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"300 feet and closing. Send these traitors screaming back to their pit." A boom of massed bolter and lasgun answered the Blood Angel Captain. From a crumpled building a group of frenzied chaos marines burst into open ground, forsaking their sidearms and doubling up on their melee weapons. Nearly after the moment exiting their hiding place the band was engulfed in heavy fire, three of their number falling. Abandoning the fallen, their charge grew more furious until only a handful managed to make it to the imperial defensive position. A cluster of fragmentation grenades erupted over head, sending panicked guardsmen running for cover as the unfortunates were riddled with iron shards. Climbing over the make-shift trenches the Blood Angels emerged to battle their hated cousins, those forever fallen from the Emperor's light. Vicious hand to hand fighting erupted as the impetuous charge hit home and quickly claimed three of the blood angels. The sergeant's power weapon claimed one of the chaos marines in a downward stroke, severing the arm holding the chain-sword. A swift kick to the head as the traitor reeled over in pain sent the mongrel to the ground where the power blade bit through armor and into the earth. Taking pause to gather the situation, Captain Esmarus watched as the last remaining traitors were dispatched with impunity. Allowing himself a grin at their handiwork he stooped low to lay a respectful touch to his fallen battle brothers. A harsh coughing caught his attention, coming from a traitor laying on the ground one he had pinned there with his blade. Garbled static was all he could hear coming from the vox of the dying marine.
"Even in death your false words fail to reach any ears, traitor." More garbled vox chatter answered Esmarus' banter.
"-rn" The chaos marine fumbled upon the blade sticking through his chest, one of his hearts already given out yet the other refused to allow his body to accept death. Esmarus withdrew his blade and bent down to properly address the traitor.
"Your god forsakes you, just as you have forsaken the Emperor. May whatever hell that awaits you show you the follow your kind damned themselves millennium ago." A single bolt entered the traitor's temple to end the wretched thing's existence.
A low rumble started to gain momentum as off in the horizon a dust cloud began to pick up. Several of the guardsmen began cheering in hopes of relief supplies and fresh soldiers were on the way but soon their cheers turned to cries of dismay as the vehicles in the distance were covered thick smoke and flame. "To the convoy! Defend it at all costs!" A few more explosions ripped the ground before the Blood Angels and guardsmen could arrive. The scene was something from an old man's horror story, one where the bodies of good men dragged across the dirt and lain about in ritualistic fashion. "Check for survivors, expect none but still." The guardsmen began to fan out and look at the carnage. Bodies torn to pieces as if by animals, blood smeared in crude runes and many of the dead were littered about with no heads to be found.
One of the Chimera drivers managed to survive by hiding under the bodies of some of the men that died when the tank was ruptured from the side by an explosive. He recalled how he heard maddened screams and cries for blood. Black and red armored giants tearing men in half with their bare hands. When asked for what icon could be seen on their shoulder the terrified man said it resembled a great mouth closing around a planet. World Eaters. Khorne's finest killers. Getting what men he had, Esmarus made a defensive perimeter within the wreckage of the convoy, expecting the perpetrators to return for new meat. He didn't have to wait long, for out of the corner of his eye a flash of red and gold trim flecked, causing him to duck a would be decapitating strike from a chain-axe. A quick counter strike sent the berzerker doubling back from the momentum but soon the entire position was swarmed with madmen calling for their blood. The few squads he had brought with him were caught in vicious melee and the guardsmen quickly buckled under the assault. The assault squads were caught in the grips of skilled warriors, those few able to escape were suddenly snatched from the air by Raptors, their clawed feet pinning their prey to the dirt before the sharp kiss of a blade ended their hunt. Trying to maintain order in the chaos, Esmarus suddenly felt something hard hit him in the ribs sending him to his knee. Managing to barely block another fatal strike he was suddenly in battle with a figure he had heard stories of but never imagined to exist.
"SCUM!" boomed from the arcane vox grills of the giant. A sweep of his massive axe sent Esmarus rolling on the ground to which the giant charged, using his shoulder to send the captain off kilter, unable to counter. This was the killing blow, Esmarus thought. But it never came. Several of the more glory seeking members of the band made grabs to land his killing blow on the Blood Angel captain and infighting broke out but soon it was sharply ended by the giant, two more heads added to the collective pile gathered from the dead. This was just the moment he needed to recover. Doubling up on his sword, Esmarus charged the distracted giant, hoping to penetrate the ancient power armor suit and rid the galaxy of a great madman but for nought it would be, a downward stroke send the captain crumpled to the ground, his sword arm broken and his spine torn into by the teeth of the monstrous axe. Feeling the bite of the weapon, Esmarus let out whatever air was collected in his chest, his lungs screaming for air that would never come. Rolled over by the giant's boot a great cheer started to erupt from the onlookers.
Kharn! Kharn! Kharn! Kharn! Again and again until the voices boomed as one monstrous entity. Taking Gorechild in both hands, Kharn raised it high above his head. Esmarus closed his eyes so that his head wouldn't have the misfortune of staring at such filth from their trophy stacks. Soon he felt the icy hand of release grip him and he would join his Immortal Emperor.
There has been a little question that had been nagging me about what if there were Chaos marines crazy enough to follow Kharn into battle, not simply encounter him while in the midst of their own affairs. My entire army is centered around the band of nutters bold/crazy enough to put Kharn in charge and follow him into battle, so after some pondering came up with a back-story and whatnot. They are a World Eater warband and having fought my friend's blood angels for time unknown, we both have stories of how our armies have bitter conflicts of revenge and seeking one another out in campaigns. Hope you enjoyed the little tale.
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