Blood Strike

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Another installment is due out this evening.

 

:)

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Sam stepped forward to meet the Warlord's charge. He held out his arms with the palms of his gauntlets pointing down towards the ground. He smiled for a brief moment then frowned. Waves of intense vibrations quaked off his gauntlets striking the ground like a long series of heavy trip hammers. The cavern walls began to tremble and the dust of finely ground stone filled the air swirling about like a dense bank of black fog. The albino slammed his palms together in an explosive clap. The ceiling immediately burst crashing down upon everyone. Brother Mercury felt the hand of Roshon grip him tightly about his arm. A large chunk of rock then crashed into his psychic hood as the roof fell down upon them. This was suicide, thought the Epistolary as he felt the crushing weight pinning him down. The albino had sacrificed their lives to remove the enemy. Another huge piece of broken boulder collided into his chestplate. Mercury held up his stormshield to provide some measure of defense though it was just a brief measure at best. His vision went pitch black. There was no longer anything to see, only the intense weight of the rock pressing down hard. Then there came the sensation of a vibration. The stone above polarized suddenly pulling away. The vibration became acute and Brother Mercury felt himself caught up in a maelstrom. The strong grip of Roshon was the only other sensation and it felt like an iron anchor pulling him in the reverse direction. Mercury lost his sense of up and down as he was constantly spun about like a loosely tethered rag doll within the eye of the mighty storm. A beam of pale light fell across his hooded eyes then he was vomited up back on top again. Mercury looked to his side to see Roshon had been crushed alive between a tight pair of gigantic boulders. Sam and Ardwin stood upon the rocky ground dusting the grit off their armor. Mercury lay beside a huge vortex of spinning rock that plummeted down deep into the earth below. Slowly and cautiously he attempted to roll away from the thin lip of the deadly maelstrom but the iron grip of the dead Knight of Blood kept him locked in place.

 

"Lay still." came the deep garbled voice of Ardwin. It sounded like a metallic canister rupturing from the blast. "I'll come and set you free."

[BrotherTim]

Simply amazing! :D I check this thread every day for updates...you really should quit your day job lol!

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Thanks for the kudos ! ;) It keeps me wanting to come back and finish the story.

 

G

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Ardwin moved over the rubble carefully stepping over the breached rock. Finally he stood over Mercury and bent over. One by one he pried away the stiff dead fingers until he could slip off the dead man's grip. Ardwin held out his hand and helped the Blood Saint to his feet. Sam stood still over on the other side of the vortex locked in concentration. Slowly the maelström began to subside and then it ended. Mercury looked about. The ground was in ruin, gigantic sink holes were everywhere to be seen and a low lying haze floated above the rock.

 

They buried Roshon's body under a cairn on rock. Ardwin had taken some mementos to serve as a remembrance of their departed battle brother. Slowly they made their way stepping through the maze of broken rock until finally they reached a thin stretch of open ground. It felt good to stand on solid ground again.

 

"Sam has exhausted his psychic repertoire and needs some time to meditate. We will hike over those hills and find a suitable spot to make camp." said Ardwin.

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+++

 

A pile of strewn rubble began to tremor as a black iron gauntlet thrust through to the surface. More broken rock shifted as an armored arm snaked out clearing the debris. Another gauntlet broke through as Kane pulled himself up through the rubble. His armor was dented and cracked in many places, joints were broken and his hideous faceplate had fallen away lost beneath his intended tomb of stone. The Warlord wiped the grit from his face and his double lidded eyes blinked in the stark daylight. Slowly he pulled himself out from the quarry and crawled over to a breach then lay there. His broken bones had already started mending and the internal hemorrhaging had stopped. Dried blood was caked around his mouth which he wiped away then spat a wad of black phleghm. He surpressed his anger as he lay there to rest. Kane spied the cairn and he cursed. They would and had risked their own to do him in. A old memory came to him like a lark as he remembered back to when he had been a loyal warrior of the Emperor. It made his temper blaze to remember himself as nothing more than just another brainwashed lackey. Kane reflected upon his journey to the warp and the rediscovery of the primordial chalice. The very blood of the Archfiend now flowed within his own. It was meant to be and of that he was most sure. So his former brothers had finally come to snuff him like a candle light... But in truth he was the brightest torch to which so many would burn. They must think him dead now and buried below. Their mistake would be his advantage!

