Chapter Eight
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"Sanguinius. It should have been him. He has the vision and the strength to carry us to victory, and the wisdom to rule once victory is won. For all his aloof coolness, he alone has the Emperor's soul in his blood. Each of us carries part of our father within us, whether it is his hunger for battle, his psychic talent or his determination to succeed. Sanguinius holds it all. It should have been his…,"
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The walls of Liknik is not as large or as wide in comparison to the rest of the other walls in other great Hive Cities of the Imperium, but like everything else built in the Imperium of Man, they still build it big, large and tall. Once it contains the banners and the tapestries of the Imperium and the personal sigil of the Planetary Governor. Once it was, at least. Now the walls are cracked and broken, plastered red with the blood of innocents, their broken bodies lying on the parapets. The sigils of Chaos, especially that of Khorne are now prevalent, put up on crude drawings and sigils by the cultists who serve him.
There is no need for the servants of the Blood god to be guarding the main gate. They are after all almost in control of the planet. The Agri-World does not have a standing army except the few legions of Planetary Defense Forces that the Governor can call upon in times of need. Unfortunately they have all been decimated before they can even be mobilized when the capital fell and the planetary governor ejected by the Khorne cultists from the tallest spire, his broken body now adorning the streets like his people. None have the strength to defy the worshippers of Khorne in this planet.
That is what they like to think at least.
Atop the gate parapets, five cultists using their pastime to put into display the heads of the ones they killed in poles across the gate barely has time to scream as a golden figure appears from the sky, his spear blazing white throwing a lance of energy over the parapet turning them to ash, their screams barely able to leave their lips. With a powerful landing, Sanguinius takes a second to look at the rows of poles, each with a rotting head on it. His face twists into one of sorrow at the sight before he pulls himself together. There would be time for mourning for the lives of the lost later but right now, the best he can give them is vengeance. He free-falls from the top of the parapets to where the great chains keeping the massive steel gates closed are waiting, his wings slowing his descent. There are no other cultists in sight. His thought about the area is right. So secure are they in their victory that the servants of the Chaos god handle security as well as a three legged Grox. He wastes no time looping into the giant chains, each almost the size of his entire body the melta charges that he has brought with him. They are everything that can be found in the Cadians' stash and the engineer of their corps believe that they would be enough to throw open the great gates. More importanty, they would be loud enough to attract the attention of everyone in a twenty kilometer radius.
Slipping the last charge's wiring to completion, Sanguinius wastes no time as the timer starts ticking. In a couple of flaps, his great wings makes him airborne giving him a topside view as the bombs explode with such force that even high in the air, he can still feel the air shake. Blue colored smoke mixed with brown, black and gray can be seen below as the explosion rips through the gates chains, the groaning of steel heard as the ones holding the gate suddenly becomes slack. The giant entrance parapet of the city with an almighty crash lies open.
Sanguinius lets himself free fall to the now open entrance where at least thirty regular men can enter side by side. He plants the Spear of Telesto at the ground with such force that it cracks before unfurling the banner of the Ninth Legion from the long rod it has been entwined to. The flag of the Blood Angels freely flies despite the smoke and ruin around it as Sanguinius set it straight so that it might not fall.
"I AM A SERVANT OF THE GOD-EMPEROR OF MANKIND! I AM SANGUINIUS OF THE NINTH! FOUL TRAITORS! FACE ME IF YOU DARE!" booms Sanguinius to the open air. So powerful is his voice great is his fury that his voice reverberates to Hive Spires of Liknik with clarity.
"Now all I have to wait, as I face this alone at the moment," thinks Sanguinius as he awaits the coming of the enemy. The sound of steps at his side makes him give off a frustrated sigh.
"At least not necessarily alone as I thought at first," he reiterates mentally as the Exodite Farseer, Elindra he recalls appear at his side, clad in that bone armor of hers. She is still scantily clad in her outfit as far as Sanguinius is concerned. It seems also that she is serious in her words that she would also stand by him which makes the Primarch wrack his brains in silence as to what the angle of the witch is.
"Good work son of the Anathema. That psychic shout of yours is enough that every living thing in this area would have heard it," she comments as she readies her Bone Spear along with her jagged tooth sword, holding both loosely in her hands.
"Hrrmf!" Sanguinius says nothing, not looking for her approval as he also readies the Teeth of Baal and the Spear of Telesto in his hands. Against anyone else, this tactic would not work, but against Khornish Berserkers and Chaos Astartes of Khorne, they are only a small gap in tactical acumen compared to Orks. They would be gunning for the greatest prize of all, him. Their god after all demands it.
