A.N: I own neither WH40K nor MGE.
Thought for the Day:
"Hatred must be tempered like the steel of a blade."
Abandoned Mine…
"Did you take us to a mine?" Ioriel wondered aloud.
"An abandoned one to be exact. I scouted it out yesterday but a majority of the tunnels seemed to have caved in." Faolan shrugged, "Still, it will make a decent hideout for now."
"A miserable place to be certain." the kunoichi commented, the entire place looking drab and weary.
"So long as it hides us for now I don't care how it looks." Megaera grunted, the woman lugging an impressive amount of supplies across her back. Other than the pale pallor on her dark skin and the bandaged stump on her right arm, she looked sturdy as an ox.
Ioriel found it rather impressive in all honesty.
The arbitrator looked the most eager to settle into their new hideout. Ioriel was unconvinced, staring at the mines with disdain and trepidation. It was half flooded from the rainstorms and the mire it created looked treacherous to traverse.
Of the mines themselves, all the visible entrances she could see have been blocked by debris as Faolan noted. Only one looked even reasonably movable.
"P-Perhaps we could find some m-mamono to help us?" the harpy, Elise, said nervously.
"I'm not so sure about that…" Ioriel murmured in response. Cave dwelling mamono were generally territorial or unfriendly at best. The ones in Zipangu were often both.
"Oh I'll be sure!" Faolan guffawed, his intentions clear from his confident smirk. He was dragging Fixer behind him on a makeshift stretcher with their healer, Freida, assisting him.
"While I do not like monsters any more than you do, I think we should at least try to be friendly first." she spoke up, "We will need all the help we can get to fight the wicked."
"We shouldn't waste our time. Let's go out and look for some right now and send them to their master." Olyrei snarled. The werewolf was still suffering from grief and carrying the corpse of her sister likely did her no favor for her mental health.
None of them were able to convince her to drop her sister and even now Nyssa's cold body was held in her embrace. It admittedly distressed Ioriel more than she wanted to admit.
"How about we hunker down first before we decide if we want to look for trouble." Megaera interrupted. "I'm sick of being in this weather."
The group muttered their agreements as they carefully navigated through the muddy quagmire of the mines' outskirts. They climbed up some crumbling stairs to access one of the less caved in entrances and started excavating it, making room to peer into the darkness.
It was like staring into the maw of a beast, they could see nothing but pitch black.
"I'm starting to have some second thoughts." Ioriel muttered.
"Well, you only live once." Faolan shrugged, unsheathing a pair of blades from his waist. He set Fixer down and sauntered forth. Megaera was quick to follow, as was Olyrei and Ioriel sighed.
"Come…let's get some shelter." the kunoichi said to the harpy and the healer, neither of whom looked particularly eager to follow. The cave was dreadfully cold and the darkness swallowed them as they ventured in.
Chapel of the Aquila, Lescatie
The "chapel" was less a magnificent cathedral or even a humble abbey, but rather a small room with rickety chairs and a makeshift lectern. It was once a dusty storeroom in the keep but the so-called King of Lescatie had "gifted" it to Straum and his allies for their foreign god. As a token of gratitude.
A paltry symbol that Ludwig found insulting but the confessor made it into an altar worthy of the God-Emperor nevertheless. Various iconographies of the Imperial Cult were crowded in the cramped space and incense burned heavily. For once the grenadier had his mask off and his scarred face looked uncomfortable as he took a deep breath.
"Confessor, I must admit that I am…I am uneasy…" Ludwig said to the listening clergyman, "…this world…these heathens…these mutants…this Order…all this…cooperating…it makes me wary."
The grenadier was kneeling down, his head bowed low before another one of Straum's retinue. The confessor was an aging man but he was fit and strong and he had an intense gaze. They lingered on the grenadier and he awaited the man's wise words.
"And why is that my child?" Zealous Nicolas asked patiently.
"On Vraks Prime…my mission…my purpose, it was simple." Ludwig confessed, "On that world I knew what I was fighting for, the goal clear. I knew my enemy, I knew my allies, and I knew myself. I was a son of Krieg, an imperial guardsman. I was to fight and die against the archenemy."
The grenadier sighed, "On this new world I—we found ourselves upon…I must confess I don't know why I'm here. I find myself doing missions I have had no training for, no experience in, working with heathens and heretics, and now saddled with a…a mutant! I find myself…I find myself inadequate." the man said somberly.
He sucked in a shaky breath, "Why has the Emperor taken me from Vraks to this world without His light? His Imperium? Have I displeased Him? Is this my final punishment? I know I was born a sinner, as all children of Krieg are…but is my penance to truly die on a world far from His light?"
