The Toxic Crusader

The Emperor’s Brazen Guard had succeeded planetfall on the Xenos planet Grashlak 9. Grashlak 9 had recently become overrun with space Ork scum. The Brass Defenders had been administered with the mission of ridding the planet of all of the Bad Moonz that had infested the planet and the Imperial cities that inhabited before.

Lord Buruli, Chapter Master, had as usual volunteered himself for first contact/drop ship. With his retinue of most trusted emissaries, Buruli was met with resistance immediately after stepping foot onto Grashlak. A group of Wartrakks and War bikes who were scouting the area, opened fire on Buruli and his retinue, causing the Brazen Guard to take cover within their drop ship, now littered with slugga and shoota shells and bullet holes. Buruli fired continually with his bolter catching the driver of a Wartrakk off guard and straight through the forehead. The Ork gunner, noticing the misfortune of his driver, scrambled frantically to take the helm but failed horrendously when it shattered to smithereens against a large tree, exploding and setting the gunner on fire. The screams of the Ork invigorating the Brazen Guard battle brothers and caused them to whip up into a frenzy.

At that point, more drop ships touched down, releasing more Brazen Guard warriors and 2 tactical dreadnoughts. No sooner had one of the dreadnoughts entered the fracas when it fired its twin-linked lascannon, ripping straight through the chassis of three different warbikes clustered together causing plumes of smoke to billow from each one, eventually detonating simultaneously and killing the riders outright. In that same second, a Wartrukk that had approached from behind the dreadnought, armed with a wrecking ball and kustom shoota, made contact with the right hand side of the engine of the mighty Imperial walker. Destroying the lascannon and rupturing the engine, rendering it irreparable.

A swarm of green slinked over the low brow of a hill heading towards the Bronzed Saviours. Buruli, bellowing at his second in command Marburg, screamed:

“DON’T WORRY MY BROTHERS! I HAVE A SURPRISE IN THE WINGS!”

“My Lord..?” retorted Marburg with a sense of impending doom.

“CHARGE!!!!” Buruli yelled as he began his assault, holding up his decorated chain fist and shooting toward the green menace. His forces charged with him, baying for the blood of the Greenskins with their Chapter Master. Unnoticed by the other battle brothers, Marburg had observed Buruli holstering his weapon and delving into his many pouches seemingly searching for something. The Brazen Master pulled out a single, large, green bolt looking projectile. He loaded it into his weapon and fired it when the Orks were just within range. When the bolt was above the Greenskins heads, it cast a bottle green haze on the horde, enveloping the entire army and making them invisible for a few seconds. It was soon to be realised the true extent and reasoning behind Buruli’s actions. Staggering through the roiling mists, partially decomposed and disintegrating Orks started to emerge. They were falling to the floor in agony as the Brazen Guard looked on perplexed but enamoured by the sight. Marburg knew that even the research into the use of biological weapons to be used upon the enemy was outlawed as heresy by the Ordo Malleus for links to the Nurgle way of thinking. Marburg turned with confusion in his eyes towards the Chapter Master and spied the sheer glee etched upon Buruli’s face. This was the point when Marburg had realised that his master was within the wrinkled hands of Nurgle. What really confused him though were the hundreds of armoured, bronze helmets looking on at the spectacle with almost the same reactions, including himself. The fizzling of flesh from bone hypnotised them, the dispersing green fog revealing ever more victims of the forbidden, gaseous weapon, the power and speed of which the virus spread, acted and ran its course hit home the awe-inspiring force that can be harnessed with this type of weaponry, laying waste to entire armies within minutes. Behind the armour, smiles slowly secreted themselves upon the battle brothers as Nurgle entranced them further and drew them closer and closer to his caring bosom. Pandora’s box had been unleashed and this moment in time would be the death of the Brazen Guard and the birth of The Corrupted. The severing of all ties with the Emperor and the forging of new ones with the Grandfather of Decay. Back to Nurgle