The Long Night Part One: Embers in the Dusk: A Planetary Governor Quest (43k) Complete Sequel Up

And heroic Surt answered "Julius- you are the wisest and most venerable among us, and your grandfather and father lit our way most gloriously in ages past, but on this occasion, I see an opportunity where you see danger, I shall slay the Warboss now when he is on the front, and with that one blow save billions of our brave companions."

Then Heroic Syr, descended to fight on the ground along with her sworn companions, sent by her glorious father, spoke. "Dear Champion, you are a Warrior of Legend, slayer of a million Orks, and yet I fear the venerable Chapter Master may be correct. Wait until Horatius has returned, and then we can launch our mighty attack, and slay this foul beast".

The great Champion of Mankind, great warrior beyond any other man, sighed, and then turned to his wise allies. "Mighty Julius, grandson of our Lord, I admit that you are a master of war, and that this is a great risk, but you make one misstep in your calculation. You value my life too highly- the Muspell are well prepared for a succession, for the one to come after me is already chosen, and I can tell you they are worthy a choice to succeed as our Lady Syr, Mistress of the void and the ground, is to her home on Helhiem. If I were not a governor, but one of your captains, you would gladly send me on this risky mission, to gain glory for the Emperor and your mighty Legion. The value of killing the Warboss, here and now, is high enough for a great risk to be taken, and you know it."

Thus did Surt inveigle them, and the other commanders of men present, to let him take to battle at the head of a mighty column of Knights, led gloriously by their King, Sigurd, Astartes of two mighty legions, shining silver, purple, red and black, and his own hardy companions, the thick armoured Firegiants of Muspelhiem.

Where the battle was raging most fiercely, he first caught a glimpse of the Warboss. Standing almost as tall as a knight titan and wearing armour stronger than one, the Warboss was surrounded with sparking green lightning. The Warboss faced down a mighty knight titan, and thusly howled "I IZ HEKTORK, AND I IZ DA TITANNBREAKA. YOU IZ PUNY BABY TITAN. I BREAK YOU IN MY SLEEEP!"

The brave knight, head of his house, replied. "I am Bjorn son of Floki, of the great house of Ragnar, named such for the glories of the Fellhanded. I give my word to the God-Emperor that while you stand I shall not rest in attempting to slay you. My blade will be run through you, or I shall die, and my brave son shall take my place as Pater Familaris."

He raised his plasma cannon as he spoke, and let loose a volley of burning white fire. Hektork watched it coming, and did not step aside, but rather burst into a run raising his mighty hammer, Titandoom. The plasma crashed towards him, but the green lightning surrounding him struck out and disintegrated it. Hektork then screamed "GORK AND MORK DON'T WANT ME DEAD TODAY PUNY UMIE".
He swung his hammer at the well descended Knight Bjorn, and the strike shattered the once solid knight into ten thousand small pieces, each painted red with the blood of its pilot.

The great Ork howled with laughter. "PUNY ANT TITANS AIN'T A MATCH FOR HEKTORK DA TITANBREAKER". With this sudden victory, Surt saw no choice but leaping into action. He swung Surtbrandr around, and released the mighty plume of fire it had stored within; the Ork Warboss was drowned in sunfire. Alas, the Sunfire was no more than a thorn in his side, and thus he leapt through the flames and yelled to Surt. "PUNY TIN CAN FIRE UMIES NO MATCH FOR HEKTORK! I IS DA BREAKER OF A HUNDRED TITANS. I IS DA SLAYER OF A THOUSAND ORRBILE DAEMONS. NO UMIE CAN MATCH ME!" With this bellow, the Ork brought his hammer down onto the ground, shattering it and sending Surts brave companions tumbling.

All but five of the Imperials had been sent flying across the battlefield by this mightiest of hammer blows, struck by a hammer that could put a warlord titan to the floor with a single swing. Surt himself stood, his ancient armour holding strong against the planetsmashing blow. Alongside him was A brave sergeant of Astartes, the Blood Dragon Helios, resplendent in his terminator armour, the fragment of the Emperors own in his Crux-Terminatus giving him hope. Also from the Astartes stood the original Vanagrian Kastor. The youngest of the Ultramarines who settled in the Trust, he was second only to Horatius in his might, standing clad in the mighty armour that ingenious Tranth had built with his own hands.

To the left hand side of Surt stood one of his own captains, Tyrtaeus, a leader of the Firegiants; one of a few of that force to also be wearing advanced terminator armour, rather than a bulky predecessor. He looked to be a smaller copy of the Vanangrian Kastor, except that his armour was burnt sienna rather than silver and purple.

Finally, still standing, was young Private Harry Staples of the 1333th Dis PDF. Armoured only in light carapace, this soldier looked completely apart from his companions, but the blow to the ground had stirred something in him, and he was now floating above the ground, thunder cracking around him. Ancient and missunderstood warp sensors in Surts armour suddenly read that a beta-Psyker had strode into battle besides him, even if he himself had been unaware of his powers up to this point.

