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[Christofari]

The old man wanders, his years on this rock are lost. He knows not his own age for the seasons and days have lost all meaning. The skies are a constant gray, no indication of night or day. Not that it matters, those terms are old dead memories long forgotten....
There is a sound, scratching. There are no hiding places on this desolate wasteland. In every direction all he sees are small scrubs and tumbleweeds. There are hills in the distance and broken, burnt trees on the slopes. So where could the scratching sound, now roaring in the silence, be coming from? He takes another step and his old boot makes an unfamiliar thump on the desert surface. He kneels down and brushes the sand from his footprint. It is wood, not a branch or stick but a well-formed plank. He continues to remove the dust and finds a door.
"How does a door end up in the desert?" He thinks to himself.

He searches for an edge, some way to get a grip on this oddity. This is the most interesting thing he's seen in weeks, no reason to pass by without some investigation. He finds a notch on one side. He tries to lift it with his fingers to no avail. He stands back up to his full height, a modest 5'9, and stretches his back. He swings his pack around and begins digging for his entrenching tool. "Ah, never leave the foxhole without it!" He says with a wry grin.

[Christofari]

He digs around the notch and soon discovers why his fingers were too weak; this isn't just a door lying on the ground, its an actual doorway. Apparently locked in some manner he can't perceive. He begins to pry on the notch, the door gives way slightly with a splintering sound. Finally with a loud crack something within the door breaks and he sets his entrencher down.

Gently he lifts the door, it is pitch black inside. He opens wider but still can't see pass the vertical threshold. "Well the hell with this" he grunted and yanked the door all the way open with all his strength. The door flew wide and banged open. He peered into the hole and heard the scratching sound again. He grabbed his pocket torch and shined it down what he could now see was a long flight of stairs. Suddenly he heard a rush of wings, thousands of dark shapes came flying past him! Bats! He knew well to avoid their bites, all wasteland creatures have some level of venom in this unforgiving world. He lay on the ground and covered his head, waiting for the living tsunami to end.

Once the dust had settled he poked his head into the hole again "any more surprises in there!?" He said to no one in particular. Confident the bats were finished with their exodus he took a step down the stairs. Lower and lower, they seemed to go on forever, until he finally reached another door. This one was a different story altogether. Not wood but a very sturdy looking metal. Obviously designed to survive whatever catastrophe had ended most of the surface life. He examined the portal. There were letters, luckily his mother had thought to teach him reading when his father gave him a break from survival skills training. "H-E-P-S 007, wonder what it means?" He thought aloud. After further investigation he discovered a small control panel with a grille on top. He reached out to touch the panel and with a yelp, jumped back. "Still got some juice in ya huh?" He snorted at the panel. To gis surprise it responded by lighting up in a curious pattern, at the end of which a female voice announced "Thank you for using the Walmart Human Environmental Protection Shelter model 007! Please enter passcode or give vocal recognition code now."

He thought on this for a few seconds. The voice repeated "Please enter passcode or give verbal recognition code now."
"Look lady" he began "I don't have any codes or whatchamacallit ...." "Vocal recognition code accepted! Thank you for shopping at Walmart survival centers! Have a nice day!" The panel went dark and all at once there was sounds of machinery from all around him. Hisses and clanks, sounds of pistons and locks disengaging. Then a final depressurizing gasp and the door slowly began to slide open.

He carefully entered the room, hoping to avoid another incident like the bats. As soon as he crossed the doorway several fluorescent bulbs flickered on in the ceiling and walls. He extinguished his torch to save fuel and took a few more steps. The further he went the more lights came on until soon he was bathed in the ethereal glow. He could see lockers along both walls, this was clearly a staging area or foyer for entry and exit of the shelter. The floors were dusty but in very good condition. He breathed in the stale air and could tell this room hadn't been used in his lifetime. He reached out to open one of the lockers. It just had a simple hasp lock. No need for heavy security WITHIN this place. Inside the locker he found an environmental suit, boots and a portable generator built to be carried by hand. He moved on to the next locker and found a similar collection of gear, with the addition of some tools; rock hammer, chisels. The third locker was equally uninteresting, as were the fourth and fifth. He moved to the other side and almost shouted with joy upon opening the next locker. Ammunition! Different calibers and types, magnesium rounds and stun bullets, shotgun and rifle, even pistol rounds. He had been using his ammo sparingly for years, even so, he was running dangerously low. Ammo was as valuable as water in the wasteland. He could only pray the powder was still active after so much time locked away. He moved on to the next locker and was almost moved to tears as he ran his hand over the collection of weapons inside. He saw a revolver, large caliber, several automatics hanging in holsters and right in the middle as if to say "this is the king" was a four-barreled sawed off 12 gauge shotgun. Inscribed on the stock was one word "Gator".

