On the outskirts of Toulouse, several hundred miles east from Rabona, in a remote patchwork of desert and greenery, undisturbed by any signs of life, a massive tremor shook the ground as a red drop pod smashed into the earth. Only seconds after the reverberating impact did the pod open to reveal a squad of Blood Ravens.

At the forefront, stood Captain Apollo Diomedes, wearing his old Honour Guard armour, brandishing a Lightning Claw and a Plasma Pistol.

Next to him was Force Commander Aramus, clad in a maroon cape with silver trim, bearing the proud crest of the Blood Raven Chapter. In his hands was God-Splitter, a mighty DaemonHammer given to him with the blessing of Gabriel Angelos.

And at their flanks were the remaining heroes of Typhon, Cyrus and his old sniper rifle, Thaddeus carrying a Bolt Pistol and Power Axe and finally Tarkus, a Bolter in hand.

Diomedes immediately scanned the area, searching for any signs of xeno incursions or evidence of battle. There was no sign of life amongst the barren landscape. Something was not right. They were meant to have landed amongst a battle between humans and the Asarakam which the Ordo Xenos spoke of.

Growing tense, Diomedes activated his vox channel and spoke. "Martellus, we see no trace of war on this planet. Why have we been summoned to this deserted waste?"

On their vox channel came the voice of Techmarine Martellus, onboard the Retribution orbiting the planet. "Captain, our scans have picked up multiple energy readings of unknown origin all over the planet. This interference makes precise scans of the planet's surface difficult. However, I have picked up the closest settlement is located due west from here. Possible xeno incursions are prevalent judging from these energy spikes. I would recommend caution".

"The Inquisition's meddling in the Explorator Fleet's duties has only slowed our progress and made us blind!" Thaddeus cursed.

"Their interference is out of caution, Thaddeus". Tarkus replied sternly. "It is the duty of the Inquisition to ensure that the souls of humanity are to remain secure. Allowing a chapter previously damned by Chaos to wander into undiscovered space is a fool's gamble".

"Tarkus is correct, Thaddeus. Our very chapter is built upon secrecy. Even to those who look upon us heretics and traitors, we are still servants of the Emperor. Do you truly believe that a single act of attrition in the face of Kyras' betrayal will earn us leniency from the Inquisition. Even the redeemed are not exempt from suspicion".

"Enough! We'll need to establish negotiations with those who govern this region, as well as those who command this war". Diomedes ordered, his modulated tone grim as they set off. There seemed to be no clear structure for how they could claim the planet; they could not terraform a world populated by humans unless they could establish contact and resolve planetary affairs; something easier said than done on a Feudal World. But even with the Blood Ravens' gradual recovery and with the loss of Typhon Primaris, a new Recruiting World seemed more of a necessity than an perquisite. Even with the Inquisition's demand to have them interfere with planetary affairs irked him to no end. It would have been so much simpler to have crushed the filth beneath their feet and take over the planet itself. However, a disturbing move from Inquisitor Edmarius was to have them be involved in the politics of this world

A few minutes of walking through the valley and suddenly someone shouted. "Hey, who goes there? At that, the Space Marines raised their weapons at the voice, their instincts shifting into overdrive at the possible opportunity of battle.

A large group of humans, dressed in peasant garb were only a couple of metres in front of them, staring at them with apprehension. A most peculiar sight, given that it was pitch-black and there were no torches for these people to light their way. They seemed to have little trouble in low visibility much like them. The least nervous of them spoke up: "W-what are you?" he said, trying to keep his tone friendly despite his shock.

"Our identity is not important to you. We are merely on business with your head government." Cyrus stoically replied. "It relates to the civil war going on between the humans of this world and the dragon kin, if you are aware of such things".

The man looked confused. "Dragon kin? I don't know about any 'dragon kin', but if you're talking about the Yoma, then really it wouldn't be considered a war. They're just a bunch of monsters, hiding in plain sight looking for humans to eat. A few attacks here and there, but we have that already taken care of with the Claymores; and don't get me started on them. If you're talking about a governor, you may want to find the holy city of Rabona, but way I heard it, a ton of Yoma attacked the city recently and we wouldn't recommend anyone, even for a bunch of well-armed strangers like yourselves to take that risk". He finished, with a attempt at a cordial smile.

