Champion of Tzeentch

Chapter 8

Cord led his men down the path, the steps made of a pearlescent colour that kept changing their height and width, repeatedly members of the retinue tripped at with the changes in size but Cord kept his footing the entire way. Watching the surrounding slopes he could see the other retinue's moving down, they were not going to be alone travelling the tunnels of the pyramid. Moving further towards the pyramid waves of power washed over them, they could feel almost the pure essence of chaos increasing in power with every step. Looking at the pyramid he could see the interlaced runes of the dark tongues carved into its surface travelling all the way up to the pinnacle. Five harpies stood guard motionless, so still that he would have thought them to be statues if not for the dusky colour of the feathers and the bright yellow of the clawed birds' feet, the skin was a weathered brown wrinkled and ancient with the crones face peering directly at Cord. He didn't flinch from their gaze as how strode towards them with his retinue in tow.

"It is he!" One of the harpies shouted

"The last pretenders was killed, here is our champion!" Another shouted. Cord blink and all five were at his feet bowing to him.

"Thank you...Ladies. Have you been expecting me?" Cord asked halting their progress.

"We have been waiting for the champion that is more Tzeentch than human. The others failed" A wing-arm gestured to a mound of bones.

"Then follow me, we are not alone in the pursuit of the prize" Cord said stepping forwards. The Harpies moved out of his way and hopped along on their bird feet with the rest of the retinue. Cord took the steps to the entrance three at a time and began to duck into the pyramids entrance when the door expanded to accommodate him, as cord moved down the corridor it continued to do this a strange phosphorescence guiding his way. What cord didn't see was as his retinue followed the corridor changed size to each of the followers expanding and contracting as needed, those closest to humanity felt nauseous and dizzy, reaching their hands to the walls to steady themselves and they would never touch the wall bending to stay out of their way. The followers from Chaos or more mutated felt nothing but mesmerism, being pulled forward to their home of chaos.

The corridor had no twists and turns just led in a straight line towards the prize in the centre. Although Cord had expected traps, twists and turns creating a labyrinthine complex to the centre, there was no such thing just a single tunnel heading to the light. He realised that the corridor itself would have created whatever it needed to keep the interlopers out.

The light from ahead was white yet Cord thought hinted with colour as he made his mind up which colour it was it changed to something else, when he decided that it had a pattern the colour would flit between two, it never seemed to get closer and he'd guessed they had been walking for almost an hour when the doorway appeared in front of him, the sudden appearance and steps made him stumble, his arms flew wide to try and regain his balance, the walls around him warped to match the wing span, and further stumbled step had him in the air half stumbling half gliding down a set of jet black stairs leading to a polished pure white marble floor. Glancing round the room he saw the other gods retinues descending in the same graceful fashion as himself, stumbling down the stairs, the walls and the pointed roof were also of the same polished white marble, in the centre of the roof was a deep crimson crystal its facetted sides ending in a point directing a pulsing beam of pure chaotic energy onto to a circular seat decorated with the simple eight pointed star of chaos.

All four champions in the room gazed at the seat seeing their prize, Cord and his followers moved down the stairs slowly, the harpies taking flight and drifting with Cord. The room's scale was huge as his retinue reached the base of the stairs they still easily had three hundred yards to go till they reach the seat and so did the other retinues. Growls rose from canine forms of the Khorne warriors clanking armour and matted pelts rubbing shoulders torn between attacking and taking the prize. The Slaneeshi slithered and slinked there way forward with crustacean claws clacking and reptilian eyes glaring their hermaphrodite bodies exposing a single breast. The Cords blood rose as he saw the decaying waste that was the Nurgle retinue letting their filth desecrate such a hallowed place. Cord took stock of the numbers, his retinue out matched them all but attacking one would leave the flanks open to the rest; he made his decision and took the gamble.