# Heresy Fiction Comp 2010: Berzerker



## Jdwoogie (Jan 13, 2010)

Berzerker

Some say that we're part of an army, part of a mission, or something bigger than this. I'm here to let you know that none of that is true. What runs through the mind of one of us is not that of a greater good or evil. Nothing stands in our way. We do not that which will bring us medals, honor, respect from our brothers, or recognition from a false emperor. We come from the depths of space, hiding in the warp, waiting, all the while only one thought repeats itself in our minds(Blood for the blood god.).

* * *

Today we arrived in orbit around another world somewhere along the way to Terra. My brothers and I are anticipating a fight. Too long have we been kept in this ship without the feel of our chain ax tearing through flesh and bone. The constant presence of the blood god chattering in the back of my mind , emanating from the walls of our very vessel, makes these trips an eternity. I load into our drop-ship crowded against my brothers awaiting the force of gravity to press me against my harness, this sensation lets me know that battle will soon ensue. We are all quiet. Focused on the message from our god. The calm before a battle is torture. (Blood for the blood god.) I think of the day the inquisition murdered my family calling them heretics and the rage that filled me. Since then I have pledged myself to the blood god and reap the power, killing in his name.
There is a garrison of Space Wolves stationed on this planet attacking our ships as they pass by in an attempt to slow our inevitable destruction of Terra and the false emperor. I myself have never met the space wolf adversary, but a marine is a marine. Our champion advises us of our enemy, but this just is background noise. We were sent to end this opposition. I don't need to be told what to do. (BURN! MAIM! KILL!) Right now all I can do is wait and try not to end the life of the others around me.
Without warning I am sucked back into my seat. The time has come! The ship shakes violently as we enter the atmosphere. The anticipation is coursing through my veins and pumping through my hearts. I can feel the power surging through my muscles as the dark god prepares me for battle. With a thump our ship lands and the doors open exposing us to the battlefield already alight with bolter fire, the screams of missiles, and shouts of combat. “BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD,” emanates from our drop-ship as my brothers and I follow our champion out of the craft. 
Outside is an ice world filled with power armor clad marines awaiting our arrival. Giant wolf like creatures howl as we pour from our ship. The snow beneath my feet is pure white. I race towards the nearest unit of bearded marines. My brothers around me hearing the same chants in their minds, (Blood for the blood god.)( Blood for the blood god.), allow their chain axes to roar to life. The freezing air biting at bare skin on my face becomes hot with the munitions of our foe. A laser flashes next to my head, the heat burns my skin. Only my champion stands ahead of me, his power fist charging as we shorten the distance between us and our mortal enemies. I let loose a shot from my bolter just as something hammers my armor. I chuckle before, “Blood for the Blood God!” escapes my lips and I swing my ax into the neck of a grey bearded marine before he has time to react. The teeth of the blade chew quickly through armor, flesh, bone and viscera leaving nothing but a headless flailing carcass (Blood for the blood god.). The Howls of other marines are cut short by bolter fire or chain weapon all around me as my brothers catch up to the fight. 
My auto-senses jerk my body to the left in time to avoid a crushing blow from a hammer. I use the momentum to swing my ax in an upward arc removing a leg of the attacking marine. (Blood for the blood god.) Blood sprays across my crimson armor almost blending in. I tear the hammer from the hand of the marine and use it to crush his head. (Blood for the blood god.) 
“BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!” 
I hear this and look ahead to see my brothers following our champion to the next victims. I follow after taking a quick looking at the path of death we have already begun to leave. A whole unit of space wolves dismembered, decapitated, and maimed laying in trampled blood red snow. This just fuels my rage. I sprint ahead passing my brothers and lead the charge to our next fight. 
I lead the way around a shattered bunker. We are met with a roaring battle cry of “FOR RUSS AND THE ALLFATHER!” coming from a large pack of marines dug in behind a low wall. I can hear my brothers ready their weapons. 
“Kill! Maim! Burn!” I cry and charge towards the enemy. Bolter rounds fly in all directions around me as the ground begins to shake. To my right a crazed dreadnaught tears through a wall and opens fire at everything in site. Flames spew from his flamer searing my armor and toasting some of my brethren. (Blood for the blood god.) The focus of fire from my enemies is drawn towards the robotic monstrosity, but I can still hear the boots of my brothers behind me as we charge towards the marines. The dreadnaught fires a shot with his plasma cannon melting half the enemy space wolves (Blood for the blood god.) before continuing on towards the next living thing in sight. 
