Fulminata- A Warhammer 40,000 Story

The Blood Titan

A Bloodthirster, a Blood Titan of the Blood God.

It rose its cursed blade into the air, and slammed it down into a cluster of boxes that a squad of Astartes was taking cover behind.

Cicero couldn't wait to see if his brothers had survived or not. He bolted forward, his augmented legs carrying him across the hangar bay floor with resounding clacks as his feet hit the steel floor.

"Anius!" Cicero shouted, "Cover me!"

Anius, who had indeed taken the Terminator armor, starting to spin the Assault cannon. After a brief moment, the cannon let out a bestial roar as it fired upon the Bloodthirster. A hail of fire slammed into the Daemon. Stunned by the sudden flurry, the Daemon took a step back, staggered.

Cicero capitalized on it. He neared the Daemon's leg, and planted his Power Sword deep into the Bloodthirster's calf, and ripped it as far up as it would go. Cicero could hear the Daemon scream in anger. It kicked its leg, pulling the sword out as Cicero kept a firm grip on it.

The Daemon jumped back and slammed the axe down to where Cicero was. The captain, however, had seen it coming. He leapt back, at a far greater speed than his considerable mass should have allowed. He fell onto his back, and rolled onto his feet, Power Sword in hand ready to cut more.

Cicero leapt towards the Daemons arm that was still grasping the axe that had been buried into the steel of the Bay. He slashed at the Daemon's wrist, attempting to sever the hand. The blade only bit a few inches into the Bloodthirster's massive wrist.

As the Bloodthirster growled, it pulled the axe from the floor, slamming the flat of the blade into Cicero as it did. It sent the Captain flying. As he soared through the air of the Hangar, he heard his Vox click, Anius speaking.

"We need Plasma to Hangar Bay three immediately!"

Cicero crashed into a pile of shipping crates. His armor bore a large brunt of the impact, but not enough to leave him unshaken. Metal containers had crumpled underneath the force of his landing, and his head spun as he tried to push himself to his feet. His vision swam, a very unfamiliar feeling to the 1st Captain. He had rarely ever been touched in a fight, let alone so thoroughly devasted by a single strike.

As his vision came back to him, his combat stimulants pumping into his bloodstream, he looked around. He saw the Bloodthirster, turning his attention back to the other Marines who continued to hail him with Bolter fire. He looked above the Bloodthirster. A Thunderhawk was directly above it, moored into the ceiling by a myriad of cranes and latches. It was a massive ship, almost as massive as...

His mind cleared in an instant as the thought came to him. He clicked into the helmet to helmet Vox-net, tuning into Anius's helmet.

"Anius!" He screamed, "The Thunderhawk!"

Anius instantly knew what Cicero meant. He turned his Assault Cannon to the Thunderhawk's mooring, shredding them with a storm of fire. The gunship listed, and then fell directly onto the Bloodthirster.

A Bloodthirster was a powerful Daemon, able to withstand concentrated Plasma fire, and weather tempests of Bolter fire. But even a Daemon as powerful as a Bloodthirster couldn't withstand a dozen tons of steel crushing it.

The Thunderhawk crashed down onto the Daemon, forcing it to the floor. It screamed as it found itself trapped under the weight of the ship, its arms pinned by the steel. It began shifting under the now wrecked Thunderhawk, trying to push the heap of steel off of itself.

Cicero wouldn't give it the chance. He touched his Black Mask for luck before he threw himself to his feet and began to sprint forward and a ground-eating pace. Cicero saw his Power Sword on the ground, a few meters away from the Daemon. His eyes focused as he darted around pieces of debris.

Cicero dove forward, grabbing his Power Sword as he neared the Bloodthirster. The sword flashed on with a crackle of energy as he entered his hand. His eyes narrowed as he slid onto his knees, gliding towards the Daemon. Its head was directly in front of him, its neck deliciously presented to him as it roared.

Cicero rose to his feet, bringing his momentum with him as he leapt into the air, a battle cry beginning to from in his throat. He brought his sword down, keening towards the Bloodletters neck. The blade made contact, cutting into the Daemon's exposed neck. It bit inches into flesh, not nearly enough to deal any mortal damage. But Cicero wasn't done.

As the Beast screamed Cicero brought his sword down again, cutting deeper into the neck. The Beast flailed as the blade bit deeper. The head suddenly stilled while the rest of the body shook. Cicero looked to the horned head to see Anius, clad in the white Terminator armor of the Chapter, grasping the Beast by the horns, holding its head still. He could see the 3rd Captain's arms shaking with the effort. Cicero made sure it would not be wasted.

He brought the sword down again, and again, and again, cutting deeper every time. A fury took over Cicero's mind as he struck the beast again and again and again. The power sword buzzed with energy at it cut through the Daemon's neck. At some point the Daemon stopped moving. Cicero didn't notice. He kept striking, over and over. At some point, the neck was just... gone.

Cicero stepped back, breathing heavily. He looked at his work. He had completely severed the neck, beheading the Daemon completely. He looked to Anius. Cicero couldn't see his expression behind his helmet, but he could tell the 3rd Captain was uncomfortable.

Other Astartes had assembled. He saw some of his own within the crowd, men from the 1st Company with black lining on their left shoulder pad. One of them raised a cheer.

"Black mask!"

The cheer rippled throughout the Hangar. Cicero took of his helmet, and looked at the visage of the Black Mask. The entire front face was covered in blood, the Black not even visible from the crimson covering it.

A large, armored hand placed itself on Cicero's shoulder. He looked up to see Anius standing in front of him. He had removed his helmet, and looked the 1st Captain right in the eye. Cicero saw a worry for him in Anius's eyes. The cheers became background noise as the pair looked at each other.

Cicero had lost himself in the fight. He had won, but...

At what cost?