Chapter 7: Mailed Fist
Firedude: Yes I know it's been a very long time. I reread the story though and I forgot how much I liked it so I decided to pick it back up again, at least for now, I'm going on vacation soon. But anyhow, continuing onward!
Blaze Shadow: . maybe... anywho, you'll just have to read on and see if the terminator survives.
Shadow Girdo: Thank you very much, I'll admit it's a very odd combination, but I'm a big fan of them both so I figured there had to be a way to make them fit.
Johnathan Lythamir: You bring up a very good point sir. Like you said, I was originally planning on making them a mix of the different chapters, but I discarded this idea for three reasons. One, having them all in the same chapter, they already have a close relationship. This is good because if they were all from different chapters not only would I have to focus on developing their relationships but also the ones they develop with the Mahora girls. The second reason will become evident at the end of this chapter and the third will be revealed soon to come.
Ancient Death: Evangeline will get her bite of the action in due time no worries... no pun was intended.
OOOOO
From the portal descended a twisted metal horror that was familiar to the space marines; a large dark purple metallic crab that emitted chaos energies. The monster landed on the ground of the track field with a heavy thud and a demonic cackle as it swung its metallic claw. The crowd of girls erupted in screams as some ran back towards the school, while others were too scared to even move. "What is that thing!" Mana demanded as she drew her guns, not sure if they'd be enough against the strange creature. She joined Kaede and Andruu on the field as Tigurius called over an explanation. "It's called a defiler! A vehicle used by Chaos for eliminating large groups of infantry!" Andruu clenched his teeth and his sword as he starred up at the metallic monster before him. "They don't have a pilot controlling them; it's possessed by a gretch like my armor was before." Mana looked over her shoulder; Setsuna was busy getting all the panicking observers back inside the school. "We don't have Setsuna with us at the moment; we'll have to deal with it some other way." Suddenly, a large cannon extended from the mouth of the Defiler. "Take cover!" Andruu called out as a shell launched from the mouth of the barrel straight towards Nodoka and Yue. Tigurius and Cassius quickly scooped them off their feet and dove to the side, avoiding the blast. The books weren't so lucky however.
A big pile of debris was left where the cart of knowledge once stood. "Damn, ruinous forces of chaos stop at no end to stifle our efforts." Tigurius cursed as he lowered a shaken Nodoka down onto her feet. "Ah! The books!" Nodoka exclaimed with a pained expression looking over the pile. "All that work for nothing…" Yue lamented with a sigh. "You too are truly dedicated librarians to mourn the loss of knowledge at a time like this, but fall back inside immediately! We shall handle this." He ordered to Nodoka and Yue pointing to the school. Cassius and Tigurius then quickly turned and dashed out towards the field to meet the beast. They had no weapons and no logical means of combating the chaos spawn, but they couldn't stand by and do nothing. From the portal above the Defiler, a couple squads of cultists descended laughing insanely, followed swiftly by a familiar face. "We meet again Andruu!" Claudius called out with a sadistic smile as he landed safely on top of the chaos vehicle, carrying his claymore in his left, and only, hand. "Claudius! These girls are innocents! Leave them be and face us!" The champion of Chaos laughed and shook his head. "The moment they chose to shelter you, was the moment they sealed their fate. They shall make excellent sacrifices to the chaos gods. Kill them all!" Claudius ordered as the couple dozen cultists charged the group with a maniacal war cry. "We can handle these guys no problem. Go ahead and have fun with your friend." Kaede said through a smile as she twirled her large windmill shuriken in hand. "But…" Andruu said unsure, but his worries were put at ease when Mana scored an easy head shot on one of them. "Right!" He called out as he charged through an opening in the cultists towards the Defiler. Claudius leapt from the back of the machine to the ground a few meters away from Andruu. The Defiler in turn bounded over the crowd and met Tigurius and Cassius head on.
