(A/N: Hi guys! I have a few questions!
How do you think the novel is going? Any complaints so far?
How do you think I can increase interactions? Would you guys like to see the power stone goal come back? I've recently gotten a bit more time on my hands, so I'm feeling like I could write a little bit more.
What do you guys think? I also have a discord, dont forget to join there, were you can ask questions and read other ideas that I have, like my Grey Knight in marvel fic. I've got about 8-9 chapters there so far. (Its on there to get feedback before i start posting it here)
Please share your thoughts!)
=== Sebastian ===
The streets of the Zygerian capital burned. Great plumes of oily smoke clawed at the sky, mixing with the crimson fire that fell from orbit as the Battle Barge and its escorts bombarded sectors of the city into molten ruin. Screams were drowned beneath the thunder of orbital guns and the staccato rattle of bolter fire echoing through the alleys.
Sebastian strode through the carnage like the living blade of the Emperor's wrath itself. His storm shield absorbed blaster bolts that hissed against its ceramite surface, while his power sword swept arcs of incandescent death through Zygerian flesh and droid steel alike. One whip-wielding slaver lunged from a side street, shouting in defiance. Sebastian caught the whip in his hand, and tugged it towards himself. The alien stumbled towards him and he cut the alien cleanly in half with a downward swing that carved through armor and bone.
Around him, Jarek and his Mandalorians advanced in lockstep. Jetpacks flared as they vaulted over wreckage, blasters spitting bursts that cut slavers from balconies and droids from rooftops. The Obsidian Crusaders were a tide of fury, cutting deep into the heart of the city, their black armor glinting with reflected fire as they burned evil from the planet.
Sebastian's vox crackled, coming to life.
"My lord," came the voice of an officer from the Battle Barge. "Squad Castor has fallen. Brother Mador reports they engaged an unidentified enemy before his signal went dark. His last words described Necron-like technology. The enemy fled before confirmation could be made."
Sebastian didn't stop. His grip on his sword tightened, gauntlets creaking. But he said nothing.
"Orders, my lord?" the officer pressed.
"Ill take care of the issue. Alert the Legion."
With a low growl beneath his breath, Sebastian cut the link and surged forward again. His sword flared brighter as if sensing his fury, each strike falling heavier, faster. He crushed a Zygerian guard beneath his shield. He ripped another's throat out with the edge of his blade, not even pausing as he marched over the corpse.
"Forward!" Sebastian roared, voice carrying over the din of war. "The Emperor wills it! Let no Zygerrian draw breath!"
The Mandalorians responded with a chorus of war cries, igniting flamethrowers that belched fire into defensible positions. Slavers shrieked as they burned alive, collapsing into molten heaps while droids short-circuited in the inferno. A trio of Zygerian shock troopers, clad in heavy armor, attempted to form a defensive line across the boulevard. Their plasma rifles spat blazing bolts, but Sebastian didn't care.
He charged, shield facing them, the impacts splashing against it harmlessly. He slammed into the line, sending one trooper sprawling. His sword stabbed through the visor of the second, spraying gore across the cracked pavement. The third attempted to flee, only for Jarek to descend upon him in a jetpack burst, driving the Darksaber into the alien's spine.
Sebastian's breathing grew harsher within his helm, his every swing driven harder by the echo of cousins' death.
They pressed on. The streets became narrower, more heavily defended as they approached the capital palace. Barricades of durasteel and overturned transports funneled the attackers into kill zones, but the Obsidian Crusaders broke them open with ruthless counter strikes. Rockets screamed into the fortifications, blowing Zygerian defenders into bloody chunks. Grenades tumbled into nests of slavers, scattering limbs across smoking rubble.
One Mandalorian was struck by concentrated blaster fire, collapsing in a hail of red bolts. Sebastian saw it happen and roared his fury, leaping over the barricade and landing in the midst of the shooters. His shield swept left, breaking two Zygerians like toys. His sword went right in a diagonal cleave, bisecting another. Their blood hissed as it steamed on his blade.
The survivors turned to flee. But they didn't make it far. With a dash burst from his jump pack, Sebastian turned them into bloody mist as he simply went through them.
