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The floor rocked as the rhino surged forward at top speed towards the ork battle lines, while waiting impatiently inside was Battle Leader Asgeirr and his squad of blood claws. “We will reach the target zone in under five minutes sir.” Said the driver over the com-link. Asgeirr looked over his squad, most were running routine maintenance checks on their weapons and armor, while some of them were sitting perfectly still in the rocking vehicle, he could see the tension in them, that lust all blood claws have when they first are inducted into a company. He could smell them too, as all wolves can, the smell was a mixture of scents: the smell of ceramite armor, and of excitement. One blood claw caught his attention though, it was Kylan, he sat staring at the exit hatch, his eyes glazed over with the blood lust. He thought little of it and starting a meditation practice, he was interrupted when the com-link buzzed in his ear.
“Battle Leader Asgeirr, this is Lord Mjolnir”, he immediately was listening with full attention.
“Yes My lord?”
“We have confirmed reports,” he hears a sickening crunching that was unmistakably the sound of bones being crushed, “That the orks warboss, Gaznick Bone Crusha, is in your target zone, you are to engage him and hold out until my squad and I can assist you.”
“It will be done my Lord.” Replied Asgeirr
“It may be awhile until we can get there,” another loud snapping and crunching noise is heard, “We have our hands a bit full with these damned green skins here, but we will help you as soon as we can.” With that the com-link went dead. When Asgreirr looked back over his blood claws all their eyes were fixed steadily on him, all but Kylan who was still looking out with glazed eyes. “We have a new mission, we are to seek out and engage the ork warboss. We are to then either destroy him ourselves or hold him long enough for reinforcements to arrive.”
Kylan looked up at this “Sir, the warboss will have a retinue of at least five of their nobs won’t he?”
“I would expect no less, but that is of little concern, we are to go after the warboss not his lackeys.”
His com-link buzzed again “Sir, we have reached the target zone.”
“Alright boys, lets go.” They all disembarked from the rhino as fast as they could. They had been dropped behind a small hill just below line of sight to the rest of the battlefield. They drew their chain swords as one and soon the air was filled with the whirr of chain saw blades. Asgeirr drew his power sword and thumbed the power switch on, he could he the hum as energy crackled over the blade as he felt it pulsate in his hand. He could smell burning fuel as the blood claw carrying the flamer turned it on as well. Off to his left he could here the loud concussions of ordinance raining down upon the orks, and to his left he heard the lesser concussions of bolter fire. Slowly he lead his squad up to the top of the hill, from there they looked down upon the field. The orks had managed to take control of a small city and the surrounding area they had been putting up a strong defense from the cover of the now ruined buildings.
Another buzz came in his ear, “This is scout squad Loki’s Fang reporting.”
“Loki’s Fang? Is that you Hawkslayer?”
“Yes sir, we have spotted the warboss, he is in the old garrison on the east side of the city. It is only a kilometer or so from your position.”
“Ok Loki’s Fang, is that all?”
“No sir, we also know he has a retinue of ten nobs, and both he and his retinue are very heavily armed and armored.”
“Thank you Loki’s Fang we will keep this in mind, send this report to Lord Mjolnir at once, Asgeirr out.” With this he turned back to his blood claws.
“The warboss is holed up in the old garrison on the east side, it is only a kilometer from our position. We will go around and attack it from the rear. Once we are in we will then find the warboss and engage him.” “I have also been informed that the warboss is indeed accompanied by a retinue, his is ten strong and all are heavily armed and armored.”
“Any questions? No? Good then lets move!” They set off for the garrison, staying behind the hill as much as possible to avoid detection. When they got to the rear of the building, they saw two orks guarding the door, so they waited for Asgeirr to make a plan.
“When I give the signal, charge.” He drew his pistol, the rest of the pack drew theirs as well, and he ran forward firing at the orks. The head of the ork on the left exploded into a mist of blood as a bolter shell slammed into it. The second orks head was completely torn from its body as the bolter shell tore through its thick neck, the bloody stump spraying a shower of blood into the air.