 

There came a flicker then a shimmer. A solid form began to take shape revealing a warrior clad in umber terminator armor. Kane looked up to see the solemn face of the Void Walker then it dissipated like a thin mist in the wind. A feeling of great sadness filled him suddenly and he could not suppress the pain. "My old mentor!" he cried. "I know you are here. Show yourself again!" The only answer was the sound of the wind then the black landraider appeared as it broke the top of the closest hill.

[robot530]

Awe-some! Keep it going Black Orange!

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Kane sat in the command throne within his landraider. "The Imperial dogs couldn't have gotten far. Call in reinforcements. I want every inch of this ground over a 10 square mile radius searched thoroughly. There is nowhere for them to hide and it's only a matter of time until we find them again. The enemy is down now to just three." Briefly he considered a possible fourth then pushed the thought from his mind. He needed to remain focused. Now was not the time to dwell on bitter memories from the past. "I want them stripped of their armor and brought before me in heavy chains. These Imperials will learn just what is true pain indeed, then each will die to some horrid unspeakable death. Do I make myself clear?" said the Warlord.

 

The ancient sorcerer Woden stepped out from the inky black void filling the inside of the tank."Find them we will indeed. As you said there is no place to hide. It's just a matter of a short time now my Lord." The sorcerer bowed low then stepped back to be absorbed by the abyss.

 

"Use those infernal powers of yours to locate the prey. I am counting on you alone to make good on this command of mine. Consider it my most important request. We must show the Imperium it's a fool's folly to have come here. They'll think twice and very hard before they send in another killteam."

 

"I sense there are more than just the three out there. This a fourth who is mysteriously shrouded by some arcane wizardry... Possibly even two to three more." came the slithering voice of old Woden from the darkness. These others are slowly but surely converging upon the fortress from different directions. Alone each one is no match versus our full strength."

 

Kane grinned.

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The Void Walker materialized behind the speeding black landraider and watched as it pulled away. He had overheard their conversation just before they departed. Some of the other Blood Saints must be close by he thought and it sounded as if his brothers had found an ally of some sort. The Chaplain watched the passage of the tank and noticed it had taken a wide berth around what appeared to be a large sarcophogus laid upon the ground. Slowly he walked to the ancient tomb. The heavy lid was shaped in the image of an male warrior wearing heavy interwoven armor. Many runes had been etched deep into the surface. The Void Walker ran his gauntlet over the old lid then immediately pulled back as a sharp blast of alien psychic residue rushed up his arm then quickly dissipated. He felt strong emotions of negativity emanating from with the tomb.

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The Chaplain pulled loose his hidden combat blade and ran it along the inside of the lid searching for the locking mechanism. Finally the tip of the blade touched something stiff and the Void Walker pressed hard against it. The heavy lid popped loose and he put away the knife. Grabbing one end of the top of the sarcophagus the Blood Saint carefully pulled it off the top with his power fist. He then activated the melta underslung on his combi bolter and peered inside. The small lamp mounted on the top of his armor winked on casting dim light upon the being entombed within the steely chamber. A musty smell of black incense poured off from the grave mixing with the small of the damp earth. There was the body of an eldar laid down inside from which the likeness on the lid had been engraved.

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The face of the eldar was hidden by a mask. The Blood Saint reached down and pulled it off. Underneath he saw that the face had not decayed and still had a fresh look. The warrior had pale skin and long red waves of braided hair cascaded down along his shoulders. Little bits of runes fashioned from wraithbone had been weaved into the long braids. Suddenly the eldar's eyes popped open revealing a pair of bright green eyes. The warrior frowned then coughed as the Void Walker pointed the muzzle of the melta barrel squarely in the alien's face. "One wrong move and I'll take off your head." said the Chaplain.

 

"You must have broken the ward sealing this casket." whispered the warrior in perfect high Gothic.