He prepared to continue, but paused for a moment. The grenadier felt apprehensive, wondering if he had become so corrupted from his time away from the Korps but the old priest simply beckoned him to continue.
"…in the Korps, life was simple. Without it, I feel lost." Ludwig finished quietly after a moment of hesitance.
The pause that followed felt suffocating for Ludwig, stretching on and on. But finally, Zealous Nicolas spoke, "Fear not my son, for though what you say is true, are we not still doing His good work?"
At Ludwig's clear confusion, the clergyman continued, "While it is true that life in the Guard was clear and straightforward, life is not always so simple all the time. Over the years, I have had the honor of interacting with many a guardsmen. What you are feeling is not sinful my child. Far from it! We all have doubts, and it is better to settle these worries than to let them fester. Lest we invite the dark gods, for they are always ready to tempt the weakness of humanity."
He continued, "We are all sinners in the God-Emperor's holy light. And yet He still loves us all!" Zealous Nicolas declared passionately.
"He does?" Ludwig couldn't help but exclaim with surprise.
"Yes, my child. He does!" the old clergyman repeated, "For in this galaxy full of horrors in the dark, He is the light that brings judgment! So long as we do not turn from His light or worse, embrace the dark gods, He will love and guide us still!"
The man gave Ludwig a wild grin with crooked teeth, "That is why we are here do you not you see? In His mercy and grace, we have been blessed! Blessed with a new world to bring into His light!"
Ludwig nodded along eagerly.
"Fear not my son, for the God-Emperor will light the way for us. Never falter, never lose hope. And most importantly," the old clergyman beckoned Ludwig closed, "—never, ever, forget who you are."
"Who I am?" Ludwig questioned.
"Yes!" Zealous Nicolas exclaimed loudly, "Who you are! You are a child of the God-Emperor, and He loves you! Do not forget that. Especially in this world that has forgotten His grace. His light will shine one day, mark my words Ludwig, and Emperor willing, we will be that reason."
The grenadier nodded, his spirit emboldened and his resolve renewed. As he stood up to pray, the clergyman raised a hand and the Krieger stopped to listen.
"I understand that Straum's methods may be…new to you," Zealous Nicolas began, "But fear not my child. We all serve the God-Emperor, that you can be assured of. While our time in His thrice blessed Inquisition may have made our methods…unorthodox, we all strive for the same goal."
The clergyman made the Sign of the Aquila, "Trust us Ludwig. We are all His servants. And in this world lacking His guidance and benediction, we are all each other have."
"Yes confessor. I understand." Ludwig responded, repeating the Sign of the Aquila, "Thank you."
As the grenadier sat down on a chair, the confessor passed by him and squeezed his shoulder.
"And my child," he spoke, "That mutant Straum has saddled upon you, do not take it as a punishment, but as an opportunity. Mutants are a smear upon the holy human form, but they too can play a part."
"Confessor? I…I don't understand."
The grenadier was raised his whole life to despise the mutant, to abhor them and to purge them.
"Redemption is possible for anybody, my child. If the damned children of Krieg can be forgiven for the crimes of their ancestors, then so too can these mutants atone for the crime of their existence. Our cause is righteous grenadier, but we are few." the man formed a fist, sighing deeply.
"Preach the good news to all who will hear, spread the words of our Lord, even to the mutant, to the heathen, to any who shares even a drop of our blood, however diluted, for they can still serve as long as they accept the God-Emperor's grace." Confessor Nicholas said with finality. "And accept the price of sacrifice."
The man stood up, "I must go my son. My duties call for me. For the Emperor."
"For the Emperor."
Ludwig was still processing the priest's word as the holy man disappeared, the grenadier…uneasy. He was not sure what to say as he watched like a fool as the confessor left him.
Alone in the room with only his thoughts and prayers.
Abandoned Mine…
"Seems like this place is secured, for now." Faolan commented.
Ioriel and him were currently exploring the tunnels of the mines they were squatting in, though a majority were hopelessly collapsed. Perhaps a cave in had occurred in the past but the tunnel system of the mines had long since fallen into disrepair.
Rotting supports, unstable ceilings, it was a miracle there was anything left for the group to use. The old barracks of the miners were more or less intact save for the fact half the room was caved in. What was left were rotted frames of beds and dessicated cushions ridden with moths.
Nevertheless, they laid Fixer over one of the nicer beds while Freida watched over him.
"A poor place to hold up in, particularly with all this dust, but better than the last I suppose." Megaera chimed in, a skittish Elise by her side.
The four companions met up by the entrance of the mines, taking a moment to breathe in the fresh air. The harpy seemed particularly agitated and Ioriel did not blame her. For a mamono like her, being underground must be suffocating.
