(Thanks to Yuyu God and God-Emperor Above, Slaanesh Below, Me in the Middle for the Superfan Certification gifts. Extra update tomorrow.)
As the Titan Flame Beast entered the Aeldari city within the Webway, the Imperial defenders gained a brief respite.
To a Titan, this city was too vast to seem like a settlement built inside the Webway.
When the Aeldari artisans of the past built this city, they had considered neither military defenses on a human scale nor the warfare requirements of any other race.
Following their own race's understanding, they had shaped this city into an immense mountain range.
Slender towers interwove, suspended walkways connected platforms, and vaulted domes nestled within the mountainsides, forming a skyline composed of curves.
The abandoned Aeldari city was vast enough to envelop an Emperor-class Titan.
When Flame Beast entered the city, even its height of a hundred and fifty meters and bulk spanning hundreds of meters were still accommodated by those soaring spires and enormous building complexes.
Its silhouette moved among the towers, appearing and disappearing.
Its full form briefly emerged as it crossed broad plazas, only to be concealed by the buildings on either side when it entered densely built corridors.
The city's structure provided the Imperial defenders with something resembling cover. The narrow passages and heaps of rubble between buildings were enough to slow the Titan's advance, and enough to let infantry units move or retreat through its sensors' blind spots.
The Imperial defenders withdrew into buildings, hiding in the shadows as they watched the Emperor-class Titan obscured by the enormous structures.
They hid behind shattered windows, beside collapsed pillars, and deep within Aeldari corridors that had never been cleared.
The lights on fire-control systems were dimmed, communications channels were turned down to their lowest volume, and soldiers leaned against walls