Gathered within the safe house Ellarian, Sheia and the mercenaries listened to the plan which the Merelen Cyierk laid out for them. The Rogue Trader held a small circular device on her palm which emitted a holographic image which depicted the layout of a tall tower-like structure. It seemed that they would not be alone for several other groups composed of Merelen Cyierk's own crew would be entering the building from several different points.
'Our team will be entering from here' announced the Rogue Trader as she used her left hand to point towards the rooftop 'the security forces inside will be too busy fighting the other teams as well as the Chaos forces who are converging there.'
'How will we even be getting there?' asked Sheia because from what they all could see, the building itself was several dozens of stories high.
'It just so happens that our friend here can give us an easy way inside' replied the Rogue Trader who gave a slight smirk towards the Ranger.
'Uh huh, and how do you know that those damned daemon worshippers will be there?' interjected the Squat with some skepticism.
'They will be after the same thing as we are' replied Merelen Cyierk 'there is an object there which they are looking for, some sort of sword from what I know'.
'A sword?' skeptically asked the one green haired female mercenary as she crossed her arms 'what the hell do these guys want with something like that? I imagine the Tau have got some real high end tech that would be worth a lot more.'
'Could be Archaeotech' added the Squat who was surrounded by a slight fog of smoke as a stick of dried leaves rolled up by a whiter papery material was burning between his lips 'There are lots of people in the galaxy who would be willing to go through extreme lengths just to get their hands on some ancient tech.'
'You sound like you know from experience' said the male human mercenary who carried many throwing blades.
'I've been around' shrugged the Squat in response.
'Right so back to the plan' spoke Merelen Cyierk and everyone's attention was redirected towards her. 'Once we are in, we will head towards here' continued the Rogue Trader as she pointed towards a section of the structure that was only a few stories below from where they will be entering 'the other teams will be focused on shutting down the security systems and tying up their personnel so we probably won't have to deal with too many of them' finished the Rogue Trader.
'That's of course if we don't run into any of those warp-damned Chaos bastards' growled the last mercenary who was dressed in a poorly repaired Imperial Guard uniform.
A chill ran down the spine of Ellarian as he thought of facing the minions of the Great Enemy and his soulstone emitted another soft glow in sympathy.
'It's a strong possibility, that's why I hired more mercs for the job' said the Rogue Trader.
'How long do we have until we get started with this?' asked the Squat.
'We will leave in about two hours' answered Merelen Cyierk.
'Right then, because if it's heavy closer quarters fighting, I got something to help even the odds' said the Squat with a grin.
'Really? And what would that be?' questioned the Rogue Trader in an intrigued tone.
'My Ace in the hole' replied the Squat with a cryptic grin 'but I will need some help getting it.'
'I see' said the Rogue Trader who then gave a look towards the Ranger himself and she asked 'Ellarian, why don't you accompany Krodien here?'
The Outcast gave a silent nod towards the human female and the short bearded creature gave an audible and displeased grunt before turning towards the door and gesturing for Ellarian to follow him.
'I will come with you' announced Sheia as she hefted her Pulse Carbine with the Rail Rifle shouldered behind her and immediately did she go towards both the Ranger and the Squat with her Drone dutifully following her. The more the merrier thought Ellarian for he was not too keen with the idea of going around this city with Chaos invaders rampaging through streets.
The Holographic lights and control terminals of the cockpit came to life as the XV8-05 Battlesuit of Commander Shas'O'Rhonai was powering up. Looking up to the empty battlesuit which was being tended to by Drones and standing outside of the Cadre Headquarters, the Tau Commander quickly climbed inside of the mighty war machine with ease of movement that he might as well just be changing his clothes. For a long time in his career as a member of the Fire Caste, the Commander had piloted many battlesuits such as the mighty XV88 Broadside and even others such as the XV9, XV25 and even the powerful XV22, he personally preferred the Crisis Suit for it was in his opinion, the pinnacle of tried and tested technology.
With this particularly well maintained model of the Crisis Enforce Suit, he had fought in many battles across the stars. On the grassy plains of Juras, he had obliterated a mob of crude Ores'la battlesuits which they called Deff Dreads, on the world of Harkus, his honour guard had battled against a squadron of Gue'ron'sha equipped with their own battlesuits which were capable of teleportation. His greatest victory though was the three way campaign on Zegris when he had hunted and destroyed a great warmachine which the Gue'la of the Imperium called a Knight.
