Editing Stone Men (section)

====The Siege of Neolithus====
After the massacre that was Isstvan, The Stone Men struggled to re-organize due to the sheer amount of casualties. By the end of their retreat back to Neolithus, they had regrouped about 6 chapters, a fraction of their former strength. Neolithus, upon the arrival of the surviving Stone Men, transformed into a planet-sized fortress within days. The entire civilian population was moved underground, and the surface was covered in planetary defense guns, battle-treaded war machines, and embattlements designed to slow enemy advances from any direction. Onyx was a Mason at heart, and building fortresses was in his nature. Hektor could not leave such a well-armed and well-defended system alone at his flank, so in response he sent the Crimson Teeth to eradicate the population and the remaining Stone Men. Eager to draw blood from their rivals (having been shafted by the Heralds at Isstvan), the Teeth accepted the mission, and directed their ongoing gore-harvest towards Neolithus. Empowered by the ritualized genocide of over a hundred planets, the Crimson Teeth and their possesed gore-engines descended on Neolithus like a tidal wave against a mountain. Their demonic war-machines clashed with that of the Stone Men, while the marines themselves fought in the shadows of the clashing behemoths. The chainswords and chainaxes of the Red Legion clashed against the fists and hammers of the Stone Legion. The outnumbered Stone Marines held their lines, moving backwards only inches for every hour they fought. Eventually, the Great Crocodile realized that endless blood from his own soldiers would not win this battle. He needed a different kind of blood, one he was all too familiar with. Camaxtli summoned all of his blood magic from the bodies of his fallen sons, and transformed one of the gore-engines into a titanic drilling mechanism. The blood-driven machine dug into the earth like a mad dog tearing into a carcass, revealing the soft interior. The Crimson Teeth retreated from the Stone Men's line, only to pour into the crowded refuge-cities beneath them. The Maw himself lead his mob of gore-hounds through the crowded tunnels and buildings, spilling the blood of millions every minute. By the time the Stone Men had realized, it was already far too late. They tried to defend the populace, but instead were overwhelmed by wave after wave of millions of panicked men, women, and children, only to end up slaughtered by the advancing combine of the Crimson Legion. Onyx refused to retreat from the literal bloodbath, even as the blood from the citizens of Neolithus ran like turbulent rapids through the tunnels and catacombs. Soon, the blood ran so heavily, marines were beginning to drown in the red tide. Onyx finally declared a retreat, and was forced to leave anyone who couldn't escape to their doom. From above, as the survivors fled the planet, rivers of blood could be seen erupting from beneath the surface. Onyx, for the second time in his life, wept.