Torleif Beaststalker looked out across the plaza through the window of the ruined building. The relic was hidden in the middle of the plaza below, but the Necrons were marching relentlessly through the ruins on the other side of the plaza. The relic was an ancient Space Wolves weapon, that Ragnar Blackmane was going to present to his new allies. Apparently, Trazyn the Infinite wanted it as well. Torleif had been asked by Ragnar to bridge the gap to the Frostwolves, the Lost Company that had recently returned. By the Allfather, the Space Wolves really needed reinforcements after the Thousand Sons’ invasion of Fenris. Arriving after the invasion, the Frostwolves had themselves been decimated by the Tyranid invasion that had wiped out the planet they had been stuck on. Great Wolf Logan Grimnar had assigned the Frostwolves to reinforce the Blackmanes, while both companies would get fresh new Primaris recruits. Ragnar had asked for volunteers to help the Lost Company reintegrate with the other Space Wolves. Many warriors had been eager to help and Torleif had been honoured to guide the new Primaris Vanguard sent to the Frostwolves. The newcomers needed to learn how a Space Wolf tracks with his senses, without relying on all this new technology. But Morven’s Night Terrors, as the Reivers in his new Greatpack called themselves, were tough. Torleif had to give them that! So much that he wondered about crossing the Primaris Rubicon himself. But the odds of success were not great. Several Blackmanes and Frostwolves had tried and died during the last years. But those who had made it had been strengthened, and now Blackmane himself had crossed. Movement in the ruins opposite the plaza drew him out of his reverie. With quick orders to deploy, Torleif quickly made his way to the Rhino waiting on the ground floor of the ruins. The Blood Claws in their Rhino anchored the left flank with the Fenrisian wolves. Torleif embarked on the Rhino with his pack of Grey Hunters, leaving another pack in the ruins above on overwatch duty. The centre was additionally strengthened by Rune Priest Ove Stormwolf, another pack of Grey Hunters, and the Wildclaws Wulfen Pack. The right flank was covered by Iron Priest Jann Ironmaster and his charges: the Dreadnought Nils the Reaper, a Predator, and a Whirlwind. Opposite, Necron Immortals deployed in a good position in a central ruin, flanked by Necron Warriors, Scarabs, and Destroyers.
The Necrons started by advancing the Scarabs and the Destroyers. The Destroyers fired and badly damaged the Predator, while the Necron Warriors were too far away to do any real damage. The Immortals used their Tesla carbines to pin the Grey Hunters in the opposite ruins.
Eager to engage the foe, the Blood Claws disembarked the Rhino and joined the Wulfen and Fenrisian wolves assaulting the Scarabs. Torleif’s Rhino advanced and stopped right by the relic in the middle of the plaza. Jann Ironmaster went to work repairing the damaged Predator, as the tanks and Nils returned fire against the Destroyers, killing three. The Wulfen, Blood Claws, and Fenrisian wolves made short work of the Scarabs, but were now caught out in the open, in front of the Necron Warriors.
The Necron Warriors closed and fired their dreaded gauss flayers, killing three of the five Wulfen taking cover behind their storm shields. The Destroyers resurrected a downed member and lived up to their name by wrecking the Predator. The Fenrisian Wolves found themselves under attack by the Necron Wraiths, who phased through a ruin and cut down all but two of the wolves. The Immortals killed the last of the Grey Hunters hiding in the high ruins on the other side of the plaza.
The Blood Claws joined the surviving Wulfen as they raced for the Necron Warriors, with the Rhino moving up in support. Morven’s Night Terrors appeared behind the Necron Warriors fighting the Blood Claws, preparing to strike. Ove Stormwolf ran to assist the last two Fenrisian wolves, sending bolts of lightning into the Wraiths. Torleif and his Grey Hunters disembarked the Rhino, grabbed the relic, and fired on the exposed Destroyers, while the Rhino moved to barricade the line of sight of the Necron Warriors. Nils the Reaper and the Grey Hunters caught the Destroyers in a crossfire with plasmas, bolters, and autocannons. The Wulfen were challenged by the Necron Lord and only a wounded Ulven Wildclaw, the Pack Leader, came out still standing. The Blood Claws fared no better, killing the Necron Warriors, but losing almost the whole pack. Ove hacked at the Wraiths with his runic blade, killing two.
Suddenly, the ground erupted as a squad of Flayed Ones clawed their way up and attacked Ove. The surviving Wraith disengaged and assaulted the Blood Claws, as the Canoptek Spyder assaulted Morven’s Night Terrors through a hail of shock grenades. The Destroyer Lord declared that he would kill Ulven and assaulted. The Immortals and Necron Warriors covering the centre first destroyed the Rhino shielding the Grey Hunters, and then most of the Grey Hunters around Torleif. The last Wulfen, Blood Claws, and Wraith fell, and the Destroyer Lord moved towards the Night Terrors, regenerating the little damage he had sustained.
Unfazed by the overwhelming numbers, Torleif and the still standing Grey Hunters assaulted the Necron Warriors. The three surviving Grey Hunters from the centre hitched a ride in the Blood Claw’s Rhino, to shield themselves from the Immortals. The Whirlwind and Nils turned their weapons against the Immortals and started chewing through their cover. Torleif hit hard with his wolf claw, taking minor wounds in return, but there were just too many adversaries to kill them all.
Ove had cut down all but one of the Flayed Ones, but three rose again and sliced him down with their talons. Morven’s Night Terrors could not fend off the powerful Destroyer Lord and were cut down. The Necron Warriors wounded Torleif again in close combat, but were unable to take him down.
The Grey Hunters leaped from the Blood Claw Rhino to aid their Wolf Guard Battle Leader, as Jann Ironmaster also advanced to help his old friend. The Whirlwind and Nils gave covering fire, as the Iron Priest and Grey Hunters hit the Necron Warriors with a shock assault. The Grey Hunters and weakened Torleif took down a few adversaries, but Jann brought the full power of his fury to bear, killing everything before him, destroying the last Necron Warriors.
The Destroyer Lord realised he could not prevail with only the Flayed Ones and surviving Immortals, and decided to retreat. The Space Wolves recovered the relic and their wounded, and added another victory to the sagas of Torleif Beaststalker.