 

The Blood Saint slowly backed away from the broken tomb giving some room for the eldar warrior. Slowly the alien rose up stretching his long limbs. "Who and what are you?" asked the Blood Saint. His laser sighted was pointed right between the eldar's cat like eyes.

 

"This planet was once a maiden world of my race. I returned to it long after it was pulled into the Eye of Terror. There are things here that must be returned. My grand armada was defeated though and I was left enslaved within this tomb." replied the warrior.

 

"A likely story. You smell of the dark kin. Don't think you're going to fool me with your story." said the Void Walker. "Now tell me the truth."

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"Don't think that you're going to fool me either Space Marine. Either your curiosity got the better of you or you need something. You did not open the crypt out of altruism. Maybe you feel safe with your gun pointed at me but consider this - I am much faster than you... much faster. You'll get one shot and if you miss that's it." said the warrior. His pallor had started to return and his skin shone.

 

"Are you so sure eldar? It's obvious you've been out of the loop for a long time. I'm willing to bet I can match your speed. I am standing one meter from you. The melta blast wave travels at sublight speed at half range. I'll blow your head off before you can even scratch yourself." replied the Void Walker. "Go ahead and make your move."

 

The warrior closed his eyes. He looked serene and held his hands together in front of his waist. "Okay Space Marine. I'm willing to take that bet. You obviously don't know what you're dealing with here."

 

"I don't want to kill you but if you show any sign of aggression I will." said the Blood Saint.

 

The warrior opened his eyes again. They sparkled like ice. "My name is Drakenfel. What is yours?"

 

"You may address me as Ovid for now." said the Void Walker.

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"If you don't mind I think I'll sit down for a bit." said Drachenfel. The Void Walker nodded.

 

"I know some things about you." said the Blood Saint. "For instance what you said is not entirely true regarding your origins on this planet. You are an anomaly of your race... a fallen Phoenix Lord I believe to be the truth and a pariah of the eldar. You were sealed away here by the eldar to imprison you for crimes of treason against your own people. You are also a psychic blank and your mere presence can bring about great anomalies within the warp. It is because you are here that my killteam and I had to travel via conventional means rather than pass through using the webway portals. My comrades and I are lost to our chapter for all practical purposes. We were sent here to fulfill a quest because of a failure on our part and what that has brought about as a result. We cannot return unless we succeed in this quest and even for ones such as ourselves it is a tall order. It is by random chance that I happened to cross your path... If you believe in random events."

 

"Space Marines that have access to the webway... And you dare to call me a liar?" said the eldar.

 

"It is not farfetched." answered the Void Walker. "Ahriman of the Thousand Sons and his cabal of Chosen have this ability as well. It is the arrogance of your people to think that other races are less than yourselves and that is a weakness that can and has been exploited. Don't make that mistake."

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"So you are fallen then." said Drachenfel.

 

"No we are not fallen. You'll note I have my badges that bare my rank and my full insignia. A Son of Sanguinius would almost never fall." replied the Chaplain.

 

"Almost." the eldar said dryly.

 

"Anything is possible no matter how unlikely. My chapter always considers every contingency." the Void Walker said.

 

"Then why are you here?" questioned the warrior.

 

"Everything will be revealed in it's own time. All you need to know now is that we face a common enemy here. Together we are strong."

 

"Okay then my new found friend." Drachenfel smiled wryly. "You lead the way and I'll follow for now. You've already admitted more than most would. I respect that... It's quite rare."

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... Approximately 300 years preceding the launch of the battle barge Nom to start the Sanguine Quest...

 

The Void Walker sat at the head of the round table within the Blood Saints' high council chamber. Imrik, his Chapter Master, sat to his left. The large iron wrought doors guarding the council silently swung inwards. Commander Dante and his Chief Librarian Mephiston entered. Imrik and the Chaplain both rose to greet the pair of Blood Angels.

 

"Greetings brothers." said Imrik. His voice sounded like forged internals rumbling within an engine. "We are honored by your presence."

