I now look around the Black Templar outpost. The place is littered with the corpses of thralls from the Raptor rampage. Looks like they did their job for once. I take a moment to get used to the surroundings.
The compound itself is nothing special. To the south is the mountain it is built into. While the other three sides are just 10 meter high walls, which we avoided perfectly. A poorly made thing compared to what their Imperial Fists brothers tend to make. Of course due to perspective if the Eaters of Worlds made this it would be deemed a legendary accomplishment.
After another moment, 9th Claw gets behind me as they start to form up.
“Happy hunting,” I say taking a moment to look behind them. “Try to keep the acolytes alive.”
I now race off into an unopened door. Runes on my display now show a map stolen by the Alpha Legion telling me where the generator room is. It is fairly deep inside the fort but it should mean nothing. Not like a little exercise has killed anyone.
I quickly use power armor fist to break the lock in the door causing the lock the break. Opening the door now I find myself against about eight thralls behind a small barricade. They are almost asking for death in the position they put themselves in.
Perfect
“Feast your eyes upon the true demigods of this realm. For the Night Lords have come!” I shout as I draw, Vetterschaft, my power sword. Shouldn’t be wasting ammunition on thralls, for now at least. The blade comes to life as the relic of the Imperial Fist Legion shows a red hue.
Charging in now I break the barricade as the thralls just start to fire their lasguns at me. The first one is cut down from in a mere millisecond as my blade cut his head right off. Another two to my charge their bones shattering from the mere impact of my hit. After I cut in half the thrall I use my sword to pierce the heart of another one, his heart bursting as more blood touches the blade.
Four down four to go I think as another one’s head gets smashed as I slam my fist down. Brain matter and bone go everywhere now covering my power armor as blood fountains from the “wound.” Well, my slave, has some work cut out for her now it seems.
Now the last three, which are… Running away, just great. Pulling out my Bolter Zuster now, I fire it three times causing each thrall’s chest to burst open as the bolt round hit them. The walls now are covered in body parts and blood as I go back to running. Checking the time I make sure I haven’t wasted too much. 15 seconds, too much time upon mere mortals damn it, I need to go faster to prevent any Astartes from going into the generator room. I have to only hope I do not find another blockage.
Five minutes pass now as I find myself nearing the generator room, the light on my runes now flashing blue telling me I am there. Looking at the door I find it sealed with me unable to open it. Guess we have to do it the old fashion way.
{Requesting permission to blow the door to the generator room} I say though my vox as in an almost sarcastic tone.
{Permission granted, kill them all} I hear Ezrath say to me, the vox seem to muffle most of his voice that time.
With that, I grab four demo charges to blow up the door. Preparing each one I make ready to blow the door. I then start putting each one on the wall is a simple game to me as I hear the clicking sound saying they are charged. After placing the demo charges on the door, I run about 20 meters away and click the control setting them all off.
Suddenly the door blows up causing it to fall on the ground as gas begins to fill up the room. The purple substance is fairly poisonous to mortals, but to an Astartes, it will only give a small pain in the lungs. If you add our helmets with its filtration system it is as if the gas is not there.
Walking in now I take a moment to get a good look of the room under the gas. To my left and right is two fairly large generators. These two must be pumping all the energy required to have the compound running. To my front lays the main control panel, exactly what I am looking for.
Going to the control panel I click on the small keyboard and suddenly the words, “password required” pops up. Remembering the password given to use from the Alpha Legion I quickly type it in. “Th3Emp3r0rPr013c7s” with that I am logged into the generator’s controls.
I am going to be honest, we did not need to trade a dozen slaves for that password. I think anyone could have figured that out with one look upon the Black Templars. Even one of the uncreative, rageful followers of the Blood God would only need a few hours to figure the password out.
With that, I shut down all power in the complex quickly causing the lights to go out. “Now this is where the fun begins,” I say. Suddenly though I hear the sound of footsteps. To loud to be normal humans yet to quiet for Astartes…. Grinning under my helmet knowing the fact I have found a group of acolytes.
I quickly now slide into the shadows covering my tracks waiting for the Squires of the Templars to appear. And just like that, I see three acolytes of the Black Templars walk into the room flashlights on their shotguns.