The servants of Khorne do not disappoint. The next few seconds and they appear in a large teeming numberless mass from every street, from every corner howling and roaring as they charge his position and that of the Farseer's through the main road. It seems that there are more Chaos Astartes here than he presumes to be.
Sanguinius swaps the Teeth of Baal to his double chained bolter. If any Astartes holds it, it might have been a deadly weapon, close to a devastator space marine. For his hands however, it is big enough for a one-handed weapon. The sunlight reflects off both it and the golden trip of his power armor. The Chaos Marines are pouring across now the pen road towards the two and the double bolter has plenty of ammo. Sanguinius clicks the trigger and drags the weapon in a wide arc. The high caliber bolts tear through the ranks of the Chaos Marines, the heavy duty rounds piercing ceramite, flesh and bone shattering limbs, torsos and covering the grey road with thick blood. The Spear of Telesto also points downward in a purifying beam. Sanguinius has always loved it leaving charred corpses on those it touches.
"Eldar! Kill the traitors that gets through me that are in the open," Sanguinius barks at his companion. The Farseer opens up with her own powers in silence, her outstretched hands throwing arcs of purple lightning sending more Chaos Marines to lie on the stone road. The Farseer it seems is no slouch as her arcs never miss its mark. She kills Astartes after Astartes but still more pours out from the main road.
Eight Traitors, a flank from the right charges out of one alleyway is the first to come into grips with the two of them.
"BLOOD! SKULLS!" they call out as a warcry as they reach their positions. They barely however finish their shouts and Sanguinius is in in the middle of tem. The Teeth of Baal lops limbs, spraying red blood into the air. Sanguinius murders the Traitors with deadly precision. Unlike before, he has the right weapons and acceptable livery to fight in his best. Against a Primarch like him, it is no longer a fight but a slaughter.
Finishing up, Sanguinius turns back to Farsreer Elindra who just finishes piercing the throat of a Traitor with her Singing Spear. There is a difference however; red lasers and the sounds of bolters firing can be heard.
The Thracian First Volunteer Group under Mira's command has finally arrived. They have set up a fire base at the entrance of the gated parapet, a two man firing line unleashing hell to the Chaos Astartes. Four heavy bolters and a Lascannon have been set up by the Cadians quickly and spaces have been cleared for the turrets of two Chimeras to unload las-fire to the charging Khornate warriors. He can espy Mira standing at the top of one of the Chimeras shouting orders while blasting with her laspistol. The heavy fire from the Guard mows down Traitor Astartes by the dozen with their heavy weapons but there are still more coming from the mouth of the road. The Cadians and Thracians desperately pour fire into the charging mob but are doing little to thin their numbers.
Heart burning in fury, Sanguinius recklessly charges. "FOR THE EMPEROR!" he shouts. He runs ahead of his allies even as Elindra follows him in. Her lightning crackles like a whip scoring into half a Traitor attempting to blindside him. Sanguinius on the other hand charges, his double bolter unleashing its payload. It is impossible not to miss in such a massed target. Every bolter impacts a Traitor exploding a millisecond later. He fires and fires and when the double bolter clicks empty, Sanguinius charges. He rolls and impales the first Traitor he meets on the edge of his chainsword. The monster fells heavily. He steadies his stance before holding his ground. Every Chaos Marine that swarms him fell whether it is through the bite of the Teeth of Baal or the shear piercing power of the Spear of Telesto. A Khornate Berserker swings a crude axe at his head and Sanguinius calmly steps aside and moves past the maddened traitor. He stabs the spear behind him, killing his quarry and at same time slams the chainsword forward shearing the head and face of a helmetless Astartes. His armor, once golden are now tainted with the blood of traitors.
The sudden appearance of the Thracian Volunteer Group clearly has caught the Traitors off guard. They quickly however turn to fight the new targets of their maddened fury. Chaos infested firearms counter fire against the mortals. Mira and her soldiers however has a strong defensive position with many places to hide, especially the massive parapets above where the heavy teams have set up. The rest have set up base fire on a group of elevated ruins, perfect positions to fire upon the mass of flesh and steel. Still some tend to get through and a guardsman would scream as a bolter would get them before exploding in a pulpy mass of flesh.
