The 23rd Hammer.

[Inquisitor Cade]

As he sensed the psychic energy built up in the hammer traverse through the space he had just vacated, Rayne hurried his pace, opening up a few steps from the madman. Only then did he realise that in his panic he had dropped his gun.

He grappeled for the sling that held the staff accross his back. He managed to undo the buckle before he was driven back by another hammer swing. It fell to the gound, bounce on it's end, and toppled away from him. Rayne leapt after it, seizing it before it clattered down, and whirling to face his attacker, the sling and buckles flailing loose from the haft.  The next strike came in at his chest. He raised his staff to into guard position, catching the blow before it hit him. The parry was marred by a psychic discharge, a shockwave that tore the leather straps from the staff and drove him back several meters, almost over the edge of the chasm that he had crossed before. With his back to the drop, and running out of options he fell into the warp, drawing on it's power. Driven by fear, he bent the immaterium to his will, manifesting it in his arms, his shoulders, his chest. He gave a bark of pain as his muscles spasmed, bulging to several times their original size. His tunic strained over the expanded body, the right sleve actually bursting at its seams. Driving down the pain of the unatural growth, he drew his staff back , weilding it two handed, like an oversized club, ready to strike as Omoyes stepped forward again.

[Inquisitor Cade]

Rapidly retreating, Gamn didn't quite avoid Drahlans second strike, as it drew a gash across his forehead. Blood dripped past his eyes.

Back peddling, he hurriedly, but smoothly replaced both Faith and Charity in their holsters, sparing a moment to mentally bless their rest. He called on Hope, reaching over his shoulder to grasp her handle and quietly humming her hymn. Melody turned to a bark of pain however, as he dodged right when he should have dodged left, and the rapier blade of his opponent's sword impaled his left thigh. The steel trust glanced off a stud in his leathers, but it cut pierced the leather as if it weren't there, the vibrational source in the handle making the blade appear to shimmer through the light armour as if not quite corporeal. Although it missed the bone, the tip emerged from the back of his leg, defeating the leather there just as easily. As the strike was withdrawn, a spurt of blood followed the sword from the puncture, and blood began to flow freely from it.

With the wound came pain, and with the pain came adrenaline. Gamns arm tensed, his thumb tightened on the activation stud. With a cough of internal combustion and a grinding of gears, Her teeth came alive, shredding the straps that held Hope to his back, as she flew forward, leading his hand in a wide sweep. It was Drahlans turn to jump back, flinging his arms up to be clear of the vengeful weapon. The scabbard-cane was knocked from his left hand, the lower end severed, to clatter across the cavern in two pieces.

Gamn couldn't put much weight on his left leg, but hobbling slightly, he held Hope in neutral guard, so she was ready to react.

[Inquisitor Cade]

Drahlan and Gamn circled slowly. Drahlan acted first.

A lightning fast thrust at Gamns heart was barely parried, but Gamn used the back stroke of the bloke to attempt a clumsy counter attack. Spinning on his right heel, Drahlan turned out of the way of the scything teeth and the over extended man behind them, Gamn's  shoulder actually brushed his back as he passed, and he kept turning, stepping onto his left heel, coat swirling about him, coming a full 540, facing Gamn's back. A swift slash to the hamstring brought the over pious warrior to his knees.

"Skill-less curr!" Drahlan uttered, genuine contempt in his voice. "How dare you attempt to strike me! I am your superior in every way!"

[Inquisitor Cade]

He had driven his quarry to the edge of a chasm, and the coward was unlikely to jump with out a run up, which would need more space that he was likely to give him. The bulging muscles that erupted through the sleeve was proof enough that this was a psyker, and his hostility more than enough to condemn him as a rogue and a traitor.

Reaching for the warp himself, he moulded it into a ball of exothermic phosphorescence, and hurled it, with his mid and his arm, at Rayne. The fireball burst on his chest, flames scattering across his body, scaring his exposed arm, and setting light to the frayed edges of the torn sleeve. But even as the warp fire was leaving his hand, he felt an eruption of pain behind his eyes and blood ran freely from his nose. It was not the first time he had channeled too much power too fast, but it felt like one of the worst attacks he had experianced, though at least it left him concious.

Rallying his mind, and  suppressing the pain, that mere illusion of the body, he followed up, with a an over head swing that, on fire as he was, Rayne failed to parry, deflecting the blow enough to land it on his shoulder rather than his head. The impact didn't do any serious damage through the flack plate, but the impact wasn't all the hammer would deliver. Even as the blow landed Omoyes reached again into the warp, to channel its power thorugh the haft and head of the hammer, but hie felt a block, then his headache intensified and the cranial bleeding increased. Almost blinded by the pain, and unable to reach the warp he swung again wildly, forcing Rayne to almost overbalance over the ledge as he dodged.

[Inquisitor Cade]

His right arm was on fire, his chest was smoldering, and chances were he would be without eyebrows for the rest of his life, though that wasn't looking to be very long. His left arm hurt too, as much from the expansion as from the hammer strike, but at least his opponant was showing signs of weakening. He recognised the feel of psychic feedback, but even if his was counldn't manipulate the warp, this man still outmatched him. Rayne was not in a good place right now, but then, when had he ever been?