The Bloody Harvest

[EesiOh]

The Bloody Harvest 

 

Alesandro and his Blood Wing soared through the air of Averon, laughing at the feel of the wind and rain whipping against their faces. Ahead of them lay their prey, not possible to see with mortal eyes or even Astartes eyes, but the predators eyes that Alesandro and his followers had received their patron, Khorne, could pick out their targets in a night vision-like hue. In actual fact they couldn't see the heat radiating from their targets, they saw the blood. To Alesandro and the Blood Wing, their targets looked like walking bodies of red liquid, waiting to be sucked dry.  

 

Alesandro turned to his trusted right hand man Nerus, and nodded to him. As the other flapped their bat-like wings, long since fused to their backs, Nerus dived in low. Nerus quickly scanned the column ahead and, happy with the week spot he would be about to exploit, dove towards his foe. A terrible screeching noise emitted from his now defunct Jump pack as he drew his beloved twin pistols and emptied both of their clips into Astra Militarum regiment. Guardsmen fell wounded or dying as the mass reactive bolt shells did their grisly work. Still more dove to the ground and tried to shoot at Nerus, but he was already gone, melting into the rain. Alesandro's Blood Wing had been harassing the Guardsmen's line for a week, but in the last few days it had begun to pour with rain. Alesandro had sent a grateful prayer to Khorne for this turn of fate, as it meant that this campaign of fear could be persecuted longer with lower fatality rates then before. Not that Alesandro or Khorne cared much for whose blood was spilled. But Alesandro knew that the more men he had, the more blood they could spill. 

 

As Nerus re-joined the Blood Wing Alesandro motioned to everyone to come in close. They all did before landing together in the depression of a large knoll. Each member put on their helmets, now mockeries of the heroic visages they had once been, they were twisted and warped, meant to inspire fear rather than courage and desperation rather than hope. "Well done Nerus" Alesandro's guttural growl echoed over the squads private Vox-Net. "I counted their reaction time, the seeds of fear have begun to take root, and their retaliation's timing was slow enough to warrant the full scale attack. Arren, Tell Gorenash the time is right" Arren nodded before beginning an incantation to boost the squads Vox-Net. Alesandro's Blood Wing once more rose into the air and began circling high above the Imperial column, still in disarray after the surprise attack. That it had only taken the deaths of 20 guardsmen to cuase such panic and confusion confirmed Alesandro's statement, they were ripe for the harvest. 

 

The first sign private Yveil noticed of anything being terribly wrong was the screaming. It was unlike anything he had ever hear before. It was not the screaming of the Chaos Raptors Jump packs, of that he was sure. It was human, but not. He ran towards the Psyker conclave, as that was were the screaming seemed to be coming from. Suddenly he stopped. In front of him the conclave were all clutching their heads as terrible things began to happen. The first Psyker turned as pale as white as his entire blood supply drained out of him, he feel into a pool of dark red. The Next Psyker screamed louder and louder as his blood boiled and then ignited, setting the poor Psyker on fire. The final Psyker just stood watching and gibbering before his eyeballs exploded in spectacular fashion, but before he fell to the ground a force seemed to hold him up, blood spewed from his mouth but he managed to speak in a voice louder than was possible "Gorenash is come, The Harvest Begins, Your lives are Forfeit" The final Psyker exploded outwards, blood sparying everything. Then came the familiar Screaming of the approach of Raptors 

 

Alesandro's heart sang as he swooped into the camp of the Imperial Guard strafing them with his bolt pistol. He landed and, throwing down his spent pistol and drawing a crackling power Axe, he had been given the Axe when he became 6th Company Captain of the Archangels and it had served him well, it still did now in the service of chaos. Staling through the chaos caused by the 9 other members of his Blood Wing, Alesandro picked out a group of Imperial Guard who looked like they could rally the others, A captain and his flag bearer surrounded by a rabble of veterans and privates. Alesandro Smiled to himself. This would be fun.

 

Yveil stood at the Flag Bearers side, his Lasgun held in surprisingly firm hands as the screams of the Raptors echoed through the mist. Yveil felt something warm splash his face and looked up before crying out in horror, instead of the rain everyone had been accustomed too, the sky wept blood. Yveil felt himself begin to quiver when one of the other Guard Members yelled out a warning, stalking towards them was an Adeptus Astartes, his armour black and crimson like dried blood. On his back sprouted bat wings and what was once a deathmask now portrayed a daemon.  The Traitor Astartes let out a cry in a strange language and charged towards the guardsmen. 

 

Nerus flew above the battle, firing shots into the beleaguered and confused guardsmen. Occasionally swooping low to decapitate Guardsmen, or when he felt particularly vindictive just picked up men and dropped them from great heights, In the distance but getting closer and closer his enhanced sight let him see the charging mass that was slowly solidifying into Gorenash's warband. Led by 50 Khorne Berserkers, the warband was making very good speed. The Blood Wing would not need to distract the pathetic guardsmen for much longer. He scanned the battlefield and made out Alesandro approaching a rallying command squad. Flying to land next to his commander he emptied both his pistols into the squad slaying 7 guardsmen including the flag bearer, but before it fell it was caught by a shaking private. Nerus watched bemused as his old comrade charged into combat with the Guardsmen and mercilessly cut them down  

 

Alesandro charged forwards, splitting the first guardsmen clean in half with his axe, before spinning and beheading 2 more with one stroke. He ran towards the captain who had tried to flee like a coward but had fallen down. As he approached the prone captain a lasblast hit him square in between the eyes and his head snapped back. Alesandro merely snarled and shook his head before turning towards the offending guardsmen. He ran at the shaking private holding the flag and, slinging his axe on his back, simply punched a whole with his fist right through the guardsmen's chest. Turning back to the captain, who had now managed to get up and was attempting to flee, Alesandro contemptuously drew a second bolt pistol and shot him in the legs, watching them explode in twin showers of gore. Holding up the captains body Alesandro removed his helmet and tossed it to one side before violently stabbing his fangs into the captains tender neck and ripping out his jugular. 

 

Yveil lay dying, the dropped banner next to him as he bled profusely through the hole that had just been punched in his chest. In all honesty he had no idea how he was not dead yet, though his vision was rapidly blurring. The last thing Yveil ever saw was Gorenash and his warband arrive, letting the Bloody Harvest begin in earnest 

 

(the beginning of a story set long after http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/311432-the-fall-of-the-6th/, this is now about Alesandro and his remaining honour guard after they have joined a khornate warband)

[paulJam]

good start EesiOh, looking forward to your challenge article on these guys too

"more dove to the ground and tried to shoot at Nerus, but he was already gone, melting into the rain" nice

[EesiOh]

I'm glad you like my work. I have a feeling both of my current stories will probably take a long time for me to get off my ass and write, but that's just how it is sometimes. As for the challenge im 90% sure you entered too and I am equally looking forward to see your great writing in action during the challenge