The kunoichi frowned as she gazed over to where Olyrei was. The werewolf was hard at work outside by a solid tract of land, situated just down below. A rusty shovel was a poor tool, but the mamono was determined and Ioriel had wanted to help except…
Well…
The werewolf was on a hair trigger temper needless to say.
Megaera saw her gaze and sighed, "That mutant will get us killed."
"She's just trying to dig a grave for her sister." Ioriel shot back defensively.
"If we're trying to stay hidden, having a grave outside our entrance is rather conspicuous." the arbitrator retorted.
"This place is temporary. We'll find somewhere better." Faolan chimed in.
"Speaking of finding a better place." Megaera said, glaring at the Brontian.
The guardsman raised his hands in surrender, "I get it, I get. But let a man rest first will ya? Been fighting for my life the last few days!" he guffawed.
The arbitrator simply nodded in lieu of response before turning to Ioriel.
"You should get some rest as well." Megaera suggested, though her tone of voice strongly encouraged her to do as the arbitrator bid.
"I've been asleep for a long while." Ioriel protested, but Megaera simply shook her head.
"Being comatose isn't the same as getting some rest. Your body's not nearly recuperated enough. If you're going to be useful to the group, we need you at your best." she continued. "I'm intrigued by these…abilities your kind has. They should be useful provided you're strong enough to utilize them."
"My ninjutsu will come back. I assure you." the kunoichi replied. "I can feel my strength returning."
"Good. I'd hate for you to turn out useless." Megaera scoffed harshly.
Beside her, Elise looked distinctly uncomfortable and the harpy shifted on her feet. Ioriel felt bad for the mamono.
While Megaera discussed something with Faolan, the kunoichi walked over to the harpy. Elise glanced at her skittishly and Ioriel raised a hand to placate her.
"It's alright. I'm not going to bite your head off." the kunoichi teased.
"R-Right. I apologize…i-it has been…interesting." Elise nodded.
"That's one word for it. Interesting." Ioriel sighed.
Elise nodded. "I…I never thought my life would come to this…my home gone…my flock gone…and I'm…I'm with a bunch of crazies!" she then sheepishly coughed, "N-No offense."
"None taken." Ioriel couldn't help but smile, "We're all a little…well," she made a cuckoo motion, making Elise giggle softly.
"Ioriel." Megaera called out, the two mamono turning to look, "If you're so antsy to do something, perhaps this may be your style."
"Yes?"
Megaera sent Faolan away back into their hideout while pursing her lips. "As you know, our food supplies are…dire. As such, we need to gather some. Whether it be gathering or hunting or scavenging."
"I-I should be able to h-help too…" the harpy chimed in, shrinking alrighty as Megaera turned to look at her.
She continued, "I l-lived in t-this region my e-entire life. I know which p-plants are edible and which are not."
Megaera grunted, "Good. I don't need to remind you that we're laying low, especially after our last encounter. If you do have the misfortune to run into any heretics, do us all a favor and either hide, or die far away from here."
Elise blanched, swallowing nervously as she nodded. Ioriel meanwhile shot Megaera a disapproving gaze, one that the arbitrator simply returned coolly. Crossing her arms, the mamono simply sighed as Elise flew away.
"Must you be so…crass?" Ioriel groaned, "She's at her wits end as it is."
"I've said what must be said." the woman shrugged, "Now are we going to talk about our feelings or are we going to make sure we don't starve tonight?"
"Grouch." Ioriel retorted, shaking her head as the two headed out into the forest. With any luck, they'll find food for the group.
Lescatie Keep
"You summoned me sir?" Ludwig said as he stepped into the room.
"Correct. As you know grenadier, our position in this new world is tenuous. The light of the Emperor is dim. While it was heartening to confirm the existence of other imperial forces upon this heathen world we are few and far apart." the Lord Commissar growled. "As such, it's important to make allies."
"Allies sir?"
"Correct. The confessor has begun his good work and began evangelizing. Jyrki has established some connections to the local soldiery and some of these heroes. As for me, I have ingrained us with the ruling class and their lackies." the commissar stated matter of factly.
Ludwig nodded as he followed after the weathered man. Despite his injuries, he was eager to be out in the field again to do the Emperor's will.
Straum stopped, halting in place before a set of double doors. "I didn't see many Krieg guardsmen in my time in the Guard, nor in service to the Inquisition."
"…"
"The reputation of Krieg precedes it…I know your temperament and I know of your methods. I don't expect you to break bread with these heathens but I do expect restraint. Do not have another incident. They are eager to be rid of us and I won't allow any excuse to materialize. Wherever I point you will follow. Got it?" the lord commissar rasped.
