As his suit's functions returned to normal, Hezekiah saw the creature collapsed on the ground. He graced the creature with undeserved mercy, putting an end to its misery with his glowing Imperial blade. His vision now restored, Hezekiah saw the other incubi as it moved to recover the now-ownerless punisher. Hezekiah struck the alien with the pommel of his sword, and sent the xeno reeling. The Dracon, sensing the right moment to intervene, brought its accused blade down at Hezekiah. Hezekiah stepped back to draw his own combat knife. Hezekiah barely countered the lightning-quick strike. The marine and eldar fought in swirl of electric blue and shadow black. Even in the heat of battle, he was comforted by vox-transmissions between squads Jeremiah and Mishael. Jeremiah had managed to rout the original ambushers; while Mishael had adjusted his own marines and advanced to reinforce their lone captain. Hezekiah was forced to admit that the creature was quicker as he began to suffer small nicks and cuts. His centuries of experience and training allowed him to focus despite overwhelming pain. Hezekiah knew the key to victory over this dark eldar was to overwhelm its protective shield. He rained blow after blow down on the shadow field with his energy sword. As the Dracon repeatedly struck back, Hezekiah used his combat knife to counter the Dracon's accursed blade. In the heat of the battle, he allowed himself to grin as he was comforted by his devotion to the Immortal Emperor. My beloved Primarch has blessed me and he will keep me, he prayed. The battle-hardened Adaptus Astarte knew it was his sacred duty to triumph over this beast. His fellow marines would be in jeopardy if the creature was allowed to live. Hezekiah was determined put a stop to its fetid ways, even at the cost of his own life. The eldar, however, was an experienced killer in its own right. It had single-handedly crushed many foes during its advancement within the violent Kabal of Ravens. Using its superior agility and its nigh-impenetrable field, it confidently pressed its attacks home. Its ruinous blade sliced forward in a figure-eight pattern. Hezekiah reacted too late as the tip ripped through armored cables on his chest-plate. Warning icons flashed as the suit's power levels began to drop dangerously. His helmet minimized data streams and ceased to monitor the other marines as the armor instantly compensated for the energy loss. The machine spirit executed emergency rituals, automatically shutting down everything but basic combat functions. Emperor give me strength, Hezekiah prayed as he struck out with his ancient blade. The runes on the Dracon's weapon flared with a sickly green light as it easily countered the blow. The creature countered with a feint towards Hezekiah's helmet. The xeno's inhuman speed fooled Hezekiah as the alien changed the angle of its weapon's arc. Hezekiah reacted to slow as the Dracon slashed down with blinding speed. Hezekiah's green lacquered ceramite was stronger than that of even a normal marine's. Many times it had been able to withstand horrific damage; but not today. It split open like a ripe fruit as the tainted blade burned sickly. The flesh below sizzled and tore. The Hezekiah's blood loss was instantly curtailed as Larraman cells rushed to the wound. The blade continued deeper into the marine's flesh. Its sweep was only stopped by the resilience of his enhanced femur. Oh, Emperor, I am yours, prayed Hezekiah. Pain washed over him as his armor injected pain-killing potions and anti-toxins into his bloodstream. As the alien struggled to put the blade out of Hezekiah, the marine saw his opportunity. With his last remaining strength, he drove his weapon towards the Dracon in a two-handed grip. "For the Lion!" the marine cried. The weapon stuck the shadow field dead-center. Using the last of his suits power and his genetically enhanced strength, he drove the weapon forward. Blue energy flared as the tip of the consecrated sword pierced the protective shield. The shadows surrounding the Dracon melted away. Its smug look of triumph turned to one of shock and dismay. It let out a plea to its foul masters as the burning tip easily penetrated the alien's mesh armor. The blade seared into the alien's chest. With a snarl, the dark lord quickly recovered and kicked away from Hezekiah. As fear for its own miserable life overcame the creature, the xeno uttered a blood-flecked command to the last remaining incubi. The black armored creature picked itself off the ground and retrieved its fallen companions' punisher. The incubi slashed brutally across with its newly acquired weapon. Hezekiah, weighed down by his damaged armor, was unable to react in time. The incubi's blade cleaved deep into the marine's shoulder armor, obliterating the marine's cast chapter badge. The ancient machine spirit of the armor, all ready pushed to its limits, began to slip away. Icons and runes flashed across Hezekiah's vision as systems reached catastrophic failure. He is my shield, prayed Hezekiah as the creature brought its weapon up for a mortal blow. Brother-Sergeant Mishael's bolter permanently delayed the eldar's final strike. Two rounds fired from his weapon exploded the incubi's head in a mist of blood and bone. The wounded Dracon reached the awaiting raider unharmed. Once there, the alien leader ordered the remaining kabalists to retreat. Squads Jeremiah and Mishael were unable to eliminate all of the aliens. Many were able to escape aboard their craft. Brother Helez aided his commander to his feet. The wounded Hezekiah continued to coordinate the detachment's response. The inside of Hezekiah's helmet was covered in coughed-up blood as the marine requested aid from the orbiting strike cruiser. The suit's machine spirit quietly slid into eternal slumber and the battered marine collapsed. It is the Emperor's will. Part Eight: Dreams. Dreams of a time past. Memories of a small boy walking through fields and forests. An older boy walking home to his mothers screams. The smashed entrance. His father's body sprawled on the floor before him, a pool of blood growing beneath. His mother being burned. The hot poker held by one of the two pale skinned almost-humans. Graceful and beautiful, except for the gleam of malevolence in their hard eyes. Tears streaming down his face. The aliens' cruel laughter. The bloody rock in his hands as he smashed the skull of one. The way the handle of his father's knife felt in his small hands. Stabbing over and over again, long after the other stopped struggling. The numbness in his side. Slowly bleeding to death. His dead mother's head in his lap. The sense of satisfaction he felt as he used his father's flintlock to kill the third as it came to check on the others. The armored green giants who found his broken body. The cold metal table in the sterile white room. The compassionate hands that worked feverishly to save his life. The smell of the oils and unguents applied to his wounds. The wonder he felt at his first glimpse of his homeworld from the sky-warrior's craft. Learning his first litanies. The surgeries. His first mission as a novice scout. Another trip to the Apothecarium. The cold metal slab in the white room. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Hezekiah sat upright. He recognized the all too familiar Apothecarium onboard the Divinitus Duci. Apothecary Raphael walked over to the sterile metal table occupied by the recovering Hezekiah. "Brother Raphael, how long has it been?" "Since you were here last or how long has have you been here this time, Brother-Captain" grinned the apothecary. "It's been a little over a local day since you were brought here. The Emperor has blessed you with another chance to serve." Hezekiah looked at the tables to his left. He saw the resting forms of Brothers Asahel, Meshach, and Joab. "And what of the others?" as he gestured towards the resting marines. "They will live. Brother-Sergeant Hananiah has already recovered. He soon be accustomed to his new transplants. Brother Lucas is being kept alive in a stasis chamber until I can prepare a replacement for his primary heart." "Our losses?" said Hezekiah as he swung his legs off the table. Raphael reached out. His strong hands prevented Hezekiah from getting up. "Between all three groups the Emperor has received ten of his angels in his eternal embrace." Sadness flickered across Raphael's blue eyes. "I was unable to recover all of their gene seed. Let me complete the healing rituals. Master Michael wants to see you as soon as you are able. However, I insisted that I be allowed to complete all the necessary incantations before I let you go." |
PURGE THE XENOS By Trent Hoffman |
EPICS OF REDEMPTION |
