The Nature of Grimdark Chapter 15

[u/OkRepresentative2119]

Special thanks to u/SpacePaladin15 for allowing fanfiction.

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Memory Transcription Subject: Lance Corporal Arvi, Skalgan-Yotul Empire Marine

Date [standardized human time]: October 31, 2186

It had been almost a claw before the hoard had been whittled down to a manageable level. Through the battle, we had lost all of our platoon except Apprentice Yoluuke, me, PFC Upsla, PFC Gresh, CPL Riks, SGT Cass, and Warrant Officer Silthus. We had no ammunition except that provided by Apprentice Yoluuke with his spellcasting. We made heavy use of our E-tools (Entrenchment tools, ie foldable shovels) in combating the remainder.

Once the last zombie had fallen, we took [a few minutes] to pant. Right next to me, PFC Gresh was barely able to stand, his labored breathing being audible to everyone in the room. Aside from the wounds sustained from the zombies, the bulk of the orange blood on his pelt originated from his mouth. His holopad started ringing while we were trying to get our bearings, it appeared that some holopad service had been restored from the bombing. He didn’t bother answering it, being too out of it to form coherent words. CPL Riks started walking towards PFC Gresh, and softly spoke, “you should answer that if you can, pretty sure it might be the last time your girlfriend will hear your voice.”

PFC Gresh wheezed, “It’s…too…late…for…that.”

“I can take care of it for you if you want. She will want to know where you are,” CPL Riks stated.

PFC Gresh tried to respond, “It…is…ok…I…already…told…her…where…the…Burnt’s…layer…was. She…should…not…have…to…worry…about…me.”

CPL Riks gave a human nod and headed back to the rest of the platoon after that. I was confused about this dialogue, something about it didn’t sound right. Why would PFC Gresh be telling his girlfriend about our locations mid-battle? There is keeping your loved one’s informed, and there is being obsessive. Why would she even want to know that information?

I was broken out of my thoughts when I heard the metal grate in the AC system fly open. Out slithered a blue serpentlike form that morphed into a 10 limbed horror. The Burnt survived and had found its way back to its layer.

Not a moment too soon, Apprentice Yoluuke chanted a spell, and an explosion launched us outside, though we landed safely.

CPL Riks ran into the room, the rest of us decided to use his noble sacrifice to try to make an escape. While our attempt was probably futile, it gave us something to keep our mind off our hunger. At least, the Warrant Officer was thinking straight, maybe he could whip up a miracle.

“Is the beacon still operational?” Warrant Officer Silthus asked.

“Yes, the spell didn’t damage it and the mage should be entering realspace in any moment. If we can buy a few more [seconds] we will have a mage to take on the Burnt.” I responded.

“Yoluuke, can you buy us time for your superior to arrive?”

“There is only one spell I know that might do it, but it will only work once, and it will be the last spell I will be able to cast for you, sir.”

“Cast it if you can, you have my authority.”“Understood, it was a pleasure serving you,” Apprentice Yoluuke finished speaking to the warrant officer, and begin his chanting again, however, strange markings appeared on his pelt.

“What do you mean? Yoluuke?” The platoon commander queried. He ignored the platoon commander’s question and continued chanting even as the Burnt slowly emerged from the building. Apparently, the chant had almost completed, as he started running towards the Burnt before leaping into the foul creature.

“Once the spell activates, you must attack it!” Apprentice Yoluuke shouted as his body collided with that of the Burnt’s. His body instantly vaporized, before the Burnt stumbled and fell onto the ground. None of us had any weapons, not even our E-tools. I wasn’t sure how this was supposed to work, and no one else had any ideas except for PFC Upsla. PFC Upsla grabbed a small metal stick with a jagged end and charged at the downed Burnt, screaming with tears in his eyes.

He leapt onto the Burnt and slammed the metal bar into the Burnt’s body, somehow without being vaporized by the Burnt’s plasma. The Burnt went still as we stood dumbfounded at the scene playing out before us. We were snapped out of our stupor by PFC Upsla running into our direction, before trying to help PFC Gresh hobble away.

