Bladewolf and the Horus Heresy

[Brother Pheidias]

And I think that's all from me, I'll get my Power Armour and see myself out.

[Charlo]

That list is terrifying. Damn.

 

Best RoW ever.

[The Pounder]

Loving your fists! 

I just got my second Sicaran, they're beautiful models and yours look great!

[Lord Blackwood]

Good grief, there is more dakka and boom gun hate than I have seen in years! I'm jealous of it, even though they're....yellow....in all seriousness, they look sweet. All of them.

Thanks Double Ray  D:   Hopefully between now and next year you will get to see them more closely 

 

That list is terrifying. Damn.

 

Best RoW ever.

I am seriously loving Armored Breakthrough as a RoW FAST VINDICATORS MAN  FAST VINDICATORS 

 

Loving your fists! 

I just got my second Sicaran, they're beautiful models and yours look great!

Thank you !  I am really looking forward to seeing your next one  considering everything you paint looks so incredible. 

 

IF you count the hunters as  Whirlwind Scorpius'  then I  obviously need more armored vehicles. 

[Lord Blackwood]

This place would come to be called the road of broken skulls  by the local populace after their conversion into imperial citizens.  It would be remembered as the path taken by the warriors of the Emperor of Mankind when they drove the final dagger into the heart of their former Xenos overlords. This was the place where Tyranny died and to some began again.  But those are tales  , and questions for another day. 
~ ~  ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The rumbling of the Typhon's bulk as it  crushed stone and kicked up dirt behind it was loud even in the interior of the tank. Godfrey  hoisted himself up opening the top hatch and peering at at their surroundings in his ear daniels  sounded annoyed over the vox. 

" I would say sticking your head out of the lead tank  in a line breaking formation would be bad luck , but you are all about luck arent you Godfrey?" 

Godfrey grinned though it was hidden by the fact that the lower half of his face was covered by the half helm he was wearing.  The canyons steep  walls  almost seemed like a curving maw  the jagged rocks like any number of mismatched teeth , all along the great canyon were the destroyed hulls of old tanks and the bones of  both humans and things too large and long to be human. It was said that the natives had tried what they were trying long ago  a direct assault on  where the xenos had nested ,  it apparently had not gone well for them. They had lost whatever battle had occurred here and then rolled over for the creatures. Just thinking about it made Godfrey taste the acid bile rise in his spit which he quickly took control over.  The humans here had once tried ...and failed but they were not legionaries they were not raised above their humanity as the VIIth were and they were not as well armed as Godfrey and his 775th.  

In the past the Xenos had fought here because they were able but as his Typhon and Vindicators charged down the canyon they were met with no resistance , such were the losses the overlords of this world had suffered beaten back from  all corners of this world to thier nest , with only their closest defenses available. It wouldn't be enough Godfrey knew this as surely as he knew that the sky of this planet was blue and that the earth beneath his tanks treads was the pale color of sand. The deserted outposts along the canyon were proof enough that the Xenos were taking no chances in  defending their nests.  The first concentrated laser shot flew past Godfrey poorly aimed it didint strike a single vehicle simply scarring the canyon wall. He let out a bit of a growl and dropped back down into the tank  pulling the hatch down and hearing it lock closed , his mechadendrites began to plug into various ports on his command seat he felt the machine spirit of the tank echo his sentiment.

" Do you hear that gentlemen , she wants war .... and it looks like the enemy will be happy to oblige us." 

As Godfrey Closed his eyes he could see the battlefield from the eyes of the tank itself , realspace cameras and auspex data flowed into him like water into a glass. He didint need to see data on the Typhon itself ... because he could feel it , he could feel its hunger  its insatiable desire for three things , fuel , speed , and war. He could feel the vindicators like smaller predatory beasts charging alongside their alpha. They were that alpha , he was that alpha  he was the beast that ruled this iron pack the king of the jungle ,the first in the hunt. As they crested the ridge he saw it , the cave structure that looked like a spiders face a great many holes made up its eyes and the colossal gate  was shaped into a many stone fanged maw.  Godfrey felt himself shudder in  excitement , not sure if it was his own or the machines. 

"  775th Armored Division ,This is Godfrey ,  execute operation  Twin Avalanche , Weapons Live. Imperator Vult" 

The first shell from the dreadhammer siege cannon fired with such force that it stopped godfreys primary heart  a minor hiccup  that he knew would happen but still rattled him none the less , being this connected to the machine was stilll dangerous when you  had just pieced it together   hours before.  The shell itself was one of many , the opening salvo of the linebreaker tanks was aimed not at the fortress but at the paltry armored resistance the  xenos had whipped out of their human slaves these gravity tanks though few in  number here  were still  very dangerous. Though his shell was the first of many it proved to be the most devastating , aimed perfectly the shell itself crumpled the largest standing tank  on  the opposite side of the field the resulting twin explosions of the shell and the tank  it had landed in wiped out another few war engines in the blink of an eye.  The gravity tanks had been waiting their counter salvo light in number but still effective , many shots missed but the ones that hit were undeniably effective. Godfrey watched as a predator  was struck along its front armor  the lower rhino hull crumpling like a tin can with a black hole inside it , the turret exploding upward and  falling somewhere many feet away.  Similar fates awaited several other war machines which were struck but the linebreaker tanks continued to charge forward , slowed only by the firing of their heavy shelled weapons. 

Daniels voice came out over the vox again.  

" Brace for Impact. "  

Godfrey twitched in his command chair as the Typhon didint just strike the gravity tank  it tore it asunder like a man bursting through a paper wall. He could hear and see a thousand other similar collisions as the vindicators and  spartans of the armored division turned their bulk against the fragile xenostech   though the dust and the smoke the target was in better view , where the road forked it would lead to two separate generator facilities.  The one on the left would be attacked by the Templars and half of the 775th the other would be attacked by the  906th  and the other half of the 775th Armored.  It was along these forks that the true boobytraps and tank traps would take their toll , More than once Godfrey witnessed a rhino chassis go flying sideways tumbling along until it crashed into something. These ambushes were expected but no  less bothersome they were the job of the Sicarians faster tanks whom could rout these defenders then rejoin the main push.  There was no time to waste  the 599th seige breakers were already on their war via their own transports along the upper side of the canyons cliffs and via thunderhawks , the assault needed to breach the generators before they arrived it was a good plan , one that Godfrey had agreed with even though the cost would be high. Subconsciously tracing his teeth with his tongue he breathed out the next order. 

" Breaking left." 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ 

The generator complex if one could call it that was more heavily defended human troops , more gravity tanks and among them the huge lanky bodies of their xenos overlords, the obvious warrior caste covered in blue ink tattoos over pale flesh that seemed drawn too tight over long limbs. 

" Concentrate fire on the groups of infantry closest to the Tanks"  

The shell leaving the breach  was matched with both las cannon sponson weapons firing into one of the lanky xenos beasts as it lumbered forward , its  had to its credit managed to dodge one while the other had burned a hole in its gut  and set it ablaze. The tank that the shell  stuck fared little better as both it and the large group of human slaves behind it were blown to smithereens body parts and viscera flew in all directions. The Predators and Sicaran battle tanks were opening up as well   the staccato sound of high caliber shells vomiting from their barrels and turning human and xenos flesh into mush. It wasant surprising that they  had brought as many as they did to defend , what was surprising was HOW MANY  they had brought to defend.  Hordes of humans entralled or terrified into throwing their lives away at the behest of the very creatures that consumed them. Godfreys rage was his own but it was echoed by the Typhon as the next shell fired at the Generator complex itself  which to be fair appeared more like a great altar made of  rock bone and at its pinnacle a lone xenos creature sat , chained to a spike a bulbous and enlarged skull  pulsing its limbs cut off and its belly swollen  it was a psychic shield that protected this place from the orbital bombardment.  The moment he realized it he could hear  the First Captains voice over the vox.

