Sgt. Karras' shouted words of encouragement
to the remaining 5 men of his squad. Losing 2
of their brothers to incoming fire was hard enough,
but seeing Tigurius fall so quickly to the cursed
Heretics was almost enough to drive them into
a frenzy. Karras praised the Emperor for giving
them restraint, for he knew that the Traitor
Marines stood ready to gun down their numbers
as soon as they moved out from behind the ruins.
He knew that they must wait for precisely the
right moment to attack, less their bodies rest
alongside that of the Librarian.
"Brothers, let not the death of Tigurius be
prevalent in your mind. The Emperor protects
him even now, just as The Emperor shall guide
us to cleanse those who committed this deed.
Ready your weapons, Brother Marines, and
prepare for battle."
-------------
Malus, Champion of Khorne, shut off the power
to his bloodied power axe. Mere seconds after
his first engagement with the Imperial scum, he
already felt the bloodlust rising again. His men
had served Khorne well today, yet the blood had
only begun to flow. The death of Tigurius hadn't
even begun to sate him, and moving back into
the Rhino was not what he had wanted to do.
However, he realized that there were no other
chance of bloodshed by moving on foot, and
the Rhino was his best chance at claiming yet
more blood for Father Khorne. As he sat down
upon the stained benches inside the tank, he felt
the Rhino shake as it began to move across the
field. The sounds of battle began to increase in
their furor, while the screams of the dying rose
above it all. If it were possible, the power armor
fused to his face would be smiling.
A gravely voice broke his thoughts, and he was
summoned to the front of the tank. Malus moved to
the driver's side, gripping whatever he could to
steady himself from the Rhino's constant jerking
and trembling.
Cassidus was of the Night Lords chapter, yet he
adhered to their ancient tradition in remaining loyal
to Khorne. Malus had relied upon Cassidus and his
beloved Rhino to carry his men to the front lines,
always insuring that the Berzerkers would be put right
into the heat of the battle. This particular battle was
important for Malus, with the Chaos forces' attack on
the rear of the Loyalist defense sealing off the Loyalists
on all 4 sides. If Malus could break through here,
the Chaos forces might have a chance at taking this
planet. So Malus was pleased that Cassidus once
again accompanied him in this battle. If things
go as planned, he would consider bring Cassidus
into the ranks of his men, making him a full-fledged
warrior of the Blood God.
"Report, Cassidus."
Cassidus' gaze never turned from the battlefield,
his constant attention on the path his vehicle was
taking. His command of the vehicle was without
compare, and even a warrior such as Malus was
amazed at his skill in commandeering the ancient
tank. "My Lord, Ultramarines stand in the path of
Father Khorne's wrath. I shall attempt to run
them down, my Lord, then your men will be free to
disembark for battle with the remainder of the forces."
Malus knew that Cassidus did not yet understand
the true pleasure of hand to hand combat, and still
relied upon the might of his tank to win a battle.
Nevertheless, this did not anger Malus, for Cassidus'
actions would bring yet more Blood for Khorne. Malus
saw yet more Loyalists in the form of Black Templars
behind the Ultramarines, and there were far more of
their number that his men could kill. Good. Run down
these fools, and then his men will move out to
destroy the rest.
"Praise Khorne. If our weapons cannot taste their
blood, then our vehicle will. Run them down."
"Yes, my lord. All Praise unto Khorne."
Malus' armor attempted yet another smile.
Cassidus would be joining his ranks sooner than he thought.
------
The very moment that Sgt. Karras uttered his
words to the squad, the huge form of the Heretic's
Rhino lurched around the corner of the ruins.
Black smoke spewed forth from its exhausts,
spreading the smell of corruption and decay
across the battlefield. Realizing that the Traitor's
tank meant to run them down, the Ultramarines
quickly dispersed from its formation, sprinting to
either side of its path. In the blink of an eye, all
of the Ultramarines managed to move from the
path of the wretched vehicle at the last possible
moment.
That is, all but one.
Brother Corvus planted his feet in the ground.
His brothers had all moved out of the path of
the ancient machine, but not him. His determination
fueled by his hatred of Chaos, he had sworn to
eliminate as many of their number as possible,
even if it meant sacrificing his own life. For a
Marine, Death is not Death unless it is in the name
of the Emperor. He raised his Missile Launcher at
the huge tank, with time seemed to slow for him
as he peered into the sights of the weapon,
aiming for the small slits in the hatches of the Rhino.
His mind was filled with words of all who had
trained him in the Path of Righteousness,
and he quickly prayed to the Emperor that his
aim would be true. He then knew that his life
was in the Emperor's hands.
"Death or Glory The Emperor be praised."
------
The Rhino shook as the krak missile struck the
front panels of the tank, puncturing the outer
armor. Somehow, it refused to detonate, and
the tank lumbered on. The brave Ultramarine had
just enough time to realize what had happened
before being impaled by the spikes protruding
from the outer layer of the tank.. The iron rods
slammed into his armor, piercing through his head,
chest, and stomach, quickly ending his long life.
Sgt. Karras watched as the brave Marine
sacrificed his life in the name of the Emperor.
His now lifeless body hung from the front of the
tank, and Corvus became yet another trophy
for the cursed tank. How his weapon had
failed to destroy the Rhino, Karras would
never know.
And at this point it didn't really matter.
Never losing speed, the Rhino continued forward,
then quickly came to a jerky halt. The Rhino's
doors swung open, and 10 howling Berzerkers
poured out of its armored shell, their maniacal
chanting fueling their bloodlust. The black and
red of their armor was splattered with gore, and
the entire squad seemed to extrude an aura of
blood and death. Karras saw the Chief Librarian's
blood still wet on their chainswords, and he
prayed to the Emperor that he might find the
strength to avenge Tigurius' death.
Today, his prayers would go unanswered.
-----
Malus jumped out of the transport, glad to
be free of its confines. He saw the sickly
blue armor of his foes, and felt the power
flow through his axe yet again. His foes
appeared shaken by the death of their
comrade, and stood in awe at the sight
of his mighty Berzerkers. He then knew
what the outcome of this encounter
would be, and that soon, Khorne would
be pleased.
Blood for the Blood God, indeed.
End.
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