Darkness Falling: Chapter One

***Darkness Falling*: Chapter One**

## The Battle

As Koranth looked around, he was startled from his musings when he felt Silvia's presence. In his mind, he saw her warning of the coming Chaos fleet. He was about to call out, but then the tense waiting ended as the Farseers finished scrying the future. Now, with a massive cry, they ordered the war hosts out for battle. Gates blazed to life in an instant, and the bloodthirsty warriors poured through. They gave war cries fit to curdle the blood of even the mighty Avatar who, it just happened, was among their forces. He and his Outcasts were one of the first units out. They blended into the background as the rest of the war hosts flowed out around them. On the horizon, he could see where Jehoara was pushing. He was trying to take down the central command area of Chaos.

Upon further scrutiny, Korthan could see that the area held a small shrine where a squad of female humans was fighting. Immediately, he directed his fire there, with his fellow rangers following suit. Their sniper fire destroyed the fallen Space Marines there. He still made sure to keep his distance, just as the rest of the Asuryani forces did. But he saw enough to know the shrine. Even though he knew he shouldn't, he sent both an image and a thought to Silvia. As he relayed the image of the shrine being saved, he gave her reassurance. 'See, we are here to help. They're safe now.' Then he shut off the connection, hoping that she had received his message. He hoped it would put her at ease to know that her people were safe from harm.

With his work there completed, he and his rangers moved on. They found some tall ground that had decent cover, making it a perfect spot for a sniper. Taking up positions around the rugged terrain, they chose priority targets. Several of the Space Marines were summoning psychic power. Sensing that this would wreck the Asuryani tactics, the rangers began to pick off the enemy psykers. Chaos reeled in confusion. Screams filled the air, mixing with the roar of weapons firing and the hiss of swords slashing. All around, the air became thick with dust and reeked of sweat and blood.

Then something extraordinary happened. It must have been an accident, but he suddenly felt Silvia's presence. He felt the fury of her faith, and it began to fuel him. With reckless abandon, he charged out and began firing at anything he could find. The fury of Khaine pumped in him, consuming him as it mixed with her strength. He could feel everything, and nothing, all at once. In front of him, the enemy fell in his storm of blade and fire as he raked their ranks with destruction and death. He felt invincible. Then, without warning, the connection cut off, and he felt drained. He stumbled back and sank to the ground. What he had just felt...such passion...it reminded him of her. Tears of happiness fell down his face. All around him, the corpses of the enemy lay broken and battered, many in unnatural positions. But he ignored it and looked into the distance. The battle was far from over, and he still had much to do.

He ran over the low shrubbery in his way, the rest of the Outcasts following him. While the rest of the war host kept the flanks of the enemy preoccupied, the Rangers sneaked around to the area behind the enemy lines. Setting up camouflaged positions, they began to mark their targets, starting with the higher-ups.

The enemy stood no chance. Confused by the appearance of soldiery in their rear, they became boxed in. Around them, Aspect Warriors edged the sides of their forces into curves, boxing in their opponent. Leading them was the Avatar of Khaine and Jehoara. The blazing statue roared at the Craftworld's opponents, and the war host eagerly copied his example. With malice, the war host crashed into the Dark God's followers. The enemy panicked and fled as they toppled like dominos.

In the distance, Koranth could see the human forces rallying as they saw the retreat of the enemy. Summoning his concentration, he opened the connection with Silvia and sent her a replay of the events. Then he added his own thoughts. 'This is just the start. They may be retreating now, but they will be back with more forces. No doubt their master realizes that Keil-Xin has joined the fight. Stay safe, stay strong. We need all the hope we can get.' He let his emotions flow to her, his fear, worry, sadness, and even terror. The ominous threat of the enemy shook him to his core, and he showed it. 'Please stay safe.' Then he cut the connection and helped finish off the Space Marines that were fleeing.

As the battle came to a close, he listened to the tails of glory. Jehoara had stood bravely against a greater daemon. With only his glaive, he fought a titanic battle. Creening with vengeance for the Fall, however, he had struck down his enemy with vicious malice. This had caused panic among the Chaos forces, and many had fled in response. The other warriors had also performed marvellously. The war hosts had caused the enemy to crumple into itself, something that led to the Ruinous forces being nearly completely wiped out.

He knew many tales would be told for generations to come, but he didn't care about that. All his life he had been forced to walk the path of the Outcast. Now, he had learned to accept that with pride. He was free to go where others could not, free to be who he wanted to be. As he walked around, Jehoara appeared next to him. With a sigh, he turned to face the Autarch. "What is it that you want?"

Jehoara fixed him with a withering glare. "I saw that stone you pulled out, and I know exactly what it does." Koranth opened his mouth to protest, but Jehoara cut him off with the wave of a hand. "Don't lie. I know why you have it. I am guessing that you gave one to that woman you negotiated with." Koranth, with a guilty stance, slowly nodded. He was bracing for an argument but was surprised by the Autarch's next movement.

Jehoara nodded with a sigh. "I understand why you did this, and I won't judge you for it. It is for you to deal with, though should it cost us, I will make you pay dearly." Koranth nodded. "I understand. I won't."The tense waiting ended quickly as the Farseers finished scrying the future. Now, with a massive cry, they ordered the war hosts out for battle. Gates blazed to life in an instant, and the bloodthirsty warriors poured through. They gave war cries fit to curdle the blood of even the mighty Avatar who, it just happened, was among their forces. He and his Outcasts were one of the first units out. They blended into the background as the rest of the war hosts flowed out around them. On the horizon, he could see where Jehoara was pushing. He was trying to take down the central command area of Chaos.