" Forgelord Godfrey .... I  require a path to destroy the xenos witch." 

Godfrey saw the humans in thier path  and indicated to his gunner to adjust the arc of fire.  

"  Then you  shall have it ..... For Dorn  first Captain."  

" For Dorn and the Emperor." 

This time the firing of the shell made his heart stop and his teeth rattle as they had adjusted to fire close and immediately placed themselves  in the breach   the Typhon struggled to brace from not only firing its weapon but the shockwave from the blast  thankfully it Endured .  The effect immediately apparent as a great path was  carved  large enough so that when  the Typhon rammed  the  closest Xenos beast  the Templar's Spartan could fit in the breach that was left along the other side the vindicators took position. The Sicarians and predators would have to strafe from  afar as rhinos carrying support crews of 775th legionaries disgorged their crew to take up defensive positions , the insertion point was created.  The sound of bolt fire joined that of auto cannon fire as the rumbling advance had come to a halt   now they simply needed to trust in the 1st company and defend the breach.  Firing the dreadhammer from this range had to be done extremely carefully thankfully the 775th excelled at danger close operations the next shell fired went high into the air before crashing into hastily set up grav cannon artillery that was   being turned to face the breach point as opposed to the approach. 

Godfrey suddenly felt his  link to the machine severed he felt his body spasam as his eyes snapped open seeing only a semi darkness of the inside of the hull. 

" What happened? WERE WE HIT ?" 

Daniels shouted as like the rest of the crew he was hooked into the tank  and his armor was still getting back up to power. 

" No Lord , Power Failure !  Something wrong with the motive drive ! " 

Godfrey crushed in his native tongue as he pulled himself away from  his connections to the tank his well artificed armor more quickly going back under its own power than his cohorts. 

" I am going to go fix it ... "  

No one argued with Godfrey half because they knew it was no good half because there was no other alternative. The Forgelord used his power fist to push open the top  hatch and climbed out onto a battlefield alive with the noise dust and screams of war. The sensations hit him but seemed...lesser than when he was wired into the tank.  Carefully he sprinted toward the back of the Typhon  he felt a stubber round ring off his pauldron  and as he vaulted the exhaust ports he came to hard landing just behind the Typhon.  The spartans doors were open and wounded marines were being patched up to be sent back into the defense of the armor line. They looked quizzically at Godfrey who paid them no mind as he used his servo arm to remove a panel from  the Typhon his mechadendrites quickly plugging into the many panels of the machine.

" Come now ... tell me what you need." 

The sound of battle was growing louder as the xenos and their bonded humans were recovering from the sudden shock of the imperial fists assault over the vox things still sounded controlled  it was almost unheard of for an imperial fists legionary to be rattled under fire and for the most part these were just humans.  Godfrey felt a sudden bit of nausea which his gene tempered form quickly  brought under control  it was not his body reacting to something it was the Tank , something was wrong with the fuel feed and the generator ....even if he got power back to it he would  need to repair that as well.  And so he set to work as inglorious as it sounds repairing the Typhon as the First captain and his Templar Brethren moved to destroy the psychic battery that protected the xeno nest from bombardment and as the marines of his company protected the armor wall. He stood repairing a motor , there was irony to this  , irony that he did not like to admit existed. The truth was  , this was his duty , not glorious combat  , not  the fact that he commanded from the front , THIS  was his duty and despite the burning desire to engage the enemy this was what he was meant to do.

It took all of nine minutes and forty five seconds to return power then motive operation to the Typhon. The  lost time and lack of its firepower had led to a deterioration of the armor walls defenses , gravity artillery was  taking its toll and the wave of humans while being culled int he hundreds was getting uncomfortably close so close that they needed to be dealt with , with both bolt and blade.  Godfrey  was almost done  when he heard the crack of something breaking , not something mechanical  something in reality broke , and the death screech of  something inhuman  pitched over even the ferocious din of battle. What happened next was not outside of the projections but was still jarring , the humans broke as if no longer fearless fleeing in  all directions  , the xenos became enraged trampling their humans and diving at the tanks of the 775th as if no longer concerned with self preservation.  With its bare hands  Godfrey witnessed a creature tear a predators front plate clean off before grabbing a marine and tearing him in two as if he were made of simple straw. Almost immediately afterward a shot from a Sicarian Venator  erased the head of the xenos beast which slumped over the carcass of the predator. They were leaping now  long limbed forms landing among the armor wall.  They rampaged where they could trying to reach the spartan and Typhon.  Godfrey heard Daniels speak over the vox. 

" Were opening fire again , Templars say they are  getting air lifted out by the 599th  , target two is down , we can vacate the breach."

Godfrey was not surprised that the first captain and his brethren had slaughtered the Xenos witch as he carefully climbed back onto the hull of the Typhon he did he something that surprised him  the impact of the xenos beast that stood before him. It was easily twice his height  not as bulky , limbs long , clawed fingers that he had just seen capable of rending ceramite  and a jaw split open like a cross ...all  teeth and spittle  , thin black hair hung from its greyish scalp  as it shrieked at him. 

" Get off of my tank " 

The creature answered by swiping at Godfrey who had to dive off  the side of the Typhon to avoid being shredded by claw like nails. Drawing his bolt pistol he fired three shots into  the creature carefully picking his spots two in the side of the knee and one in the left eye. The shots to the knee not penetrating but hitting with enough force to stumble the creature the shot to the eye drawing its ire and keeping it from turning its claws to the hull of the typhon.  It lept through the air , toward him ,  its body being lit up by  autocannon fire large chunks of it flying off in different directions and it howled ... it howled in  agony as it still charged toward Godfrey who impassively growled at it. 

" Ive had about enough of this ... "

Godfreys powerfist crackled to life as he struck the creature in its chest hard enough to send it rocketing backward into the hull of the typhon he could hear bones breaking and he made a rude gesture thinking the creature dealt with. He was not expecting it to leap again , though that danger was short lived as a beam of anti matter  struck the creature in the side  atomizing it in an instant  he heard the crackling laughter of a machine voice. It was Venerable Brother Bohemond.

" I think I  like this new weapon Forgelord .... It is quite effective...... I like it so much I will pretend you weren't about to die due to your abject stupidity."  

Godfrey did not know if it were more appropriate to smirk  or swear , instead the scrambled back up  and into the Typhon returning to his seat of command. 

" Get us the hell out of here." 

There was a certain art to driving a Superheavy Vehicle Backward and firing as you did so  an art which Godfrey's crew was very good at. The Sound of Thunderhawks in  the air meant that the bombardment was about to start the first pass was near the altars easy enough as the 775th would not be ignored , any paltry defense left was focused on them as even as they backed away the reaped a great toll of xenos lives. The creatures were retreating into their fortress even with its kineshield down they likely figured they would be safe within the depths of the cave itself.   Godfrey wondered if they knew how wrong they were.  As the Thunderhawks turned away the bombardment began. 

" This is Orbit to 7th Legion assets on site , danger close , cracking stone." 

The bombardment shattered the spiders face   caving in its  many eyes  and leaving greater openings  it was careful and precise  and not meant to erase the caves from  the face of the planet , it was simply meant to open them up to something far worse, the Medusa's rolled up painted in the  Yellow Silver and Black of the 599th  and loaded with canisters of one of the most horrifying weapons at the command of the Legions.  The Thunderhawks of the 599th had  opened their rear bays  , clusters of  Quad  Launchers mag locked to their decks began to rain phosphex canisters down into the cracked openings of the cave fortress  firing and firing until  they were spent  before peeling off again.  The Medusa's joining them it took only a few moments after that for the ruined visage of  the fortress to begin to glow with greenwhite fire , From a safe distance Godfrey  and his crew watched they watched  and they heard the shrieking of the Xenos beasts , as the phosphex hunted them , the chemical fire was not like regular ordinance it practically hungered for living tissue seeking it out wherever it could  the shrieking only grew louder and the different pitches of screaming only made it more disturbing.  

