Faith and Fire

[UltimateJake]

FAITH AND FIRE

 

"Commander, we're approaching the drop zone," Battle-Brother Maximus said.

 

"Stay together brothers," Captain Xavius ordered.

 

"For the Emperor," Maximus said.

 

"For the Emperor," they said.

 

They put on their helmets and checked their bolters at the last minute. Brother Maximus checked to make sure his multi-melta was ready. The drop doors were slowly opening to reveal a world on fire. Captain Xavius hadn't expected it, things were so calm in their thunderhawk gunship. It was dark and quiet for none knew what the planet looked like save for the pilots who remained enclosed in their own room. None had expected this. An entire world on fire, plagued by death, fear, and destruction. Fifteen billion people used to live there, now it was a ghost-town of fire and flames.

 

"FOR THE EMPEROR!" Captain Xavius screamed jumping out into the fires below.

 

They followed him unflinching as they went into a storm of fire and rock. Armor was battered and blue turned a shining red with such intense heat. Some marines were cooked alive, while others bit on and eagerly awaited the fight. Captain Xavius smashed into the barren ground on his feet. He was a massive marine bulked by his shining and ornate artificer armor. Dents and scratches weren't even present. Upon hitting the ground that was when the true firestorm started. They were met with a hail of bolterfire tearing through armor and felsh alike.

 

"Stay together! Omega Squad lay down some lascannon support!" Xavius unleashing the roar of his boltgun.

 

The others opened fire as well meeting fire with fire. The enemy remained unseen still ferociously bombarding them. This time lascannons and heavy bolters were added to the mix tearing marines limb from limb. It seemed it would be a dual of lascannons as barely half of the Ultramarine heavy weapons opened fire. They were dead on, smashing small hills apart. Xavius strained his ear, but managed to hear the cry of the wounded foe. They had succeeded in killing several.

 

"Get to cover!" Xavius screached.

 

Omega Squad covered them smashing through enemy strong points. Lascannon and bolter flashes marked enemy positions making them easy targets. Xavius led his men into a ditch with scant amount of lava leaking into the bottom of it covering entire power armoured boots in lava.

 

"Ignore the pain! Focus on the enemy!" Xavius ordered.

 

"Negative, Captain. We cannot see the enemy. They have halted firing," Sergeant Kezius said.

 

"Were is the rest of our support then?" Xavius asked.

 

"Squads Alpha and Delta are supposed to have the ridge covered with scout squads Ezerius and Pandorius. They have not been heard from since, Brother-Sergeant Ledarius has kept his comm killed for unknown reasons," Sergeant Kezius replied.

 

"What about our heavy armor?" Maximus asked.

 

"These traitors have destroyed this entire world leaving it to nothing but molten slag. They prepared well for our counter-attack," Xavius replied.

 

All was silent save for the constant churning of lava into the lava filled chasms that dotted the landscape. Although Xavius tried to he could not hear a thing with his advanced ears. Nothing was distinguishable from the constant churning and the constant devastation itself being wrought upon the battlefield by the elements themselves.

 

"Maximus keep your mult-melta ready! Kezius take your squad and try to find better cover," Xavius ordered.

 

"For the Emperor," Kezius nodded loading a fresh clip into his bolter.

 

His squad of Sternguard were heavily decorated. Helmets painted white to show them as veterans of Marcagge and some of Gulliman's most trusted warriors. Now these helmets were dented and turned black by the heavy ash in the air. Still they were still proud with bolters shining underneath all the grime and crust that had already latched upon them.

 

Kezius threw himself out of the ditch and found cover behind a small group of stalagmites. His squad followed his position, carefully advancing through the ash-choked battle-field. The stalagmites were guarded to the right flank by debris and a massive lava lake. It was perhaps the largest upon the field, they were safeguarded their for sure.

 

"Sergeant Bronarius, take Devastator Squad Signus and relocate our heavy firepower to Kezius's position. They are better protected their and farther away from the enemy's last known positions," Captain Xavius ordered.

 

The devastator squad moved swiftly hauling the valuable heavy weapons that they had. Xavius smiled when they too reached cover without incident. The enemy must have been hit harded than he thought by his lascannons earlier. Maybe they had retreated or maybe they were all dead. Whatever it was it unnerved him. The churning of the lava became louder and louder. He didn't know what was going on, but it made him clench his bolter even tighter.

 

He looked to Maximus and made sure that he was ready with the multi-melta. Then, their was a terrible screeching. A screeching that would've drove lesser men mad. A screeching from the depths of hell themselves. A sound like thunder! Lava leapt into the air out of the massive lake drenching marines. It was nothing compared to the onslaught that would soon come.

