Screams and call, neither human nor inhuman, but rather in between. The abominations gathered, sharpened their weapons and drank their fill from those that had already fallen. With each step corpses were crushed beneath his feet, his armour was smeared red with the blood of his enemies. Looking over the mangled piles of dead, both brother and beast, Valentus finds what he was looking for. The massive bloated body of a Greater Daemon of Nurgle lies, felled, before the rotten corpse of Inquisitor Drogan. The man had found them within the madness of the Warp, and he had fought by their side, and died with honour. His name would be remembered. Discarding his own beaten and broken Power Sword, Valentus picked up the Nemesis Daemonhammer wielded by the Inquisitor. He offered a brief prayer to the spirit of the weapon, that it might serve him unto death as it had the inquisitor.
The ship's AI informed him that he was the last of his kind remaining within the confines of the ship, or what was left of it. Around him were the bodies of his brothers in arms, and he knew he was soon to join them. He crouched beside the body of a brother terminator, filling up his ammo supply with the terminator's bullets. The souls of the dead had no need for weapons. All he could give them now was revenge. He planned to kill a Daemon for every brother who had fallen today, to avenge them in full before he joined them.
A mechanical voice rasped in his helmet. They were coming. The void shields had failed once more, and the abominations broke through into the main body of the hulk. He could hear them scampering, claws and hooves smashing into the metal floors. He went down on one knee, and offered a prayer to the God Emperor. That He might give him strength in these moments, that he might grant his protection even in this hellish realm of death and destruction. That he might once more be a beacon in the darkness. He would be His hammer, he would be the point of His spear. He would be the shield that stands unwavering, the sentinel that does not tire. He would be the last stand against the daemon, the mutant, and the heretic.
His opponent revealed himself, emerging from around the corridor. Massive clawed fists gripped a sword the size of a man. Daggerlike teeth filled the slobbering jaws of the beast. It's fiery eyes glared at him, even as it roared. The Greater Daemon of Khorne, a direct servant of the Skull Throne. In response to the challenge, Valentus raised his hammer in greeting.
The beast charged, and the metal melted under it's feet. It's claws rended the very space it passed through, the blade glowing with the might of the Chaos Gods. Valentus considered unleashing a volley, but mere bolter rounds would do nothing but slow it down. And he wanted to get this over with quick. he stepped forward, crying out as he swung his hammer. The two weapons met in the centre, the two champions matching strength as the very ground shook. Gravity seemed to fail, as Valentus felt the world falling away from him. For a moment he believed himself to be dead, that he fell away from his mortal body as he was dragged back to the Emperor's throne. But the feeling did not cease, and the blinding light did not abate. Was this some sort of purgatory?
And then, even as he had made peace with his death, he breathed in once more. His feet stood on solid floor, even as he heard the shouting around him. He felt his weapon in his grip, as his eyes adjusted. He could feel his heart beating once more, air rushing through him like water to a dying man. He knew then that he had not fallen, although he did not understand how.
@Stephanie Dola@supertinyking
Around him, several humans were gathered. There was what appeared to be some military force, using what appeared to be lasguns. They opposed a young woman, who appeared to be threatening him. The scene was familiar, reminding him of his own visits to Terra and the other Hive Worlds, and yet it seemed strangely off. As if the very air he breathed was alien to him. This was clearly a human world, and yet he could not see the insignia of the Emperor on the uniforms of the soldiers, nor were they using standard Imperial Guard equipment. Their guns were not modified, but rather deviated from the Standard Construction Template. Was this some militia force? Perhaps some task force of the Adeptus Mechanicus? And yet they lacked their insignia as well.
the mysteries of where he was momentarily threatened to overtake the question of how he had got here. Was this perhaps one of the Lost Worlds, a bastion of human civilisation that had not yet been discovered by the God Emperor? That was the only explanation that made sense, for such similar and yet strange technology to exist on an alien world. If that were the case, there was but one way in which he could have arrived here. His prayer had been answered, and the God Emperor had called him to duty once more. Not to die in fury and flame, but to unite the forces of mankind once more. To find those lambs who had been lost from the flock, and unite them once more under the watchful eye of the God Emperor of Mankind.