Within minutes the great gates shattered as the xenos began to attempt to flee into a hail of autocannon and shell fire from the 775th none getting very far from the gates , green chemical fire eating them alive where they fell ,  among them the old , the young , male , female ,they were cut down by the furious vengence of the 7th Legions tanks and consumed by the unmaking flames. 

Godfrey let out a bit of a sigh as he decided he had seen  enough and returned to his command seat. 

"Were wasting ammunition , cave in the entrance so they cant get out. " 

The dreadhammer siege canon roared once more and Godfrey felt his heart stop for the last time that day as the shell fired made it impossible for the Xenos to escape from the gates some tried to claw from the rock but by now the fire had taken enough of their flesh that this was an impossible task. The 775th Armored company turned around and drove away from  the ruined fortress and began to make their way back down the road of broken skulls. Victorious but certainly at grave cost. 

[Lord Blackwood]

Played a Fun Game  at 1850  vs Tyranids today 

Ended up a tie until we realized Sigismund gains +1 Victory point for slaying the opponents warlord in a challenge. 

I learned alot this game especially about my poor deployment tactics 

btw that thing that lets the broodlord and his boys just straight up deploy one inch from my poor predators and charge first turn D:  so sad 

I also learned that even against scary monstrous creatures sigismund is still the man  who singlehandedly accounted for about 3 points 
( We were playing the mission where killing a fast attack choice also yields a point) 

Also  the Typhon  accounted for something like 30 ~ 40  casualties as well as  blowing a unit off a 2 point objective at the end of the game  @ u @  that thing is a monster 

Sicarians performed quite well 

Vindicator made its points back and was a fire magnet 

Predators were meh  

Overall  it was a good time  a  Tank company vs a Themed Genesteeler Cult  into Tyranid Invasion List  

Sorry the pictures arent the best , I was really just enjoying the game more than snapping pictures 

[jimbo13]

Armorgasm............ 

[Slips]

Please tell me you said "SIGISMUND ISSUES A CHALLENGE!" In the most dramatic way possible?

 

I also like those Dice. More yellow ~_~

Edited April 6, 2016 by Slipstreams

[Lord Blackwood]

Please tell me you said "SIGISMUND ISSUES A CHALLENGE!" In the most dramatic way possible?

[Memento Of Prospero]

So much armour. Are you sure your geneseed is not Iron Hands ;)

[Charlo]

Great.

 

Now I have the mental image of Siggy cutting down swathes of traitors while Kazooing about the place.

 

RULES OF NATURE

[Lord Blackwood]

Please tell me you said "SIGISMUND ISSUES A CHALLENGE!" In the most dramatic way possible?

 

I also like those Dice. More yellow ~_~

I  actually had my storeowner hold the smaller dicebox of those same yellow and black dice fer me ill be picking it up this weekend  , that way I can use the larger ones for hull point counters and such , I really like the yellow and black dice and it works with my army pretty well  being the inverse and all that 

 

Funnily enough I did point out to my opponent that Godfrey was modeled to be  sitting there inside the Typhon and was essentially saying , come at me xenos filth 

 

So much armour. Are you sure your geneseed is not Iron Hands

Godfrey had a very good group of Classmates when he was on Mars   one of which was an Iron hand ive yet to write any of that backstory yet  Armored breakthrough is absolutely fantastic and is the closest I guess we will get to just getting a tank  commander consul , which is fine its a great rite of war that I really wanted it lets me play the 775th perfectly. 

 

Great.

 

Now I have the mental image of Siggy cutting down swathes of traitors while Kazooing about the place.

 

RULES OF NATURE

I mean ... im pretty  sure thats exactly how it happened right ?  

[Rayray]

Oh c'mon, we all know Sigs was just hangry and ready to get the campaign against the bugs over with. I mean, that's best right; holding off on a meal before throwing down on more reps? How many VP's on his own? 3 or 4?

[Lord Blackwood]

Oh c'mon, we all know Sigs was just hangry and ready to get the campaign against the bugs over with. I mean, that's best right; holding off on a meal before throwing down on more reps? How many VP's on his own? 3 or 4?

He probably was , I mean  he and his unit of templar brethren  scored 3 victory points by themselves and were sitting on  one of the two objectives worth 3 points  so  essentially they scored 6 through combat secondary and primary objectives   .... jeez  

[Rayray]

Jeeze, remind me to bring a Snickers bar any time Danny Trejo Senior hits the table. With your army being an armored breakthrough, I'd be nervous about him being vulnerable at some point, but that looks to be my inexperience talkin.

[Lord Blackwood]

hes about as vunerable as the spartan hes riding in is , which depending on the enemy list quite vulnerable . Didint have any real issue last game tho  as the monstrous creature that charged the spartan failed to wound it XD  then  got scythed down by las cannons 

Here is a Current Collection  of the  775th Fluff that has been written , ill do this every once in a while just so folks dont have to dig so much. 
I will  be adding the final part to the Compliance of Boria at some point this weekend  and then it will be time to get started on a zone mortalis short story  aka lets see how tough Godfrey is when he aint in a superheavy tank  and a project for  Dantay which takes a look at some Terran Space Wolves and their new Fenrisian Packmates  that I have been outlining. 

YOU SEE ALL THIS VALUE YOU GET FROM MY THREAD !   A WIP  , POORLY PAINTED MODELS  , POORLY WRITTEN FLUFF , AND COMING SOON ANOTHER LEVIATHAN DREADNOUGHT. 
 

Pre Heresey 

The Compliance of Boria 

Part I

The heavy staccato of artillery was dulled by the  canyon that served at the VIIth legion base of operations. The advance of the Imperial Fists had ground to a halt on Boria a compliance that should have taken weeks was starting to take months. The human resistance which had begun as simple dissenters had spiraled into a full planetary revolt  backed by xenos tech. While casualties for the   VIIth had not been high the timetable needed to be accelerated , and for this the first captain of the Imperial Fists  , Sigismund was sent to Boria with direct orders from his father  Rogal Dorn  that the compliance of the world was to take no more than  one more solar month. 

The arrival of the first captain brought with it new challenges for the 432nd 85th  906th and 775th armored. Sigismund was a man with a short temper and notoriously as difficult to work with as he was dangerous in duels. What had been a slow grinding war quickly became a violent and costly flattening of the  resistance elements shielding the greater xenos threat. To this end Godfrey was pleased. He hated this world with a passion , moreso he hated the fact that his Armored Company which he had only recently risen to command of was being used as rearguard and  only sparingly on raids. The new plan of attack had put them in the thick of things.  On the ash wastes they had routed hovering Xenotanks from the flanks tearing through the weak side armor before they could even be engaged and exposing great swaths of infantry to disciplined fire and shattering charges from the Templar's and linebreakers.  They had rolled through the streets of Boria's greatest city providing close support for seeker teams and destroying emplaced weapons as they purged the populace who had turned thier faces from the Emperor to suckle at the foul teat of alien overlords. 