Five other Crisis Suits were already being prepared with an Orca readied to transport them to the besieged city. He had trust in the officers he had left in charge to handle things as well as the… "other" assets which had been just been left with them. A part of him railed against the idea of leaving his troops while they were still engaged with the orks of the mountains but he could not take too many Fire Warriors for if he did, the entire campaign could be placed in jeopardy.
As the Enforcer suit sealed itself, the Fire Commander strapped himself to the command seat and Shas'O'Rhonai began a diagnostics check on the various systems both software and hardware. Twin Plasma Rifles had been installed on the arms of the Battlesuit with a Shield Generator and an Advanced Targeting System. The other Crisis Suits would be appropriately equipped to complement one another for there were reports of hostile forces within the city which ranged from hordes of enemy infantry to massive beasts and armoured vehicles.
It was difficult to believe that such a mighty force could have arrived out of nowhere in such a short period of time but he had heard accounts from campaigns such as the ones on Dolumar IV, Kronus, the Kaurava system and Medusa V of the strange and unnatural abilities of the Gue'la armies who called themselves The Forces Chaos. Reports included such things as mind affecting abilities that can induce madness and teleportation technology that matched those used by the Necrons. What made this especially worrisome was the possibility that they may also be facing the Gue'ron'sha, or Space Marines as well.
When the diagnostics check finished, the Fire Commander began moving towards the waiting group of Crisis Suits whose pilots already finished their own preparations. Auxiliary forces from the other cities across the planet were already preparing to reinforce their comrades in Jasserus but such a movement would take time, especially on such short notice. Until then, it would be up to the squadron of Crisis Suits to hold the line long enough until reinforcements arrived.
As all of this happened, Shas'O'Rhonai could not help but wonder how much of the current situation was being orchestrated by his benefactor and what was motive behind it. The Fire Commander then had to remind himself that it would be best not to think about it for he already had more than enough to worry about with the Chaos forces in the city and the orks in the mountains.
Amazed that the Ork Wartrukk was still in "serviceable" condition, Krodien was further surprised to have learned that the Tau had some idea on how to operate the vehicle. If the Valhallans can figure it out then so could anyone else who is not a greenskin he supposed. The Squat was not exactly thrilled at the idea of travelling with the two aliens but at least they knew how to take care of themselves in a fight which counted for something at least.
With the Tau at the wheel, Krodien operated the Big Shoota turret beside the driver's seat while the Eldar stayed at the back with the intent of watching their rear along with the Drone. It was fortunate that they got the vehicle in time because the aliens in the apartment were just about ready to start taking it apart to help fortify the place. It had taken some convincing but the Tau female was surprisingly able to intimidate them enough to back off.
The engine of the Wartrukk roared to life as the Tau put her hoof to the pedal and the multi-wheeled vehicle drove on down the street. The Squat kept his eyes open as he gave the alien directions to where they were heading. The sounds of battle could be heard in the distance as the vile soul-scratching sickness of sorcery being preformed could also be felt.
It had been a while since Krodien had faced the minions of the Dark Gods and fighting them was not something that would have been his first choice. The streets of Jasserus city proved to be crowded with civilians, mostly humans who were quick to flee at the sight of the Wartrukk, with some worry, he noted the lack of ASF officers and he had no doubt that had the Chaos forces been here in the vicinity, they already would be having a fun time massacring these people. Despite the mercenary life which he led and how often he was paid to kill folk, the idea of unarmed folk being mercilessly slaughtered was not something that sat well with him.
At least the streets were mostly clear of vehicles he thought for he had seen evacuations that were greatly stalled because of traffic jams. They eventually passed by a traffic post that was still going on with its normal routine of red, green and yellow which people hardly even bothered to follow. The mixed sounds of gunfire and roaring were now getting closer and he heard the Tau loudly speak.
'I am picking up communications chatter' announced the alien female who was fully equipped with the full set of her Stealth Suit 'the Auxiliary Security Forces have set up a blockade and are currently engaged with the Chaos invaders.'
'Where is the blockade?' asked Krodien as he imagined the layout of the city and he knew that they were closing in with their destination.
'In our path' replied the Tau female as she took a turn to the right at an intersection and if she drove passed the next two and took a left, she would be heading to the shortest route they needed to take. 'Should we go around or go through?' asked the alien whose hands were still on the wheel of the Wartrukk.
'We don't have much time so we will have to go through' announced Krodien with trepidation, hopefully, the Tau could convince the Auxiliary Security Forces to let them pass.
'Hold on then' said the Tau as she put the pedal to the metal and the Wartrukk quickly began to pick up speed.
