Relics Chapter 3 excerpt and link

"Fuck!" Eli yelled.

Eli looked down the stairs. He was losing sight of the defense formation. He rapidly clicked through his lens sensors. Nothing worked. None of his multi-spectrum sights could penetrate the blood. He turned to Naran.

"Can you see him?" He asked, though he didn't dare to hope.

She was frantically working on her wrist slate, trying to find some way to see through the storm. Her lenses rapidly changed colors, cycling through every optical option she had.

"No. Nothing." She replied.

"Armor cell! Where are you!?" Eli had to scream over the sound of the daemon horde.

"We're here! What in Terra is happening?!"

"You must sweep the storm! It's the priest, bring him down!"

Eli couldn't see Armor Cell, but could just make out the muzzle flashes of the mounted heavy bolter they brought. The trajectory of its fire turned upwards and riddled the storm with explosive rounds that slammed into the cathedral, raining fresh fire and debris on the battlefield.

"Fall back into the cathedral. Aid arrives soon." Brother Decimus' voice boomed over the vox.

Eli and his cell needed to cover their retreat, but could see nothing from here. They began to run back down the steps. Qara slipped in the blood and tumbled down the stairs in front of them.

Eli heard Batu over the vox, screaming in a last ditch attempt for help.

"Get it off me, Serel shoot it!" before his vox cut off, and the rune indicating Batu's life signs went dark, followed by Serel's.

Eli stopped. He took stock of his surroundings. He looked for the way out. There was always a way out. But Eli saw none.

All he could see was blood.

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