 

Dante took a seat at the other end of the table while the Librarian remained standing. The Lord of Death was cloaked in a swirl of inky black shadows and his hooded eyes blazed deep crimson from with the darkness. "I'll get right along with our agenda. Our time here upon your world is limited. We must be going soon. First I want to personally thank you and your chapter for returning the chalice to our fold. We here all know it's importance and what it represents. We also know that it must remain a secret."

 

Imrik slightly bowed his head to acknowledge Dante. The Chaplain remained still intently watching the Commander.

 

"Now that you have been thanked I'll move on to the next and final item on the agenda. I want to say that I completely understand all the sacrifices that were made to reclaim our precious artifact and I fully understand the greatly difficulties at which cost this came about. That said there was an error of the gravest magnitude made on your part while obtaining the chalice and this unfortunately has cast a long shadow upon your great achievement... That is, the Fleshtearer named Cane drank from the cup while left alone with the artifact in his sole keep. Of lesser note a company of Grey Knights were eradicated. The latter can mostly be overlooked due to nature of their unwanted involvement but the former is unforgivable. As such punitive actions must be taken to answer to the crime."

 

Imrik took one step forward folding his hands in front of his slim waist. "I ask your pardon. I have thought long and hard on what you have said. No one bears the weight of this error on the part of my brothers more than I. Many a sleepless night waiting your arrival did I contemplate our failure. I ask but one favor - let us have the chance to right this wrong." His voice was heavy and filled the closed chamber like the slow tolling of a giant bell.

 

Dante turned to look at Mephiston then turned back focusing his attention solely upon the two Blood Saints. "Go on then." he said. "Tell me of what you have devised."

 

"I wish to send forth a contingent of the guilty party to slay the Fleshtearer. It will be a quest." said Imrik.

 

"How will you locate the traitor?" asked Dante.

 

"Our council of Librarians lead by myself convened for the period of one fortnight to scry the Fallen's whereabouts. Our search finally revealed that the one formerly known as Cane will be situated on a planet within the Eye of Terror three hundred years henceforth. I propose my chapter send forth a killteam to this planet to eradicate the traitor." Imrik unfolded his hands and looked up staring into the darkness.

 

Again Dante turned to look upon the Lord of Death. "What say you Mephiston? Is this proposal of brother Imrik's a sound plan?"

 

The Librarian took a slow step forward as he contemplated. He then stood still in utter silence for a long period of time. Suddenly his eyes flashed and he spoke. "I see a slim glimmer of the chance for this proposed plan to succeed. It is very slim indeed." With that the Librarian was silent again returning to his void of darkness.

 

Dante stood up. "Because of my most imminent respect for your chapter I will grant your request. Proceed as you have planned."

 

"Thank you." said the Void Walker.

 

"Know this though." said the Commander. "If you fail there will be great consequence. Your entire chapter will answer to this crime and I won't be able to protect you. Your enemies will have you at their full mercy."

 

"I will take that risk." answered Imrik.

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The Void Walker lowered his combi bolter and held out an empty gauntlet. Drachenfel took his hand and the Blood Saint lifted him back up. "Now we march on towards the enemy. I will give a signal to sound the offensive to the rest of my party." The Chaplain fitted a miniature rocket onto the muzzle of his bolter, aimed the barrel up towards the grey sky and slowly squeezed the trigger. A bright flare erupted from the muzzle shooting up into the blackness lighting up the night sky as the arc flashed.

 

"They'll know we are coming now." said the Phoenix Lord.

 

"That's obvious." answered the Void Walker as he began to trudge towards the far away hills. Drachenfel fell in beside him.

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+++

 

Brother Mercury looked up into the sky to see the spiraling flare twisting in it's looping arc through the air. The incinedary missile burned bright red and scorched a burning path as it sailed across the horizon. "That's the sign to engage the enemy."

 

Ardwin looked up as well. His voice was deep and garbled like rolling stones as he spoke. "Let's get on with it then. How many of your brothers came with you here to this forsaken world?"

 

"There are five of us in total - myself, our Chaplain Ovid, the Sanguinary Priest Abel, the Techmarine Othello and the other Librarian Inritus." replied the Blood Saint.

