AN: Greetings! Here is the next chapter of the Emperor's Talons! I am glad my story has attracted many likes. I have been enjoying writing this tale and your guys' comments really are the Emperor's gifts. I have been busy with work and Summer school so there was an unfortunate delay between the last chapter and this chapter. It was quite difficult thinking of a battle between medieval soldiers and a Custodian without making it too dry and redundant. I hope I have done a good job so far.
I love reading your comments and I do try to answer them whenever I could without hinting at spoilers. I can however mention that there will be no second Gate with our modern world with the JDF military. I want this story to revolve heavily on the 40k setting and the fantasy setting of the Falmart continent. Adding another universe would just be a bit overwhelming for me and of course, the Imperium would just crush them in a heartbeat. This is the tale of the Adeptus Custodes interacting with a medieval society something we have not seen in 40k Lore. This story was inspired by the 40k Novel "Knights of Macragge". A book about Cato Sicarius's journey in the warp and how he and his squad were stranded on a medieval planet. I just loved the interaction between the civilians seeing a "blue knight"
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
It has been days since the Imperium of Man had entered through the Gate and annihilated the Imperial military. News of the total destruction of the Imperial army reached the Capital was slow as General Maoi limped to the Palace and reported the military defeat to the Senate and to the Emperor. The grim news shocked the Senate as they called an emergency meeting with the Emperor to discuss what they should do next.
The Imperial Senate House was a large building able to accommodate a few hundred government officials. The Senate auditorium was a large circular space with a massive dome roof with many frescos of the Empire's achievements and history. There was even a central oculus on the roof providing sunlight in the auditorium. The Senators sat in a semicircle facing the throne. Each Senator wore colorful togas representing their status and office.
The auditorium was loud as groups of Senators began to passionately argue with each other. The Imperial Senate was divided into three factions: the Pro-Peace party, The Pro-War party, and the Neutral party. The Pro-Peace party was made up of intellectuals, philosophers, and other similar statesmen who argued against the Pro-War Party, the military fanatics, that they should never have entered the Gate and provoked the other world with war. The Military fanatics on the other hand declared their opposing party as cowards.
A Pro-War Senator slammed his fist against the marble bench before he stood up furiously. "How dare you call yourself a loyal servant with such talks of defeatism in this house."
The opposing party would shout in disagreement as one would stand from his seat. "Defeatism? My good sir, you are either blind, suffer a concussion, or refuse to accept the truth. It was your arrogance and ego that has led us to this mess. You all must take responsibility!"
"Here! Here!" His party all shouted in agreement while banging on their fists on the marble benches.
"You must really have a death wish, Senator!" The militarist politician growled.
"Is that a threat? You already destroyed our Empire. At this point having my neck slit is a blessing! I won't have to sit in this chamber any longer and smell your foul stench of piss and wine any longer."He said jokingly.
Before any tensions could escalate, the doors swung open as the Emperor entered the auditorium flanked by his armored Praetorians.
"His Majesty Emperor Molt Sol Augustus." The floor announcer proclaimed.
The auditorium quickly went silent and the Senators all stood up bowing their heads in respect for their Emperor. Molt sat on a throne located on a raised platform overseeing the entire senate floor. Once he sat on his throne, the audience all sat down in unison. He slowly scanned the auditorium starting at each of the senators' faces before leaning his head against hand.
"We are gathered here today because we are facing a national crisis." He said coolly. "I have assembled the Senators to counsel me on what we should do to address this issue. Bring forth Viscount Herm Maio" Molt commanded in an authoritative tone.
The main doors slowly opened and Maio marched into the Senate chamber clad in fine armour, wore a white cloak, and carried his crested helm in his arm.
"Viscount Herm Fule Maio." The announcer proclaimed.
"Coward!" A senator shouted.
"Spineless insect!" Another shouted.
"Honorless bastard!"
Maio tried to ignore the berating comments, but the constant verbal abuse made his arms shiver.
"Y-your Majesty." He bowed his head in respect while trying not to slur his words into incomprehensible jargon.
Molt was leaning his head against his hand. " Viscount Maio, I fair you are well rested from your...travels?"
The Senate Chamber was dead silent, but Maio felt as if he could still hear all of the Senator's berating comments and gossip in paranoia. The whispers and comments were probably mentioning him as a coward for not dying honorably and for deserting his post.
"I...I have your majesty."
"Can you give your account of the enemy we are facing?"
Maio felt his back stiffen, his bile rising up in his throat, and the fear returning. "After three months of preparation, they finally came...Senator Godasen ordered a General Assembly, we formed triplex acies, and began to rain heavy projectiles at the invaders.
"Were these the same giants that attacked you from your accounts in the new world?"
He gulped loudly. "No, your majesty. These giants were not yellow with the iconography of a clenching fist."
There were loud murmurs in the senate floor.
"There are more types of giants?"
Maio nodded his head fearfully. "These beings were taller, wearing ornate golden armour."
More loud murmurs could be heard from the Senators.
"Gold?" The Saderan Emperor asked inquisitively.
"Aye. Enough gold to fill the state's coffers a hundred times over. They were twice- nay thrice the size of a normal man wielding a massive large spear. The blade was bright as the blue sky and shot fire wherever he pointed his blade at."
"They are magic castors?"
"I…" Maoi was hesitant if they were even magic users, but the way they moved was far too unnatural. " I do not know."
The Emperor could press more questions, but it would not help him form a counterattack against these beings when he just recently lost a good portion of his army.
"How many of the giants do you believe have invaded our world?"
Maybe two or maybe three hundred."
Molt couldn't help but feel growing anxiety in his gut as he swallowed hard. "Are you saying two hundred thousand have stepped foot on Alnus Hill?"
"No, your majesty," Maio said tiredly. "Three hundred."
The number was whispered over and over in the Senate chamber as they were baffled that an inferior number was able to destroy such a numerically superior army."
A Pro-war senator stood up angrily. "How could you have lost the hill?" He demanded. " You had months of preparation, nearly all of our siege weapons, and enough arrows to blot out the sun! Did you lose to a mere 300 monsters? You had nearly 70,000 men!"
"You were not there!" The young general shouted as his voice silenced the chamber. "You were not there as a single swipe from their great spears can cleave a man effortlessly. I have never seen so many men die in such a short period of time. 70,000 of our men were decimated in less than an hour! They were not routed, they did not flee, every single one of them was butchered. If you see one on the battlefield, my prestigious senator, then you must run. The Golden Death has come and soon it will be judged for us all."Maoi's voice had a hint of hysteria that made the angry senator and Molt uncomfortable.
"Thank you for your account, Viscount. You may go." Molt said calmly
Maio exhaled softly, bowed his head in respect to his lord, and headed towards the door."
Once he left, the Leader of the Pro-Peace faction stood up from his seat and walked towards the center of the middle aged man was Casel El Tiberius. He was a tall middle-aged man with many growing wrinkles on his face he had received in office, short black hair, and wore a white toga with a bright purple sash around his chest as a sign of his seniority in the court.
"Your majesty." He bowed his head in respect. "The whole Gate campaign has been a catastrophe! As you know we are facing a dire economic crisis. It has been another dry year and the national harvest yield is at an all-time low. Despite half of the Senate urging you not to invade the world through the Gate, we have now lost 60 percent of our Imperial Army in less than a week. The young Viscount is not at fault for losing the army. You must take responsibility"
Molt could feel his annoyance on the pro-peace faction grow once more. Tiberius was a direct man and even though they just heard a horrid tale of monsters, the pacifist still criticized their Emperor as if it was all his fault. The Emperor would love nothing more than to see that pacifist rot in prison or have his carcass thrown in a sketchy alleyway.
