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Chapta 24 | |
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Da Raiders From Da Shadows Chapta 24 |
“Dat sounded like gunfire.” One of Two Heads said as he looked down at the doors set into the cliff. From behind him several of the other orks came to take a look. “Well dem pansies down dare don’t seem too fussed about it.” Drazzok said, “Dey is just standin’ dare still.” “Da great Drazzok is right.” Thuggrim announced loudly, “Da pansies is all stood pointin’ dare guns through da doors.” “Ya can see dat from ‘ere?” Two Heads asked him. “I got me good eye in.” Thuggrim replied, “And it’s showin’ me dat da pansies is all lookin’ da other way.” “Yeah but wot is dey lookin’ at?” Gorgoga asked. “Somethin’ inside da ‘ill of course.” Drazzok said, “Aint ya bin payin’ attention?” “I knows dat.” Gorgoga said, looking towards the weirdboy, “But wot’s inside da ‘ill?” “Hazug.” Two Heads said. Then he turned towards the warband, “I reckon dat all da pansies suddenly turnin’ around is a signal. Dis is it lads, we is goin’ in!” The orks cheered and leapt to their feet, eager to join the attack. Then Two Heads lifted both his heads upwards and roared. “Waargh!” The knock at Lord Shraycht’s door was more rapid than the last and the door opened before he had even given permission to enter. “No!” a voice called out and Lord Shraycht saw the incubi standing guard outside forcing a kabalite warrior to his knees as one of them raised her sword to strike. “Wait!” Lord Shraycht commanded and the incubi froze. The archon looked the warrior in the face, “What is the reason for this intrusion?” he said softly. “Lord archon, the beasts!” “What of them?” “They are
inside the complex.” “The beasts have not come through the hangar.” The warrior interrupted, “They have found another way in and are attacking our ambush forces. Already-“ “Enough!” Lord Shraycht snapped and he walked to the table where his weapons were laid out and picked up a pistol and sword. Then he looked at the incubi, “Come with me.” He said to them. “What of him?” the male incubi enquired, looking down at the kabalite warrior. “He is insolent.” Lord Shraycht said, “Kill him.” The dark eldar warriors stationed outside the hangar doors readied themselves for whatever was inside. They had heard the commotion and the screams, but given the relative darkness inside compared to the bright sunlight where they stood they had not been able to make anything out. But there was the sound of cackling laughter from within that grew louder as they listened. Whatever had caused the trouble inside was about to emerge. It was just as the dark were about to open fire that they heard the war cry from behind them. “Waaargh!” More than a hundred greenskins charged towards the dark eldar in the assault they had expected. Their orders had been clear, they were to give a brief show of resistance and fall back into the hangar to draw the horde inside after them. But now facing attack from two directions at once the unit commander delayed for a moment. That moment’s delay was just enough for Cuddles to come bouncing out of the hangar with Ratish still clinging to his back. The squig charged into the middle of the warriors, biting and scratching at anything that moved. On his back, Ratish lashed out with his pistol. Empty of ammunition and unable to reload without loosing his grip on Cuddles’ harness the gretchin instead wielded it like a club and though it was too small to be dangerous to the lightly armoured dark eldar it made Ratish feel more powerful in spite of the vicious squig he rode. The eldar fell back under Cuddles’ onslaught, but in doing so they moved closer to the oncoming warband. “Burn ‘em lads!” Mek Batrug yelled from the front of the charging mass of orks and sheets of flame engulfed the dark eldar warriors before they could bring their weapons to bear. “Two Heads!” Sophie called out from the door and she waved. “Look! Its another pansy!” Ratish yelled as he brought Cuddles to a halt next to one of the bodies, “Kill it!” “Shut it grot!” one of Two Heads snapped back, “Dat’s Hazug’s git. I can see dat clearly.” Ratish frowned
as he realised that the orks were not going to kill Sophie for him. Sophie
herself rushed from the door to where Two Heads stood with Drazzok and
Gorgoga and looked around. “Nah.” Two Heads replied, “We left a grot to watch it and keep it entertained.” The baby lay in its basket and stared upwards with a smile on its face. Above it a gretchin dangled from a tree branch, secured by a rope around its ankles. The gretchin screamed and waved its arms around as it swung back and forth helpless to stop itself, much to the child’s amusement. “So where’s Hazug den?” Drazzok asked and behind him Thuggrim began to look around frantically searching for the Blood Axe. He bent over and lifted up a rock. “’E aint under ‘ere.” He said. “Inside somewhere.” Sophie replied, “The eldar have set ambushes for you. Hazug’s trying to find them all and destroy them.” “So wot’ll be left for da rest of us?” Two Heads asked. “I don’t know.” Sophie told him, “Hazug didn’t say.” “Right den.” The other one of Two Heads said, “We best get in dare quick while dare’s still pansies to kill ‘adn’t we?” and then the other head yelled out, ”Come on lads! Dare’s more inside! Stick behind me!” and he ran into the hanger. The warband let out a massive and rushed after Two Heads. “Wait!” Sophie called out, “Hazug