The frag grenade flew through the air. The melta pistol ran out of fuel. He drew his sword. He could hear one of the conscripts cursing behind him. He could hear a novice screaming with righteous fury. The melta was holstered at the same moment that he activated the power saber. The frag grenade exploded in midair. The brief burst hid its effect just long enough for Klightus to draw his laspistol. But then he could see.

He could see the cultist's headless body fall. Their leader was dead. Fighting them would be much easier now. The battle would end that much faster.

A burst of flame caught his attention as he dodged a crude axe swing. As he rewarded his opponent for their lack of skill, he dared a quick glace. Sister Ephrael charging into the fray, purifying the enemy with holy promethium. Which meant that Sister Nyze and Sister Quintilla were nearby. And Sister Superior Cordelia.

And, of course, Sister Amaia.

"Pull back!" he bellowed to the conscripts and the novices. "T-to the Celestines!" Combining their forces, hopefully into fields of fire, would help end this even faster. And help ensure that Amaia survived.

ha ha it's funny because people are dying and he's all nervous about a cute girl which is not something you would expect in such a harsh and violent situation

>>13904176
Klightus leaned against the Immolator, finally getting around to treating his own wounds. They weren't anything of note -- a graze to his arm here, a minor laceration there from when a grenade didn't get thrown as far as he'd hoped, a first degree burn that his flack had protected him from getting anything worse... He only treated them now, with the rest of his squad treated and as many of the women as he could stumble across.

"Lieutenant Gramon."

Klightus looked up, thread between his teeth as he finished stitching up his arm. The two people standing before him sent a sudden shock of surprise and fear through his body. He slipped the needle free of the thread, tugging the knot closed so he could properly give them the aquila. "C-Canoness." She nodded to him. "Inquisitor Eigen." He didn't nod in return. "H-h-how m-may I-I-"

"Come with us." The Inquisitor was as focused on business as usual it seemed. He spun on his heel and began to walk away from the Sisters. Klightus had to scramble to put his needle away and keep up with the two. "Lieutenant Gramon, please recite the hymn of the Guardsman True."

>>13904182
The request threw Klightus for a loop, but you didn't question a Holy Inquisitor. Pausing only to lick his lips, he focused and began to sing. "The Guardsman true to the war has gone, In the ranks of death you will find him. His father's las he has girded on, And his homeworld far behind him. 'Emperor!' said the Gaurdsman true, 'Through all of the vile heresy, One las, at least your faith shall guard, One faithful Guardsman praise thee!'

"The Guardsman fell but the foeman's chain, Could not bring his proud soul under; The vox he cared never spoke again, For he spared it's soul from their sunder; and said "No foul taint shall sully thee, Thou spirit of faith and bravery! Thy voice will sing but for purity, It shall never sound in Heresy."

He sniffed once, wiping the hint of wetness from his eyes. It had always been one of his favorites -- the story of a guardsman who remained pure and defiant until his last breath. He wasn't sure where the hymn came from, but there were rumors that it was as old as the Guard itself. He just wished the meter and words fit better. Perhaps it was meant to be sung in High Gothic?

Inquisitor Eigen, however, seemed to have a hint of a smile on his lips. It didn't last. The Canoness, however, was smiling ever-so-pleasantly. "Very good. Though, I will have to have some of the Brothers work with you on your singing. Your training with the Guard shows. I doubt that you will be leading a choir, but with enough effort I do believe you can join them."

>another Klightus story

>>13904189
That brought a blush to his cheeks. But Inquisitor Eigen began speaking before he could reply. "Sister Cordelia pointed out that you've had some rather uncharacteristic actions as of late. Charging into the heart of the enemy with abandon, striking for the head, and then falling back to her position. Three times now you've done this. I wish to know why."

Which was exactly the question that Klightus hoped that they wouldn't ask. His hands found each other, wringing in nervousness. "W-w-well I-I..."

"March," the Inquisitor barked. Klightus was immediately falling in step. "Speak in cadence."

That took a little thought on his part. He was used to the marching hymns. But he focused on the timing of it. "It is rather silly and selfish of me, I'm afraid."

"Oh, my!" The Canoness seemed quite amused. "I cannot possibly imagine our young Klightus ever purposefully seeking glory in battle."