Behind him, Jarek's squad secured the position, planting charges to clear the way forward. "The palace is close, my lord," Jarek called over the din, his visor reflecting the flames.
Sebastian said nothing.
He looked up at the towering spires of the royal palace, gleaming faintly through the smoke. The heart of Zygerian tyranny. The seat of their slaver Queen. And perhaps… where this "Necron-shadow" might show itself again.
"No mercy. Burn everything to the ground."
They detonated the defenses, leaving a path leading directly to the palace.
Sebastian thundered across the ruined courtyard.
The colossal doors of the palace loomed before him, ancient durasteel embossed with gilded reliefs of slaves bowing to long-dead rulers. Sebastian didn't even slow as he kicked at the doors.
BOOM!
The twin doors tore free from their hinges as though they were parchment, hurled inward with such force they flattened the slaver guards behind them. Screams erupted, blaster fire immediately lancing through the halls within, the palace interior lighting up in violent crimson bolts.
Sebastian dropped to one knee with a crash that shook the marble floor and planted his storm shield into the ground like a wall of holy iron. The barrage struck with a deafening roar, sparks and ricochets filling the air like a storm of fireflies. Each shot splashed against the shield, scorching its surface, but none could pierce who was behind it.
His squad, already on the move, shattered windows and landed on balcony ledges, immediately raining destruction on the entrenched gunners above. Grenades tumbled into dug-in positions, detonating with bone-shattering concussions. Mandalorian rifles spat streaks of plasma, cutting down panicked guards as they scrambled for cover.
The balcony fire dwindled within moments, leaving only the stench of charred flesh.
Sebastian rose.
With a guttural roar, he wrenched his shield free from the marble floor and raised his heavy bolt pistol. The first guard in his path fired desperately; Sebastian's pistol barked once, the explosive round turning the man's head into a crimson mist. Another guard raised a vibro-pike; Sebastian's shield smashed into him, crushing his bones and throwing his body against the wall like a broken doll.
Guards poured from the halls in waves, dozens becoming hundreds, their shouts lost beneath the storm of bolt fire and the roar of Mandalorian jetpacks above.
Sebastian's pistol spat again and again, each round tearing men into ragged pieces, each thunderous shot echoing through the vaulted chamber like divine judgment. His shield was both hammer and wall, smashing bone, sending bodies flying, absorbing fusillades of fire that would have annihilated any lesser warrior as his sword did its deadly work.
Above, his Mandalorians slaughtered their enemies. One landed amidst a cluster of gunners, drawing his vibroblade and carving a bloody arc through them before firing his wrist-rocket into another entrenched group. Another Crusader dropped prone on a ledge, picking off commanders one by one with perfect shots, each bolt punching through helm or visor before the guards could even issue an order.
The palace's great hall became a killing ground. Statues toppled, banners burned, pillars collapsed under detonations, and still Sebastian pressed onward. The guards tried to form firing lines, but against an Astartes and his chosen warriors, it was nothing but delaying death.
A heavy repeater set up at the far end unleashed a torrent of fire, red bolts screaming across the length of the chamber. Sebastian raised his pistol and fired once. The bolt round detonated inside the gunner's chest, spraying gore across the weapon.
The Black Templar charged.
Without breaking stride, Sebastian grabbed the repeater by its barrel mount and tore it free. He swung the weapon like a mace, crushing two soldiers beneath its bulk before hurling it across the hall. The repeater smashed into another squad, sending men sprawling in a burst of gore.
"Forward!" he bellowed, voice like a cathedral bell at war.
The Mandalorians dropped from the balconies to rejoin him, rifles glowing hot from continuous fire, armor splattered with gore. Together, they advanced deeper into the palace, their boots thundering against marble now slick with blood.
No door, no barricade, no desperate line of defenders slowed them for long. The Crusaders cut down everything that stood in their path. Slavers with crude shock batons, palace guards in ornate armor, even a handful of mercenary brutes imported from off-world. Sebastian was always at the forefront, his shield blazing with light as it absorbed the fire of dozens.
By the time they breached the next set of halls, the once-glorious palace was little more than a slaughterhouse. Walls blackened from blasts, tapestries burning, floors carpeted with corpses.
Soon they made it to the main doors leading to the throne room.