The Blood Ravens now looked wary. Something was off about these men; their vision was barely obscured by the darkness and they seemed less anxious about whether they would be a threat and more if there was going to be a battle. Tarkus spoke up, raising his bolter at the man. "If what you say is true, then perhaps you can tell us if you are actually human or not. Or why else a group of such size would greet us so candidly in the night? How do we know you're not one of them?"

At this, the man simply growled and raised a finger at Tarkus before it extended into a fleshy spear and launched right at Tarkus' head. Tarkus quickly leaned his head away with the talon just grazing his already scarred face before firing a shot from his Bolter, sending violet mist through a new hole in the creature's torso. The other men mutated and transformed into their yoma forms. As they charged the Adeptus Astartes, Thaddeus merely activated his Jump Pack and slammed into the throng, sending the yoma flying before driving his axe through one's head and gunning down two flyers that swooped at him. Aramus and Diomedes simply charged the group; Diomedes repeating Thaddeus' jump against a group of stragglers that had recovered from the initial attack, eviscerating one with a Lightning Claw whilst Aramus swung God-Splitter into the larger group, pulverising several yoma in his wake. Cyrus and Tarkus merely marched behind, gunning down the remaining survivors with inhuman detachment. Within seconds, the yoma lay in pieces in front of the unimpressed Space Marines.

"Surely, these beasts were not the dragon kin this world faces" Thaddeus said, lightly prodding one with his axe as if disappointed.

"No, they are far too weak and do not correspond with the reports of the Explorator fleet" Aramus said, looking down in concern. "The scum mentioned 'Yoma' - Most likely he is the very creature of which he spoke, no doubt trying to deter suspicion away from him".

"And given that he had no knowledge of the dragon kin, it's likely this conflict is confined to a specific region". Tarkus added.

"So, our coordinates provided by the Inquisition have been little more than folly; a smokescreen to further additional containment rites against potential traitors and delay our mission" growled Cyrus.

"Perhaps" replied Diomedes. "But there is more to this enigma than a mere war. This creature also mentioned 'Claymores' - no doubt warriors trained to exterminate this filth. Therefore, they would be the ones on the forefront of this battle. We must find these Claymores and see what information they hold, if any at all".

"Agreed, and if these yoma found us so easily, it should be safe to find a Claymore wandering through these lands. We should continue west towards the settlement to see if these warriors are of any use to our cause" Tarkus concluded, looking out on the path now clear of further obstacles for the moment.

In silent agreement, Diomedes and the rest of the Blood Ravens left for civilisation.


"Any sign of yoki aura?" Yuma called out to Galatea running right past her

"Yes, a group of around twenty. But they've vanished, so it's likely someone or something decided to eliminate them. Whatever it was, it has no yoki to sense".

Yuma gasped "What?! If it has no yoki, then how the hell did it kill twenty yoma in one hit?"

"Maybe it was a another human like me". Raki suggested, gripping onto Clare's back. "The prospect of humans killing yoma is rare, but not unheard of".

At this, Helen barked in laughter "Hah! I don't care how tough you are, brat. I doubt even you could kill that many yoma that fast!" Raki just glared at the smirking warrior.

Clare and her comrades had been running through the woods at blinding speed for over an hour now. As she sprinted through the hills with Raki holding on for dear life, she wondered to herself.

Something out there that killed twenty yoma that quickly? The Organisation is gone, at least from this land. But what about Miria's report on the mainland? The battles between mankind and dragon kin are still going and with the fate of all Claymores, the very purpose of the Organisation's experiments connected to the progression of the war in humanity's favour. Could this comet be another phase in that plan?

Her thoughts were cut short as Cynthia shouted; "I see smoke! Straight ahead!"

"Looks like we're close!" Helen replied "And about time, I think I need another apple".

Deneve sighed "You hadn't quite stuffed your face before we left?"

"Hey, when you get a taste of the finest beer in the holy city, you just need something juicy to follow up on".

"There it is!" Miria interrupted them as she stopped dead in her tracks, staring in disbelief at what she saw. The others stopped beside her as they all surveyed the scene.

What stood in a small crater was something none of them could possibly identify. It appeared to be a large red and white hollow spire with open doors laid on the ground. And just a small distance away from the bizarre object lay twenty messily slaughtered Yoma.

