Garfnak stomped angrily though the thick crunching snow. His lumbering gait was even more pronounced as his immense weight drove his legs in up to the thigh. He snarled and cursed at the white fluff and hacked at it with his war axe. The effort was pointless but relieved some of his almost un-containable frustration. Behind him he heard the sniggers of the other boyz in the group. They kicked their way though the furrow he had driven. A distinctly easier ride, he grimaced to himself. He'd been forcing a path for more than half a day now. None of the others had taken a turn. They were hardly going to volunteer and he was not going to ask. Garfnak was not runt of a grotling. The gits behind could snigger all they wanted, only one Ork was the toughest around here.
The first few hours had been better. The humans that had put up a puny resistance at the outpost they'd over run earlier, had given him an idea. Weak and pathetic they were, all wrapped up in furry clothes. The few they had captured had disappointingly died within minutes, when the boys had stripped them of everything. The Nobz were not happy when they found out their sport had turned white and frozen to death in front of bemused looks. Despite this though their flimsy human gear looked useful. Especially the big flat boot things they wore. Garfnak had decided to copy them to see what the point was. He'd ripped a couple of metal sheets from a human trukk thing and asked Mek Rarlgek to help attach them somehow. The Mek had fetched his rivet gun and fired two thick bolts though each of his feet. He'd stared dumbfounded back at the Mek, who chuckled and had said 'Well it work dun it?'
It had for awhile, as he strolled quite smugly across the snow. After awhile though the rivets began to tear out of his feet, which was irritating. Eventually he got fed up and had ripped them out. Now cold snow kept being forced up the hole and actually into his foot. Which wasn't helping his temper either.
He stopped and grabbed a thick slice of squig meat from a pocket in his tunic. As he tore off chunks off the slippery orange meat and gulped them down, he glared up at the mountains above him.
'Go check d'em big rocks. See if da hummies is hidin' out dere.' Big Nob Grizkeg had ordered.
With his beady red eyes he looked at the plains of shining snow rising up and away. Further ahead of them the fields became interspersed with fingers of dark rock, patches of loose grey shale and sleek runs of green hued ice. Slightly off to his left the tall structure of an ice river loomed. Blue tinged and flecked with debris it swept up the mountain valley. Occasionally a cracking explosive sound reverberated though the ground. At first Garfnak and the boyz had thought it was 'bombz or summin', but he decided it was the ice river cracking, like he could see further up the slope. Now they were getting close he could see a dark gaping hole at its base and the gurgling of water could be heard coming from it.
He waved his axe in its vague direction, 'We goin' over dere,' he growled. He ignored the murmurs behind him and set off through the deep snow once more.
Their approach was neither strategic nor subtle. Against the slopes their green hides stood out like supernovas in the night sky. Their rough-shod armour clanked against heavy weaponry and seemingly unwieldy, lethal blades. Also, due to the cumbersome terrain Garfnak decided the most direct approach was best. His rationale, or the closest the Ork equivalent, being that if there was going to be a fight it didn't matter which way they walked up. The quicker the better.
As they finally approached the dark entrance to the ice cave, Garfnak un-slung his shoota, a hugely proportioned fire-arm, and racked it noisily. He grinned, his bottom teeth protruding over his top lip. Hopefully he'd get to fire off some rounds into some stupid hummies. The echo in the cave would be music to his ears.
He sloshed into the below-freezing melt water that was rushing from the glacier's subterranean river. He jumped out again; it was much colder than the snow. He gripped the handle of his shoota tightly, waiting for the first sound of laughter. He'd make sure it was the last thing whoever it was did. None came and he inquisitively turned his thick head. Two of the boyz behind were dipping their toes in a hastily bringing them out again. Orks are hardy, but not insane, well not all of 'em, thought Garfnak.
'Hmph,' he grunted, 'We's go up da side.'
He decided not to go first. First boy always get shot, he mused. The ork he shoved forward went eagerly, drooling with excitement.
They advanced fifty paces into the frozen tunnel. Despite their natural huge size, Garfnak in particular, the ceiling was a good twice their height again. The tunnel disappeared off into murky blue darkness, snaking away around a corner.
'I can see sumfing flashin', boss.' said one of the lead Orks.
