Editorial- campaign badges

Operation nesting asps-Battle of Khalita Ridge part6

With the destruction of the Heldrak on the Stygian Left Flank Khalbad felt fury running through his veins like magma.  Around him the militia he ad led were all scythed down by the firestorm the Guardians chapter marines had laid down.  It seemed the battle was all but won everywhere else on the battlefield but here.  The hissing and cackling of the herald of tzeentch daemon thing drew his eyes as even as his second sight witnessed the warp power it was drawing.  Suddenly the heralds shrieks cut off and in a flash to his left three massive daemonic beings wreathed in flames burst from the warp onto the battlefield.

 No sooner had the new Daemons arrived then Khalbad looked up to see the sole surviving heldrake race along on a strafing run aimed at the Guardians chapter rhino.  The heavy bursts of it's Autocannon slamming into the armored transport punching holes into the thing until the fuel lines were ruptured and the astartes vehicle burst into flames.

"Go Forth Khalbad, make a worthy sacrifice to the gods!" the herald of tzeentch demanded.
Eagerly Khalbad obeyed leaping the trench and rushing the three Guardian chapter marines.  Bolter fire bounced off of Khalbad's armor as he closed the distance.  The Guardians were still firing as Khalbad's first swing beheaded their sergeant.  His Backswing deflected a combat knife from another marine as he reversed his thrust to drive the blade through the second marines chest.  he quickly pulled the blade out and stepped to the side to let the marines corpse fall to the ground blocking the thrust of the third one's combat knife.  Khalbad relished the smell of blood in the air and from the corner of his eye he saw the techmarine come running.  At last he thought a worthy offering.

Also on the Stygian left flank the blood letters bounded forward on the imperial infantry even as the terminators did likewise firing as they went.  The imperial infantry staggered back from the fire and then their blood ran cold as the bloodletters and terminators came howling at them.  Their howls were the promise of death.  Franticly the infantry went into a mad minute of firing hoping in vain to keep their attackers at bay.  Chaos was not to be denied however within seconds the combined terminators and bloodletters were on them.  Screams of terror and screams of pain filled the air as all but three of the guardsmen were cut down in a mad minute of falling blades.  The three survivors breaking and running in terror.

 

 

Meanwhile in the center the two obliterators advanced after the fleeing guardsmen.  Their arms morphed into assault cannons seconds before they began to open up cutting the hapless imperials down from behind.



On the Stygian right flank the terminator advanced on the ruins it's heavy flamer taking aim at the gathered heavy weapons teams.  Burning promethium coated the lower two levels of the building killing four of the guardsmen.  The screams of their dying comrades was simply too much for the remaining team which fled the field.  Khopesh and his havoc squad took aim at Major Polkornik's command squad on top of the ruins.  Missiles streaked across the battlefield to detonate amongst the major's men.  The major watched as all those around him were ripped apart save the master of ordinance.   Ignoring the flames and the ominous sound of the terminator advancing through the ruins below the major grabbed the vox net determined to stand his ground an rally what he could of his surviving men.

 special thanks again go out to Chris Edstrom for his help with this battle report.