short update
***
It was a gruesome task but it was what he was good at. He had lost his helm a little while ago, courtesy of a charging brute. He was down to a bolt pistol in one hand and a knife in the other and he would be damn to the lowest hell if he would let any of these beasts get past him. What was holding up the reinforcements, if they didn’t get here soon things could get a little tricky.
Like a bellow from a god a massive explosion rocked his position he looked back and saw his prayer had been answered. Moving at a stately pace were the three recovered Baneblades. One moved to each side and the third took up a position over looking the center. From that slightly raised position it was able to open up with almost all it ordinance.
The enemy begun to die in droves and they had nowhere to go. A cheer went up from the men, they felt the battle shifting in their favor and with renewed vigor they took the fight to the enemy. Most of the Astartes where down to their fists having long ago spent their ordinance, the genome soldiers as well both lent their strength to the regular troopers.
Patton was looking about when a rampaging berserker got through the defense and charged straight at him. He managed to put a bullet into his shoulder but that didn’t stop him. It swung a massive clever at him and without thinking he raised his arm to block the hit with his knife. The impact broke the blade the blow carried through and severed his arm just bellow his elbow.
Patton fell back and the enemy was riddled with bullets. Two Astartes grabbed him and pulled him out of the fire line and behind the bane blade. An apothecary was soon there tending to his wound. The last thing he heard as he passed out was the thumping roar of the main battle cannon of the super-tank behind him.
* * * * * * * * *
Parry, hit, block, riposte, slash, and deflect. The duel had been going on for a long time now, both combatants refused to give an inch, their heaving chests a testament to their struggle. There had not been a duel like this since ages long past. Evan’s men continued to insure that their charge was undisturbed, the enemy’s dead were piled ten deep before them.
The struggle continued unabated, Evan sported several would on his arms, where the cursed weapon of the enemy had manage to get through his defense. The dark figure also had a few dents on its armor from hits from Evan’s hammer. Evan refused to be beaten, to even contemplate defeat was something that had been scoured from this mind when he became an Astarte. The shield and hammer begun to glow ever more brightly, Evan’s conviction fueling their power, with a howl Evan charged the dark figure again.
* * * * *
They were behind the enemy now, the last line of them right before them. The Emperor looked at his companions and nodding once to them charged ahead into the enemy. As they neared the rear of the formation bolter shells begun to fly killing foes indiscriminately. They stormed pass the enemy, many of them dead before they realized what had happened, a flash of golden armor was the last thing many of them saw.
The large figure of Succorbenoth loomed ahead, nearly head and shoulders taller than the Emperor. He was undaunted by the sight and yelling words of power charged ahead in a blur of speed, hitting his target square on the back causing it to stumble forward roaring in pain. Any other being would have been paralyzed, their spine shattered from the blow. Succorbenoth simply became enraged and turning saw the source of his pain.
Seeing his true enemy before him the dark prince smiled and charged ahead, the warp forged blade was stopped dead by the blade of the Emperor, the battle had now truly begun.
The Beginning (pre-W40K) part 39 Comments and Crit. welcomed
Moderator: LadyTevar
Re: The Beginning (pre-W40K) part 36 Comments and Crit. welc
Nice, although maybe it's just me but I can't help thinking that it might be more in character for the Khorne guy to want an undisturbed duel while Evan's men are trying to help out their leader, and not the other way around. After all, it's Khorne that wants combat for its own sake, the Emperor's men would logically just want to win by as effective a means as possible (which probably wouldn't include their leader dying in some staged one on one duel).
Just a minor thing.
Just a minor thing.
Re: The Beginning (pre-W40K) part 37 Comments and Crit. welc
Weekend!!!!! YYYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS
update too!!
*********
Consciousness was slow in its return, a heavy thump kept shaking the ground, and dulled pain clawed at the edges of his awareness. A voice was calling to him; he focused on that voice, struggling to make sense of it. Having to focus his will on that voice moved his awareness closer to a conscious state until finally he broke to the surface. His eyes popped open and once again he was in hell.