I throw a grenade over the wall and follow after the explosion. Caught off guard by the quickness of our charge, we made quick work of the marines leaving them no time to send us back to the Eye. “Our objective is in the building ahead,” our champion growls through his comm, “let's go!” 
Filled with rage we follow him towards a giant fortified building. Around me on the battlefield deamons swarm from rifts opened by sorcerers and the gods themselves, allies in terminator armor teleport from ships in orbit to let loose a volley of melta beams before crushing foe with power ax and chain fists (Blood for the blood god.). The skies darken with the unnatural clouds of chaos, bolts of energy split this sky, giant war machines roll on, all advancing towards the same point leaving a trail of carnage in their wake. Enemy armor sit shattered and smoking, marines crushed in their armor or scattered across the ground melting the snow with the blood gushing from smoking wounds the once white snow is now red slush melting from the blood of mortals.
We approach a wall on the east side of the building. Using his power-fist our champion makes an entrance for us. Inside is a dark and smokey room occupied by three marines riding giant wolves holding position firing from inside a door. They quickly swing around towards us. The wolves are larger than any I had ever seen before, with teeth the size of combat knifes, their eyes glow red in the dim light. Ear splitting howls tear through my ears before my auto-senses cut the feed as I charge forward. Nothing will stop me from the bliss of killing. The Giant wolves leap forward towards us. In front of me a wolf takes a snap at my champion who skillfully dodges it's jaw. The marine riding the wolf swings at him with a giant blade of ice only to be met with the full force of a blow from his fist. His armor cracks and crumples like a tin can as he is launched off of the wolf mount. I run to his aid and take a swing with my ax only to be evaded. 
This wolf was more agile then I could believe. Even on it's own without a rider it had hate in it's eyes. Cold menacing hate. All around I hear and sense the struggles of my brothers. These were not regular marines we had been slaying on the field. These men and beast were different. They have to be killed! “KILL! MAIM! BURN!” I screamed as I take another swing at the giant wolf. He dodges me again and latches onto my champions arm tearing it off at the shoulder (Blood for the blood god.). As blood pumps from his shoulder socket he turns and fires his bolter at the beast screaming in anger until his voice is ended by another wolf snatching his helmet from his shoulders with his head still inside (Blood for the blood god.) . 
Both of his hearts pump blood through his neck hole coating me in the viscus red fluid. My vision turns red and and a rage fills me. I feel the power of Khorne himself infuse itself in my body. Around me my brothers hesitate at the site of our decapitated champion, they are weak. The wolves and riders take full advantage of the split second they are awarded, tearing apart the rest of my brothers who are not quick enough to react. Power surges into my muscles, time seems to slow, my senses grow stronger, colors become more vivid, I can smell the sweat scent of blood in the air, the burning of bodies, the acrid sulfuric odor of explosions. I drop my pistol and latch onto the fur of the riderless wolf. I climb onto his back and drive my ax between his eyes (Blood for the blood god.). Grey matter spews from the crevice in the wolf's head. Bone splinters and gore spray across the fur of the wolf and rider next to me. The dying creature below me rears back just as the other two riders turn their wolves towards me and swing their axes. Both blades plunge into the chest of the beast stopping it's heart and dragging organs from their rightful place inside the animal's chest cavity (Blood for the blood god.). 
I launch myself from the mount at the closest rider. A wolf snaps at my feet as I fly towards his rider. I raise my ax above my head and bring it down with a two-handed strike that cleaves my foe in half and severs the spine of the beast he was riding (Blood for the blood god.). I fall onto the floor and roll away from the mortally wounded, spasming animal to escape the ax of the last remaining wolf rider. I stand up and square off with them, ready to take them with the to the grave. 
All around me I hear gunshots, artillery fire, cries of pain, glory, and hate. This is all but dull background noise in comparison to the incessant chatter in the back of my head (Blood for the blood god.) (Blood for the blood god.). The floor of the room is covered in blood. The Wolf growls and the rider stares at me hard through pale blue eyes. I can smell the slight aroma of fear coming from him as he doubts his false emperor's ability to deliver him from his inevitable demise. I reach down to one of my fallen brethren and pick up his ax still alive, ready to steal life. The wolf lets out a howl that would have frightened off most hardened marines but it was my signal to attack. 