[Christofari]

OOC :
This story is set in a post-apocalyptic future earth. Imagine "the road" and "book of Eli" but further down the road of destruction. Our main character has been wandering since he was a child, taught everything he knows from his mother and father before they died while he was very young.
The world itself is almost back to the stone age, very little remains on the surface and there is no structure or society. While I don't want to give away where this is all going I will post a question: what if a hundred years from now, in a world where no one reads and there's nothing left to believe in, a man stumbles upon the books of the black library, and believes them? What if the world has been waiting for a century for a new god, and this man finds it?

I've always been interested in how religions got their start, so I figured I'd write a story that starts one. I wonder if this could happen? If enough people believed the emperor was our god and living somewhere in the galaxy looking over us it would be a whole new world order. The gospel of Abnett, or Green. The stories of the empire would be told to children as lessons and the laws would be based on imperial doctrine.

I dunno, just thought it would be fun. I'll write til I get bored, hope you guys enjoy it:)

[Christofari]

Already he could barely contain his excitement. After checking the rest of the lockers to varying degrees of success, a few electric torches, some binoculars and other optics, more ammunition. He then turned his attention to the large door at the other end of the hall. Obviously with the treasures he had discovered in the lockers, this next room must be even more spectacular. He gripped the handle; a small metal hook about five inches long, and pulled. Nothing happened. He pulled harder and still nothing. Tragedy! To come so far and find such wonders only to be denied further entry! As he begin to slump down the door he put his weight on the handle, it turned! He flung the door open and was immediately dissapointed. Another dark room. As he began to pull out his pocket torch he remembered the seemingly magical way the lights turned on as he entered the locker room. He stepped into the next room but still it remained dark. He took another step, hoping for some sign but still nothing. He remembered the lockers and went to retrieve one of the electric torches. His luck surprised him for once as the first one he tried took only a moment of fiddling before it came to life. The brightest, most powerful light he had ever witnessed in a mans hand. It was like a lightening bolt but continuous. He went back to the second room and shined his new torch inside, but again he was dissapointed. Instead of useful items or more ammo he could only see rows of books. Many of the words seemed strange to him, while he could read he did not have knowledge of these names and places.

He looked over the titles and found a great many different subjects, some appeared to speak of wars and others had stories of gods and magic. One book seemed like it may be important "Holy B-i-b-l-e" he muttered, but after further investigation he realized there was only one book like this. Lots of books seemed to be about one thing or another. None seemed to carry much purpose, until he found a whole shelf dedicated to a series of books. These told tales of great warriors, and an emperor who watched over man from a golden throne on a planet called "Terra" it all sounded so amazing. Millions of planets inhabited by man. Knights that traveled the sky in mighty battleships and came down on wings of fire, crushing all those creatures that would do man harm. This was hope! The idea that man was doomed had been accepted years before he was even born. It was only a matter of time before the world swallowed us up, but here was proof that man existed outside of this planets grey skies and was waiting to welcome us back into their beautiful empire!

