"That is a lot of firepower between us and them," noted Harry.
"You don't want to charge straight ahead!?!" Dolan Harnar looked horrified as he hefted his mighty sword and, and Harry couldn't believe this, also hefted up a Litany of Imperial teachings, as though he was literally about to preach to the Chaos cultists while cleaving them in half. The Inquisition were all quite insane.
"No, I generally find it unwise to charge straight at guns," Harry snapped before thinking about what he was saying, "I mean..."
"Commander Paget is correct," Luthor grunted as he pointed to their flank, "we lack the long range firepower, quick, advance under cover to the stairs! Go!"
*Wheeeze* Hey, guys, slow down!" The Imperial Agents all lightly sprinted to the safety of the nearby cover, but Pontius Fleek, weighed down by his robes and heavy armaments (and totally boning his advance roll) fails to quite get out of the way.
"Better him than me," Harry winced as he held his helmet to his head and waited for the first wave of Chaos gunfire.
Linda, meanwhile, was practically giggling like a schoolgirl as she muscled forward with the other Acolytes, vying for the right to lead the charge up the steps and straight into the enemy gunline.
"Fools!!!" Achraff Sarraf gloated in that magical way only Chaos adherents could (Harry could swear he could tell the maddened SPace Marine was using multiple exclamation marks) "You have fallen into our trap, exactly as we have planned, did you really think to catch us unaware!?!"
"CHAOS!" The Cultists laughed as they began to unleash waves of fire from their autoguns down towards the Inquisition forces.
Pontius Fleek goes down, the bullets ripping into his mechanical body causing enough damage to remove him from this fight.
So much for my hopes of double flamering a bunch of Cultists.
It is now Turn 2, better see if we can make some real headway.
"All right, let's do this....DOLAAAAAAN HAAAAARNAAAAAAR!"
The priest led the charge, followed in short order by the Crusader, Linda Eppledorfer, Nero Jaxx, and more.
"Fallen battle brothers, testaments to the Traitor Hourus," Shield Captain Val gripped his halberd as he stepped forward and let loose a spray of rounds at the enemy, but the Inquisition shooting is light, and the Chaos forces are mostly unharmed.
Nero Jaxx managed to work his way forward enough to lay down some suppressing fire on a nearby mob of 5 cultists.
With some help from Linda Eppledorfer the cult is thinned out somewhat.
"By the Holy Emperor, how many of them are there?"
The Chaos forces rush forward, eager to cause some more suffering to the interlopers.
"The Red Sisters, by blood we are made holy!" The Sisters lead the way, followed by a fresh swarm of cultists.
Dark sorcery crackles around The Eyes as they advance, unleashing hellish blasts of energy into Dolan Harner.
"Get behind me!" Thelonius raises his storm shield and Dolan activates his rosarius. Linda ducked down amongst the statuary and watched in horror as the enemy Space Marines and their cultist allies began to fire.
Thelonius goes down, bullets punching through his augumated exoskeleton. The other acolytes take a fair share of punishment as well.
"Here they come!" Dolan readied his blade as some of the Cultists decided it was better to charge than to be charged.
"No loyal servant of The Emperor fights alone while a Custodian watches."
Shield-Captain Val steps forward, his massive Guardian spear at the ready as he stood shoulder to shoulder with the battle priest. Linda pulled out her power maul and stepped forward as well, an eager smile on her face. Nero snapped the combat blades into place on his pistols and sprang forward to meet the charge.
Harry Paget was officially within intervention range, but I appropriately declared that he would *not* intervene.
Val Kiel smashed apart a pair of heretics, as Linda and Dolan finished off the remainder, the Imperium now had a firm hold on the top of the stairwell and had breached the first chokepoint.
Turn 3 is here - time to secure the fountain plaza and start trying to get to The Cardinal!
Dolan and Linda charged forward together, looking murderously at The Eyes.
"Foul witch scum," Dolan boomed, "The Emperor offers you the mercy of a quick death!"
"Vail, if you would be so kind as to help me secure the bridge?" Inquisitor Dominatus advanced, readying his wargear as his acolytes spread out to offer support.