"I don't care about that," Klightus corrected, careful with his timing. "I simply want this done and over with as fast as possible. I didn't want to come here; I was hoping for another two months before we set out." He was silent for a moment, intensely aware of their eyes upon him. "Saint Kerstine's day is coming and-"

>>13904196
"Wait!" Inquisitor Eigen's hand gripped his arm, forcing him to a halt. "Are you saying that the rumors are true? And you plan to..." Klightus blushed again, nodding. He found his words caught in his throat.

That made Eigen's head tilt back, a throaty laugh escaping him. "No wonder you've been trying to destroy the enemy as much as possible! Take out their leaders so that the rest fall apart like..." The Inquisitor's head shook. The Canoness looked lost. "Oh, this is going to be priceless! Yes, I will have to prepare. We're going to have to do this right and proper! When we get back, we'll have to have the chapel set up for it. And a proper feast after. Followed by a day of prayer and meditation, naturally. Fasting, too."

He spared a brief glance to the Canoness. "Why aren't you jubilant? Surely you know what all... Never mind." He threw an arm around Klightus' shoulders, grinning like a madman. "Do you have everything? No, of course not. Maybe enough, but not as much as you want. I'll help however I'm able. We'll break these infernal heretics as quickly as possible and return. Ha! You should have told me sooner!"

>>13904210
Klightus was deeply confused. The Inquisitor had been showing him a bit of attention these last two missions, but he'd always been his dispassionate self. Now... "Inq-quisitor Eigen, I-I..."

"Wiprecht," he corrected quickly. "Just Wiprecht. I know what you're thinking. Why do I care so much? Because this happens so very rarely! This may be the one chance in my entire life to participate in such an event. And, believe it or not, when I was a child... Anyway! Come! We have much to discuss, and must liberate this planet in the Emperor's name with as much haste as we can. If the Canoness will allow it, I'd like to assign two squads directly to support you. I don't want anything to happen to you before then. You've served alongside Sister Superior Cordelia's squad before, yes? Right, that's one. Now..."

Klightus couldn't help but wonder what he'd gotten himself into.

>>13904217
Klightus smoothed out his clothes, feeling horribly awkward in them. His robes he'd grown used to, his battle dress uniform he felt the utmost comfort in. His dress uniform? He doubted that he'd ever feel perfectly at ease in it. But he didn't have the luxury of time to wait. By Holy Terra time, he had two hours left. Local time he had more, but in something like this, he wanted to keep it proper.

He left his rather small quarters, squinting at the sunshine. Already, Sister Cordelia was outside with the rest of her squad. Ephrael and Amaia looked to him silently, their eyes questioning. He couldn't stand to meet their gaze.

Cordelia stepped up to him to adjust his collar, looking him over. Satisfied, she took a step back, a hint of a smile on her face. "By your lead, we will follow."

>mfw Klightus

>>13904227
If anything could make him more terrified of what he was about to do, it was having a squad at his back for it. He wasn't sure if they were to keep him from running or... His mind couldn't even begin to fathom. But Wiprecht had insisted that they be there. Honestly, he would have preferred if only Amaia were with him. Maybe also Ephrael. Nyze, he supposed, would have been a welcome addition. Maybe Sister Plath. And the Canoness. Quintilla would have been upset if he didn't invite her after inviting everybody else.

Alright, so the entire squad and perhaps eight to twenty others.

He nodded once and began a slow march. As one, the squad fell into step behind him. Each step became more comforting to him, the sound of their footfalls in unison. A beat that he could move with. A beat to measure his terror by. His hands were slick with sweat.

Finally, however, they reached the courtyard. The Canoness had pulled several individuals together under the pretense of a private discussion. Private being a very loose term -- it felt like half of the monastery was gathered here today. Even Wiprecht sat on a nearby bench, his servoskull watching the proceedings as intently as he was.

As he approached his target on the intended vector, it felt like his chest was eight sizes too small and his heart about to explode. His knees quivered. This was a battle, all right. A battle against himself. And like with any battle, he had to forge ahead to overcome the fear.

Finally, his feet brought him to a halt in front of Sister Bethany. Her ice blue eyes looked to him curiously, despite the pleasant smile on her face. It was all that he could do to keep from collapsing. Instead, he found the pace, the meter inside his head, ticking silently to pace his words.

>>13904240
"Sister B-Bethany." His voice cracked softly. He coughed into his hand and began again. "Sister Bethany. There are traditions to be followed. I have prayed for guidance, and have received no sign as to yay or nay. So instead, I put the Emperor's d-decision onto you. You will decide my worthiness in his stead.