[Christofari]

For once in his miserable life he began to feel a purpose brewing. This message must be carried out of this hole in the ground. He suddenly realized he had been sitting in this room reading for a very long time. He pulled a draft from one of his waterskins. They wouldn't last much longer. Reluctant to tear his eyes from the books, he accepted they weren't going anywhere and resumed his exploration of the shelter. Past the room of books he found another area. This one seemed to be focused on a large flat box with a glass front. All of the chairs in the room were pointed at it. He walked around to one of the chairs and sat down. Immediately the glass box activated. Lights and sounds began emanating from it and the screen read "Space Marine 3" and underneath in much smaller letters "now with kinect support!". This already had been a strange enough day and he had heard of magic so there wasn't much surprise left in him. He watched the screen intently as the knights from the books appeared on screen, battling green monsters and grotesque versions of themselves called "kay-oss marines". The battle was fierce and amazing to watch. He believed he could almost touch their weapons and feel the heat of battle. He raised his hands to cover his eyes and the screen changed "please select mode" replaced the warriors. Curiously he raised his hand again, where his finger was he could see the screen had a corresponding marker. He moved his finger around and noticed the icons changed color when he touched them.....

[Christofari]

"This must be how the knights train" he thought. He began to imagine the life they must lead. How difficult it must be giving up everything to fight for people you may never see? This only strengthened his resolve. He would be the light that saved this world. His voice would tell the people of this new hope. Already he could feel life returning to his old bones and soon he would share this life with everyone. He got up from his seat and moved to the next room. As soon as he stood up the screen went dark. "Such amazing magic!" He thought.

As he opened the next door and stepped in, he was once again greeted by the magic lights. Apparently this room was still sensitive to his presence. He surveyed the scene; there was another group of lockers. Larger than the others, he recognised these as food storage. He opened the first and shivered as a cold wind escaped and blew past him. Rows and rows of small packages filled the locker. He pulled one out and tore it open. It contained a small bar of grainy material. He sniffed it. It smelled faintly of meat so he touched his tongue to it. It had an interesting flavour, nothing he could quite remember ever tasting before. He took a large bite and savored the new experience. As he continued munching he moved on to the next locker. This one was incredible! Rows of bottles filled with the clearest liquid he had ever seen. He read the label "vitamin water". So not water but maybe safe to drink. He opened one and took a sip, it was delicious! Like nothing he'd ever tasted. The water of the wasteland hadn't been pure since long before he was born so he had only very rarely drank anything that didn't make him want to vomit at first. This was just another of the many wonders he had encountered so far and he was eager to continue searching.

In the next room he had his first hint of the tragedy that he'd known for as long as he had been walking. There was a desk, a bed, several lockers and shelves and a chair.... and sitting in the chair, with his back to the door, was a man. His hair was long but had fell out in patches. His clothes were dusty and his skin looked like old leather. It was obvious he had been dead for many years. In his hand was a pen, and on the desk was the beginning of a letter;


" I have lived alone for many years. I knew the world was running short on time and I hid. Not like my heroes, the space marines of the imperium. I hid like a coward and hoped the world would fix itself. I am so lonely, no one believed me when I told them the end was near. I gathered what I could and took refuge in this bunker. I'm surprised it actually survived the apocalypse.... or whatever it was. There was a lot of vibration and noise, then everything got silent. That was four years ago at least. I've been alone ever since. My books and games kept me entertained for a while, but I can't take it anymore. I leave all this to whoever finds it. I wish you the best and I hope you have better luck than me.
Always carry the Emperor in your heart and you will never fail as I have.

Sincerely, The Gamer"

Tears shone in the old mans eyes as he finished the letter. He examined the body. That's when he saw the needle in his arm. The Gamer had taken his life apparently. This was his last request. The old man felt even stronger than before. He would not fail the Gamer. He would carry the Emperor always in his heart and spread his word to the far corners of the earth. Everyone must know this joy! He began preparing for his own training. He would dedicate the rest of his life to becoming like the knights , like the Space Marines.

