeant, what was that explosion just now?!"
"The ammunition depot. It exploded," the sergeant answered heavily. "Brother Benson and the battle-brothers