Sorrow of the Dragon
! I do not own Warhammer 40000 and all events, characters and rest of it are borrowed. Gaia Brothers and members of it are my own ideas. !
He was lost. He didnt knew what to do. He and his brothers had stopped on a unnamed planet of sector. Everything were hopeless and all of them despaired. They had failed miserably. They had not been there were they were needed, their foolish quest to earn their place among the older Legions of Adeptus Astartes had led them away from their true duty of serving Emperor. The fragile pacts of peace they had made between the elder Legions had shattered. Space Wolves fought against Thousand Sons. Alpha Legion against Ultramariners. Imperial Fists against Iron Warriors. Salamanders, Raven Guard and Iron Hands were almost completely annihilated; World Eaters, Death Guard, Emperors Children and many other Legion had turned to darkness alongside with the Horus and Luna Wolves or as they were now called: Sons of Horus. Some Primarchs were dead others had become lost. Only ray of hope was the knowledge that the Emperor was alive and that some of the Legions had remained loyal. They were one of them.
Gaia Brothers. That was the name of his Legion, 11th Legion of the Adeptus Astartes, led by the mighty Dragon King of the planet Finraad, Primarch William Earthrage. He was one of the Dragon Kings four lieutenants that were left after Arin Blackhearts death. His namewas Beregrim Wayseeker, sire and teachers of the scout companies of Legion.
He had just calmed down his anxious scouts, who were itching for action. He understood them well. It was troubling for him too, to stand still on this barren world, when fighting continued all around Imperium. He stood up and started to wander around the camp and search his Primarch. He could also see how other lieutenants could remain calm in this situation and not go mad because the waiting.
Eratus the Bard, third lieutenant, was meditating, trying to contact psychers of the other loyal Legions. His equipment, golden harp and power sword, laid against the nearby rock. His students, the order of War Minstrels, aided their teacher.
Second lieutenant, Randall the Mad, was alone as usual, his students honouring him from afar. He sharpened his rune axe, his eys showing series of emotions, from suspicious to calm, from calm to happy and from happy to blood lusting. He was a berserker, searching for a worthy opponent to end his days of blood letting, truly a man worth his sur-name. And from his madness he formed and taught his ragged followers, the Gaia Slayers. They were truly frightening warriors, almost as insane as Randall and searching only their death.
Finally he arrived at the end end of the encampment. There he saw the Mountain Priests, who nursed wounded brothers back together under the gentle eyes of the oldest Mountain Priest and first of lieutenants, Botrek Gaia-Beard. Beregrim called for his attention.
"Hail to ye, priest of the divine Emperor and lady of dragons Draesh Khalain!", he shouted.
Ancient priest jumped and turned around. "By the spirits, havent I told you not to do that, hatchling!", older man grumbled gasping for air.
"I am not hatchling anymore you gnarled old tree bark!", Beregrim shot back angrily at the priest. "I have been in thousand of battles, and I think I have already proved to be a skilled warrior".
"Sure you have, younbeard...", old oriest said his eyes laughing.
Beregrim just hmphhed and let it slip. After all, this man was first and eldest of the lieutenants, and ferocious warrior to boot.
"Where is our sire?", he asked.
Smile left the face of old priest, as he nodded to the direction of mountain side.
Beregrim started to walk there cautiously not knowing what to expect.
What he found there would haunt him to end of his days. Primarch Earthrage, great lord of the dragons, his mentor and benefactor, who had took him away from the shadows, was beoynd regognition. His eyes shone like raging fires, his hair was wild and unruly and his dragonic wings had folded themselves in sight through the skin of his back. His face was completely empty from emotions and his knuckles were bloodied, as he crushed solid rock of the mountain with his bare fists. His closest warriors, the Dragon Guard, looked completely lost as they tried to avoid great chunks stone that flew through the air because Primarchs constant pounding of the mountain side. They didnt know what to do, for not a single one of them had never seen their lord like this. Pounding continued some time, until suddenly it stopped completely. Heavy silence landed upon Beregrim and rest of the camp.
Beregrim snapped out from his thoughts and focused on his sire. His Primarch stood completely still leaning on to the side of the mountain with his fists. Lord of the scouts couldnt stand for silence, so he spoke.
"Lord Earthrage, what are we going to do now? What are your orders?", he noticed he was holding his breath after his question.
The mighty leader of the Gaia Brothers Legion, Primarch William Earthrage, didnt answer. As Beregrim waited for him to speak, he noticed that the entire camp had awoken. Every single one of the Space Mariners were gathering around their Primarch waiting for the answer. Even Botrek, Randall and Erastus came to beside him, waiting for a new commands. Time passed, but Primarch did not answer. Beregrim couldnt stand anymore so he asked again.
"My sire, What are your orders!", he asked almost desperately.
This time their Primarch reacted. He turned and walked to the gigantic rock that had been removed from the mountain by the Primarchs anger managment. He gently flapped his reptilian wings and jumped to the boulder. He turned to his sons and eyed them for a moment. Not a sound could be heard. After a long moment, the Dragon King spoke.
"Even though we are sons of Emperor, Im not blind for the truth. We are weak! As I look upon heavens, I see angels of vengeance soaring through the stars. I see the great wolf pack running among stars ripping evil apart. I see hands of iron and fists of honour crushing heretics. I see ravens and salamanders continue fighting no matter how wounded they are. Blue giants crush the chaos before them and scars of light appear to the corrupted night. They are warriors of light and order, and compared them we are like pathetic worms trying to imitate them!", Primarchs voice boomed.
All the Space Mariners there turned their heads away in shame, for they could not meet the eyes of their sire. They had utterly failed and betrayed their brother Legions and their lord; the Emperor. Although there had been accusation on the speech, it was not directed against them. Their Primarch blamed only himself for this failure, and that made them all feel more desperate than they ever had been.
But before they could despair more, their Primarch spoke again.
"But no more!", he shouted tooking his warhammer in another hand and battle-axe to his other.
He lifted his hammer above his head and spoke.
"With hammer we will crush heretics and alien alike!"
Then he lifted his axe.
"With axe we shall reap down the growth of corruption of chaos and vilenes of xenos!"
Then he threw both of his weapons to earth and took his great black rune-sword from its sheat from his back.
"With sword we heal the tainted land and suffocate roots of all known and unknown evil!"
As he spoke, all battle-brothers started to stood in attention. They feeled the fires of battle once again burn inside them. They had a meaning to exist.
Primarch spoce one last time.
"By Terra, by our brother Legions and by Emperor! Death to all who dear to threaten them!", he roared ferociously.
As one all battle-brothers rised their weapons in air and roared with their lord.
"Death to all who dear to threaten them!"
As Primarch started to walk to the ships of Legion, his sons started to pack and prepare for a new battles. For now they had once again reason to live.
As Beregrim walked behind his Primarch alongside with the other lieutenants he could only smile. The man he had known for centuries was back. With him once again leading them, they could redeem themselves in the eyes of the elder Space Mariner Legions and Emperor.
Aye, the chaos and vile xenos would once again learn to fear and flee, when they heard the roar of the Dragons.
The End...for now
# Reviews are welcome but I can also do without them. I for new stories, I make them when I come up with new ideas. Thank you.#