Chapter 3 Part 4

Chapter 3: On Death's ground

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Part 4

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Imperial lines

Pavonian Heartlands

I perceived the world in slow motion through Warp's enhanced senses. The air stank – the unfathomable stench of ozone from energy discharges, burned Orks, fear, human blood and other fluids assaulted my nose. I could see men and women fight, scream curses and prayers to the Emperor and die as the advancing Ork Nobs slammed into our lines. A group of heavily armored monsters jumped above a trench and tore everyone apart with wicked claws only to lose their legs as the fortification blew up as a final fuck you're from the Guardsmen. A dug-in tank shot one of the crippled Orks in the face with a HE round that blew up its torso in a shower of fire and gore. More Nobs surged forward and the armoured leading elements of the armored reserve arrived just in time to meet them with bolter and cannon. A flight of bombers roared above us as they came in to strafe the piles of scrap the Xeno called armor. Our driver shouted feverrent prayers as he pointed the Chimera straight at the blood-splattered Warboss and slammed his foot on the accelerator. The APC buckled and charged straight at the massive monster.

Time was up. I roared an incantation and waved my sword in an arc thus sending purple lighting at the Warboss' head. I more felt than saw Anteas vault over me and hurl himself at the green behemoth propelled by his transhuman biology, power armor, and psychic power. My lighting struck the perturbing metal jaw of the Ork with a blinding flash a moment before the Chimera slammed into his chest. I jumped away trusting my armor and eldritch power strengthening my flesh to survive.

Torn ground, mud, and blood in my mouth and pain. The world swam in front of my eyes yet I got up on my feet due to my will alone. The Warboss was still right here – holding the Chimera and crushing it.

The world suddenly sped up and the deafening sound of the battle crashed over me in full. There was no sight of Anteas, however, when the Ork threw the mangled APC aside, I could see his face clearly – its left side along with the metal jaw on that side were simply gone. Scorched flesh and bone stared at me in a grotesque parody of sneer. I saw something blinking below the Ork then Anteas was upon the monster swinging his weapon in a golden arc. The Warboss parried with glowing power claws and leveled his hand cannon at the Librarian.

Only then did my mind fully kick back into gear and I charged at the Ork without thinking things through. I spat an incantation and arcs of burning warp rand down my arm until they surrounded my hungry chainsword. I pointed it at the Ork and unleashed the attack at his cannon. Eldritch lighting slammed into the weapon and through the metal-eating through it with ease. The cannon's barrels twisted and blew up when the Warboss tried to shoot Anteas.

The warp shook and twisted as something passed right through it. The aftershock shook me to the core and it was only the Emperor's mercy that I didn't lose control of the powers running through me and blew off my head or worse. Multi-colored lighting surrounded us tasting blue, the air cracked and screamed in torment and I found myself on my ass staring dumbly at four towering titans painted red.

The Terminators, for they could be nothing less, wasted no time and charged at the Ork with inhuman speed. To Xeno's credit, the assault didn't deter it. It actually laughed so loud that his guttural joy drowned the war around us. I saw his muscles bulge as warp energy seeped into them. With a shove, he sent Anteas stumbling back and in the same motion backhanded a Space Marine sprinting at it with hammer and shield. The Terminator took the blow on his shield, lighting cracked and the Angel of Death flew back from the impact. A second Terminator clashed with the ruined cannon – his power ace bit deep into it, yet even as weakened as it was, the Astartes' weapon couldn't properly cut through it with a single strike.

The other two Space Marines were more successful. One lit the Ork's back on fire with a huge flamer while the other slammed a lighting claw into the back of its right knee. The Warboss howled as his leg gave away before power claws tore into the bulky junk covering its back. Anteas had recovered and was upon the beast again even as the ax-wielding Terminator kept pushing down pinning its left arm. It raised its huge claws to strike that never landed. The last Terminator didn't even bother coming closer again, instead, he threw his hammer at the Ork's elbow and the strike made his claw fly harmlessly above the Librarian's head. The Warboss flinched away from the incoming power hammer in the last moment and instead of pulping its head for good, the force weapon slammed into its right shoulder crushing flesh and metal alike. The Beast's burning and slicked backpack discharged arching electricity and raw warp power for a split second that was all the warning the Space Marines got. They moved as one stepping back just in time – reality twisted and screamed in agony, the Warboss twisted with it, and then it was gone.

For a few long moments, the only sound over the battlefield was the roar of barking Imperial weaponry. Hundreds if not thousands of Orks stared at the space where their Warboss used to be.

"WAAAGH!" The armored beasts roared as one and charged at us, yet some of the smaller ones that had survived up until now slowed down, and here and there, a few of them broke and ran.

I shook my head trying to process what just happened before my training kicked in despite the concussion I likely suffered. I grit my bloody teeth and forced my power to cooperate. Scalding warp energy bubbled in my veins as I got up. It was just in time too, because a group of Nobs was busy butchering a fire team in the trench beside me and I was their next target. Long lines of heavy bolter shells flew past me and stitched through the Nobs. The Terminators fanned out in pairs and jumped in the fray while Anteas raised his power hammer and warp fire surrounded its head. He jumped in a way that should have been impossible in his armor and even my warp-enhanced sight had trouble following him. One moment he stood where the Ork vanished, a blur and then he was at the trench beside me. His hammer slammed into a Nob towering a head above the Librarian and fire exploded from the impact burning the beast to ash. A fiery corona flew in a semi-circle in front of Anteas lighting up everything on fire.

I sent my own warp powers into the fray by launching a lightning bolt at a Nob that disregarded the fact it was burning and charged the Librarian screaming obscenities. My attack cracked its armor and staggered him, momentarily pausing its advance. The Nob never had a chance to resume its advance – what looked like a bright white laser beam turned it into flying bloody chunks. I dared a glance over my shoulder and grinned like a maniac – the armored reserve was finally in place unleashing the Emperor's own wrath upon the Xeno.

"For the Emperor! No mercy!" I screamed waving my sword like a madman and charged into the fray.