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(A little story based around my own DIY SM Chapter, the Storm Reavers.)

It was night, shadowy grey clouds were circling in the Anthracite sky like carrion birds, waiting for their prey to finally die, so they could move in to reap the rewards of their patience.

A lone man clambered up a rocky scree, the little ashen grey pebbles hastened to move from under his feet, sending him crashing back to the ground he had started on. The man's face was invisible, shrouded as it was by long and straggly hair clinging desperately to his scalp in the whipping wind. A terrifying howl like that of a wolf sounded out in the tall and foreboding pine forest some way behind where the man had appeared.

The man once again made to scale the debris-strewn slope, slipping and sliding, but slowly clawing his way to safety. Once he reached the top he lay down for a moment as the wind subsided for but a moment. His torso was bare, even in this cold weather, and he wore thick woollen leggings. However, the red lines criss-crossing his chest and back would suggest that his shirt was torn from his body. he breathed in and out raggedly as rain began to lash down like the unmerciful whip of a slavedriver.

The wind suddenly whirled back around the man again and leaves and other detritus was lifted up and dragged silently to parts unknown in the mighty gale. Trees at the edge of the forest began to rustle as something stirred within, and then from the tops of the trees a monstrous silhouette emerged. Winged like a bat and horned like a demon, with deathly grey scales and hair, with baleful yellow eyes like burning fires set in its skull.

The man uttered one word as he leapt up and begn to hurry down the other side of the slope:
'Stormwyrm!'

The man knew he had little chance of escaping the mighty predator as it glided towards him by the power of the wind, the shadow was getting closer as he hurried over a small patch of scrub towards yet another pebble covered slope. It screeched yet again, a noise that seemed to come straight out of man's worst nightmares, something primal snapped within him and he began to run faster and faster, the predator now began flapping its wings rather than the leisurely glide it had been using before.

He knew that he could not escape, and this fear was afirmed when the reptilian abomination landed with a noise like crushed bones directly in his path. The man stopped as its forked tongue flickered in and out, it began to approach him. It hissed and moved towards him slowly, its joints clicking and cracking as it went.

The jaws were huge, and as it approached, it serpent-like head reared back, then suddenly jolted forward, snapping at the man who had instinctively avoided the clumsy attack. It reared its head again, the man avoided the bite yet again.

The man knew that he was failing fast, cold and clammy, with little strength left in him. But a branch, sturdy and thick, lay near the beast's feet. he leapt forward, diving between the beast's legs as it made another lunging bite. He now had the branch, and whacked it upwards at the beast's soft underbelly.

It howled and reared on its hind legs, allowing the man to get out in front of it yet again. Something deep at the back of his mind, a primordial viciousness, had been activated. The two circled eachother for what seemed an eternity. The Stormwyrm's head coiled back, the hateful yellow pits glaring down at the man. it suddenly swept down in a lightning-fast strike. But the human was ready, and met the attack with a swing of the branch, snapping the branch he held and stunning the beast momentarily.

It's head lay there, mouth hanging open, he thrust the stick up inside and collapsed the roof of the mouth, the head suddenly losing all semblance of shape. He withdrew his battered weapon and stuck it into the eye of the monster, thrusting deep. Dark red blood bubbled from the mess of a head, the man relinquished his weapon and lay down, resting against the carcass of the monster.

Cold blackness, like deep water, began to fog over his vision.

When he awoke he was in a large log cabin, a roaring fire in the background and three gigantic figures in robes standing around the only door. One turned, under the hood was a metal mask, in the shape of a skull, the eyes were deep red, but this did not seem to bother the weakened man as he stared in wonder at the giant.

The huge being stepped forward, heavy metal-clad feet making a sound like an axe hitting a log as he walked across the timber floor. He raised a huge hand wearing a gaulntlet perfectly crafted for him, protecting even the individual finger joints with small intricately welded interlocking plates. The long-haired man did not resist as the massive black hand lifted his head back, the red eyes seeming to flicker a little as they examined his features.

