While Rausina was falling, the Eldar had moved to the north. Autarch Fayak had gathered all remaining aeldari troops in a camp as far north as possible, away from human and tau settlements that were overrun by the Nightbringer‘s forces. So far north the Heretic Astartes had not yet ventured.
But now they had, scouts reported. A small claw of Konrad Curze’s midnight clad warriors skirted the perimeter of the camp, probing for a way into the heart of aeldari operations on Rausina. Waiting for a moment to strike and spread terror. The Guards, and Wraithguards securing the southern perimeter were reinforced upon this knowledge by Autarch Fayak with the stout group of Blood Angel Bodyguards who served the ‚daughter’ of Sanguinius. She herself organizednthe defense on the other sides of the camp against falling into a trap.
While the regular Nightlords took cover behind some rocky outcrops, a new enemy appears, dreaded Raptors. The dark kings of swooping terror. They charge towards the soft flank of the enemy where not undead wraithbone but life and tender eldaren flesh is in their way towards the camp.
But even the lords of the night can be surprised, and for a beat the stop and hover on their flightpacks. A helldrake appears, and its not their own, a world eater it must be, given the color it is bearing. World Eaters? Have their belligerent brothers come to claim the world from them shortly before they have killed every enemy? Even the cowardly xenos that were known to flee from everywere ever since the lord of pleasure had formed feasting upon their soules? While this fact even made the talons think, what stopped them was the fact the the helldrake carried a dreadnought in their claws. A hellbrute shouting in a low deranged voice, “I will get her! The witchbitch, I will tear her apart and make my brother mine again!”, and abuse upon everyone. “Die little Xenoscum, die dirty Vampirebats, Blood for the blood God!”
The Heldrake drops off the Hellbrute right next to the Talons in front of the Eldar Guardians. Throwing some of Conrad’s sons aside he stomps towards the Xenos. “Where is the witchbitch, I will tear her up and drink her blood! Come fight me, you guards of the false daughter of the dead son of the corpse emperor.” He shouts a challenge towards the Blood Angels.
Meanwhile the Helldrake swoops upon the Blood Angels and assaults them with fusionfire and claws.
The nightlords and the Eldar, momentarily confused by all of this take it upon themselves to fire upon the Hellbrute. After all an enemy of an enemy is also an enemy. The talons take to the sky and spread out, the Nightlords in cover fire onto the back of the dreadnought while some of the wraithguards fire their formidable cannons. Hit from all sides the hellbrute screams unintelligible abuse while swooping into the line of Blood Angels.
The helldrake is clawing for the stout Imperial Space Marines, his razor sharp hands biting deep into the armor.
The Marines pile in to best the monster. Borther Damian is grabbed and shaken like a doll by the demon engine, sustaining grave wounds.
Finally the Wraithguard take their attention from the Nightlords to the new menace, shooting in unison at the Helldrake.
While in the meantime the Nightlord Talons use the opportunity of the distracted Wraithbone constructs to swoop in and engage the Eldar guardians in close quarter.
But the distraction only lasts for a short moment. Like a diving eagle Fayak suddenly swoops from the sky to come to the help of her trusty Marines, challenging the Helldrake and forcing it to retreat and sending psionic commands to the Wraithguards. The eldar guardians quickly dispatch the talons with the help of their wraithbone constructs.
The helldrake flies up high away from the fight, leaving two marines and the autarch wounded, only to swoop down again behind the guardians, picking up the toppled hellbrute in its claws, dragging it though the snow until finally taking off with it. The eldar and space marines fire everything they have but fail to take the demon flyer down.
While injured Brother Calidus takes care of the gravely wounded Damian the remaining troops build a new perimeter. Who knows when the Nightlords or the newly spotted World Eaters will try again?