It was true that the Saderan Empire was facing a critical economic crisis. Years of lack of rain had decimated much of the farmers' crops forcing many to head to the capital for work. Such an influx of these unlucky farmers caused massive slums to sprout in the city. There were other misgivings towards the poor such as taxation at an all-time high, the coin's value was decreasing dramatically, and the favoritism of slave labor had put many people out of jobs, These factors led to many slums being built around the capital. Emperor Molt's solution was simple when heard the news that the Gate appeared in Alnus hill: invade the world, pillage the lands, and all the new wealth be equally distributed to areas needed. That plan clearly backfired hard.
The middle-aged Emperor inclined his head. "Yes, I admit our once military advantage has evaporated. But I believe what actually troubles you is whether or not our subordinate nations will realize how weak they have become and rebel against us. That is the true threat is it not?"
"What?" Tiberius was baffled Molt would not accept responsibility, but rather change the subject
"Every time we find ourselves in a precarious situation. The emperor, the senate, and the people unite and thus manage to grow even stronger from it, my dear Tiberius. You cannot win every battle in war. I will not hold the Viscount nor anyone else responsible for what happened at Alnus Hill. I am sure you can agree the Senate will unanimously agree to any proclamation in order to keep the capital safe from any enemy forces.
"Is he really not going to accept any sort of responsibility?" Tiberius thought.
"What shall we do, your Majesty?" A senator rose up and asked out loud. "How do we protect the capital if we have no army?"
"We must fight!" A pro-war Senator quickly rose up from his seat. "Our Vassals must give us what we demand! Rebuild our army with their soldiers.
"That will only make things worse! The vassals will ask for compensation if they are to send their men willingly into our ranks. In case you have not noticed we have no money."
The senate chamber began to become loud with uproar as the Senators began to argue what is the best course for the Saderan Empire to take.
"The Vassals will answer our call." Another Pro-War Senator shouted. "They are bound by honor and treaties to help the Saderan Empire in all military campaigns.
"If we ask for men, the Vassals will discover we have no army! They will rebel and proclaim independence!"
Molt slowly raised up his hand and the chamber quickly became silent. "Waiting for matters to worsen is not the answer. Therefore we must stand and fight."
Tiberius and the rest of the peace faction were all baffled that they must fight once more.
"By our reports, the Vassal Coalition is nearly at Alnus Hill in just a day's march. Send a Wyvern Messenger and tell them to immediately repel the enemy. It is time to retake Alnus hill!"
The Pro-war Senators all rose up from their seats and clapped their hands in approval.
Tiberius could feel his forehead beginning to sweat as he feared for the upcoming slaughter. He slowly approached his Emperor. " Your Majesty, I fear Alnus Hill will be another empty battlefield littered with the corpses of the men you are condemning to die."
Molt couldn't help but smirk at the Senator's comment. "I am planning on it."
Days of constant marching and the Coalition army was finally near Alnus Hill. The kingdoms of Elbe, Alguna, League Principality, Mudwan, and seventeen other kingdoms answered the call to war by the Saderan Empire. Being called to war on such short notice during harvest season was extremely inconvenient, but they were assured by the Emperor that if they could repel the invaders and invade the new world successfully then they shall return home with spoils of war to help pay for the war effort. Despite the earlier misgivings, morale was high for the coalition as the twenty-one kingdoms united their forces under a single cause. With their combined strength, they had an estimated force of 100,000 soldiers, and with the addition of the Saderan Expedition army 100,000 men waiting near Alnus Hill. It was safe to say they all felt invincible.
The massive army marched near the river leading towards the sacred hill. The river provided easy access to drinking water for their horses and for their men while protecting their vulnerable flanks from any ambushes. Scouts were sent out ahead of the army to ascertain the strength of the invader's forces, to find any key areas the army needs to be wary of in case of ambushes, and to be the army's early warning system. Thousands of colorful banners flapped magnificently in the air held proudly by young squires and bannermen. The men were in such high spirits each kingdom summoned their musicians to play merry songs keeping their morale high. Each kingdom's musicians played their national songs and the sound of brass horns, drums, and flutes playing all at once had no harmonic rhythm. In normal circumstances, playing music on the march was frowned upon as it could give away the army's position, but the coalition did not care because they wanted the enemy to know what they were up against.
Kingdoms from every corner of the continent answered the Empire's summons and one of the most impressive nations joining the coalition was the kingdoms from the far east. The eastern kingdoms lacked infantry, but they made it by bringing fifty war elephants. The elephants were bred to be massive, able to carry a large tower on their back with several archer passengers and its tamer. Its ivory tusks were like large sickles nearly thick as tree trunks with thick metal spike attachments for massive flesh destruction. Not many armies had ever faced war elephants, but seeing a herd charging towards you would route an army instantly. With these creatures in the coalition victory was definitely assured.
As they reached the chain of rocky hills, they were near their planned destination to set up camp. Just on one of these hills, King Duran was on his horse admiring the fantastic view of the coalition army marching in perfect rank formation. Duran was King of the Elbe Kingdom and despite being a small vassal state to the Empire, Elbe was a powerful nation both economically and militarily as they could levy 60,000 men at a short notice, unlike the other smaller kingdoms which could only levy smaller armies. When the Empire requested all vassals to form a coalition to defend the realm from invaders, Duran contributed 35,000 men to the cause. He wore crimson armour and due to past injuries wore an eyepatch over his blind eye.
An Elbian mounted soldier trotted towards his King. " My Lord, we spotted what seems to be enemy scouts at a high vantage point two hills ahead. Should we intercept them?"
"Let them be for now." Duran said as he pulled on his mount's reins and urged it to gallop to the coalition "I must go to the gatherings of the Kings."
High in the sky above the army, the coalition army was not aware they were being shadowed by a Custodian mounted on his Dawneagle Jetbike. His bike's systems were running on stealth protocols, which dampened the growling noises of his jetbike's anti-gravity engines to a hum. For the past four days, the Custodians knew another large army was heading towards Alnus Hills and they monitored the army's progress at a distance. Rather than scattering his host all across the continent dismantling every kingdom near the hill, Shield Captain Mephistal rather have the enemy come to him. The Vertus Praetors were ordered by Mephistal to provide reconnaissance only and were forbidden to harass the army for now. Once the Vertus Praetor was satisfied with what he saw, he tilted his jetbike and flew back to the gate.
At the Gate, The Custodian Guards formed a ring around the hill keeping sentry. The hill was still barren with no defensive structures erected, no tents were raised for the warriors to sleep, nor any sight of land dozer vehicles digging strategic trenches around the gate impeding the enemy's movement. Their very presence was the only deterrence they needed to defend the hill. There was a large table out in the open where Mephistal had placed many scrolls of documents, maps, and data slates regarding the topography of the land as well as situational updates in the palace.
He had his helm off while he leaned against the table reading a data slate. His golden helm was reverently held by menial armoury thrall with a silk purple pillow underneath the great helm. Another thrall stood behind his master carrying a small tray with a bottle of vintage wine and a giant goblet.
The sound of the Dawneagle jetbike flying by lifted Mephistal's attention away from reading the data slate as he slowly stood up straight. The jetbike gently landed on the soil blowing sand and dirt everywhere before the engines died. More thralls quickly ran towards the mounted Custodian's side ready to serve him. Two of the thralls held the Custodian's great interceptor lance from both ends and they stood near the bike while their master walked towards the Shield-Captain. More thralls surrounded the jetbike and began to clean the golden exterior with polishing oil and rags.
The Custodian bowed his head in respect to his Shield Captain before pulling off his great helm. The great man's face was tan with short black hair. His face was angelic and his skin was fairer than Mephistal, who was ghostly pale and riddled with scars on his skin.
"Shield-Captain. I have returned from my reconnaissance." He said respectfully.
Mephistal nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Any new developments?"
"Several thousand more have joined their band. Which leads to roughly 80,000-foot soldiers and 20,000 beast cavalry."
"Are they still following the river?"
"They are."
Mephistal nodded his head hearing this news as his fingers were tracing the drawn rivers on a map. He then tapped his fingers on an open area on the map.