"What the hell is it?" Helen whispered in horror.

"I don't know. But we need to check it out. See if we can find anything of use to us". Miria concluded.

The eight warriors then descended towards the scene and split up to investigate. Miria, Helen, Deneve and Raki cautiously approached the strange spire whilst Clare, Galatea, Yuma and Cynthia checked out the carnage left only a few couple of meters away.

"It's not brick or stone. It's metal, completely metal". Raki wondered aloud as he dragged his hand across the structure's surface; slightly burnt, but cool. It had been here for a short while.

"Yeah, we can see that". Helen snorted before becoming serious. "But how exactly does a shooting star turn out to be some big metal cone? And why the hell is it empty? Was it carrying something important?"

"Apparently", Deneve replied, her tone calm but her eyes wide in curious awe. She gestured to the large flaps on the ground. "This thing was opened when it hit the ground. And something…or someone" She drifted off, as she walked into the base of the pod where she stood on the metal surface. "This looks like it carry a group of people. Like a cage". Before she could continue, a loud screech was heard as Miria lifted one of the metal flaps channeling her yoki into her strength, her face contorted by the release, her eyes gold slits and veins bursting around her face.

By instinct, the other four gripped the sides of the flap and with a great heave pushed the flap up. As the Claymores let their yoki die down, Miria pointed to the now folded flap, where a black raven with a drop of blood running down its body was emblazoned on the centre. The four of them stared in apprehension "Whatever this is, this appears to be some kind of emblem". From what we can tell, this thing was some kind of container, a cage, or some kind of strange boat", Whatever it was, its cargo seems to have gone for a walk" She said as she pointed down to a cluster of large footprints that led straight to…

The Yoma.

Clare just stared at the broken bodies. It was unsettling. Whatever did this not only had great power, but also incredibly lethal weapons of whatever kind could possibly exist. One was cleaved in two, possibly by a sword or an axe, another appeared to be chopped to bits by claws and others had massive holes in them, some of them smouldering with some kind of blue smoke.

"Hey look at this" Cynthia called, as Clare and Yuma ran up to her, she showed them a couple of strange brass cylinders, with a hole at one end. Clare and Yuma stared at it. It looked like it was some form of projectile like an arrow. A blunt, smooth, hollow arrow.

"Yeah, they're all over the place" Yuma breathed as she pointed to more of the cylinders scattered across the soil. They were so mesmerised by the violence, they didn't notice the little things until now. Including the trail of footprints leading away from the battle. It was terrifying. Just what the hell were they up against? Some new weapon unleashed from the mainland?

Galatea meanwhile, looked out into the distance, troubled by what had happened. Judging from the impact and the state of the dead Yoma, this battle had happened maybe an hour or so ago, so the perpetrators who owned that thing back there may still be nearby.

"Galatea, do you see anything?"

Galatea turned around to see Miria and all of the others standing behind her, skittish over these unnerving findings. "I've spread my perception abilities up to its full radius across this area. Nothing, whatever did this definitely had no yoki and judging by the tools left behind, it seems they're most likely humans".

Everyone froze at the news. Raki scowled. Surely humans couldn't do something like this, even if this stuff was theirs, it doesn't add up. The footprints he compared to his own were around a third larger. While human in shape, they seemed inhuman at the same time".

"The blood is fresh and we can still smell smoke. Clearly whatever came out of that thing can't have gone that far" Miria said cooly. "And we know which direction they're heading" she said grimly as she gestured to the footprints that led through into the forest.

"They're heading west into the forest. Right towards…Rabona" Cynthia gasped, horrified at the implications. These monsters were heading straight for their home through the forest which would be more straightforward than the hill ranges where they had followed the comet streak.

"There's a group of warriors with strange and deadly weaponry, bearing the mark of a blood-soaked raven moving towards the holy city, possibly with hostile intentions". Miria said slowly

"And judging from that thing they landed in, we have no idea where they came from". Deneve added quietly, trying to process this.

"Look at that way these footprints are laid out and their size compared to that 'boat', there can't be more than around four or five of them" Raki concluded

"But since its likely the Yoma attacked them, maybe they just defended themselves. I mean, anyone who kills Yoma can't be that bad, right? Cynthia said, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"I really don't want to find out" Helen said, getting ready to run. "We should follow them, see what they're up to here".

