Chapter 12: The Retinue of the Eight

Planet: Agri-World of Fonral

Location: Near the outskirts of the City of Yavin

996.M41

Hate! Hate! Hate!

An emotion as pure as it is deep!

Hate! Hate! Hate!

Let it flow, let it run free!

- Inspirational Verse, Imperial Hymnal Vol. IV

Two large figures stood by the ridge that overlooked the merchant city. They were tasked to scout the city defenses before the main 'unit' of orks arrive. The two slugga boyz observed the figures of both eldar and human scurry to ready their defenses. The sun was well high into the sky when they decided to return to the main unit.

"Et'z go boy!" One of the pair said.

"Dink yer bozz well atak?" The other slugga boy asked as it polished its newly grown horns.

"Aye. Doze hummiez an eldiez ain't 'ot nodin' to ztand." The lead boy licked its large fangs as it anticipated the upcoming battle.

"Urry up! Ain't likin to ze da bozz angry."

-2 miles south east of the merchant city of Yavin-

It licked its lips as it sniffed the air, the very air that would soon be filled with the scent of gunpowder and blood alike. It would once again hear the screams of terror and pain as they descend upon the city. Urgohk could barely contain its excitement for the upcoming slaughter. Its face revealed the ork equivalent of a smirk as it observed is army marched in groups of eight.

"Oi! Urry up lazy baztardz!" It hurried its Waaagh! towards their first siege where the forest flanked path leads to.

It has been decades when it and its small warband struck a deal with their benefactor. Since then, their numbers grew as they assimilated their brutish kin. A fleet once composed of a single Kill Kroozer now formed a full-fledged ork Waaagh! fleet. It looked back at its orks, they all marched in a unified manner, pieces of an ever so brutal war machine. The difference between his Waaagh! and any normal ork was already obvious with their skin color and their horns but what really set them apart was they were rather disciplined and would often use tactics against their prey. Though most of the time they would just give in to their former selves once engaged in battle.

The massive warboss sniffed the air as it led its retinue. It failed to smell the 'flying column' that he had sent a day prior to their movement. The plan was for the flying column to act as decoys and draw the defenders towards the front while the main unit would attack from behind. It was a standard hammer and anvil tactic. It was pulled from its thoughts as a Shoota Boy that currently served as his lieutenant exploded into a mist of red. Almost immediately, shuriken and las rounds tore through the thick foliage that blanketed their flanks.

The attackers brought down heavy fire behind trees and boulders alike. Several orks fell from the sudden attack as Urgohk ordered them to spread out and retaliate. Despite their predicament, the warboss felt joy instead of fear. Urgohk let out a mighty roar as it charged head first into the camouflaged attackers. Its large twisted horns brought out fear within it human and eldar, evident in their increased focus on the beast. It felt its fellow orks as they fought back, all fell under their former brute selves, the once disciplined army descended upon their want for blood and violence.

Urgohk's crimson body glowed as it held its weapons of choice. In change for the usual sluggas and choppas he wielded dual chainaxes for maximum brutality courtesy of a certain Chaos Space Marine. Even without armor, shuriken and las weapons alike did no damaged on the blood crazed warboss. He crashed into the line of attackers where he caught sight of his first victim. He grinned at the look of the terrified human as he shot his lasgun empty at him.

The bright red lances bounced harmlessly on the bare chested ork, most scorched nearby trees while others took down some of Urgohk's orks. Much to his chagrin, the human watched in horror as a few of his shots connected with the heads of his allies, both human and eldar alike. He punched the human on the chest, he flew to the nearest tree trunk as he coughed out blood. He approached the human who now sat injured.

"Ple-please…ha- "

Without a moment's hesitation, Urgohk brought his chainaxe down on the hopeless human. His flak armor was as good as paper, blood sprayed all over the place as the ork repeatedly bashed the human warrior. It savored the blood and the dying screams of pain, to the warboss, it was the most divine thing that it had ever heard or at least whatever the equivalent of 'divine' to an ork was.

Once satisfied it looked around much to his amusement, it found its orks overwhelm the line of attackers. Humans and eldars alike either lay dead or were being toyed by his retinue. The scene reminded him of the eldar caravan that they had just ambushed a few days ago. It smiled at the memory of an eldar woman as she begged for her dear life only to find two of her limbs gone. Her blood was the sweetest that he had ever tasted.

To its delight, he found its second victim. Clad in white and red mesh armor, an eldar warrior expertly used his shuriken catapult. Urgohk casually walked towards the eldar who was oblivious to the fate that neared him. When he finally saw the warboss, it was all too late. The crimson figure expertly ripped the shuriken catapult as the eldar tried to swing it towards him. Behind the helmet, it sensed fear as it slowly crushed the puny weapon.

To the ork's amusement, the eldar warior whipped a simple curved blade from his back and charged at Urgohk. The eldar swiftly dodged Urgohk's attacks. With all his strength, the Guardian drove his dagger straight to the ork's back only for it to shatter against the thick hide. A mixture of fear and shock enveloped the Guardian as he stepped back. The warboss now held a blood curled smile as it ever so slowly approached the doomed eldar. As a final act of defiance, he punched Urgohk in the gut which only earned him a snort.

"Hah! Not zo ztron' ar ya now?"

With a swift kick on the eldar's slender legs, it heard the bones as it snapped out of its sockets. The eldar let out a cry as he fell to the ground. Urgohk held him by the torso as one would hold by the neck and tore his helm to pieces. The eyes that greeted it filled him with delight, the Guardian was quite young and his hazel brown eyes widened with fear. A spark of recognition tore through the ork's memories as he saw the very eldar woman that he had defiled just a few days ago. He obeyed his hunch as he took out a silver necklace of some eldar deity. The look of fear instantly turned to anger and hatred as he tried to claw out of the monster's grasp.

He gave a mighty laugh as its prey squirmed under its hold. It preferred that his victims struggle to the bitter end. It slammed the Guardian on forest floor and anchored its metal laced boots on his chest. He stashed his two chainaxes behind him and started to slowly pull the eldar's already broken legs. He screamed in pain as mesh armor was ripped under the extreme force brought by the warboss. Tears flowed from his face as Urgohk lifted the severed limbs in triumph.

He repeated the action with his arms and soon he was but a torso and a head. He spoke in their native tongue which Urgohk took to be a plea to end his life. He responded with a smile that could put all slaaneshi daemons to shame.

"We ar zil 'oin to playz boy."

It then proceeded to gut the once proud warrior until everything lay strewn in a bloody mess. His face was forever frozen in horror and pain, his eyes widened and devoid of all life. Just as it was about to find more to slaughter, it took out and smashed the eldar's spirit stone. He heard the cries of the eldar soul as it was consumed by the god of lust. The battle still raged on, the once lush green floor was slippery with the blood of ork, human and eldar alike.

Smoke now obstructed the rich and warm light that the sun provided. Urgohk smiled, the pasture was still green, and prey was abundant in this world. He trudged through the bloodied ground, chainaxes in hand, as he charged back into the fray.