Author Notes:
Well, to say this new GSS chapter is inspired would be an understatement. Hopefully, this has been worth the wait, and bring you all good feelings. Emperor knows this world needs more of those.
Now, my bootlegged version of a Discord server would be hitting semi-public state soon, mostly so I can enlist those with knowledge to build it up. Stay tune for that!
Additionally, the next 25% Monthly Recruitment Drive on my Patreon will start at the start of next month, so do keep a look out for it as well.
Now, with all of that said, I will move onto work on the next two OBOM chapters before hitting RM's next chapter. One OBOM chapter for public, another one for Patreon stockpiling.
As per usual, enjoy the released chapter and all the hidden memes and references I have hidden around!
Have a nice day, everyone! And love ya~!
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"Take cover!" My voice, laced with Battle Meditation on near full blast, prompts 3rd Platoon to react and dive for something more solid than just flesh and blood. Flak Vest means shit when a Heavy Stubber, much less a Heavy Bolter, aims at you.
I unceremoniously kick Johnson, who's on his back, into a crater formed by the grenades we used earlier. Using the force from that kick, I propel myself in a different direction, heading to where Weiss is. In the process, and ignoring how Johnson grunts in protest, my hand reaches for the two smoke grenades on my vest and, with my other hand, pulls out the two pins on them in one go. I quickly toss them up in the air and in the middle of the chamber. Unlike the more normal smoke grenades, mine are of a specialized variant that explodes swiftly into a big cloud, thanks to two venting nozzles on each end of the smoke grenade. I use this type frequently due to my nature as a sniper and scout.
Soon enough, the entire chamber is quickly beset with a falling, ever-expanding cloud. Yet, before visibility is cut off, Scorpin's Squad, who are already in cover up on the platform, besiege the Ogryns below with whatever they have on hand. Scorpin's Heavy Stubber barks fire on repeat, hitting one of the blue Ogryns on the upper torso and the head, stunning it but achieving not much else in terms of lasting damage. This, however, does allow Tu'rok, who's the closest to this particular Ogryn, to rush in with a crackling Power Blade.
Perhaps either due to his quick analysis or pure veteran intuition, Tu'rok deems that the Ogryns must have damage reduction sorcery in play. Which isn't all that far off, seeing how the Orgyn tanked 14.5 mm rounds like they're nerf bullets. Instead of a mighty swing that would normally bisect an Astartes, Tu'rok takes the safe option, which is to cut apart the Ripper Gun in the Ogryn's hands first. The blow creates a bluish spark of flame as the Ripper Gun explodes and the Ogryn stumbles backward, only for Tu'rok to close in with a truly piercing stab. Tu'rok's bulk and momentum, when combined with the deadly force of a master-crafted Power Sword, result in an utter destruction of whatever sorcery that shields this particular Ogryn. A blue flash appears before the Power Sword ends up appearing on the other end of the massive blue torso. Not taking any chance, Tu'rok runs his blade upward and beyond its head, bisecting the foul Ogryn vertically into two, barely connected halves.
And while Tu'rok is busy dealing the killing blow, Donovan, bracing his Melta Gun on the railing of the platform, unleashes a searing beam that similarly overwhelms the defense of yet another Ogryn that is just about to point its Heavy Stubber against two of 3rd Platoon's Guardsmen, who are still making a tactical repositioning from their prior bomb planting position. The Melta beam critically injured the Ogryn, forcing it onto its knees with a gaping, sizzling gap in the chest. Capitalizing on that chance, one of the Guardsmen immediately unleashes a withering hail of las shots into the wound, going as far as emptying his power pack.
And when the two Ogryns go down nearly simultaneously, the smoke screen finally sets in, plunging the entire chamber under a foggy curtain, barely visible to us mortals and Ogryns alike. The Salamanders take to this environment like fish in the water, however. The built-in Auspex of their helmets and their own enhanced sensory systems allow them to see and feel everything without missing a beat. No hesitation at all, the three Salamanders move on to hunt their closest enemies, temporarily keeping three Ogryns occupied, and eventually, eliminating them.
