Ferrugo Pass: Tor Megiddo - part 17 - Escape the Cauldron

+++ Systems rebooting...

+++ Internal defenses coming online...

+++ Multiple faults detected.

+++ Critical system failures.

+++ Activating fall-back systems.

+++ Awakening the Cog-Forsaken...

+++ May the Omnissiah forgive us.

+++

Ambush mission with no adjustments(!) - the Purebred had to get their warriors off the opposite board edge, through Anomaly Protocol's deployment zone. If they got more than half of their warband off the board they would win. If more than half were killed or prevented from leaving by the end of the game they would lose.

+++

In the darkness consciousness stirred. Blood and chemicals flowed. Awareness grew. The Cog-Forsaken awoke and stretched their hybrid human/machine limbs; flexed their long-slumbering muscles. Lumens flickered on in their cell. The minor magi who had been reviving them hurried out and the door slid closed behind them.

Maglocks in their chairs uncoupled from their backs and the Cog-Forsaken stood up. The scanned one another. Recognition runes glowed in their optical readouts.

Another door opened with a hiss, they turned as one, and stalked from the cell.

+++

The Purebred knew they had to escape, and quickly. The defenders of the Tor were closing in on them.

Nyxos-1-J, the leader of the Cog-Forsaken, transmitted instructions to his team.

Sek-M and Zhu-7 took the left flank.

The Purebred made a break for it on the right.

Great Father Arun burst round a corner, his chain-glaive roared into life...

And Rho-2/5 was taken offline.

Snapper and Jax jumped as the door in front of them opened and Sek-M and Zhu-7 charged through it! Jax's heavy stubber blazed; thunderous noise and the yellow light of muzzle-flare filled the corridor. A couple of rounds punched through Zhu-7's armour.

Rax-1/1 charged past Great Father Arun, straight at Mahela.

Rax-1/1 wounded her but she was not alone - one of the Blemished charged and felled him.

Yash charged Sek-M and the fight on the left flank intensified.

Zhu-7's chordclaw ripped through Jax. Sek-M's transonic razor impaled Yash.

Great Father Arun found Nyxos-1-3 blocking his way, but Mahela activated a stimm-booster in the Great father's spinal implant...

And Nyxos-1-3 could not withstand the Great Father's assault.

Kurk escaped the Cauldron, out into the bright light in a swirl of red-orange dust.

Great Father Arun and Mahela were not far behind him.

Sek-M slashed at Snapper the Dusthound - the beast howled and fell.

Great Father Arun and Mahela escaped as well!

Warfather Dez was enraged at Snapper's death and turned to move deeper into the Tor, to get his revenge on the Cog-Forsaken, as Zhu-7 charged down the corridor at him at full pelt...

... and Dez bathed the whole corridor in flame!

Sek-M appear from his flank, ducked under the gout of fire, and ripped Dez open.

+++

+++ Status: Epsilon

+++ The Rustking in critical condition

+++ 17.64% probability of survival

+++

+++ Invaders neutraised

+++ Invader classification: Yaike Yaike tribe

+++ Invader identification: The Purebred

+++ Leader identification: Great Father Arun

+++ Status: escaped

+++ Reaction: pursuit

+++

This was such an intense game - I really thought it would be easy as Rust Stalkers look ridiculously good on paper. But I made a few mistakes early on and Viktor took out three of them in short order. After that I had to work really hard for what I thought would end up as a draw, but when we looked at the victory conditions we realised that Viktor had made a mistake in sending Dez to try to take out my last two fighters and not trying to escape. That choice tipped the balance in my favour.

Three of the Purebred escaped, but Anomaly Protocol managed to take out four of them, so I won a second game in this campaign (just...!)

Viktor's version of this adventure is here.