"Alright, let's move" Miria concurred as they bolted through the forest, steeling themselves for this encounter with these outlanders.


Captain Diomedes and the Blood Ravens trudged through the forest, the moonlight reflecting off of their armour as Diomedes pondered on the objective of indoctrinating this world as a Blood Ravens recruiting world and whether such a task could produce great enough warriors.

Calderis was such a prized recruiting world because of its harsh desert climate and the tribal lifestyle of its inhabitants. Such gruelling settings would be the perfect clay to mould recruits for the Adeptus Astartes.

It was a small comfort that Typhon Primaris, a lush Jungle World which had long been infested by Orks, Tyranids and other Xenos held only a few chapter relics and was comparatively insignificant to the rest of the sub-sector. So as a target of Exterminatus, it was not too great a blow

Still, the Blood Ravens only had Calderis and Meridian left and Aurelia was still being reclaimed from the tainted grip of the Black Legion. It was not a thought he would wish to dwell on. The corruption of Apothecary Galan and Kyras, the fall of Angelos on Cyrene - an ironic karma for his calling of the Ordo Malleus upon his own homeworld, ending the lives of millions, innocent and guilty and of his unwitting release of the demon of the Maledictum on Tartarus much to Farseer Macha's chagrin. Gabriel had wished to throw his life against Kyras as a final act of penance. To vanquish the shadow of his errors forever and restore the honour and purity of the Blood Ravens. But now he stands as Chapter Master; a blessing from the Emperor for his valour.

At that moment, Diomedes' reverie was thrown off as a sound like rushing wind came from their flanks. Something was following them

"Enemy contact! Prepare for battle!" Diomedes shouted as he fired at the blurs coming at him.

Tarkus and Cyrus looked to their right and saw streaks of black and white come at them, firing at the incoming threat, splintering the vegetation into shreds. The blurs fell over from the burst as two fair-headed women were thrown from the sheer force of the bolts, smashing against the trees.


"Cynthia!" Yuma cried out, ignoring the killers momentarily to tend to her fallen comrade with Raki letting himself drop and run over to Cynthia's bleeding form to assist. The rest of the Seven Ghosts gaped at what had just butchered their friends so easily.

A group of five human-like beings, between seven to eight feet tall, wearing red and white heavy armour with the blood raven emblem. It was the ones that fell from the sky.

The one who had shot Deneve was bald; an old face withered by scars to the point that his eyes were barely visible and like the former, his forehead was embedded with two metal bolts. He was the least extravagant looking of the group and simply carried a two-handed projectile weapon

"Deneve!" Helen screamed in horror as she charged the scarred man who had mowed her down. Drawing on a fraction of her Yoki aura, she stretched her arms as her sword dove towards her friend's assailant. The immense force of the blade caused a massive scrape in the armour, but drew no blood. In response, the man fired his weapon at her. Thinking fast she dodged the lethal rounds and attempted to flank the man, before another man bearing a massive war hammer leapt towards her and smashed it through a thick oak tree, barely missing her head.

He wore similar armour to the leader, but with an elaborate cape hanging from his back. With no helm aloft his head, he bore a handsome face and short, neat brown hair with what appeared to be two metal bolts lodged in his heads. He carried in his hands a massive war hammer which seemed to be channelling lightning into it.

Aramus stood, God-Splitter at hand as he charged the witch who had dared to harm his brother. As he charged towards the snarling warrior, he was suddenly blindsided by a flurry of blades that appeared to envelop him as he turned his head frantically to find the blade's point of origin, he felt a few of the snapping blades pierce the joints in his armour before he slammed his hammer into the ground, sending a massive shockwave that ended the Quicksword's attack, but not the life of the aggressor thrown off her feet.

Miria swooped towards what she assumed to be the group's leader. A seven foot human-like being wearing a white helmet decorated with a civic crown, green eyes and a snarling glare, an odd contraption strapped to his back, wearing a large metal fist with four silver claws jutting from the gauntlet and carried a strange weapon, like a crossbow but stocky and loaded with a glowing blue cartridge. As she rushed towards her opponent, she was shocked when the thing on his back burned with fire as he leapt into the air like a monstrous angel, before he dove down and smashed into the ground. Thinking fast, Miria quickly pushed herself to the brink of Awakening as she charged out of the way of the impact, leaving Diomedes irritated at having only eliminated a mirage.

