Yesterday saw a titanic clash of ancients. Dreadnoughts representing the enigmatic Red Scholars and the treacherous Astral Claws came to thunderous blows, quaking the already crumbling ruins of a war torn Imperial hive city. Scholar and Claw alike set out into the smoke choked streets to achieve their respective commanders ever changing orders for controlling the sector. As the forces flowed into the alleys and derelict buildings, the scene from orbit truly appeared to be a maelstrom of war.
It began as many marine on marine actions do: both forces setting themselves in aggressive forward footings. Here you see the Astral Claws and their Lamenters allies pushing forward into the Imperial Chapel dominating the contested city sector. A tide of ancient battle knowledge sealed in ceramite and iron smashed through once hallowed walls, charging headlong towards the crimson and steel ranks of the Red Scholars.
The Red Scholars remained unfazed by the surge of enemies as their analytical minds turned like well oiled cogitators, calculating which foe would be most efficient to fell first.
The traitors spilled into the open streets, led by a mighty Librarian, hoping to overwhelm a squad of forward positioned Apprentice Snipers. The snipers, realizing their position would soon be compromised held steadfast, lest the enemy's best skirmishers fold the Scholars left flank.
The streets below the gaze of the Imperial Chapel soon became awash in a cacophony of high explosive rounds caroming from reinforced ceramite. Here you see Reforged Brother Seberot bounding towards the entombed enemy ancient. Forgefather Hallithec reinforced the machine spirits of the ancients' fearsome fighting chassis whilst he relayed commands to the expeditionary forces positioned elsewhere in the city.
Reforged Brother Thaen can also be seen breaching the Chapel, only to be crippled in his charge by a perfectly timed multimelta shot from the enemy venerable dreadnought. He would remain there for the rest of the action, nobly holding back his once-brother ancients whilst the Red Scholars advanced.
Brother Dromen is also seen crushing the traitors, rendering their imperfect organic bodies into a bloody pulp of armor and ichor.
Despite the withering hail of fire from the Red Scholars, the traitors would not abate in their siege of the chapel. Here the mighty venerable dreadnought of the Astral Claws surged ahead to meet the Red Scholar Battle line which was embedded across the thoroughfare in dilapidated hab blocks.
The Lamenters are shown advancing past the wreckage of their own ancient brother into the chapel. Thaen's withering machine gaze settled on the traitors as he resolved to slay as many as he could despite his crippled body.
Hidden under the remaining rampart of the chapel is another Astral Claws ancient, equally crippled and equally resolved to slay Thaen. Like two sinking battle ships, both blasted into each other's hull until they were swallowed by the tides of war.
Despite his battle knowledge and resolve, the venerable astral claw's armored form was crumpled by Centurion Cohort Drammen. The Lamenters lamented not for the fallen ancient as they streamed over his corpse in a fit of blood lust.
However, they were not met with glory upon crossing into the thoroughfare.
Instead The Lamenters staggered into the fusillade of the Centurion Cohort's graviton fire. The storm of Centurion munitions was bolstered by squad Maelevec's bolter fire. Chunks of power armor and genehanced flesh were blasted from bodies or compacted into grotesque broken forms.
Brother Ollinort lent his plasma cannon fire to decimating the traitors.
The Alchemancer, in one last desperate bid to steal glory from the loyalists sent his marines forward to capture the chapel's tower.
But they soon found their advance under fire by Drommen's mighty plasma cannon.
Few of the Astral Claws achieved the target of their suicidal goal. The Centurion Cohort cleansed the traitors who managed to climb the chapel tower with raking graviton fire tearing through the ancient war torn walls. Even the Alchemancer could not flee the mechanical advance of the Red Scholars and was broken in the massive power fist of Reforged Brother Drommen.
By the battle's end, not a single traitor remained living in the sector. The Red Scholars calculated tactics proved were proven most efficient by their minimal casualties. Furthering their victory, much valuable archeotech was salvaged from the slain ancients and the ruined Alchemancer's body. More secret knowledge shall be added to the clandestine tomes of the Red Scholars forge libraries.
