This story is an unofficial story based, without permission, on the Warhammer/Warhammer 40,000 intellectual property owned by Games Workshop Ltd.
Captain Syakotus and his two Crimson Fists moved quickly through the darkness of the sewers, trudging on through the sludge. Len Ruo who was on point stopped abruptly, signalling the others to follow suit.
"What is it, brother?" Syakotus asked.
Igniting the flamer he grasp tightly in his crimson hands Len Ruo went down on one knee. "Captain, it looks like two Chaos Marines on sentry by that ladder."
Syakotus crept up to his side, followed by Cuoson.
"What now?" asked Len Ruo.
Flexing his fingers over the trigger placed in his crimson palm for his storm bolter Syakotus looked above them at the dank ceiling. "If I'm correct, we're directly under the power plant. It looks like that ladder is our way in."
Cuoson pulled out his auspex, looking at the screen through the darkness that covered them like a blanket. "Lucky us ,it's just the two of them," he said, looking up at Syakotus.
"How are we doing this, Captain?" asked Len Ruo.
"Burn the bastards."
With that Len Ruo jumped up and charged forwards, splashing sludge across his legs, gripping his flamer tightly, and squeezing his finger over the trigger. A gush of flames shot out into the two Night Lords. Taking them by surprise they barely had time to react. Gripping their bolters to attack, the flames engulfed them totally.
Both of the Chaos Marines fell forwards into the murky sludge, screeching in pain whilst the flames burnt through their dark blue armour, lighting them up and burning into their corrupted flesh. Len Ruo stood over both of the dying Marines and let out a second burst of flames, adding to their already agonising pain. Dropping their bolters, the two Marines screeched out loudly, letting the screams of their dying breaths echo straight down the sewers, soon to die out.
Syakotus stepped over the charred bodies of the two Chaos Marines. Gripping onto the ladder's sides, he began climbing the long ladder upwards. Once Syakotus had reached the top he began turning the squeaking circular handle, unscrewing the sewers lid, pushing it upwards. He pulled himself out. He took his power sword from its scabbard, then flicked the handle switch. The sword began a gentle humming before the blade began turning slightly red. Cuoson and Len Ruo followed him out gripping their weapons tightly.
"What now, Captain?" asked Cuoson.
Syakotus took in his surroundings. The corridor in which they had climbed up in was very wide, wide enough for three tanks to travel side by side. The top was arched much like the inside of a holy church, the whole structure was dark and grey with an old gothic look. The floor was made up of marble, with square patterns across the sides, with the shapes of circles all down the centre.
"We find the power source of this place and destroy it."
Both Len Ruo and Cuoson looked each other in the face, then Cuoson cocked his bolter for immediate disperse.
Syakotus engaged the vox unit in his throat. "Korde..."
"Captain...Captain. Good to hear your voice. We thought you were dead," came Kordes' voice.
"You should know me better than that, Sergeant. What's your location?"
"At the moment we're en-route to the power plant...we managed to take control of the cathedral...but we assumed you were dead, so I took command leaving Gevedin at the cathedral...trouble is we are badly out numbered down here...Quornas voxed me. He says the Salamanders have arrived...He's ordered a pick up for Gevedin's squad...may I ask your location?"
"Good news for you, Kordem I'm at the power plant. So get here fast."
Overhead the deafening sound of the Thunderhawks could be heard. Here and there their salamander green colour could be seen by all through the bellowing debris and dust. They began lowering to the ground, shaking all the debris across the air in gushes of a forced wind, blowing the grass below around. Their roaring engines drowned out any other noises.
Several of these large bulky armoured vessels descended from the rising dawn sky, and lowered to the ground. With a mighty last roar, they touched down, shaking the ground once more in one final defiance. A last burst of flames came from their aft engines, before falling silent. They'd come to rest by the cliffs within the same location as Quornas, Commissar Fenerson and Lieutenant Tyde.
Quornas approached the lead Thunderhawks ramp whilst it began lowering for the Salamanders Commander to greet Quornas himself. Fenerson followed Quornas, with Lieutenant Tyde at his side, placing his Lieutenant's cap above his short cropped, fair hair. The Salamanders Commander stepped from the ramp, followed by Grailin.
"I am Commander Volorie of the Salamanders Fourth Company, and we have come as requested," he said, speaking in a deep tone.
Grailin bowed his head before Quornas. "I found them en-route to our location, so it seemed the right thing to do and thus I joined them," he explained, while stepping from the ramp to stand with Quornas.
"Under these circumstances it appears you have done the right thing," Quornas returned.
Quornas looked Commander Volorie up and down. He was a dark skinned man with short blond hair, he wore many purity seals across his eagle spread chest, along with his terminator honours chain. His left shoulder pad was marked with the Salamanders symbol, whilst his right shoulder pad bore the mark of his terminator honours sculpted permanently for all to see. Jis flapping cape was made up of a giant salamander's skin.
"From the air we saw at least five hundred Chaos Marines headed towards the bridge. So if you would, I believe the time has come to evacuate this place."
"My Captain is currently in the city, trying to destroy it," explained Quornas.
"Have you managed to evacuate all the civilians?" Volorie asked, looking at Fenerson.
Fenerson removed his cap to scratch his short white kempt hair. "The last is about to leave now."
Then Commander Volorie looked across the thrashing river into Volcane. "If we're going to do this right, I need all of your guardsmen and your Leman Russ battle tanks at this side of the bridge fending that scum off, if they try to cross, whilst we try to find the Crimson Fists' good Captain."
Lieutenant Tyde saluted Volorie. "Consider it done," he said nervously, thinking how he'd just agreed to his death sentence whilst walking off down the hill to lead his men into almost certain death.
"Chaplain, you and your retinue will, of course, join me in the skies."
A sudden noise from a loud splash, followed by a glint of sunlight across the river, caught Quornas's eye. He stepped to the cliff's edge to see Redeka and Vexe drop into the thrashing water from one of the drains leading from the city-side cliffs.
"There!" Quornas yelled, pointing at the two Marines struggling to swim in the thrashing water.
Switching to the com in his throat, Volorie ordered to one of the Thunderhawks; "Jisener, we have two swimmers. Pick em up,"
The loud growling sound of the engines ignited up, once again lifting the mighty vessel up into the air. Tilting forwards, it began flying down to the river.
Fenerson had been looking through his binoculars across to Volcane, only to see an armada of hundreds and hundreds of approaching Chaos Marines accompanied by cultists, many of whom were mounted up on the Chaos Marines' Rhinos and Land Raiders. They headed in the direction of the bridge. Putting down his binoculars he looked on at the last of the escaping vessels, carrying the civilians. "I believe it is time for me to take my leave," he said, scuttling past the Salamanders' Thunderhawks and down to the last escape vessel.
Grailin watched as the man boarded the escaping vessel. "Coward," he muttered under his teeth.
"Swimmers picked up, Commander, one of whom is Vexe," came Jiseners voice over the com.
"What of the other?" asked Volorie.
"Just getting to that Commander. He's a Crimson Fist, says some of them are at the city's cathedral."
"Does he know where their Captain is?"
"The power plant."
Quornas, accompanied by his retinue of the five Crimson Fists and now Grailin, followed Volorie up the ramp of his Thunderhawk.
"If I know my Captain, he will be there to destroy it," Quornas said with the ramp closing behind him.
Hive World Terra