Hellclaws rained from the sky, black globules of malice and steel. The first slammed into the ground with a deafening crunch. The hapless Guardsmen stood frozen with fear. A hatch opened. A Chaos Space Marine stepped out.

Without hesitation, the Marine lifted his bolter and began to shoot bolt after bolt, the shells tearing through the flak armour as though it was nothing, pulping the bodies of his targets. Shrieks of despair and agony wracked the air, as the few remaining troopers retreated, staying low so the heretical forces couldn't get a shot.

More of the traitor Astartes clambered out of the pod as another Hellclaw impacted on a pile of rubble near the surviving loyalists, raising a massive cloud of dust. The survivors fired wildly into the dust, but any lasbolts that hit the enemy were surely weakened significantly by having to travel through the powder debris. The Chaos Marines that came out of the pod merely adjusted their auspexes to heat signatures before firing. The loyalists at least had the mercy of not having seen their deaths coming.

A Chaos Sorceror ran to the centre of the circle, impatiently batting cultists out of the way to clear a sufficient area. Reaching with his mind into the Warp, he grasped Eliphas, dragging his essence through Chaos into the space.

Eliphas appeared, already treading over lines of fire that had etched themselves into the hard ground. "Is the Gate taken?"

The Sorcerer bowed. "Yes, my Lord. Another force of Guard is headed this way-"

"I know," snarled Eliphas. "Let the Orks deal with them, we must fortify this position and wait for the Blood Ravens to appear. This wall is nigh-impregnable, the only weakness is the gate. Have a detachment of men jam the controls to the gate. It must stay closed."

"It will be done." The Sorcerer said, scurrying off to carry out his orders. Eliphas checked the bolt pistol and chainaxe he had taken from the Berserker. Inadequate. Eliphas found the chainaxe too unwieldy, too heavy to parry strikes. If you were a mindless beast that cared not for defence then indeed, it was able to tear through enemies quickly, and the sight of the gore erupting from the massive, jagged lacerations the weapon could inflict would satisfy a Khornate most pleasingly. Eliphas preferred power weapons, however. The lack of resistance he met as his blade sheared through a Marine and his armour reminded him how insubstantial his naive brothers were before his might.

Hmm... what was that? Eliphas narrowed his eyes as the peculiar thing descended from the sky, far away from their position.

A red Drop Pod. Blood Ravens. They were here. Good.

"Spread out and secure the entire area," ordered Eliphas loud enough for everyone to hear. "I don't want any Orks to interfere with my revenge."

The cultists obeyed and began to sweep the area for greenskins and pockets of Imperial resistance. He didn't trust them to be thorough, but he needed the space to begin some summoning of his own.

Ever since the Horus Heresy ten millennia ago, Lorgar, the Urizen, had studied Daemonology extensively in his Templum Inficio, spending the days writing massive tomes on the subject. He would hand these books over to his Dark Council, who would reveal them only to those that had been deemed worthy and favoured by the Chaos Gods. Eliphas could proudly count himself amongst them. It had been centuries ago, fresh from his Second Inheritance, that he had been summoned to Sicarus to receive his venerated Primarch's forbidden knowledge.

He had walked away from the Basilica of the Word a far wiser man. Not only did he feel that he now understood better the nature of Chaos and the Warp, but he had learned much, especially about the subjects of summoning daemons. Ever since, clutches of daemons had augmented his Word Bearers, slaying his enemies and laying waste to his conquests.

Fearing that he had lost much of his favour with the Ruinous Gods since his failure on Kronus, he decided to play it safe and plead for Khorne, whom he had sacrificed Crull's skull to when he had defeated Warlord Gorgutz. He needed no protective circles or wards of safety - such measures were the mark of a mediocre Daemonologist. Casting his will deep into the Warp, he touched Khorne's domain, invoking the blood spilt by his forces and promising much more, as well as the skulls of the loyalists, if they came under his service. A few packs of Bloodletters roaming around a field of flame and skulls looked intrigued, stalking towards him, yellow malice glimmering in their eyes. Flaming swords appeared in their taloned hands, and boiling brass armour adorned their lean, red bodies. Rage and war incarnate, if they could be swayed, Eliphas had a far better chance, gaining back some of the Blood God's favour at the same time.

Eliphas counted thirty-two Bloodletters. That would be sufficient. They went over to him and he pulled himself back into the Materium, dragging with great effort the retinue of Khornate daemons. In a flash of red light and a bloodcurdling scream, the Bloodletters appeared. Those who witnessed the event stared, awestruck, at the new force of daemons, and Eliphas felt the dynamic change. The mood became more eager, as the cultists and Legionnaires believed more that they could emerge victorious. Only Eliphas and perhaps the Sorcerer knew the truth. Even with their new daemonic allies, so few heretics could not hold off the combined might of the Imperial Guard and the Blood Ravens for long.

Fortunately, Eliphas had an escape route planned. Nothing else mattered, but striking a blow at the Blood Ravens was quite important.

After a short time, a bedraggled young cultist approached him. "The sector is secure. No sign of Imperial or greenskin resistance, sir."

"Good. Now we wait. Seek cover and aim gateside. The Space Marines will arrive shortly."

The Sorcerer returned, staring insolently into Eliphas' corrupted visage. "The entrance is secured, my Lord."

"It took a long time for you to return, psyker."

"Even as you say, Lord, but the panel was very old and advanced. It took complicated magic to bend it to my will, and now nothing short of high-grade explosives could breach the gate."

"Have a lookout posted on the wall. When the Blood Ravens are in sight, contact me immediately."

"As you wish, my Lord."

The Sorcerer walked back to the gate, gesticulating with an arcane staff, pointing at the wall. A group of nervous traitors ran up the steps. Turning back round, Eliphas observed the workings of the Black Legion.

They followed his commands well enough, though he detected a hint of dissent. That was to be expected. He was always prepared to execute those who would betray him. One must expect duplicity everywhere if he wants to advance up the ranks of Chaos. The Khornate Berserkers paced around in anticipation or otherwise butchered the carcasses of the betrayed Guardsmen. Fools. Eliphas would give Khorne a whole battle's worth of blood and skulls, not merely cold blood scavenged from corpses. The Noise Marines waited patiently, almost imperceptibly quaking with glee for the upcoming skirmish.

Eliphas waited for his poor, misguided brothers to arrive. He would show them the errors of their ways and convert them from corpse-worshipping brainwashed dolts to proud bearers of the Word.

A/N: Thanks for getting through another chapter. I think this one was maybe unnecessary and fillerish, but maybe an extra chapter needed to be dedicated to the fortification of Angel Gate before the Blood Ravens arrive. You may notice some differences to what happened in Chaos Rising, but I couldn't think of a good way to have some Guardsmen survive and alert Governor Derosa.

In any case, my humble gratitude for over 500 views!