"Yes sir." Ludwig nodded. He had no patience for these locals.
"Good. Stay quiet and obey your orders. And your orders now are to assist my retinue and I in turning this city into a bastion of imperial might. Play nice…for now. And when the time comes we'll bring the hammer down."
"Yes sir."
His limbs felt heavy but Ludwig shouldered on. It would just be another war to fight. Even if their methods disturbed him and left him uneasy.
"The road ahead isn't easy nor is it clear. But we'll do what we always have. Marching forward. For the Emperor."
"For the Emperor."
Somewhere...
They stopped for a moment to catch their breaths. Ten minutes. That was all Eckhardt allowed for himself and for his new companion.
After the harrowing experience he felt like they needed it. But after that he wasted no time trying to get up again.
It was slow progress.
The grenadier weakly groaned as he hobbled on his feet, Mabel not too far behind him as she stood up with him.
She gazed at him worriedly as he shakily got onto his legs, leaning heavily on his shovel. She moved over to his injured side to assist him, gently holding onto arm and supporting him, much to his bemusement. It honestly baffled him that such a creature with abominable mutations was actively assisting him like this.
"...?"
Instead of answering she just gave him a shaky grin.
Eckhardt stared for a moment. He shouldn't even be entertaining this really. This entire ordeal was borderline treasonous...but this...mutant hasn't given him any reasons to be hostile yet...
And he was here...stranded in some foreign land without any imperial authority nearby to report to. He sighed, shaking his head and dismissing his concerns. He should focus on what needs to be done now rather than later. And right now they need to move. And her assisting him meant that they could move a bit more efficiently now.
First order of business, taking stock of their situation and supplies.
He gave a look at the corpses around them, before turning to look at Mabel. The arachne girl tracked his gaze before gulping as she realized what he planned to do.
The process was horrifically slow and inefficient compared to how he normally operated. It was almost frustrating for Eckhardt, but he nipped those emotions before they had a chance to form.
The little arachne was especially squeamish of even getting near the bodies, which were beginning to bloat from the amount of water that they floated in. She gagged at the sight of blood and gore, uttering a little squeak.
But eventually they managed to get the job done, even if Mabel couldn't help but do it slowly.
Eckhardt frowned as they had left the site of the wreckage and bodies behind. They had barely gotten anything, or anything uncorrupted anyway. He was glad that there were so few corpses of his fellow guardsmen, but that meant he had precious little supplies to scavenge.
The Krieger did not trust the damned's rations, and he certainly did not trust holding any of their weapons. Besides, they were junk anyway. Scrap autoguns and makeshift melee weapons. He had his entrenching tool, laspistol, and faith to see the day through.
He found two bodies of his comrades and looted them of their bayonets and grenades. Before they left the wreckage behind though, Mabel had insisted on burying the bodies.
"It's…it's only proper…" Mabel protested. "Leaving them out here feels…awful."
"We are in no condition to be burying the dead." the grenadier retorted. And that was that.
Except it wasn't. While he was taking stock of their supplies, he glanced at her moving to the bodies of his comrades. He half expected the mutant to do…well something unholy and foul to warrant violent retribution…except she simply rearranged them. She placed their hands over their chests and spoke softly under her breath. A prayer…?
…a prayer for the dead…
He listened attentively, seeking any signs of treachery, of deceit, anything. But the words she whispered so fervently were to a god he's never heard of before. Hel. Didn't sound like anything corruptive.
Didn't feel like it either.
It was…strange. Strange and it left him uneasy.. Eckhardt did not expect that and he simply gazed at her with confusion and wariness. He gestured for her to accompany him as they got away from the burning wrecks and to a worn cobblestone road further up the woods.
Despite her little gesture, it left quite a somber mood for the arachne and multiple times while they were on the slick cobblestone, the grenadier listened to her sniffles and prayers she continued to whisper quietly.
She was too softhearted and this weakness would hinder them. But as she assisted him with walking, he figured she had her uses. Regardless, now that he was free of his imprisonment and on the road again…well he had to find something to do.
Second order of business, finding and linking up with other imperial forces. He was surprised to learn that there were others like him scattered around, or so he assumes anyhow.
There had been many foot prints embedded into the muddy ground once he got free to notice them. All very similar to his own. He couldn't have been the only one left alive after waking up here, and he was confident there were other korpsmen around. He just needed to find them.
As such these tracks were his first lead and he led Mabel and himself onto the road in pursuit. He felt briefly agitated at being left behind, but he couldn't fault his comrades.
He would have done the same.