[Christofari]

OOC: Man has become stagnant. We believe that Facebook and Xbox will save us. The truth is our tiny marble of a world is always in danger. Meteors and natural disasters, to man-made destruction. A smart man once said to me "we treat this planet as if we have somewhere else to go" well, that's not exactly true. We have plenty of places to go and the power to mold them to our needs but we no longer have the desire to reach them. We are so focused on the screen that we never see the real truth. This world isn't big enough for us, and if its destroyed, so are we. It must become the duty of mankind to plant our seed on as many new worlds as possible. Stop fighting over the scraps of land on this tiny world and start taking EVERY world. This is where this story goes. Not waiting for a sign from space or someone to save us, but finding our own salvation through our perpetual existence. People say the world will end in fire or flood or rapture. Then what are we waiting for? If someone tells you your house is burning do you sit there watching the TV waiting for it to happen???? We need a purpose as a species. It has been taken from us by those that would profit from our ignorance. No matter what religion or country or political party you claim, if we stay here, we die.

Don't listen when they tell you we're trapped, that we must buy products and sit idly by while our planet dies and leaves us with no place to go. Forget about voting for laws and politicians that only seek to continue this same doomed existence. Look for those with vision, and the means to carry us to the stars.

Um.... I guess I'm done preaching now. More story later lol

[Christofari]

Many years later.....

The young cadet entered the chamber. The lord commander looked him over.
"Have a seat, I'm sure you've had a long day. What brings you to the castle? Has not the days training been enough work without further travels? You are in the 3rd correct? That's several kilometres from here."

"Yes lord commander, but nothing is so tiring to stop my hunger for knowledge"

At this the old man smiled "I have always admired dedication to the pursuit of knowledge as much as physical power. What story would you have me tell? The battle of red island? The building of north castle? How about the launching of the first battleship "Vox Veritas"?

[Christofari]

The young cadet replied, "With respect sir, I'd like to hear again of the traveler".

"Ah yes" said the commander. "That is one of my best!" He beamed. "I was only a boy when I found the traveler, he was already an old man but so full of purpose. His armor was like none I had ever seen. Giant shoulders and a helmet like a mans skull. He carried a shotgun with four barrels at his hip. Although he was always heavily armed, his true strength was his dedication to the Emperor. He told me "Always carry the Emperor in your heart and you will never fail". Sometimes its hard for you cadets to understand what that truly means. Only in death does duty end but if you die for the Emperor you have not failed. Your life is given meaning by your actions and through your death you succeed where others never will. You are a child of the Emperor, and when your training is complete you will be one of his angels, fighting to bring his word to all mankind"

The young soldier couldn't help but smile. The commanders words always filled him with pride. Someday he hoped to fight the Emperors battles and carry the words of Abnett to the ends of the earth and beyond. Which reminded him "Any news on the flying machines yet sir?"

The commander sighed, "I am afraid some of our successes are equally balanced by our setbacks. The thunderhawk project is going smoothly, we will soon have access to the entire planet and total air superiority. However our attempts to breach the atmosphere still are met with poor results. The old texts tell how to build the ships, but exactly how they work is still a mystery. Once we break from this planets grasp I'm sure the Astronimicon will show us the way."

"I have no fear commander. For the Emperor I will push our ships to the stars with my own hands!"

The commander laughed "I appreciate your dedication cadet but I don't think that will be called for. These problems are only minor setbacks. We have purpose and nothing will stop us for reuniting with our brothers in the stars."

[Christofari]

"Ah but back to the traveler. When I first began my path as a warrior under his instruction he already had a large force. Several hundred men followed him across the land, seeking able bodies and open minds from the small camps and villages they came across. Most of the world was still quite uncivilized. Our progress over the last seventy years has been incredible. The construction of the first training academies, then the cities, and finally the reclamation of the science facilities in the north. We had a tough road ahead but no man was afraid under the travelers watchful eyes. He always sought out those who seemed close to losing faith and reminded them what we were fighting for. Teaching us of the imperium of man and how one day we would leave this world to find new homes among the stars. We trained constantly, many of us barely big enough to even hold a gun! He gave us hope, and the skills to deliver that hope to all mankind. Those were dark days, but we always knew the light of the Emperor was upon us."

[Christofari]

The cadet listened, as always, on the edge of his seat. Finally, the commander took a long pause. "So was that the story you were hoping for?"

"Yes sir, I always love hearing how it all started. It reminds me what we fight for and why I wanted to be a space marine."

