[u]Adrianne Valenthin[/u] "Scylla" [Custom-Built Handgun], .50 caliber, 7 round clip size x 3 carried. Current magazine status: 6/7, 7/7, 7/7. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Adrianne's smile faded away as Zhevon began to lecture her on his soldier's philosophy. Though she did by no means disagree with the Inquisitor's words, she felt the very act belittling. As if the Inquisitor viewed her as having to previous experience whatsoever! Such a thing couldn't be further from the truth! She had watched as the very maw of chaos open up and almost swallow the very planet she had stood on! The petty voices that had driven others insane had been like a deafening chorus of madness to her! Yet she had not broken, she had not balked! While others had seen but the destruction at the periphery of the storm, she had seen its very eye; a blinding mass of eldritch horror, the true end of all things! "I wish the only thing I saw was merely the death and destruction of the physical battlefield, the carnage revealed to the naked eye." Adrianne finally spoke as she gazed at Zhevon, her eyes narrowing. "Because for those who have seen past it all, and into the beyond, one realizes; that seen in the light of all things, death is a mercy." At the end, Adrianne nodded. She did not doubt the things that Zhevon had seen, but she doubted that the Inquisitor could ever hope to see the world the way she did. Indeed, it may perhaps be a blessing that he never had her psychic sight. Many veterans may have believed they had seen the worst the galaxy had to offer them, but what they had merely seen were the limbs of the beast amidst the shade. To psykers, there were no secrets, no shrouding mist. They saw it all, the universe in all its glory and grandeur, as well as its maddening horror! "Now then, we'll find this relic that you spoke of before. Perhaps we'll borrow a page from the Blood Ravens..." Adrianne would soon snap out of her contemplation at Zhevon's proposition, and nodded. Indeed, it would be better to continue their search than linger about! Stepping into the showroom, helmet hanging at her side, Adrianne would plant her staff in the floor and looked about. Though it was empty, she could still feel the corrupting presence of the building seething in the air of the room. There was really no escape from the piercing corruption... except for the roof, which felt light for some reason. "The anomaly... it's close." She would speak with a distant look on her eyes, as if she wasn't looking at anything in particular but merely staring at the air. She'd turn towards some stairs at the side of the room, and walk up through them. The stairs were made out of old planks beneath a dusty carpet. Every time she placed the sole of her metal boot down, it was as if the entire staircase came to life and began creaking. It must have been a nerve-pulling and excruciating experience for most people, as for all they knew, they might very well alert every other enemy on the floor to their approach. But Adrianne knew that there was nothing to fear. Even before she reached the top of the stairs, she had seen the room in her vision. As they reached the next floor, they found themselves in a dusty, old art storeroom. Ancient and venerable furniture had been stacked into the corners. The red drapery was full of cobwebs, and numerous boxes of old paintings and lesser sculptures dotted the carpet. Yet like a dog who had caught a sublime scent, Adrianne walked right past the junk, straight towards a large pile of books, scrolls and boxes in the corner! Reaching out a hand, she would brush some scrolls aside, causing a small landslide of dust to pour onto the floor. Behind the scrolls and junk was what looked like a shield of some sorts. Grabbing the edge, she'd pull the heavy object halfway out of the pile to reveal an ancient combat shield with the shape of a cruciform. Yet despite its age, its red and white paint seemed pristine. Any dust that fell on it quickly rolled off it, and its metal felt warm to the touch. Added to the shield were various sigils and purity seals, "I have seen a shield like this before, in the possession of an Astartes!" Adrianne would speak as the psyker studied the shield. "But this feels different. It is blessed with a powerful aura of purity, capable of chasing away the corruptive influence of this building. This is no petty relic, but an object of power!" To stand in the presence of the shield was a peaceful experience. The whispers that had haunted her mind in the rest of the house were completely gone. The otherwise tense muscles in her body began to relax, inducing an almost drowsy sensation as her fight and flight instinct began to fade. She had not felt this kind of serenity in a long time! "I believe we have found the object we were looking for!" Adrianne would turn to smile to Zhevon, as the psyker seemed genuinely excited at the prospect! "Mind you, it's a little heavy."