However the weather had made that a challenge soon enough. The tracks were being washed away and before he knew it, there was nothing left again but muddy grounds for miles and a slowly worsening downpour of rain that deafened the world around them.
"Seems I am stranded." thought the Krieger.
He was always surrounded by his comrades, and failing that, at least marginally close to allied positions. Here he was running blind, cut off from all support, and in unknown territory.
With little to no intel on his own location or surroundings.
To be completely alone now was...unsettling. He was of the Korps, they did not fear anything.
But he was disquieted. And agitated.
He felt Mabel gently squeeze his hand and he frowned. Turning, he gave her a blank look only to realize she was still staring at him.
"Are you okay?" she asked him softly.
"..."
"It's okay to be scared, you know? But I know we'll find your friends soon." she continued.
They were not friends. They were simply his comrades, though he did want to find them.
"Hmm." he hummed.
"If you say so." Mabel said, smiling at him. "But we're in this together now!"
Eckhardt could only stare blankly before turning back ahead to move on, causing Mabel to pout at him. The pair walked along the road in comfortable silence, the only noise being made being the storm overhead. It was almost peaceful.
Almost.
Cracks of lightning struck all around them and Mabel curled up against him in fright, causing the grenadier to inwardly sigh. He did not like being touched, and he was growing agitated.
However he couldn't just shove her away either, and so he simply grit his teeth and endured.
"S-Sorry..." Mabal muttered.
He made an incomprehensible hum but that seemed to soothe her and she relaxed her grip. He gave her a small nod, causing Mabel to smile at him as she helped him along.
Droplets of water started raining down on them both, a steady downpour that slowly drenched them both. It was just a light one earlier but now it was beginning to come down in force and he saw Mabel shiver nearby, rubbing at her arms in discomfort.
He stared up into the sky, narrowing his eyes as the raindrops splashed all over his gasmask and against his helmet. They best speed up their pace.
"AAAAAAAWHUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
"...!"
"..."
The both of them stopped for a moment on the main road as they heard the sounds. It felt like ice in his veins and he felt Mabel freeze beside him.
The howl was joined by two more, then half a dozen, and then most assuredly more than a dozen.
And they were close.
Mabel whimpered, leaning onto Eckhardt's side closely in fear while he stoically turned to face the noise. Glowing, hungry and malevolent eyes gazed at his own and Mabel let out an incomprehensible squeak, gripping him like a lifeline.
The woods around them were dark and overgrown, unnaturally so. It felt wrong, and it was only fitting that the beasts that reside in them were just as corrupted.
Just their luck that a pack of such beasts were stalking the pair. And they looked neither cute nor cuddly. Or normal for that matter.
"W-Wolves aren't supposed to look like that..." Mabel squeaked, looking at them with wide eyes and disgust.
Eckhardt had no idea what wolves were, but he did know what animals touched by Chaos usually looked like. And these slobbering beasts covered in bloody, putrid rashes and boils certainly fit the bill.
They began circling the pair easily, about a score or so of the beasts. Subconsciously, the grenadier hid Mabel behind his back as he faced their attackers.
He also unholstered his laspistol quickly and checked its charge.
He was lucky to have had spare in his webbing, but a power pack only had so many shots. They were in a bad spot so far. A situation that was far from ideal.
Slowly he began searching for a better position to hold out in only to find nothing but dark, overgrown woods on either side of the old cobblestone road they were on. The wolves closed in, gnashing their fang filled mouths and drooling a truly disgusting toxic saliva.
Carefully, Eckhardt scanned around them before settling on the closest beast. It was an ugly, twisted creature. A dirty mane of coal black fur and eyes that were milky white. Its legs were mutated and had abnormal growths all over it.
They looked fragile, the bulbs glowing a sickly amber.
With a flash the Krieger reacted as the beast pounced, blasting it in the legs with his laspistol and watching in satisfaction as the legs burst, exploded, and then splattered all over the ground.
The beast let out a whine as it fell onto the ground and the rest of the pack howled. He slammed his shovel down to finish it off before gazing at the rest.
Eckhardt stood stalwartly in the face of danger as the wolves darted forward.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
The Krieger splattered the brains of half a dozen of the beasts just before they closed in. The rest did not relent at the face of their fellows' grisly deaths. With a grimace, he stood on his two legs despite his injuries and quickly swung his shovel, pulping the skull of another beast.
He shoved Mabel aside quickly before he was knocked onto the ground soon after by its vengeful packmate, a wolf whose face was half covered in growths and tumors. The demented beast slammed into him, and together they crashed against the ground. His faithful shovel flew from his hands and Eckhardt grappled with his snarling foe.