"There." He said. "This is where they will camp."
The area he pointed was just five hills ahead of their current position. The campsite was a large flat area perfect for a massive army to comfortably settle, it was near the river for easy access for drinking, and it was in an elevated position for a proper defense.
"If that is where they will be camped, shouldn't we attack them now? Most of their men will be too busy setting up camp rather than defending. We could easily destroy the army tonight."
Mephistal shook his head. "No, leave them be."
The Custodian frowned as his proposal was rejected. He couldn't understand what strategic reasons would be to leave the army unharmed while their backs were turned.
"It is not often we find humans fighting us with swords rather than using a lasgun. For their bravery to fight the Ten-Thousand, I shall give them a proper warrior's death."
The Custodian couldn't help but raise an eyebrow skeptically as he wondered what was defined as a warrior's death. They had bolters, missiles, jetbikes, and trans-human strength while the enemy only had small swords, wooden spears, and feeble shields to protect themselves with. There was no honor killing prey that could not give one of the Emperor'sChampions a proper challenge.
"As you command." He bowed his head.
It took nearly five hours for the Coalition Army to build their tents and fortify their perimeter for the evening. The sun was nearly setting and the men were finally settled in for the night near campfires for illumination and warmth against the cold evening air. Flutes and panpipes could be heard around many campfires as the men all cheered, laughed, and ate their evening supper. The band of kings agreed that such high morale was good for the army before battle so they allowed the men to drink one mug of ale as a reward for marching so swiftly to Alnus hill and erecting camp so quickly. The army camp was settled on a large earth mound surrounded by hastily created wooden walls and stakes barriers. In the center of the fortified camp was a massive green tent where all the Vassal Kings gathered and planned for the upcoming battle. The interior of the tent was sparse with only a few lit cauldrons, a large rectangular wooden table, and wooden stools underneath. Eight major Kings participated in the coordination for the upcoming battle as they all stared at a large map of sacred Alnus that was stretched out on the table. There was not much the Kings could strategize after what their observers told them. Unlike what the coalition army thought, the sacred hill was not well defended. There were no barriers preventing foreigners from going straight into the Gate, no defensive fortifications, not even a vanguard campsite. Participating in this meeting were King Duran, King of Alguna, Duke Ligu of the League of Principality, and King of Mudwan.
The King of Alguna brought a smaller army in comparison to the Kingdom of Elbe's contribution with only 3,000 men. The Alguans lived in a relatively small country with much of their economy relying heavily on agriculture and husbandry. They relied heavily on slave labor to keep on with their yearly quota to give their produce to feed the Saderian population. Despite their inferior manpower contributions, the Alguans relied heavily on auxiliary monster soldiers to make up the bulk of the army. Their combat philosophy was quality over quantity, unlike the Saderan Empire's treatment of auxiliary monsters, the Alguans gave its monsters high-quality steel and armour for extra survivability. Even Alguien human soldiers were given quality training and quality armour making each soldier a heavy shock trooper.
King of Mudwan brought only 4,000 soldiers to the coalition army. As another small vassal kingdom, the Kingdom of Mudwan relied heavily on trade and exporting mineral resources in order to keep up with the growing demands of tribute to the Empire. Unlike the Kingdom of Alguna, they do not rely heavily on auxiliary monsters to fill in their ranks. Nearly their entire army consisted of heavy shock troopers clad in thick metal armor protecting them from most arrow projectiles and glancing hits from blades.
Lastly, the League Principality brought nearly 3,000 men. Their kingdom was located between the kingdom of Alguna and Elbe in the southern regions of the continent. Trading with the Elbe has helped the League Principality become wealthy and this trading relationship has brought Duke Ligu and King Duran to become close friends. Like the other nations, the League Principality brought heavy shock troopers, but they also brought heavy cavalry clad in green armour and thick lances.
While the Kings were discussing stratagems, a Saderian messenger entered the tent and bowed before them.
"About time we hear news from the Empire." King Mudwan said.
"My Lords, my Commander regrets that he could be here to greet you personally."
Duran narrowed his eyes. "Why isn't the imperial army coming?"
"I am afraid I bring you most distressing news. We are in the midst of an offensive on Alnus Hill, my Lord. It is impossible for the Commander to leave his post."
"That does not sound right," Duran said skeptically. "My observers only saw a modest number of enemy troops."
"Oh come now, King Duran, the Imperial Army is holding down the enemy forces while we set up camp." Duke Ligu said assuringly as he playfully clasped his friend's shoulder.
"We only ask one thing from you, sire. We need you to strike the enemy tomorrow morning"
"Very well then my army shall be the vanguard!" King of Alguna proclaimed as he stood up.
"Hold on! Let us have the glory and be the vanguard!" King of Mudwan argued.
King Duran shook his head in disappointment as the room was burst with shouts as the Kings all demanded their armies should have the glory to battle on behalf of the coalition army.
Once the argument finally died down the messenger stood up preparing to leave. " Very good, my Lords. Alnus Hill will be waiting." He said before leaving the command tent.
The Kings all gathered around the King of Alguna and King of Mudwan to congratulate them for being part of the Vanguard to reclaim the sacred hill.
"It shall be a glorious day, my friends." King Alguna proclaimed as he confidently folded his arms to his chest.
"Perhaps, but my army shall be the one to reap all the Glory!" King Mudwan laughed.
The only ones not gathered to congratulate the two Kings were King Duran and the Duke. While the gathered kings laughed and retold their past heraldries and feats, King Duran was staring at the map. In his gut, there was something off with the Imperial message. The hill was too quiet for a battle with no signs of the dead on the ground nor were there signs where the Imperial Army was camped.
"Something is not right…" Duran thought hesitantly.
The Duke sighed with disappointment. "It is a shame. The glory should be for the League of Principality. This was supposed to be our time to shine."
"The enemy has nearly 300 men guarding the Gate, Duke Lugu. We outnumber them from 300 to1. I don't think the first in battle will be very distinguished.
" Where else will the glory be? It being the first to sound the retreat?"
"In all my years on the battlefield, we've never seen such a foe. This will not be an easy victory. If the enemy is that confident to field just three companies then we must keep our guard up."
The Duke chuckled at Duran's grim analysis. " Haha! Even Lord Duran, The Lion of Elbe, can't keep the ravages of time from catching up with him."
The night was still early, but King Duran decided to call it for the evening and headed towards his tent while the other Kings were joyfully celebrating. It was decided to have the men rest early for the night so that they could mobilize their army early in the morning. It was a strategy deployed by commanders to force the enemy to wake up early and prevent them from eating breakfast. Commanders hoped that the lack of sleep and the lack of breakfast would weaken the army.
It was early in the morning at the brink of dawn and the coalition camp was already active with morning campfires already lit. Soldiers were told to eat their meals early and wear their armour quietly. The Coalition blacksmiths were already banging their hammers on their anvils for last-minute repairs on damaged soldier's gear or on damaged horseshoes. Menials and slaves grabbed stacks of arrows and quickly dumped them in the soldiers' quivers while the archers were pulling up their arm braces or eating their breakfast. Unlike last night, the atmosphere was not as joyous as the men were quiet and were mentally preparing themselves for war. They knew well the horror a battle can be and that today might be their last. Drummers boys were practicing the various battle signal beats on the dirt as a distraction to help kill the time. This was the first time many of these young boys had been in combat and the thrill for an adventure was an incentive for them to leave their homes and join their kingdom's army.
Eventually, the sound of drums beating to general assembly forced every man on his feet and quickly ran towards their designated companies. The King of Alguna and the King of Mudwan rode their horses and trotted across the camp to their assembled armies. Behind the Alguans and Mudwanians, the Duke of Principality rode on his horse with his assembled army behind the other armies. After a long-drawn-out argument, Duke Ligu was allowed to partake in the vanguard. With these three armies combined, there were a total of 10,000 men marching towards the Gate.