Vail nodded, no words needed as he hefted his mighty guardian spear and advanced through the plaza, las fire glancing off his armor in scintillating bursts of color.
"All is dust!" The Thousand Sons readied themselves for their only threat on the battlefield as Vail prepared to fire and charge.
"Apologies milady." Nero smirked as he unloaded his pistols at the Red Sisters, dropping one of them.
Harry offered his usual prayer to The Emperor under his breath "ohcrapohcrapohcrap" as he squeezed off some laspistol rounds in the general direction of the enemy whilst waving his chainsword overhead (the chainsword wave accomplished nothing, but tended to fool people into thinking he was 'rallying the men' or somesuch claptrap)
By some dint of luck (or perhaps The Emperor's guiding hand?) his las bolt somehow found a gap in the heavy armor of a Red Sister, removing her as a threat as she collapsed backwards.
"Excellent work, Paget!" Luthor laughed maniacally as he raised his incinerator and brought cleansing flame to the nearby acolytes, felling most of their squad.
Vail charged forward, meeting his fallen cousins in open battle now that the way had been made clear.
Dolan and Linda also rushed forward, ready to deal with the enemy witches.
"Fool!" The Achraf laughed in dark glee, "you shall find that we are not as easily dispatched as the human meat!"
The Thousand Sons stand firm against the Custodes' charge, managing to find some chinks in his armor even.
The Eyes ready their staves, one of them is promptly picked up by the throat, Dolan laughing at the pitiful swats of fright as he hurled the witch down the stairs to crash wetly upon the stones below.
The Cultists and Thousand Sons press their advantage, Vail now started to find his pace and downed some of the heretics, but under the surge could even The Golden Giant long stand?
The Eyes couldn't hold out, however, as DOlan and Linda each managed to fell one of them, clearing the way to The Cardinal.
Turn 4 is upon us, Chaos' last round was weak, as most of their units were locked in assault, can the Imperium keep up this advantage?
"Faith and fire!" Luthor's incinerator continues to prove its worth as he mows down swathes of cultists with each blast, leaving only burning piles of meat adn fat.
"I see The Cardinal!" With her usual lack of self control, Linda charges forward, waving her power mace wildly as she tries to bash in The Cardinal's face.
"That girl has less self control than a Space Wolf," sighs Vail as he continues his brutal work, having to smash each automaton to pieces before they would stop trying to cut and rend him.
Finally, however, he reaches the sorcerer, and with a sharp stab of his spear ends the threat, the Thousand Sons are destroyed, and now he looks ahead to The Red Sisterhood.
"Chaos shall not threaten the Golden Throne!"
"Foolish girl-childe!" With a wave of his hand The Cardinal sends out a blast of dark energy, sending Linda moaning to the floor even as his bdy began to re-knit the damage she had caused with her power maul. "Know you not that I serve a higher power?"
Dolan is wounded and collapses under a burst of boltgun fire from the Red Sisters.
I don't have much to say about this photo, other than adoring the old
GW stuff - seriously, the guy has an exposed brain, how awesome is that?
Vail lifts his spear and charges forward, Nero at his side, pistols blazing, Harry joins too, not so much out of bravery, but figuring that with a Custodes along with them, a three on two battle is pretty damn safe, and it would do well to be seen being part of the final push - especially if said push had him avoid the maniacal sorcerer summoning gawds knows what down by the altar.
The Red Sisters are brought down, and now The Cardinal's defenses are looking very thin indeed.
"Go, all of you, leave this fallen warrior to me, stop the ritual!"
Luthor issues orders, orders - Harry notes darkly - that involve everyone *except* Luthor going to battle the primary threat.
"Bloody Inquisitors..."
Harry makes sure to stand in front of the woman to maintain his reputation as a hero.
he also makes sure to stand behind Vail, to maintain his skin.
The Inquisition is closing in now.
"Let me show you the truth of your heresy."
Luthor deals with the final Red Sister.
"Enough of this!"
Vail raises his Guardian Spear and unleashes a hail of bolter fire that tears through The Cardinal's body.
"We did it, loyal men of The Inquisition!"
Harry waves his chainsword over his head, as one does.