said to stay together!” “Don’t worry.” Drazzok said from behind her, “I is still ‘ere even if dem lot aint.” Sophie frowned then walked alongside Drazzok into the hangar as well. In the less than a minute since Two heads had come charging inside every dark eldar left in the hangar was dead. Most of the eldar to have survived Cuddles’ earlier rampage withdrew as soon as they heard the approach of the warband. The initial plan to conduct an orderly retreat ignored for the sake of short-term survival. The few that would not, or could not leave were finished off in moments by volleys of gunfire and blows from whatever close combat weapons the orks could lay their hands on. Sophie pushed her way through the crowd of orks towards Two Heads. “Wait!” she called out again, “Hazug said to stay together. Just in case we’re ambushed.” “Don’t worry.” Two Heads replied, “I knows wot I is doin’.” And he turned to Gorgoga, “Is ya grots any good at scoutin’ ahead?” he asked and Gorgoga grinned. “Dey sure is, we send ‘em down da mines to look for cave squigs.” “Runtherds!” Two Heads both bellowed, then one went on, “Get da grots movin’ ahead of us. We is expectin’ da pansies to try and take us by surprise. Tell ‘em to keep an eye out.” The runtherds began to move through the warband, grabbing gretchin where they found them and shoving them towards the outer edges of the group. Here and there a reluctant gretchin need suitable encouragement from a boot or whip, but none escaped the attention of the runtherds. “Not you!” one of Two Heads snapped at Ratish when he saw him, “I wants ya to keep close to us with dat squig. Don’t let ‘im go unless I says so. Goddit?” “Ratish got it.” Ratish replied with a nod and he pulled Cuddles closer. “Right den.” Two Heads called out, “Let’s go do in some pansies. Waaargh!” The sound of gunfire echoed down the corridors of the complex, letting Hazug know that Two Heads had arrived with the bulk of the warband. Unfortunately Hazug had not yet reached the area where the gunfire seemed to be coming from, so any ambushes laid by the dark eldar in that direction would still be present. Hazug could only hope that Two Heads had enough sense to keep the warband together and send in gretchin first to scout out the way ahead. Hazug picked up his pace and headed towards the sounds of battle. It was when he paused at a junction to determine which direction would take him to the warband that Hazug heard the footsteps behind him. They stopped almost immediately after he did, but he still noticed them in that brief time. He stepped forwards carefully; listening out for any signs of pursuit but for now whoever was behind was keeping still and quiet. Halting again Hazug swapped his rifle for his warscythe and he took another few steps, just enough o get him around the corner of the junction where he pressed himself up against the wall. Just as he had expected he heard the sound of running as whoever was following him rushed to catch up before he could evade them. Keeping the warscythe close to his chest, Hazug flicked the switch to activate the blade and for a brief moment there was a crackle of power. He waited again as the footsteps grew louder. Then, when he judged that those following him were just around the corner he roared and stepped out, swinging the warscythe in a wide arc. The alien weapon sliced through the waists of both incubi without effort and they dropped to the floor, their innards forming heaps between their legs and now nearly hollow torsos. Their double-handed swords landed with a clatter and there was a flash as the energy field around one of them shorted out against a metal conduit it struck as it fell. In the flash Hazug saw a shadowy blur standing in front of him not far beyond where the bisected incubi had stood. He grinned as he realised that this was the eldar leader that had already escaped him once. “So den.” Hazug said as he advanced menacingly, “We meets again.” “You were lucky last time beast.” Lord Shraycht responded, drawing his pistol and activating his own power sword, “You will not be so lucky again.” This did not impress Hazug one bit and he decided to express his feeling with saying he had overheard humans using on numerous occasions to describe someone of high rank but not deserving of respect. “Arse ‘ole.” He said and he head butted Lord Shraycht. “Burn ‘em!” Mek Batrug shouted as a group of eldar charged at them from down a side corridor. The warband had expected the attack, having heard the screams of the gretchin who had scouted it out but not returned. The creatures that shambled towards them looked like they had been assembled by an ork painboy who had come into possession of a large number of eldar body parts. Some had too many limbs, others not enough and gunfire did little but cause them to howl when they were hit. But fire destroyed everything so Mek Batrug brought his flamethrower -quipped troops to bear. The burning liquid filled the narrow confines of the corridor and with nowhere to go the eldar creatures were swamped in flame. “Keep goin’ lads.” Two Heads said and he waved the warband on along its original path, following a group of dark eldar warriors they had been pursuing since just after leaving the hangar. Sophie crouched down to load a fresh magazine into her stolen eldar rifle and as she stood up again she noticed Drazzok rubbing his head. “Are you alright?” she asked. “Da great