Andruu grunted as he blocked an overheard blow from Claudius. He may only have one arm now, but it was sure no weaker than the other. Not to mention this time Andruu was not in power armor. Not only did the armor allow added protection and additional strength, but it also helped marines fight through their wounds, which at the moment were aching Andruu as he fought. He made a quick stab at Claudius but jumped back in time to avoid a wild slice. "You're a fool trying to take me on! Without that armor you're just a kid." Andruu scowled in anger and rolled under one of his swings to give Claudius a hard stab to his thigh. The Chaos warrior let out a cry of pain, punching Andruu hard in the side of the head, sending him flying. He stabbed the claymore into the ground and pulled the short sword out from his thigh. Andruu grinned to himself; Claudius had thought he stunned him so the chaos champion had put his guard down. "I may be a kid, but I'm also a servant of the emperor! Purge the heretic!" The young Space Marine cried out as he shoulder tackled Claudius' stomach. The blow had caught the champion by surprise, preventing him from picking his sword back up in time and launching both of them to the ground.
Tigurius and Cassius had their hands full trying to deal with this Defiler. It's true that they were two of the strongest space marines in the Ultramarines chapter. In fact, it wasn't even that far a stretch to say they were among the strongest in the imperium. However, Tigurius was limited to using his basic psyker abilities because he did not have his force staff present, it was back in base. As well as Cassius, he valued his mace greatly in combat; it had served him well through the Tyranid campaigns and had not failed him yet, but it too, was back in base. "ARGGHH!" Tigurius cried out, another psychic blast lashing out and striking the machine before him. His head was starting to pound by now, the pain getting worse as he repeatedly used his abilities. "For the Emperor!" Cassius bellowed as he lunged at the Defiler, grabbing hold to its side. The monster, annoyed, started smacking one of its metal claws to the side of its chassis, trying to dislodge the Chaplain. Cassius dodged with skill though as he finally got onto the right arm of the creature. Its arm was swinging wildly, but Cassius was able to hold on long enough to dislodge the flamethrower equipped under the claw. "Got it!" He yelled just as he was thrown from the frenzied machine.
Cassius landed with a thud beside Tigurius, who dealed out another mind blast to the vehicle. Tigurius squinted through the throbbing in his head as he helped Cassius to his feet. They looked over in time to see the barrel of the main cannon pointed right in their faces. They braced themselves for the impact they thought was coming, but instead were surprised when several missiles struck the face of the Defiler. "Direct hit master." Chachamaru stated as the empty missile pods on her sides retracted. The familiar windmill shuriken appeared from the sky above and landed with a deep blow into the top of the Defiler. "Those guys were too easy, I need a real challenge!" Kaede soon appeared there and retrieved it before one of the creatures hulking claws smashed down on where she stood, in effect smashing itself. "What are you waiting for you fools!" Evangeline called over to the two as they rose to their feet. Cassius nodded and ran to pick up the flamer. The missiles had left a large breach in the face of the demonic machine, an opening he intended to use. He jumped into the opening and quickly unlatched the safety mechanism. Bright purple flames erupted from the mouth of the weapon and quickly filled the insides of the monstrous machines with its own demonic fire. Cassius rolled out before he could be consumed in the flames, just as loud creaks and grinds echoed through the track field before it finally collapsed. The crowd from earlier, who was now watching from the windows of the school cheered loudly as they watched on in relief.
Claudius and Andruu were in the middle of a lock with their blades when the Defiler suddenly fell. "What! No!" Claudius yelled as he pushed Andruu away and watched the vehicle fall. "Give up now Claudius, you've been undone." The chaos champion stood silently as he looked upon his defeated cultists and the destroyed chaos machine. "This is just the beginning Andruu…" He turned around and met the young marine's gaze with a characteristically sadistic smile. "How could I give up now when the crusade has only begun!" Claudius lunged at Andruu and made a wild slash, which caused him to stumble back. Claudius followed up with a lunge that made Andruu fall hard onto his back as Claudius' claymore came down towards his head. He was able to block the sword at the last second with his short sword, but was having trouble pushing back against the champion. "Damn it." Andruu muttered to himself as the claymore drew closer to his face. Three gun shots suddenly rang out and Claudius was launched from off Andruu. He bounced a couple times across the ground before landing on his back. Mana stood over Andruu, the barrels of her guns smoking from the shots. "Thank you Mana." Andruu said with relief as she helped him to his feet. Claudius groaned loudly in pain as he held his sides and rocked back and forth on the ground.