“Now!” With that Asgeirr kicked in the door, and immediately threw frag grenades into the building, then his pack of blood claws followed him in with wolfish howls and snarls. Once inside though they looked around and the room they were in was empty.
“I know they are here I can smell them so much I can almost taste it.” Kylan said.
Suddenly from the door they had just came in from came a low laughing noise growing steadily louder. Then through the door walks in an immense ork almost completely covered n the thik metal plates they use for their armor. He stood at almost twice the height of the marines. In his left hand he has a giant pistol looking gun, and his right hand is a giant metal claw. Behind him came his retinue of nobs, they too are taller then the marines and are covered in metal plates. All of them have big seemingly scratch built guns and axes.
“Hur hur hur, ello boys. I’m Gaznick Bone crusha, and you oomies is ded.” With a roar the warboss and his nobs charged charged. With no hesitation a gout of flame spewed forth from the flamer carried by a blood claw. All off the orks were bathed in the burning fuel. The insane laughter of the warboss could be heard over the roar of the flames. When the flamer finally ran out of fuel the orks continued their charge, only one had fallen to the cleansing flames. The blood claws and Asgeirr howled with fury as they counter charged the orks. As the two forces collided the squeals of the chain swords on the orks armor and the scraping of the orks weapons on the marines armor filled the room.
Kylan charged towards the warboss but one of the nobs had charged into him. “Heh, you aint ready fer da boss yet oomie, so ima goona kill you fer him.”
“We’ll see who will be killing who.” With that he let fly with a vicious swing at the orks head. It parried with its axe just before it could make good.
“Dat was good oomie, now is my turn.” The ork swung at him with his axe, faster then he thought it could but still not fast enough, he easily blocked the clumsy blows from the ork. The ork drew its pistol and tried to get a shot off at Kylan’s head but with a quick swipe the hand fell limply to the floor. The ork looked at it for a second, that was all the time the blood claw needed, he brought the blade of his chainsword down onto the orks head, cleaving it in two. The orks limp body fell away from the blood claw and lay bleeding on the floor. Kylan stepped over this and charged into the warboss, who was in combat with Asgeirr.
Asgeirr also had been delayed with a nob but he had easily dispatched it with his power sword. He was now locked in combat with the warboss, determined to kill it or just keep fighting till the thing was dead. He swung his power sword in a sweeping ark at the chest of the ork but it was batted away by its huge clawed hand. With a howl of rage he swung again this time for the head. In a show of agility and speed thought impossible for something that big, the warboss ducked the swing and swung out with his clawed hand and ripped a great gash in Asgeirr’s armor. The blow sent him staggering backwards, but as the warboss advanced into him he was halted by a swing from a chain sword that bit through his armor and left a great bleeding gash in his side. The ork turned to face this new threat, as he did Asgeirr saw that it was Kylan.
“You want a tern too oomie? Ok den if dats how you wan it.” He laughed and lashed out with his clawed hand again. As Kylan dove out of the way he drew his pistol and sent three rounds into the warboss’s chest. The shells only left small holes in the armor, it was just to thick for them to penetrate.
“Hur hur, dat tickled.” The warboss swung his claw in a great arch sweeping down on the blood claw. Kylan brought up his sword to try to deflect the blow, but the claw tore through his sword and raked down the left side of his face. He could feel the hot blood pour down his face from where his eye had once been but now most certainly isn’t. As the pieces of his ruined sword fell to the ground the ork let out a mighty laugh and kicked the blood claw with such force that it threw him against the opposite wall. With a crash Kylan hit the wall and fell to the floor.
