Chapter 17 First encounter

Night Lord legionary POV:

Like many of my brothers from Terra, we were afraid of what our father would think of us. Upon meeting our father, many such fears were put to rest, and for many campaigns, both of terror and warfare, our father seemed to never worry for us knowing we shall succeed with no casualties. This streak of stoicism fell apart when he gave us our order, and as he cast his gaze upon us, we saw worry and sadness.

Many of my brothers have inherited our fathers gift, so we knew he most likely saw our deaths. It was rather heartwarming to know he would feel sadness for us for what most would seem inevitable, but we all vowed to make sure the brighter future found its way to the forefront even if we must become the monsters in the dark. It was at the beginning of the charge that we experienced the reason the emperor declared that this species of xeno to be exterminated. I watched as one of my cousins turned to dust after being hit by the xenos ranged fire, and if it wasn't for close coverage, I would have fallen just as him. Turning to some mortals hiding behind better cover, I demanded they lay suppressing fire in the direction of the xenos. Lifting my gauss bolter, I charge a shot waiting for it to fire back, and when it did turning the mortals to dust, I fired.

With a loud screech, I can see a small green fire ball as whatever allowed the xenos such camouflage caught flame as it curdled in inwards like a dead spider.

"Keep moving," I shouted

For the next hour and with many casualties, we managed to push them back into the mountain, revealing that these xeno scum are subterranean in nature with many deep tunnels at the base of the mountain After radioing in about the new Intel, I looked upon my wargear, and from just being close, these xenos have caused light rust and warping to my war plate. Slowly closing my hand, i can hear the plates grind as if my armor had been left in horrible maintenance for hundreds of years even though I knew it was only a few years old.

"This shall be a bloody fight indeed."

looking to the sky, I hope it's the xenos blood that shall be spilled more than ours as I offer a simple prayer that the mortals souls move on.

Iron Warrior Barbarus Dantioch POV:

My lord father ordered me to erect defenses around the exits. The bulk of two legions marched underground, a rather easy order to be considered with the new effective turret designs gifted by our night lord cousins, which we returned with advanced war plate designs meant for great stealth and speed without too much sacrifice to defense. I somewhat wish father asked for help sooner since these gauss weapons are highly effective against these beasts. After the defenses were erected and properly garrisons by the mortals, both legions began assaulting the interior of the tunnels, and I, as a warsmith, led my men into the fray with a call of

"Iron within, Iron without"

Deeper and deeper, we went, and the more narrow the tunnel became until we came upon a room filled with books and other assorted knowledge. It was here when the xenos attacked in force as if to defend this knowledge and after suggesting to one of the captains of the night lords to take some and bring them to our fathers. With a nod, the nightlord grabbed as many books and scrolls as he could carry before fleeing the field to deliver the info.

"Men must defend this tunnel with our lives for the emperor has made us to feel no fear. We shall prove him right. "

With the small speech given, we dug in as mortal and astarte turned to dust. Turning my bolter upon the xenos, I opened fire, watching as most of my round descentigrated before even hitting the target. This shall be a long fight indeed.

Sevatar POV:

My father has ordered me to find the center of this maze of tunnels so we can hopefully separate them into different areas to make the extermination easier. It is rather disappointing to not be able to rend the flesh of these foul xenos being forced to use ranged weaponry due to the xenos effect on time and degradation. I guess the consolation is the great screams they produce we they're set ablaze by our gauss weaponry and with the prototypes being rolled out and being battle tested in this very moment their is no shortage of hearing the beast that have killed many innocents die in agony. Perhaps after this conflict is over, we shall return to our usual duties of protecting the innocent by punishing the guilty. I smiled as I saw another xeno burst into flame under our fith ambush. We must be getting closer to the increase of number in our encounters.

Eventually, after an hour past our last ambush, we came across a room filled with recievers as we heard the awful language of these xenos being broadcasted. Priming a few krak grenades, we sealed the room after throwing them in, and with one explosion and the death screams of the hrud, the room was cleared, and the enemy communications neutralized.

"The hunt continues brothers ave dominus nox."

Noctis legion sergeant POV:

I was only twenty at the start of the battle, and just like my companions, I look and feel like I've aged another twenty years. I am looking upon my men most repairing their equipment for the next engagement and others writing a final will and testament to be electronically sent upon their deaths. Turn my gaze downward. I looked upon my prototype gauss rifle, making sure all tubes and connectors were properly maintained.

It was during our final checks when the orders from on high were given to advance in the tunnels to do clean-up operations after the astartes. Standing while alerting my men of the new orders, we boarded a nearby troop transport and were taken to one of the tunnels under control of the Iron Warriors. If I were honest with myself, I would say they are rather boring and with many being silent and almost acting like robots only responding to their superiors and carrying out said orders with ruthless efficiency. Coming to a stop outside a large sealed gate bearing the iron legions mark on its face, we radioed our arrival, requesting access, which was granted. After those large gates opened a stark change of the maintenance of the defenses changed as if the interior was eroroded over thousands of years and later we would find the reason for this is a repeated assault by the xenos trying to escape their doom.

"Jenkins, bring up the heavy gauss gun and get ready to proceed with you on point," I ordered and received a nod from my soldier.

Traveling through the dark tunnels, I gave the signal to lift visors and to remain on high alert. To a regular human it would be pitch black in the tunnel forcing them to use flash lights giving their position away but we nostramans have no need for it as our eyes have mutated to be suited for dark places. It was this mutation that allowed us to see the shimmer in the air alerting us to the xenos ambush, and with a hail of bullets, lazers, and gauss rounds the fight began as we took cover in debris of the original assault. peaking over my cover, I spotted the position of the xenos gunner and linking up a shot with my rifle I fired, and in the distance, a horribly screech was released as the allit ablaze as it was deatomized.

"Take that, you xeno scum," I shouted over my cover, receiving laughter from my troops.

"They're advancing on the right flank, sarge!" a soldier called out.

"Deploy incendiary grenades push those fuckers back" I shouted the order.

Soon wall of flame was created stopping their advance, allowing us to continue to engage then at range until the flames started to disappear as if the pace of the flames burning was sped up and the xenos opened up their own fire upon us Turning our radio man into dust.

"You bastards killed Kenny," shouted a soldier before he rushed forward, carrying a bandolier of grenades with their pins pulled and with a shout of "Judgment has come" the soldier was swallowed in a fire ball that kicked up enough dust to temporarily blind us.Wiping the dust from my face looking upon the dust covering my glove knowing it was most likely the remains of their previous victims amd looking around half of my squad is dead and many injured.

"This is going to be a long campaign." I sighed as I signaled what was left to move forward.

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Hello author here

Hope yall enjoyed this chapter

the next chapter shall return to the primarchs and their solutions to better weapons against such enemies.