Ferrus halted Tyr as they reached the encampment. Dark smoke
billowed from some unseen object the other side of the prefab buildings in
front of him. Ferrus dismounted, slowly treading forwards, behind him the wolf
guard had followed suit and walked towards him until Ferrus raised a hand. He
turned gesturing to Jaegor he ushered him over. Jaegor jogged as swiftly as his
armour would allow with wolves in tow, crouching next to Ferrus trying to
determine what had caught his interest.
“Jaegor, you have been preparing for this moment ever since
you took your oath. Are you ready to do what is required of you?” Ferrus asked
looking coldly into Jaegor’s eyes. With a slight touch of bewilderment Jaegor
swiftly replied.
“Aye M’ilord, I shall carry out my duty as you have
requested.” Ferrus nodded and walked slowly towards the building, Jaegor a few
steps behind. They trudged slowly until they rounded the corner, only to be met
by two more buildings. From here the smell of whatever was burning was
incredibly pungent and even the strong stomachs of the marines felt somewhat
unsettled. Ferrus turned to Jaegor.
“Take that side and on my signal, strike our foe. But, not
before.” Jaegor nodded and as silently as possible walked round to the right.
Ferrus watched as he disappeared from view, feeling the weight of his frost axe
and shield he slowly walked towards the smoke column still hanging in the sky.
Ferrus rounded the corner and the sight that met his eyes
brought a wave of disbelief to the old wolf. Lying crumpled on the floor was a
mangled charred body of an astartes, not far from it was a similar charred
dreadnought, it’s splendid rune etched panels blackened and tarnished, the
front plate of the sarcophagus flung a few feet from the fallen dreadnought.
Ferrus rushed towards the fallen figure, placing a hand on his shoulder and
shaking him.
“Thorvald! By Russ’ name awaken, you shall not pass through
Morkai’s jaws yet!” Behind him a soft chuckle resounded through the encampment.
Ferrus spun around primed and ready to tear at the foe only to be met with
something he was only half expecting. “Tor, what have you done?” Once again the
laughter echoed yet Tor’s lips did not move.
“Tor has not been for many cycles now, he put up some
resistance at first, but when he fell, it brought me great joy to vanquish him
and destroy him so. This one.” The voice continued pointing at Thorvald’s
corpse. “This one suspected, but he was weak, he broke as you brother did and
now so shall you.” Ferrus stood dropping into a combat stance, his mind racing
for answers that could make this somehow make sense of this situation. Before
he could reach any Tor lashed out with bolts of lightning, swiftly Ferrus
dropped and deflected the blasts with his shield. “You know I remember the
first time he died.” A grin spread across Tor’s face, gesturing to Thorvald.
“It was so many years ago now, you probably don’t remember do you?” Ferrus’s
face contorted with thought, dodging pieces of building, rock and occasionally
parts of Thorvald’s dreadnought being thrown at him. He paused briefly.
“That means you are...” A rock slammed into the back of
Ferrus’ head, throwing him face first into the ground. Losing consciousness for
a moment he awoke, spitting a gobule of blood as he did. He got to his knees
only to be sent sprawling by a swing from Tor’s staff.
“Yes I am the one you vanquished all those years ago. I am
the one you thought gone forever, but here I am once more and this time I shall
finish what I started.” Raising a hand Ferrus floated above the floor his feet
dangling as he felt an invisible vice tighten around his neck. Tor laughed as
several pronounced cracks echoed around the encampment, only to release Ferrus
letting him drop to the floor once more.
A shout then filled the air as the wolf guard and Skarvald’s
Grey Hunter pack ran into the open, firing as they went. Ferrus held up a hand
and tried to yell to them to hold, but his call could not be heard over the din
of bolter and feral howls. Tor turned and in a sweep of his staff knocked them
all from their feet, barring Skarvald who managed to maintain his footing.
Seeing Ferrus and Thorvald’s broken Draednought body his rage built and he
switched his bolter to full auto and fired, the bullets plinked off Tor’s
armour for the most part, greeted by laughter at the gesture. Reaching out with
his right hand Tor went to lift Skarvald into the air also, but paused as three
blurs suddenly grabbed his attention. In a flash Jaegor’s wolves tore Tor’s
staff from his hand as Jaegor cleanly chopped Tor’s arm with his chainfist.
Turning to the newcomers Tor’s face turned ashen red. “Ah yes, the thorn in my
side, I’ll make you wish you had died with the rest of your brothers.” With a
huff of exertion Tor raised his remaining arm and Thorvald’s dreadnought body
rose from the ground, before being flung at Jaegor. The Lone wolf stood unsure
what to do, but readied himself to strike none the less. At the very last
second he felt something push him to one side with substantial force, he
thudded into the wall of a building, most of the impact absorbed by the armour.
Glancing to his left he looked to where he had been stood which was obscured by
smoke. As it cleared the silhouette of a figure could be made out wielding his
axe in both hands at the end of a long slashing motion. Ferrus stood tall
despite his injuries. , behind him Thorvald’s dreadnought lay in two halves now
crumpled into a form less than recognisable as a dreadnought.
“Daemon!” Ferrus roared. “Know my name and know fear! I am
Ferrus Stormwolf and I shall be the one to deliver you back to the foul depths
for whence you came.” As he said this he charged forwards axe raised. Tor stood
unmoved, simply raising his hand. Ferrus closed and made the swing, as he did
so he felt a warm slick feeling in his chest. For a second nothing happened,
then Tor split in two from his right pauldron to his left thigh, whereas Ferrus
collapsed Impaled on a stalagmite like rock Tor had thrown from behind him.
Jeagor and Skarvald ran to Ferrus as the rest of the wolves roused themselves.
“Jaegor.” Ferrus spat a globule of blood trying to speak. “This wound is not
one from which I can recover. I name you my successor, Garrus will teach you what
you need to know. Now take the company and make leave for Fenris and tell them
of our deeds.”
“They shall make a great saga to be told in halls of the
Asheim.” Ferrus smiled.
“Aye, they shall.” He coughed briefly. “Now go, I must fight
Morkai now and though it’s not a battle I shall win, it’s a battle I must
figh...” Ferrus went limp and the light died from his eyes. Jaegor knelt down,
picking up Ferrus’s fallen frost axe.
“Brothers, we must leave this place, I am your new Lord as
chosen by Ferrus himself. We leave for Fenris. We shall tell them of what has
happened here of the Great company of Ferrus Stormwolf, now the Great company
of Jaegor Stormclaw and it shall be a saga that shall be told for years to
come.” There was a muted cheer that spread through the wolves, it died out as
they began gathering and preparing for the Thunderhawks, Lief nodded to Jaegor
his face frozen as it was the day he had earned the name Frostfang. Jaegor
turned back to Ferrus knelt at his side and started uttering a prayer to the
emperor, to guide Ferrus on his way.
An hour later a roar filled the sky once more and two bright
red Thunderhawks gently landed down and slowly the wolves trudged up the ramp
and into the dropship. Jaegor made his way on to the Thunderhawk once the rest
of the company were aboard. In his arms he carried Ferrus’ lifeless corpse, I shall not leave him here to rot! He
thought to himself. He turned back to the encampment, looking over Orpheous one
last time. The cost had been high, but the wolves had dealt many blows to the
enemies of the Imperium. Knowing his brother wolves were still on planet to
finish what they had started gave Jaegor heart.
”I shall return one day and Orpheous shall return to the
Imperial fold.” He called in to the howling wind, his words carried into the
distance. “I swear it on the honour of my legion it shall be done!”
So ends the saga of Ferrus Stormwolf
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