Sanguinius knowing this strives to prove his true worth as a beast in the battlefield and pull the attention of the Chaos forces to him instead. With his livery being now able to keep up with him, the Chaos Marines cannot land a single strike against him. He has not parried once and his fighting is as precise as the day he fought in the Eternity Gate. He is a dancer in combat delivering graceful but precise blows. He sails past Chaos Marines delivering brutal slices with the Teeth of Baal and accurate stabs with the Spear of Telesto, cutting through ceramite armor like cheese. The Farseer is different however. She finishes unleashing her lightning against their foes and lowers her spear to pierce the first Chaos Astartes in his way. The Traitor dies with a double-pierced heart and the next three in her path are killed with savage powerful blows by her fanged sword fiercely. With deathly silence, he ducks the attack from another and grapples with the Traitor. Jumping high in the air, she head-butts the Chaos Marine with such force. The dragon bone of her face helmet against ceramite and dragon bone wins. The Traitor stumbles, dazed and his jaw dislocated through the broken helmet. She lands on its chest throwing it to the ground and saws the head off with a nasty ripping noise with her fanged blade. Her bare body would need a bath and a god cleansing afterwards. Her Exodite origins are showing itself off; direct, brutal and powerful.
With the savagery of their attack, the servants of Khorne are starting to feel doubt enter in their ranks especially as the Primarch rips through them dime a dozen. With also the firepower from the mortals and the savagery of the Eldar and arcane sorcery, they are clearing the flanks of the Great Angel to keep him from being overrun by sheer numbers. The power of their god however urges them forward as they run headfirst into the meat grinder.
"Hold your ground!" Sanguinius as he judo kicks a dead Traitor to his fellows. A powerful blast from the las cannon behind him turns a bare-headed Berserker into red sludge.
Taking the time to reload his double bolter, Sanguinius fires it again standing. It is much less stable at such a position of fire but the enemy is so many that it needs precision. "Die traitors!" he roars as he fires to the mass.
A bare-headed Chaos Marine tries to outflank him again, his giant chain-axe ready but the Farseer tackles him. The Eldar is covered in blood from head to boot. Her Singing Spear is still stuck on a corpse and the fanged blade she has is being wielded two-handed. Sanguinius observes her as she grabs the Traitor by the arm and pulls his face directly into the pommel of her blade. The "pointy" end of the pommel broke the Traitor's skull and the Astartes howls as the Farseer finishes him off.
A Khornate Berseker tries to ambush Sanguinius but the Spear of Telesto spurs forward cutting off his hand from is body and the heavy gauntlet he is wearing; before the Astartes can do more than scream, the weapon strikes again cutting off his head joining the dozens in the ground. The Heavy Bolters on the other hand continue to mow down Traitors in the open. The double bolter goes dry again and Sanguinius once more switches to the Teeth of Baal as his primary weapon. With a mighty war cry he charges again chopping through four Khornate Berskerkers easily. The las fire from the Thracian Volunteer Group is keeping the Traitors honest and from outflanking him. He espies through the side of his eye however for Traitors with their own version of heavy bolters set up through one of the taller levels of a nearby Spire aiming at them. Before they can fire however; a lightning bolt scores their hidey place, their death screams of surprise and pain disappearing in the wind, courtesy of the Farseer. Another five tries to charge him but the whining of heavy bolters tear through them before they can even touch him. Ceramite is strong, but the bolts tear out their insides and the Traitors drop heavily in pieces.
The large mob of Chaos Astartes that they are facing seems to have finally ended. From the countless massive bodies before, only a large group remains. Against Sanguinius' and his allies, any sane enemy might have been running away already. However these are servants of Khorne and their god demands blood and skulls, so they obey. They are a mere remnant but they charge heedlessly swinging their chain-axes and firing their bolters. Sanguinius' obliges them.
He reaches them first with the Farseer hot at his heels. His chainsword tears through the necks of two Berserkers. Their bodies fell without grace on the ground. A Traitor swings an ace at him. He dodges and drives his armored knee into the smaller Astartes' chest, shattering ceramite and his ribcage with it. Pusshing him, he swings the Spear of Telesto diagonally and splits another Chaos Marine from chest to groin. He ducks another axe swing and impales the owner who dares to attack him. Four bolter rounds explode off in his armor and he turns to see a Chaos Marine firing at him from the side. Before he can fry it with the spear's beam, the Farseer tackles it. Sanguinius takes the time to focus back on his own fight. He stomps a Khornate Berserker's head into the ground before flash frying another Chaos Marine with the Spear. He turns to check on his ally.
The Eldar hacks the Traitor she tackles before with her fanged sword. The Traitor screams its defiance as the Farseer tears out his throat. She uses the body as a shield as she plows through another. She throws the body away and jams the Singing Spear into the eye-lens of her stumbling enemy. The Chaos Astartes fight for a moment as the tip sinks into its brain before it goes limp.
An impact at Saguinius' back makes him turn to find one last Chaos Marine still standing trying to pull his axe out of Sanguinius' shoulder pauldron. Before he can punch the Traitor in the face, the Space Marine is blasted back by accurate las-fire followed by two missiles exploding in his chest. Sanguinius' blinks as he sees this time an entire line of Thracian Militia appear at where the Traitors have been pouring out before. With them are Three Leman Russ Tanks and five Chimeras with even one Hellcat.