It did not take long for them to find the blockade where a group of ASF officers were holding the line against a nightmarish horde. Men and women dressed in light carapace armour which was worn over their uniforms were firing volleys of auto, laser and pulse rounds from behind a series of waist high concrete fences. Heavier weapons such as Grenade Launchers and Heavy Stubbers could also be seen and heard, adding to the cacophony of death that followed them.
On the other side of the blockade was a massive horde of Chaos worshippers who bayed for blood. From robed cultists to scantily clad bearded men with horned helmets and impressive musculatures, there were also a great many of mutants with features that were either animalistic in nature or misshapen in ways that defied reasoning. They died by dozens with those at the back paying little heed to their fallen as they waved blades and pistols or hurled primitive throwing weapons.
'Are we still going through!?' asked the Tau again with uncertainty in her voice.
'Floor it!' shouted Krodien as he aimed the Big Shoota at the horde that was being held at bay.
The Tau then pressed her hand on the center of the wheel and a loud honking sound was made from the Wartrukk. The attentions of several ASF officers were drawn to them and the Tau drove ahead at full speed!
Security officers leapt out of their way as the heavy armoured tires propelled them forward and the Squat felt the loud impact as they broke through the central section of the blockade. The Squat opened fire with the Big Shoota and causing a loud staccato of dakka dakka dakka! Bodies were shredded into pieces by the volley of ork bullets as they plowed straight into the horde with many of the Chaos followers being run over or impaled by the spikes which embedded the front of the vehicle and some smacked into the hood of the vehicle and were sent flying upwards.
The Squat let loose a loud, primal roar that joined the Big Shoota's own as he continued to spray death upon the Chaos followers with reckless abandon.
'Isha's Tears!' shouted Ellarian as the ork transportation vehicle violently jerked about with him still in the passenger section.
From his view, he could see the trail of bloody ruin they were leaving as they rammed through what must be a whole horde of the Great Enemy. To the sides, Ellarian could see the crude viewports of the passenger section and he could see the horrid faces of those who wanted nothing more than to murder them. Bullets and laser bolts fired from their flanks slammed into the sides of the vehicle while some even ricocheted inside the passenger section.
Loudly letting loose a colourful series of expletives in Eldarin, Ellarian ungracefully flailed about while trying to avoid being hit. Heavy thuds were heard and felt as bodies leapt towards the sides of the vehicle and mad followers of the Dark Gods leapt towards the Wartrukk while trying to catch a hold on the sides of the view ports. The Ranger's eyes widened in horror as he gasped within his helmet and he quickly brought forth his Spinneret Rifle.
Taking aim at the face of a horned helmeted and bearded Mon'keigh who had the foul insignia of She Who Thirsts tattooed over his right eye. Ellarian immediately fired his Spinneret Rifle which emitted a single strand of monomolecular wire which punched cleanly through the forehead of the human before recoiling in a tight spiral which sliced through flesh, bone and meat with such alacrity that in a blink of an eye, the man's head was reduced to a grisly red slurry. The process which killed the barbarous Mon'keigh lasted for only a second and immediately did Ellarian turn his attention to another attacker.
Aiming his Monofilament weapon towards the next viewport to the right, he fired another string of razor-sharp wire into the chest of a horned, furry headed creature that had ritually scarred the eight pointed star into its chest. Just as with the first one he had killed, the mutant's flesh was ripped to pieces by the Monofilament and splattering blood all over the place with more than a bit of it getting on his cloak. Wishing that he could engage these things at a longer range, Ellarian swiftly drew his Neuro Disruptor from with his left hand and he turned around and fired it at a cultist that tried to climb up.
The Wartrukk then began to shake around and the Ranger lost his footing as those who tried to climb the ork vehicle were shaken off. Stumbling forward, Ellarian fell to metal floor of the passenger section and he was forced to thrust his left hand forward before slamming face first into crude sheets of rusted iron. Pain shot up his left arm as he caught hold and for a moment he remained there while trying to regain his balance and he felt the vehicle taking a sharp turn that drew them away from the horde.
Rising back up, he saw several of the mutants; cultists and barbarians futilely give chase to the ork vehicle that was moving at full speed. The road ahead now seemed cleared for he did not hear or feel the front of the vehicle slamming into bodies and from the sides, he only saw the passing streets along with the crude structures of human construction. Hoping that the path would be clear for now, Ellarian immediately found himself having grown a deep dislike towards primitive ground-based vehicles and he mentally swore to avoid riding such things for as long as he lived.
