Anton bit into the small bit of corpse-starch he had brought out as lunch. The doughy, flavorless substance mashed around in his gums, dented over and over by his teeth. Finally, he swallowed it, running his tongue over his teeth in order to clear the strange aftertaste of it before it fully set in. He sighed, before pushing out a little more and taking another bite.
He sat on top of a makeshift trench he was digging, rear legs resting down the hill while one of his forward limbs supported him. After several days of digging and setting up reinforcements by himself, he had a small trench going across around half of the clearing closest to the cave. The dirt had been thrown down the hill, coating it in a good degree.
Finally, he decided that what he had eaten was enough. He covered the starch with the hang-over of the wrapper, tucking it back into one of his pouches. He turned back so that he was right-side-up, and grabbed his shovel, falling back into the trench. He stuck it into the dirt, scooping up a shovelful and chucked it over the trench wall. He brought it back down to the floor of the trench and began to scoop up another one.
After a bit, he stopped as he had cleared out a decent amount of dirt. He stuck the shovel in the ground, climbing back out of the trench. He turned to a pile of wooden boards he had cut larger trees, grabbing one in his aura before taking it back to the trench. He lined it up with the horizontal boards already lining the trench walls, using spare bits of metal to knock it into the hard-packed dirt of the trench wall. Using a mixture of his magic and his forward limbs, he began to bend the piece of metal, securing it into the wood. As it finally bent against the length of the wood, he pushed forward a bit, and fell forward.
He stood up, scowling, when he noticed that he had cut himself just above his twisted glove, where his wrist would be if he were still pure. A thin trail of blood oozed from the cut, spreading down the limb, up and over his glove until it fell to the dirt. A sharp stinging pain came up from it, causing him to hiss. Even after the pain died down, however, he continued to look at it. He sat down, supported by the mass of his lower end. He brought his other limb up to the cut, pressing it. A fresh wave of blood came out, accompanied by pain. He clenched his teeth, yet continued to press. "Holy pain", he muttered. "Recompense for my sin of existence. I offer my blood to the Emperor; I pray it quenches his thirst." He finally pulled out a bandage, wrapping it around the cut and tying it off.
His attention was drawn away from his wound by a light pinging. He looked at the small auspex remote, the green and white screen showing a white dot growing increasingly closer. He used his aura to bring it closer to his face, checking to make sure that it was right. After a few seconds of recalibration, sure enough; something big was coming.
Anton slid the auspex into another pouch on his webbing, grabbing his lasgun which it was leaned on, and dove into the half-finished trench. He placed a pair of grenades next to him on the lip of the trench, pressing the stock to his shoulder as he aimed.
The beeping grew louder, and he heard a light stomping noise. He continued to scan back and forth across the opening, looking for any sign of the movement his auspex was picking up. Finally, he saw a flicker of movement on the other side of the abatis and shifted his lasgun to aim at it.
A large... thing came in front of the abatis. It appeared to be similar to a lion, a beast he had seen on the heraldry of one of the Noble Houses. However, it was much larger than he pictured it, and that basic form was the only similarity he could spot. A pair of long ears poked out in front of the blood-red mane, while a pair of leathery wings sprouted from its back. They looked too small to support flight, so that gave him a small degree of comfort. What off-set that comfort was the massive, barbed tail sticking out from its lower back, hanging over its shoulder and twitching menacingly.
It stopped, took a few big sniffs, and looked in his direction. It snarled, getting up on its rear legs and issuing a roar. Anton saw that it had a few ribs showing across its chest. It was hungry. And that would mean it would be more aggressive.
Anton muttered, "Grant me the sight of the eagle, the calm of the breeze, the patience of the saint, and the skill to smite the foe from afar." He closed an eye as he adjusted the weapon, lining up a shot with its head. He depressed the trigger, and a loud crack sounded, smacking the beast right between the eyes. It fell back, roaring and hissing in equal measure. After a second, it got to its feet, a black scorch-mark in between eyes filled with rage.
In one fluid motion, he raced forward, smashing aside the abatis with its tail and paws. The abatis did draw blood, the tips sticking out of various parts across its arms and one in its tail. However, like the lasgun shot, it only seemed to slow it down and anger it. Soon, it had completely smashed the barricade, and was barreling across the clearing.
Anton growled, "Frack, frack, frack." He grabbed one of the grenades, using his aura to keep the lasgun up and firing. Like before, however, the bolts only seemed to make it mad. Even still, after a few shots, it started to slow slightly, low growls coming from it. This was the window he had been waiting for.
"Great God-Emperor", he muttered, bringing the grenade closer to his mouth. "Watch over your servant, and bestow on him the skill and patience to time the moment and make the kill." He grabbed the pin in his teeth, albeit with a bit of difficulty due to them being a bit bigger than before. He pulled his limb back, the pin still in his teeth, and chucked the grenade overhead at the slowing beast.
It landed in front of it, and as the beast lumbered forward, it came over the grenade. The grenade detonated, sending it rolling back down the slope to rest at the bottom. Anton spit out the pin, grabbing the lasgun in his grip and wrapping the sling around his neck. He moved slowly down the hill, watching for movement at the canyon entrance or from the beast. However, nothing appeared, and he finally arrived at the side of it.
The lower part of the beast had been torn to bits. Bits of gore decorated the ground around where the grenade had gone off. Even more, in addition to bits of bone fragments and an ever-growing pool of blood. Anton walked around the mauled lower legs, looking at the head. The damage wasn't as severe near the top; only two or three lasbolt strikes. However, he judged it dead, due both to the mass of injuries and glassy-eyed look it bore. Anton poked it with the lasgun to be sure, but it was dead.
Anton walked around the beast, poking it a bit more and examining its body. It was massive, easily as big as an Astartes, and even though it appeared to be malnourished, it was still rippling with meat. In addition, he figured that he could do some other things with it. "I wouldn't mind a proper pillow", he mused, slinging his lasgun over his shoulder and pulling out his combat knife.