By a Thread
Vaikas was afraid. His heart hammered in his chest. The Soul Stone on his armor hummed in time with his frightened pulse. This should have been his awakening as a warrior. He had meant to do his clan proud on his first pilgrimage. Young Vaikas had expected to be delighted by the lush wonders of the Maiden Worlds. He had prepared himself for an honorable challenge. But not in a thousand life times could he have braced his mind enough to face this Endless Serpent. The very world trembled. The trees shuttered and leaves fell in bushels. Even the Wraithbone of the Wayshrine seemed to shiver in the presence of these invaders.
Monsters, made of teeth, claws and thorns were poised to overrun his clan's ancient Wayshine. All the family's shuriken weapons chirped and flung razors through the air. But the monsters really were endless. Scores of mouths filled to the brim with needle fangs lept over the dead to charge the Eldar defenders.
From behind the mossy Wraithbone, Vaikas' weapon fired shurikens into the teaming brood. A small creature thrashed and threw its blood over the ancient stones as he shot it dead. Six more came scuttling forward to take its place. The shuriken cannon raked the field with razor hail. Scores of the little monsters were shredded, yet still they advanced. The monsters fired back. Stinging leeches squealed through the air towards the Eldar line. Vaikas' cousin on the cannon let out a cry as tiny worms ripped into him at a supersonic speed. The heavy weapon fell silent for only a second and the monsters surged to overwhelm the Wayshrine.
Fear, sharper than any blade, stabbed at Vaikas' heart. He was driven to the ground. Talons tried to tear at him and teeth snapped at his face. All around him was carnage. His family was dying. The Wyashrine would be lost. A piece of him wanted to stop struggling, to simply succumb to the inevitable. But as the nipping needled teeth spit foul slime over him, Vaikas found his anger. Death like this would shame his family; he could not stand the thought.
Rise. "Rise!"
"Rise!" His remaining family answered the war cry.
Vaikas' clan would not be put down like a whimpering beast. His armor, the guardian armor of his father and his father's father, began to swell with somber pride. It filled his heart with courage and demanded he fight. The young Eldar wrestled free of a pair of monsters, then blasted them with serrated discs. His sister and brothers fought on with the ferocity their clan was founded upon.
As his sister helped Vaikas to his feet, he heard a rumble approaching. The jungle parted and a monstrosity came lumbering forward. Its claws and teeth were larger than Vaikas was tall. The mighty beast trampled lesser creatures as it charged the Eldar defenders. Fear was in Vaikas' chest, but there was fire in him too. He summoned the burning in his heart and clutched a grenade in his hand. His family's end would be a defiant one if he had anything to do with it.
"Kaela Mensha Kaine, lord of destruction, lend to me you arm that the world might burn!"
The tide of teeth rushed forward around the slow giant. Vaikas kicked and shot the brood away for half a moment. While there was a pause around him, he sprung forward with the grenade primed. He didn't care if he died now. Even if no one remembered his name, even if his Soul Stone broke, he had not shamed his family. Any damnation to come would be well worth it.
Vaikas ran through the hissing sea of monsters to look the great beast in the eye. With a grimace he cast his grenade up. Then there was a flash of white. All the clicking, hissing, and growling was replaced by a ringing bell. He felt himself tumbling. His body smacked the ground and it burned with agony.
The young Eldar blinked and colour retuned to him. Death had not taken him, and the mighty monster was staggered. Hastily, spitefully Vaikas fired at it. Then there was another flash, a spear of light cut mercilessly through the alien swarm. Vaikas looked up to see a Faolchu flyer-tank swooping down through the clouds. The great beast hissed as Bright Lance beams ripped into its side. Amidst the confusion Vaikas scampered away from the swarm, toward the banner of his Wayshrine. Where was his family? Another set of small gnashing teeth bore down on him and Vaikas shot it dead.
The shadow of the Falcon tank rushed over the field and three warriors leapt from its back. Vaikas watched the red and black fighters come spiraling towards the earth. Their silhouettes against the golden sunbeams were like serenity given form. Then they flashed, and were gone.
Lightning cracked and the trio of red and black warriors appeared amongst the creatures. Their curvaceous weapons billowed shimmering sliver clouds. The monsters shrieked as the mist of razor nets cut them to ribbons. The three of them blinked here and there surrounding and mutilating the brood from a dozen directions at once. One fighter threw them self into melee with whistling blades, sundering the monsters left and right in graceful arches. Then, before the swarm could amass to counter, the melee warrior vanished in a lightning flash. The others in red and black appeared to spray their terrible slicing mist weapons over the creatures. The trio was calm, steady, and merciless. Vaikas had never seen an aspect warrior of Kaine kill before. He sat, beguiled.
The great roaring, lumbering beast swung one tremendous claw at the nearest red and black warrior. In a wink of light the aspect warrior disappeared. The beast tripped itself and crashed into the dirt. With a clap of thunder the warrior appeared behind the great monster. He sprayed the creature's legs with a cloud of slicing razor wire, reducing them to mulch. Clap, and once more the warrior appeared twinkling atop the beast's head. With a cold thrust, the aspect blade ran through the great beast's skull.
Rejuvenated, Vaikas ran towards the heavy shuriken cannon. Hope for survival, for victory began to stir in his heart. He spun the heavy gun towards the monsters fleeing back into the jungle. The cannon hummed as it stent spinning shurikens ripping into the undergrowth. Trees splintered. Aliens burst into ribbons. Destruction, decimation, death. Death.
Vaikas clenched his teeth and looked to the red and black warriors. They were holding their ground. But Vaikas wanted to give chase, to hunt the disgusting things down and finish the fight once and for all. Then he looked back. His family lay dead to the last, half eaten. Their Wayshrine flooded with blood. He felt sick. When had they fallen? How? His cousins, his uncles, his aunt, his brothers were all motionless. His sister, his sister moved!
Vaikas dashed over the slaughter to reach her. He tenderly cradled her neck as she coughed bright crimson. Her watery eyes were filled with quiet panic. Vaikas just looked back down to her, confused and sorrowful. Then he saw her Soul Stone was broken. His stomach wrenched into knots. He tore his own stone form his chest, but it too was cracked. In a panic he looked about the field. All the other Soul Stones lay on the dead, already used. His sister shuttered in his hands. Vaikas snapped his head around to the red and black warriors.
"Your Soul Stone!"
With a crackling flash one of the warriors appeared before Vaikas, presenting a gem. Vaikas snatched at it. In frenzy he ripped the shattered pieces from his sister's armor. He shoved the new stone in and shook the paling woman. She was limp. The light was gone from her eyes, but the stone remained dull.
"Akiu! Akiu!"
"We-were, too late."
Slowly, Vaikas offered the stone back to the warrior. He laid his sister's cold form upon the old Wraithbone, and placed her hands over her chest. She was lost, damned to slumber in a nightmare forever. Vaikas collected his rifle in a shaky hand. He took a step towards the jungle with murder raging in his heart.
"Do you seek-death? Because your own lies that way."
The words stopped Vaikas in his tracks. He heard the wisdom, but he also heard the monsters gathering their strength in the jungle. He was a last of his father's blood line. His family's shrine would be empty now. And the enemy still lived. He did not know what to do. So much had been taken. Vaikas stood trembling amongst the dead.
A woman among the aspect warriors took off her helmet. She was gaunt, with hair white as starlight. Her black eyes pierced into Vaikas for a long moment.
"Cruel fate ensnares us all. You must stride with us now."