Kraal paced along the living corridor. All around him daemonic entities living within the walls reached out and then recoiled, as they felt the presence of Khorne, imbued within Kraals chaos tainted armour. Other daemons continued to paw and scrabble as they felt the touch of their patron deity and the blood stained soul of his chosen one.
Kraal for once in his ten millennia long life felt fear, he smothered it, ‘Get a grip, what is wrong with you, you are one of the Blood Gods chosen and yet you fear a mere mortal.’ Even though Kraal told himself there was nothing to be scared of he knew deep inside there was, this was no mere mortal, this was Abaddon, and he never called on you without a purpose, and that purpose was rarely good, especially since… Kraal forced the memory down he didn’t want to remember that dark day, but he couldn’t and slowly the memory forced it’s way to the surface…
‘Kraal Get Down!’
Without a seconds thought Kraal obeyed the command, dropping to one knee, he was just in time as a bolter shell raced through the air previously occupied by his head, a wet squelch and a shriek of pain showed that the loyalist sneaking up behind him had not been so lucky. Kraal rejoiced as he felt the warm sticky blood, shower his uncovered head, he let out a primal roar followed by,
“BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD”
Kraal rose from the crouch he had adopted and charged into the Imperial command platoon, he whispered a small prayer of thanks as the Imperial las shots reflected from his millennia old armour, and then his charge was over, he leapt the final distance, over the hastily constructed defences, and came crashing down amongst the Imperials.
His armoured feet broke one neck as he fell, his chainaxe sang in a symphony of blood as it shattered skulls and ripped open chests, his bolt pistol spat round after round from his hand blowing off limbs and exploding hearts and his head lashed out catching a sergeant going by his rank pins clean on the nose, shattering it in an angry outburst of blood and cartilage, Kraal roared as this showered his face, his tongue instantly lashing out to taste it, while his enemy was blinded Kraal followed through with a swift kick to the knee cap smashing it and sending its owner to the ground, lying foetal and easy to dispatch at a later date. He quickly finished off the rest of the False Emperors lackeys and then surveyed the installation; it had been cleansed of loyalist filth.
He span round as heard someone approach, thinking he had missed someone, but he stayed his hand when he recognized the familiar sound of one of his brethren,
‘Orius, slow there is no more killing to be had!’
Kraal said as his blood soaked comrade jumped down into the defences,
‘Typical, I save you from a certain death, and you can’t even save me a few of the scum for exercise.’
Kraal saw the red mist of the blood rage start to descend on his friend and he knew he had but a few moments to assuage him before he would be faced with a fight that might very well decide his fate,
‘Calm my friend there will be more to kill soon,” knowing that he had also to install his rule and discipline he added “Just remember that although I’m your friend I’m also your boss, don’t ever think about attacking me! Or challenging my authority’
‘Yes my friend and master’
Orius replied solemnly ‘Lucky there.’
Kraal thought to himself, though his initial fear returned when a huge shadow fell over both him and Orius; they both quickly dropped to one knee and turned bowing their heads knowing of who they would find when they turned.
‘But I am your Boss, Kraal SkullSplitter, never forget that. You may be my promised successor when I am finally elevated but until that time you follow me and my orders, that means no more charging away by yourself. Do you seek to steal my glory?’
Kraal glanced up and then wished he had not, his masters body was constantly in flux, writhing and wreathing, as his body started to accommodate and change to accept his elevation to daemonhood, wings that were growing daily sprouted from just below and out from the base of his neck.
‘Now both of you get up, even I have masters, and it’s not just enough to slay in the Blood Gods name we must also slate the Despoilers desires and he desires us to have this installation destroyed along with another two for some great plan he is brewing, now MOVE!’
Reagan high master of this Khornate host ordered. Kraal and Orius instantly obeyed,
‘Squad Defiler, plant those charges over by the generator, Squad Profanity secure the perimeter, No one in or out without our knowledge. Orius lead my chosen in collecting the skulls of the fallen, the Blood God shall shower us with praise for the bounty we have raised here!’
Kraal roared, as he followed his soon to be immortal master.
Kraal ducked behind a generator and shot a bolter round into the unlucky Black Templar that was shielding behind it.
‘Squad Defiler are those charges planted’ a second later the affirmative was received,
‘Squad Profanity return to sector 6.6.2, do you hear, confirm…’ the silence stretched on and then was replaced by a crackling, Kraal new the sound and new what it meant, out there somewhere was a techmarine and he was blocking the transmissions, Kraal looked around for him but ducked back as an explosion took out the corridor where Squad Profanity had been guarding, no doubt they had already been dead. Spotting Orius charging towards an assault squad Kraal leaped up and charged to join him,
‘Squad Defiler up and charge, you are not the weak-minded followers of the False Emperor; you are the chosen of Khorne. Are you not?’
