Angel's Lament

Guardian Angels

Angels Lament

Thank you to all the people who have Favorited, Followed and Reviewed the previous chapters. And hopefully, you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed making it. Now without further ado let us begin the next chapter of this story...

Chapter Three: Guardian Angels

There stood only two, solitary, Sanguinary Guards outside the Arx Libracon. Both had been assigned to the Chief Librarian by the Chapter Master himself, the ancient and wise Lord Warden of the Imperium Dante. Both stood poised and ready to jump into action any second. But no mortal could detect it, to them they would simply appear as two lifeless golden statues. Both were encased in their Artificer Armor, with that on they appeared to gleam like twin stars, bright and radiant. Despite his readied posture, Nikolaus, the guard on the right, was also enjoying the sights around his post. He was studying the alcoves and statuary. They had been carved by some of the Chapter's best sculptors. Most were of the champions of the ancient Legion the Blood Angels and her successors had come from originally. On one Plinth stood Azkaellion the first-ever Sanguinary Guard, fighting a Carcodon. On another stood Raldoron the only ever Legion Master after the death of their Primarch and the first Chapter Master after that. Raldoron was fighting a twisted member of the Black Legion on his plinth.

The rest were of the heroes who had perished in the 'Devastation of Baal' as it was now being called by the wider Imperium. On one plinth stood Reclusiarch Ordomel, he had died trying to fight a Carnifex so that Chapter Master Dante could kill the Swarmlord. He had succeeded in taking the Carnifex with him with a well-placed Krak Grenade. The Sculpture of Ordomel portrayed him in the claws of the Carnifex fighting to the bitter end as he had in the fight. Nikolaus had seen it himself on the battlefield, back then he had only been an Assault Marine.

The statue next to Ordomel was the last Exalted Herald of Sanguinius Madelus. He too had died fighting for Baal. The Sculpture portrayed him being clawed and dragged down to die by a swarm of Tyranids, but it also described a fiery spirit in him that fought to the bitter end. He had died in the last offensive against the horrible monsters of Hive Fleet Leviathan, where the last of the Angels had meant to die, cutting off the head of the serpent. Luckily though for the Blood Angels their bell had not yet been rung that day, for in the last moments of the fight. When only so few Blood Angels remained the Avenging Son arrived. Lead directly to Baal by the might of the Emperor's light. He had brought the wrath of the Emperor and the Primaris Marines upon the Leviathan for even daring to slay the sons of his most stalwart and loyal child. Roboute Gulliman had slain the last of the screeching host of monsters and saved the last of the sons of his long lost brother.

After the conclusion of the battle and once most of the Arx Angelicum, the Blood Angels Fortress Monastery, had been rebuilt Gulliman enacted three edicts. The first was the Ultima Founding, giving the Blood Angels the resources and machinery to create their own new Primaris Marines. The second was naming the Blood Angels Chapter the protectors of the Nihilus Realm and distinguishing their Chapter Master as the Lord Warden of all Imperial forces. The final edict had been called the Reform, it was a complete reconstruction of the Codex and battle doctrine of the Astartes. One of the major reforms in the edict was on how Chapters would be organized and the implementation of the newly rediscovered and reworked wargear, like the Mark X power armor. After making his reforms Gulliman left the Baal System and returned to the Imperium beyond the Great Rift to fight off the other threats that had reared their heads there. That had been many years ago now but it was still fresh in Nikolaus's mind. The image of the Avenging Son dubbing Dante the Lord Warden and the ceremony naming the Blood Angels and the line of Sanguinius as the Protectors of Imperium Nihilus. Both memories were still ingrained into Nikolaus's mind and as vivid as the day they occurred.