"Forward!" The King of Alguna shouted as he and the 10,000 soldiers marched steadily towards the battle. The sound of thousands of feet and hooves stomping on the soil echoed throughout the hills.
Above the advancing army was a Vertus Praetor silently observing their movement. Seeing the army marching towards the hill, he revved up his throttle and flew back to Mephistal for his report. At Alnus Hill, the Shield-Captain patiently waited for his Vertus Praetor to scout for news of the enemy's movement. Behind him were his brothers at attention. Their formation was 240 Guards wide and 2 men deep with both Achilles Dreadnaught at Custodians' flanks. Venerable Taitius was at the rear with several menials and tech adepts arming him for war. 10 Vertus Praetors flanked the Telemon Dreadnaught ready for the signal to unleash their swift fury.
The lone Vertus Praetor dove sharply towards the Earth before spinning his bike and landing it sharply with bravado next to Shield Captain.
"Shield-Captain." The Vertus Praetor nodded his head. "I have counted 10,000 of their kind approaching our position."
"They are getting cocky." Mephistal snorted
If the Custodians were a normal infantry force, an army of 10,000 soldiers approaching them would have been dire news. Alas, The Emperor's Talons recently destroyed an army seven times greater in less than an hour. Days of waiting and Mephistal hoped this army will give him a challenge worth remembering.
"Should we have the Hykanatoi deal with them?" Asked the Vertus Praetor.
"No. It is too early to commit our main body to the battle. Venerable Taitius shall have the honors and Shield Captain Zephyr with the rest of the Kataphraktoi will deal with the stragglers. We must preserve our strength for the main army to arrive."
The Vertus Praetor nodded his head before flying over Mephistal's head and joined the rest of his jetbike brethren. At the edge of the horizon, The 300 golden warriors could see the advancing army climbing over various hills, slowly growing larger and larger with each passing minute. Mephistal activated his vox comms and set up a private channel with the Telemon Dreaghtnaught.
"Venerable Taitius, are you prepared for combat?"
"I am." The Dreadnaught growled in the Vox.
"When they are in range, rain down judgment."
"Very well, Shield Captain." Taitius said as he warmed up his Spinculus Bolt Launcher.
The Bolt Launcher whined loudly as the mechanism began to tilt upwards for maximum range. The launcher was equipped with a full rack of frag-missiles perfect for anti-infantry. It was fortunate for Taitius that the enemy were all closely packed together rather than spreading out.
At the coalition camp, King Duran marched out of his tent clad in full armour. Outside of his personal tent, the purple banners of Elbe proudly flapped in the air while his entire army stood at attention eager for glory. He inhaled loudly, taking in the fresh morning air into his lungs as today was the perfect time for battle. The weather was dry so none of the troops would struggle to march in muddy terrain, nor was weather too hot for the battle which reduced the likelihood of his men suffering any heat stress injuries.
"Ah, is the time ripe for us to join Duke Ligu?" He wondered as he shielded his eye while judging the angle of the sun.
"Notice!" An Elbian messenger shouted as he ran towards his liege and kneeled. "My Lord, The Alguna and Mudwan armies are nearly approaching the hill while the League of Principality follows them from the rear."
"Nearly on schedule." Duran nodded his head hearing the news. "And the Imperial Army? Any news regarding their Commander?"
"Well...There is not a single Imperial legionnaire near the hill, my Lord."
"What?!" Duran asked shockingly. "Have the scouts managed to find their camp?"
"We have looked all morning as per your request, my Lord, and we have scoured the area for any signs of the Imperial Army. There were signs of a large military camp in the northern region of Alnus Hill, about 7 hills near our camp. The camp was scorched so either the men burned their camp down or it was attacked."
"Why would the Imperial Army abandon their camp?" Duran muttered to himself. He did not like this news and he cursed that his scouts did not notify him with this news earlier before the vanguard army left.
"Sound the recall horn. We must have the three kings return to camp immediately!"
"I am afraid sir, that might be impossible. Their armies are too far away to hear the recall."
"Then I must warn them!" Duran said he quickly mounted on his horse and galloped towards the hill. He along with 20 of his mounted guards galloped with all haste to warn the three Kings of the news he heard.
Near Alnus Hill, the three kings were slowly shifting their armies into combat formation. Their tactics mimicked the Saderan military philosophy of having the Auxiliary monsters charge into the enemy lines, use the archers to soften the lines, and use the infantry to penetrate through any gaps. Despite not knowing the news Duran heard, Duke Ligu was becoming wary. He looked at his surroundings constantly for any signs of the Imperial Army, and he had seen none.
" I don't understand. Why is the Imperial Army missing?" He then looked over his shoulder and asked one of his soldiers for any news. "Have we received any news from the Imperial messengers?
"We have not, my Lord."
"They couldn't have abandoned us….have they?"
As the armies were slowly shifting into their combat formations until they heard the sound of an eerie whistle growing louder and louder stopped them. The eerie whistle was a sound none of the soldiers had ever heard and they looked around trying to pinpoint the source. King Mudwan looked up, seeing dozens of white vapor trails in the sky growing longer and longer with each passing second.
He had to shield his eyes from the shining sun as he looked confused about what he was seeing. "What is that?" He asked before one of the raining projectiles landed near his horse and exploded instantly killing him as his body and a group of his soldiers was engulfed in a fireball.
Frag missiles rain down in a deadly rhythm shaking the earth and engulfing the three kingdom's armies in balls of fire while throwing up plumes of smoke blinding and disorienting the men from escaping. Deadly shrapnels from the exploding frag missiles were thrown in the air at high velocity ripping the flesh of unfortunate soldiers like wet paper as no medieval shield or armour could repel. Duke Ligu's horse reared up violently while crying loudly from explosions around them. The Duke was helpless as he watched his men getting torn to shreds by the raining projectiles.
"My Men!" He shouted in horror as he saw a trail of the explosion grow closer and closer towards him. Before he could calm his panicking horse and gallop away to safety, a frag missile detonated near him and killed him instantly.
Above the hill, Mephistal and his Dreadhost could hear thousands of men cry out in panic and in pain as the volley of missiles decimated their lines. Thousands of torn bodies were sprawled all over the battlefield with fresh craters terraforming the sacred land. Hundreds of mortally wounded men fortunate to survive the explosion were wailing in pain crawling underneath the dead trying to escape. The remaining survivors already lost their taste for war and they began to hastily withdraw back to camp.
After observing the battlefield, Mephistal activated a comm channel between him and Shield Captain Zephyr.
"Leave none alive."
"Glory in His name." Zephyr proudly proclaimed as he revved his jetbike before flying high in the air. His 20 Vertus Praetors companions followed him closely, flying in a loose wedge formation.
The mounted Custodians then descended towards ground level and slowly lowered their spears ready to joust their prey. Their jetbikes were so close to the ground, the prowl of their bikes was already turning red as they kept ramming into the mounds of dead bodies and crawling wounded. Their bikes were phenomenally strong and hitting hundreds of bodies did not hinder their speed. The Vertus Praetors finally unleashed their hurricane bolters at the backs of the running soldiers. Hundreds of rounds were shot out in seconds decimating everything in front of the jetbikes. Once their quarry was in lancer range, they ceased firing their hurricane bolters and switched to jousting. With a simple gesture from Zephyr's hand, his Shield company scattered to cover more ground and hunt as a lone predator. Poor Alguan soldiers were being impaled by great lances through the chest or through the head with great precision despite the golden riders flying at incredible speeds. Any runners that were not being jousted by the Custodians' great lances were simply run over. Bodies smacked against the prowl were squashed and thrown to the side as the bones were snapped like bridle sticks before ragdolling across the soil.
King Duran was galloping hard towards the vanguard army hoping none of the armies were engaged in combat. His hope was cut short when he heard numerous loud explosions and the earth began to shake violently. His horse reared up in a panic and he quickly soothed it. Once he soothed his horse's emotions, he saw numerous grey smoke on Alnus Hill.
