I'm presuming this book will be based around The Imperial Webway project with some Daemon fighting fun thrown in. Usually such stories would come with a bit of pre-Magnus door knocking whilst everything is going "just as planned" and then the horrendous turn of events where that ever special red haired son turns up and nerfs the whole setup causing much confusion and delay.
I also have fingers crossed for some form of 30k Eldar intervention but this is HH and no one trusts those filthy Xenos anyway, right?!
I want it so bad for that reason alone. Of all the Legions, they've had the fewest and worst portrayals so far in the series. I desperately want a full Legion novel of them from one of the big three you just mentioned.
So the Blood Angels are still stuck with he who shan't be named.
"The first thing that tried to kill Kano had a lumen-post for a spine, and a torso and limbs fashioned out of broken highway signs, beheaded traffic signals and other less identifiable pieces of metal debris.
It was not a battle robot, for Kano had fought with automata in the training cages and during the year-long Rust Moon War; this thing was animated by some impossible force outside his reckoning. His instinct told him it was powered by anger, and that seemed enough understanding for the moment.
The scrap-thing assailed with fingers made from the spokes of a wheel, fat yellow sparks jetting up from the ground where they dragged and slashed. From gaping trash-bin mouths it spat broken screw-bolts and scattershot fragments of wreckage, all of it heated to orange-white.
Kano defaulted to impulse and aimed for the centre of the mass, blasting it back into its parts with a powerful three-round burst. Pieces of it clattered down around him, but they did not lie still.
Twisted lengths of metal snaked towards one another, tips finding other tips, bending and braiding, making anew. He spun away.
From the corner of his eye, the Blood Angel saw something tumbling out of the sky, trailing smoke – Kaide’s drone had been shot down, killing their best tactical advantage."
Is my favourite Custodian Amon going to make an appearance at least? I'm not quite sure why I like that guy so much, just like it when he pops up in the odd novel here and there.
The only two Custodian characters of note, apart from the squad in The First Heretic, are Valdor and Amon. And Valdor is a dick. So I kinda get why people like Amon, he's a Custodian but he's also cool.
Interesting, I wonder if its Amon, they have kinda built him up.
Iddle speculation: Due to Magnus' interest in Amon, Ive started to wonder if he is the one fated to die at Horus' hands to ensure the Emperor kills his errant son.
I always wondered when he was introduced if he may be the one. He is so far, the only recurring Custodian, alongside Haedo and Valdor himself. Haedo not having as much screen time and Valdor known to have survived.
Valdor is the one in charge of the Custodians, right?
The problem is, the Custodians were shown to be "amazing" one on one, but then nearly every named Traitor Astartes appears to be able to nerf them easily. It's all a bit annoying really.
He's killed by Xathen and Argel Tal IIRC. Xathen shoots him in the head and Argel Tal then throws one of his swords into him. He was all set to shoot Lorgar with his weapon, again IIRC.
Sythran always had one of the best. Hurling his Guardian Spear into Xathen and then finally speaking "I always hated you Xathen". Bad. Ass.
I can't remember which book it is, but Valdor is described as being something like a machine, and animal on Prospero, tearing through any Thousand Son that got in his way.
AoB makes good points. In fact the only two Custodians that have died easily, relatively speaking, are Khorarinn from the Sword of Truth audio and whichever of the Custodians was gunned down by Incarnadine in The First Heretic, and in the latter's case it's understandable since he was completely blindsided and caught totally off-guard at close range by a battle-robot with two chainguns for arms.
And Khorarinn was also ambushed from behind by multiple Astartes, whom he had judged trustworthy, and cut down by massed bolter fire. And he still took down several of them before he died.
I recall the first guy to die was killed as he started to raise his weapon...been a while since reading. The implication is that they weren't fully on guard
What the Custodian does is impressive...but there are two points to bear in mind:
1. He isn't an average Custodian. He's an elite Custodian killing elite/semi-elite marines
2. To put things in perspective, some marines have wrecked a lot more than 3 enemy marines and survived
You seem to be under the impression that anyone who initiates first is guaranteed a victory. If that were the case martial arts/self-defense would not be a thing. The Istvaan massacre would have been over in twenty minutes. Also the extract above states everything in it happened on the nanosecond level. So it would be next to impossible to surprise a Space Marine unless you were much, much faster.
Initiation is an advantage...not a guarantee of victory. That advantage may be no more than moving a split second before the reacting party does...but in combat, it does matter, or are you disputing that?
I think this could be solved if people re-read the passage.
Remember, it took 3 seconds to accomplish it. From firing his guardian spear (which Argel Tal blocked all three shots) to killing the three Word Bearers. I think the key point is that it took three seconds...plenty of time for an Astartes to react, given the quote from Know No Fear, which the Ultramarine said he needed but a single second.
Also the weapons were raised and drawn well before (er, at least 20 seconds) before any combat.
When Ven tries to press his teleport button...
"Vendatha ignored the captain’s plea. He reached for the scrollwork etched into his ornate bracer, and pushed one of the mother-of-pearl buttons inlaid in the decoration.
Nothing happened.
He pressed the button again.
Nothing continued to happen.
The Custodian took a step backwards as the Word Bearers very, very slowly drew their weapons. The Chaplains unlimbered their crozius mauls. Tsar Quorel and Deumos raised their bolters, and Argel Tal unsheathed the swords of red iron."
The Word Bearers were ready. Even the bolters were out AND up.
If the author has said "the words for this character are done" then fine, personally depending on the sauce of rumours they need to be taken with a pinch of salt.
@adembskibowden: "And yet there is one sin far greater than betrayal, Ra. Failure."
-- The Emperor of Mankind.
Is he talking to someone called "Ra" ?
That's an Egyptian sun God, so I'm guessing not!
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