As he look at the floor he saw the blood as it poured from his ruined eye, the flow of blood was already starting to lessen, that was good. As he struggled to get to his feet he looked about at his pack mates, he saw that none of the nobs where still alive but four blood claws lay unmoving on the floor in pools of blood. He got to his feet in time to seethe other four blood claws charge the warboss. As they fought he searched the floor for any weapon he could find, he came across a large axe that must have been from a nob. He picked it up and looked to the warboss, one blood claw was already dead, his head was lying beside his body. He saw that Asgeirr was getting back to his feet with his power sword in hand. The three blood claws that were left rushed at the warboss at the same time swinging their swords in attempts to hit it, one’s sword bit through the thick armor opening another bleeding gash in the orks armor. With a bellow of rage the ork lashed out at al three at the same time. Two of them where completely severed in two, with a flick of his wrist the ork sent the third ones head flying from his shoulders; a crimson fountain sprayed the ceiling with blood. The scent of blood was now over powering the blood claw, a rage arose inside him the likes of which he had never felt. He let the rage strengthen him but not consume him. With a great howl he charged the warboss, Asgeirr saw an opportunity and charged too. Asgeir reached the warboss first, as he was closer, and slashed at him with a series of blows that put the warboss on defense for the first time. Kylan reached the warboss and with a strength and speed he had never experienced before, he started to rain blow after blow upon the armor of the mighty ork. With a frustrated roar the ork lashed out and grabbed for Asgeirr, but Asgeirr swung out with his sword to knock it away. The warboss had other plans and grabbed the swords blade instead. With his mighty claw the ork snapped the blade of the power weapon in half, and let out a below of laughter. But in that same instant Kylan swept the axe down upon the orks wrist and howled in pleasure as the huge claw clattered onto the floor. The warboss turned to Kylan in time to see a huge figure seemingly covered in wolf pelts wielding a giant hammer coming up from behind the blood claw. With incredible speed it lashed out at the ork and with a thunderous explosion crushed the chest of the warboss. It lay dying on the floor its breaths coming in gurgling gasps.
“You oomies can fight better then the other marne boys,what are yous guys?” He takes in a gurgling breath “And dis wun wit da hammer who are you? You fights real good.”
“I am Mjolnir the Blood Drinker, and we are the Space Wolves.” And with that he smashes the face of the ork with the hell of his booted foot. He turned to Kylan, and got a good look at his injury.
“I want Wolf Priest Vlad in here now, Asgeirr are you injured?”
“No my lord it is just my armor that is damaged.”
“That is good, you did an excellent job, we had originally underestimated this warboss, but it turns out this one was one of the favorites of Gazkull. You young Kylan impressed me very much. Now let us go back to the ships and get ready for a victory banquet in your honor.”
“My honor my lord? I do not deserve such recognition, I was doing my duty to Russ and the Emperor.” Kylan replied.
“Nonsense, you have earned the recognition, and besides, I’m the Wolf Lord here and I say it is in your honor. Now when we get back to the ships I will have Priest Vlad get you all fixed up.” And with that they departed for the thunder hawks that would take them to the ships awaiting them in orbit.
Once aboard the ship Kylan was immediately taken to the infirmary where Wolf Preist Vlad tended to his wounds. He was healed completely in a few hours time. “Now Kylan I leave the decision to you, do you want a bionic eye?”
“Can I think on it for a little while?” He asked.
“Of course you can, but I would like the answer soon.” And with that he dismissed the blood claw back to his own chamber. He looked in a mirror at his face and he ran his hand along what had once been his left eye, but it was now a hole with three great scars that had once been gashes across it. And after a few hours rest he went back to see Vlad.
“I have made my decision sir, I would not like a bionic eye, I have earned this as a mark of battle and I will wear it proudly as such.”