He wasted no time slamming his fist into its sickly growths as the creature scraped its claws against his carapace armor. He had his armor to protect him. The wolf had nothing as the grenadier hit hard enough to burst its growths and it howled in pain. The abomination swiped at him, knocking his laspistol out of his hand next and tearing into his wrist and drawing blood.
Eckhardt got his revenge by shoving his hand into its only remaining eye, not stopping until he kept digging deeper and deeper until he squeezed and something popped.
The Krieger extracted his hand in a shower of gore and the corpse collapsed with nary a whimper.
He growled as another wolf nipped at his heels, his strikes too slow to catch it as it jumped away. It left a bleeding tear on his uninjured leg and Eckhardt kneeled on the ground miserably before getting up.
Just before he could pursue it though, he heard a shrill scream and turned to see Mabel struggling with a wolf, barely holding it at bay with her hands. Its snapping jaws were drooling all over her terrified face and hungrily biting for flesh and blood.
Another was prancing forward ready to savage her from behind. It circled around her and opened its mouth full of fangs for a lethal bite. The grenadier growled as he hurled the corpse at his feet to the wolf. It slammed into its fellow's side and knocked it backwards into a heap before it could even lay a fang on her.
He rushed forward heedless of his injured leg and swung a haymaker at the one trying to get through Mabel's arms. She let go as the beast was knocked off her with a powerful blow, the wolf whimpering as it struck the ground hard and rolled away.
Eckhardt grimaced as he stood shakily on his injured leg, feeling the pressure causing an intense amount of stabbing pain. He nearly doubled over but ignored the biting pains of what felt like hundreds of needles prickling his leg.
Mabel turned to look at the imperial gratefully before she widened her eyes in fear. She pointed behind him and shouted out in horror.
"Watch out!"
The warning came too late and the grenadier was knocked down again from behind by another wolf, the corrupted beast trying to tear out his throat. Mabel rushed forward, scooping up his shovel and slamming it into the monster's face, cracking its skull and causing it to whine.
The Krieger knocked it off his back and rolled over just in time to dodge another beast. It growled at him before dodging Mabel's next strike.
As she tried to recover, it retaliated by tearing into her arm.
She cried out in pain as its mouth closed around her forearm, tearing the flesh into ribbons and crunching on bone. It never got the chance to finish as the Krieger furiously grabbed it by both ends of its jaws and forced them apart. As Mabel clutched her savaged arm with teary eyes, the grenadier body slammed the wolf onto the ground.
It tried to recover but he slammed its face onto the ground again and again until something squelched and the wolf's struggling ceased. He then gripped the two halves of the wolf's jaws and forced them apart with all his might until they were messily separated with a sickening snap.
The grenadier barely had any chance to even move further however as he was pounced by the other wolf again. It clawed at his back, tearing into his greatcoat and scraping his armor. Eckhardt let out a startled growl as the abomination knocked him over into the mud.
They rolled around desperately, both of them trying to pin the other down. He struck it with his elbows, cracking its skull and bloodying its eyes. Another wolf rushed in, sensing weakness when it was suddenly shot in the side by a lasbolt.
It got knocked over to its side, whining in pain before growling in anger and trying to get up. Another burst of lasbolts were shot out, most missing atrociously but one of the lucky hits struck its head and it exploded into brain matter and skull fragments.
The grenadier was surprised to see Mabel holding his laspistol by the side, still on the ground grimacing with tears but determined. She fired the pistol again, hitting the wolf and getting it off the Krieger.
However her next hit missed entirely and actually struck him when he tried to get up! She nailed him in the shoulder and the lasbolt burned hot against his carapace armor and greatcoat!
He gasped with pain as he was briefly knocked to his knees from the blast. Fortunately, it seemed the heavy rain and his own armor softened the blow as he stared at his scorched shoulder.
Regardless, it still burned like warpfire and he groaned as he shakily pressed his hands against the mud.
"O-Oh g-gods!" Mabel cried out in horror. "I-I'm so sorry!"
She held the laspistol shakily and almost looked like she wanted to drop it when the wolves came again. They had separated the two and saw her as easy prey, but that was before she began snapping a few more shots.
Her wild, inaccurate attacks got close to hitting the survivors still circling them but missed on account of her nerves and inexperience. Nevertheless she managed to scare them off.
The pack growled at the pair menacingly before returning back into the woods. But their eyes never left, and they kept a watchful gaze on the pair. Waiting for that moment of weakness to come feast on their weakened bodies. Mabel shivered in fear as she saw them just barely out of sight.
However she gasped as she turned to look over at the grenadier, who was slowly trying to get up now that the adrenaline had disappeared.