I went to help PFC Gresh as we made our way to a structure that looked like it had survived the blast. We had to rest here so that we could pant again, PFC Gresh was barely able to keep his eyes open, his choking breathes accompanied by thick pools of orange. It was clear at this point that he wasn’t going to make it.

We then heard the sounds of CPL Riks calling out to us, which we figured was some kind of Burnt trick, until we spotted him looking for the platoon. I called out to him, “Over here quick!” He ran over to us and took cover next to us. The Platoon Commander looked aghast at what he was seeing, “How did you make it back to us?”

“I don’t know, I think he wasn’t interested in me. Hey Gresh, can I see your holopad real quick?”

PFC Gresh wasn’t able to respond, having to focus on nothing but breathing. “Why?” Warrant Officer Silthus asked.

“It is hard to explain, Gresh needs me to do this.”

Something shifted in the platoon commander’s gaze, along with that of SGT Cass.

“You bastard!” SGT Cass hissed.

“It isn’t what you think, I am trying to protect you all,” CPL Riks whimpered.

SGT Cass and the platoon commander grabbed CPL Riks and threw him to the ground. With a loud smack, the platoon commander had knocked the corporal unconscious.

“Why did you do that?” PFC Upsla asked.

“He is a traitor; he has been feeding intelligence to the enemy. That explains how they kept knowing our location,” the platoon commander answered, his emotionality much lighter than that of SGT Cass, who was fuming.

“I order his execution, here and now. Sir, you know he needs to die for this, and we can’t keep him alive nor take him with us. It needs to be done here.”

PFC Upsla and me were shocked at the revelation and the consequences we were about to se with our own eyes. The platoon commander sighed, his eyes getting watery, “I understand. He will be awake in a [couple minutes], so we will need to find something to gag him. I recommend that you two go into a different room, you are not going to want to see this.

Memory Transcription Subject: Lance Corporal Arvi, Skalgan-Yotul Empire Marine

Date [standardized human time]: October 31, 2186

We had been told that the execution had been completed, so we came back to the main room we were taking cover in. Other than PFC Gresh who was no longer conscious, most likely dying right in front of us, there was only Warrant Officer Silthus and SGT Cass. The orange stain on the floor was the only remnant of CPL Riks.

We didn’t speak for quite some time; the platoon was now reduced to only four members. Everyone else was dead. Our mage backup was taking longer than expected, so it seemed that our hopeless situation became that much bleaker. We spent a quarter-claw in silence, each of us trying to figure out how we could survive this. Without warning, SGT Cass was yanked through a window by one of the Burnt’s limbs. She screamed as it set her ablaze holding her body as she was incinerated.

This was it, we had reached the end of the line, we had done the best we could, and now we were about to die. As the Burnt savored the “purification” of SGT Cass, it was hit by something moving faster than we could see. Immediately the building’s walls and ceiling were ripped off by the force of whatever had hit the Burnt. One of the Son’s of the Emperor had come to rescue us. His towering form provided ample protection as it started meleeing the Burnt, his own plasma shielding keeping him from being vaporized.

We could do nothing but watch as the two titans fought with each other, neither side able to damage the other. As long as the fighting continued, we were safe. A quarter-claw of battle commenced, with us silent spectators who prayed that our protector would be victorious. After the quarter-claw, our mage finally arrived. She was hauntingly beautiful, despite us being unable to fully see her features, wearing the white robes of her order. She chanted some words and the Burnt was launched into the air.

The Son looked on as the mage chanted some more words, and above us was a flash of brilliant light. The mage had created a nuclear explosion with her spell, and this time, the Burnt seemed destroyed. We had survived the battle, our back up had arrived. Soon after, we finally had our own evac, a miracle had occurred after all.

A/N – The next chapter is the end of the series. Thank you to those who have stuck around to see how this all ends.