Initially Nikopolidis and the local PDF and Imperial Guard commanders had trouble understanding the new tactic, and brought in reinforcements, confident the line would hold against Moonface's best troops, and that the Chaos warlord had made a dreadful tactical blunder. Then, at 08:42 the daemons were summoned with a psychic squeal which tore at the very fabric of the universe.
Summoned directly into the battle area the daemonic hordes added much needed numbers to the Catechism's own lines and very soon the two forces were face to face, too close for the Imperial artillery to have a decisive effect, and nullifying any air advantage.
The battle became very brutal, neither side willing to give ground and surrender the city. After several hours of close in fighting the battle came to a climax as the Imperial Colonel Strafcher of the Librian 18th Infantry faced a mighty daemon prince in hand to hand fighting. Though Strafcher performed admirably and wounded the unnatural beast, the Daemon Prince eventually dispatched the Imperial Colonel, just as the right flank of the Imperial defence, which hinged on Nikopolidis' troops, unexpectedly collapsed.
With Strafcher dead and their defensive positions compromised, the remaining Imperial troops were obliged to withdraw or be caught and slaughtered by Catechism forces, which were now rapidly pushing south towards Barren bay. Percival ordered a retreat to the second line of Imperial defences, abandonning the remaining citizens of Pryford to an unknown but doubtless hideous fate. It was a frustrating result for Percival, who blamed Nikopolidis for the defeat, as the outcome had been in doubt for some time and a Catechism victory had been in no way certain.
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