Grey Knight short story

The desolate wasteland hummed with the psychic spoor of the daemons infesting it.
Watching with cold eyes Justicar Iridius gripped the haft of his sword and waited for Librarian Tyrel to issue his orders.
"Justicar" Jarelt murmured to his right, "where do you want us."
Iridius turned hi attention to his brother knight, and replied "Wherever Tyrel directs us. Be assured your blade will be wet with daemon blood soon Brother".
Behind the assembled Grey Knight squads Librarian Herus Tyrel was concentrating hard. The presence of so many daemons on this world was making the warp boil and twist inside his mind, and unbidden thoughts were washing over him like a tide of filfth.
Esconced in a natural bastion of stone and basalt the survivors of the 14th Brotherhood had endured nearly three weeks on unrelenting daemonic attacks.
Since having come to the Idonia system to seal a potential Daemonic Portal the Grey Knights had found themselves facing not a single incursion of daemons but an entire army. Before they could seal the portal fifty kilometres away nearly an entire host of daemons had flocked through it, forcing the Knights to retreat with casualties mounting.
Never before in Tyrel's or Iridius' long histories of service had they had such casualties. Only a powerful ancient daemon could orchestrate such a slaughter...
Now in the cool chill of the night reprieve had come only briefly, as Tyrel had put up warding sigils around the cave while the remaining thirty knights steeled their souls against the battle to come.

Iridius crossed over to Tyrel and murmured "We cannot win here Herus. The Daemons have the advantage".
Tyrel's furrowed brows deepened, and he slowly looked at the younger Justicar.
"I know that Caleb. We will fight here......and we will die. But our end will be such an...."
"You Will Not Die"
A voice echoed from the shadowy depths of the cave.
Tyrel and Iridius, along with the rest of the Grey Knights, immediately turned in battle stance to face the rear of the cave.
"You need not fear me Brother Knights!" came the voice again, "You know me, indeed you do....."
"Show yourself!" Tyrel called, his warpsight trying to peel back the darkness
From the shadows, as if stepping from them, came a tall figure in ornate silver armour. A proud, yet tattered, banner hung from his shoulders, and his deep red cloak trailed the rocky ground. In one armoured fist a massive sword glowed softly with barely contained power, while the other was open in greeting , placating the 30 storm bolters raised at him.
Slowly, without conscious thought, the throng of Grey Knights slowly fell to one knee, their heads bowed, and expressions full of wonder.
Kaldor Draigo, the lost Supreme Grand Master, had come among them.
Shaking his head, as if weary of the esteem he was held in, Kaldor bade the Knights rise and resume their vigil, while he strode over to Tyrel and Iridius.
"Librarian Herus Tyrel and Justicar Caleb Iridius of the Fourteenth Brotherhood my lord!" Tyrel introduced himself and Iridius. Both had been mere battle brothers when Draigo had been sent into the warp, yet knew his legend as well as any Imperial text.
"Tyrel, Iridius," Draigo responded, nodding to each, "Tell me all."

Over the next two hours Draigo listened as the two Grey Knights recounted all they knew of what had happened so far. The initial discovery of the portal, the events surrounding its closing, the arrival of the daemonic host, and the desperate fighting that had driven them back to this desolate last stand.
At the end Draigo thought for a great while, then a slow nod was all he expressed to show he had formed a plan.
"I assume you are not in contact with your strike cruiser Herus" he stated.
The Librarian shook his head.
"The warp energy of the hoarde and the composition of the planet's surface makes communication almost impossible my lord. I..........am not so well versed in the arts of Psychic Communion as my late Brother Captain Vigo. We are trapped here."
"Were trapped, Herus. Were trapped. I am a Grand Master, and though I have had little cause to use it I am very well versed in the art of Psychic Communion. Now let me tell you my plan...."

And so it was that until daybreak the Supreme Grand Master of the Grey Knights held council of war with a ragtag band of survivors of the Order. His plan was simple, and though it pained many to see it through, all agreed.
With the rising of the sun came the first of the enemy.
Foul Flamers of Tzeentch, their warpfire capable of annihilating even power armour. Psycannons and storm bolter fire from the cave mouth and surrounding natural ramparts tore them apart before they could get into range.
Then lithe daemonettes of Slaanesh sprang from boulder to boulder, seeking to dart around the storm of shells and engage the Grey Knights in close combat. Librarian Tyrel, his eyes blazing fire, directed his fury at these abominations, casting them down with lightning from his fingers again and again.
After these two incursions came gibbering and slavering Pink Horrors in their droves. Too many to number swarmed up the approaches to the cave. Iridius desperately directed the strike squads' fire as best he could, his fellow Justicars putting all their energies into leading their men.
It seemed that the Horrors would overwhelm even the staggering firepower the Grey Knights were pouring down.
Then a searing flame billowed out from the cave entrance. Surrounding the Knights, yet not burning them, while the Horrors at the front of the ranks and behind exploded and convulsed.
Kaldor Draigo unleashed his Sanctified Flame again and again, with Tyrel pouring lightning alongside the legendary Grey Knight.
"Tyrel! It is done! Prepare your men!" Kaldor shouted to the librarian even as he poured more fire into the approaches.
"Aye my lord!" Tyrel shouted back.
"And Herus! Do not hesitate! Not for a second. That I COMMAND!" Draigo boomed as he started to stride down the path leaving the Librarian behind him.
Tyrel watched the legend walking away, his storm bolter spitting death and the Titansword striking daemons left and right. Then his attention was all on his remaining men. Quickly getting into formation, the survivors of the Fourteenth Brotherhood waited.
After seemingly an age, in which all they could hear was the sounds of battle further down the path from the cave entrance, and with every battle brother yearning to be alongside the Grand Master, a charge filled the air, and then a blinding flash of light.
The strike cruiser "Redemption" had finally locked on to the grey Knights with the aid of Draigo, and teleported them aboard.

Once on the bridge Tyrel hurried over to the ship's captain, Marcellus, and ordered him to carry out the rest of the Grand Master's plan.
Marcellus was reluctant, but Tyrel urged him to do it along with Iridius. Finally Marcellus relented.

Draigo, surrounded by Daemon corpses, and facing a field of slathering beasts, saw a glimpse of the daemon who had orchestrated the massacre of so many of his battle brothers. Fateweaver. And as the sky flashed white, with the first of the orbital bombardment shells, he smiled and put more strength in his sword strokes.
The Fourteenth Company would be avenged by the end of this day.

"Redemption" poured fire from its bombardment cannons for over three hours. at the end of that time the sensor sweeps of the plains around the caves showed no sign of the daemonic hoarde. Their corporeal bodies destroyed, they had been forced to return to the Warp. A victory for the Grey Knights then, though a bitter one. 50 battle brothers lost, and the legendary Draigo either incinerated, or pulled back into the warp to continue his lonely quest.....

That....was....AWESOME!!!

thank you. took about an hour to write. it's coming up with the idea that's the hard part

Impressive writing Brother! Well done.

I can see only one or two spelling issues.

The story is solid (despite its simplicity) and rather short, and is the kind of story that fits well in like a codex or something.

Overall, you made me hate Draigo a bit less, which is good for you.

Very nice story, and nice way to use Draigo. Have you read the battle report in last April's issue of White Dwarf? The way Draigo came to be on the battlefield was similar in the story created to go along with that. It was an enjoyable read.

This was an awesome read, I really like draigo's fluff an I liked how u made his entrance into the story.