The stompa had sensed them. The Duke Princeps wasn?t certain what techniques the orks used or what sort of blasphemous technology they employed to manage it, but they had seen the two Knights through the brush none the less. The Skitarii had also halted their full retreat and were beginning to be slaughtered as they attempted to stand and fight. Which insubordinate and ordered them to halt instead of running for the cover of the surrounding forests? Had the Mechanicus used their full control over their forces to make such a foolish mistake? Regardless of what had transpired, this was the situation before Tymbaerus and he would make certain that events would end favourably for him.
Flinters had already begun a slow advance on the incoming green tide as Tymbaerus drove his titan forwards to match his stride. The two unleashed their combined artillery out into the bulk of the ork forces, avoiding shots into the front lines for fear of needlessly wasting more Skitarii troops. The majority of their fire was focused on the stompa war machine, explosive shells detonating on armour and crackling white beams of energy lancing through the air. Voids rippled all across the gargant as it took the incoming fire in stride, continuing its own salvos in response.
The two Knights looked as though they were outgunned with the amount of flak traveling through the gap between lines but in reality the killkannons were nothing more than annoyances spitting wildly into their ranks. The odd stray shell pelted the foot troops below but for the most part they were eaten up by the forests behind them. Tymbaerus simply scoffed at the incredulous assumption that such primitive technology could ever compare to the sheer magnificence and perfection of the creations of the Omnissiah. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end with anticipation as the machine spirit of his mighty war machine bristled in anticipation. Now was their time to strike!
?All units, quarter speed advance. Decimate that blaspheme to the Omnissiah!?
From the treelines the two flanking Lancers emerged, vulcan stormer and erupter cannon blazing their trails forwards. The orks began to break ranks, confused as to which direction they needed to advance in order to get to the fight the quickest. Small arms fire began to harmlessly plume off the Knights? voids as the four advanced in perfect synchronization. With two cannons raking through the orkish tide and three heavy armaments pining down the stompa to a slow crawl, victory seemed all but assured for the children of the Emperor.
The gargaunt had other plans, however, as it plowed forward with a sudden burst of speed. Oblivious to the carnage it was causing below, it pressed forward over its own troops towards Timber and Flinters. The former could feel the machine spirit of his titan tug at the back of his mind, listlessly trying to free itself from his grasp to charge down the enemy war machine. Tymbaerus put all of his focus into halting his mechanical beast from making a grave mistake, even halting his fire to avoid dividing his attention. The spirit thrashed through his mind, almost begging its master to let it loose but the princeps held fast, waiting out his opponent. Flinters continued to bombard the oncoming machine, scoring several holes within its body and sheering off the right side krusha ball, yet it persisted in its advance. At the last possible moment, Tymbaerus unleashed the machine spirit to its sadistic joy and caught the stompa before it could reach Flinters in close combat.
The two titanic machines clashed in a deadly embrace, Tymbaerus? Knight?s power sword slicing cleanly into the belly of the beast before him. A quick twist locked the blade in place and caused more internal damage to the war machine. The krusha ball crashed down upon Tymbaerus? left side, shaking the entire titan and causing structural damage to his cannon arm. The machine spirit howled in pain in his mind, the arm loosening slightly from its joint. The princeps could feel his own arm being tugged at, the neural links mimicking the suffering his titan was experiencing on his own flesh and blood. Yet they were now engaged in a grapple, exactly what the young commander had wanted, and now was the moment for the killing blow.
"Willow, Badger; strike down this monstrosity now!?
The two Lancer patterns immediately changed course at the order and moved in a full sprint towards their Duke Princeps and the entangled gargant. Firing erupter blasts towards the two would prove too dangerous for their commander and so they closed to engage with blows from their power lances -- the hallmark of their chosen knight patterns. The speed at which they worked was a blur in terms of a legio titan, quickly clearing the distance across the field. Yet it seemed to be too little too late as the remaining krusha ball of the gargant was raised into the air once more, poised to deal a crippling blow.
Tymbaerus was prepared this time, punching his vanguard cannon upwards and wedging it into the joint of the krusha ball arm. With sufficient leverage over the crude close combat weapon, the knight titan was able to render the krusha ball limp and useless and Tymbaerus pressed his advantage. The cannon roared as shell after shell was placed into the joint, blowing the arm clean off after three point-blank shots. The rest were directed into the side of the gargant, tipping it towards its right side and leaving it teetering towards toppling over. The Lancers then joined the fray, Willow aiming straight for the right leg and puncturing its knee joint from behind and Badger assisting with the barrage on the gargant?s side and striking through what looked to be the piloting compartment.
After a quick but brutal engagement, the stompa finally lurched over to its right and came crashing down onto the advancing green tide. Tymbaerus sighed in relief as the beast finally met its end, casually twisting his blade as to let it glide gently through the collapsing war machine. Tension flooded from his muscles and mind as the machine spirit was sated with the kill. He knew it wouldn?t be long before the ravenous spirit would be nipping at the back of his mind for more but the break was certainly welcomed.
?Flinters and Willow, clean up these worthless xenos and give the Skitarii room to disengage. I am certain we will require each and every one in the near future??