Upon further scrutiny, Korthan could see that the area held a small shrine where a squad of female humans was fighting. Immediately, he directed his fire there, with his fellow rangers following suit. Their sniper fire destroyed the fallen Space Marines there. He still made sure to keep his distance, just as the rest of the Asuryani forces did. But he saw enough to know the shrine. Even though he knew he shouldn't, he sent both an image and a thought to Silvia. As he relayed the image of the shrine being saved, he gave her reassurance. 'See, we are here to help. They're safe now.' Then he shut off the connection, hoping that she had received his message. He hoped it would put her at ease to know that her people were safe from harm.

With his work there completed, he and his rangers moved on. They found some tall ground that had decent cover, making it a perfect spot for a sniper. Taking up positions around the rugged terrain, they chose priority targets. Several of the Space Marines were summoning psychic power. Sensing that this would wreck the Asuryani tactics, the rangers began to pick off the enemy psykers. Chaos reeled in confusion. Screams filled the air, mixing with the roar of weapons firing and the hiss of swords slashing. All around, the air became thick with dust and reeked of sweat and blood.

Then something extraordinary happened. It must have been an accident, but he suddenly felt Silvia's presence. He felt the fury of her faith, and it began to fuel him. With reckless abandon, he charged out and began firing at anything he could find. The fury of Khaine pumped in him, consuming him as it mixed with her strength. He could feel everything, and nothing, all at once. In front of him, the enemy fell in his storm of blade and fire as he raked their ranks with destruction and death. He felt invincible. Then, without warning, the connection cut off, and he felt drained. He stumbled back and sank to the ground. What he had just felt...such passion...it reminded him of her. Tears of happiness fell down his face. All around him, the corpses of the enemy lay broken and battered, many in unnatural positions. But he ignored it and looked into the distance. The battle was far from over, and he still had much to do.

He ran over the low shrubbery in his way, the rest of the Outcasts following him. While the rest of the war host kept the flanks of the enemy preoccupied, the Rangers sneaked around to the area behind the enemy lines. Setting up camouflaged positions, they began to mark their targets, starting with the higher-ups.

The enemy stood no chance. Confused by the appearance of soldiery in their rear, they became boxed in. Around them, Aspect Warriors edged the sides of their forces into curves, boxing in their opponent. Leading them was the Avatar of Khaine and Jehoara. The blazing statue roared at the Craftworld's opponents, and the war host eagerly copied his example. With malice, the war host crashed into the Dark God's followers. The enemy panicked and fled as they toppled like dominos.

In the distance, Koranth could see the human forces rallying as they saw the retreat of the enemy. Summoning his concentration, he opened the connection with Silvia and sent her a replay of the events. Then he added his own thoughts. 'This is just the start. They may be retreating now, but they will be back with more forces. No doubt their master realizes that Keil-Xin has joined the fight. Stay safe, stay strong. We need all the hope we can get.' He let his emotions flow to her, his fear, worry, sadness, and even terror. The ominous threat of the enemy shook him to his core, and he showed it. 'Please stay safe.' Then he cut the connection and helped finish off the Space Marines that were fleeing.

As the battle came to a close, he listened to the tails of glory as he and his fellow Asuryani retreated into the Webway until the next fight. Jehoara had stood bravely against a greater daemon. With only his glaive, he fought a titanic battle. Creening with vengeance for the Fall, however, he had struck down his enemy with vicious malice. This had caused panic among the Chaos forces, and many had fled in response. The other warriors had also performed marvellously. The war hosts had caused the enemy to crumple into itself, something that led to the Ruinous forces being nearly completely wiped out.

He knew many tales would be told for generations to come, but he didn't care about that. All his life he had been forced to walk the path of the Outcast. Now, he had learned to accept that with pride. He was free to go where others could not, free to be who he wanted to be. As he walked around, Jehoara appeared next to him. With a sigh, he turned to face the Autarch. "What is it that you want?"

Jehoara fixed him with a withering glare. "I saw that stone you pulled out, and I know exactly what it does." Koranth opened his mouth to protest, but Jehoara cut him off with the wave of a hand. "Don't lie. I know why you have it. I am guessing that you gave one to that woman you negotiated with." Koranth, with a guilty stance, slowly nodded. He was bracing for an argument but was surprised by the Autarch's next movement.

Jehoara nodded with a sigh. "I understand why you did this, and I won't judge you for it. It is for you to deal with, though should it cost us, I will make you pay dearly." Koranth nodded. "I understand. I won't." Jehoara studied him critically, then smiled. "I know. I trust you. If you want to pursue this, it is your choice. You often have a good head on you, mostly."

Grinning, Koranth moved away, leaving the seasoned Asuryani leader by himself. He shook his head in sadness. He knew this would end in tragedy and sorrow, but he couldn't burst the Outcast's bubble. 'She'll never love you back. You'll be all alone. But if it gives you the strength you need, so be it. Maybe this will secure us one more ally.' Then Jehoara turned and, with grim acceptance, went back to the command tent to continue regulating his forces.