But today was different , Today they discussed the Gulch  , the root of the problem on Boria was not the human resistance which had been so severely battered that it was mostly in hiding , it was the xenos ,these creatures humanoid in appearance with mouths that opened both horizontally and vertically tall  with emaciated figures and maws of inhumanly sharp teeth were reminiscent of Wendigos  from ancient terran myth. They could withstand bolt rounds and by all accounts actually did actively feed on the human population of Boria in exchange for advanced technology and weaponry. They had no citadel so much as they made a great canyon structure much like the one the VIIth used for their staging ground heavily defended by both their own kind and the human slaves that were marked to be devoured. The idea that human beings could be used in such a manner turned Godfrey's stomach but it was nearly done , the meeting was to decide the best way to approach the canyon structure after it was bombarded from  orbit. 

" Subsequent bombardments would be easiest , there is no need to assault this structure full of ravenous monsters until we have pounded it to dust from orbit , it would be a simple clean up after that would it not?"

The words came from a Centurion called Riven a Seigebreaker and Master of Signal  whom had a reputation of drowning the enemies of mankind in as much ordinance as possible. He had been the man behind the  conquest of Boria Secundus utilizing a mix of pinpoint orbital bombardment and a near constant rain of artillery that had done such catastrophic damage that the human population had surrendered. Riven had ordered the end to the bombardment five hours later.  Among them few were warm to him some even joked behind his back that he would have made a better Iron Warrior than Imperial Fist but regardless of this he was a good friend to Godfrey and Godfrey placed forward the small stone with his companies numerals and symbol onto the table in support of this plan.

Sigismund said nothing for a short while then shook  his head. 

" This is the only  place on  this planet that seems to be properly protected from orbital bombardment. The only way this will get done is shattering them with a direct strike " 

A small silence fell over the officers present. These direct methods of warfare had indeed sped up the campaign but at the same time had bled each force present quite heavily. Godfrey had lost a larger number of warmachines than he had anticipated already and the cost in life had been heavy once Sigismund had taken over theater command.

" With respect First Captain ....Do you  honestly believe that a single push will be enough to break through the defenses of a dense cave structure? Worse yet even if we do break the defenses we would be absolutely lost in those caves we simply dont know whats in there... not to mention the fact that the way the canyon is built we would have to funnel our armor straight into a killbox just to get close eno- 

Sigismund's voice was not angry when he cut Godfrey off  though his tone seemed to hold a level of finality that meant that there would be no further argument. 

" Of course .... otherwise I would not suggest it , though we are not going into the caves.  Your armored company will escort my Templars and the Majority of the Linebreakers into the killbox , we will attack  the shield generators that our scouting elements have marked out as being at the foot of the cave structure , well defended yes , but reachable. You will  split your battlegroup into two halves one will escort my contingent the other Thorick's Breachers ,once the generators have been  destroyed we will commence both bombardment and  phosphex artillery attacks  to flush them out of the caves and into the killbox itself , they  will  have to choose between creeping death in the dark of their cracked open cave structure or charging out into our blades. "

It was a pragmatic solution , it gave Riven what he wanted , gave Thorick and his Linebreakers a share in the Glory and put Godfrey at the forefront. Sigismund had appealed to the vanity of each commander with his plan but still  the cost of this would be high the scouting reports had also said that the enemy had a fair bit of armored assets in the killbox and the path was too narrow for the Lapidem Crucis his custom Glaive to fit comfortably without being cumbersome.  Though there was another option.  As the meeting was broken and the commanders sent to prepare Riven walked beside Godfrey a smirk on his face. 

" That ugly monstrosity you  favor wont be able to fit in that pass , what are you going to use instead? Or do you plan to get its fat arse stuck and half the entire armored advance?"

Godfrey had become used to Riven's dry snark long ago and while his friends face was hidden by his helm there was no doubt he was smirking it was evident on his words.

" When I became Master of the 775th I was gifted more than just that Glaive and I would thank you not to talk about her like that she is very sensitive about her weight." 

Godfrey clutched tightly to the memory of his mother standing atop an old junker tank from his homeworld the memory was but a fragment he didn't even know if it was real anymore ,it felt like a lifetime ago , mostly because it had been. Though he was glad to have reason to remember it.

" You are talking about your pet project aren't you?" 

Godfrey nodded his servo arm suddenly unfolding from his powerpack a bit as if the thought of working on the vehicle in question had caused it to become ready. 

" It is ready  , and properly armed for this task. "

Riven scoffed  a bit but let the argument die before it began. 

" To authorize phosphex Lord Dorn must want this done yesterday." 

Godfrey shrugged his shoulders the gesture reminding him exactly how tired he was and how tired he would soon be getting the lapidem  praevaricator prepared the Typhon  was half disassembled after his last attempt to  improve the motive drives and lighten the tank while still keeping it stabilized enough to fire its main weapon system on the move. While the Lapidem Crucis  had been his mentors warmachine and the command tank for the 775th for the better part of a hundred years the Lapidem Praevaricator was his own superheavy tank he had been its first and only commander and while it likely would never serve as the command tank in full capacity an operation such as this would be a perfect place to allow it to shine. 

" You should be happy , you like shelling things into oblivion. " 

Riven began to wander away back toward  his own section of the canyon. 

" Just because I like doing something doesn't mean it is the correct course of action brother , just like the first captain." 

Godfrey chose to let that go and instead he began to stride through the rows of warmachines of the 775th his company , his armored division , many of these poor things were damaged , and all were filthy but no less resplendent they drank fuel and were patched of their many wounds both great and small , as macrolifters were bringing down parts and hauling the carcasses of  destroyed war machines back up into orbit he paused to run his gauntleted fingers of the stone hand a Sicaran Battle Tank he had served aboard for a short time , pristine despite being caked in filth he moved on to the covered garage section  blasted into the canyon side to serve as a work and command station for the 775th.  He paid no attention to his brothers or even the humans as they scurried out of his path. He stared at the Lapidem Crucis her hull scored with many wounds from the xeno Gravity tanks , she had immolated scores of human reistance and punched holes in plenty of their transports setting alight the passengers in a beautiful example of the Emperors Wrath. But for her this war was over , he turned his gaze to the half broken down Typhon  its  dreadhammer siege cannon hanging suspended by great chains above  its bay ,  its stripped down frame carefully held in place by anti gravity generators  she was beautiful even like this stripped bare and open to him , if the tech priests who had trained him on mars could see this he would likely be called many things and none of them pleasant, though he banished the thoughts from his mind and voxed to Daniels his second.

" We need to get to work , bring the servitors ..."  

Part II

All the servitors were dead. This did not bother Godfrey nor did it trouble the crew of techmarines that worked with him. They were bound to die at some point.  Re fueling repairing and Re fitting and entire company of warmachines was taxing work despite the fact that many in the company were both capable and willing to help in the servicing of  the machines they crewed or rode into battle  the makeshift steelyard was not the best location to work. The dust storms were a mild inconvenience in the face of the logistics issues  of getting enough fuel and ammunition as well as workable parts Godfrey often wondered if other companies in the legion suffered from  such vexing problems though with his work on the Lapidem Praevaricator had kept him busy it was not his only responsibility as the highest ranking Techmarine in the current Theater of war. 

It was only hours now until operation Sundering Avalanche the sound of Predators , Vindicators , Rhino APCs and all manner of warmachines being coaxed to life and the scent of anointing oils filled the steelyard. The dreadnoughts of his company clad in the same black of the warmachines walked among the rows of tanks lending their strength to last minute  work where they could. The Dreadhammer siege cannon of his personal command tank was  being lowered into place when he heard it , before the entombed hero could even voice his arrival  Godfrey instinctively heard it the grinding of servos the clicking of bad transistors and the bleeding of oil.  Then the low vocalized rumble from a vox emitter. 