“We know you are here heretic, come out and face your end,” one of them said. I took a moment to look at the three. They are all Sons of Dorns by all means. Each one looked so close to their Primarch with only differences it seems is the age, eyes, and hair. It would truly sadden me to bring death to them. Lucky for me I don’t have too.
I wait for them to approach my position and when they came I jumped. Using my speakers in my armor i give out a deafening screech causing them to flinch. Activating my power sword now jump upon the closest one near me…
He was by far one of the easiest I have taken down in a long time. Using the moments of deafening sound I got close to the nearest Acolyte near me and using the bottom of my power I quickly knock him unconscious. The lad never even put up a fight I thought.
Sad
I now step towards the next one nearest to me who is just getting a sense of things. The young acolyte with a superhuman sense of, wait for I am about to get hot, quickly raises his shotgun to fire at me. He managed to only get his finger near the trigger before I knock it away causing the shotgun to slide to one of the generators. With that using my left hand I punch him knocking him unconscious as well.
Two down one to go, I thought as I turned to face him. Unlike all the other he dropped his shotgun and realized that there is no time to pick it up stood now with his gladius in hand.
“FIGHT ME, TRAITOR!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. Clumsy he is but fearful he is not.
“As you wish,” I reply. “Also good luck trying to win.” I then charge at him with Vetterschaft and he comes at me with his small in comparison gladius. I block his first hit when our blades met the ringing of it echoing throughout the room. Interesting, he does have more strength then a normal acolyte, the Black Templars must have never called this outpost in a long time, as if he is almost…
“You are the first aren’t you? The first of Astartes made on this planet, and you have spent all that time waiting for a call from your chapter. But all that waiting there was nothing, not even a simplest of transmissions. As if your chapter, no, the Imperium forgot.” I quickly knock his gladius from his hand “I trust you the 8th Legion is not like that. We do not forget brothers. We love our brothers. If only you were to join us” I simply say.
“I would never!” He then proceeds to spit on me.
Sighing I use my sword to knock him unconscious like the rest of his brothers. “What a pain, but he seems to have the most potential.” In collect the bodies of the three acolytes and piles them up to be collected later.
{I have found three acolytes and they are in the generator room waiting to be collected. Oh and where are the Black Templars?}
{This is 9th Claw Sergeant, we will go collect them later. As for the location of the Apothecary, he is in the shrine room with five of the acolytes. Although the location of the Chaplain is unknown.}
I then hear the sound of power armored footsteps
{Don’t look for him}
Turning around now to confront him I see the Black Templar walk towards me. I take a moment to look at him. With Crozius Arcanum and skull helm he would have struck fear into the hearts of all mortals. His armour is what you expect in a blood of Sigismund with a black paint and Cross of the Templars.
“Hello there blood kin of Sigismund and Son of Dorn.” I say to the Chaplain.
“Heretic scum, you do not have the right to speak to me only die!” The Templar Chaplain would reply raising his Crozius Arcanum at me.
“A right now? No, no, no, you have to understand I have a right.” I slowly inched towards the door now as he walks towards me. Easier to fight him in the halls where there is space then in this generator room where he has the advantage. “Speaking by itself is not a right for we all can speak to anyone, the question is does the other party respond? And you have decided to respond to me Chaplain of the Black Templars.”
I can tell under his skull helm he is disgusted and madden by my truth. “You not just come to our sacred place but to question ME! A true follower of the Emperor who WILL stay loyal to his grace!” The anger you can still is building now, he will pop soon.
“Well, yes. For I am Astartes from the heresy.” I am now half way towards the door. “Am one of the first to serve your lord in countless battles. I have even saw the Emperor before, not in dreams nor in some drug filled haze, but in physical form. He was truly the most beautifully flawed human I have ever seen.” I grim under my helmet now, this will get him pissed.
“FLAWED! FLAWED! HE, THE GOD EMPEROR OF MANKIND WAS PERFECT. WHAT YOU!!! YOU!!!! SAW WAS A FAKE! HE WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN IMPERFECT.” The Chaplain screamed in rage.
“You want to prove it? Fight me.” I now draw Vetterschaft at the exit of the generator room. Now that brought the man over the edge if anything. He would know what sword this is for it is by all means a Relic of the Imperial Fist Legion. The sword even still has the symbol of the Fist used during the heresy.
“You damned traitor, liar and thief! You are the three worst things anyone can be!!!” The Chaplain then proceeds to charge at me.
