Seeds of Taint from TauOnline.Org

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Tzanoth stood in the centre of a circle of eight Acolyte-Sorcerers, each stood upon the point of a star. Another ring of twenty-four Thrall Wizards surrounded the inner ring, which were in turn surrounded by seventy-two Cultists, their chanting voices raised high with the words of Chaos.

"Gods of Chaos... hear my words... May this place become an altar to your divine powers... may all blood shed be in honour of Khorne... may the pleasure of death surround Slaneesh... may the rotting dead be placed at Nurgle's feet... may Tzeench, mighty Changer of Ways, weave the tapestries of fate to bring sacrifice to this place..."

" Sorcerer! "

Tzanoth hissed with fury, "My lord! This is a delicate process! My concentration must be absolute!"

The armoured warrior entered, apparantly unconcerned about Tzanoth's complaints. He wore the armour of the Black Legion, and bore the markings of one of Abaddon's Chosen.

"You are taking too long, Sorcerer! You promised me that this world would be filled with the Glory of Chaos... that promise was made a month ago, and still you have not given me results!"

Tzanoth gave a daemonic snarl, "perhaps it is because you are ignorant of the power we are unleashing! This is no simple summoning, this is drawing an entire world into the Warp! The conditions must be perfect, and demands factors that are impossible to predict!"

The Sorcerer relaxed slightly, "such as this interruption. You have already cost us days of work with this latest outburst..."

The Black Legion champion looked as if he was going to reply, but bit his tongue... "I expect results, Tzanoth, do not forget that!"

As he left the chamber, Tzanoth smiled, "Oh I will give results, Lord Braxxat... results that will change your fate forever..."

With that, Tzanoth resumed the chanting.

"They are called the Khimos," Por'La Bork'an Tisen told the assembed Tau.

The creature looked like a Tau, but its caste was indeterminate. It smiled slightly, which made him look intoxicated.

Shas'La Bork'an Shovah stared at the creature, unusure of what to make of it. Suddenly, there was a blur of movement, which made the firewarrior wince.

The creature had changed. Its jaw had widened, the skin around it turning scaley green, and revealing needle-sharp teeth. The Khimos had swallowed a small rodent, crunching it gorily, before returning to its Tau form.

"They are shapeshifters," La'Tisen explained, "they mimic other creatures to avoid the attention of predators."

"Like the Praedar no doubt," Shas'Ui Maiten muttered bitterly.

"Now now, the Praedar have proven themselves-"

"One tried to kill me!" Ui'Maiten snapped, "The only reason it didn't was because a Kroot Hound tried to attack, so it ate the hound instead! What is it with this region of space any way? It seems every world we've found is trying to breed the ultimate predator, and as if we hadn't found enough, the Tyranids are everywhere!"

Ui'Maiten looked around at his companions, who were all staring at something behind him. He turned, feelings of raw terror washing over him.

The beast was seven feet tall. Its flesh was a greenish-brown, matching the savannah that surrounded the settlement. Its hands and feet sported viscious claws, and its teeth shone like sharpened steel. It spoke in a deep growl, a rolling feral voice that made a cold sweat break out on Ui'Maiten's spine.

"Ah, prey. You are late."

La'Tisen stepped forward, "Ah, you are... I'm sorry, my counterparts did not give a name."

"I have no name. However... Kauyon will suffice."

Kauyon... Hunter. How appropriate.

"Well, I suppose I should-"

"Later," Kauyon interrupted, "I have found something of interest. I would gather your forces, for I feel a Blood-War is coming."

Ui'Maiten shuddered, wondering what could be so interesting to a cold-blooded killer.