Hekork looked to his newfound foes, and for a moment, was briefly impressed. Most all Astartes would've been flung by the blow he had struck, and for humans to stand and resist it almost defied imagination. "YOU IZ LESS PUNY THAN HEKTORK FOUGHT! DIS IS GONNA BE FUN." The drumbeat of the massive Orks steel-armoured feet hitting the ground built up, slowly at first, and towards a creshendo. He raised his mighty hammer, swinging it towards the Champion of the Muspell, but the blow missed and he spun around exposing his back. Surt leapt fowards in this opportunity, seeing a chance to land the first blow against the Ork, but a fork of green lightning forced the point of Surtbrandr back.

Brother Captain Kastor leapt from his position, firing blast after blast from his wrist mounted gravity cannon to no avail, and forced his sword towards the great green monster they faced. The same bolts of lighting that had held Surtbrandr back leapt forth again, but the mighty strength of the space marine pushed though and into the armour of the beast, shearing away a layer of steel, but not piercing the Great Warboss's scarred green hide.

The Warboss battered the Space Marine back with a volley of sharp spikes, launched from the gatling impaler, looted and mated to his arm. "DIDN'T YOU 'EAR ME TIN CAN UMIE! GORK AND MORK DON' WAN' ME DEAD TODAY!" Kastors armour, masterwork of ingenious Tranth remained strong, and the lifestealing Spikes did not undo him. At this point, the newly awoken Psyker Private Staples let loose a mighty blast of warp-flame towards the Warboss, burning hotter and brighter than even the Sunfire of Surtbrandr. The Warboss raised and started to swing his mighty hammer, smasher of titans in a figure of eight, the rapidly speeding winds generated shielding him from the worst of the flame.

Spinning his mighty hammer, the Warboss saw the source of the warpfire, and became the mighty bull crashing towards his target. Unskilled with his new powers the young psyker could not force his flames through the Titanbreaker Hektorks spinning guard and succumbed to a mighty blow from the hammer, his soul being torn from his body and left undefended in the warp, prey for those that hunt there. Hektork, killer of a thousand Titans, howled with glee. "TINY 'UMIE WITCHES DON'T SCARE HEKTORK, DA SLAYER OF A 'UNDRED OF DA MOST 'ORRIBLE WARP BEASTIES EVER! TINY 'UMIE WITCHES MAKE GOOD BREAKFAST!"

This distraction allowed the terminator armoured Blood Dragon Helios, veteran of many battles, to lock onto the Ork. Ancient targeting systems dating back to the days when the Emperor conquered the stars glittered into life, and the cyclone missile launcher mounted on the venerable armours back released all twelve of it's quick flying missiles. All twelve hit their marks and bright explosions plumed across the Warbosses back. The Venerable Blood Dragon Helios followed up with a blast from his master-crafted storm bolter, the exotic ammunition inside tearing tiny holes in the mighty plate of the Warboss, but doing the Beast inside little harm.

The captain of Firegiants Tytaeus saw this as an opportunity and lept high, the gravetic tech in his armour allowing him to leap high over the Titanic Orks back. He drew his sword of sunfire and plummeted towards the Beasts exposed neck. The green lightning leapt out from the Warboss again, catching Tyrtaeus in flight, and scorching his armour and weapons, frying the systems, killing the machine spirit, and burning the warrior inside. None the less, the Sunfire Sword continued to burn, and even though he was wounded, Tytaeus struck true with it, burning a mighty gash through the Orks hide that would have meant death to any lesser Greenskin. Hektork, breaker of Titans screamed out in agony, the sound shaking the shattered ground of Mar Sara, but kept his wits about him. He once again swung the mighty hammer, and with it's blow shattered the heroic Fire Giant Tyrtaeus.

Champion Surt, to whom Tyrtaeus had been a dear friend, howled with anger at the Ork. "Beast! You have doomed yourself, for now you have slain my sworn companion, loyal to the end. I shall honour his sacrifice, and spill your blood onto our world with my sharp burning sword!"

Brandishing Surtbrandr the mighty champion, hero of many battles, stood alongside the two glorious angels of the emperor, clad in black and red, and silver and purple. The three mighty warriors let loose another volley of fire against the Warboss, grav blasts and ancient bolter-shells of such craft tearing into its crude and thick armour. Surt focused the beam of Surtbrandr using careful fingers, and a bright beam of plasma burst forth, striking hard at centre of the Great Ork. A green thunderstorm formed in front of the beast, deflecting most, but not all of the Imperial heroes fire. Some bolt-rounds and Grav-burts still tore into it's scarred green hide, blossoms of red showing where they hit true.

Eventually the weapons of Surt and Kastor bled dry their power reservoirs, and the last bolts of Helios tore into the great green terror. With this, the Heroes once again readied their swords, Surtbrandr glowing white hot, and the ancient power-blades of the space marines crackling with blue-white lightning. The air smelled of ozone and burning Orkflesh, as the Beast, wounded, charred more black than green but far from dead; once again raised its hammer. "I FINK I'M GONNA EAT ALL YOU PUNY TIN CAN 'UMIES. NOT YA 'EADS THOUGH. I'M GONNA GET DA PAINBOSS TO KEEP DEM CHATTIN' ON MY BOSSPOLE."

