Battle of Skalathrax
By Stuart000X

Snow slowly drifted down from the white pale skies as the black sun set itself in the western horizon, but sounds of battle still raged on the daemon world of Skalathrax as the legions of the World Eaters and The Emperor’s children fought for supremacy over its lands.

Down in the snow filled streets of an unnamed, ruined city, the berzerkers of the World Eaters charged in mass across the open snow plains towards their entrenched enemies ‘BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!’ yelled Adrex as he led his squad of berzerkers, splintering off from the main body of World Eaters, seeing a small knot of enemy near by, raising his chainaxe as he leapt for the closest enemy.

Jumping high, Adrex landed before a marine, his pink colour armour stained with frozen blood. Cleaving with his screaming axe, sparks flew as the chainaxe touched the pauldron of the marine, cutting through his collar bone down through his hip, splitting the marine apart right down the middle.

Whirling round, Adrex chopped through another marine’s head off from its neck, carrying onwards until it landed into the side of another marine’s torso. Grunting as the weapon hit, the marine had enough time to turn to look at Adrex before he roared in rage as he triggered the weapon’s saw, the marine cried with ecstasy as the axe bit its way through his innards. Toppling the marine looked up with blood filled eyes as he saw his legs still standing before him, with strands of intestines connecting him to his legs.

Placing his foot on the dying marine’s chest, Adrex brought his axe high before bringing it back to earth and chopping his head off, the marine laughing until died.

His head rolling around franticly, the marine saw the stump of his neck before rolling his eyes back into his socket, his brain finally registering his death.

Grabbing the dead marine’s head by the hair, Adrex roared with animalist joy ‘SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE,’ intoned Adrex before being thrown off balance and onto the floor. Scrambling back to his feet, Adrex saw reinforcements advancing through the large gaps in the walls of an unmarked building in front of him. Holding lengthy weapons in their hands, the enemy unleashed their daemonic weapons power towards Adrex’s marines.

Hit full force, some of the berzerkers fell screaming as they clutched themselves, their bodies being ripped apart by the sonic forces being channelled at them. ‘Kill them!’ yelled Adrex as he and his remaining berzerkers charged across the ruin street towards the enemy.

Halfway across the street, the noise marines fired again, killing two more berzerkers. Getting closer, a noise marine with pipes and tubes protruding from and into every orifice on his body stepped forward in front of his squad. Twisting some nozzles on his chest, the marine screeched before him, the air between him and the berzerkers waving as the sound wave flew through air.

The noise passed the berzerkers, causing great pain to Adrex as he dropped his axe and held his ears inside his helmet. Watching through watery eyes, Adrex witnessed his marines in front of him collapsed dead on the ground. Through gritted teeth, Adrex picked his axe up and began to run again to the enemy.

Unleashing their long sonic blasts again, Adrex rolled to the left to avoid being hit. Grabbing his bolt pistol from its holster, Adrex fired at the noise marines as he closed the distance. Hitting one of the marines in the head, it toppled like a lead weight as it died a bloody, smoking crater on its forehead. Another dropped his weapon as his arm exploded at the elbow, blood briefly gushing out before this astartes physiology clotted his stump.

Looking at his wound before looking at Adrex, he cackled as the drugs implanted into him by apothecary Fabius Bile started to flow into his nervous systems. Watching, he saw the axe’s chains whirl before him as the axe connected with his helmet, spark flying inside the helmet’s interior, blinding him for a brief second before the axe chewed through his face.

Turning to charge the enemy, the noise marines aimed their weapons at Adrex, ready to kill him before his berzerker’s surprised them from behind, stabbing them literarily in the back. One marine still alive, the noise marine backed away as he strummed his large guitar, a low bass note produced from the instrument as a blast of waving air transmitted from the weapon’s head, the blast bursting Adrex’s left eye.

The remaining berzerkers fell dead from the blast. Holding his axe, Adrex threw the axe at the marine. Hitting the marine’s weapon, the axe severed the instrument’s cords, denying him another chance of another note. Adrex rushed forward and punched the marine in the face, blood spurting from a gash on its face.

Punching the marine, Adrex felt pain bloom from his stomach as the enemy used his gun as a club, butting him with it. Raising his blastmaster, the marine made to bash Adrex on the head but Adrex side stepped and slashed the marine’s arm with his combat knife. Its nerves severed, the marine dropped the weapon as his arm went limp, laughing with joy in replacement to howls of pain.

Injured but not dead, the marine came at Adrex, rushing headlong at him. Willing to meet him halfway, Adrex counter charged, holding his knife up in readiness for the next strike. Within distance, Adrex struck out at the marine but his foe ducked his blow, coming back up before he swung round at him, using his limp arm as a club.

Dazed by the blow, Adrex was shoved to the ground as the noise marine drove into him with his shoulders, his combat knife falling out of his hand and skittering away from his reach. Kicking and stomping Adrex laid on the wintry ground as he raised his arms in defence of the assault.

Turning away from the attack, Adrex saw his chainaxe lying against a snow caked rock. Kicking upwards with his leg, Adrex kicked his attacked in the side, causing him stumbled backwards. Rolling towards his axe, Adrex got back to his feet and turned to finish off his enemy. But suddenly the sky started to go dark. Turning west, Adrex saw the sun disappear behind the horizon, feeling the temperatures plummet.

Running away, Adrex saw his foe run off in the opposite direction along with the rest of the Emperor’s Children. Roaring in anger, Adrex began to run, falling behind a cohort of bloodied berzerkers. Heading for the safety of a building, the World Eaters entered the building, flames flickering on the inside.