"On this day, a little more than a millennia ago, Saint Valen Kerstine fell in battle." The meter was hard to follow. He clung to it like his own heartbeat. "He was known for his bravery in battle, in slaying heretics with a righteous fury. For this he was lifted to sainthood upon his death. But he was also known for other things. For during his life, he attracted the adoration of planetary governor Drachilda Meier, and was wed. So t-touched was he by this, that after gauging the purity of two lovers, he himself would preside over their marriage.

"It is as such that he is adored on worlds not only as a saint of battle, but as a saint of joining b-between a man and a woman. It is said that any who take anothers hand, either in agreement or in holy m-marriage within the eyes of the Emperor will find their love for each other b-blessed. And should that love falter, the guilty party will be struck down."

Klightus took a deep breath, retrieving the ring from his pocket. "It is as such, Sister Bethany, Daughter of the Emperor..." He forced himself to drop to one knee in a controlled manner. "That on this day..." He held the ring out for her, and all assembled to see. "That I would seek to ask your hand in m-m-marriage. And, should you f-find yourself accepting, to wed you before this holy d-day is complete."

Bethany's hands went to her mouth, covering them. Her eyes welled with tears. Suddenly, he was gripped with a blind panic. Had he embarrassed her? Maybe he should have done this privately. What if her answer was no? What if-

Suddenly she was on her knees, her arms wrapped tight around him. She buried her face into his neck. He could feel the wetness of her tears against his skin as her fingers dug into his back. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she pulled away just enough to look into his eyes...

...and nodded.

His own vision became cloudy as he nodded questioningly to her. She reaffirmed her nod, and then took it a step further, placing her forehead against his. She was smiling. So was he. Nothing could make this moment any better.

She pulled away suddenly, looking around. He was suddenly aware again of the people surrounding them, applauding. Wiprecht was cheering. The man was a romantic at heart. With more joy than he'd felt in his entire life, Klightus took Bethany's hand and gently slid the ring onto her finger.

If anything, all that it succeeded in doing was making the crowd go even more insane. Well, as insane from joy as the Sisters were capable of. The two of them made their way to their feet and looked across the assembled. It seemed like there were even more people clustered than there were before he said anything.

>>13904262
It wasn't long before they were pulled apart. He was rather surprised to receive a motherly hug from the Canoness. "You hardly stuttered at all," she whispered in his ear, turning his cheeks bright red. Before he could reply, though, she pulled away and moved to Bethany. It seemed she wanted a look at the ring -- funny, he had another to give Bethany.

Almost immediately, he felt a blow to his shoulder. Sister Ephrael was grinning from ear to ear. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I w-wanted it to b-be a surprise," he admitted, ducking his head.

"Bah! I could have helped!"

"I don't think he needed it." Amaia's cool voice called his attention. Her face was blank, completely even. Crap. As Bethany's biological sister, he should have- "I already gave you my blessing." Now she smirked. "I knew something was up when you started trying to get yourself killed more than usual. Worthiness by fire, perhaps? Or just trying to get us back in time?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but only a squeak came out.

"No matter," she said, turning away. "Nyze! Ephrael! We're going to have work to do. We need to prepare the chapel for-"

"I believe it is already prepared." The new voice turned everybody's attention. Before them was a man obviously of the Ecclesiarchy. Gauging by his bearings and clothes, and the way that the Sisters reacted with extreme reverence, Klightus guessed that he was somebody rather important.

"It is not often that an Inquisitor begins calling in favors for a wedding," the man continued. "Much less so when he begins trying to call in the favors of his mentor to try and get a Cardinal to preside." He looked upon the assembled. "I am told that there are proper garments for Sister Bethany awaiting her. The rest of you should make yourselves presentable. You have one Terran hour to report to the cathedral. It is then that we shall begin the service."

Happier words Klightus had never heard.

>>13904272
"I d-do," Klightus murmured, not looking away from Bethany.

The cathedral virtually glowed. The Light of the Emperor shined through the windows, reflecting off of the golden vestments of faith that adorned this holy place. Even the dark iron vestments seemed to come to life with brilliant color. It seemed like the Emperor himself was in the room with them. Which was precisely how it should have been.