The apothecary was kneeling beside him, calling his name, being awake once again Patton signaled to Astarte that he was ok.
“General you have lost your arm at the elbow. I was able to stop the bleeding and may be able to reattach the arm but only if the operation is performed in the next few hours.”
“No time for that, help me up, I need a status report!” Patton was already looking about for someone to give him the information he needed.
“Sir you should stay here you lost a lot of blood and should by rights be in a field hospital right now.”
“No doubt you are right, and if we weren’t in the midst of a battle I would happily oblige but right now I have a fight to win, now help me up and get me on top of this damned tank”
With a lot of help from the large apothecary and a lot of cursing on his part Patton managed to get on top of the command turret. Banging on the latch and yelling for someone inside to open up.
A heavy clang and a few seconds latter a head popped up from the hatch along with a bolt pistol. Seeing the general standing there with his bloody stump and a face like death made flesh the corporal saluted and quickly lowered his gun.
“Son get me an open channel to the other two tanks we are going to show these miserable rejects from the lower hells just what it means to tangle with the Imperial Guard.”
Grinning the junior officer lowered himself and quickly reemerged with a comm. set and an open channel.
Bringing the set up to his mouth he began to issue orders to put an end to the fight once and for all.
“This is General Patton, all units prepare to advance. All available Astartes units and genome soldiers are to form up between the three heavy tanks, Guard units give covering fire.”
The army moved quickly to comply with the general’s orders once the lines had been reformed Patton gave the order to advance.
“All units forward, kill them all.”
* * * * * * * *
Charging forward with the shield before him Evan managed to knock his opponent back. The black sword lashed out again but this time it connected solidly against the glowing shield. Evan grinned and pushed forward his attack. Jabbing the black figure with the head of his hammer he managed to connect a solid blow against his opponent’s mid section causing him to double over.
As his opponents head descended Evan raised his knee to meet it. The blow would have taken the head clean off from anybody else but his opponent was no ordinary man. The figure fell dazed and Evan pounced once more.
His right leg stomped on his enemy’s weapon hand, crushing the arm beneath and at the same time he brought his hammer screaming downward. Much like a falling star the shinning head of his hammer fell. His opponents head was utterly crushed by the blow.
The enemy that were around the scene wailed at seeing their champion killed and went into a frenzy jumping a top the armored hills that were Evan’s men. His men covered each other they killed every single one of the enemy.
As the battle increased in tempo they begun to notice that more and more of the enemy were running away, soon enough Evan was able to see why. Coming from the other end and slaughtering all in their path were the three Baneblades and arranged between them were the heavy infantry units. But the most shocking sight was the one armed figure of general Patton standing on top of the central tank screaming oaths and curses as he fired his pistol at any of the enemy that was not quick enough get out of his sights.
update too!!
*********
Consciousness was slow in its return, a heavy thump kept shaking the ground, and dulled pain clawed at the edges of his awareness. A voice was calling to him; he focused on that voice, struggling to make sense of it. Having to focus his will on that voice moved his awareness closer to a conscious state until finally he broke to the surface. His eyes popped open and once again he was in hell.
The apothecary was kneeling beside him, calling his name, being awake once again Patton signaled to Astarte that he was ok.
“General you have lost your arm at the elbow. I was able to stop the bleeding and may be able to reattach the arm but only if the operation is performed in the next few hours.”
“No time for that, help me up, I need a status report!” Patton was already looking about for someone to give him the information he needed.
“Sir you should stay here you lost a lot of blood and should by rights be in a field hospital right now.”
“No doubt you are right, and if we weren’t in the midst of a battle I would happily oblige but right now I have a fight to win, now help me up and get me on top of this damned tank”
With a lot of help from the large apothecary and a lot of cursing on his part Patton managed to get on top of the command turret. Banging on the latch and yelling for someone inside to open up.
A heavy clang and a few seconds latter a head popped up from the hatch along with a bolt pistol. Seeing the general standing there with his bloody stump and a face like death made flesh the corporal saluted and quickly lowered his gun.