" I wish ... to  Serve "  

When Godfrey turned from  his work he saw a great contemptor dreadnought not one of his own company his  right leg savaged by  some great claw , no doubt the work of the xenos , almost immediately information was gleaned from  the markings on the warriors sarcophagus early crusade markings  the raptor and lightning bolts this was a brother whom had waged war longer than Godfrey had transcended his own humanity.   Before Godfrey even replied his mind , already moving at a mile a minute due to his work on the massive Typhon had made the appropriate calculations he could restore the leg to maybe fifty percent effectiveness but the venerable brother would not be able to run nor would he be terribly effective in  close combat. 

" Venerable brother Bohemond .... even if I  was to attend to your leg  your combat effectiveness would be considerably hampered. " 

Godfrey felt the words leaving him in a slow almost mechanical drawl , he fought against this. The careful stripping of humanity was a thing that all  Techmarines dealt with during their  training on mars it was a gift and a curse , a gift in that it allowed them to work better with the machines they held dominion over and a curse in that it created a gulf between  them and their brothers. They were more than human all  Legionaries were but it was in  their specialties they were segregated. Godfrey fought the tiredness  and focused hard to reply in a softer manner. 

" I could see to it that you could walk  but not run , you  would be at a disadvantage against the creatures we hunt.  I  would not see a Venerable brother such as yourself destroyed due to a patch repair ...." 

The Contemptor's  grim visage peered down at him while Godfrey could not read the emotions of the warrior inside he could feel the machine spirit of his armored casket stirring negatively at his response. 

" I. Will. Serve. "

There it was , that infectious zeal that the first Captain inspired in those around him. This veteran even encased in his metal tomb would not be denied battle.  Godfrey looked over his shoulder at the Typhon who only eighteen hours ago was a mostly disassembled but at the thought of charging into glorious battle had been lovingly restored  his work ,  he had killed eighteen servitors on his project alone. Looking back at the Contemptor he nodded.

" You shall .... but I will not commit you in a manner that sees your commitment to the great crusade wasted." 

Godfrey walked toward one of the Macro lifters , one of the last  ones taking the last of the ruined warmachines a predator or what had been a predator before it had been flipped on its side and torn open from the bottom  it was a savaged twisted hunk of armor now burned to uselessness on the inside  , it would likely be stripped for parts before the majority of its hull was sent back to mars for recycling the turret was what interested the forgelord as he told the crew to halt his tone carrying only a small note of command but enough that the mortals froze in what they were doing. The turret was a yellow plated conversion beamer a fearsome weapon from  range he looked at where it was attached to the turret and then he looked at venerable brother  Bohemond. 

" Daniels  get the rest of the repairs to the Typhon Finished. I  will see to  this task. " 

Godfreys voice came out of a slow growlish drawl over the vox. 

" Brothers of the 775th  .... My steelyard growls to life the machine spirits of bellicose war engines ready themselves for  battle as we all do.  We prepare to ride into the very Maw of these filthy Xenos monsters and break their teeth upon our armored hides  and tear our way out of their gullets with shell  and crushing steel. We ride alongside the First .  We  are the Vanguard  and we do this because no one else can.  I am pleased at your ability to prepare and I  will be more pleased when we have exterminated the last of this threat. As you prepare for the coming battle take heart in the fact that of the forces arrayed here I  would not choose to lead any other. We are the 775th  And We Endure. "

"WE ENDURE"  came the roar across the steelyard almost enough to drown out the growling and slight revving of the motive drives of the various gathered Warmachines. 

"  Honorem, officium, et pro lapidibus ferrum!" Godfrey Roared to a second cry  and the thunderous sound of  Engines roaring even the Typhon behind him growled to life to join the roar of its comrades and it uplifted him immediately to feel its machine spirit not only stir but stir with murderous intend. 

"I  require the aid of  no more than three battle brothers who have finished their preparations preferably at least one predator crewman.  I will be stripping a Heavy Conversion Beamer and re fitting it for a contemptor Chassis do not volunteer if you are not capable of keeping up "

Less than an hour later  the Macro lifter was gone , the ruined predator stripped of its turret was off to its final resting place brother Bohemond stood uncomfortably one of his legs and one of his arms removed , there had been no time to put him back to sleep because coaxing him awake would have taken too long.  The Venerable hero of the legion did not complain infact he did not speak for some time as his leg was repaired by two brothers of the 775th while Godfrey himself saw to the fitting of the heavy conversion beamer to his arm.  When his voice did come it was slightly strained by the pain though still it came through the vox emitters effortlessly commandingly. 

" You  turn a small task into a great one Forgelord , and for what?" 

Godfrey took his time in  replying half because he did not like the question and half because of his own concentration. 

" I told you brother , I would not see you  destroyed due to a shoddy repair , this will see you  able to lend support to the operation without terribly risking your structural integrity. You wished to serve .... and serve you  shall. " 

The grating sound of voxed laughter filled the makeshift  garage. 

" I would have been just as happy wading into battle. Not sitting back and firing this cannon you graft to my arm like some artillery piece."

Godfrey plugged one of his mechadendrites into  the side of the heavy conversion beamer causing it to spool up with a bit of a low whine. He looked at  Bohemon's shoulder guard the crusaders cross and victory laurel peered back at him. 

" You once guarded the Temple of Oaths..... you wore the cross of the Templar's  the first company."  

Bohemon responded slowly almost sorrowfully at that point.

" I  did ... a long time ago ... " 

Godfrey nodded.  

"Atleast you had that honor older brother , I  never will , but I serve the Legion in the capacity  I  am able and for this  I am glad , survive this battle and I  will  see you restored to your murderous glory in the aftermath. " 

Laughter again Bohemon  turned the head of his contemptor slightly to look at Godfrey. 

" You are a true son of Dorn  Forgelord we will see if you  even survive this battle. "  

It took  only another hour  to fit the heavy conversion beamer  then another half hour to finish the repairs to the contemptors leg , he still was slow , but at least now he was not dragging the limb behind him.  Godfrey's hands ached  even through his gauntlet even his one augmetic hand ached something he ddnt even think was possible anymore. Had he really been working that hard. He shook his head and backed away from the Contemptor peering up at it with something of a smirk upon his face. 

" Brother Bohemon , How do you feel." 

The Contemptor Did not only spoke to the gathered brothers that had effected his repair but voxed to the entire company. 

" I am venerable brother Bohemon , The blackened spear , Templar , I have followed our father Dorn into battle and before that followed the Emperor himself.  I came to you broken  but now ... I  endure ...   I  ENDURE "   

Godfreys smirk almost widened into a smile but his stony features remained as he locked the lower half helm onto his face. 

" Brother Bohemon , its time for war." 

Bohemon strode his slow ponderous steps toward the steel yard to the thunderous cheers of the warriors of the 775th who were mounting up into their warmachines making their final preparations he paused and looked back slightly rotating just a bit  so he was looking at Godfrey.

" Brother Godfrey , it is always time for war "  

Godfrey  strode toward his command tank  the Great Typhon that was the  Lapidem Praevaricator  Growling its readiness.  The customization to its motive drive would be put to the test today Godfrey climbed up onto the hull as it slowly rolled out into the lines of 775th armored warmachines  a hulking beast  stalking among its kin as the dominant  and obvious alpha. Godfrey took one last deep breath of the air the scent of a Steelyard prepared to bring the wrath of the emperor to the enemies of mankind.  He felt his tiredness drain away and in its place a violent urge a desire to  ride into battle  and as he slipped into the hatch of the Typhon he prepared himself to once again be tempered in the fires of war. 