Before Garfang could think about what that may mean, the lead four orks ploughed forwards with shootas extended and choppas held high. Their pounding footfalls reverberated about the passage. They slowed as they came upon a large pack leant up against the wall, the flashing coming from something inside it. As the salivating lead ork stepped up to it the flashing stopped and became a continuous light.
'Er...' he managed to say before the pack detonated.
An orange firestorm erupted towards Garfnak. The four charging Orks had disappeared before his eyes. In a split second he dove into the streaming water to his left. The wreath of flames passed over him and he felt the shock wave of the blast hammer him against the bedrock. The temperature of the water soared upwards and he felt his skin begin to burn. Some of the other quicker witted lads behind him had followed his lead and flailed about underwater. Those that hadn't stared wide eyed into the oncoming flame before it coursed about them and burnt the flesh from their bodies and then blew them apart in a haze of stinking black meat and bone.
Garfnak surfaced, roaring in anger. With a giant green hand he hauled himself out of the water. The tunnel behind him had collapsed completely. A destroyed pile of ice rubble. Huge cracks ran along the wall of the remaining structure. The surface was melted as smooth as glass and had already begun to freeze again. Four more of his squad were still alive and swearing brutally.
At the entrance to the tunnel ropes suddenly appeared and over a dozen humans in white clothing sped down them. They cradled las-rifles and were already putting down fire before they hit the ground. The bright yellow beams zipped through the tunnel, causing a myriad of reflections in the polished ice and burrowing steaming holes when they struck the walls.
Several more men appeared at the side and were hastily setting up an auto-cannon on a tripod. The amount of rounds it could put towards them would be enough to stop even a MegaNob. Garfank was already storming towards them, the outsized muscles in his legs pumping hard to close the distance.
'Arrrgh! Get 'em boyz!' he screamed.
All five of the Orks charged screaming war cries. Each made deafening by the acoustics of the tunnel. Garfnak took three las shots. Two scorched holes into his 'eavy armour and the third blew away a chunk of his shoulder. He didn't even notice any of them. The level of incoming fire increased, but it also became more panicked due to the monstrous sight of the charging orks. The other boyz took hits too. One took a hit that vaporised his wrist and his choppa tumbled away, but he kept running. Another was struck in the bellowing face and dropped dead instantly. His falling corpse plunging into the stream and leaking green blood into the pure melt water.
Garfnak took another singeing las shot to the arm and opened up with his own shoota. The massive weapon rocked the cavern with a booming roar. Even with his great strength he was barely able to hold the thing level. The fat rounds erupted all around the snow-camo clad men. Gouts of snow and ice were thrown up and shrapnel blew outwards burying into arms, legs and severed one trooper's fingers. Other shots hit home to devastating effect. A trooper caught one in the chest and was sent backward as his whole torso ripped open a spray of blood and tissue over the snow. Another's pelvis was obliterated and went down screaming in agony, blood pumping out of the ruined lower half of his body. The other boyz were unloading too. The fountains of red gore and the incredible noise of the fight filled Garfnak with pleasure and fury of killing. The ork next to him spun about as his jaw was shot off, spraying green across his armour. More shots struck the ork's side and he went down. The auto cannon was up and running, but it was too late. They were upon them.
The first human he cleaved upwards, virtually cutting him in half and sending his body metres into the air. The next had his head and a shoulder removed in one clean sweep. The large axe making effortless work of the feeble human bodies. A shot struck his side and pain stabbed inward. He turned and slammed the reverse side of his axe down on the offending trooper, breaking his body and skull into pulp against the frozen rock floor.
Beside him the two remaining boyz were similarly cleaving into the hummies. Zankegut who had lost his hand was battering men to death with his giant pistol. Dergrut was wielding a cleaver manically, sending curves of crimson of into the cold air.
Garfnak closed on the autocannon crew, taking a shot to the leg in the process. He saw the terror in their eyes roared a final battle cry. The men froze solid and he chopped two in half with one swing. He grabbed the head of the final one with his bare hands and popped it like fruit before twisting it and tearing it off.
He looked at the bits of body lying about. Steam lifted off the considerable pools of bright blood. The two remaining boyz were sill taking out their battle rage on some of the corpses to gory results.
Hmm, three squads of 'em. More dan ten boyz ded, he thought, Sneaky hummies.
With a grunt a beckoned the others two follow him and he began the trudge back down the mountain, leaking green blood from several unimportant holes.