Walking Towers-A Lovehammer Tale

Chapter 4:Searching

Gaheren ducked as a 5 meter with a crooked face swung and then leapt and took its head off with a swing of his power sword. The 1st Great Company was in the thick of it, the 3000, three great companies of Astartes were hard pressed to hold this breach in the wall. Titan jaws could not easily pierce the armor of Astartes but well they could kill them, the 15m class titans swung at the Space Marines, there were some who were caught and flung against the walls. Dreadnoughts fired at the titans. Las-beams seemed to work, that and plasma. The cannons that the locals brought to bear, hot shot did not work. Cold shot no matter the kind was bad.

"Aim for the necks, take their heads off." Gaheren called over the vox network, the Lord Commander heard the sounds of ropes, the last thing he needed was more food for the buggers. Then the call came in, Contacts behind our position. 'Fuck" Gaheren said to himself, "That means the buggers, A. Breached another point or...something else." The Space Marines kept up a withering hail of shells and plasma.

The locals had a different method, slashing into the necks of the beasts. They looked at the Space Marines with respect, Space Marines died at the hands of these beasts perhaps just as easily as mortals. The Titans though fell to Space Marine weapons more easily. Sometimes they got back up only to be put down. The smaller ones fell more easily then the big ones. The Space Marines knew that more would come.

"Lord Commander, I/5th reports a breach, multiple, 4 to 5 meters." The Thunderhawks overhead moved to another point. That was when Gaheren noticed his Librarian on the ground. He had his hands to his head. "Suddenly, lighting, a thundercrack, then the red giant and then.....a hole in the wall." The Lord Commander dispatched two companies to back the locals defending the breach. There were two holes in the wall now. The Marines had pushed out the Titans, Rose was where this battle raged.

The First Swords as evening fell counted their losses, the Titans had been driven back, but at what cost, Battle-brothers were dead and they would keep coming sooner or later. The locals came to their encampment with food and drink. They were a symbol of hope, they lacked the materials to close the breach but like Angels they fought on, many lay fallen like something noble. And so ended the second day.

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The Primarch stood on wall Rose that his sons had died defending, struck down by the Titans. Their corpses now fill the breach , Rose's outer districts had been taken back as well, many of the local warriors were also dead, eaten by the monsters. Serenity had gone off somewhere leaving him as one symbol of hope the people could rely on.

He looked at the people as he walked through the streets, he had killed several strays with his sword, he was not covered in gore, but slightly scalded, the blood of the Titan vaporized. That had bedeviled the Apothecaries, now the Chief Librarian and the Chief Apothecary had managed to get access to the shifter, the one who had saved the city. But then that had been undone by a swift kick from a monster Artouron would love to slay.

The Space Marines had moved the rock back that had been the breach. Allanor walked among his sons encouraging them to keep on standing against the foe, they had been hit bad, ten percent of the force was out of action. Vehicles were being repaired, he had a appointment.

The prisoner was in the company of two officers of the legion and a scout, Levy. A name Allanor had heard spoken in hushed sorts of tones as a man who could seriously slay titans. Also a rumor was, that he was a neat freak. The Primarch ducked his head as he entered the office. "So this is the shifter." Both Valkan and Dilaran looked at their father.

"Sir" They said bowing, Artouron bade them rise, "Well miss Zoe, you are a senior medical officer here are you not?" The young woman wore goggles and a surprised expression that this God-like warrior would be taking an interest in her work. "So you are the little shifter boy? Who killed twenty titans?" Erin looked at this giant. He seemed like Titan himself excepting the fact that he wore armor and seemed far more intelligent.

"What do you want?" Erin looked at Allanor who stared at him with the dark eyes that only a Primarch had. He stepped back and summoned his officers to his side. "Well my sons what have you found?" "He can regenerate, Levy knocked out one of his teeth." Dilaran reached into his belt and then pulled out a tooth. The apothecary appeared suitably impressed. Then Allanor turned to his Chief Librarian. "The memories of that day are their, it is almost like there are two brains inside his head." Evidently the librarian had been impressed by Erin Jaeger.

"Know that I support you joining the sortie, the II Legion will be mounting an offensive. Within hours we had the Titans driven out before there would be crisis within Sina, conditions were improving within Sina and Rose, the space marines kept guard on the walls alongside the stationary troops looking for sign of the monsters. And they were out towards Wall Maria. That was the final objective, Allanor had gone before the council.

Your Majesty and honorable councilors, I do belive that we cannot easily reclaim this world in short order. I don't really know about Titans Ill admit, they are a mystery, precious little is left in your records. And we don't have anything. We know how you kill them thanks to a hunting teams sacrifice. All you need to know, I WILL honor my vow to the people.

"What do you think of him?" "Prone to instability sir." The apothecary had managed to pull some assessment files. Having gotten Eren's military records via major Zoe he could make some assessments. "Also I managed to talk to him, Erin, his father may have what is needed to end it." The Librarian noddded in affirmation. "Go with them, get the documents or whatever. I have a plan for this planet."

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The gate came up, the two marines sat on bikes with the horses of the Scouting Corps. If they wanted horses they would have had to go to Chrogis, but that had been burned, the wrath of Janghatai Khan. But the breeding program still went on at the Imperial Stables on Terra. The two officers sat on their bikes watching the gate come up. It was out towards Maria they went. Data fed towards their helmets guided them towards the objective.

The objective was one of the outer districts, the Space Marines broke off from the scouts. "We are going to wreck our own kind of havoc on the foe." Then they were off towards the district. They were trained in the art of being unseen. The spells of the librarian would keep them covered from Titans. Valkan looked up to the heavens as he drove away. Emperor, Princess and Progenitor watch over them.

The two marines knew the local flare patterns, they could respond, the locals were going to recapture a town. The Space Marines were going in deeper, hostile country. Maria would be retaken sooner or later. The two marines kept eyes on the surrounding country, devastated villages and farmsteads flashed past, wall Maria loomed, a place that the II Legion it was hoped by the marines would hoist the banners high.

Night was falling rapidly, so that would mean Titans could be moving around. The Space Marines could see them through the use of their helms and the lights on their bikes which they dimmed and then proceeded on Auspex and visor alone. The forests were full of Titans, they were dealt with. A tree dropped on them with Valkans mind and a bolter round through the back of the neck and then continue.

The birds, they did not fear these beasts, the Astartes did not fear the titans. They did not fear much of anything, they knew the Titans weakness and in the mobile Forges the Tech-marines worked to prefect the weapons necessary to hunt titans. Then again perhaps the Space Marines of the II Legion had what was necessary to hunt down the Titans.

The two Space Marines traveled many miles that night. The Scouts would probably have succeeded and then returned to the walls. Then again they would have to perhaps hold the town. And the II Legion would have to be called out. A vox call came in. Secure that data at all costs.