Kraal challenged as he spotted the squad sneaking through cover,
‘AYE’
Was the roaring response, though it was lost in the cry that erupted from Orius as he reached the fallen machinery that the Templars were shielding behind, as they changed ammo clips,
‘Blood for the BLOOD GOD’
The cry echoed around the chamber and was repeated by every Bezerker as they upped and charged their foes, the Templars were no cowards but instead one of the most vicious and pious loyalist chapters,
‘NO FEAR, NO PITY, NO REMORSE’
They replied vengefully as they leapt from cover and charged, Kraal and Orius met them head on supported by squad Defiler, the first Templar that charged Kraal was split from shoulder to hip such was the force behind his chainaxe, this was a hindrance though as his axe stuck in the floor, the next Templar took the opportunity and aimed a swing with his chainsword which glanced off Kraal’s helmet and ripped it clean from his head, Kraal pushed his bolt pistol against his enemies chest and pulled the trigger, just as Orius’s great axe decapitated the already dead marine.
With them finished Kraal hurdled the fallen and ran onwards towards the command retinue of the loyalists,
‘Chosen with me!’
He cried as he leapt boot first into the Sword Brethren that tried to bar his way, his axe rose and fell in a shriek of metal on bone, blood cascading out from the neck wound, his bolt pistol silenced the next one to pose a threat, and then through the throng of Templars he saw his goliath, out stepped the Emperors Champion, he silently nodded, singling Kraal out for single combat, recognizing a worthy enemy.
It was all Kraal needed he stepped forward and raised his axe in salute just as the Champion raised his midnight black blade in a mirrored posture, Kraal new this combat might well decide the whole melee as everyone stopped and watched the two enemies circle.
Still circling Kraal slipped his bolt pistol into it’s holster and unsheathed his small knife, it might not be very effective against power armour face on, but could be forced through a joint at the neck or armpit and puncture a crucial piece of anatomy.
Kraal had to force the Blood Gods presence down, yes he would draw on the power and revel in it, as he slaughtered, but just now he needed to think, not make a suicidal charge against this champion among close combat experts.
He didn’t get long to think as the Templar charged forward swinging the black blade round and lunging towards Kraal’s chest, Kraal waited to the last second before diving to the left and swinging his knife backwards into the knee joint of the loyalists armour as his speed carried him forward, the knee gave way but the Templar flung himself into a diving roll and came up turning to face Kraal. First blood may have gone to Kraal but he knew that his blood would be shed too before the end of this fight, favouring the uninjured leg the Champion came forward more cautiously this time, faking swings, and side stepping trying to provoke an attack from Kraal, ‘If he wants a fight he’ll get one, I never was one to disappoint.’
Kraal thought as he charged at his nemesis, just as he raised his axe for an assault in his right hand, he dropped his knife from his left and swapped his axe over, effectively making the Templars parry useless, this though was no mere neophyte Kraal faced and the Templar managed to bring his blade down in front of the huge axe but his stance was not right and the force of the blow knocked him to the ground, Kraal wasted no time he swung the back of his axe with huge force down on the Champions sword arm, not even his marine metabolism was strong enough and the bones shattered.
No one interfered not even the Templars though they knew there Champion was dead, it was an honour thing, he had challenged the Chaos Champion as was his duty and he had fallen, the Chaos scum had respected honour and so would they, though it was with heart wrenching pain to watch a comrade be slowly killed.
Kraal sheathed his axe and picked up his discarded knife he walked over to the fallen Emperors Champion, he ignored him at first and instead picked up the ornate Black Sword and inspected it, he flung it to Orius,
‘Keep it for me’
He called to his friend as he kneeled down and removed the Champions helmet, he looked into his enemies eyes and saw only fear and pain, but not the pain or fear of fighting Kraal but the fear of failing the Emperor and the pain of surviving and facing his brethren with his shame. Kraal had never spared an enemy, not children, not injured, and not elderly, but today marked a new chapter in his life. He turned from his enemy and walked towards his own side, behind him he heard scuffling as the Templars ran forward to collect their injured friend.
Kraal saw Orius raise his bolt pistol and yelled for him to stop, Kraal would have relished the blood but he realised by saving his enemy, he would have to live with the shame of failing and the shame of being spared by an enemy that was supposedly cursed and crazy for following the Chaos Gods,
‘STOP, Orius NO.’
Kraal was to late the bolt roared by his shoulder, just as bolt from behind took him in the knee, as he fell he saw the Champion being carried away with a heavily bleeding chest wound, and in his hand he clutched the ornately tooled bolt pistol that he had shot Kraal with, and he realised that Orius had been trying to save him.
Just like that as the Templar injured were carried to the back of their lines to be treated the Berzerkers charged in again to meet the Templars and exact some revenge for their dishonour. Kraal forced himself to his feet just in time to watch the two sides pause, a matter of feet from each other, Kraal wondered why until he felt the nausea, his master was coming to join the battle.
To be Continued…
