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Da Isle Of Doom Chapta 7 | |
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Chapta 7 |
Before the battlewagons had even come to a halt inside the fortress the hatches on them burst open and the ork units carried inside spilled out. “Remember lads,” Two Heads yelled, “Hazug wants to know if dare’s anythin’ left dat’ll tell ‘im wot ‘appened ‘ere. But aside from dat its finders keepers and dare’s plenty to be findin’ and keepin’.” Hazug himself drove his truck into the fort behind the battlewagons and Two Heads’ converted rhino, steering around the larger armoured vehicles and heading deeper into the compound. As he drove Salia noticed that Sophie had a worried expression on her face. “What’s wrong?” she asked her sister. “The orks.” Sophie replied, “The dead ones.” And she waved at the bodies strewn around the fort. “What about them?” Salia asked. “Its just that they remind me of when the tau killed the Death Skulls that took me to the ruined city.” Mayleth smiled. “Do not worry mon keigh.” She said, “No tau weapon caused those wounds. These beasts were killed by their own kind.” Hazug suddenly brought the truck to a halt. “Wotcha do dat for?” Batrug asked. “Look dare.” Hazug said and he pointed to a set of steps that led up to a platform in front of one of the buildings within the fort. There a trail of blood could be seen running up it, “No shootin’ dem burnas.” Hazug said as he jumped down from the truck and took hold of his rifle again and then he rushed towards the stairs. As soon as he reached the first step Hazug slowed down and he began to climb up to the platform slowly and carefully, doing his best to keep the sound of his footsteps to a minimum. Of course with most of the rest of the warband now running about and cheering as they set to work looting the fort anyone inside would know that they were not alone, though hopefully not that someone else was so close to them. Behind him Hazug’s servants all copied his manner, creeping up the stairs slowly and carefully. Only Cuddles attempted to ascend faster, pulling at the leash Ratish held tight. “Dis may look daft lads,” Batrug said to the burna boys who had adjusted their burnas to produce short concentrated flames that could cut through the thickest of armour plate, “but we need to do da same thing.” And he began to creep up the stairs as well. The burna boys looked at one another, unsure about sneaking anywhere but both Batrug and Hazug were bigger than them so they did as they were told and crept up the stairs also. There was just a single door on the platform at the top of the stairs and as the group gathered around it Hazug waved them back. “Mayleth I needs ya to open da door real quick and get outta da way.” He said quietly, “Den I’ll go in and everyone else can follow me.” “Of course my master.” Mayleth replied. Mayleth pushed the door open and rolled through and at that instant a pair of shots rang out from inside, both travelling well above Mayleth’s head as she rolled. Whoever was shooting paused after the second shot, seeing that their target was no longer standing in the doorway and Hazug took advantage of this to burst into the room after Mayleth with Batrug close behind. Right away
they saw a large ork that was missing both an arm and a leg sat against
the far wall next to some boxes. Hazug grabbed hold of the larger ork and pinned him against the wall while Batrug knocked the pistol from his grasp and kicked it across the room before taking hold of the orks one remaining arm. “Wotcha doin’ ‘ere?” Hazug demanded of the ork as he stopped struggling when he saw the combined group of orks and aliens aiming weapons at him while Ratish held back Cuddles. “Wotcha mean wot is I doin’ ‘ere?” the ork responded, “I is Grath Da Bludgeoner and dis is my fort.” Hazug looked
around at Ratish. “Yes master, Ratish go now.” As his
gretchin servant headed for help Hazug turned his attention back to the
injured warboss. “It was dat thievin’ Death Skull Rorgun.” Grath snarled, “’Is lads turned on me. Never reckoned ‘e ‘ad it in ‘im.” Hazug found this even more confusing. Death Skulls were even less likely to leave anything behind that wasn’t nailed down. Even then it would remain in place only as long as it took them to steal a tool that would allow them to take the nails. “Da only lads out dare now is mine,” Hazug said, “and dare’s still plenty of loot. So ‘ow come da Death Skulls didn’t nick it all?” Grath
groaned. “But why leave da loot?” Mek Batrug interrupted, “In fact, talkin’ of loot-“ “Aye, go on.” Hazug said to Batrug, “Take ya lads and go see wots out dare ya wants for yaself.” “Ya ‘eard ‘im lads!” Batrug exclaimed with a smile, “Let’s get lootin’!” and as the meks rushed from the room Hazug turned his attention back to Grath. “So tell us more about wot ‘appened.” He said, “We was at one of da rigs and all of da lads was gone from dare an’ all.” “I dunno.” Grath said, “Like I said, dey was actin’ all funny and dey wasn’t da only ones either.” “Wot does dat mean?” Hazug asked. “Well I got knocked out for a while but when I came to dare was still fightin’ goin’ on. But some of da lads wot was fightin’ for Rorgun was lads wot ‘ad been fightin’ for me to start with.” “That’s not so strange is it?” Salia asked. “I don’t think
so.” Sophie said. Grath roared in frustration and swung a fist towards Sophie who was stood closest to him out of the three, but Hazug reacted quickly and as Sophie flinched he grabbed hold of the fist and stared at Grath. “Dey is mine.”