"Impossible." He said in shock. "Has the hill erupted?"
He galloped even harder despite his horse's protest as his fears were coming true. By the time he climbed over the last hill between the camp and the sacred Gate, he gasped in horror seeing thousands of bodies. An hour has not even passed and the coalition force lost 10,000 soldiers in what felt like a blink of an eye. The smell of death was quite noticeable as the smell of open stomachs, loose bowels, and blood from the mass of the dead wafted in the air. One of Duran's men nearly vomited as he gagged loudly after smelling in the pungent odor.
"Where is the King of Alguna? Where is the King of Mudwan? Where the hell is Ligu?"
At the distance, Duran and his men could see a group of Duke Ligu's men running towards them. He saw the horror in their eyes and a mix of hope after seeing the men of Elbe. Behind the group was a giant golden rider wielding a massive black lance. To Duran's horror, he saw the Custodian effortlessly swung his great lance and decapitate the first man. He then quickly readjusted his spear and thrust it into the next man's face. The blade protruded out of the man's entire face and any blood or brain matter on the lance was quickly evaporated by the lance's power field. The last man had his chest exploded as the tip of the spear burst out of the man's chest killing him instantly. The giant then lifted his spear and the body slowly slid down towards the hilt coating the shaft in thick blood. Shocked at what they saw, this entire instance happened in seconds as the golden rider was fast and deadly proficient despite its size. No giant or mortal could move so fluidly fast and yet gracefully; it was almost like watching choreography. The Custodian looked up and the shocked King swore the giant was staring directly at him. Rather than attacking him and his men, the giant flicked the dead body off of his spear and flew back to Alnus Hill. With his back facing Duran, the King believed this monster was mocking him. It was as if the being was a confident duelist and none of the humans observing him posed a threat.
As the Vertus Praetor flew away, King Duran urged his mount to descend towards the field of corpses.
"My Lord, wait!" One of his guards shouted. "It is unsafe!"
The Lion of Elbe ignored his men's plea as descended towards the dead. He was more concerned whether or not the other Kings were alive.
"Ligu!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "King of Mudwan! King of Alguna!"
His mounted guards finally caught up to him and they were growing anxious. "You should not be here, my Lord. You are in danger if you remain here for too long." Duran was not sure whether or not his guard was truly concerned about his well-being or it was an excuse for the guard to leave this grave as soon as possible.
"We will not leave until we find the Kings!" He growled.
"But…" His guard said hesitantly as he stared at the field of the dismembered dead. It was an impossible task to find three bodies in a field of 10,000 bodies. Most of the bodies they saw were disfigured, dismembered, and burned to the crisp making identification impossible.
Sensing his guard's hesitancy, Duran couldn't help but sigh softly. What was he thinking? To find Ligu here was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. After what he witnessed earlier, it was unlikely the Duke nor the two kings survived. Before he could decide to return back to camp, something caught his attention. He slowly dismounted and walked towards the direction that caught his attention. He saw a torn green banner of the League of Principality and underneath the banner was a small body torn just below the chest. The old king pulled his helm off and kneeled beside the body. He closed his only eye, discovering the dismembered body was a small boy. He saw this boy earlier in the morning holding Ligu's banner proudly. The boy must have been 13 or 14 years old and his lifeless eyes were staring deeply towards the sky and his cold cheeks were still wet with tear stains. It was unfortunate the boy's death was not swift as he died a more painful and slower death than men he witnessed earlier.
He slowly pulled the boy's eyelids down and gently pulled the small hands to the cadaver's torn chest. "Just a baby." Duran sighed sadly.
It was not common for the elderly, the young, and the women to die in the crossfire and he had seen many atrocities the Saderan Empire committed during their territorial expansion. He still disproved the Empire for massacring the warrior bunnies and enslaving their young a few years earlier.
"My Lord..." An Elbian soldier approached him carrying Ligu's green helm. "We found the Duke Ligu's helm. But we are not able to find his body."
Duran closed his eye in sorrow. Ligu was a dear friend he knew for decades and his death broke the old King's heart. He slowly stood up. "We have overstayed our welcome here. It is time to return back to camp and assemble the coalition. We must avenge the fallen."
After King Duran returned to the coalition camp and told the rest of the gathered Kings that the 10,000 soldiers sent to Alnus Hill were decimated to the last man, none of the kings could have believed it. If it was not for Duran's reputation as the Lion of Elbe, the Kings would have laughed at him and shrugged it off. There was still confusion in the camps about how the enemy had such overwhelming firepower and where the Imperial Army was. Once the confusion was finally lifted and the leaders could coordinate a plan, it was decided to bring an even larger army to overwhelm the giants.
A few hours later 40,000 soldiers marched out of the camp along with their entire Dragoons air force, all of their war elephants, and several thousand heavy and light cavalry. Several Army bands followed behind the marching soldiers playing several upbeat songs to help soothe the men's anxiety. The closer they walked towards the sacred hill, the stronger the stench of death was becoming unbearable. Birds squawk loudly above the men's heads as they smell the stench of bodies and they quickly fly towards the dead field for a quick meal before the next battle. Once they climbed over the last hill dividing between the camp and the holy Gate, the men were turning pale white with fright seeing the mutilated bodies of their fallen comrades. Many gagged and began to vomit seeing such a horrific sight while the birds were picking at stringy tendons, loose intestines, and exposed muscles.
The sound of the company drums along with the brass horns signaled the men to reform their lines to their battle formations. Each cohort of men was spread out to help reduce the likelihood of a single explosion decimating their lines. The center of their battlelines consisted of several thousand heavily armored pikemen wielding pikes three times the size of an average human. Behind the pikemen was the main bulk of the infantry soldiers and archers. To the left flank were the entire herd of war elephants ready to trample over the auramite giants. On the right flank were the thousands of cavalrymen ready to break the enemy lines for the infantry to break into the exposed gaps. High above the assembled troops were the dragoons ready to harass the enemy with hit and run tactics. The Coalition hoped that with the vastly superior army, they would force the giants to attack their center while the foes' flanks were decimated by the elephants and the cavalry. Once the enemy weakened, they could use the hammer and anvil tactic to box the armoured giants into a trap and slaughter them.
Once the men were finally assembled, one of the Kings unsheathed his sword and raised it high in the sky. "Advance! For the realm!"
Drums were beating loudly matching the beats of the men's march. Music was playing loudly in fanfare to help boost the men's morale while men were stomping towards certain doom. The men were beginning to waver as they walked over their dead comrades and the thought of thousands of men dying in an instant was quite unsettling. Battle-hardened centurions from each company tried their best to keep order and prevent their men from breaking formation.
On top of the Alnus Hill, Mephistal reformed the main body of the Hykanatoi in a single line ready to unleash them. In front of the main army, the Vertus Praetor was on idle while some were revving their engines waiting for the word of their Shield Captain to charge into battle. Behind the Hykanatoi, the three Dreadnaughts stood quietly waiting for the right moment to strike.
"Those pikes are going to be a nuisance to deal with." A Custodian said through Mephistal's vox.
Though the Adeptus Custodes were one of the finest warriors in the Imperium, they were not blind to potential threats. The Aruamite warriors could easily decimate these mortal men, but thousands of pikes stabbing one of them individually will result in an injury or death.
"I will deal with them." Zephyr voxxed.
"No, you will deal with their air force and their cavalry. I want the Hykanatoi to focus solely on their infantry."
"And what shall we do about those giant beast cavalries?"Zephyr asked.
"I shall deal with the pikes and the beasts, brother." Taitius voxxed.
Taitius then shifted his body to stare at one of the Achilles Dreadnaught by his side. "Brother Domminus deal their pikemen and break their formation."
Domminus growled in disappointment as he began to walk around the Hykanatoi and marched towards the enemy lines. "You owe me a good kill, Brother." He shouted loudly through his vox grills.