“A wise choice, and a noble one young Kylan. Now that we have that settled, lets get ready for dinner shall we?” At this both of them let out a chuckle. They made their way to the banquet hall, and as Kylan was going to sit in his normal seat Vlad pulled him up, “Lord Mjolnir wants you to sit by him.” He led the blood claw to the seat to the right hand side of the Wolf Lord. In the chair seated to the left of the Wolf Lord was Asgeirr. When he was seated Mjolnir came in, and went to his seat, but instead of the prayer to Russ and the Emperor gave a short speech, “Brother wolves today we achieved a great victory over the Orks. A victory that would not have happened had it not been for the sacrifices made by a squad of blood claws, and the determination of two members of that squad. My Wolf Guard Battle Leader Asgeirr and Blood Claw Kylan managed to hold the ork warboss long enough for me and my body guard to help finish him. And with the lose of the warboss the Orks on the planet scattered and fled. We owe our victory here today to these two wolves and those of their squad who had given their lives in the service of Russ.” With this the entire hall erupted into cheers and applauds. After the banquet was over Kylan returned to his chambers. On his bed was a large flat case, on it a note that read “From Mjolnir, for a job well done.” He opened the case, inside was a power axe, but not an ordinary power axe this one had a large serrated blade to it. Under the axe was another note, “This had brought me great fortune and luck, take care of it.”
Kylan smiled a wolfish grin as he hefted the axe and thumbed the power switch on, the energy crackled along the teeth of the blade as the handle pulsated with energy in his grip. The com-link on his wall buzzed “Kylan here.” “Mjolnir wants to speak to you.”
“Yes sir, I’m on my way.”
“Oh, he says bring the gift too.”
“Yes sir.” He puts the axe back in the case it came in and carries it with him as he walks out of his chambers.
He carried the case with the axe in it with great care as he walked down the series of halls and corridors. He soon reached the final corridor that led to the chamber of the Wolf Lord. As he walks down the long corridor to the Wolf Lord’s chambers he realizes he has never before been here, this was a part of the ship that all knew about but few ever ventured into. As he neared the end of the hall he saw two of his wolf guard brothers standing guard at the door of the Lord’s chambers, they looked as if they had been carved from granite with the lines on their faces and the hair on their beards worn into them by the wind of centuries gone by. When he reached them, with out a word spoken they opened the doors to the chamber, as he went inside they followed and took up their guard positions from inside.
Kylan looked about the chamber, it was enormous; the ceiling must have risen at least 12 meters above his head. The chamber was easily as wide as two of the great feasting halls put side by side; its walls, even though made by ceremite and plasteel, looked like they had been carved from a single slab of smooth grey stone. The entire room was lit by hundreds of burning candles; they fill the room with a thick aromatic smoke. Along the walls hung all hundreds upon hundreds of trophies and battle honors; the corners of his lips curled into a small grin as he saw that among them was the huge clawed hand of the ork warboss he had so recently fought. Two more that caught his eye was the helmet of an eldar, it looked to be of the scorpion eldar warriors due to the mandible type attachments on the front of it; there was also a huge chain axe that by the twisted and decayed look must have been from some vile heretic warrior. In the center of the room was the Wolf Lord’s altar to Russ, a giant visage of their mighty primarch surrounded by all sorts of runes and candles; in front if it lay his hammer in its own ceremonial casing, which was adorned with all types of intricate runes, laid into the obsidian black of the case with gold and silver. Behind the altar was an enormous wall, it spanned the entire back of the chamber and all the way to its ceiling, but that was not what made this odd, the wall was totally covered in columns of what appeared to be names. Hundreds upon thousands of names filled this one wall, the names at the far top left, what appeared to be the beginning of this giant list, had been marked with a date and a reference number next to them. As Kylan was studying the wall Lord Mjolnir entered the chamber from a side door unnoticed, and dismissed his guard to stand watch out side the chamber once more.
Kylan knew at once that he had entered the room, Mjolnir always brought with him what seemed to be the very sent of wisdom, strength, and veneration.
“My lord, may I ask a brief question?”
“It seems you already have, but yes Kylan go ahead.” He replied.
“What are all these names on this wall?”
“I call it the Wall of Deeds.” Mjolnir replied, “The names on this wall are the very thing that drives us on our quest so far from home.”
“I do not understand my lord, what do these names have to do with us?”
“Let us both have a seat and I will tell you the tale of the day that has forever changed our companies history”
Mjolnir takes a seat on his throne, and Kylan obediently finds a place to sit. The Wolf lord’s face becomes dark and grim, it seems to grow darker with the shadow of grief as he recalls the memories.