'What is your name?' spoke the black armoured giant in a deep metallic voice that seemed to pervade the very soul of the man under his scrutiny. The man tried to open his mouth, but found the huge black gauntlet was stopping him. he tried to move his arm to push at the giant's arm, but he seemed to know what the human was thinking, and pulled his hand away, it returned into the recesses of his robe.

'I am Maximilian Keros.' He gazed up into the deathly face of the giant man, wondering what would happen next. Suddenly, the deep voice sounded from within the mask again.
'You have proven yourself to be strong, Keros.' Maximilian took this as a compliment. The giant's massive mask turned to directly face him rather than looking straight ahead.

'Why were you out on this night, Maximilian?' he cocked his head to the side almost unnoticably.
'I... I was banished from my village for angering the Storm God they have recently come to worship. They foolishly believe it will protect them from the new Stormwyrm flock.' The huge skeletal face remained still, but the rest of the body shifted so he was fgacing maximilian directly.

'Do you still have faith in the Emperor?' The man knew then and there that the only acceptable answer was yes. So he gave that answer. This seemed to please the giant, who stood up straight and grasped keros' arm, pulling him to his feet.

'Tonight you may dine with myself and my Battle Brothers. I am Chaplain Gremmel. The two over there are Brother Lyonas and Brother Artemis.'

The three giants cast back their robes, leaving them on the floor, revealing each of them to be wearing a massive suit of armour, while Gremmel wore a bvlack and very embellished suit, the other two wore more plain grey suits. On each shoulder was the symbol of a scythe hidden behind a cloud.

'Storm Giants!' gasped Keros. Gremmel seemed to chuckle a little.

'Yes... that is what your people may call us. Our true name is the Storm Reavers. We are a Chapter of Space Marines in the service of the God Emperor. But before we talk more, sit and eat, you will need your strength back if you wish to become one of us.'

Keros considered this prospect for a moment, then nodded and sat at the table...

That night Maximilian rested as the Storm Reavers stood silently in watch of the darkness outside the cabin. In truth, the mighty warriors were sleeping in their armour, each taking a shift on watch, while the other two slept, Keros did not know any of this however.

Next morning he was awoken by One of the two Battle Brothers, possibly Artemis, but Maximilian couldn't tell with their helmets on., though the voice was more hoarse due to the near decapitation Artemis had survived.

'Get up, get washed and dress in the clothes at the end of the room, and meet Gremmel outside.'

Keos hurried to do so, Artemis sounded angry at him. He quickly splashed icy cold water over his bare chest and face, picked up the bundle of clothes and stepped behind a partition, he quickly slipped into the fur-lined leather clothing and marched outside. The ground was muddy and slippy, a thin sheet of drizzle lazily drifted to the ground in the cool morning air. Gremmel stood there, holding a massive golden scepter in one hand, and for the first time Keros noticed the sheer mass of his left gauntlet, it now seemed to crackle and glow occasionally.

The black armoured leviathan turned to face Maximilan keros and spoke to him:
'To the east there is the camp of preachers and witches who converted your society to the worship of the Storm God. I want you to go to that camp and kill every single one of them.' Maximilian swallowed and then asked one simple question:

'What weapons will you give me?' One of the two Battle Brothers snorted a short laugh before shutting himself up. keros looked around, frowning.
'What Brother Lyonas means to say,' Said Gremmel, 'Is that you are expected to do this unarmed. take wht you will once there, but our armaments are for accepted Neophytes only. Now go quickly, directly east, and let not a single one live, their heresy against the Emperor will be paid for in blood.'

Maximilian grinned and ran off into the foreboding eaves of the forest. Gremmel smiled underneath his helmet, and was sure his two Brothers were doing the same...

Keros eventually got out of breath, and the edge of the wood was nowhere in sight yet, he had to be cautious this deep in, as Giant Wolves occasionally roamed here. With a mad cackle, some horrific hybrid of man and tree leapt from a massive gnarly oak. He spoke in what could only be described as the most odd language ever known to man. The sweping branches that had intertwined themselves with his arms whipped towards Keros, hitting him in the chest and knocking him far back.