 

A hideous beast leapt forth from the bowel of the lake itself. It was massive nearly ten feet tall wielding an axe three times as big as any marine present. Its black mane and dog-like face were drenched in the lava and massive horns that were a shining white ivory. It was a fierce daemonic beast thrashing and roaring madly wielding axe and mighty whip with savage skill.

 

"OPEN FIRE!" Xavius screamed.

 

To late Kevius and his men were ripped apart in seconds. A single swing of the axe cut nearly half of the marines in twain. The whip smashed through power-armor as if it were nothing. In a few brutish and savage seconds the entire squad was a bloodied mess of flesh and bone. The beast was not done yet, it leapt high into the air after its next victims.

 

"FIRE! OPEN FIRE!" Xavius screeched unleashing a full clip of his bolter upon the beast.

 

He was reassured by the comforting roar of Maxium's multi-melta. The burning flames of plasma engulfed the creature. But, it would not die. The axe hacked Maximus into a hundred bloody pieces in an instant. It tore through the wall of fire set up by the multi-melta. Brass armor was melted to its skin and it's mane tore off in the fiery hellstorm. But, other than that it remained unscathed and maddened.

 

"Retreat!" Xavius screamed unsheathing his power-sword.

 

Three Battle-Brothers fell before a single swipe of the bloody axe. Heads were cloven from shoulders leaving them no more to serve the Emperor. Xavius leapt back dodging a mighty blow from the whip. His men were being killed in droves. The Word Bearers had revealed themselves chanting praises to the Dark Gods and unleashing all the hell they could muster. Bolters and lascannons bombarded them from each side leaving them against the forasken beast.

 

"For the Emperor!" Xavius cried out leaping up to the bloodthirster and landing a blow with all his strength.

 

The bronze armor cracked under his rage and a mighty gash landed upon the bloodthirsters muscular stomache. Black blood churned out of the mighty wound engulfing his blue armor in a sea of black. Xavius would not be halted however, three more mighty blows he landed upon the unholy, daemonic flesh. The bloodthirster howled in pain and anger and threw its whip down. A mighty red fist smashed Xavius to the ground nearly breaking him.

 

His few men left swarmed around firing boltguns and boltpistols at point blank range. One even managed to attatch a melta bomb. In a fiery explosion the beast was no more flooding the trench with daemon blood. Xavius could not move, his back felt broken along with every other bone in his body. He could hear the chants of the traitors as they charged across the field. He looked upon the few Battle-Brothers left standing, still spitting defiance in the endless numbes of the chaos marines.

 

Their bolters spat death and defiance against the oncoming traitors. They were so many! It would be a glorious death. One that he would not be part of. One that he would sit and watch. Watch as his comrades died. Watch as the battle was lost. He could do nothing. He gripped his plasma pistol desperately trying to find a target. His warriors were all dead, cut down to the last from massed firepower. A traitor stepped forward covered in a darkened robe chanting unholy prayers. Xavius fired a single shot and smiled as the head exploded.

 

A dozen traitor marines followed behind him each one armed with a bolter. They pointed it down at him. It would be over soon. Death was coming. Soon he would see his fellow Battle-Brothers. Soon he would see his men. Soon he would probably see the Emperor. They were all doomed to the treacherous warmaster and chaos had most certainly won.

 

Xavius laid dumbfounded as the marines were falling to the ground. Heads were exploding. Snipers had arrived. Help had arrived. They were late, but they were winning. Xavius smiled as he saw a charge spearheaded by the warriors of Marcagge. The traitors broke when they saw the oncoming invasion force. He smiled, closing his eyes knowing that mankind would live another day under the watch of greater warriors than he...

[FireFist]

Nice. excellent action. might want to work a bit on the dialog.what i mean is in stead of they said try answered the marines

[UltimateJake]

Nice. excellent action. might want to work a bit on the dialog.what i mean is in stead of they said try answered the marines

 

Thanks for the quick comment. And I will try to do that when writing up my next story. I am thinking about doing a view point from the Word Bearers before the marines arrive. IE most likely little action, just preparing for an ambush and selling themselves to the Dark Gods.

 

EDIT: For those of you who have been following my short stories check out my 40k writing blog I recently started. It's in my signature.

[Solid Zaku]

Um, just a little heads up. There's actually a BL novel by the same name that's been out for a few years. Only this stories about Battle Sisters. Sorry.

[UltimateJake]

Um, just a little heads up. There's actually a BL novel by the same name that's been out for a few years. Only this stories about Battle Sisters. Sorry.

 

I don't see why your sorry. It does't really affect me much or the story.

[Solid Zaku]

It's just that last time I wrote a story and accidentally gave it the same name as a Caiaphas Cain novel, and got chewed out.

[UltimateJake]

It's just that last time I wrote a story and accidentally gave it the same name as a Caiaphas Cain novel, and got chewed out.

 

Well I haven't got chewed out and I don't see the harm in it so I'll just leave it.