Drazzok ‘as an ‘eadache!” Thuggrim shouted next to Drazzok. “Two Heads,” Sophie said, “I’ll stay here with him. You go on and we’ll catch up with you later.” “I was leavin’ ‘im anyway.” Two Heads replied, “Da pansies is runnin’ away and I aint lettin’ ‘em escape. Ya want some grots?” “Nah.” Drazzok said, “I aint ‘ungry.” “Thuggrim and I will look after him just fine.” Sophie said, “Go. Find Hazug.” As the warband
moved off and disappeared Sophie looked directly at Drazzok. “Yeah, well not now.” Drazzok replied, “I is absorbin’ too much power and somethin’ aint right about some of it.” “Not right? How?” “its like dare’s an ‘ole load of lads nearby wot aint quite awake but aint asleep neither.” Drazzok explained. “More orks?” Sophie said, “But not the ones we arrived with?” “Nah. Dey is sendin’ loads of power me way, but it don’t feel crap like wot dis does.” “What about the orks the eldar took?” Sophie asked, “Could it be them?” Drazzok looked at her. “Yeah, it could.” He said, a smile growing across his face, “If da pansies was messin’ with ‘em den it could be messin’ up wot dey is sendin’ me.” Then he looked at Thuggrim, “Give us an ‘and up.” He said, “We is goin’ to cure me ‘eadache.” And as he stood up he pointed down the side corridor where the last attack had come from, “Datta way.” He said. The dark eldar warriors finally stopped running and turned to face the warband. Immediately they fired bursts from their rifles that tore through the gretchin positioned ahead of the warband, none of who lived long enough to suffer the agony of the poisons carried by the rounds they fired. The orks returned fire and the dark eldar all sought cover. There were plenty of hiding places, the area had been prepared for exactly this reason. It was another large room, even larger than the hangar and had at one time been used by the humans who had created this place for storage. The crates and drums they had left behind had been arranged into rows for the eldar to hide behind. “Dis is it lads!” Gorgoga yelled and he smashed a nearby crate to pieces with his powerclaw, “Nowhere else for da pansies to run.” “Kill ‘em all!” Two Heads shouted and he fired at the eldar, emptying his entire magazine into one of the barricades but not hitting a single one of the aliens. Then there screams from behind him and Two Heads looked around. From above the warband, previously concealed amongst the multitude of metal beams and walkways near the ceiling two enormous shapes lowered themselves down. The nearest thing Two Heads had ever seen to these creatures were the cyborks a renegade painboy had used in his attempt to overthrow Warboss Kazkal Kromag. But though these things were a mix of organic and technological components the similarities ended there. To begin with these creatures were far more massive and instead of walking they floated in the air like the dark eldar’s vehicles did. Two massive muscular arms were tipped with assorted blades and spikes while each creature possessed a long fleshy tail that was tipped with what seemed to be an array of guns. The tail mounted weapons fired down into the warband and more than a dozen orks collapsed screaming as the flesh dissolved from their bones. “Burnas!” Mek Batrug yelled and the warband made way for the flamethrower troops to get closer to the floating monstrosities. But as they took aim one of the creatures swooped down and impaled two of them on one arm. Then with a swing of its other limb the remainder of them were thrown over the heads of the warband. Mek Batrug himself survived only by virtue of having been stood behind them while the prepared to use their weapons. He topped backwards as one of the flying burna boys struck him and before he could get back up the orks nearby rushed forwards to attack the creature in hand to hand combat. Mek Batrug reached out and grabbed hold of a nearby and pulled himself back to his feet just as the ork’s skull was smashed apart by the impact of one of the creatures’ tail mounted weapons and Mek Batrug ducked again. A cry of “Waaargh!” made Mek Batrug look up as Gorgoga rushed past, using his shield to bash out of his way anyone not quick enough to move of their own accord. The Goff nob reached out with his powerclaw and clamped its jaws around the tail of one of the creatures. The thing’s head looked around and tried to whip its tail away. But Gorgoga tightened his grip and the sharpened claws of his powerclaw, assisted by the energy field that surrounded them first bit into and then cut through the tail entirely. The tail still quivered as it dropped to the floor and fluids of assorted colours spurted from both the detached tail and the stump on the creature’s torso. The psychic trail led Drazzok, Sophie and Thuggrim down several flights of stairs. Sophie walked at the front of the group, directed by Drazzok. At each junction and corner she took a brief look around just in case there was an ambush waiting there. She wished that she had kept the helmet from her disguise, but as it was she just had to take the chance that if there were dark eldar waiting for her she could duck back around the corner before her head was blown off. Fortunately they seemed to be alone down here. Aside that was from the source of the psychic energy that was being channelled into Drazzok. “Should be just up ahead of us.” Drazzok said, “Feels dead strong now.” “Like the smell.” Sophie said. The odour was impossible to miss. It was like an open sewer and Sophie wondered if the