"You! …ARGH! What'd you do to me!" Mana stood over him and looked down upon his pained form with a cold expression. "They're special exorcism bullets I use against demonic enemies. I figured I'd give them a shot on you and see if they'd work… seems I was right." The champion cursed and continued to rock a little more before his expression broke back out into a smile. "I've been defeated by a couple of children… how foolish." Andruu momentarily turned his attention away from the otherwise indisposed Claudius for the moment. "Thanks again for saving my life Mana." She nodded solemnly and handed him a slip of paper. "It was no problem, the school was under threat so I was required to act. Everything seems to be under control now though, if you need any more help I'll be around." Andruu looked down at the paper and saw a series of numbers. "What is this exactly?"
"A bill, those bullets weren't cheap. I'll see you soon." Mana said walking back towards the school, giving a small smile and a wave to Andruu who was standing there dumbfounded. "Brother-Tanthius!" Tigurius called as he and Cassius approached Andruu. "The Defiler has fallen, what of Claudius?" As if on cue, the champion sat up slowly causing the three to jump into a fighting stance. He sat silently for a moment, then glared up ruefully at Andruu. "Listen Tanthius… you may have defeated me, but this is far from over. More like me are coming, much more powerful… and much crueler then me. And they won't be the only ones; there are others besides the forces of chaos who desire the artifacts. You will not escape unscathed." Claudius groaned loudly and released a maniacal laugh. "Death to the false emperor!" His movements suddenly ceased and he laid before the three of them motionless. "It's done." Andruu said with a sigh as he looked upon Claudius' body as it rose back into the warp along with the cultists and defiler, sealing the portal. "Others than chaos… this could be bad." grimaced Cassius as he stroked his beard. "We have no choice, inconspicuous or not, we must locate these artifacts immediately."
"You'll want to look North of the school, in the mountains." The three turned to see Kaede, Chachamaru and Evangeline standing behind them. "When I was there training a few months ago I stumbled across a large stone door with that Chaos star on it." Kaede said pointing to the ones she meant. "The eight pointed star, are you sure?" Tigurius asked with a hint of eagerness in his voice. "I don't know if it's one of these artifacts you're searching for, but it's some information at least right?" The librarian nodded in agreement. "It's a start, thank you assassin. Can we count on you to guide us to this location?" Kaede laughed and rubbed the back of her head. "Of course, you'll need to give me a day or so to prepare though." Andruu stepped forward and bowed. "I'm sorry our fight was interrupted, but you are an admirable opponent." The ninja bowed back to him and replied in her cheerful tone. "You weren't so bad yourself. A winner may not have been decided, but I figured the information was too valuable to be kept secret given the circumstances." Kaede picked up her shuriken and took a step back. "See ya!" She said with a wave as she disappeared.
"I saw what happened to your books." Evangeline stated in her regular tone and her arms crossed, staring up at the much taller Tigurius. "Not to worry, it's only a minor setback. I promise to have that portal opened for you as soon as I can vampire. I appreciate you bringing your servitor to our aid earlier. It was much appreciated." Chachamaru crooked her head, still in confusion as to what exactly a servitor was as Evangeline continued. "I've waited 500 years, I can wait however long you need. Worse comes to worse I'll drink your blood to gain your power." Tigurius glared at her, finding no humor in the ill taste joke. "Beware the red thirst young girl. I'm still obligated as a servant of the Emperor to end you if-." Andruu quickly jumped in and pushed Tigurius along. "What I think my Brother-Librarian means to say is that it won't come to that, worry not." Evangeline sighed and walked away with her nose stuck up. "We'll see." She stated as she headed back towards the school with Chachamaru.