She rushed to his side immediately, pushing on him and letting him rest on her shoulders. He started leaning on her unsteadily, before growling to himself as he tried to shake the haze over his mind. Unsteadily and oh so injured, he didn't make it even five feet with Mabel's help before he collapsed onto his side despite her best attempts.
"No! No! No, please don't die! Please please please please!" Mabel said in horror as she crouched down beside him.
She began frenziedly trying to tend to his wounds. She spooled some silk to try and bind his wounds to stem the blood but she was shaking terribly. There was so much blood now and she began panicking as she heard his suffering and saw his lifeblood bleed away.
He let out a pained groan, one that was weak and weary and so damn exhausted. He heard Mabel begin breathing heavily and sounding like she was on the brink of tears.
"No no no no! Not like this, not like this, not like this!" Mabel hissed.
Eckhardt tried to move, to do something, but felt only stinging pain and a heaviness in his limbs. He saw her trying to bind his wounds with her silk to little avail. The beasts howled loudly, their drooling snarls loud despite the storm above. They promised a cruel death, and the arachne began crying even more audibly.
"I-I don't w-want to die!" she cried, shaking horribly as the wolves began inching forward.
Mabel scrunched up her eyes tightly and hugged Eckhardt for comfort, uncaring of how his ghastly wounds dripped bloodily all over her. She just wanted to be held before the end came.
She then felt his arms wrap around her suddenly, surprising her. Eckhardt forced himself to move and rolled to the side and dodged the quickest one's pounce.
In a moment, he sat up unsteadily, leaning on his bloodied elbow heedless of the pain as he took the laspistol from Mabel and opened fire. Due to his wounded status, he only managed to blow the heads off two of the pack before the rest howled and turned tail.
"N...ot...d-dead yet..." he spat, coughing raggedly.
He fell back down again, coughing harshly before lifting up his mask to spit out a glob of blood.
With titanic determination, the grenadier began trying to get up, tired from blood lost and his mounting wounds. His head was swimming and when Mabel rushed over to help him up, he let her.
Together, the two of them hobbled down the road, desperately searching for shelter while the pack stalked them. They were painfully slow, and they bled heavily every step of the way.
And yet...
The God-Emperor must be smiling upon them while Eckhardt was binding his bleeding shoulder, Mabel noticing an old but serviceable cabin nearby.
"I see it! W-We're going to make it!" Mabel said in pain, eyes teary from her savaged arm as she clutched his shovel tightly with pale knuckles.
"Aaaaaaawhuuuuuuuuu!"
Mabel let out a strangled cry, her words dying in her throat and the guardsman growled.
"Aaaaaaawhuuuuuuuuu!"
"Aaaaaaawhuuuuuuuuu!"
"Aaaaaaawhuuuuuuuuu!"
There were a startling number of howls now. Eckhardt and Mabel both crashed into the door with little finesse, their combined weight throwing them down onto the ground.
"Aaaaaaawhuuuuuuuuu!"
While the grenadier began getting up unsteadily, Mabel closed the door behind her and latched on the locks and the boards for good measure as well.
The door bucked hard as a heavy weight slammed into it.
"Eeek!" shrieked Mabel, backing up in fear.
The door held thankfully and she breathed a sigh of relief before turning to assist the Krieger.
"We...make our...stand here..." he gasped, breathing heavily.
His vision was darkening and he felt his mask getting stuffy as he breathed unsteadily. He sized up the interior with trained precision, noting all the points of entry. The door they just busted in through and the pair of windows on either ends of the walls.
Furniture was prevalent and he knew what they had to do in the limited time they had. He quickly had Mabel assist him in knocking the bookcase nearby over to barricade the window.
The thick wooden table in the middle was next and the two of them hurriedly pushed it against the other window. Hopefully it brought them time. He grimaced as he blinked and he was suddenly on his knees, practically keeling over the ground as he doubled up in pain.
He gritted his teeth and shook off his swimming vision as best as he could.
"Guardian!" Mabel said suddenly, grabbing his arm when he tried to get up again.
"Just a m-moment!" she told him quickly, sitting him down shakily and wrapping his still bloody wounds as best as she could with a mixture of silk and his remaining bandages.
They did a poor job in the grenadier's eyes but they will suffice. It would be an ignoble end to bleed to death in the middle of this.
Mabel sat up to check the unbarricaded windows when he grabbed her arm as firmly as he could. At her confused and frightened look, he merely sat her down as well. Her arm was savaged horribly, bloodied and torn, but not as bad as he thought. He quickly and meticulously wrapped it with his remaining bandages, his ears straining to hear the prowling footsteps of their hunters.