 

"That's a small number to take on an entire company of Chaos Space Marines. Either you are seeking your own death or much more mighty than any ordinary Marine." came the jarring words of Ardwin.

 

"We had no choice. This must be done." said the Epistolary.

 

"So be it. Glory or death. They are the only two real choices in this phantom realm." Ardwin spat then pulled down his helmet tightly locking the seals in place. The albino came up beside and spat as well. Black bile shot from his twisted mouth burning the ground. The Captain of the Blood Knights also put on his helmet silently.

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+++

 

Brother Abel had just watched the flare light up the night. The Sanguinary Priest rolled the tips of his lightning claws clacking the sharp tined tips against each other. Blue sparks shot off the pointed ends. "Tell me Brother Inritus, what are your thoughts?"

 

"I fear Othello has passed away during the long journey. I no longer sense his life source. At first I hoped his entry here had been delayed but enough time has passed that I can no longer put it down to just time. Our Chaplain... I could feel him walking upon this earth at first but no longer can I track him or his source. Brother Mercury is here indeed and I sense two others very close by his side. Note that the signal to attack came from another point not emanating from him so in sense it could only have had originated from Ovid as is according to our plan. It is a signal steeped in mystery." said the Librarian Inritus.

 

"So then we shall precede as there is nothing left to wait for now. Prepare yourself. Othello will be missed." Abel replied.

 

"Indeed."

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+++

 

The two Chaos Space Marines manning the sentry terminals diligently watched the glowing screens looking for any trace of new activity. "Look at that." said Xybor. He pointed towards the edge of a vidscreen. "There is a resonant pattern emerging along the eastern boundary of the outer perimeter. What do you make of that disturbance?"

 

"It could be an anomaly." said the other Chaos Space Marine. "We had better report this though."

 

"The monitors are detecting a trace amount of radioactivity... That's a bit strange." Xybor manipulated the viewing screen zooming in on the distant bearings. Slowly the images on the dark screen began to focus then the grainy pixels grew tight. "I can't make out what it is but it's definitely heading towards the fortress."

 

There was the sound of a dull thud and the door burst open. A terminator clad in crimson armor came through the opening spearing his lightning claws through the back of both chairs thrusting the sharp tips through the traitors' spines. The pair of Chaos Space Marines both collasped as the Blood Saint retracted his claws. Abel pushed the dead bodies aside and looked at the screen. "Come here Inritus!" he shouted. "This must be a point of surveillance. I can see something strange moving in from that edge."

 

The Librarian stepped inside moving up close beside the Sanguinary Priest. "What do you make of that image? I've never seen anything like it before now."

 

"Who knows how these infernal devices operate? I think our best bet would be to head in that direction and see for ourselves." replied Brother Abel.

 

"Okay then. Let's not waste any time." said Inritus.

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+++

 

Brother Mercury marched alongside the two Knights of Blood. The sun had crested over the horizon and it's dawn rays bathed the ground. Ahead they could see the silohouette of the Chaos fortress brimming. High towers covered in long rusted spikes jutted up along each corner. The fortress gates were open wide and a sundry of vehicles spilled crawling forward over the sand. The albino stopped then his two companions followed suit. Sam reached into a storage pack fastened to his side and unfurled a large bright crimson banner with a silver fanged skull embroidered in the center. Ardwin helped his Captain attach the top of the Company banner to a chrome pole then they hoisted it up attaching the end to a divot located on top of his armor. The flag swayed in the breeze as the light reflected off the image of the skull. Next the pale Knight took a long curved horn from the sack and held the end to his thin lips. Sam sucked in the blew out through the horn. The sound of misery and discord filled the air as the Captain blew. Brother Mercury could feel his skin prickle inside his suit of terminator armor as the wailing sound emanating from the mighty war horn cascaded across the barren sifts between them and the fortress. Sam paused for just a moment to fill his lungs then blew again on the war horn even harder. The ground began to tremble and shake. Mercury could feel the vibrations running the earth beneath his boots. There came a shimmering upon the sand as the long shadow of a dark void descended down upon them. The Blood Saint watched with a sense of sudden fascination as the dusky images of more Knights began to quickly take form surrounding them.