It was only about now however that the three of them noticed that the crowd of girls from earlier were clapping from the school windows. "I don't know who these guys are, but they're cool!" Yuna exclaimed as she watched them with Ako and Makie. "Setsuna! You promised you'd introduce us!" Makie called out in glee to the sword wielder. "I promised no such thing." She said with a sigh as Konoka stood beside her clapping happily that the Defiler had been destroyed. "What the hell was all that? Some new kind of magic?" Asuna asked still surprised by the whole thing. "Don't ask me Bells, I don't know a thing about what just happened. I'm sure Professor Springfield would know if he were here. Is that the Dean?" Ayaka asked curiously, watching as the old man walked out onto the field with Miss Minamoto.
"Who is this?" Andruu whispered to Tigurius as the Dean began walking towards them. "He's the Dean of this school, their leader in a sense." A leader? Like a chapter master? Tanthius thought to himself. "You boys certainly have been causing a rukus ever since you've arrived." The old man said with a sigh as he arrived in front of the three. Andruu dropped to one knee and bowed his head low. "Forgive us sir, we did not mean to draw such unnecessary conflict upon your monastery." The Dean laughed heartily and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Your Captain did the exact same thing when we first met. I'm Dean Konoe, I'm in charge of Mahora Academy, not a chapter master of any sort." Andruu slowly rose to his feet and gave another slight bow in greeting. "I'm sorry, thank you for housing us in our time of need." He then glanced to Miss Minamoto and bowed shyly to her as well. "Hello, thank you again for healing me, my wounds feel much better." Minamoto smiled warmly and nodded. "That's good to hear, I hope not to see you in such a grave condition again."
"I just wanted to thank you for fending off that attack, but also to berate you for bringing those chaos warriors here in the first place." Tigurius stepped forward and addressed the headmaster. "I'm terribly sorry about that, I'm sure the Captain informed you of the dangers of having us here when he first arrived, didn't he?" Konoe nodded and rubbed his chin. "It's true he did warn me, and I'm glad he stuck to his word that his men defended our school. In turn, I will not go back on my word; I'll allow you to stay. But only so long as it doesn't bring harm upon my students. Believe it or not I owe a debt to Roboute Guilliman, so I would never abandon his people." Tigurius raised an eyebrow at this claim. "Is this true? You've met our Primarch before? May I ask how?" The Dean nodded as he felt some nostalgia wash over him. "He saved my life many years ago when I was young. He travelled back in time once to try and prevent a grave betrayal among your marines from happening, but over shot it and ended up here. I promised him before he left that if I ever encountered him again in my life I'd help in any way I could. I knew right away who you boys were when I saw that blue armor… I never thought I'd get the chance to fulfill that debt though. How is Guilliman in the time period you're from?"
"He lies in suspended animation, he's suffered very grievous wounds over the years and he stands on death's doorstep because of it." Konoe frowned and shook his head. "Terrible…" Miss Minamoto placed a hand on his shoulder, breaking him from his nostalgia. "Oh! That's right, Takamichi has returned hasn't he? I must go meet him, good bye for now. Good luck on your search." The three marines bowed in gratitude as the Dean turned and left with Miss Minamoto. "We must return to base immediately and report what has happened to the Captain." Cassius declared as the three quickly agreed and ran off towards the garage. Watching from the trees nearby, a tall figure in a green and white robe crouched on one of the tree branches deactivates his cloaking device. He began to whisper through his mask quietly as though he were speaking to someone, though no one was there. "Farseer, one of the Chaos shrines is located in the mountain range to the North. It may hold one of the Artifacts." There was silence for a few moments before a voice in the back of his head replied, "Well done Ranger Thanon, once you return we'll move out immediately." Without another word, he cloaked once more and retreated back into the forest.
Firedude: Chapter 7 good to go. I'm going away this Saturday and I won't be back for a week so it'll be a while before I can update again. Please review and tell me what you think, any criticism is welcome.