Holding up a series of severed human heads which still dripped with fresh gore, Mar-Azytzeen offered his latest prize to the Blood God. The Chaos Knights had wreaked such glorious carnage and slaughter upon the weakling forces of those who dared to oppose the might of the Dark God's chosen. Burly skull masked warrior priests who proudly wore the symbols of Khorne upon their red robes were quick to take their offerings and placed them upon a growing shrine which was composed of a mound of decapitated heads with the Blood God's rune etched upon each forehead.
'The Blood God will be pleased' intoned the leader of the warrior priests whose deep voice was muffled by his mask which looked to be carved from ork bone. 'Now go forth and kill in his name!' commanded the warrior priest and the Chaos Knights raised their weapons high and roared praises to Khorne!
Kicking their steeds into a full gallop, the Chaos Knights thundered ahead across the asphalt roads while following the directions given to them through psychic sorcery. As much as Mar-Azytzeen detested the idea of taking orders from a psyker witch, he knew well enough that like him, they all had their part to play in the greater scheme of things. Currently, their objective was to head northwards to a section of the city where the enemy resistance was much heavier.
So far, Mar-Azytzeen had been fairly disappointed by those he had slain for like the Imperial Guard who followed the False Emperor, the local human warriors were competent with the use of firearms but they faired rather poorly once engaged in melee. Although Khorne cared not from whence the blood flowed, the Doom Knight himself preferred to fight true warriors, not sheep who dressed themselves like wolves. Until then, the band of mounted warriors would have to contend themselves with wholesale slaughter which in itself was also quite amusing to Mar-Azyztzeen.
'Park it over there!' shouted Krodien as he pointed towards a square shaped structure ahead on the right side of the road with a large holo-sign that displayed "Store N Board". There was a glass and metal double doors at the front and the sturdy brick walls still seemed unscathed so far. What they were looking for was at the back of the building.
Bracing himself by holding on to the rim around the turret seat, the Squat felt the change in motion as the Tau lifted her hoof from the pedal and the vehicle continued to move ahead for Ork vehicles in general tended to lack brakes. They soon moved past the Store N Board and the Tau female had to quickly shift the gears to reverse and they were violently jerked as they moved against their current momentum.
The Ork vehicle soon came to a stop near the front entrance of the building which rented out storage spaces. Krodien himself had used it as a spot to hide out some of his heavier equipment as well as the occasional place to crash for the night. Clambering out of the Wartrukk's turret, the Squat hopped off of the side and landed upon the sidewalk where he was immediately followed by the Tau and the Eldar.
'I need to get something over there' announced the Squat towards his two companions 'I will need a few minutes'
'Do not take long' spoke the Tau who activated the stealth field of her suit and The Squat saw the way which light bent around her and causing the alien's armour to blend in with her surroundings. The Eldar disappeared as well and Krodien gave quiet nod before turning towards the front door of the Store N Board. If there was any trouble he might encounter inside, he still had his bolt pistol and chainaxe to defend himself with, both of which were more than what was really necessary for the mercenary.
Ellarian quietly watched as the Squat pushed the metal and glass door of the building forwards, the stunted creature entered the building while leaving a cloaked Ranger and the Tau outside. The Eldar Outcast felt a momentary sense of dizziness for it had been one of the least comfortable rides he had ever experienced. Shaking his head and regaining his composure, he quickly holstered his pistol, shouldered the Spinneret rifle and he brought out the Exodite Carbine.
Just as earlier, he saw the outline of Sheia through the visors of his helmet as the Tau female remained hidden by her own stealth generating technology. From the outline, he saw that his companion had switched to the long barreled gun which she called a Rail Rifle. The disc machine which had accompanied him inside of the transport was also cloaked along with is master and it hovered close to Sheia's shoulder.
'I will set up an overwatch' announced Sheia turned around to face the building and she activated a Jetpack that allowed her to jump all the way up to the roof.
Guessing that it was now up to him to watch the front entrance, the Eldar Ranger took up position by the entrance with the ork vehicle to his right. Cautiously looking about to see if anything was coming their way, he honestly expected to see some Chaos Troops and much to his chagrin, he was proven right. Several robed Chaos Cultists armed with pistols and blades came into view and immediately did Ellarian notice the familiar colours which they wore which had the symbol of a burning daemon's skull.
'Oh Lord of Murder' bitterly groaned the Ranger as he knelt down and looked into the scope of the Waywatcher Carbine and he lined up a shot with one of the cultists.