Thaddeus followed Diomedes' lead and soared into the sky with his Jump Pack, seeing the two warriors tending to the one Cyrus had felled, he soared down, sending a piercing tremor that sent his targets flying. Raki merely rolled back and drew his sword, ready for a fight gazing at the final warrior was the youngest; probably barely older than Raki. Unlike the others, his face was pristine, save for one metal bolt lodged above his eyebrow with short cropped blond hair and he wore the same contraption the leader wore on his back. In one hand he held a large axe and a smaller projectile weapon in the other.

Yuma, Cynthia slung over her back with her missing leg lashed onto her back, threw her comrade's sword at the Assault Marine who blocked it with his axe before taking aim at the long-haired Claymore with his Bolter. He was interrupted when Raki shot forward, swinging his sword across, knocking Thaddeus' Bolter off course and causing a misfire. Raki could only do so much before he was forced to flee as Yuma took advantage of Thaddeus' distracted state and threw her own sword at his Jump Pack. The blade was embedded right in the engine's intake, leaving his wings of fire extinguished. Thaddeus ignored the damage as he fired at the retreating Yuma, the former No. 40 diving into a ditch to avoid the Bolts.

Galatea and Cyrus ignored the chaos, simply hanging back from the battlefield, analysing the movements of their comrades and battle-brothers respectively. Galatea searched for any flaws of movement between the two factions with her perception abilities.

A slight lull in judgement by the one with the hammer. He is strong, but the weight of his hammer slows him down. Upward, Downward. He's attempting to force a wedge between Helen and Clare.

The youngest one, grounded by Yuma's Sword Throwing Technique. He is pursuing her, trying to close the gap and go in for the kill. He's faster than a normal human, but his speed is impaired without his 'wings'.

The scarred one, no unnecessary movements in his aim and movements. He appeared serene, calm and under pressure. Yet as she looked deeper, she found guilt, anger and distrust beneath his steely mask.

She then saw the one who had hit Cynthia staring back at her. He wore lighter armour than the rest with a tanned cape hanging off a sleek chest piece, but his weapon was by far the largest; some kind of projectile weapon with a scope mounted on top. He appeared to be a man in his late thirties, with blond hair worn in similar fashion to Helen, but with a heavy right parting. He bore both a single metal bolt in his head and a strange metal eye that gleamed orange.

Cyrus had his sniper rifle aimed at the witch before him, his finger ready to pull the trigger. He held back not out of mercy, but of interest. This one was the tallest of the group, barring the man. She had long, straight, fair hair that fell past her chest. She herself was not moving, but like him, she was observing; analysing the situation. And that was what intrigued him.

The woman was blind. Yet despite her disability, she appeared to see so much more than what was right in front of her. She was a witch and deserving execution in the Emperor's name like all the rest. The Codex Astartes demanded it. But she and her kind could be classified as a new breed of 'Abhumans'. And he was a Blood Raven. To kill her now would be a waste when they could have them reforged into a weapon in service to the Emperor. With their chapter in ruins and the Imperium expending resources faster than it could replace them, salvation would not come without cost.

Cyrus activated his vox channel. "Stand down, all of you" he growled.

The Blood Ravens yielded for a mere moment, most of them inches away from slaughtering the Silver-Eyed Witches who sensing the tide of battle, attempted to retaliate before Galatea raised here hand for them to listen as they all stared at the veteran Scout Marine in shock for suggesting such a thing in the heat of battle.

"You would have us spare these xenos, Cyrus? This strides away from the Codex". Tarkus said, eyeing his brother suspiciously.

"This is not the first time the Blood Ravens have deviated from the Codex, Tarkus. Every moment spent in this battle is another moment wasted in our mission" came the simple reply.

Galatea looked at the Space Marine, her mind boggled at the thought. These men - if she could even call them that were at least capable of reason if nothing else. "I'm glad to see that you are willing to permit diplomacy. But I believe your generosity holds little water considering what you have just done".

Miria's eyes widened. Deneve and Cynthia! Her mind became clouded with horror as she remembered the blazing streaks that tore into them. They couldn't be...

"Miria!"