As he charges everything almost seems to slow down. Always likes this in duels it seems, just time itself just loves to make every moment feel longer than before. This torture just is too real, for anyone who has dueled. Seeing your death come but you can only stand and watch.
The Chaplain now them runs at me and I quickly dodge his first swing of his Crozius Arcanum leading me outside of the generator room. First step done, piss him off so much that I have the chance to get the space I need to stay away from his Crozius Arcanum. Now step two, the longest one, go to kill him.
I then go into a running chase as the Chaplain races behind me. “GET BACK HERE YOU DAMNED TRAITOR!” He yelled at me.
“I rather not.” I reply now running up a staircase.
Many people do consider being the prey in a chase the worst of options, for it leaves them weak knowing that someone is always behind you. Although for me, I love it, for it gives me the most important thing that any free thinker can only dream of, choice. Without such an important factor this would be deemed by many an unsavory sort of position to be in. Of course I have done this to many times to think gift of choice is bad.
I now stop at the top of the staircase turning around to face him. Positioning my sword now to face him now I stand ready to face the Templar. The Chaplain would then to use the fill weight and force of Crozius Arcanum to swing out me. I knowing that even a meer touch could be fatal jump away using my advantage of height to avoid his swing fairly easily. After his swing I use Vetterschaft to swing pass his now exposed left arm and I manage to get wound upon the Chaplain. Although sadly for me, not anything deadly due to a quick move back on the Chaplain’s part.
Blood then started to drip from the arm of the Templar as he managed to steady himself. “First blood goes to the Night Lords, Templar.” I say, jumping back to keep up the running game I am having with him.
“It won’t matter for I will have a victory Traitor,” the Chaplain would reply. “This is a to the death duel no first blood.” His wound already stopped bleeding due to his Astartes physiology. “Now tell me how did you steal such a Relic from our past? It would be an honor to give it back.”
“Talkative now are we?” I walk backwards to avoid his swing again. “In an age generations before yours of course.”
“I mean *HOW* not when you Emperor Forsaken bastard.” He shouted.
“Hey now I am getting to that.” I use Vetterschaft to stab at him, but the Chaplain using his more younger body avoided the sword. “Now let me finish. First it was not stolen, for I have no clue how that rumour came from. This sword of your Legion was a gift during the heresy. Said to be forged by Vulkan himself, touched by the Emperor, blessed by Rogal Dorn and gifted to a captain long dead in the Imperial Fist Legion.” I would say. I then quickly move back from another swing of the Chaplain’s Crozius Arcanum the power maul this time just barely hitting my power armour. Better be more careful, cannot let something like that happen again.
I then run from the stairwell down a large hallway in which two Thralls tried to fire upon me. With a single swing of my blessed blade I slice the two in half tearing them apart only letting them get a single shot at me. Running over the bodies and pausing so I could challenge him.
“You would honestly think I believe such a thing! A gift of all things!? I know how your Legion wages war there is no honor in that!” The Chaplain shouted.
“Oh?” I block a weak swing from his Crozius Arcanum then ran again. “I would say differently. In those ancient long forgotten days the 8th Legion was one filled with honor and pride! We sacrificed so much for the Imperium that would make other Legions be almost shamed! We saved billions if not trillions from death by sacrificing the lives of the few.” I then swing to find him countering my power sword, the two power fields spark as they meet. “Now then back to the sword before I go on the a rant on who is right here.”
I wait for a reply but nothing.
I spoke again, “It was during the final days of the Great Crusade in a planet long forgotten in the books of history. We along side your brothers fought a war against the Orks. It was hard one and bloody costing the lives of many mortal and Astartes alike, but as man we managed to pull though fighting the Orks to their final fortress.”
I then noticed he paused. Not something i would notice in a duel but he did pause. It almost confused me but I decided to go on. “There we meet,” i then start running faster preventing the Chaplain to easily catch up to me. “The largest Ork warboss seen in the entire campaign, and we knew if we killed it the Ork horde would shatter. The plan was to kill him with am armoured fist but the Ork ran before we could get him.”
“Typical of Orks…. Always unexpected” the Chaplain said.