The Telemon Dreadnaught then stared at the last Achilles Dreadnaught stood by him. " Brother Hristiyan, deal with the beasts."
"Understood." The Dreadnaught said deeply before he began to walk. He then began to vox his fellow brother Achilles as they began to march towards their targets. "Do you wish to trade with me, brother?" He snorted. "Perhaps we should add 'Venerable Domminus the Elephant Slayer' etched in your armoured chassis. A feat worthy to be remembered, brother"
"Do not bother, Hristiyan. I will happily surrender that honorable title to you. I am more content slaying enemies of the Emperor than killing dumb beasts. Fight well, Brother."
"And you as well, Domminus. In His name." Hristiyan said.
The Two Achilles Dreadnaughts at first began to march slowly towards the coalition army before they picked up speed and ran at speeds thought impossible for their size. The earth began to vibrate as tons of metal kept stomping on the ground throwing dirt in all directions. The two Dreadnaughts lifted their great Dreadspears ready to slay their enemies in the name of their Emperor.
"Pikemen!" The centurion shouted anxiously seeing the Golden Titan running towards them maliciously. "Phalanx Formation!"
The Pikemen dropped their Pikes down in unison creating a wall of spears no beasts or soldiers would dare to run towards. The Achilles Dreadnaught showed no signs of stopping as it continued to run towards the pikemen while lifting up his left forearm and fired his built-in lastrum storm bolters. The powerful bolt shells literally turned the poor pikemen into a red mist with each passing second throwing chunks of flesh and limbs in the air. By the time Domminus stopped firing his storm bolters, he had already decimated an entire cohort. The remaining men were stiff in fear as they watched their comrades around them explode in gore. By the time they could even consider moving, Domminus charged into their shattered lines. A single cleave from his great spear bisected a dozen men.
Several hundred men broke their phalanx formation and tried to surround the metal monster. It was unthinkable that a single metal titan could have stopped the entire army's center from advancing.
"Bring it down!" A man shouted loudly at his men. "Bring it down!"
Hundreds of pikes tried to stab Domminus's thick armour and to the horror of the pikemen, his armour was too thick as the tip of their spears were chipped off.
"Aim for the joints! Stopping hitting the chest! Aim for the joints!" Another man shouted.
While Domminus kept cleaving dozens of men with each passing second, Hristiyan was charging at the group of elephants. The archer passengers were frantically firing their wooden munition towards the charging Dreadnaught. The feeble arrows simply bounced off his Auramite skin, while he spun his great spear around in bravado as old habits never die even once eternally entombed in a Dreadnaught.
The leading elephant was galloping towards him as the beast's rider kept shouting and coaxing it to run. The large mount swayed its head from side to side as it was ready to gouge the large Dreadnaught with its thick tusks. Before the large beast could trample Hristiyan, the Dreadnaught thrust his great spear into the elephant's head. The creature suddenly stopped and threw the archers and the tamer off of the tower while the large mount groaned loudly before succumbing its fatal wound. Once the dead elephant collapsed on the floor, Hristiyan pulled his great Dreadspear out and began to charge again at the rest of the approaching cavalry. The entombed Custodian slowly twirled his bloody spear, throwing red vitae everywhere before lunging forward and decapitating another large beast. The headless creature tumbled clumsily and threw the men off of the tower. Hristiyan kept butchering the charging animals, leaving mutilated corpses behind his back. The aura of invincibility surrounding the War Elephants was chipped away with each death as the men began to waver. The great Dreadnaught struck one of the war beasts with his fist caving its skull and nearly half of his arm was engulfed in its gaping head. While his arm was trapped inside of the dead elephant's skull, he lowered his great spear and fired the Corvae Las-Pulser at them. The thick red beam of hot energy blasted at one of the remaining elephants and the powerful laser flash cooked it before turning into a husk of ashes. The sight of one of these war elephants getting evaporated finally spooked the remaining herd as they trumpeted loudly in fear and they began to run back despite their riders' protest. Once the threat was neutralized, Hristiyan charged at the now exposed enemy's left flank and joined his brother Dreadnaught in the slaughter.
Seeing the Dreadnaughts accomplishing their tasks and softened the more serious threat, it was time to unleash the rest of the Ten-Thousand. Mephistal raised his Castellan Axe and pointed it at the Coalition.
'Humble them." The Shield Captain commanded as the Custodians' Guardian Spears crackled to life tightly and they silently charged at the enemy's broken center.
While the Hykanatoi were charging towards Domminus to support him, Shield Captain Zephyr split his Vertus Praetors into two groups. The first group was responsible to decimate the dragoons while the second group was responsible to intercept the large horse cavalry from smashing into the Hykanatoi flank. Seeing a gap in the pikeman's lines, the Adeptus Custodes hurled themselves into gaps and charged at the lesser soldiers behind the phalanx.
The mortal warriors were in awe of fear seeing their men decimated effortlessly. When the Custodes bolted through the gaps in the phalanx's broken formation and headed towards the main army, the swordsmen were petrified in fear and the sound of bolter shots and bodies exploding into fleshy fragments snapped them out of the fearful trance.
Fresh blood splashed onto a young man's face as he hesitantly wiped it off. He glanced at his hand and stared at his side seeing his comrade's chest explode revealing his exposed broken ribs.
"Am I dreaming?" He asked as he stared at his other side seeing his other comrade still alive but was pale in fright seeing the young man's face covered in blood. "I am sleeping and this is a nightmare, right?" He cried as he dropped his shield and sword and fell to his knees.
The Adeptus Custodes finally smacked into the main army butchering the Coalition army with ease. The mortal small men posed no challenge as the armoured giants never needed to parry any attacks. They were like a tornado as they kept swinging their great spears causing great destruction wherever their blades touched. The ground was quickly saturated in puddles of blood as they kept cleaving deeper into the enemy's lines. What unnerved the coalition soldiers the most was the Custodes' silence. They let out no loud warcry to arouse their spirits nor did they grunted loudly showing signs of exhaustion. They slaughtered the feeble men silently while showing no signs whether they were enjoying the carnage or disappointed that this rabble did not give the Ten Thousand any sort of challenge.
40,000 soldiers were marching towards the Gate intended to avenge the fallen, but the soldiers lost their desire for glory and ran back towards the camp with their tails between their legs. In the air, it was raining blood, fleshy chunks, human bodies, and dead wyverns as the Dragoons were battling against the Vertus Praetor in the air. Lances clashed against lances, but the battle for dominance in the sky was cut short as the Golden riders were slowly winning with every shot from their hurricane bolters. Thousands of rounds could be fired in a minute and the Dragoon cavalry was quickly reduced from a few thousand to a mere handful. With the skies controlled in the Imperium's favor, the Vertus Praetor swooped towards the ground and intercepted the charging horse cavalry. More bolter rounds were fired on the mortal warriors while the Telemon Dreadnaught began to unleash more frag missiles into the coalition's broken lines. Any riders that managed to survive the steam of bolter rounds and the frag missiles were jousted off of their horses by the long Interceptor Lances.
The Second Battle for Alnus hill was a disaster for the Coalition as approximately 40,000 men were either dead or missing. Heavily armoured soldiers that once proudly marched towards the Gate in thousands were now marching back to camp in rabbles. Some returned to camp but the majority that escaped deserted the army and headed towards the woods. Soldiers resting or stationed in the camps were shocked to find so little returned in less than a few hours.
King Duran rode his horse quietly next to his rabble army as he trotted towards the large tent where the kings all gathered. Inside the tent, he was shocked that there were only very few Kings gathered, unlike last night. They all sat in the chairs sulking, face buried in their hands in sorrow and shame, and their morale was broken. The large map of Alnus hill that was placed on the table was ripped in half by what Duran assumed was one of the Kings as an act of defiance against reality. He quietly sat in front of his disheartened companions and gently placed Duke Ligu's broken helm on the table.