“Son get me an open channel to the other two tanks we are going to show these miserable rejects from the lower hells just what it means to tangle with the Imperial Guard.”
Grinning the junior officer lowered himself and quickly reemerged with a comm. set and an open channel.
Bringing the set up to his mouth he began to issue orders to put an end to the fight once and for all.
“This is General Patton, all units prepare to advance. All available Astartes units and genome soldiers are to form up between the three heavy tanks, Guard units give covering fire.”
The army moved quickly to comply with the general’s orders once the lines had been reformed Patton gave the order to advance.
“All units forward, kill them all.”
* * * * * * * *
Charging forward with the shield before him Evan managed to knock his opponent back. The black sword lashed out again but this time it connected solidly against the glowing shield. Evan grinned and pushed forward his attack. Jabbing the black figure with the head of his hammer he managed to connect a solid blow against his opponent’s mid section causing him to double over.
As his opponents head descended Evan raised his knee to meet it. The blow would have taken the head clean off from anybody else but his opponent was no ordinary man. The figure fell dazed and Evan pounced once more.
His right leg stomped on his enemy’s weapon hand, crushing the arm beneath and at the same time he brought his hammer screaming downward. Much like a falling star the shinning head of his hammer fell. His opponents head was utterly crushed by the blow.
The enemy that were around the scene wailed at seeing their champion killed and went into a frenzy jumping a top the armored hills that were Evan’s men. His men covered each other they killed every single one of the enemy.
As the battle increased in tempo they begun to notice that more and more of the enemy were running away, soon enough Evan was able to see why. Coming from the other end and slaughtering all in their path were the three Baneblades and arranged between them were the heavy infantry units. But the most shocking sight was the one armed figure of general Patton standing on top of the central tank screaming oaths and curses as he fired his pistol at any of the enemy that was not quick enough get out of his sights.
Re: The Beginning (pre-W40K) part 38 Comments and Crit. welc
The two massive figures clashed time and again, each resolute and unconquerable. They were the opposite of the duel that had just resolved itself, where before the two figures had fought with grace, speed and form these two colossi battered at each other both physically and in warp. Thought constructs dashed each other to bits seeking to tear down the defenses of their opponent and rend their mind. While the two beings bashed at each other in abandon.
The Emperor was not a brawler but he was forced into this kind of a fight by the sheer brutality of his opponent. The other was an ancient daemon of the warp, favor scion of Khorne and he lived only to kill for his master. Succorbenoth had discarded his whip in favor of wielding his sword in both hands, thus delivering blows that would have cut a tank in two but which to his growing annoyance were stopped again and again by the glowing being before him.
Each time the two swords crossed the sound they made would rise above the noise of the battlefield costing soldiers their lives as they were distracted by the odd sound. Only those one hundred Astarte that had been assigned by Evan to guard the Emperor continued to fight regardless of what happened around them. They would die to a man before allowing a single one of the enemy to get close to their charge.
Every blow was countered, each punched, kick or elbow dodged or ignored when it connected. The two figures seemed quite capable of continuing to fight endlessly, but the Emperor had other plans. He began to pull back his attacks in the warp and to concentrate on defending from the physical attacks. Slowly he began the fashioning of a great banishing construct the likes of which had never been seen.
Each piece of the construct was carefully assembled in his mind, but the strain of defending from his attacker while designing that piece of sorcery was taking a toll even on him. His brown was covered in sweat and He was loosing some strength.
Succorbenoth sensed his growing weakness and redoubled his attacks, pouring all his power into each blow both material and ethereal. He wanted to completely obliterate the Emperor to take his soul and torture it for the next millennia. He released the last of his restrain and left nothing back he would not be denied.
He had finished the construct but he was unsure as to how to release it, he had never had to vanish something like this beast before, so he recalled the ancient religions and gave the construct physical form. He began to chant, uttering words of power and detestation, giving voice to his newly wrought power.
Each syllable, each word was like a hammer blow to Succorbenoth’s constitution. Six hundred and sixty six words were uttered by the Emperor and by the end of them Succorbenoth was greatly weakened. Most of its power had been spent assaulting the Emperor and the attack launched in response had rendered him nearly powerless.