I then looked at him baffled. What? He…. what? I then realized I had slowed under the sheer shock. The Chaplain using this would then swing his Crozius Arcanum at me and I realising what is going on dodge it but I still received a partial hit on my side. Fuck! The pain wasn’t that bad but the hit still caused me to grind my teeth together due to me not being prepared for it.
I then saw under my helmet he was going for another swing. Using the half second I was given I ran. Cannot let that happen again, god damn it if only his calm reply wasn’t so unexpected.
Taking a breath I tool in the air from the underground as I got my thought together. I should continue, cannot let him think I am at a position of weakness. “Also… Artillery as well would be risky do to us not knowing the position and the amount of anti-aircrafts weapon in the fortress preventing a reconnaissance. So we came up with an idea.” God why am I telling a story to this Chaplain. I then quickly turn around to meet him again with my wound quickly clotting up. Using the moment I catch my breath and our weapons once again meet with each power field flickering as they grind against each other.
“Let me guess now, you decided to do a drop pod assault.” The Chaplain would reply, the anger in his voice completely gone now.
“Aye, we would gather forces from two of the Emperor’s Legions to do a drop pod assault on the Ork fortress. It would be a bloody battle that would be waged for days on end. Although it would be glorious with the blood of Orks being spilled and flooding what can be declares streets of such a rubble.” I then after a few seconds would once again run to the exit of the underground.
“After a week of this battle the Imperial Army would finally break though and that is when the Ork warboss finally made an appearance to rally the vast horde. That was when I saw a captain of your old Legion, the Imperial Fists come and challenge it.” I then reach the surface and challenge the Chaplain.
“Looks like you have nowhere else to run Night Lord,” the Templar would say to me. “Now finish your story as I you breath your last.”
I laugh, “As you wish,” I then meet his Crozius Arcanum once again. “The duel would last hours it would seem as the Fist and the Ork would trade countless blows and during this time the war would still be wage throughout the battlefield with a seemly inability for anyone to touch these two as the fought. Then in the final moments the Captain would lose this same blade when the Ork cut his arm off. Kind of like right now in fact.” After he swings his Crozius Arcanum, I move to get on his side to cut off his right arm.
His right arm would then fall to the ground the sound of power armour dropping as blood poured from his wound. Then the Chaplain would drop his Crozius Arcanum as most of the weight was on his right side. The beautifully well crafted weapon would now be covered red as his blood fountained out.
“You would pay for that!” The Chaplain would say ignoring the pain.
“Well not really since it looks like this duel is over, so let me finish please.” I walk over to the Chaplain as push him to his knees. “He would lose his blade and would be knocked to the ground his face staring into death itself with no fear. He would have died if I did not react in time throwing my Gladius into the eye of the Ork and grabbing the Fist’s Power Sword for my chainblade’s ran out of teeth day before. I would then while the Ork was blinded would behead the Ork Warboss causing mass infighting in the Ork Horde and victory for the Imperium. Afterwards both Mortal and Astartes would be there as I was gifted the Captain’s sword for ending the campaign and saving the Imperial Fist’s life.” I then took a breath as I finished.
“Now then I like to see the face of the Chaplain before I kill you. Do you wish for me to remove your helmet or yourself?” I ask
Without saying a word now the Chaplain would pull off his helmet with his left hand. “Happy now Night Lord?” He would question.
“Yes,” I said.
Taking a look at his features I would take note of how closely he looked to his blood kin. His grey hair was cut just like Rogal when I first met him. His face would almost be a mirror image of Sigismund even with the calmed look even with his arm still gushing out blood. Although what struck me deeper was his eyes. His blue eyes would give the same look to the Imperial Fist captain I would kill with his gift in the Imperial palace. Of course I would never say that outloud.
“Are you going to stare now or are you going to take off your helmet like a real man?” He the Chaplain demanded.
I took a long deep sigh and removed my helmet meeting his eyes with mine. I wonder what he thinks of me now? Maybe a traitor still? A man of respect, honor? What could he see in me now?
“Now then,” I look to see 5th and 9th Claw walking out of the outpost with prisoners, loot and the reason for this raid, geneseed. “Looks like we won now Chaplain of the Templars of Black.”
“Expected,” was his reply.
“Well any last words Loyalist?” I ask him.
“The Emperor has blessed our souls. As for you Night Lord, you can still redeem yourself. I recommend you do it.” He said.
“I will think about,” and then I beheaded the Chaplain.