"T-Thank you." Mabel whispered, shaking in fear as she too listened to their hunters, holding onto his hands tightly for comfort.
He looked through his webbings and had her let go briefly, handing her a spare bayonet to use as he held his shovel and laspistol in preparation.
Then the door strained hard as a heavy weight crashed into it. It bucked furiously and pieces of wood flung off it, but the door held.
That did not deter the wolves and they continued ramming into it. They likewise assaulted the windows as well, howling as they tested its ramshackle barricade. The table and bookcase held, blocking their paths. The remaining two did not and the beasts began smashing into them to squeeze through.
A wolf with green tumorous growths making up a majority of its face shattered the glass and howled. Eckhardt bisected its skull with his shovel and left the corpse stuck in the window.
Another slammed its snarling face through the table stacked up against the other window. It managed to wiggle through and began snapping its jaws at them. Mabel answered it with a bayonet to the face, 45cm of sharp monosteel punching its fleshy eyes with ease.
It howled in pain and fury, desperately trying to claw her face off in retaliation. The Krieger crushed its skull with his shovel. The heavy metal head crushed bone and severed flesh, showering the two in its sickly, gory ichor as he messily decapitated it halfway.
Another strike and the head snapped clean off.
The sound of shattering glass echoed in the close quarters and they turned to see the other window breached.
One pounced halfway through and promptly lost half its fangs from the grenadier's strike before suffering a bayonet to the throat from the girl. Still it kept snarling at them, frenzied and berserk.
The Krieger unclipped a grenade and shoved it into the beast's snarling mouth. He then smashed the shovel up and slammed its jaws shut with a slam. Growling angrily in return, he smacked the hell out of the wolf with his shovel again.
It flew back out the window and the following explosion was accompanied by a satisfying cascade of demented howls of agony.
Still the beasts came.
Eckhardt handed Mabel his shovel while he took the bayonet, grimacing as he leaned on the wall to support his leg. Mabel guarded the other window with his shovel, smacking any wolf that poked its corrupted face through.
Together, the pair manned a desperate defense. The beasts howled at them. They were relentless and rabid, frenzied jaws snapping constantly to crunch on flesh and bone.
They gave them cold steel to chew on instead.
The door splintered and cracked.
A crooked snout poked through the holes in the door, malevolent red eyes glaring hungrily at them.
Mabel slammed a shovel down onto its face, caving it in and causing its eyes to bulge out. It whimpered weakly and she swung again.
By this point it was obvious they were going to be overrun. There were many of the beasts and only the two of them, both of whom were exhausted and wounded. The grenadier tossed a grenade out the window a final time before limping to the back of the cabin with Mabel.
The explosion rattled their bones, causing the Krieger to briefly lose his footing as he fell onto his knees. Mabel was by his side in moments and swiftly helped him regain it, leaning on him and letting him lean on her.
That's when he noticed it. The floor had carpet which shifted during the chaos, revealing something to them that they missed initially.
"D…Door," he slurred, "Trapdoor." he gestured.
Mabel nodded and together they supported each other and retreated to the back. They knocked over whatever bits of furniture that weren't destroyed or used left to act as a final obstacle and prepared themselves for the inevitable.
He grunted at her as he stood shakily, leaning on the wall to ease his injured leg.
Mabel slammed the shovel over and over again on the lock with as much force as she could. The weathered iron lock held firm. After repeated strikes by a heavy duty shovel capable of crushing ork skulls however, it was steadily chipped and cracked til it was utterly shattered!
With a shaky but bright grin, she grabbed it and pulled with all her might. The trapdoor sprung open like a wound up spring, nearly knocking her over and he caught her as she lost her footing.
He growled, pushing her down and she let out a yelp as she definitely lost her footing that time. While his companion fell down the stairs, Eckhardt unclipped his final grenade before dropping it at his feet. Not a moment too soon the beasts began to burst through and rapidly flood the abandoned shelter.
He grasped the lid of the trapdoor and practically threw himself down afterwards, shutting the trapdoor behind him but rolling down the steps due to his bad leg.
His helmet smashed against the steps with a ding and he tumbled down the stairs like a headless grox, his armor making a distinct clang every step of the way! He finally smashed into the floor and was out in an instance, his vision darkening and fading away as Mabel cried out to him.
Away into oblivion…
A.N: Time passes by quickly. I apologize for the lateness and the rather slow chapter. But after four years my journey as an Mechanical Engineering student is close to an end. I'll try my best to update more consistently. Hopefully I'll build up a following again
Enjoy the chapter my friends and I hope you all like it! Leave a review if you do! I got ideas in mind for the future and I hope I execute them well. Until the next time!