The Emperor showed no mercy to his enemy gathering what psychic power he had left he imbued his sword with it and took the head of his foe. Vanishing him to the warp in a thousand pieces to be swallowed by its denizens and never returned.
As the daemon’s essence vanished the Emperor fell on one knee, it had been a very long time since he had been forced to call on so much power, his guardians saw this and pull back closer to him. Forming a double ring of solid armor around him, they redoubled their efforts killing every last single enemy soldier in fifty meters around them.
Slowly the Emperor stood again and he saw the carnage about him, everywhere he rested his eyes he saw death and destruction, the battle had been massive and the dead continued to mount on both side for even without their leader the enemy continued to fight. So far was their descent into chaos that there was no redemption possible for them. He hardened his heart and moving aside his guardians strode forth again ready to finish this once and for all.
The Emperor was not a brawler but he was forced into this kind of a fight by the sheer brutality of his opponent. The other was an ancient daemon of the warp, favor scion of Khorne and he lived only to kill for his master. Succorbenoth had discarded his whip in favor of wielding his sword in both hands, thus delivering blows that would have cut a tank in two but which to his growing annoyance were stopped again and again by the glowing being before him.
Each time the two swords crossed the sound they made would rise above the noise of the battlefield costing soldiers their lives as they were distracted by the odd sound. Only those one hundred Astarte that had been assigned by Evan to guard the Emperor continued to fight regardless of what happened around them. They would die to a man before allowing a single one of the enemy to get close to their charge.
Every blow was countered, each punched, kick or elbow dodged or ignored when it connected. The two figures seemed quite capable of continuing to fight endlessly, but the Emperor had other plans. He began to pull back his attacks in the warp and to concentrate on defending from the physical attacks. Slowly he began the fashioning of a great banishing construct the likes of which had never been seen.
Each piece of the construct was carefully assembled in his mind, but the strain of defending from his attacker while designing that piece of sorcery was taking a toll even on him. His brown was covered in sweat and He was loosing some strength.
Succorbenoth sensed his growing weakness and redoubled his attacks, pouring all his power into each blow both material and ethereal. He wanted to completely obliterate the Emperor to take his soul and torture it for the next millennia. He released the last of his restrain and left nothing back he would not be denied.
He had finished the construct but he was unsure as to how to release it, he had never had to vanish something like this beast before, so he recalled the ancient religions and gave the construct physical form. He began to chant, uttering words of power and detestation, giving voice to his newly wrought power.
Each syllable, each word was like a hammer blow to Succorbenoth’s constitution. Six hundred and sixty six words were uttered by the Emperor and by the end of them Succorbenoth was greatly weakened. Most of its power had been spent assaulting the Emperor and the attack launched in response had rendered him nearly powerless.
The Emperor showed no mercy to his enemy gathering what psychic power he had left he imbued his sword with it and took the head of his foe. Vanishing him to the warp in a thousand pieces to be swallowed by its denizens and never returned.
As the daemon’s essence vanished the Emperor fell on one knee, it had been a very long time since he had been forced to call on so much power, his guardians saw this and pull back closer to him. Forming a double ring of solid armor around him, they redoubled their efforts killing every last single enemy soldier in fifty meters around them.
Slowly the Emperor stood again and he saw the carnage about him, everywhere he rested his eyes he saw death and destruction, the battle had been massive and the dead continued to mount on both side for even without their leader the enemy continued to fight. So far was their descent into chaos that there was no redemption possible for them. He hardened his heart and moving aside his guardians strode forth again ready to finish this once and for all.
Re: The Beginning (pre-W40K) part 39 Comments and Crit. welc
After a long time I have an update for those of you that hound me to finish this sometime 
*********
Most of the enemy troops had fought to the end, giving no quarter and asking for none. The lesser daemons had vanished almost instantly after the death of the daemon prince. The presence of that being was one that troubled the Emperor a great deal, that those beasts could pierce the veil with so little help was worrisome; he had to find a means of shielding mankind from that evil.
