Editing The Radical Inquisitor (section)

== Chapter 4 ==

Quintus's eyes snapped open and he jumped off the bed, landing on the balls of his feet in a stance that would allow him to pounce like a large feline predator. When he landed he took in his surroundings, and soon fell flat onto his rear. He was in a cell in some ship, probably the battle barge. There was a bed, and the heavy cell door, and that was it. His equipment was gone and he was dressed in plain pale fatigues, and he could feel his vulnerability.

Standing up straight, Quintus walked over to the door. It was more of an airlock than a door by the looks of it, and upon closer inspection there was a hatch near the bottom that could be opened to allow someone to slide something under the door, and another hatch was at eye level. After looking over the cell door, he went back to his bed and sat down on it, contemplating. When he did so, he flexed his fingers, noting how some of his nerves still tingled from the shocks he received by the Knights who had boarded his ship. He then reached out with his mind, and felt an oppressive weight that stopped him from summoning his powers.

Just as he thought about this, the hatch near the bottom of the door opened and a tray was slid into the door, and before he could say anything the hatch snapped shut. Letting out an annoyed breath, he got up and picked the tray up off the ground. On it, there was a bowl of some gruel, a spoon, a small flask of water, and a book. Noting his growling stomach, he sat down and ate the gruel, which he found tasteless but highly rejuvenating, and he quenched his thirst with the flask of water.

When his stomach was settled, he picked up the book and looked over the cover. It was a leather bound book in good condition, and on its front there was a symbol worked into the leather using a very pale blue, smooth material, which after tapping it and hearing a very faint ''tink'', Quintus realised was crystal. Curious, he looked at the edges of the books pages, and found that they were made of some king of crystal as well, though it was a more darker blue crystal than the type found on its cover.

Bracing himself, he opened the book onto its first page and looked over the crystalline letters wrought into some unknown language. At that point he fell the oppressive weight on his mind lessen, and he took that as a way of telling him to channel his mind into the book, when he promptly did. Faintly, the letters and symbols began to glow, and before his eyes the crystal lettering started to move across the page, rings of words and lines spinning while loose lines etched into the crystal started to form shapes and pictures. Opening the next page, the same thing was happening, with new symbols and words appearing. The page after that, and the page after that, all had the swirling language on them.

Eventually, once the lettering was glowing at its brightest, the symbols casting themselves onto Quintus's face in eerie light, the pages began to turn by themselves, until the book was completely open, it's unbelievably thin pages leaving equal space between one another, as if to give each page their own personal space. Then, the pages began to wave and move as one, their symbols joining together before forming complex patterns and pieces of texts in the air around Quintus. He could feel the complexity of the object in his hands as it worked its magic with the energy he supplied it with, and at that point the book lifted off his hands, floating a few centimetres away from them, and chains of words spilled out and coiled themselves around the book, reaching out into the open air and slowly flowing through it before returning to the depths of the book. The chains of words coiled out and wound themselves around Quitus's arms, and loose words and letters formed and floated around Quintus like snowflakes or ash in the air.

Quintus stared deep into the glowing void that was a book, and saw so much. There were stars and planets held in the pages while tiny creatures from dozens of forgotten or lost worlds crawled from the words, appearing from one in a tiny burst of light and the. Disappearing into another. So much knowledge and history in one tome, and it was open to Quitnus before him.

Then the pages began to open up more until they rested in equal numbers on each side, and he saw words forming before him - not alien letters, but honest to the emperor low gothic letters.

They read ''Quintus, isn't it?''

It took a moment for Quintus to realise he was being asked a question by a book, and when he did, he decided to play along. "Yes," he responded, and the reply formed before him. ''Good, I've wanted to speak to you. Tell me, do you still believe in the glory of the Imperium?''

"Of course," replied Quintus, though he knew he was lying. The book knew too. ''Don't lie to me. I'm a book that can have a conversation - you didn't think I'd not be able to read minds, did you? Anyway, I know you've lost faith in His Imperium.''

The book so openly stating the fact that Quintus and lost his faith in the Imperium was bittersweet - it made him feel terrible to believe what he did, but it felt good for it to be out in the open, to have been said.

''The truth is,'' continued the book ''He has too.''

"What?" said Quintus, questioning and contemplating the books statement just then.

"Nothing," replied the book, and he felt as if it's otherworldly gaze was turned away from him, avoiding his attention. "Nothing important. Nada. Zilch. Useless information that is not important in any way whatsoever. Seriously, it's nothing important at all. Don't believe me? Well, then you Can fuck off." With that, the book snapped shut, and the eerie light from it ended, though Quintus could feel a sentience inside that seemed to be raging quietly inside, flipping over mind-constructed tables and smashing non-existent pottery.

That was when the heavy door to his was opened, and he looked to see two Space Marines: a Knight, and an Angry Marine.

"Inquisitor Quintus, please follow-" said the Knight before he was interrupted by the Angry Marine. "YOU, FAGGOT, FOLLOW US YOU CUM-DRIBBLING DICKFUCK."