"Yes well, that will come in time my boy. I've always found it funny we're called "space marines" yet we've never seen past the clouds... hopefully we'll reach that dream in my lifetime.." the old commander said with a faraway look in his eyes. "Hopefully..." The commander blinked and seemed to forget where he was for a moment, "I suppose you'd better be getting back to your barracks now. Don't want sergeant Dixon to have to hunt you down heh heh!"

The cadet rose and gave the sign of the Aquila, "YES SIR!" and turned to leave.

The commander stopped him as he reached the door "Remember what I said, always carry the emperor in your heart"

The cadet finished "and you will never fail" and left to begin the long march back to his training barracks.

[Christofari]

Flashback to the traveler....

It had taken him months to soak up all the knowledge held in the books of the shelter. He had trained with the glass box every day and learned all the skills and techniques of the space marines. He studied the miniature models of the weapons and vehicles of the imperium. After he felt he had learned all he could from the shelter he began preparing for his new quest. He used the tools he had found to create armor from the locker doors and other parts within the shelter. He used the drawings and technical schematics to carefully recreate every possible detail of the mighty battle suits. He even had powered joints in the legs and arms to increase his strength. The automated systems of the shelter had provided many spare parts to help in this endeavour. Even the portable generator which ran off of the same fusion batteries that powered the shelter was integrated into his suit. He now had the word, and the power to deliver it. The wild earth he had grown to hate would know the imperial truth. Soon he would begin to right the great wrongs created by the last civilization. He would need an army. He also found records of many other bunkers like this one. Places dedicated to the science he would need to continue. Mankind hides from knowledge and change, so he would have to find those that still held the knowledge and bring them into the light. His first destination was several hundred miles away. A place called "the NORAD bunker". Supposedly designed to survive any disaster known to man, it was a good bet there were still survivors inside. Likely someone still clinging to the old ways that had destroyed the world. He would have to show them the way of the Emperor.

[Christofari]

Timeline;
Traveler discovers bunker, begins to record time. Year one.
First Astartes fortress built. Year 13
Astartes retake north America, now known as The Basilica of Terra. Year 27
First ocean battleship "Vox Veritas" is launched. Year 34
First Thunderhawk successful flight. Year 79
First space probe launch. Year 84
First human in space (uptime). Year 88
First lunar colony. Year 112
Repairing of earths atmosphere. Year 147
Retaking of all the galaxy...... ongoing.

[Sammael]

An interesting concept. A man of many talents, I see.

[Christofari]

Thanks! My thoughts are based on the idea of a society totally focused on its goals rather than just surviving. If you watch documentaries from world war 2 it seemed like their progress and ingenuity was staggering. These people went from propellers to jets in just a few short years. Tanks and battleships were created in record numbers. We were building 50 b-17 bombers a week. Then the cold war and the space race. Now the world has given up. We've all laid back in our chairs and said "this is safe enough, I need a nap now".
My idea is to give mankind that purpose back. Even if it isn't true, with the right people preaching it, an idea like this could change the world. If you look at our progress over the last hundred years my idea isn't all that far fetched. Within 60 years we went from the first airplanes to the first moon landing. These people would have the added benefit of standing on the shoulders of our technology without the hindrance of our complacency.

[Christofari]

Travelers journal, day 27 of the new world:
"Life is much different with the return if timekeeping. I know from my studies the timepiece I retrieved from the shelter is called a "chron" and it should remain active indefinitely. I know now how much sleep I should have and when I should be awake. My body is adapting to the nutrients and vitamins from the shelter. Its obvious the folks from the old world lived much longer lives through medicines and tonics. That's for the best, I'm afraid I wouldn't have the time to spread this message without them. I am........"
He paused. A clicking sound. Familiar. He looked around and sniffed the air. He quickly put his journal away and picked up his helmet. "Time to do the Emperors work I believe." He said to himself and put his helmet on. The mechanical locks he had built into it fell into place and his rudimentary life support and bi-containment systems kicked in. He stood up, now well over 2 meters tall in his armor, and readied his weapons. A chainsword built from salvage, over 50c

[Christofari]

(Sorry, had to get ready for work and the mobile edit function is garbage on my phone...)

