For the Emperor

[Tyear]

The ruined husks of Chimera tanks smoked outside as a ceramite boot stepped down from a nearby ruined building, the skull underneath snapping from the pressure of the massive man-shape that loomed over the ruined street. Holding his finger wrapped near and close to the trigger of the boltgun hanging solidly in his hands Brother Mercer walked forward, the armored behemoth's footsteps ringing out clearly as it held still for a moment to kneel down at the sight of a young Guardsman, the man had seemingly died defending the Chapel from the works of Chaos, large chunks of flesh had been knocked free and old stale brown blood caked beneath the man's corpse, even so he held a grip on his lasgun tight and with honor, he hadn't run, he hadn't fled. They had given no quarter, moving from his moment of reverence the Marine was allerted to the prescence of one besides him.

 

"Brother Mercer, take heart in the courage of the men of the Imperial Guard, they still fight to protect this world and now with the Emperor's will they will be liberated from the clutches of Chaos and Horror, men advance", the Cermatite clad warrior besides Mercer said, Brother Sergeant Luciun had been his friend and Brother since they had joined the ranks of the Angels of Blood as neonates, where Luciun had been a warrior born, a true leader of men Mercer had always been the one on the background, the one defending his friend and his brother. Now as they walked in tight formation through the ruined Hive City of Kauruna VII he felt the Emperor's blessing apon them as he took his position again.

 

Slowly the twisting paths of the city moved upwards and above them light came through the thick cloud cover, as Mercer's eyes took it all in, the servo's in his helm shielding the light from burning his eyes out he held his hand outward, "Hold", he called softly over the vox-cast, no need as the entire squad had taken position in the nearby street corners already, moving forward a slight bit the rolling thunder that was a Chimera transport rolled towards them. But this Chimera was no longer in the Emperor's service, strapped to it's front where three corpses, each covered in the marks of the Dark Gods, "Enemies..", he said once more, the entire squad's weapons readied as Brother Klaur stood up to it's full size, the seven foot tall warrior's heavy bolter swinging around. As he revealed himself the Chimera's back hatch exploded and more then fifteen ex loyalist guardsmen poured out, screaming there joy as they charged. Waiting in there ambush position Klaur's heavy bolter exploded, hot bolts of fiery death ripping holes in the guardsmen, there armor providing little protection against the Emperor's chosen, now rising the Chaos warband's momentum switched from charging the lone Adeptus Astartus to allout retreat, far too late as a krak grenade detonated inside of the Chimera, blowing the top off the machine and the rest of the squad's bolters firing round after round.

 

Several lasgun hits struck against Mercer's ceramite armor, but thank to the Emperor's will, it held together as he grabbed a Chaos follower by his throat before squeezing it shut, the broken husk falling to the ground. "I think we may be to late already Brother", Mercer said to his fellow Marine standing next to Luciun, "Then we have no time to lose, if they are still fighting by the Emperor, they will win, forward!", smiling inside his armored helmet the ringing of booted Ceramite feet pounded as the squad advanced.

 

As the marines stopped inside of a warehouse for medical supplies and food they were greeted by the sounds of war further ahead, pulling the schematics of the battle-plan up they should be close to the Space Port, without a word the squad advanced once more, the sounds of battle coming closer until they crested a hill, around the space-port the battle was in full swing. While still a few kilometres away from there objective they could clearly see the hulking shapes of Chaos Dreadnoughts and even a lone Defiler, before the wretched thing was brought down by a well placed Lascannon shot. While the defence of the Space Port was admirable, the Guard were loosing this fight, charging forward the entire squad was blind-sided as a tunnel collapsed underneath them.

 

Rolling and crashing over each other Mercer felt a sharp pain in his right leg as the bone was shattered within the Ceramite legguard, standing up the chemicals in his armor smoothed the pain out somewhat and allowed him to walk again. Luciun quickly took stock of the situation and ordered the squad forward, now marching through the tunnel they were greeted down below by the thump thump sound of well known firing.. and as they crossed the corner the Marines came face to face with the Traitors.. Luciun already screamed for firing, but the angels of blood around him already pressed there triggers. By the time the lone two Traitor space marines had come around Mercer pressed off a burst fire motion into the black armored being's face, the helmet splitting apart under the pressure and it's ruined torso falling down onto the ground.

