[@PrinceAlexus][@Apollosarcher][@Bluetommy][@Ollumhammersong]

The Kriegers were a flurry of rushing bayonets and silent determination, las-blasts hitting Valerian even as he grappled with several opponents, black-clad and faceless warriors of the Emperor unleashing another volley before streaming back into the trenches; it had been a bold strategy on the part of their Sergeant, and the Blood Angel was still unsure whether it would pay off – his weakening of their trench section had drawn an overabundance of heretical attention, the scum of the subverted Hive City pouring toward what must have seemed like a breach to the secondary and tertiary tench lines further back.

[color=Silver]"Now brothers! Join together and let us crush these traitors under foot! For the Primarchs!"[/color]

He could feel the pounding in his veins as he tore apart an enemy with his bare hands, the combat-blade at his hip – larger even than that of their older Astartes cousins – completely forgotten. Even as the gore and matter dripped from his gauntlets he seized another nearby adversary, crushing the man's helmet and skull with a squeeze of his huge hand, [i]something[/i] in his blood urging him on to greater heights of fury.

It was said that Archmagos Crawl had removed the flaws from every strain of gene-seed, but the question was whether what the Blood Angels knew as the 'Red Thirst' was even a flaw at all...or was it something within Sanguinius' gene-coding that had been their all along, and would always remain there too.

[i][color=fff79a] If we pool our krak Grenades we might be able to break the wall where thr foundations have been weakened and coroded. [/color][/i]

Caelius paused momentarily, slow and methodical breathing exercises bringing his urges back to some sort of baseline – at least enough for him to retain control of himself for the moment. His eyes swept over the scene, the vast walls of the capital Hive rising high in the distance, and for the briefest of moments he wondered whether his Sergeant had come out of his cryo-sleep somewhat damaged.

About to vox to his squad leader, any words he may have had were interrupted by a vox-wide message, apparently straight from command...

[color=00aeef]“This is Captain Diniarchus to Primaris of trench section Epsilon 8-12/72,”[/color] began the broadcast, ringing inside the helmets of Valerian's entire squad – it just so happened to be their trench section, [color=00aeef]“I do not know what you did, but you have the enemies attention! We shall take advantage of this.”[/color] There was static for a moment and then the Captain went on, [color=00aeef]“there will be a momentary bombardment, a rolling barrage that you shall follow behind. Elements of the Nemesis Chapter and Shehunid Raiders shall be with you as you secure the enemy trenches along the parameter of the city.”[/color]

If one were to peer above the top of the Imperial trenches then, some 250 yards (230 metres) across No Man's Land, they would see their heretical opposites. Enemy emplacements dug just as deep and being just as strong as their own, but they were held by inferior soldiers and were unsupported by both Astartes forces and the might of the Basilisk artillery some miles behind the loyalist fortifications.

[color=00aeef]“There will be a general advance, so prepare yourselves and the Emperor protects.”[/color]

In short, once the rolling barrage began, splintering barbed wire and hopefully causing the enemy to take cover, Raziel and his squad – along with supporting elements from allies along the front of the trenches – would head across the space between the two trench-lines. It was a 'take and hold' assignment, but with many yards of boggy and corpse-strewn ground between them, and one that would test even the Primaris once the assault began.