The great doors shuddered as Sebastian and his Crusaders entered. At the far end, seated upon the throne was Queen Miraj Scintel, draped in flowing robes that shimmered like oil on water. Around her, dozens of guards stood armed with energy-blades and long-barreled rifles.
Sebastian strode forward until he was halfway into the chamber, his storm shield and blade casting long shadows from the burning braziers that lined the room. His Mandalorians fanned out behind him, weapons raised. The chamber fell into silence as both sides stared one another down.
"Filthy xeno scum," Sebastian spat, his voice carrying the weight of righteous fury. "You have defiled this Galaxy with your disgusting presence. Know this, your death will not be a pleasant one. But if you surrender now, I will grant you the mercy of swiftness. Resist, and you will die screaming."
The Queen rose slowly from her throne, her chin raised high, venomous pride radiating from her alien eyes.
"I will never bow to your so-called Emperor," she declared, her voice echoing across the chamber. "This world is mine. My people are mine. And your people will be mine. We will never kneel before your Imperium."
A low growl rumbled beneath Sebastian's helm as his gauntlet tightened around the hilt of his sword.
"Good. I prefer it this way."
The stalemate shattered in an instant. The guards roared, charging forward. Sebastian exploded forward, deflecting a hail of plasma bolts. His Mandalorians opened fire from behind him, their blasters raining shots into the advancing guard ranks. Bolter fire roared from Sebastian's pistol, each thunderous shot tearing guards apart in gory sprays of ichor and shattered armor.
The throne room became a slaughterhouse. Guards screamed as Mandalorians cut them down with blaster bolts and vibroblades, jetpacks igniting as they maneuvered into perfect firing positions. Sebastian waded into the melee, his massive blade carving through alien flesh, each swing punctuated by the booming retort of his heavy bolt pistol. A guard lunged at him with a glaive, only to be swatted aside by Sebastian's shield, his body breaking against a pillar.
Within a minute, the guards lay broken and burning across the stone floor. Smoke and blood thickened the air, the scent of charred flesh lingering like incense.
Sebastian strode towards the throne, the Queen clutching the armrests with trembling hands. He raised his blade high, the edge glowing with the faint hum of its power field. The Queen dove desperately to the side just as his sword came crashing down upon the throne itself. The blade split the massive chair in two, shards of stone erupting into the air.
He turned, his burning gaze fixing on the Queen as she scrambled across the ground. "It's over." he rumbled before nodding towards Jarek.
The Mandalorian strode forward, seizing the Queen by the arm. He twisted it behind her back and clamped on shackles that snapped shut with a metallic hiss. The Queen writhed, hissing curses in her alien tongue, but the Mandalorian only dragged her upright with cold indifference.
The Crusaders began to move, their boots echoing in the now-silent chamber as they prepared to escort their captive back through the palace. Victory seemed theirs.
And then, the Queen began to laugh.
The sound was low at first, almost hysterical, but it built into a booming, mocking cackle that reverberated through the ruined throne room. Her alien eyes glowed with malicious delight as she leaned toward Sebastian, her voice dripping with venom.
"You fool," she hissed. "You think this was a victory? You have walked straight into my trap!"
Before Sebastian could speak, the wall to his right detonated inward. Out of the explosion came a blur of gunmetal and fury.
Grievous crashed into Sebastian, his claws clamping onto the Black Templar's armor as they tumbled across the chamber. Both warrior and monster rolled in a blur of steel and stone until Grievous used his immense strength to hurl Sebastian the entire length of the throne room. The Templar's armored form crashed through a column, splintering it in two, before landing atop the shattered throne with a thunderous crash.
Grievous rose to his full height, his arms unfurling with mechanical shrieks, snapping to life as he revealed his Phaseblades. Their crackling hum filled the chamber with an eerie chorus of death. His voice rasped through his vocabulator, a mixture of mockery and enjoyment.
"How delightful. I will enjoy this to the fullest."
Sebastian dragged himself to his feet, his storm shield raised, his sword still crackling with its power field.
"You will find me no easy prey, filthy abomination." Sebastian snarled.
===
If you enjoyed this chapter, maybe consider leaving me with a couple of your power stones? I promise I'll take good care of them:)