Grey Knight Auren

[Knight Errant Mattis]

This is an excerpt from a short story I wrote some time back. If anybody is interested I can post more of it. This is taken out of context but it is the end of a climactic battle. The story is 25 pages long and I'm not sure how to post the whole thing on here.

 

     Auren was fighting to stay conscious, his body a ragdoll as the forces of reality tore at his armor. The blade was stuck fast in the side of the Bloodthirster as they hurtled through the atmosphere. Auren pulled his shoulder in close trying to tuck as the Bloodthirster tried to dislodge him. The beast gave up realizing it couldn’t pry its burden off in time and opened massive wings to try and arrest their meteoric descent toward the ground.

     With a bone shattering crash Auren collided with stone. Skidding to the edge of the rock monolith Auren was on his back once again looking at the peculiar purple sky of Insidious IV. Hands still locked on the hilt of the greatsword Auren attempted to sit up. Searing pain nearly caused him to lose consciousness as his armors internal medical readout flashed a warning that his black carapace had a linear break and his primary heart was damaged.

     Using the blade as a lever Auren forced himself into a kneeling position. All around him a battle raged. Khorne Berzerkers ran headlong into disciplined firing lines of strike squads; Stormraven gunships poured volleys of fire into lumbering daemon engines. A terrible battle raged, but Auren was isolated from it. Warm blood trickled down his neck his ruptured ear drums caused him to feel his heartbeat at his temples.

Scanning the edge of the rock face for a way down Auren saw the shadow cast over him just in time to roll out of the way. Stars exploded in his vision from the violent maneuver as his physiology and armor systems tried to flood his body with painkillers and stem his internal bleeding.

     The daemon landed on the monolith opposite Auren. It looked like the score was even at this point; Auren couldn’t stand up straight, the Bloodthirster clutched its side where Auren’s greatsword had gouged a raged hole. The warriors circled each other, Auren held his blade in a low guard, the Bloodthirster dragging his axe behind him.

     Auren began to feed his psychic might into his relic blade. As he did so he could feel his brothers adding to his efforts. He wasn’t sure how many yet lived but their added might cause the blade to shine with the intensity of a star. Squinting against the glare Auren steadied himself. He only had one chance. He would let the Bloodthirster come to him, its massive size would add to his thrust. He had only to stand firm.

Feeling the bellow of the great chaos beast break against him Auren stood his ground. The Bloodthirster beat its wings to add force to its lunge; bringing the great axe over its shoulder in a downward arc the daemon put everything behind the blow.

     Turning his back foot out Auren pushed with his legs as he thrust upwards; one hand on the bottom of the pommel, the other he used to guide the tip of the blade towards the center of the daemons chest.

The axe bit into the top of his leg and time slowed. Not able to stop its momentum the Bloodthirster had doomed itself. Auren ignored the sensation of his leg being shorn off as his back leg continued to hold fast. The tip of the blade stayed true, parting flesh just to left of center mass.

Auren smiled inside his helmet, his duty fulfilled, as the full weight of the Bloodthirsters hurtling mass crashed into him his world went black…

[Knight Errant Mattis]

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12403188/1/Khornes-Tithe

 

I just uploaded the short story to fanfiction. Check it out if you want to read the whole short story.