Sure enough, by a massive miracle, she heard Helen's call as she came holding a limping Deneve, her outfit riddled with huge holes, where the flesh was still raw and healing but she appeared stable. Behind them, Yuma came, carrying Cynthia in her arms, the number 14's leg reattached. All of them looked utterly devastated from the punishment they had endured, but at least they were alive.

Miria would have taken the time to pray and thank God for letting her friends live before they remembered why this had all happened.

The Claymores and Raki stood there, staring at the Blood Ravens in shock, who still full of adrenaline from the fight saw just how truly unnatural their enemies looked. They had expected something out of the ordinary from the things they left behind, but still their monstrous appearance took them completely taken off guard.

Miria broke the silence before another scuffle could begin. She narrowed her eyes at the Angels of Death. "You were the ones who killed the Yoma back there, am I correct?"

The bearded man spoke, his voice a low menacing growl. "They attempted to kill us first; same as you. By chance, they also happened to mention you, Claymores".

The Claymores looked disturbed. So they knew about them. "Why are you here?" asked Clare coldy. "Obviously, you are not from these lands; Were you sent from the mainland? And if so, how did you fall from the sky in that thing back there?"

"If you are referring to your world's war with the Dragon Kin, we are here for negotiations with your nation's governor to deal with these creatures". Tarkus answered, only giving them the bare minimum of their intended mission, still wary of the Claymores.

"If trying to blow up everything that you see move is your thing, I'm sure that'll go well for you freaks" Helen retorted angrily, having used up a large portion of her Yoma powers to help Deneve heal her substantial wounds.

"How we act and what we are here for is none of your concern, witch!" Aramus snarled, brandishing his hammer.

"Just try it, you bastard!"

"Wait, wait. Stop". Yuma said raising her hands. "From what you just said, we understand that you're on a mission to supposedly aid humankind in killing the dragon kin that threatens the mainland. And you also need a diplomatic solution with our human leaders in order for this to be fair. And, you're a bunch of giant humans in armour, wielding God knows what those are! As well as trying to murder us!" She exclaimed, gesturing to Tarkus and Cyrus' Bolter and Sniper Rifle. "We need some time to take this all in!".

There was a long pause at this as the Blood Ravens took time to consider what was at stake before Raki stepped in. "You might as well try and talk with us. And you don't have to tell us everything about yourselves. Just who you are and what you want with the mainland? Seeing the piercing gazes that met him, he just sighed. "At least give something to break the ice before we all try to kill each other again. It would be a waste, wouldn't it?"

"Very well" Diomedes said, his voice hard. "Then it appears introductions are in order".

"You first, big guy". Helen cut in, still staring at the monstrous armour these men wore.

"I am Apollo Diomedes" he retorted.

"Aramus" Aramus replied bluntly

"Tarkus" Tarkus said, his voice calm and unwavering

"Cyrus" said the former Deathwatch brother, glaring at the hybrids.

"Thaddeus" The youngest Blood Raven said, studying his oppenents

"As Claymores of the now dissolved Organisation that ruled these lands, we were given ranks to determine our strength as well as our skill. replied Miria. "I am Miria, former No. 6.

"Clare, former No. 47" said Clare softly

"She was the lowest rank of us all, but still incredibly powerful, we can assure you". Helen smirked proudly, pointing at Clare. "Anyway, I'm Helen, former number 22".

"Deneve". She rasped, clutching her stomach in pain. "I was former number 15 and almost a former member of the living, thanks to you". She and Tarkus held glares for that unpleasant experience

"Galatea. Former number 3", said the God's Eye detachedly, still inspecting their new associates.

Yuma glowered. "I'm Yuma, former number 40, and this is Cynthia, former number 14, another friend who you nearly killed!"

Raki winced. So much for breaking the ice. "And I'm Raki; don't worry, I'm human; though I'm not sure if you guys count, right?" he said, holding his head in one hand and trying to smile, despite the grim disposition of the warriors and the overall morose mood around them.

"So now that's out of the way and considering how late it is" said Miria, before she once again shot a death glare at the Angels of Death. "How about we set up camp here for now and go over your intentions with the mainland again".

Well that's chapter 2 done for you. Next one will be them bonding and possibly butchering yoma. Yay! Anyway, please like, comment and review, guys!