From out the desert winds, a flaming arrow stuck in the Ashwalker chieftain’s head, leading to the sudden collapse of the musclebound man. Alarmed, the Khornates huddled together, quickly, and instinctively, forming a shieldwall formation. From multiple directions now, flaming arrows rained down upon the Khornates, somehow finding their mark in an almost supernatural manner, before screeching Discs of Tzeentch and their Tzaangor riders broke through the fog, mowing the desperate remnants down with sharp blades and horns of the demons.
The Desert was among the preferred battlefields of the Templars of Our Burning Saviour for a reason.
The reptilian steeds of the heavy cavalry were very much acquainted with the desert; the landscape in the Empire of Golden Flames was very much the same, at least in the area surrounding Aith’erant, where many of them were still bred. It allowed the Templars to play to their strengths.
Having made short work of the Ashwalker patrol, the Skyfire squadrons sped across the desert plains, ever closer to the enigmatic machine the Khornates had constructed. It was heavily defended, for a structure in the middle of nowhere.
They were growing desperate, and it showed.
The Skyfire archers dispersed, and circled the encampment, firing their arrows with Holy Fire at any Khornate stupid or angry enough to show themself over the makeshift barricade.
Finally, they charged. Heavy Templar cavalry, the golden armour of Tzaangor rider and reptilian mount gleaming in the desert sun, the Golden Wings at their saddles aflame with Sacred Fire, came down upon the Khornates with thundering clawed hooves.
At the tip of the formation, a High Templar rode, and with his Karkadrak, he rammed the barricade down, clearing a way for the other Templar Cavalry to charge in and ride down the defenders; they had begun forming a spearwall, but it was too little too late, especially with Templar Enlightened coming in from over untouched sides of the barricades, breaking up the formations.
It was a bloody spectacle, which maybe put a smile on one or the other dying Khornates’ face, but in the end, the Templars stood victorious and destroyed the machine completely, taking some of the more interesting parts with them for study.
Nearby, Acolytes of the Academy of the Arcane Arts of Aith’erant were guided by their Magisters and Magistras in a rituals to contain and reverse the taint of Khorne festering in the desert.
As soon as the Desraki noticed, they sent Ashwalkers after them, but they could not break through the Golden Wall of Steel and Faith to the elaborate rituals and chants praising Our Saviour; their attacks were beaten back with many lives lost.
With the intense, pure blue Flame of Our Burning Saviour, they burned the rot from out the desert and the Blue Flame spread across the land.