We charge each other closing the short distance between us in a second and clash in our fight to death. The wolf claws at me from my right as his rider brings his ax down at the opposite side. I duck under the wolf's mighty paw and roll onto my back as I fall to the ground allowing my inertia to carry my through the blood slick floor. As I slide on the wet floor I raise both my axes into the stomach of the beast, the chains of my axes tearing flesh from the monster and letting loose his intestines(Blood for the blood god.). The rider knowing what was happening to his mount leaps from his beast and fires a bolter shot at me which ricochets off my armor.
I roll to my feet and parry an attack from his ax with mine. I kick him in the chest and he steps back. I let up none swinging ax after ax which he skillfully deflects and evades. Sparks fly from our weapons every time they meet. I swing harder and faster until I feel the chains of my weapon bite into his wrist (Blood for the blood god.). His hand, still holding his ax, drops the the floor. I dodge a shot from his bolter and swing around and take that hand from him (Blood for the blood god.). Hand-less, he turns and runs. I throw an ax after him and watch it tear through his back armor and pour more blood onto the floor as he gurgles his last prayers and dies.
I realize that I am alone in the room. I can still hear and sense the battle outside the door. I pick up my fallen champion's plasma pistol and step through the doorway into a large room with bodies strewn about in armor of all colors. It is hard to distinguish friend from foe. Death is all that is obvious. Marines in terminator armor fight with a dreadnaught while allies clad in crimson armor stand in cover watching with their champion. Rage consumes me at this site. To see such cowardice must not go without punishment. I charge towards my allies. I can see the look of realization in the eyes of their champion as his head separates from his shoulders (Blood for the blood god.). 
“Follow me!” I say to the marines, and they obey. 
I lead them towards the fight. The dreadnaught has sacrificed three more souls to the blood god but three marines still strike it's metallic frame trying to find an opening of attack. I reach them first and slam the blade of my ax into the back of one of my foe. Sparks fly but the armor resists. Around me my new brothers join the fray. A arm passes by me as it is sliced from it's rightful owner(Blood for the blood god.). Our foe now knows of our presence. One turns to face us while the remaining two fend off the mighty onslaught of the dreadnaught. My brothers swarm the marines as I turn sideways to avoid the crushing blow of a hammer and fire a shot downwards with my pistol. The white hot shot of plasma melts through the armor joint above the knee of the marine and he collapses under the weight of his armor as his leg melts.(Blood for the blood god.). Screams leave his lips as we descend upon the last two marines just as the dreadnaught crushes one with a mighty blow from it's immense fist (Blood for the blood god.) . We surround the last one and back It into the waiting hand of the dreadnaught. He is eagerly scooped up and crushed by the blood thirsty machine (Blood for the blood god.) which tosses the crumpled up remains aside.
Without a pausing the dreadnaught turns it's bulk towards it's next victims crushing through a wall separating us from our objective. “Skulls for the skull throne!” I call and lead my men through the newly created entrance. Inside is the central room of the space wolf fort. Ancient pillars of stone support the grand hall of this building who's original purpose long forgotten. I quickly survey the scene and evaluate our targets. The dreadnaught charges straight towards a small squad of marines in highly decorated terminator armor standing in the center of the room shouting commands and leading the defensive efforts. One of them stands taller than the others. He emanates power and just by looking at him I know he is their leader. They focus on the main entrance to the room, to my right, which two large blue-gray dreadnaughts and a squad of terminators unleash arcs of promethium and autocannon fire into hordes of daemons and marines (Blood for the blood god.). I lead my men towards the veteran marines in the center of the room. Explosions erupt from the main entrance, but the heavily armored warriors hold their ground.
The leader turns towards the behemoth we are following, his fur cape wrapping half around him with the speed of his movements, his shield crackles and his hammer seems to pulsate with power. As we get closer the dreadnaught starts to grab for him. He steps aside of attack and brings the hammer in an upward swing hitting the machine's sarcophagus unleashing a blue explosion and a thunderous crack from the weapon. The impact blows a hole through the dreadnaught causing it to violently explode incinerating some of the men around me (Blood for the blood god.). Charging through the explosion my remaining brothers and I meet the leader and his squad of bodyguards head on. We out number them three to one but this will be the toughest fight of my life.