“I remember the day well, like it was yesterday, when really it has been nearly three centuries. I was acting as a bodyguard to my brother, the rune priest Ðorbjorn. We had cleansed the planet Serac of the remnants of a splinter fleet that had broken off of the hive fleet Kraken.”
“As usual we went about celebrating by retelling stories of great feats, done by ourselves and others, with the Imperial Guardsmen who had accompanied us in our mission. Of course ancient brother Sven had the largest audience. We all know that no great tale of heroism and battle deeds can be told without ale. We drank all through the night. The imperials had long since passed out, poor devils can't even enjoy a decent amount of ale. My self and the rest of the company soon fell into an ale ladened slumber.”
“I remember waking to the sudden scent of blood completely over powering all of my senses. I leapt to my feet, as I expected all the others had too. I found my brother, Rune Lord Jaric, and we were soon joined with the others from his body guard, also our wolf priest, Vlad. Slowly we led the company through the doors that lead to the massive corridor in which we had left the guardsmen. The smell of blood became so over powering as I approached the doors I was almost lost to an animalistic blood lust. When I finally stepped through the doors the scene laid before me was something out of a nightmare.”
“Piles of bodies barely recognizable as once being human lay thrown about the corridor, its immense walls washed with red with blood. What ever had done this had just done it, the blood on the walls was still wet. We searched the corridor for any signs of what had done this, and for any survivors, we found nothing. Then out of nowhere there was a noise. It came from everywhere and nowhere at once, a wave if clicks like, like chitin on metal. All of a sudden from all directions poured wave upon wave of genestealers. The initial charge was brutal, while scores fell to bolter fire their numbers were too great, they slammed into us knocking over a few blood claws.”
“I was separated from my brother by the swirling mass of chitin claws and sinewy flesh tearing at me and my armor. I mercilessly smashed them to pulp with my mighty thunder hammer as I fought to get back to my brothers side. All the time I was thinking to myself, how could we have missed this many? How did they get in? As I looked up again to search quickly for my brother I saw coming from behind the genestealers, great giant looking serpents with gigantic claws. Raveners! Almost before I could realize what had happened one was blown away in a bright flash of lascannon fire. Quickly following that a hole was opened up by what could only have been a plasma cannon, the dreadnaughts were assuredly taking out their share of the bugs.”
“I turned to my right and there, just a mere 30 meters away was my brother alone the remnants of his guard dead or dying at his feet. As I fought my way closer to him I felt the ground shake and buckle beneath me. Just seconds after that the ground opened in front of my brother, out of this gaping hole rose such a creature as I can hardly describe. It must have been 20 meters long, it had four huge talons and jaws that looked easily able to swallow one whole. As I neared my brother and this monster I saw him attack it with all his might, but his weapon seemed useless against it. Then with a speed unimaginable for a creature that size, it grabbed my brother with its talons and crammed him in its mouth and down its throat.”
“Howling with rage I let the beast within consume me, I charged this, this thing and fueled with a rage of vengeance I began smashing at it with my mighty hammer. I stopped only when I saw my brothers body from among the rest of the carcass. I pulled him out as best I could, thank Russ he was not yet dead! His face and parts of his body was horribly burned by the acid inside the creatures stomach. He could no longer speak, his breaths came in short halting gasps; when at last he had passed onto the halls of the fallen I laid him down and resumed the fight.”
“I turned back to the rest of the company, and I was shocked at what I saw. While nearly all the genestealers and raveners had been destroyed, over half of our number had been wiped out, including our younger dreadnaught. When all was done we had scarcely more then a few squads left, we had only fifteen grey hunters, twenty blood claws, Sven our venerable dreadnaught, wolf priest Vlad, and I myself was the only wolf guard member still alive. I was voted by the remnants of our company to succeed my brother and become the new Wolf Lord of what was left of our company. It was my decision not to return to the Fang until we had redeemed ourselves from the shame of that night by having done one great deed for every life lost that night.”
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