Keros grunted and rose just in time to avoid a mighty stamp from the root-like foot. Keros knew he had little chance without weapons, but none were in sight, he kept his eye on the foe, checking for weak spots. He saw one, a bloody gash in the man's right shoulder, with a lumberjack's axe embedded in it. No doubt the original weilder was dead, but Keros could use it to deliver this monstrous abomination to death's unforgiving embrace.

He lunged under a sweeping branch-fist and wrenched the axe from the wound. This in itself caused pain as blood freely began to flow once more. The beast howled and grit fell from between its rancid jaws, a sound like a sapling being uprooted was the only description that could be given to this sound. Keros screamed, a sound like somebody trying to sing opera while having their lungs removed. This alone stunned the hybrid, but then the axe came, biting deep into a shin. The man-tree knelt to cradle the wound, bringing its mossy haed into range. keros brought the axe down, severing what was once the spine of some poor human. This merely angered the treeman, but Keros managed another strike and swept the head clean off the torso. he picked it up and dropped it into a pool of collected rainwater, but much to his surprise the body continued to move in search of the head.

He swept one leg and both arms off the twitching abomination's torso before leaving it to eventually die or regenerate. Keros knew he must be getting close, only Witchcraft could bring such mutations about.

Soon he was at the edge of the camp, but a deep trench of thick wet mud surrounded all but the heavily guarded entrance, keros had tested it with a stick, which was almost immediately pulled halfway into the mud before stopping. Getting over would be tricky due to the distance, but Keros tought he might do it with long enough timber. He searched the nearby forest until he had two long and sturdy logs, he placed them over the trench and began to clamber across them. When he was halfway across the mud began to bubble, and some huge gloopy cyclopean monstrosity came forth, caked in muck from the bottom of the trench. It opened it mouth, but mud quickly flowed into the gap before nay sound could be uttered, it reached for him, but Keros still had the axe, and pulled it from his belt, lopping off one of the grabbing arms. The beast slipped back a little and a sound like a boot pulled from soft mud came from its mouth.

It tried to garb him again, but yet again he swung his axe, this time leaving it embedded in the monster's head. It made another sucking sound before plunging back into the trench, taking the axe with it. Keros cursed under his breath and continued across. he then pushed the logs into the muck, knowing he would be taking the real exit when it was time to leave.Keros was currently behind one of the many tents, he took a look inside by laying on the ground and peering under the edge of the canvas.

One woman slept in this room, she seemed to have seaweed growing in straggly locks all over her head, interspersed with real hair. Keros slipped in under the canvas and clamped a hand over her mouth, she awoke instantly, but he put her in a headlock and twisted, snapping her neck. To make sure, he dragged the corpse outside and pushed it face-first into the muck. Once back inside, he looked around for any sort of weapon. The only thing he noticed was some strange pointed symbol made from iron on an altar beside her bed.

Keros lifted it and creeped to the closed flaps at the front of the tent, peering out. In the early morning few were awake. If he was careful, Keros could enter each tent one-by-one and assassinate their occupants silently. he slipped quickly into the neighbouring tent, here a man was chained to a larger version of the symbol Keros now held, he seemed to be gibbering while he slept, there was a large eyelid on the center of his forehead. Keros simply slammed the little symbol he held into the chained one's head, crushing it and leaving a bloody mess. he left and slipped into the next tent, here three robed figures stood, slowly turning to face him.

Keros grunted and swung the icon he held, embedding it in the face of the first, who fell isnatntly, the second and third drew cruel daggers from within their robes. Keros grimaced and dropped to the ground, sweeping their legs from under them with a powerful kick. He then raised his foot and slammed it down twice on the face-down one. He brabbed the knife from the figure's hand and leapt to his feet, he threw his knife down into the other acolyte's back. As the last man grunted and died, he took all their knives and retrieved the icon. He stepped outside the tent and moved onwards.