Part III

This place would come to be called the road of broken skulls  by the local populace after their conversion into imperial citizens.  It would be remembered as the path taken by the warriors of the Emperor of Mankind when they drove the final dagger into the heart of their former Xenos overlords. This was the place where Tyranny died and to some began again.  But those are tales  , and questions for another day. 
~ ~  ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The rumbling of the Typhon's bulk as it  crushed stone and kicked up dirt behind it was loud even in the interior of the tank. Godfrey  hoisted himself up opening the top hatch and peering at at their surroundings in his ear daniels  sounded annoyed over the vox. 

" I would say sticking your head out of the lead tank  in a line breaking formation would be bad luck , but you are all about luck arent you Godfrey?" 

Godfrey grinned though it was hidden by the fact that the lower half of his face was covered by the half helm he was wearing.  The canyons steep  walls  almost seemed like a curving maw  the jagged rocks like any number of mismatched teeth , all along the great canyon were the destroyed hulls of old tanks and the bones of  both humans and things too large and long to be human. It was said that the natives had tried what they were trying long ago  a direct assault on  where the xenos had nested ,  it apparently had not gone well for them. They had lost whatever battle had occurred here and then rolled over for the creatures. Just thinking about it made Godfrey taste the acid bile rise in his spit which he quickly took control over.  The humans here had once tried ...and failed but they were not legionaries they were not raised above their humanity as the VIIth were and they were not as well armed as Godfrey and his 775th.  

In the past the Xenos had fought here because they were able but as his Typhon and Vindicators charged down the canyon they were met with no resistance , such were the losses the overlords of this world had suffered beaten back from  all corners of this world to thier nest , with only their closest defenses available. It wouldn't be enough Godfrey knew this as surely as he knew that the sky of this planet was blue and that the earth beneath his tanks treads was the pale color of sand. The deserted outposts along the canyon were proof enough that the Xenos were taking no chances in  defending their nests.  The first concentrated laser shot flew past Godfrey poorly aimed it didint strike a single vehicle simply scarring the canyon wall. He let out a bit of a growl and dropped back down into the tank  pulling the hatch down and hearing it lock closed , his mechadendrites began to plug into various ports on his command seat he felt the machine spirit of the tank echo his sentiment.

" Do you hear that gentlemen , she wants war .... and it looks like the enemy will be happy to oblige us." 

As Godfrey Closed his eyes he could see the battlefield from the eyes of the tank itself , realspace cameras and auspex data flowed into him like water into a glass. He didint need to see data on the Typhon itself ... because he could feel it , he could feel its hunger  its insatiable desire for three things , fuel , speed , and war. He could feel the vindicators like smaller predatory beasts charging alongside their alpha. They were that alpha , he was that alpha  he was the beast that ruled this iron pack the king of the jungle ,the first in the hunt. As they crested the ridge he saw it , the cave structure that looked like a spiders face a great many holes made up its eyes and the colossal gate  was shaped into a many stone fanged maw.  Godfrey felt himself shudder in  excitement , not sure if it was his own or the machines. 

"  775th Armored Division ,This is Godfrey ,  execute operation  Twin Avalanche , Weapons Live. Imperator Vult" 

The first shell from the dreadhammer siege cannon fired with such force that it stopped godfreys primary heart  a minor hiccup  that he knew would happen but still rattled him none the less , being this connected to the machine was stilll dangerous when you  had just pieced it together   hours before.  The shell itself was one of many , the opening salvo of the linebreaker tanks was aimed not at the fortress but at the paltry armored resistance the  xenos had whipped out of their human slaves these gravity tanks though few in  number here  were still  very dangerous. Though his shell was the first of many it proved to be the most devastating , aimed perfectly the shell itself crumpled the largest standing tank  on  the opposite side of the field the resulting twin explosions of the shell and the tank  it had landed in wiped out another few war engines in the blink of an eye.  The gravity tanks had been waiting their counter salvo light in number but still effective , many shots missed but the ones that hit were undeniably effective. Godfrey watched as a predator  was struck along its front armor  the lower rhino hull crumpling like a tin can with a black hole inside it , the turret exploding upward and  falling somewhere many feet away.  Similar fates awaited several other war machines which were struck but the linebreaker tanks continued to charge forward , slowed only by the firing of their heavy shelled weapons. 

Daniels voice came out over the vox again.  

" Brace for Impact. "  

Godfrey twitched in his command chair as the Typhon didint just strike the gravity tank  it tore it asunder like a man bursting through a paper wall. He could hear and see a thousand other similar collisions as the vindicators and  spartans of the armored division turned their bulk against the fragile xenostech   though the dust and the smoke the target was in better view , where the road forked it would lead to two separate generator facilities.  The one on the left would be attacked by the Templars and half of the 775th the other would be attacked by the  906th  and the other half of the 775th Armored.  It was along these forks that the true boobytraps and tank traps would take their toll , More than once Godfrey witnessed a rhino chassis go flying sideways tumbling along until it crashed into something. These ambushes were expected but no  less bothersome they were the job of the Sicarians faster tanks whom could rout these defenders then rejoin the main push.  There was no time to waste  the 599th seige breakers were already on their war via their own transports along the upper side of the canyons cliffs and via thunderhawks , the assault needed to breach the generators before they arrived it was a good plan , one that Godfrey had agreed with even though the cost would be high. Subconsciously tracing his teeth with his tongue he breathed out the next order. 

" Breaking left." 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ 

The generator complex if one could call it that was more heavily defended human troops , more gravity tanks and among them the huge lanky bodies of their xenos overlords, the obvious warrior caste covered in blue ink tattoos over pale flesh that seemed drawn too tight over long limbs. 

" Concentrate fire on the groups of infantry closest to the Tanks"  

The shell leaving the breach  was matched with both las cannon sponson weapons firing into one of the lanky xenos beasts as it lumbered forward , its  had to its credit managed to dodge one while the other had burned a hole in its gut  and set it ablaze. The tank that the shell  stuck fared little better as both it and the large group of human slaves behind it were blown to smithereens body parts and viscera flew in all directions. The Predators and Sicaran battle tanks were opening up as well   the staccato sound of high caliber shells vomiting from their barrels and turning human and xenos flesh into mush. It wasant surprising that they  had brought as many as they did to defend , what was surprising was HOW MANY  they had brought to defend.  Hordes of humans entralled or terrified into throwing their lives away at the behest of the very creatures that consumed them. Godfreys rage was his own but it was echoed by the Typhon as the next shell fired at the Generator complex itself  which to be fair appeared more like a great altar made of  rock bone and at its pinnacle a lone xenos creature sat , chained to a spike a bulbous and enlarged skull  pulsing its limbs cut off and its belly swollen  it was a psychic shield that protected this place from the orbital bombardment.  The moment he realized it he could hear  the First Captains voice over the vox.

" Forgelord Godfrey .... I  require a path to destroy the xenos witch." 

Godfrey saw the humans in thier path  and indicated to his gunner to adjust the arc of fire.  

"  Then you  shall have it ..... For Dorn  first Captain."  

" For Dorn and the Emperor." 

This time the firing of the shell made his heart stop and his teeth rattle as they had adjusted to fire close and immediately placed themselves  in the breach   the Typhon struggled to brace from not only firing its weapon but the shockwave from the blast  thankfully it Endured .  The effect immediately apparent as a great path was  carved  large enough so that when  the Typhon rammed  the  closest Xenos beast  the Templar's Spartan could fit in the breach that was left along the other side the vindicators took position. The Sicarians and predators would have to strafe from  afar as rhinos carrying support crews of 775th legionaries disgorged their crew to take up defensive positions , the insertion point was created.  The sound of bolt fire joined that of auto cannon fire as the rumbling advance had come to a halt   now they simply needed to trust in the 1st company and defend the breach.  Firing the dreadhammer from this range had to be done extremely carefully thankfully the 775th excelled at danger close operations the next shell fired went high into the air before crashing into hastily set up grav cannon artillery that was   being turned to face the breach point as opposed to the approach. 

