(Page 1 of 3) Blood for the Blood God by Tom Webb
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SUMMARY: Blood for the Blood God
By Tom Webb
A GW 40k short story, originally penned for Incoming! EZine.
The bridge was riddled with blood red lights, shadows creeping across the floor. The display panels provided harsh illumination making the crew looking more like ghosts than men. Lord Venom scowled at them, less than half of them deserved to be crew onboard the Red Blade of Khorne. Losses in the 13th Blade Crusade had left him with mewling swine rather than the veterans that he was used too. He looked at the skulking warriors and growled. What he needed was a victory. He needed an inspiring massacre that would fill them with pride and vigour.
Glancing at his data screen he sneered at the flashing symbols. The planet Canguir was home to the Cult of the Profane Vision, a snivelling gang of Slaanesh worshipping cowards who languished in luxury and lust instead of revelling in the glory in Khorne. By dawn, every man, woman and child would be vanquished.
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The warriors grouped together, raucous laughter and bellowing filling the launch tubes. At their core were fifty crimson armoured Berserkers of Khorne. Venom's boots clanged across the launch bays deck. Battlelust surged within his veins, his blood boiled at the impending slaughter. He raised his gauntlets commlink. The servos in his power armour whined and whirred.
"Target the cult's defensive batteries. Destroy the defence lasers BUT leave the temple intact."
Around him the cultists surged, leaping into the awaiting Dreadclaw Assault Pods with reckless abandon. The Berserkers slowly filed into the centre of the launch bay, movements jerky with restrained fury. He marched across to join them, a wry smile contorting Venoms face. The latticed scar tissue on his face twisted it into a horrific grimace. His commlink chirped.
"Lord Venom, the batteries are silenced. The enemy is moving into defence positions around the temple. We await your instructions."
Venom hawked and spat onto the deck plating, he laughed.
"And you will continue to wait!" He roared "We'll take it from here!" He entered the Thunderhawk and watched as the doors clanged shut with a deafening boom. Turning to his warriors he nodded. They nodded stiffly back.
The Thunderhawk roared out into space. The cargo hold grew warmer as the gunship tore into the planets lower atmosphere. The pipes creaked and groaned under the pressure. The engines bellowed a warning to the soft centred cultists massing below it as it ripped through the cloud banks. A chittering rose from the tech priests in the Thunderhawks turrets as they spat heavy bolter rounds down onto the defending cultists. Venom crasped one of them around the neck and hurled him to the ground, the body was dead before it hit the floor.
"No rockets! Leave some of them for our warriors! We want skulls! INTACT skulls!" He grunted at the remaining priests and walked to the exit ramp. The landing chimes began in his helmet. Gripping it with both hands he tore it off and hurled it against the wall.
"Now they shall see my face! They shall know that Lord Venom is in their midst! Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!" A deafening roar filled the Thunderhawk.
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