A clawed fist of one of the bodyguards tears across my armor leaving gouges in my chest plate. The ground shakes as their leader decimates my brother leaving behind little more than a flattened carcass, blood oozing from the shattered joints of his armor (Blood for the blood god.). I press my plasma pistol into the back of their leader and pull the trigger. A bright white light blinds me as the weapons overheats and explodes in my hand. My vision quickly returns, my hand is still in tact, but my weapons is gone. Their leader recoils from the explosion and turns on me. 
“Die you traitorous bastard!,” he screams.
Wasting no time I swing my blade with both hands into the side of his armor. I feel it bite into his side and blood sprays from the wound(Blood for the blood god.). A powerful blow to my own side sends me falling to the ground away from target. I take my ax with me tearing flesh from bone. I get to my feet quickly. I can feel in every breath I take that at least one of my ribs are snapped in half. I welcome the pain as it sharpens my senses I ready myself to rejoin the fight. 
Around me I only notice two of my men still fighting the last bodyguard. The rest of my brothers lay broken, crippled, eviscerated, and dead all around me. It is only the three of us against their leader and his one remaining body guard. I can see the bodyguard laboring to breath, he has scars in his armor that leak life fluids, and he is struggling to fight off the attack of my men. I take a glance towards the main entrance. There is only one dreadnaught still standing, the other lays in smoldering ruins, and the terminator armor clad marines are starting to lose ground. I must destroy this enemy before anyone else can! 
I step toward the decorated marine and take a swing which is blocked by his shield. Bolts of energy escape from it and my weapons bounces off doing no harm. I quickly spin to my left before he can bring his hammer to crush me. I take another swing at his side, the adamantium blades of my ax just spark from his armor failing to penetrate. I step aside again taking advantage of my quicker reflexes guided by Khorne. I snatch his cape as it floats in front of me and pull with all of my strength causing the great warrior to become unbalanced. Wasting no given opportunity, I give another yank pulling my foe onto his back. The last surviving member of my team lunges at the fallen marine with a downward blow with his ax. Blood spews across my face clouding my vision (Blood for the blood god.). I chuckled and wipe the blood from my face licking my lips savoring the sweet taste. I blink the blood from my eyes and see my brother snapped in two, the upper half of his body clinging to the blade of his ax which is imbedded in the chest plate of their hero. The warrior lifts himself from the ground and pulls the blade from his armor throwing it and the marine to the ground. With a crushing stomp of his foot the head of the marine crushes (Blood for the blood god.). With multiple wounds each I face my greatest nemesis so far. 
“Your false emperor can do nothing for you hear,” I say.
“Your gods care not enough about you to save you,” was his response. I tightened the grip on my ax feeling the blades spinning. I attack first realizing that it was a mistake almost instantly. A warrior like this isn't born over night but forged out of battle and many fights. Anticipating my move the Space Wolf Leader smashed his shield into my face, the crackling energy field around it melting the flesh from my cheek bones. The force of the attack drops me to the ground my weapon skitters across the floor tearing chunks of rock from the floor every time a spinning chain catches a crack. Pounding a foot onto my chest that prevents me from returning to my feet the space wolf pauses to look at me. 
“Back to the hell you came from!” he said lifting his great hammer above his head, he prepares to end my last fight. 
“May I be a fitting sacrifice to you blood god,” I say preparing for the end. 
He begins to bring the hammer down and I close my eyes awaiting my time to serve my god in warp space. I feel no impact or pain so I open my eyes to find the blood pouring from the walls. The marine stands above me, hands clutching his hammer. His body falls backwards with the weight of the weapon in his hand. I get to my feet ready to attack again. The head of my foe falls to the ground (Blood for the blood god.) beside me as reality bends and tears apart all around me. Through the tear steps a daemon clad in crimson armor with the screaming faces of men slain by him etched into it. He holds two axes, one is as large as a man and another half the size. They both pulsate with the energy of warp space. 
“It is not yet your time champion,” his voice echos in the room and in my head. “It is by the will of Khorne himself that you still take breath. Take this ax. You have proven yourself to Khorne. Use it to spill blood and make sacrifices to the blood god. Continue on to Terra, there will be men to follow you.” I take the ax from his out reached hand and I can feel the power of the blood god imbued in the weapon. The daemon turns and charges to the remaining dreadnaught holding back the hordes of chaos fighting to breach the entrance. With one powerful swing of the giant ax he slices the machine in two. 
The daemons spill through the entrance and surround the fallen warrior. His body is gathered up and taken into the void. I am left with the other marines to board our ships once more and continue on our path to Terra to end the life of the false emperor and all who serve him.


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