Godfrey suddenly felt his  link to the machine severed he felt his body spasam as his eyes snapped open seeing only a semi darkness of the inside of the hull. 

" What happened? WERE WE HIT ?" 

Daniels shouted as like the rest of the crew he was hooked into the tank  and his armor was still getting back up to power. 

" No Lord , Power Failure !  Something wrong with the motive drive ! " 

Godfrey crushed in his native tongue as he pulled himself away from  his connections to the tank his well artificed armor more quickly going back under its own power than his cohorts. 

" I am going to go fix it ... "  

No one argued with Godfrey half because they knew it was no good half because there was no other alternative. The Forgelord used his power fist to push open the top  hatch and climbed out onto a battlefield alive with the noise dust and screams of war. The sensations hit him but seemed...lesser than when he was wired into the tank.  Carefully he sprinted toward the back of the Typhon  he felt a stubber round ring off his pauldron  and as he vaulted the exhaust ports he came to hard landing just behind the Typhon.  The spartans doors were open and wounded marines were being patched up to be sent back into the defense of the armor line. They looked quizzically at Godfrey who paid them no mind as he used his servo arm to remove a panel from  the Typhon his mechadendrites quickly plugging into the many panels of the machine.

" Come now ... tell me what you need." 

The sound of battle was growing louder as the xenos and their bonded humans were recovering from the sudden shock of the imperial fists assault over the vox things still sounded controlled  it was almost unheard of for an imperial fists legionary to be rattled under fire and for the most part these were just humans.  Godfrey felt a sudden bit of nausea which his gene tempered form quickly  brought under control  it was not his body reacting to something it was the Tank , something was wrong with the fuel feed and the generator ....even if he got power back to it he would  need to repair that as well.  And so he set to work as inglorious as it sounds repairing the Typhon as the First captain and his Templar Brethren moved to destroy the psychic battery that protected the xeno nest from bombardment and as the marines of his company protected the armor wall. He stood repairing a motor , there was irony to this  , irony that he did not like to admit existed. The truth was  , this was his duty , not glorious combat  , not  the fact that he commanded from the front , THIS  was his duty and despite the burning desire to engage the enemy this was what he was meant to do.

It took all of nine minutes and forty five seconds to return power then motive operation to the Typhon. The  lost time and lack of its firepower had led to a deterioration of the armor walls defenses , gravity artillery was  taking its toll and the wave of humans while being culled int he hundreds was getting uncomfortably close so close that they needed to be dealt with , with both bolt and blade.  Godfrey  was almost done  when he heard the crack of something breaking , not something mechanical  something in reality broke , and the death screech of  something inhuman  pitched over even the ferocious din of battle. What happened next was not outside of the projections but was still jarring , the humans broke as if no longer fearless fleeing in  all directions  , the xenos became enraged trampling their humans and diving at the tanks of the 775th as if no longer concerned with self preservation.  With its bare hands  Godfrey witnessed a creature tear a predators front plate clean off before grabbing a marine and tearing him in two as if he were made of simple straw. Almost immediately afterward a shot from a Sicarian Venator  erased the head of the xenos beast which slumped over the carcass of the predator. They were leaping now  long limbed forms landing among the armor wall.  They rampaged where they could trying to reach the spartan and Typhon.  Godfrey heard Daniels speak over the vox. 

" Were opening fire again , Templars say they are  getting air lifted out by the 599th  , target two is down , we can vacate the breach."

Godfrey was not surprised that the first captain and his brethren had slaughtered the Xenos witch as he carefully climbed back onto the hull of the Typhon he did he something that surprised him  the impact of the xenos beast that stood before him. It was easily twice his height  not as bulky , limbs long , clawed fingers that he had just seen capable of rending ceramite  and a jaw split open like a cross ...all  teeth and spittle  , thin black hair hung from its greyish scalp  as it shrieked at him. 

" Get off of my tank " 

The creature answered by swiping at Godfrey who had to dive off  the side of the Typhon to avoid being shredded by claw like nails. Drawing his bolt pistol he fired three shots into  the creature carefully picking his spots two in the side of the knee and one in the left eye. The shots to the knee not penetrating but hitting with enough force to stumble the creature the shot to the eye drawing its ire and keeping it from turning its claws to the hull of the typhon.  It lept through the air , toward him ,  its body being lit up by  autocannon fire large chunks of it flying off in different directions and it howled ... it howled in  agony as it still charged toward Godfrey who impassively growled at it. 

" Ive had about enough of this ... "

Godfreys powerfist crackled to life as he struck the creature in its chest hard enough to send it rocketing backward into the hull of the typhon he could hear bones breaking and he made a rude gesture thinking the creature dealt with. He was not expecting it to leap again , though that danger was short lived as a beam of anti matter  struck the creature in the side  atomizing it in an instant  he heard the crackling laughter of a machine voice. It was Venerable Brother Bohemond.

" I think I  like this new weapon Forgelord .... It is quite effective...... I like it so much I will pretend you weren't about to die due to your abject stupidity."  

Godfrey did not know if it were more appropriate to smirk  or swear , instead the scrambled back up  and into the Typhon returning to his seat of command. 

" Get us the hell out of here." 

There was a certain art to driving a Superheavy Vehicle Backward and firing as you did so  an art which Godfrey's crew was very good at. The Sound of Thunderhawks in  the air meant that the bombardment was about to start the first pass was near the altars easy enough as the 775th would not be ignored , any paltry defense left was focused on them as even as they backed away the reaped a great toll of xenos lives. The creatures were retreating into their fortress even with its kineshield down they likely figured they would be safe within the depths of the cave itself.   Godfrey wondered if they knew how wrong they were.  As the Thunderhawks turned away the bombardment began. 

" This is Orbit to 7th Legion assets on site , danger close , cracking stone." 

The bombardment shattered the spiders face   caving in its  many eyes  and leaving greater openings  it was careful and precise  and not meant to erase the caves from  the face of the planet , it was simply meant to open them up to something far worse, the Medusa's rolled up painted in the  Yellow Silver and Black of the 599th  and loaded with canisters of one of the most horrifying weapons at the command of the Legions.  The Thunderhawks of the 599th had  opened their rear bays  , clusters of  Quad  Launchers mag locked to their decks began to rain phosphex canisters down into the cracked openings of the cave fortress  firing and firing until  they were spent  before peeling off again.  The Medusa's joining them it took only a few moments after that for the ruined visage of  the fortress to begin to glow with greenwhite fire , From a safe distance Godfrey  and his crew watched they watched  and they heard the shrieking of the Xenos beasts , as the phosphex hunted them , the chemical fire was not like regular ordinance it practically hungered for living tissue seeking it out wherever it could  the shrieking only grew louder and the different pitches of screaming only made it more disturbing.  

Within minutes the great gates shattered as the xenos began to attempt to flee into a hail of autocannon and shell fire from the 775th none getting very far from the gates , green chemical fire eating them alive where they fell ,  among them the old , the young , male , female ,they were cut down by the furious vengence of the 7th Legions tanks and consumed by the unmaking flames. 

Godfrey let out a bit of a sigh as he decided he had seen  enough and returned to his command seat. 

"Were wasting ammunition , cave in the entrance so they cant get out. " 

The dreadhammer siege canon roared once more and Godfrey felt his heart stop for the last time that day as the shell fired made it impossible for the Xenos to escape from the gates some tried to claw from the rock but by now the fire had taken enough of their flesh that this was an impossible task. The 775th Armored company turned around and drove away from  the ruined fortress and began to make their way back down the road of broken skulls. Victorious but certainly at grave cost. 