He said. “Just tell em wot ‘appened.” Hazug said as he relaxed his grip. “Well all of da lads fightin’ for Rorgun was actin’ odd. Dey never said a word between ‘em, no matter wot side dey’d started out on. And my lads only seemed to decide to switch sides when dey’d taken out some of Rorgun’s lot. Dey’d kill a mob of ‘is lads and all of a sudden a mob of mien would start fightin’ for ‘im and go all quiet.” “That is abnormal behaviour.” Mayleth commented, addressing her statement to Salia and Sophie, “The destruction of an enemy unit should have reinforced the loyalty of the orks.” “Well it didn’t.” Grath said, “Now ‘ows about ya explains why ya is bringin’ all dese gits and pansies ‘ere to me fort?” Hazug stood up. “Da big boss sent me.” He said, “’E wants to find out why ‘e aint got no fuel from ya.” It was then that there was the sound of footsteps rushing up the stairs outside and Ratish burst back into the followed by an ork carrying an assortment of blades and drills on his belt and followed by a pair of gretchin carrying even more medical instruments and jars. “Da dok is in!” the painboy yelled, “So where’s me customer?” he then demanded before spotting Grath sat on the floor, “Ah dare ‘e is. Well let’s take a look at ya.” And he advanced on the warboss, looking him up and down. Crouching down by his side he began to look at Grath’s eyes. “Wotcha doin’?” Grath demanded, “Me eyes is fine!” “Well ‘ow does ya know dat?” the painboy replied, “I is da dok around ‘ere and I reckons I can do ya a nice deal on some really nice new eyes. Or least I will when dem meks make me some for ya.” Grath reached out and grabbed the painboy by the throat. “Just fix me arm and me leg.” He said sternly, “Anythin’ else and dat’s wot I’ll pull off ya when I wakes up.” “Alright, alright.” The painboy replied as he pulled Grath’s hand from his throat. Then he looked around, “Can I ‘ave some peace to work in?” he asked. “Sure.” Hazug replied and as he left the room he waved at his servants to follow him. Descending the stairs Hazug was met by Gorgoga and Two Heads. “Wot’s up dare den?” Gorgoga asked, looking up the stairs. “Da boss. Grath.” Hazug replied, “Someone’s given ‘im a right good kickin’.” “He said it was his own troops.” Sophie added. “Den where is dey?” one of Two Heads asked as both looked around, ”Even if dey ‘ad somewhere better dan dis fort to go to, why leave all dis loot?” “I dunno.” Hazug responded, shaking his head slowly, “But ‘e said dat da lads was actin’ funny. So keep an eye on our own lot. First sign of any of dem actin’ odd make sure ya stamp down on ‘em.” Gorgoga grinned. “I’ll use both bloody feet if any of my lot turn against us.” He said. Sending most of his servants off to find lodgings for all of them Hazug remained near to the building where they had found the injured Grath, watching for any sign of the painboy finishing his work. He still had questions about the events that had transpired here and the warboss was the only one who could provide them. The door opened after only a short time, but it was the painboy’s gretchin orderlies that emerged to rush down the steps and return shortly after with Nuzzug and his own gretchin assistants laden down with parts that Hazug guessed had been looted from the fort. Hazug frowned. “What is wrong my master?” Mayleth asked. Given that the eldar woman’s talents did not lie in domestic servitude Hazug had not seen any point in sending her with the others. Instead she remained here with him and Cuddles, the squig quietly munching on the body of a nearby ork that looked to have died in the uprising against Grath. “Everythin’.” He replied without looking down at her, “And if anythin’ ‘appens to Grath before I gets to speak to ‘im again den I aint gonna get me answers.” “Do not fear my master. From what I know of your species, the one you want to speak to is in no danger of dying from his wounds.” “It aint ‘is wounds wot worries me.” Hazug said, “Its dat doc. If ‘e goes drillin’ ‘oles in da boss’s ‘ead den wot I needs to know may leak out.” And right on cue there was a sudden ‘clang’ from inside the building, “Watch Cuddles.” Hazug then said to Mayleth as he headed towards the sound. When Hazug entered the room he found Grath with the stump of his arm held out in front of him while both Nuzzug and the painboy worked to graft a bulky powerclaw directly into his flesh. “Seen dis?” Grath said to Hazug when he noticed the Blood Axe in the doorway, “I shoulda got one of dese ages ago.” “I thought I told ay to give me room to work.” The painboy said angrily. “I aint in ya way.” Hazug replied, “Dis lot is closer.” And he delivered a light kick to the nearest gretchin. “Wotcha want?” the painboy asked. “To talk to Grath.” “Dat’s Boss Grath to ya.” Grath replied, but Hazug just frowned. As well as being barely larger than any of the nobs in Hazug’s warband he had been defeated by one of his subordinates. The problem was that he was the only source of information about what had happened. “I needs to know wot ya lads was up to before dey turned on ya.” Hazug said to the warboss. “Up to? Dey wasn’t up to nought.” Grath replied, “Dey’d only got back from dat git fort.” “Ya mean da docks or da airbase?” Hazug asked. “Neither.” Grath said, “We found another fort in da jungle. One wot wasn’t so smashed up as dem other two. So I sent Rorgun an ‘is Death Skulls to see wot dare was in dare worth lootin’. Only when dey comes back dey is actin’ odd and turned on me.” Hazug and Nuzzug looked at one another. “Can ya show me where dis place is on a map?” Hazug said. |
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