Warhammer 40k Fanfiction - Hero Imperator (English)

Chap. 11 - Day 74 (Part 2) - On the Verge of Death

I have no idea how to explain it, but the colonel was right. With just a glance, he was able to discover something that no previous explorer could detect.

As soon as the more than twenty Griffons that we had at our disposal arrived at the front, they unleashed all their fury on the supposed nothingness of arid land and sedimentary rocks. A huge waste of ammunition in the eyes of many. Myself included, who were not able to understand what Tairon had in mind. And I thank the Emperor on his Golden Throne for being wrong.

The salvoes destroyed our entire field of vision, and the sandy terrain became a scorched earth of gunpowder and metal, while its brittle surface was raised by the strong winds of the planet. A gigantic curtain of dust and debris that covered our entire panorama. A wind, which spun chillingly towards us, throwing dust into our faces and cutting off our vision.

We thought it was a disastrous coincidence. But we soon understood that it was only a harbinger of what was to come.

Fifty meters we could only see ahead. Fifty meters, which would be covered in a matter of seconds by an unknown enemy. We all stayed alert. Waiting. Me, on the improvised trenches to the east. Tairon, to the west. Far enough away that a signal repeater had to be placed between them.

We, the regular militia of Cantus, but with the indoctrination of the Krieg Guard. We did not share his fanaticism to that extreme, but our conviction and our desire to purge our enemies and avenge our fallen was just as strong.

We become masters of the trenches. Men and women with just a shovel and ten minutes, they already had a hole to hide in to open fire. We lacked the more refined techniques of the Krieg soldiers, but for a cheap, improvised imitation, it did its job quite well. And we hoped so, because when the earth began to rumble right under our feet. The moment had arrived.

—There you come! Everyone ready! Laser rifles up front! Shoot everything that moves!

My scream resonated in my frequency channels and in the minds of those who heard me in person. Murphy was located on my far right, the furthest point of all. He trusted him and his elite forces to hold off the enemy, and in their ability to find the solution if something unforeseen occurred.

On the far left I placed Mason, near Colonel Tairon's troops. Mason has shown good leadership skills, but he lacks experience, and I want to be sure that if there are any problems, an experienced officer of the Krieg Korps can take command.

Without waiting, our rifles opened fire into the unknown, and our tanks and artillery pieces followed the deafening cacophony of war itself. We didn't know exactly what we were shooting at, but we had a pretty solid idea about it. An idea that was confirmed when the indisputable sound of ballistic projectiles coming from the weapons of our attackers responded with equal aggressiveness. They were here... They were always here.

Soon, enormous olive green figures began to emerge from the smoke screen, carrying bizarre firearms and improvised sharp weapons in their hands. With shoddy armor covering their bodies, but resistant enough to withstand several of our laser shots, forcing us to aim at more unprotected areas.

This stage lasted a few minutes, while the pollution that blinded our vision gradually faded. And once he did, he wished he hadn't seen what the horizon showed us.

What was once a desolate desert was now an endless horde of greenskins marching towards us. There were millions of them... And we were only a few thousand. Thousands spread out in an improvised front, which would be overwhelmed in a matter of minutes. And the worst of all was that the misfortunes were just beginning.

—Colonel Tairon. We must go back. We will not be able to overcome them.

I called on the radio, but there was no answer.