He drew his weapons, a chainsword of salvaged materials, over 50 centimetres long and bristling with razor sharp teeth, and in his left hand, the Gator, a beastly sawed off shotgun, now adorned with the symbols of the imperium. He loaded the shotgun with magnesium rounds and prayed to the machine spirit of his chainsword. With his helmet on he had a basic heads up display. It showed temperature and magnetism levels, radiation and various other data. He could see the radiation levels had risen suddenly. Whatever made that sound was definitely a mutant, and from the clicking, most likely and arthropod of massive size....

[Christofari]

Suddenly the beast was upon him! His instincts were right, a scorpion the size of a small automobile was before him. However mutation had been very kind to this creature, for in addition to a scorpions usual arsenal this one had legs that allowed him to stand upright on the rearmost four and twin tails swinging above its enormous head. The top four legs now also had claws for a total of six, each one almost a meter in length like giant scissors. Its face was a mass of eyes and teeth. Three sets of mandibles surrounded its mouth, filled with dagger-like fangs dripping venom.

This was sure to be a challenge, even in his full armor the traveler knew well the danger these creatures posed. He revved his chainsword in an attempt to frighten the beast but to no avail. This creature was hungry, and it would not go quietly. The traveler readied himself and roared through his suits external speakers, "FOR THE EMPEROR!!" and charged. Instantly the scorp sprang into action, one of his deadly stingers grazing the travelers armor as his tail came crashing down in front of him. He could now see the barbs of the stinger. This was meant to hold its prey while it ate then alive and paralyzed. "Unholy beast! Feel my blade!" He shouted as he brought his chainsword down upon the beasts tail. The armor of the creature was far too strong fir a direct attack however, and his sword glanced away, shaking his arm to the bone. He remembered his days of training. The program had shown him to hack at the joints of armored opponents, this was their weak spot. He dodge-rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding one of the creatures claws. It clamped down on his sword and would not release. He fought to free the weapon but with so many claws swinging within his guard zone he had to let go. He rolled again and dropped and improvised flash grenade. The creature roared, temporarily blinded by the flash. The traveller reached out with his shotgun and with a single blast destroyed half of the creatures face. His eyes burst in the explosion and several of his mandibles were left hanging limp and ragged. Useless now. Finally the scorp dropped his chainsword. The traveler retrieved it and swung at the base of the creatures top left claw. This time he was met with success as the entire claw separated and flew free in a spray of black ichor. Again the creature roared, obviously weakened by the wound in its face. It continued to swing its claws wildly, its tails raised high preparing to strike. The traveler returned his shotgun to its holster and pulled a chain from his belt. It was several meters long and ended in a sharp hook. He swung and wrapped the hooked end around one of the creatures tails, it was strong but no match for his augmented armor. He pulled until the stinger was directly in front of the creatures destroyed face and kicked as hard as his suit was able. The stinger buried itself deep in the monsters maw, another roar that quickly turned into a gurgling whimper. Obviously the creature had no tolerance for its own poison. A nasty green froth began spewing from its throat, it began convulsing and flailing about. Finally after sever minutes of this death dance the creature laid down, apparently dead.

The traveler stepped closer to examine the body and retrieve his chain. He could now see why the creature was so enraged at his presence, on its back were several smaller versions of itself. Some had six claws, some had three, others had many tails or just one. They were lost without the parent and just sat there, mewling and clicking to one another. He pulled out one of his water jars and punched a few holes in the top, then carefully placed on of the baby nightmares inside. "Don't know what I'll do with you, but I'm sure you'll come in handy someday" he said quietly. Then chuckled at himself for talking to a beast.

[Christofari]

For several weeks he wandered alone. His only companion was his baby executioner. He had taken to calling him Edward, some reference to a long lost story he'd heard about a man with scissors for hands. Seemed appropriate. During the day as he walked he would tell the little creatures stories of the empire. The great battles, the beasts of space and the daemons of the warp. The little creature almost seemed like it would listen more intently to the tales of tyrranid invasions. At night he would tie Edward to his armor, and in the morning he would always find him munching on some foolish predator that had tried to sneak upon him in the night.