Evan and Malcador approached him, Evan carrying his helm under his arm whilst an escort fanned about them searching the dead for possible threats. They both came before him and waited for him to speak; he had summoned them after all.
“You have both performed admirably; your men are a credit to both of you. Go and gather the wounded we will honor our dead and prepare for the next step”
Both saluted and turned away leaving the Emperor alone once more, his mind once again spinning with strategies. Yet he found himself distracted by the scene about him.
Everywhere he looked he could see cleaning teams of Astartes armed with flamers burning the piles of body whilst his men were dragged away to be interred with all due honor. The butcher bill had been high but victory was theirs. Now he could begin to build, to lay the foundation that would carry mankind back to its rightful place.
He turned away from the scene and begun to walk back to their lines looking to find some peace at least for a little while.
After that victory there were no more battles to fight on Earth, the Emperor bent his will to the task of laying the foundation for his Empire, he begun to build the seat of his power, he ordered the large hives that dotted the surface to be rebuilt to their former glory.
Over the site of his last battle he ordered the construction of a massive spaceport and begun the preparations for the journey back into space. He had undertaken the task early on of selecting bright men to begin learning what it would mean to command space borne vessels.
To think that mankind had once held complete command of the stars moving nearly at will from one corner of the galaxy to the other. Now he had to teach men to once again think in three dimensional terms.
He had some sense of what may be waiting out there, the sensors in the Lunar base had detected the coming and going of two ships while he had been warring for control of the planet. From the markings and design his hopes had been confirmed, Mars still existed and had maintained their original purpose as a manufacturing center.
He needed ships, the ones he had been able to secret away in the system when everything had begun to fall apart would not be enough to reclaim the stars, but they would serve for the time being, they had to.
Three years after the last battle he had enough men trained and ready to crew two ships so he began the process of ferrying them to the waiting battleships so that the true rebuilding could take place.
*********
Most of the enemy troops had fought to the end, giving no quarter and asking for none. The lesser daemons had vanished almost instantly after the death of the daemon prince. The presence of that being was one that troubled the Emperor a great deal, that those beasts could pierce the veil with so little help was worrisome; he had to find a means of shielding mankind from that evil.
Evan and Malcador approached him, Evan carrying his helm under his arm whilst an escort fanned about them searching the dead for possible threats. They both came before him and waited for him to speak; he had summoned them after all.
“You have both performed admirably; your men are a credit to both of you. Go and gather the wounded we will honor our dead and prepare for the next step”
Both saluted and turned away leaving the Emperor alone once more, his mind once again spinning with strategies. Yet he found himself distracted by the scene about him.
Everywhere he looked he could see cleaning teams of Astartes armed with flamers burning the piles of body whilst his men were dragged away to be interred with all due honor. The butcher bill had been high but victory was theirs. Now he could begin to build, to lay the foundation that would carry mankind back to its rightful place.
He turned away from the scene and begun to walk back to their lines looking to find some peace at least for a little while.
After that victory there were no more battles to fight on Earth, the Emperor bent his will to the task of laying the foundation for his Empire, he begun to build the seat of his power, he ordered the large hives that dotted the surface to be rebuilt to their former glory.
Over the site of his last battle he ordered the construction of a massive spaceport and begun the preparations for the journey back into space. He had undertaken the task early on of selecting bright men to begin learning what it would mean to command space borne vessels.
To think that mankind had once held complete command of the stars moving nearly at will from one corner of the galaxy to the other. Now he had to teach men to once again think in three dimensional terms.
He had some sense of what may be waiting out there, the sensors in the Lunar base had detected the coming and going of two ships while he had been warring for control of the planet. From the markings and design his hopes had been confirmed, Mars still existed and had maintained their original purpose as a manufacturing center.
He needed ships, the ones he had been able to secret away in the system when everything had begun to fall apart would not be enough to reclaim the stars, but they would serve for the time being, they had to.
Three years after the last battle he had enough men trained and ready to crew two ships so he began the process of ferrying them to the waiting battleships so that the true rebuilding could take place.