The  Scouring :  Forgeworld Lahreo

Zeal and the Crucible of Stone 

Pre Iron Cage 

Forge World Lahreo 



The forgeworld of Lahreo was burning. Great titan hulks and the warmachines of man , legionary , and something far more otherworldly and warpspawned littered the hab blocks and the areas around the forge city.  Inside  of the great forge of  Lahreo Sanct Sophia  12 word bearers knelt their armor stripped of all power  they knelt praying.  Behind them  the great  smelting pot easily large enough to fit an entire Levithan dreadnought  in. Their leader had once been a forgelord but in these later days he had taken to be called warpsmith and the horrors he had unleashed  on Lahreo made it quite clear he had earned that name.  Without his helmet his face was mostly intact strange for a Techmarine much less a Forgelord   the powerless mechadendrites that   snaked from  behind his head  ad down his back gave him the appearance of long hair.  Disturbingly the runes that had  been tattooed into his face were a  bright silver that seemed to eerily glow in the forgelight.

Encircling the word bearers were men of the 775th Armored company of the Imperial Fists bolters raised thier black armor soot and dust kissed the effect on their yellow pauldrons even more noticeable.  One among them strode forward and removed his helmet. The plow faced helm  with a black horse hair crest belonged to Godfrey  Forgelord and master of the 775th.  He lamented this mission more than he would have outwardly admitted though his face showed no sort of emotion.  It was said that the sons of Dorn were born of stone and Godfrey was no  different , his impassive almost uncaring face slightly hidden  behind a growing beared and curly unkempt hair , the length of the campaign had been excessive. Even now His father was calling them back to Terra for a matter of urgency.  Though his duty to finish scouring this world would not be left incomplete. 


Much like the Word Bearers forgelord  Godfrey was surprisingly human beneath his helm which he placed on the hull of the great Typhon Seige tank  its paint chipped and worn away Godfrey carried no weapons outside of the great sol gauntlet  that encased his left fist and a macro wrench.  While Servo arms were useful in a wide variety of situations sometimes a smaller and more personal touch was needed.  As he approached the Word bearer he said nothing his facial expression unchanging. There was a moment of tense silence where  one would have expected surrender terms or at the very least interrogations to take place.

The word bearer smiled. And spoke his words slowly possibly knowing they would be his last.

" One day Godfrey , you too will see."

If there was a reply to be had it never came as  Godfrey tossed the wrench from his sol gauntlet then back to his right augmetic hand he consciously locked his fingers closed around the handle and in a sudden and  terrifyingly  accurate strike  slammed the head of the wrench into the word bearers orbital bone. The sickening crack of  hardened bone and the spray of  gene rich legionnaire blood that stained Godfrey's tabard did little to deter him from the second and third strikes. The Wrench rising and falling with murderous intent  each blow adding further ruin to the word bearers  skull.  When the wretch tried to laugh godfrey made sure to swing  the wrench into his jaw teeth flew in all directions  as  the word bearer unable to even fall backward due to his locked armor absorbed the frustrations of the  Imperial Fists Forgelord for  atleast 10 swings.   Godfrey stopped himself then ,  his face still impassive calm a stone mask , though in his eyes the fires of hatred burned clearly.  He tossed the wrench away his strikes having been quite calculated  the Word Bearer was still alive despite the mess that was his face. Godfrey had intentionally not killed him.  Hauling the traitor up by his Gorget Godfrey silently dragged him to the edge of the smelting pot and spoke quietly  his voice almost hollow and empty.

" It wounds me greatly to know you are not the man who studied with me on Mars , it is only my hope that , that man found peace some time ago , or is about to in what I will do to this twisted facade."

Godfrey tossed the  Word Bearer into the Smelting pot , with his destroyed mouth the man could not even scream as  he was consumed by the molten hot metal.  Almost on cue  his men opened fire into the gathered word bearers spines  before throwing them into the pot as well.  Their screams echoed through the forge  completely unheeded by the men of the 775th.   Godfrey returned to  place his Helm back on his head when he noticed the great Leviathan  Dreadnought that was Humbolt had at some point joined them in the forge. 

" Your anger will get the better of you  Godfrey..."

The mans voice was  a rumbling machine growl  nothing like it had been when Godfrey knew him as the master of the 775th that was some time ago , before the treachery of cousins , back  when  the battles they fought served a purpose beyond the purging of the traitors , before everything fell apart.

" Its not anger .... Its Zeal" 

  Edited April 7, 2016 by Bladewolf

[Soldier of Dorn]

Your fluff is fine! The only thing that I would recommend is to get a beta reader to fix some of the issues with readability. I'm a member on a couple fanfiction sites and it really makes a big difference when you have a second set of eyes doing even some light editing before the work is published. If you'd like, I would probably be able to work it into my schedule. PM me if you're interested.

 

Eager to see another Leviathan. I really need to get one of those bad boys at some point.

[Harleqvin]

I very much enjoy what you have done with your models.
I haven't read your stories yet though.
But I really enjoy how your army looks!

[Rayray]

I read three of the four chapters so far. I envision Godfrey as being like Brad Pitt's character from inglorious bastards. Your fluff is awesome. Between Adb, you and Kieran, I'm spoiled.

[Dantay VI]

I concur with the heretic R2.

 

The stories are enjoyable. A few grammatical errors here and there but nothing bad at all.

 

Also your painting is good, the only suggestion I would have is to go less heavy with the washes on your tanks as it has pooled in some areas. Large flat areas are a real pain for it. Maybe 2 thinner coats would look better. Although you might get a less grimy and more uniform look which you would not be going for.

 

So do not put yourself down & Hold Fast brother.

[Lord Blackwood]

A proofreader would probably be something worth investing in considering I make it a point to write randomly at the " you should be sleeping" hours of the morning.  

S'far as my painting goes , there's only one model im actually super proud of.  I mean i like my stuff because its mine and I put paint to model for it , when i say poorly its more the fact that I  see other peoples stuff and go  O n O  I  wish i had the patience and skill to paint that well.  Among those of you I count as my friends there are a ton of great painters , thankfully I get by , with my wash heavy  style XD. 

Tho If theres one model im proud of its my Sigismund D:  I love this model D:! 

[jimbo13]

It is beautiful sir!!! I consider you quite a good painter sir. It's just a different style. I personally try not to compare. Keep doing it man.

[Soldier of Dorn]

Well, like I said, if you want a proofreader, I'm definitely available. I'm a bit of an insomniac, and I need something better to do with all my extra free time than just spending a ridiculous number of hours on the B&C. :P

[Brother Pheidias]

A proofreader would probably be something worth investing in considering I make it a point to write randomly at the " you should be sleeping" hours of the morning.  

 

S'far as my painting goes , there's only one model im actually super proud of.  I mean i like my stuff because its mine and I put paint to model for it , when i say poorly its more the fact that I  see other peoples stuff and go  O n O  I  wish i had the patience and skill to paint that well.  Among those of you I count as my friends there are a ton of great painters , thankfully I get by , with my wash heavy  style XD. 

 

But skill is also figuring out what works. Your painting is highly effective, even if you feel like you're cheating or cutting corners, it still works, and that's what counts here. And there'll always be better, more sublimely painted models, but developing effective techniques and adapting what you see to suit your needs is just as important as 52 layers of glazing sometimes.

[Lord Blackwood]

Outside of the  Leviathan  I ordered Ive been considering doing a  Jetbike Praetor and Command Squad.  Not quite sure how I would do the banner though nor how I should kit them. My head says to give them all power weapons  would be a nifty  little squad especially if I take the Eternal Warrior Relic for  the Praetor  it also would free up a lot of points from having to run the spartan since the MOTL  source would be mobile and his  boys would also be mobile.