Saving His Children

[Andurin Marvak]

Antilles ducked as a stray plasma blast shot overhead and took off the top of a building behind him. He gripped his lasgun tight as he ran, dragging the mother and child along behind him. Behind them, the ominous revving of several chainaxes could be heard, along with the demented laughing of blood drunk cultists. The women sobbed in terror as she stumbled along, slowly them down as she ran short of breath time and time again. A lesser man would have left them to their fate. Antilles had seen many of his PDF compatriots do just that. Some even left their own families to die in their frantic scrambling to get away from the demons than now ran rampant across Tur’s surface.

 

Not Antilles. He was made of sterner stuff. His father had taught him well.

 

The ground gave out beneath them as they were running, and they slid into a slanted sewer shaft, that thankfully had long been out of use. All of them screamed in surprise as they shot off toboggan style down the tube, unable to slow themselves on anything. Antilles thought he pulped a few rats, though the lumps he felt squish beneath him could have been anything. He swore as his lasgun was torn away from him by an uprooted chunk of rebar, but was glad he had not hit it himself. He saw light ahead, and grabbed hold of the woman.

 

“Brace yourself, lady!” he cried, as they literally flew out of the drainpipe and into an unused aqueduct. His charges landed hard on top of him, knocking the breath from his lungs. If they had not been almost emaciated from the recent siege, he would have broken a few ribs as well. They lay like that for a few moments, dazed and confused, unable to move out of exhaustion. They had been running now for what seemed like days, the overcast sky not allowing for any true distinction between night and day. He was not sure just how long the civilians could keep up with him. Then again, he was not certain how long he could keep moving without any real rest himself.

 

The sound of satin-voiced laughter snapped them out of their stupor, and set the woman and her little girl weeping again. Hoping he was not being too rough, Antilles thrust them off of himself and leapt upright. One of those traitorous bastards had found them. The freak had been an Astartes once. Now, his armor was a demented pink and black, and around him were more of his fellows. Worshippers of Khorne, judging by the red power armor and axes. Among them were a scattering of cultists, depraved men and women with tattoos of every profane symbol the trooper had ever seen.

 

“Ajax, do your men require more skulls?” the servant of Slaanesh purred, spinning a highly ornate scimitar artfully as he did so.

“These are insufficient for the Blood God. Give them to your playthings for sport.” one of the berserkers chuckled, ribbing one of his compatriots. Smiling from ear to ear, the garishly decorated warrior motioned the cultists forward with a casual wave.

 

“I promise you three, if you come quietly, I can provide most pleasurable ends for all of you…” he hissed.

 

“Yeah? Well, the Emperor says Feth you, heathen!” shouted Antilles, raising one finger defiantly at the enemy. As the cultists closed in on him, he cast his eyes about, frantically looking for a weapon. His lasgun was gone…all that was left was his knife and…that piece of pipe next to his foot. He hooked his boot under it and flipped it into the air. Out came his knife. Down went the first man who tried to get near him and the woman with her girl. The next lunged, and he bashed in his skull with no remorse. He fought with all the rage of a cornered animal, successfully keeping his adversaries at bay. The terrified screams of the little girl and her mother kept him upright, and put a killing light in his eyes. Soon, the cultists were unwilling to near him.

 

“Enough!” Ajax bellowed, and shoved the cultists out of the way. “Mortal, you have proven your skull worth taking!”

 

“And to that, we say nay!” replied a booming voice from directly above them. Antilles looked up to see three huge, winged lizards, larger than several horses, crash into the enemies. Upon their backs were warriors clad in magnificent slate-colored armor, wielding massive blades that crackled with energy. Flames erupted from the lizards’ mouths, engulfing the defenseless cultists, and the one bearing their leader shook the Slaaneshi marine about in its jaws like a rag doll. The berserkers were next, but were met with a lethal combination of implacable skill at arms from the riders and primal fury from their scaled mounts. The entire time, a beautiful and rousing battle hymn pealed forth from the Astartes’ vox emitters, and though Antilles did not understand high gothic, he cheered and gathered up the women and girl in his arms at the jubilation of it.

 

When it was over, the lizards placidly trotted up to the refugees, and the commander dismounted. He removed his helm, revealing a raven-haired man with intense green eyes and a sharply featured face.

 

“I am Tavor, Warrior of the Drakkenwatch, and a Dragon of Oricalcos. You have no more to fear, for the Sons of Sanguinius have come today to liberate this planet from the heathen. I shall have my Bondsmen collect you and you will receive healing and food.” As he spoke, dozens of men clad in mail, bearing both lasguns and ornate blades surged up the aqueduct behind him, followed by a medevac chimera.

 

Antilles was speechless. He had never seen the Emperor’s Angels before, but knew these men to be just that. He was still staring blankly as an exceptionally beautiful Sororitas stepped out of the chimera and guided the woman and her young child inside. As she passed the departing Tavor, he called out to her, “Daughter of the Angel, see to it that this warrior is well cared for. Men of his ilk are too precious too lose in times such as these!” And with that, he was off, his mount effortlessly soaring through the air with its fellows. In moments it was joined by a few larger scaled creatures, and numerous gunships of all sizes, as it cut across the sky.

 

Thanks for reading, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this brief one-shot.