Sanguinius can't help the wry smile that appears in his face. It seems that his plan is going swimmingly.
"Your holiness," one of the men calls out dressed in Imperial Guard livery approaching him with a bow the moment he comes near him.
"Commander Sorin, I am glad that you and your men arrive in time," comments Sanguinius looking at the long line of the convoy currently securing the area and making sure no Chaos Astartes are "hiding" among the rubble.
"We are sorry for the delay your holiness," chirps the man. "We encountered heavy pocket resistance on the way here. Big giant two headed dog, chewed through one of the Chimeras and killed ten of the men before we are able to put it down,"
"Unnecessary apologies Commander, I am just glad that you and the men are safe. I am sorry for those you've lost," says Sanguinius making the man nod obviously in awe of him as he turns to the carnage all over before whistling.
"It seems that our help is unnecessary my eminence. Emperor be praised for sending you. If we faced such a foe at these numbers," he shudders. "I don't even want to think what would be the result,"
"Hmm," Sanguinius simply replies as he takes stock of the aftermath of his fight. He counts almost a hundred and fifty bodies of dead Chaos Astartes and Khornate Bersekers. Their bodies now limp and unmoving adorn the ground, their black blood staining the stones. How different are they in death that in a moment before, they are screaming zealots for their god. Here and there, bodies look bisected, courtesy of him and the Farseer, while large groups are lying dead, flash fried by the Spear of Telesto. More can be found dead with heavy bolter rounds damage. The lion's share of course goes to him and the emplaced heavy weapons teams that are given free rein to fire to their heart's content. He doubts that facing a cleverer enemy would result to such as this. The servants of Khorne are strong, stronger than most, but such also is their weakness. So confident in they at their strength that they eschew the most basics of strategies for a direct fight.
"Your holiness," the familiar voice of Captain Mira makes him turn to the pretty captain. The Cadian looks none the worse for wear with only dust marring her fine features. It seems that with Sanguinius being the center of attention of the Traitors has done its work well of turning them from massacring the force supporting him.
"Captain, report," says Sanguinius to the woman who grimaces. "Thirty-six dead out of the two hundred from the volunteer group my lord. Emperor bless their souls,"
"They served the Imperium well," sighs Sanguinius slamming the butt of the Spear of Telesto at the ground with a metallic clang. "Gather the rest of the volunteers. We are acting as a mobile force and aid the four invasion points when they need it Captain,"
"Yes, your holiness. Cadia stands!" Captain Mira salutes before heading back to her men.
"You also return to your men, Commander. There are still large swathes of the city that needs retaking," Sanguinius says to the man who bows.
"Courage and Strength your holiness," he intones before walking back to the convoy who forms up at the sight of him.
Sanguinius left behind sighs as he remains there all alone, at least until the Exodite Farseer stands at his side making him grumble at her presence. He notices that she is covered in blood all over. None of it however seems to be her own with how composed she is. As much as he distrusts her, he has to admit that she fights well, too well in fact. It is a talent that he sorely needs if he plans to take the fight to this warband, especially at their own ship.
"You fight well Farseer," comments Sanguinius with a grunt.
"So do you child of the Anathema," her musical voice ends with a small trill. He can almost espy a small smile beneath that bone beaked helmet of hers. "Your father's blood runs strong in you. Never had I seen such grace and elegance when it comes to fighting that it reminds me almost of the Harlequins. For someone so big, you fight….gracefully,"
"And you fight brutally," replies Sanguinius curtly making the Farseer laugh, her voice the sound of a mockingbird.
"I am no Craftworlder son of the Anathema. I prefer facing my foe in the face with none of the grace, but only strength," she replies.
"The enemy can attest to that," Sanguinius gestures to the dead Astartes.
"Indeed it can," nods the Farseer. "Now time to introduce me to your fanatical supporters' demigod. One doesn't need to look in the skeins of fate that it would take a lot, even for you to convince them that fighting alongside me would be a chore," her tone is that of amusement making the Great Angel to want to sigh as he recognizes the truth in her words.
"You don't have to remind me," Sanguinius wants to grumble but holds it in.
No need to give the Farseer the last word. She's a pain in the ass in banter even if she's extremely useful.
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Author's Note:
So another chapter done. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. So the liberation of Liknik is on the way and next up is the mopping up of the city. Sorry for the long update. Been reading webtoon in my spare time instead of writing.
So guys just want to ask fellow Warhammer fans. Who and what is the Angels Excarmine Chapter? And what sets them apart from the rest? All I know is that they are also part of Lords of the Blood.
As usual people, please review. For your reviews I enjoy to read and your words are the song to this writer's heart.