Within an hour of tiring work he had dipatched all the heretics of this camp aside from anybody who might be in the central pavillion and the two guards at the entrance. he slowly slunk to the pavillion, eneterin from the normal door, and found the massive tent to be empty save one praying figure in the center, ringed by light coming from the smoke hole in the roof. It was another woman. Keros did not believe it was right to harm women, but these heretics had fallen so far it was excusable.

He grimaced and hurled the icon he bore at her back, it clattered to the floor where now there was only a pile of black cloth. he looked up and saw her clinging to one of the tent's support beams. She had an eel-like tail and long fangs, with an exaggerated lower jaw that extended forward of her other facial features. She had lank dripping wet hair and pale green flesh which appeared semi-translucent. She leapt down and her tail bound his arms to his torso, her tail constriciting and knocking the air from his lungs.

'The master will show no mercy to these followers of a dead god, you shall be granted the honour of bringing his rebirth ever closer.' She hissed and her mouth stretched wide, keros looked in wide-eyed terror at the back of her throat, there was an extra row of teeht inside the eel-like maw, which were moving forwards as the hot smelly cavern descended over his head. He struggled and pulled his head back from the distended jaw that waited so eagerly to accept his body. She tightened her grip and pulled harder. He managed to rip away one coil of her tail and free his arms.

Keros scremed in rage and whipped a knife from his belt now his arms were free, he pressed it into her tail. She screeched, in a massive convulsion, hurled him to the floor. As she slowly slid her jaw back into place and tried to recover, keros hurled his last knife into her forehead, crushing bone and piercing brain.

She collpased and slowly shrivelled away into a little patch of blackened dirt. Keros threw himself back to the ground in exhaustion. Suddenly he heard a bloodcurdling shriek from outside...

The two guards defending the bridge that lead into the village across the mud-filled ditch had fallen to the ground, blood oozing from their faces, bodies convulsing in agony. keros ran towards them to see what was wrong as one of them exploded into a fine red mist. Keros could not believe his eyes, the raw power required for that kind of explosion was unthinkable.

The other guard suddenly stood, perfectly calm, gaping rents on his bare chest and arms. The blood over his body began to draw back into these wounds, and quickly the reddish mist drifted into them as well. The second guard's flesh over his body was swollen and red, as if it could barely comntain all the additional mass it had taken on.

The guard howled in pain one last time before some huge snakelike tendril ripped through his chest. It flexed in the air for a second before more started to force their way free. before long the human was no longer visible amidst the swirling mass of tentacles flailing left and right. Keros readied his knife and lowered his body into a fighting stance.

One thick rubbery tentacle pounded down on the ground next to him, as from amidst the heap of squirming flesh a head covered in large black eyes rose up, each reflecting what it saw almost perfectly. It was obviosly now some kind of octopi-like being, but of size and strength unmatched by anything Keros had ever seen before.

Another limb came crashing down towards him, he rolled to the side, avoiding a blow like a falling tree. He grunted and forced a knife into the beast's thick fleshy hide. The blade stuck and the beast merely snorted and continued its attempts to pulverise him. After a short while of avoiding the monster's counterattacks Keros was getting very tired. Another thick and powerful tentacle smashed down next to him. He could go on no further. he kenlt before the creature as, sensing victory, it raised four of its arms for a final crushing blow.

' - And they shall know no fear!' was the last thing the beast heard before a massive force smashed into its bulbous head, bursting eyes and stunning it.

In the confusion the beast just managed to focus for a second on three figures of giant stature wearing some kind of ancient armour. One of them had a massive gauntlet around its fist, and swung it forth at every limb the panicked monster tried to throw at the black figure. It whimpered pathetically as the striding man began to pull himself up to the beast's remaining eyes.

The monster caught a glimpse of glowing red eyes and a skull-like face before the crackling power fist crushed its last few eyes and scrambled its brain. As he leapt down, the two grey figures approached the monster carefully, flames jetting from their weapons, slowly transforming the slimy hulk to ash.

Keros looked up from his silent prayer into the faceplate of Gremmel.

'You have proven more than worthy to join us. Welcome to the Storm Reavers.'