 

Within seconds the marines had moved forwad and were greeted by joyfull faces from a young heavy weapons crew, three of there numbers laid dead, struck down by bolter fire, but the heavy bolters had succesfully kept there enemies at bay. "Brother Sergeant Luciun", the tall space marine identified himself to the nearby luitenant, "Uhm.. Luitenant Conard Gilem, Cadian 24th, we need you up top", the marine nodded and the blood red armored space marines followed. As the moved out of the darkness almost immediately the found themselves facing there traiterous brethren again as one of them ripped apart a screaming cultist with it's chain axe, the gore covered face of the World Eater marine cheering in triumph as it raced towards them. Not for long though as blood spattered through his fallen torso as the massive marine fell.

 

Down the right a large chaos dreadnought's plasma cannon melted away piece of the barrier the guard had created, within seconds it streemed full of cultists and a few lone Khorne bezerkers who were only too happy to spread there deadly blades around, "Brothers, we have to hold that down", as they marched forward a group of five lone Guardsmen huddled in a corner, there Sergeant, who seemed to join for the job stared at the face of the Ceramite clad Blood Angel as it squeezed of a few rounds, "Fight for the Emperor!", it called to the small squad, the Sergeant nodded softly and the tired and nearly broken squad resumed there fight towards the broken barrier.

 

As those that were the Emperor's chosen stepped into the trench it seemed that the fight returned, here were those men chosen for there strength of mind, body and skill those they say couldn't die in battle. Mercer's skilled eye though detected a large cashe of bassilisk shells near to the dreadnought's position. The tortured mind of the marine inside detected him as the great thing swivelled around, even so the marine managed to cast his frag grenade into the midst of the shells before dropping to the floor. While behind him a lascannon crew melted from the plasma cannon's fire the dreadnought exploded from the force of the shells exploding underneath it. After the hot white flash of light, Mercer's head spun as his armored suit repaired the damage done to it.. though it didn't have long as Servo's whined when Mercer pulled free his combat knife, jamming it between the spinning teeth of a chain-axe, luck held it together before the Traitor marine howled and sprung at Mercer unarmored and crazed. Grabbing his neck the traitour marine's fingers tore apart the seal holding his helmet and tossed the thing away before ceramite fists bashed into Mercer's face, luck saved him as the small squad of five men came after the one attacking there 'champion', the sergeant's own sword managing to find a weak spot in the Bezerker's armor and sliding it into the beastly marine's neck, growling in pain the creature grabbed hold of the Sergeant's throat, squeezing it in a way strangely familair to Mercer and his earlier motions against the cultists.

 

Shaking it though the ceramite champions locked fists again before Mercer finally found his footing, grabbed the Sergeant's sword and ripping it straight out of the Traitor marine's throat. Closely followed by two bursts of bolters firing besides him, his squad had found him again. Panting Mercer felt the wounds on his face, his left eye was badly beaten into a bloody pulp and his nose only inhaled blood. Even so he grabbed his bolter and strode forward, the hot battle lust starting to fill his eye. The terrible curse of the Blood Angel's taking hold on him as he charged into the middle of the melee. Firing his bolter untill it ran out, then finding the fallen chainsword of an Imperial Priest more the likely the massive blades whired to action as Mercer became an Angel of Death, whipping his sword around, splitting a cultist from head to loins, ripping through the armor of a Traitor marine who blasted a hot bolt of white heat into his leg, howling in pain and the need to shed blood for this office he ripped through fully now. Casting the fallen marine down.

 

When he turned for another enemy he found himself staring down the face of a large Chaos Champion, for the diseased face of this traitor marine could be none other then a blessed of Nurgle, a Deathguard marine, the creature, for it couldn't be called a man, grinned and motioned the Blood Angel forward, as he charged the sickly green of the traitor's blade knocked sense into Mercer but it was already to late as it shattered the chainsword, disrupting his entire momentum before the Deathguard champion grabbed his throat, hot white stabs of heat inside his chest the corruption spreading as Brother Mercer fell, chuckling the Traitor sliced off the Blood Angel's head and added it to his gruesome spike.

 

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