helmet would have blocked the smell if she still had it. Ahead was an open hatchway that Sophie approached with the splinter rifle at her shoulder. As she drew closer she saw what was in the chamber beyond. “Throne!” she exclaimed, “There’s hundreds of them!” and lowering the rifle she rushed through the hatchway. “Let me see!” Drazzok snapped and he rushed through after her. They both looked around the chamber. Long and narrow it was similar in width to some of the complex’s wider corridors with the hatchway at the centre of the wall at one end. Ahead of them an empty channel ran the full length of the room, while to each side chains hung from the ceiling in pairs and at the end of each pair of chains a figure was hung up by its arms. Both humans and orks were stored here with no effort having been made to separate them. All of them had their heads slumped forwards and narrow tubes could be seen running from assorted storage tanks mounted to the ceiling down to the figures. Below the captives the reason for the smell was obvious. While they had been kept here no effort had been made for hygienically removing their waste and it was now pooled beneath them on the floor. “Oi Thuggrim!” Drazzok said, “Come take a look at dis.” And he waved at the madnob. Thuggrim stepped forwards towards the hatchway, but before he could enter the chamber the hatch was suddenly slammed shut. “Great one!” Thuggrim called from the other side as he hammered on the hatch, “I can’t get in!” “We don’t need him.” Varian hissed, his words translated by the device on his neck and he stepped forwards. Sophie stared in horror at the monstrosity before them. Though the reptilian sslyth bodyguard she had seen earlier also had four arms that creature had looked like it was natural for it to be that way. On the other hand this creature was obviously the product of twisted surgeries. “Useless pansy-thing!” Drazzok yelled and he raised his staff to strike Varian. But he haemonculus was quicker and in one hand a blade glistening with poison appeared and he drove it into Drazzok’s stomach. The weirdboys eyes opened wide in shock then he toppled forwards to the floor with the weapon’s hilt still protruding from him. “No!” Sophie screamed and she raised the splinter rifle again. Once more Varian reacted sooner and the haemonculus leapt forwards and grasped the weapon in two of his hands and ripped it from her grasp. Panicking, Sophie turned and ran, heading into the mass of captives dangling from the ceiling. “You cannot escape me mon keigh.” Varian called out as he calmly walked after her, “this is my kingdom and no one escapes it.” To begin with Sophie just pushed her way past the captives as they hung unconscious all around her, but she realised that this was giving her away when she looked over her shoulder and saw them still swinging back and forth behind her. After this she turned sharply and tried to sneak through the gaps between the hanging bodies instead. Varian halted and peered between his captives, trying to see where Sophie had gotten. He snarled when he failed to locate her and instead began to push his way through the captives just as Sophie had done when she first fled. Sophie made her way back towards the narrow captive-free channel between the two halves of the room and after peering out to see if Varian was waiting for her she ran towards the hatch that Thuggrim was still attempting to break down from the other side. She was almost there when an arm reached out from between two captives and grabbed her. Sophie squealed as she fell, Varian’s grasp slipping from her. When she hit the floor Sophie pulled herself onto her hands knees and scrabbled towards the hatch on all fours. She pulled herself up and reached for the hatch’s release lever only for Varian to drag her away from the hatch and spin her around to face him. “Where are you going?” he hissed at her, “I’m not done with you yet. I won’t be done with you for a long time.” Then he noticed that Sophie wasn’t looking straight at him, she was looking at floor behind him, “What is it mon keigh?” he asked as he glanced over his shoulder briefly before looking back at Sophie. Then he spun around again as he realised what she had been looking at. On the floor at his feet was Drazzok’s staff, still lying where it had fallen. But of the weirdboy himself there was no sign. A sudden roar made both Sophie and Varian look round just as Drazzok burst from between the captives, his eyes glowing brightly and Varian’s knife raised high. He grabbed hold of Varian and pulled the haemonculus in close to him, turning him around so he had his back to Drazzok. “Never try and poison a Snake Bite!” Drazzok hissed into Varian’s ear and after giving his translator long enough to change his words into the eldar equivalent he plunged the knife into one of Varian’s eyes, letting his power flow through the metal of the weapon. Varian screamed and Drazzok let go of him as he burst into flames then exploded. “Drazzok! You’re alive!” Sophie exclaimed after she wiped pieces of his burnt flesh from her face and she leapt forwards and embraced him. “Me staff! Me staff!” Drazzok yelled and he pointed at his staff on the floor. “Oh, of course.” Sophie said and she picked up his staff and handed it to him. Drazzok gripped it tightly and the glow began to fade from his eyes. “I reckon we oughta let Thuggrim in now.” Drazzok said. |
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