Bethany wore a set of robes which had been prepared precisely for this purpose. A veil covered her face, but her eyes pieced through, as expressive as ever. Joy, pure and unadulterated joy shined in her eyes. Even covered as she was, she looked positively beautiful in his eyes.

Klightus had been impressed by the turnout -- either Inquisitor Eigen... Either Wiprecht had more clout than he had guessed, or everybody wanted to join in the celebration. More members of the Ecclesiarchy had shown up than there were on the planet, and even three other members of the Inquisition. The cathedral was positively brimming with people. In the four hours that they had stood here, the hymns sung by the gathered almost made the walls shake. Today was truly the day that the impossible was possible.

>>13904278
"Sister Bethany of the Order of the Wounded Hand," Cardinal Volker Aufwieg continued. "Do you join yourself with Guardsman Klightus Gramon of House Gramon, to serve the Imperium, to defend against heretical thought just as you defend yourself and he defends you, to guide away from sin, to guard from taint, to aid him in the destruction of the foes of the Imperium, and to deliver both yourself and him to the blessings of the mighty God Emperor of Mankind else earn his wrath, so long as you both may live and forever more?"

Bethany gave Klightus' hands a gentle squeeze. Her answer was clear. Anybody who knew her would know that such a simple gesture on her part could speak volumes, and in this case, it was her agreement. Klightus closed his eyes to keep the tears from welling. His heart felt so full that it might burst. Were he to die right now, he would have no regrets.

"I do," she said in the softest, meekest of voices.

Truly, today was a day where the impossible happened.

>>13904286

Sorry about the short and craptastic writefaggotry, but I just wanted to say...

Happy Saint Valen Kerstine's day, /tg/.

>>13904296

I love you, man.

>>13904296
I'm glad to have received more Klightus when before I expected none.

However now I must declare MOAR! FOR THE LOVE OF EMPRHA, MOAR!

>Saint Valen Kerstine's day

Oh god i must be slow, i now just got it i had assumed this was just another /tg/ storytime.

>>13904296
>Valen Kerstine
I see what you did there. And to go with everyone else, KLIGHTUS FUCK YEAH!

>This whole thread.

>>13904286
I have no suitable images.

Bless you, writefag!

Valentimes...

>>13904322
I wish I could, but I sacrificed enough sleep as it is to make sure that I got this out on time. Plus I need eats. Then getting ready for work. Besides, this was a spur of the moment thing when I realized last night/this morning "Oh, hey. People are doing Valentines stuff. Huh. Yeah, I guess it would have been more cool to have posted Klightus stuff now. Eh, I can tell this story, since I've known the basics of how it runs forever."

Besides, I'm still working on polishing up stuff for the submission.

>>13904302
>>13904332
>>13904399
Thank you!

>>13904324
>>13904327
Kind of lame, I know, but I couldn't resist. Thanks for getting a kick out of it!

>>13904176
"their" is not, contrary to popular belief, an acceptable gender-neutral pronoun. Their is for plurals only. You want to either specify a gender for the person Klightus killed or you want to use his/her.
his/her sounds retarded.
you decide.

>>13904452
You are both wrong and a faggot. "Their" is a perfectly acceptable neutral pronoun.

>>13904572
PLURAL pronoun.
Their is NOT a substitute for his/her.

Good god, I cried bitch tears.

>>13904436

All of da boyz iz cheeerin, and nuffins been shot up!

>>13904601
You are not correct.

So...happy

>>13904601

I have just checked multiple dictionaries, and they all say that "they" and "their" are valid for referring to a person of indeterminate gender. Please check yourself for accuracy before you correct people.

If you live anywhere near LA I'll gladly buy you dinner.
If you don't live near LA, visit it so I can buy you dinner.

>Pic related.
>my reaction to this entire thread.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/13904170/

archived

Bump because we don't get enough good content for any holiday but Christmas.

Many manly tears were shed. Thanks Shy, I (and I'm sure several others) needed this today.

Also it's good to see Klightus again.

>>13907299
We all need awesome on occasion. We all need heart on occasion too.

I'm glad I could help.

In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.

But even in the darkness of times, a light would shine, bringing hope and the courage to face the unknown tomorrow.

On Saint Valen Kerstine's day, a light did shine brightly, and the future was, even for a little while, less grim, and less dark.

Thank you, Shy Guardsman. May the light and the Emperor's favor keep shining on Klightus, and on you.