"We brought 100,000 troops." One of the Kings finally spoke up. "And yet...we lost half of our men in less than a day." He buried his face in his hands to hide his shame from King Duran. "How could this be happening!"
"Where is the Imperial Army that we were promised?" Another spoke out in anger. "His Imperial Majesty commanded us to mobilize our armies to Alnus Hill to support him. We did our part so where is his?"
"Oh, be sensible!" Another King slammed his palms against the table violently as he rose up from his seat. "Even the Imperial Army is no match for this opponent. They have slain half of our manpower and not one of their kind has fallen. Not. !" He emphasized the last part slowly as even he couldn't believe the cold reality.
"We must withdraw. Our men have already lost their desire to continue on. There are already reports of deserters leaving their posts. By tomorrow morning our numbers will be reduced even more."
"No." Duran folded his arms and shook his head. "Retreat is not an option, gentlemen. Not before I have repaid them with an arrow."
"What?" The gathered Kings were shocked that Duran still desired to attack those golden demons.
"For the Realm, we must strike back!"
One of the shocked Kings slowly approached the Lion of Elbe. " Lord Duran, you must accept the fact we have neither the men willing to fight nor the material to wage war against these monsters."
"Perhaps a night raid will give us the advantage."
Somehow the broken Kings felt a spark of hope rekindled in their hearts and they all listened keenly to Duran's plan.
"The new moon is tonight. If we take advantage of the dark and come in from the sides we should be able to make our approach."
The Kings all deeply thought of this new stratagem intently. Those monsters deafening the Gate must be tired from today's battle. No army could just butcher 50,000 soldiers and not feel exhausted. They probably assumed the coalition's spirit had been broken and they would not dare to attack them so late in the night. Tonight was probably their only chance to attack. Even feeble hunters could kill a vicious bear if it was asleep. The Kings all nodded their heads and agreed that tonight was the last chance the Coalition Army could do to defend the realm.
Late in the evening, Duran's predictions were true as there was a new moon tonight and the night was pitch black. 15,000 soldiers silently marched towards the sacred hill on each side hoping to catch the enemy off guard. As they approached the hill, there was a sign of lit campfires, and this relieved King Duran and his men as they assumed the giants were sleeping and their raid might go successful. The closer they approached the Gate, the more potent the smell of cadavers from earlier battles became more unbearable. Men were desperately trying not to step on over the dead and on the bloody puddles. The men were marching in tight formations with King Duran riding his horse in the center of his army.
"We can win." The King of Elbe said to himself reassuringly.
"Be silent men." A Veteran officer whispered to his men. "March softly."
Suddenly, in front of the wary medieval warriors, several balls of light shone brightly across the field halting the army and blinding them. Several soldiers shouted in pain as they felt their eyeballs burn from the sudden brightness as they threw their shields and spears on the ground to rub their injured eyes.
"Where is that light coming from!?" Duran shouted in discomfort as shielded his sole eye with his hand.
He had to blink several times and squint excessively while he forced himself to stare into the light. His eye slowly adjusted to the brightness as he saw a black figure behind the ball of light. His eye widened as he was shocked to see Custodians carrying large Vexilla Magnificas as the golden banner lit up brightly to stun the army in its shining radiance.
"No." His face was pale as he realized the ambush failed and he quickly urged his horse to gallop. "All troops advance!" He shouted at the top of his lungs hoping his men could hear his voice through the confusion. "Attack! Attack! Attack!"
At a distance, Duran could see small red dots appear and fly vertically high in the air before growing larger and larger towards the ground. The ground exploded as frag missiles rain down on the earth. Men were shouting in panic as they were being engulfed in smoke and flames, while Duran was charging towards the front to lead his men into battle.
Behind the Golden warriors holding their Vexilla Magnificas proudly in the air, their brethren stood by their sides and raised their spears at the confused crowd, and dumped their entire bolter magazine into the mortal men. The sound of bodies popping like balloons mixed with the screaming and wailing of men dying was horrifying but Duran kept galloping while shouting at his men to keep marching.
"Don't stop!" He shouted. "For the Realm! Follow me!"
A stray bolter shot through his horse's chest killing it instantly while throwing Duran high into the air before violently landing on the earth on his back.
"My King!" An Elbe soldier shouted as he rushed towards his fallen liege.
'We need shields to the front! Protect the King!" Another soldier shouted as rallied 50 soldiers to his side and formed a testudo around their fallen King.
A pair of soldiers dropped their weapons and carefully lifted their Lord back on his feet. Duran grunted in pain feeling his back aching, but he was fortunate he was not paralyzed or dead. He quickly pushed the two soldiers off violently.
"Run!" He shouted with a hint of panic. "Everyone run!"
The bolters finally ceased and the Vexilla Magnificas powered down as the bright balls of light faded and the night was pitch black darkness once more. Only the red eyes on the Custodians' helms were lit brightly giving off a demonic appearance one would imagine what monsters in the dark would look like. The Custodes silently charged into the mortal men ready to send these poor humans' souls to their pagin gods. After decades of fighting bravely in countless campaigns, the Lion of Elbe was finally afraid as he saw hundreds of pairs of red eyes dancing wildly in the darkness killing countless of his men in a few blinks of an eye. He came to the conclusion that this was no battle nor was it even a little skirmish for these demons' standards. There was no word he could describe this kind of warfare as carnage and mindless butchery perfectly summarized today's events.
One of these golden demons slowly approached him and his wall of men. Duran could tell this one was different from the ones he saw earlier. This giant wore a very broad armour with thick shoulder plates, a black cloak, and wielded a giant halberd.
"Emroy, protect us!" A soldier prayed loudly as his arms were shaking violently.
"My Lord, it is unsafe." One of his men said. "You must run while we hold this thing off!" He then unsheathed his sword and roused his men in Testudo to attack. "Protect the King! For as long as the Lion of Elbe lives, victory is in sight!"
Stirred up by the sense of loyalty to their liege, the testudo broke off and the men charged at the sole Allarus Terminator.
"Wait!" Duran shouted at his zealous men but his words didn't reach their ears.
The first man was instantly bisected in half from the waist below with a simple horizontal swipe from the Terminator's great Castellan axe. Five more brave soldiers raised their spears and swords in heroic defiance hoping one of their blades would be the death blow to kill the giant. The first man was bisected vertically as the blade effortlessly slid into his head and slid out between his legs. Before his bisected remains could even splatter on the floor, the Custodian twirled his axe to readjust his stance and cleaved several men with a single swipe. The men were beginning to waver seeing their comrades dying so fast, but the rush of adrenaline and the sense of patriotic duty kept them in the battle. A soldier tried to use his shield to block the incoming strike, but the axe blade effortlessly cut through the wooden shield and sliced the man's arm off. The man dropped his spear and cradled his wet stump while screaming in pain. While he was on his knees crying in pain, his comrades were dying around him. A good whack to the head from the butt of the Castellan axe silenced the crying man and his head was bludgeoned in. The golden Terminator then raised up his left gauntlet at the rushing mortals and fired volleys of explosive rounds from his Balistus Grenade Launcher. The grenades exploded and the charging Elbian warriors were engulfed in smoke. Once the smoke dissipated, the men disappeared into a mist of red blood and craters of limbs and flesh.
While the giant was occupied killing his men, Duran couldn't bare another second watching his men getting slaughtered while he stood there idling. He found an intact bow next to a dead archer and grabbed it and an arrow. There was no time to examine the condition of the bow as the Custodian slew the last of his men. A wounded Elbian soldier was crawling on the Earth towards Duran with pleading eyes. The terminator was slowly striding towards the lone king while his heel dug into the wounded man's back, crushing him instantly.
Duran notched the arrow and drew it before releasing the arrow towards the giant's face. "Damn you, bastard!" He growled
With lightning reflexes, the terminator managed to catch the arrow in mid-flight before crushing it on his palm. Defeated, Duran dropped his bow and stared at the earth accepting his fate.