The Chaos fanatic was oblivious to Ellarian who had no doubt that Sheia had spotted them as well. His chosen target was a pale skinned and bald headed human male who looked like he had part of his lower jaw replaced with a mechanical breathing implant that came with white fang-pained teeth upon a grille and wires which extended from it and into the neck of the cultist. The streets which they were upon was wide and open with little cover for the Ranger or the cultists to use but at the least for the former he still had his Chameleoline cloak which blended him with the surrounding area.
Squeezing the trigger of the Carbine, Ellarian heard a light fipph sound as a single energy bolt was shot out of the barrel of the Exodite gun and less than the blink of an eye, blew a scorched hole through the right eye of the cultist. Much like the Long Rifle commonly used by other Rangers, the Waywatcher Carbine could either be fired with visible lances of laser beam or with a more covert bolt that was almost impossible to see. His shot was immediately followed by a louder dook sound which then came with an electrical crackle as a bright cyan lance of energy instantly sailed through the air and it hit another cultist along with another behind that one.
Quickly switching targets, Ellarian took another shot which struck a cultist in the head and causing it to explode in a shower of meat and bone while another two were cut down by Sheia's Rail Rifle. The cultists then began to sprint towards them and both the Ranger and the Tau continued their deadly fusillade. Against heavily armoured targets like a Space Marine wearing a helmet, the Outcast would have been worried about his choice of weaponry but against these lightly proteted fanatics, the Exodite Carbine proved to be a very deadly weapon.
The Cultists returned fire with a poorly aimed volley of laser bolts and slug rounds which smacked against the road, the building and the ork vehicle which could withstand even heavier munitions such as bolter rounds. A shame that the front of the vehicle was facing in the opposite direction as the cultist for the heavy Ork gun it mounted would have been useful in mowing down this rabble. From the rooftop, he saw a metallic disc of bronze fly down towards the cultists and it exploded in a bright flash of purplish plasma that vaporized the group at the front.
Taking cue from his companion, the Ranger quickly grabbed one of the plasma grenades from his bandolier and he primed the explosive before hurling it towards the cultists. The oncoming fanatics at least had enough sense to leap out of the way as the plasma grenade flared up with white fire but some seemed so lost in their madness that they either did not notice or did not care before a second explosion of energy reduced a number of the cultists to dust. It was not enough though for there were still many of the corrupted humans heading towards his position and after snapping another shot, Ellarian was forced to flee inside of the building.
Another bright lance of energy struck out from the rooftop of the building ahead of them and Bishop Caleb Vehrn watched as another of his flock was eviscerated by the shot. Having grown to absolutely hate snipers in general, the Champion of the Cult of Carnia invoked the name of Tzeentch and he felt a rush of power, coursing through his skull. Caleb's eyes began to glow and so did those of his fellow cultists as the God of Sorcery and Change heard their prayers and infused them with arcane vision.
The cultists saw the dim soul-fire of the sniper who fired another lethal shot towards a cultist and inside of the building there were two more. Quickly ordering his cult to storm the structure, his fellows obeyed as they headed towards the double doors with an ork vehicle parked near it. The sniper disengaged from the rooftop and to the coward's credit, it looked like it found a stairwell so it could go down and engage them or perhaps it was trying to escape.
Three of his fellow cultists were the first to enter the building with pistols raised in search of the other marksman whose soul burned even brighter than the other two. The Cult Champion immediately entered the place shortly afterwards and he found himself in a spacious reception area where multiple waiting chairs were lined up along the walls. Through his imbued vision, he saw the bright glowing soul in some other section to their left while the dim one was to their right.
'Everyone, disperse!' commanded Caleb and the cultists obeyed without question as they divided themselves into two groups. The group that went left was immediately engaged and a great many of them were instantly slain while the ones who went right were shot at by xenos weapons fire. Looking back to see if there were still more of his fellow cultists following them, he felt emboldened not only at the sight of the other cultists but also at seeing the large burly beastmen that also accompanied them.
The goat headed hybrids were clad in plates of crudely beaten armour and many of them eschewed the use of guns in favor of twin close combat weapons that came in the form of axes, spears, swords or cudgels. With a devilish grin spreading across his features, the Cult Champion felt like a hunter who had trapped a particularly troublesome prey.
