- Location – Outer Tower No.5 of Luminar
- Date – Four days since the completion of the trenches
"Andy?" a soldier from below yelled upwards through the hole to the top of the tower."Yeah?" a reply came down.
"What are you gonna do after we defeat the daemons?" a soldier on the third floor shouted upwards, hints of fear and uncertainty in his voice.
"I… I think I'll marry Rose. Why?" Andy, at the top of the defence tower, shouted through the hole in the floor in confusion."Nothing. Nothing, just wondering." The silence after the soldier's reply was deafening, broken only by the wind and the distant huffing and puffing of smoke from the defence train.
"I think I'll join the Church… become a priest or something." The soldier shouted upwards, his solemn tone making the sentence seem dull and lifeless.
"John, like hell you'd get into the robes of a priest with all those women you've slept with!" A chuckle escaped both men as they continued to speak about what to do after the battle to come.
"Scout Team Holi calling Greater Tower No.5." A hurried voice came from the vox near John."Scout Team Holi, this is Greater Tower No.5. Open on channel," John spat out. Every few hours the scout teams mapping and searching around Luminar would call their designated towers, and Team Holi was early by three hours.
"Greater Tower No.5, I— no, we see them…" The voice through the vox sounded distant, as if the speaker wasn't taking it seriously.
"Andy! Scout Team Holi — how many members did it have?" John shouted."Only three? Why?" Andy replied.
Before John could open the channel, screams of unimaginable pain and suffering — shrieking, inhuman sounds — came barraging from the vox. Soldiers sleeping below stirred at the blood-curdling cries.
"John! Call the city now!" Andy, at the top of the tower, stared south, where the sun had begun to rise. The tower faced south, not east. Andy's voice was urgent; even from his tower, he could hear the screams coming from the rapidly rising sun of red and bronze fire.
- Location – On the Praetorian Engine, Past the 2nd Greater Towers of Luminar
- Time – 02:08 AM
Commander Selka, at the helm of the Praetorian, looked out from the armoured slits of the main engine room. The clunking of the iron wheels against the rails hummed through the train and its carriages.
DREEEEEEEM—DREEEEEEEM—DREEEEEEEM!Red lights flashed within the main engine as the vox display at the head showed rapidly appearing signatures.
Selka, still looking out, saw a burning, red, sun-like object floating in the sky as the alarm blared, numbing his ears.
The phase-iron-reinforced door of the head compartment opened suddenly. A Kriegman, carrying an Adrathic weapon similar to a boltgun, ran in.
"Commander Selka! Enemies bearing 164°. Reports from Greater Towers Three to Six confirm sightings of daemons!"
Selka's boots slammed against the steel of the engine room as he moved to the vox. With a crackling from the receiver, he took a deep breath and spoke, words flowing with fear yet confidence:
"Soldiers of Luminar, followers of Nazareth — hear my words. The heretics are upon us, and the hour of retribution is at hand. We shall show these filthy abominations that we do not falter. We do not yield. We are the Praetorians of this Engine, and not a single daemon shall set foot beyond our line!"
"Artillery Masters, set your bearing to 166°. Adrathic batteries — charge and stand ready. Full steam ahead for Luminar!"
The Praetorian chuffed and puffed, white smoke turning black as charcoal funnelled through its metal bowels. Four domes on separate carriages swung open, revealing cannons over four and a half metres wide, aimed at 166°.
Two more carriages — one near the engine, one at the rear — opened slits for automatic weapons and powder-propelled guns. Each carriage carried four hundred troops, some with Adrathic weapons.
Atop the Engine sat a lone man entombed in phase iron with Adrathic Devastators, facing the black sky and the rising sun.
Like thunder and lightning, the train shook as all four artillery carriages opened fire, flaming projectiles streaking into the night.
The night was lit by fire and flame burners, the sky burning brightly before the shots struck the ground. At least eight hundred metres were covered before a shot exploded in a wash of white, bathing the earth below in an eerie glow.
- Location – Greater Tower No.5
Andy peered through his binoculars at the target, the white light revealing horrors.
Thousands of blood-red, black-bathed, goat- and dog-like creatures stood menacingly, as if staring into Andy's soul.
The artillery now had clear sight. Shot after shot struck, vibrations rippling through the tower even though the train had only passed Tower 2.
Fireballs engulfed hundreds of daemons and heretics. The creatures watched their comrades burn, laughing and cheering as their weapons ignited in bronze and red flames.
Andy observed the swelling army. The weapons' glow made the mass of daemons appear like a sea of fire. Chanting filled the air as they charged into the trenches surrounding Luminar. Shells rained down relentlessly.
Andy aimed his gunpowder gun as the soldiers swarmed to their stations, ready to fire.
"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!!SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!!!RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The ground shook under their hoof-like feet. The bronze-red sun seemed alive, rapidly approaching the city. Within seconds, it was barely a hundred metres from Andy's tower.
Screams erupted from the 'sun' as Andy saw Scout Team Leader Hola hanging and screaming from the massive daemon's blade.
With a thunderous crack, a massive dragon flew over the tower, its wings carrying the wind, making the structure shake. Its maw — wide enough to swallow an elephant — charged the flying daemon.
(AN: Hi guys, sorry for not posting. I went on a bender for a few days and completely forgot to update this, so I'm sorry. :( )