Board Thread:Warhammer 40k Roleplay/@comment-14745711-20150116231447/@comment-14745711-20150131200746

OOC: Oh crud I thought I'd put up the next post but it doesn't seem to have uploaded. Sorry about that guys.

Warning! This first part briefly features chaotic worship. If you want to avoid it skip the first paragraph.

The group of ten cultists was grouped around an improvised shrine, composed of a central metal spike and a flat base shaped as the star of chaos. Mounted on top of the metal spike was the head of a dead space marine, the bright yellow colour of his helm betraying the chapter he had served in life. The upper portion of the spike was covered in his dark dried blood. The cultists swayed left and right, strange warp energies swirling around them. One cultist slowly began to rise into the air, before vanishing in a vapour of blood. Then a second, a third and a fourth. The sacrifice complete a rift in the world opened out stepped a pack of Bloodletters, their bright red skin gleaming in the now slowly fading sunlight, as if glistening with the blood that had been offered for their entrance into realspace.

Suddenly one cultist’s head exploded in gore as a bolter round found its mark. A hail of additional fire ripped through the small square where they had gathered mowing down the rest of the humans. The Bloodletters looked around confused for a moment; they’d only just emerged from the warp and no enemy was in sight. They did not have a long wait in that regard as with a cry in a strange tongue the head of one of the Bloodletters exploded in flames. The four others turned to see the towering figure of Katon, his eyes crackling white, veiling the power passing through his body. There was a blue glow about his head like a halo, and flames leapt from the point of his sword.

The daemons of Khorne leapt towards him, but they didn’t get very far. One exploded in flames as Katon hurled another psychic attack in their direction. The next had its head crushed by a power fist and Jeremiah threw himself into the melee. One of the two surviving daemons slashed at the newcomer but the Captain ducked the blow and fired into the Bloodletter at point blank with his pistol. The last one was decapitated by Katon in one smooth movement.

The bodies of the now vanquished daemons vanished in a flash of warp fire, as they-or rather the energy of which they were made-retreated back into the Warp. “This fiendish alter they built,” muttered Jeremiah, “it reeks of evil.”

“It’s easily solved,” growled Katon. With a wave of his hand and a quite crackle of psychic energy the shrine was blasted by flames that engulfed the pagan object and proceeded to super heat it until it melted into a dark smear on the ground. “Go in peace now brother,” said Katon quietly to himself, his eyes now returning to their normal colour, “you have shall be avenged.”

“There is no time now to mourn the dead,” pronounced Jeremiah, his greater years and experience asserting themselves. “This attack has doubtless been mounted for our benefit. We should not disappoint our saviours now should we?” The force of astartes both Sayian and Angel gathered around the two captains, and moved forward with a warcry.

“FOR THE EMPEROR!”

Just as Avatus had expected to feel the cold embrace of death he saw Zhufor smashed away by a power fist. Jeremiah stood over him, and offering him his other hand helped his Chapter Master to his feet. “You survived then,” affirmed Avatus looking his captain of the 6th company up and down.

“Thanks to you sir, replied Jeremiah.

“Well, let’s keep it that way. It’s about time we send this traitor to meet his gods.”

The two astartes charged, and immediately behind them, out from amongst the battered houses came the ranks of space marines. Gleaming sky blue and yellow in the now setting sun, the blood on their armour crusted and cracked. A hail of bolter fire roared out from amongst the charge, along with several flaming projectiles provided by Katon, as well as rockets and plasma blasts from the devastators. The chaos marines counter charged with a roar, but upon impact were smashed into the dirt. There were however exceptions, and these began to hew their way through the enemy, breaking the line.

Zhufor was most defiantly one of these exceptions. He shrugged off bolter fire and ignored nearby explosions. Even when Katon blasted him directly with fire he came on. He charged right for the psychic captain and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him from the ground. Katon’s eyes flashed and small lines of electricity crackled at Zhufor’s arm. But the grip did not slack and the chaos lord drew back his arm for a death blow.

At the last minute Avatus shoulder charged Zhufor knocking Katon free. The great lord of chaos turned on him and swung, Avatus just leaping out of the way in time. And before he could press the attack Katon had cut him across the back with his power sword. He then head butted him and blasted flames over his face. Zhufor still emerged from it angrier than ever, and downed Katon with a savage blow across his chest, dealing significant damage. Katon cried out and fell to the ground, Zhufor leaning over him.

Avatus cut his enemy open again from behind, and Jeremiah charged into the combat as well, smashing into Zhufor’s side. With several more blows the chaos lord was driven further back. Avatus began to retreat, away from the fight dragging Katon unceremoniously over the ground. “Fall back!” he called, “Thunderhawks are on the way; fall back to the extraction point!”

The mass of struggling warriors began to separate from each other gradually, the loyalist astartes scrambling back away from the horde of chaos berserkers. Bolter rounds flew wildly though the air as one side retreated and the other pursued madly. Zhufor leapt to his feet and let out a terrible roar thundering forwards, small clouds of dust raised by his great booted footsteps. Avatus saw one battle brother felled by an unfortunate hit to the head, which tore through his helm and shattered the internal workings of his brain. As one traitor came towards him he swung down in reckless fury, and luckily-he realised afterwards-the chain sword wielding attacker did not parry him, but instead collapsed to the ground, blood spurting from multiple punctured and severed arteries.

Suddenly there was the tearing boom of mighty engines and ten Thunderhawk gunships shot out of the cloud layer, off to the west and the left of the battle which was making its way south. The Thunderhawks had had to enter atmosphere some distance away from the fighting so that they weren’t spotted immediately, and shot down by one of the chaos warships in orbit. They had remained within the cloud layer flying by sensors only, which was no easy business with warp energies so nearby.

The first two fired a hail of missiles, targeting with great precision to ensure they didn’t hit their own. A great number of traitors were turned into dark red stains and scattered pieces of armour in the dirt by the barrage. The Thunderhawks then hurtled directly over the heads of the combatants and put down hastily not thirty meters away. “RUN!” was the only command Avatus could give, and most his men promptly turned their backs on the enemy and sprinted for the evac site. Those who were already close enough to the safety of the transports turned and provided what covering fire they could for their brothers whilst still walking backwards.

Heaving Katon over his shoulder, Avatus proceeded to sprint in a rather clumsy fashion towards the doors. When he reached them he placed the still unconscious Katon in the care of an apothecary that had been dispatched with the evac team. He then turned on his heel and ran back towards his withdrawing forces. He cut down one Khornate warrior that was about to cut open a marine who had been knocked over by an explosion, before using both hands the cut the head of another. Then the first Thunderhawks were taking off and Avatus knew that the only thing to do now was run.

He scrambled inside the door of one of the transports, sheathing his sword and then turning to pull out his holstered bolt pistol and fire a series of rounds at the still pursuing enemy. Then the craft was taking off, the doors still open, and Avatus almost fell out as it did so. Then they were up in the air and the doors were closing. Closing on the menacing figure of Zhufor, who was clutching the decapitated head of a dead marine, howling his bloodlust at the sky, and his retreating foe.