It must have been a surprising event for those who had been mere moments from conflict. In a flash of light and fire, a robotic titan appeared in their midst, covered in blood both human and alien. Stranger yet when the giant figure stood in silent contemplation for several seconds, seeming to think before deciding to address the colonel. The Paladin turned to the human soldiers, his feet crushing stone to gravel under the immense force of his weight. When he spoke his voice was deep and metallic, warped by his helmet. "Tell me, are the humans who live on this world yet pure of the influence of chaos?"
The ship's AI informed him that he was the last of his kind remaining within the confines of the ship, or what was left of it. Around him were the bodies of his brothers in arms, and he knew he was soon to join them. He crouched beside the body of a brother terminator, filling up his ammo supply with the terminator's bullets. The souls of the dead had no need for weapons. All he could give them now was revenge. He planned to kill a Daemon for every brother who had fallen today, to avenge them in full before he joined them.
A mechanical voice rasped in his helmet. They were coming. The void shields had failed once more, and the abominations broke through into the main body of the hulk. He could hear them scampering, claws and hooves smashing into the metal floors. He went down on one knee, and offered a prayer to the God Emperor. That He might give him strength in these moments, that he might grant his protection even in this hellish realm of death and destruction. That he might once more be a beacon in the darkness. He would be His hammer, he would be the point of His spear. He would be the shield that stands unwavering, the sentinel that does not tire. He would be the last stand against the daemon, the mutant, and the heretic.
His opponent revealed himself, emerging from around the corridor. Massive clawed fists gripped a sword the size of a man. Daggerlike teeth filled the slobbering jaws of the beast. It's fiery eyes glared at him, even as it roared. The Greater Daemon of Khorne, a direct servant of the Skull Throne. In response to the challenge, Valentus raised his hammer in greeting.
The beast charged, and the metal melted under it's feet. It's claws rended the very space it passed through, the blade glowing with the might of the Chaos Gods. Valentus considered unleashing a volley, but mere bolter rounds would do nothing but slow it down. And he wanted to get this over with quick. he stepped forward, crying out as he swung his hammer. The two weapons met in the centre, the two champions matching strength as the very ground shook. Gravity seemed to fail, as Valentus felt the world falling away from him. For a moment he believed himself to be dead, that he fell away from his mortal body as he was dragged back to the Emperor's throne. But the feeling did not cease, and the blinding light did not abate. Was this some sort of purgatory?
And then, even as he had made peace with his death, he breathed in once more. His feet stood on solid floor, even as he heard the shouting around him. He felt his weapon in his grip, as his eyes adjusted. He could feel his heart beating once more, air rushing through him like water to a dying man. He knew then that he had not fallen, although he did not understand how.
@Stephanie Dola@supertinyking
Around him, several humans were gathered. There was what appeared to be some military force, using what appeared to be lasguns. They opposed a young woman, who appeared to be threatening him. The scene was familiar, reminding him of his own visits to Terra and the other Hive Worlds, and yet it seemed strangely off. As if the very air he breathed was alien to him. This was clearly a human world, and yet he could not see the insignia of the Emperor on the uniforms of the soldiers, nor were they using standard Imperial Guard equipment. Their guns were not modified, but rather deviated from the Standard Construction Template. Was this some militia force? Perhaps some task force of the Adeptus Mechanicus? And yet they lacked their insignia as well.
the mysteries of where he was momentarily threatened to overtake the question of how he had got here. Was this perhaps one of the Lost Worlds, a bastion of human civilisation that had not yet been discovered by the God Emperor? That was the only explanation that made sense, for such similar and yet strange technology to exist on an alien world. If that were the case, there was but one way in which he could have arrived here. His prayer had been answered, and the God Emperor had called him to duty once more. Not to die in fury and flame, but to unite the forces of mankind once more. To find those lambs who had been lost from the flock, and unite them once more under the watchful eye of the God Emperor of Mankind.
It must have been a surprising event for those who had been mere moments from conflict. In a flash of light and fire, a robotic titan appeared in their midst, covered in blood both human and alien. Stranger yet when the giant figure stood in silent contemplation for several seconds, seeming to think before deciding to address the colonel. The Paladin turned to the human soldiers, his feet crushing stone to gravel under the immense force of his weight. When he spoke his voice was deep and metallic, warped by his helmet. "Tell me, are the humans who live on this world yet pure of the influence of chaos?"