The drumbeat of the Orks steel armoured legs began again, the roar of the air washing past its spinning hammer cracked into sonic booms, and the brawl was once again joined. The three swordsmen were a blur, the blades of the Astartes and the Governor cutting intricate patterns into the Ork, and being rewarded with gushing torrents of bright red blood. The Warboss kept his hammer swinging with the force to crack a baneblade like an egg, the warptech enhanced head moving though air where the champions of mankind had been a moment ago. Green lightning once again leapt out of the Warbosses armour, a great storm this time rather than a single strike per blow, and the power of it forced the swords of humanity back.

Sparks flew as the mighty blades of the heroes kept back the prying tendrils of green warp lightning blast after blast being deflected. Behind this storm the swings of the hammer continued, the lightning leaping forward with each strike, and retreating as the hammer drew back. The storm grew ever fiercer, forcing the defenders of Mar Sara into a corner. The hammer first came down on Helios, shattering the power sword he raised in desperate defence. The Space Marine, Hero of a hundred battles, was undone by the hammer that had humbled a hundred titans.

With this defeat came new opportunity for the Heroes, as the opening left by the hammer swing gave Kastor room to attack, plunging his mighty power sword, ancient relic of the Ultramarines, deep into the belly of the Ork-Lord, letting out a stream of blood and guts. Warp lightning, the same that had ruined Tyrtaeus lashed out running down the blade of the sword and into Kastors arm. His armour, mighty as it was, cracked and burned under the unright pressure of the waargh. Hektork, breaker of titans, twisted his body with ferocious speed and flung the injured captain across the field, sword still embedded in his belly, a tiny dagger compared to the bulk of the Ork. Kastor hit a wall, but did not succum to his injuries. Climbing to his feet, he released a volley of Gravbolts from his wrist, splattering across Hektorks like rain off a turtleducks back.

The mightiest of Orks, fleet foot'd Hektork, did not accept this attempt on his life happily, and drew from his belly the sword of Kastor. Still sparking with arcane energy, he hurled it at its owner point first, running him through where his armour was cracked from the lightning. The space marine did not get up again. The Warboss turned to the last fighter remaining, the champion of Muspellhiem, and starred him down. The once thick armour coating the Ork had been shredded by swordstrokes in the confrontation, remaining only in scraps. The flesh of the Ork had been cut and burned, turning the green patchwork of old scars into a tapestry of new ones.

Surt was completely uninjured and his ancient armour held intact. Glinting golden bronze detailing, and burnt sienna plate stood polished and unscratched. Bright Surtbrandr was brandished again in a two handed grip, blade pointed towards the chest of Hektork, smasher of Titans. With a flick of his blade the champion of men Surt let forth another white hot jet of sunfire, this time driving the great-hammered Warlord back. Keeping the blade raised, Surt, master of fire giants pressed towards the beast, sunfire burning away at its flesh. The hammer once again started to spin, and the storm currents reformed, driving the fire back.

"DIDN'T YOU 'EAR ME PUNY 'UMIE? GORK AND MORK DON' WAN' ME DEAD TODAY!" The Knight sized warlord started to move towards Surt, drumbeat of steel legs once again ringing across the desolate battlefield. Surt lept to the left of the first hammer blow, and landed a single strike to the back of Hektorks leg, blood jetting out into a mist. Ducking under the second blow, nimble Surt made a strike for the hand of the Ork, severing a wrist sized finger from it, and sending it tumbling to the floor.

Surt didn't dodge the fourth strike. The mighty warp-hammer, humbler of titans struck against the ancient armour of the champion. The hammer that had smashed through all that had opposed it in the past, was stopped, the blow crumpling the Master of Fire giants, and sending through the air, but not rending his armour as it had to all others. Surt instantly registered the grievous wounds he had received and knew this was a fight he could no longer win.

He began to activate the emergency teleport beacon, to be beamed preferably to a fortified location, preferably with a medical team. The ancient armours onboard teleportation system began to whir into life, the micro-gellar field activating, useless now, but vital for safe hopping through the warp.

Hektork, killer of champions, looked at the Lord of the Muspell, and saw a downed enemy, waiting for a finishing blow. He slowly marched towards the ancient armoured figure, raising his mighty hammer in a single hand, ready to pound the defiant warrior into the dust. Hektork spoke thusly "Well, Dat Was da Best foight in aaaggeeess, now time for ma Favourite bit."

The champion dumped all of his suits power into the teleport. No choosing, just hope they have a beacon somewhere useful. The Gellar field should keep him safe for a few moments as the void logger searches, and the autodoc system should keep him alive.

The Hammer was raised, ready to strike the killing blow, and began it's downswing. The abomination of warp-grav tech that was Titansmasher crashed into the ground, shattering the remaining ruined buildings nearby. Hektork howled in frustration, but was also almost happy he would get to fight that foe again. Surt had fled into the perils of the warp, and was called forth from it by the Great Witch Orphelia, and she began to heal his wounds. He would need to be returned to the front as soon as possible.