Having switched to his Spinneret Rifle again, Ellarian fired a string of Mono-filament wire that sliced through the bodies of the Chaos Cultists that now swarmed the hallways. He swung the barrel left and right, causing the razor sharp material to weave around in a deadly pattern that shredded the bodies of the corrupted humans, the horrendous damage of the Spinneret's web had made the hall more like an abattoir. As powerful as the weapon was though, its store of ammunition would not last forever, doubly so due to the lack of a Warp Spider's pack.
The Ranger was forced to disengage from the cultists who continued to fire back at him with poor accuracy. He ran ahead before taking where he saw Sheia retreating as well from corridor she had taken up. A blue field of energy surrounded the Tau female who was now holding on to the weapon she called a Pulse Carbine.
No words were needed to be said as they took another turn where they saw another doorway that led to outside. The two of them shoved their way through the metal and glass door and they came into an open space where twin long rows of structures were lined up. Metal shutters on each side sealed any attempt to enter the structures save for a single opened one on the far end to the left.
Quickly deducing that was where the Squat was, Ellarian and Sheia sprinted towards it for they had to warn the stunted creature that they needed to leave. As they ran towards where the Squat was, both the Eldar and the Tau saw the Squat come into view while wearing a heavy suit of bronzed armour. The Squat turned towards the two of them and the Ranger heard him speak with a voice that was heavily modified with a mechanical quality.
'By the Ancestors really!?' loudly shouted the Squat with disbelief who now wielded what looked to be a flamethrower on his left arm and his chainaxe on the right. 'I leave the two of you for just a moment and already things have gone down the sump!?'
'There is a large group of Chaos Gue'la behind us!' replied Sheia 'we need to move, now!'
'Bah! Don't worry about them' spoke the Squat rather dismissively as he took a step forward and Ellarian heard the loud thuds of his boots and the whirring sound of the various mechanical components built into the heavy suit of armour.
In appearance, the Squat now looked liked a walking metal egg with limbs and eyes. It probably would have looked very comical to the Ranger but in his experience, he had encountered one too many types of war machines that may seem silly in appearance but when used, proved to be just as deadly as anything the Eldar species could create.
'Just stay behind me' said the Squat as he marched ahead and towards the pursuing Chaos cultists.
The Ranger hoped that the Squat would at least prove to be a useful distraction if things went badly and with some reluctance, he switched to the Waywatcher Carbine again and he lined up another shot towards their pursuers.
The ancient Exo-Armour, his Ace in the hole, had once belonged to Krodien's father and his father before him had come to life without any problems and now it encased the Squat in its heavy plates. The suit of powered armour was comparable to the Terminator armour used by the Space Marines and it had been personally modified by Krodien for the sake of versatility. The Heavy Flamer which was attached to his Exo-Armour's left arm had a small tongue of blue fire which danced in front of the barrel and his right gauntleted fist tightly clutched his chainaxe.
Underneath the visor of his helmet, he gave a wicked grin towards the Chaos Cultists who fired laser bolts and slug throwers at him. Most had missed and those that did hit were nothing more than an annoyance to the Squat. Just a little closer he thought as he stomped onwards and as soon as they came within range of his Heavy Flamer, the optics of helmet immediately begin highlighting those targets which he could burn.
And burn he did as he activated the Heavy Flamer, causing the mighty weapon to roar while releasing a stream of burning promethium. Cultists screamed in agony as the flames ignited their robes and caused flesh to melt from their bones and by the time they hit the ground, they were already on the way into becoming nothing more than charred skeletons. The Eldar and the Tau gave him some cover fire with a volley of accurate shots that struck down cultists.
Those humans who managed to get close to Krodien were hacked down by his Chain weapon which sheared through flesh, cloth and what little armour they wore like paper. Blood and ashes surrounded the Squat who continued to wade through the horde and he just kept on killing until he ran into the larger mutated creatures he knew were beastmen. The bloody animals sported heavy armour of their own and they crude blades which the Squat doubted that they could even damage his suit.
With contemptuous ease, he incinerated more of the Cultists who tried to rush him and before long; their nerves were broken by the constant stream of flames that eviscerated their comrades. As soon as the fight began, it ended with the Chaos Cultists running away and screaming in terror as they tried to flee the burning ruin which Krodien visited upon them. Those cultists and beastmen who had been at the back began shoving and even murdering their fellows in front of them to make space so they could flee from Krodien while those who were nearest to him either had the courage to at least face their deaths head on or were too crazed to before they tried to attack him.
In the end, the Squat left nothing but a trail of bloody corpses and ashes which left him with a sense of satisfaction. He then turned towards the two aliens and he spoke 'Come on lets go, I want to get this job over with so I can get off this planet!'