Fate of Aorullu, A Warhammer 40K Fan Fiction

Post 14 - Cross the Bridge

Greynar skidded to a halt as the ravine ended several steps ahead, opening into a wide chasm in the earth. Ryu was crushed towards Greynar’s back by the force of sudden stop. He slid down from Greynar’s back and took a moment to be able to inhale properly.  To the questioning eyes of the giant, he said:

“We need to move sun-wards along the edge of the chasm to reach the bridge. “

“How far is this bridge, boy?”

“About a hundred trunks.”

“Trunk?”

Ryu pointed at the aspen trees, indicating the length of their trunks. Greynar approximated a trunk to equal twenty meters, which meant it would take only a couple of minutes to reach the bridge. They had made good speed and managed to put some distance between them and the Orc horde, also thanks to the fact that the Orcs did not seem to be in a specific hurry. Going across their path for a short while would not be a problem. There was always the possibility of a scout force moving ahead of the main body but there was nothing Greynar could do about that now. If they stumbled into scouts, he would have to just kill them.

Climbing to the rim of the ravine, he peered hard into the trees, in the direction of the Orcs, for some time, trying to detect any unusual movement. Relatively assured that there was no immediate threat, he climbed out of the ravine, pulled Ryu onto his back and set off towards the bridge.

The forest was standing clear off the chasm, leaving an open belt of about twenty meters wide until the lip of the chasm. Greynar advanced along the edge of the forest, a couple of trees inwards, to avoid detection by any chance observers. As he spotted the bridge’s silhouette from far away, he slowed down and advanced towards the bridge much more warily and with an increased scrutiny for enemy forces. Hundred sixty years of experience as the commander of a space marine company ingrained best tactical practices into his bones. Experience dictated that they should approach any unknown point of strategic importance with caution. A strategic location would be equally important to enemy forces and thus may be preoccupied by them.

His tactical advance was awarded when he spotted the green hulk leaning lazily at a boulder near the bridge and picking its nails with its knife. He squatted immediately, easing Ryu off his back to the ground. A quick scan of the area showed him three more Orcs, one sitting in front of a tree at the forest side and two others guarding the other foot of the bridge. Greynar checked his bolter gun in his hand, motioned Ryu to stay put and silent and started gliding towards the Orc in front of the tree ahead.