The Call

It’s strange, but I’ve been waiting here for almost a day now, yet
time is passing swiftly. We man the lines, we guard the street, and we
wait. It’s what we do. We’re Guardsmen. But as I sit here I can see the
tension growing on my comrades’ faces. Despite his best efforts even
the Sergeant is starting to show his nerves. Maybe that’s what’s
upsetting the others?

Not me though. I don’t fear what’s to come. I await it with
anticipation. Curiosity, if you will. I have fought on many planets
during my time in the service, and I’ve killed a lot of strange alien
beasts. But nothing quite piques your interest like the Khornate ones.
They’re human after all. I have killed more men than is right for
another human. I’ve seen my compatriots take fixed bayonets and combat
knives to mindless cultists and unknowing fools, simply because it was
"right". We slaughter maim and destroy, but because our cause is "just"
and "true" we’re heroes. Khorne’s soldiers though, they kill for the
purity, blood for blood sake, and they are the monsters?

I have seen the Khorne warriors in action before. They
strike terror into all that oppose them. Those too foolish or afraid to
run are cut down. Those that run are cut down shortly after. They revel
in the battle; they swim in their opponents’ blood. They know their
purpose. Ours is not so well defined.

We landed on this stinking rock 23hours ago as part of a
"Belaying Action". What a crock! We’re here because the fat governor in
the next system got scared and pulled a few strings. It’s our job to
put our lives on the line so some over paid idiot doesn’t have to spend
his money on defences. We fight because we’re told to. How can men with
no true cause stand against the ferocious simplicity of Blood for the
Blood God?

There! Off in the distance there is movement. These ruined
walls don’t afford much protection, but serve to block our lines of
sight beautifully. Another choice tactic from our divine overlord no
doubt.

I don’t know why we must wait. The only chance against
Berzerkers is to charge them, take them by surprise and overwhelm them
with numbers. If we wait for them we’re all dead men. And look. My
brothers in arms. Pitiful! I have seen these few men perform acts of
such unbridled fury, of such awesome destruction, yet they wait here
like the sacrificial lamb awaiting the knife. We should be moving.

The Sergeant is scared, I can see it in his eyes. He is
weak like the rest of them. No real leader of men would show fear. I
bet a Khorne warrior would never show fear before his enemy. The
Sergeant is a small man in a large frame. He is no hero. He’s another
mindless animal following the will of his masters. Heeding their
bidding. It’s pathetic.

They’re all getting anxious now, shuffling their feet, and
checking their weapons twice a minute. They have no fortitude. They
will fight, but not with passion deserving of a Battle. They will fight
because they are told to. It is wrong.

I know these men. They were once strong men, but now they
are weak. They know not the forces they face unheeding. They cannot
hope to survive when they cannot dedicate their souls to the love of
the battle. But I can save them. Yes. I can save them. They are lost,
awash in a sea of petty bureaucrats and fat politicians, but I have
their life raft. I can save them all. I must save them all. They cannot
be led like lambs to their deaths.

My knife is in my hand. I could draw this and save another
soul. Yes. Another soul saved, given to the purity of the Battle;
another soul for the one that deserves them; another soul for that
which I must serve. He sees me. There is fear and confusion in his
eyes. How sad he looks, what sorrow is in his heart. I am human, I am
only human, and I must do this for my fellow man. It would be inhuman
to do anything else.

The blade slides so gently into his throat. He gasps and
claws at me, but I think in the last few seconds he understands that
which I know. The look of fear fades and his eyes blaze with a fire.
His soul goes to the Blood God; his soul is set free.

The others are panicking. They too do not understand. The
Sergeant is weak, as I knew. He fumbles and hesitates. There, another,
he too can be set free. The blade flows through his veins, spraying
forth his blood, letting him die so that he can live.

Finally the Sergeant draws his rifle to me, I expected as
much. A true warrior would engage in combat first, but he hides behind
his sight. So be it. A flick of my wrist and my dagger flies true, the
metal blade cutting through the sight into the Sergeants eye cavity. He
falls to his knees, not understanding the pain. He fears death. Weak
fool.

The disruption is coming to an end and the other members of
the squad are coming to me. They do not comprehend. They are screaming
at me, calling me a traitor, calling me insane. Ironic somewhat, as for
the first time ever I am thinking clearly. The thoughts are aligned, my
mind focused to the task at hand.

As they encroach the first of the mighty Berzerkers hits
the position. He bellows his death roar as the pathetic men scramble
for cover. His squad arrives, crushing the skulls of those too slow to
move, destroying the defences of those who try to fight.

They cannot stand against the true lords of battle. These
brave, noble warriors are the epitome of war. They are death incarnate,
the walking weapon. He sees me. The powerful, mighty soldier casts his
eyes upon me. He knows my heart is pure and soul cleansed.

I bend and retrieve my knife from the stricken corpse of
the Sergeant. Whilst the magnificent Berzerker watches over me, I carve
the sign of our god into my very skull, bone chipping to the floor,
blood gushing freely. Before I delay the warrior too long, I kneel
forward, raise my arms to my sides and bow my head.

As he raises aloft his chainsword and prepares to speed my
soul to my God I chant the sacred words. My Lord knows I am coming, he
has called me, chosen me. I go to a better place, a place of war and
blood. A place of Order amongst true Chaos. My Lord I come to thee.

"Blood for the Blood God. Skulls for the thr…"

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