The last one in, Adrex nodded at some of his fellow berzserkers in greetings to them, recognising some of his comrades. Huddling round several lit fires, the berzerkers began to brood over the days events ‘damn this place and its days frost,’ said Khor as he spat in anger into the fire ‘tomorrow morning we’ll give them feather boys the fight of their lives,’ mussed Hekon as he played with his chainsword.

Hurried footsteps could be heard from the corridors next to the room with the berzerkers in. Raising their weapons for what they thought was a surprise attack by the Emperor’s Children; the assembled warriors lowered their weapons when they saw one of their own in the doorway.

Bloody from head to toe, Khârn, captain of the 8th Assault Company and personnel equerry to Angron, primarch of the World Eaters, stood in the doorway like a vision from a nightmare, his shadowed form lit by the flicking blue flames of the flame he held in his right hand. Hefting the legendary Gorechild in his right hand, Khârn lifted his flamer up at the unexpected host and hosed them with promethium flame.

Fire washed over the room, lighting the walls in flames. Yells of chaos erupted in the confines of the room as the berzerkers tried to make sense of what is going on. Taking the moment of surprise, Khârn charged forth, firing the flamer at three marines, engulfing them in flames, their screams echoing in the room as they cooked within their armour.

Dropping the flamer onto the floor, Khârn picked up his plasma pistol in his left hand and began to charge at his fellow marines. Lifting his axe, Khârn chopped through the first bunch of marines with ease, slicing through their ceramite armour like a hot knife through butter. Firing his plasma pistol at a closest warriors, Khârn watched as the plasma hit and melted the warrior’s bodies with blue fire, dropping the plasma weapon when it overheated and burnt his hand.

Hefting their weapons, Adrex, Khor and Hekton spread out before Khârn, simultaneously attacking on three fronts. Flicking his axe with ease, Khârn struck to the left at Khor, chopping his right leg off above the knee. Collasping with pain, Khor struck out with his chainsword but Khârn stepped away as he reversed his axe in his grip and struck back round under his arm at Hekton as he charged to attack his back, the axe bit deep into Hekton’s appendix.

Pushing with the strength that only champion of Khorne could possess, the Gorechild hacked its way up through Hekton’s body, his cries matching his suffering before finally the axe exited through Hekton’s shoulder blades, Hekton’s cries ceasing as he breathed out his last pain of suffering. Rolling on the ground, Khor raised his weapon in defence against Khârn’s next attack, twirling his axe in the air, Khârn brought his axe down through the air at Khor, smashing Khor’s chainsword in pieces, Khârn chopped Khor’s head off.

Adrex watched as Khârn dispatched his comrades with ease, the same ease he had used during the Great Crusade and the siege of Terra. Revving his chainaxe, Adrex advanced on Khârn. Plucking a krak grenade from his belt, Adrex threw the grenade at Khârn as he dived out of the room just as the grenade exploded and showed Adrex with debris

Smoke wafting from the doorway, Adrex got back to his feet, holding his chainaxe out before him as he look at the doorway. Crunching footsteps sounded as Khârn stepped through the billowing smoke with not a single scratch on his body, ‘Blood for the blood god!’ screamed Khârn as he charged at Adrex.

Swinging his axe, Adrex’s axe clanged with Khârn’s, sparks flying as the weapons chains whirled. To no avail, Adrex’s weapon dissolved as the dragon teeth of Gorechild ate their way through the feeble teeth of Adrex’s weapon. Chains spurting from the wounds of his axe, Adrex rolled to the right as Khârn tried to chop his head off.

Using his destroyed weapon as a club, Adrex bashed the head of the axe against Khârn, feeling it connect with Khârn as his foe roared with anger and a slight hint of pain. Twisting round, Khârn swung his axe round at waist level, stepping back in time, Adrex narrowly got hit but axe bit through his wrist, severing his hand along with his weapon.

Staring down at his stump, Adrex watched as Khârn grabbed his other hand. Uselessly, Adrex batted Khârn with his bloodied stump but Khârn swatted his attacking arm away as he drew Gorechild up. Pulling the arm he held, Khârn swung down and chopped Adrex’s arm off. Screaming as his limbs are mutilated, Adrex fell to the ground, laying his back against a rock. Placing his foot on Adrex’s chest, Khârn held his axe before his face.

Teasingly bring his axe down his victim’s body; Khârn trigged the axe above his legs, sawing slowly at his ankles. Contorting and wailing from the pain Khârn is inflicting, Adrex was pressed down by his torturers weight, feeling as he sawed his axe at certain points on his legs, starting with his ankles then sawing slowing different junctions of his legs, dividing the hacked meat into small lumps of portions. His legs completely gone, Adrex stared at Khârn ‘why?’ stated Adrex.

Turning to regard Adrex, Khârn spoke ‘I am the champion of Khorne, blood; any blood or skulls are an offering to be sold!’ announced Khârn, raising his axe in readiness for the strike ‘be…tray…er…’ uttered Adrex as Khârn swung his axe down to Adrex’s neck.

Rolling around on the ground, Khârn scooped up the helmeted head of his adversary. Holding it up to the sky, Khârn called out to the skies ‘I offer the blood and skulls of these dead marines to you, lord Khorne, and grant me more power so I can spill more blood in your name!’ red lightning split the sky as Khârn finished speaking.

Looking around him, Khârn could see more fires dotted around the city, no doubt more of his cowardly brethren are hiding there. Built to kill, it distains Khârn that they should fear the cold. ‘Its going to be a red night, tonight,’ said Khârn as walked off towards one of the beacons of light.

The End