More time passed, he finally came upon a small village. The houses were made of scrubs and twigs. Some had mud bricks and scraps of wreckage salvaged from the old world. He stepped gently, Edward safely hidden in his pack. The place seemed deserted, no life was evident. Maybe they had abandoned this place due to weather PR some other unseen condition? He went from door to door. Peeking inside but still attempting to remain unnoticed.

After some time he began to accept the place was deserted. It looked like another failure. He hadn't seen another human since he'd left the shelter. Still no one to pass the imperial truth to. He remembered the gamers words once again "Always carry the Emperor in your heart, and you will never fail". He had taken to leaving off the last part "as I have" because even though he would never know, the games hadn't failed. He had suffered in death, he carried the Emperor and now the traveler would continue that legacy.

All at once the traveler heard a whooping cry. Obviously human, yet feral and savage in its tone. He quickly ducked behind a bale of straw and waited, listening. Soon the cry was joined by many others, there was the sound of beating hooves and gunfire. He knew this sound from his youth. He well remembered the roving bands of savage outlaws that wandered the wasteland seeking easy targets. He had watched his mother and father die at the hands of one such band. Torn apart before his eyes as he hid where his father had ordered him to stay. His blood began to boil as he heard the tribe draw closer. Now he would finally have a real battle. He would unleash the Emperors fire upon these foes of man and destroy them in His name. ... 
OOC: Sorry for the deplorable spelling errors and editing. I'm writing this from my phone and the editor sucks....! I will attention to repair errors and consolidate this later. Bear with me lol

[Christofari]

He listened as the sounds of madness drew closer. These were bloodthirsty maniacs, possibly cannibals as many warbands of the wasteland tended to devolve into. Closer and closer they came until finally the hooves stopped and the shouting was replaced with the heavy breathing of their mounts and the clicks of weapons being readied.

"Who speaks for this miserable hole!??" Shouted one of the bandits. "I demand tribute! All who appose will be eaten! Actually, all will be eaten!" This drew laughs and maniacal sniggers from his companions.

"The only question now is, who dies fast and who dies slowly?" Again the fits of laughter returned. These were no longer men, they had become human carrion dogs, intent on destruction and living off the death of this land.

Finally a man stepped out into the street. He shouted to the bandits, "I am all that remains, this is a ghost town fair travelers".
The bandit leader roared laughter, "Oh yes I can see that, my FAIR TRAVELER eyes are very keen, and its soooo obvious that you ARE the ONLY person here HA HA HAAAAAAA! " The others laughed with him. "But surely you realize an old man like yourself will not feed my entire band? You are but skin and bones and we require much meat for sustenance".

The traveler listened, he had heard enough of this banter. It was clear who the villains were in this scenario. As always he prayed to the machine spirit of his mighty chainsword and drew his shotgun. Then, thinking better of it he put his weapons away and stood up. He slowly stepped out into the street in between the Nam and the bandits and turned to face them. His suits augmetic systems whirred and hissed with power. The bandits however, were not impressed.

"You there, tin man! How is it you come to be here when this man has clearly stated he was the only resident? You have made him a liar. How will his children feel knowing their daddy is a truthless old cretin?"

"I do not believe he knew I was here. I would not question his integrity were I such as yourself" the traveler said through his suits external address. "In fact, I wouldn't be here at all were I you and I ask that you leave immediately. "

To this the bandits all broke out in fits of mad laughter again. "You would ask!?" He bellowed, "Who are you to ask me anything? What manner of man are you, garbed from head to toe in steel and speaking with a machines voice? I have never in all my travels encountered such as YOURself and I can't wait so savor the delicacy your suit must hold! Hey boys, have any of you ever tried SPAM? Its meat in a can, very delicious!" He said and licked his cracked and scarred lips.
The traveler began to assess the bandits strengths. They had some firearms, mostly light calibers, some clubs and other blunt weapons. Some had scrap armor on their shoulders and old helmets of various styles. Some appeared to be wearing sporting equipment. The traveler chuckled at this. Even bandits were victims of form over function.