"How could this have happened?" He asked himself. "Why would the Imperial Emperor send my men to their deaths?"
The Allaurs Terminator halted and stared down at his prey. The King of Elbe was just barely at the armoured giant's waist and he had to tilt his head up completely to stare into the monster's red eyes. If it was not for the fact they were battling against each other, Duran admitted the Terminator wore such exquisite crafted armour none of his artisans could ever produce. He would love to admire the craftsmanship of its armour and see what wonders and riches lie beyond the Gate. The thought of an elegant and majestic being killing him made him chuckle softly. Slowly, the soft chuckle grew louder and it transitioned into a burst of loud laughter to hysteria. His laughter was quickly silenced as the terminator slapped him across his face with the back of his thick hand. The blow instantly snapped the old King's neck and his lifeless body slumped to the earth violently.
While the giant terminator was shaking the blood off of his hand, his comms beeped notifying him he was receiving a voxx message from one of his brethren.
"Speak." He said.
"Shield Captain Mephistal, the mortals have routed. Should we pursue them?"
"Initiate search and destroy protocols. It is time we end this little war."
With their new orders, the Custodes slowly advanced over the hills seeking out any of the remaining stragglers from escaping. The Vertus Praetors flew towards the coalition camp ready to harass the residence knowing the last 20,000 soldiers were stationed there. Their mission was to raze the camps and prevent the remaining soldiers from forming a defensive line impeding the Adeptus Custodes' advance. Venerable Taitius walked among his brothers striding slowly while continuously firing frag missiles into the stragglers. By the time the main force arrived at the coalition camp, the hill was already on fire. There were hundreds of bodies scattered everywhere across the land both soldiers and civilians. Many of these cadavers still wore their sleeping attire and never expected their camp to be attacked this early in the war. More of the dead were spotted floating in the river as many thought they could swim to safety, but no one could ever escape the Emperor's Talon's fury.
The sound of jetbikes roaring loudly combined with the sound of bolter fire and screams could be heard beyond the burning campsite as the golden riders were chasing the mortals towards the forest leaving a trail of bloody destruction. While the Kataphraktoi were pursuing their quarry, a third of the Hykanatoi were searching for survivors in the burning camp. Mephisal casually walked through the burning camp nodding his head in satisfaction seeing the destruction his brothers were inflicting upon these mortals. They were all living up to the name of the Dread Host sowing fear and destruction to all those that oppose the Emperor.
A lone Custodian approached his Shield Captain and bowed his head in respect. His Pristine Aruarmite armour was covered in blood after slaughtering hundreds of the coalition soldiers. "Shield Captain." He greeted me respectfully.
"Do you have some news to report to me, brother?"
" Come with me. There has been a development and the Shield Host is unsure what to do."
The large Terminator strode behind his smaller brother as he led him to several groups of Custodes surrounding pockets of survivors consisting of civilian men, women, wounded, and young boys. The feeble humans all huddled tightly together weeping in fear as they watched their world burn around them. Despite that none were in chains or shackles, they dared not to escape.
"What is this?" Mephistal demanded seeing pockets of humans still alive.
"This is the development I wanted to discuss, Shield Captain. These humans appear to be laborers and show no signs of resistance."
"Do I need to remind you what Search and Destroy protocols are, brother?"
"No, you do not." He said plainly.
"Then carry them out."
Despite the civilians not understanding High Gothic, seeing the Custodes unsheathing their misericordia was a clear sign they were going to kill them. The sound of their pleas of mercy intensified as they clasped their hands or shielded their face with their arms.
Before the golden executioners could finish their charge, the ground shook as Venerable Taitius strode slowly towards the group.
"Stop." He commanded and all the Golden warriors quickly sheathed their misericordia and stood at attention.
Mephistal slowly growled and stood in front of the Telemon Dreadnaught challenging his authority. "What is the meaning of this, Taitius? We have our orders."
"Our orders or yours, brother Mepistal?" The Dreadnaught asked as he stared at the groups of civilians surrounded by loose rings of Custodes huddling in submission. "If I recall our Captain General's orders, it was to repel the invaders... not to butcher every single being in this world."
"We of the Dread Host were sent to unleash the Emperor's wrath upon those that attack Terra and harm He who sits on the Golden Throne."
"Is that so, brother? Taitus then pointed his massive finger at a lowly female servant and one of the drummer boys among the group. "Do they pose a threat to Him?"
The Shield Captain snarled at being challenged like a little child being scolded by an adult. To treat a prestigious Shield Captain in such a manner was humiliating. "No."
Taitius then pointed at a cook and a blacksmith among the group. "Do they threaten you, brother? Can these feeble little humans harm you even if they were given a knife to defend themselves with?
"Enough, what is the point of this lecture?" He growled.
"The point is you are acting more of a blood-thirsty Astartes than the tempered mind of a member of the Adeptus Custodes. You thirst for blood and think nothing else but violence."
Mephistal gripped his Castellan axe tightly. If it was not for his centuries of honed discipline, he would have struck the Dreadnaught for such talk. "We were bred to protect the Master of Mankind. There will be violence if it means to safeguard The Emperor I will gladly slaughter a thousand more of these primitives just to keep the palace safe. I will not be lectured by you on what my purpose is, Taitius."
"Very well, brother. Then tell me this before you leave. Who are we?"
The Allauris Terminator planted the butt of his Castellan Axe into the Earth before giving his answer. " We are the Emperor's personal Legion, His personal bodyguards, His generals, His Talons." He said proudly.
He then reiterated the ancient declaration The Emperor decreed regarding his Custodians "These men are my bodyguards, their lives forfeit to the guarantee of my physical safety. Of their loyalty to me, there shall be no question nor doubt. I, and I alone, shall have the authority to stand in judgment over them. No other commander shall they have in battle nor in service. None shall bar them from me and none shall hamper or stall their mission. So it is decreed!"
Taitius chuckled. "Ah, your argument is sound, Shield Captain using the Emperor's own words in your rebuttal, but you have forgotten who we are, brother. We are the Emperor's teachers, his philosophers, his artists, his musicians, his poets, and his close confidants. That is what separates us from the Astartes. They were bred to be tools of war while we were bred to be so much more.
Mephistal went silent remembering his true purpose and why he was created. He began to ponder deeply with this realization as he never noticed Taitius clasped his massive hand on the terminator's shoulder. His massive hand was comically massive on the Shield Captain's shoulder as a simple squeeze could crush the Custodian's shoulder.
"I was there when the Emperor walked among us, brother." Taitius's voice went soft. " It was magnificent following him across the stars bringing lost colonies back into Imperium's folds. His words alone moved the hearts of the people he met and they willingly joined the Imperium. The Master of Mankind knew that everlasting peace could be achieved through unity rather than conquest. We have been caged behind the walls for too long, brother. The Imperium is changing and now we must change as well.
"This is not our Imperium anymore, brother Taitius. It belongs to a superstitious government believing in everything our Master despises."
"I would have believed you if it was not for the return of Guiliman."
"His return? I do not trust him. It was because of the Primarchs that our Emperor's dreams are shattered. It was because of the Primarchs we...failed him.
"I do not believe so, Mephistal. His return has brought hope to me and to our Master. His great Indomitus Crusade is the spark that will rekindle the Great Crusade. We are now the Emperor's voice and it is time we contributed to the Primarch's cause and carry on our Emperor's vision.
The Shield Captain then stared at the cowering humans. "Very well, Taitius. I concede. What shall we do with these creatures?"
Slowly, the Telmon Dreadnaught turned around and slowly walked back to the Gate. "Let them go and call off the search and destroy protocols. They will soon become His subjects. It is our duty to protect Him while He protects them."
"Where are you going?"
"I must speak to the Captain General. Our duty here is done, brothers. It is time to unleash the Emissaries Imperatus."