At the same time frame, I am making a speedy dash. My figure, shield and all, blur in the smoke cloud as I close the distance with one Ogryn standing between Weiss and me. Unlike the others that were felled, this Ogryn is wielding a sledgehammer that is covered completely in runes, thus coating it in a shimmering sheen of wicked energy. Perhaps it won't be a mistake to call it a sorcerer's attempt at making a Power Hammer without a big enough coffer. Nevertheless, this so-called Rune Hammer will be lethal all the same to any mortal body, especially so when these Ogryn seem to be fighting under the influence, which is another way of saying they're on drugs.
I raise my Laspistol and fire at the back of the Ogryn; the smokescreen truly does not affect how I see the enemies, and I successfully grab its attention. It stops its motion of raising the Rune Hammer for an overhead blow at Weiss and turns dumbly to look behind it as if it doesn't even feel those full-powered las shots at all. Rather than using the distraction to deal a possible killing blow, Weiss smartly pulls back to create distance with a clearly superior physical combatant. I would have complimented her if not for my already dashing to the Ogryn's inconvenience side, pointing Black Steel in the direction of the Ogryn's dumb face.
Activating the Flash System, I let the holy glare and thundering curtain purge any unnatural buff the Ogryn has, causing it to bellow in a mix of pain and panic.
"Weiss!" I call out to my Rookie, and together, we unleash more las bolts into the now squirming flesh mound.
By the time I dash beyond the now charred and headless Ogryn, Weiss scorching its crude armor and body into one unrecognizable mess while I eviscerated the head, my Rookie is in the process of loading up a fresh power pack for her Lasrifle. Having been caught at a bad spot beneath the platform where Scorpin's Squad is, Weiss has no usable cover for what's about to come. Given her no time to react, I body check her, as gently as I can, and push her lower down with her back against the wall. I plant Black Steel in front of us, and very subtly, I reinforce it with a mixture of Spectro and Ice element, crafting a barely visible, multi-layered barrier that stacks on top of my Ceramite shield. The process is accomplished just in the nick of time for an indiscriminate onslaught of bullets and pellets to assault everything in the chamber, and I mean everything. My shield rattles constantly with all of the projectiles impacting and fragmenting against its reinforced surface.
Perhaps the Ogryns have had enough with the smoke screen and decide that it's time to ball, firing wildly and using the sheer number of rounds to tear open the smoky curtain in the chamber. And the funny part is that it actually fucking works, as they have way too much lead to go for with the remaining Heavy Stubbers and Ripper Guns. Oh, and let's not forget there's still a Heavy Bolter as well, which is...
Huh, I should have expected Tu'rok to be the one to single out the biggest threat, which is the Ogryn with the Heavy Bolter. The Veteran Sergeant is now throwing himself at the blue Ogryn with righteous impunity, firing a blast of scorching plasma before pummelling and slashing both the burning Ogryn and Heavy Bolter with zeal. Elsewhere, the other two Astartes are also making the Emperor proud with their martial prowess. I reckon it will only take seconds for the three Astartes to deal with their respective opponent. But for now, there are three Ogryns left mostly unaccosted.
The remaining three Ogryns each use a different weapon. One of them is playing whack-a-mole with Johnson, who keeps weaving in and out of different types of cover and leading the Ogryn on in a Ring Around the Rosie. Another one is advancing toward my Platoon mates with Ripper Gun in one hand and a very gnarly-looking club in the other. The last Ogryn is going all Rambo on Weiss, Scorpin, and me, suppressing us all with its twin-linked Heavy Stubbers roaring.
And while the Heavy Stubbers-wielding Ogryn can be an issue with its gigantic ammo backpack, which is feeding its piping hot, handheld menace, it's the Ogryn with the Ripper Gun that will be a mortal threat to my Platoon members. Like a very big bully, the Ogryn, wielding the Ripper Gun and a club, can very well tear anything short of a Tempestus Scion apart in melee distance. So, I think quickly of a way to level the playing field without revealing more of my hidden cards. I have always had a nagging feeling that something is watching us, and I, using a small barrier spell, am already pushing the boundary of unwanted attention.
In the moments when more bullets hit my shield and the platform above us, creating a constant rain of dust and sparks, I recall a quite special scene from an old superhero movie. If I manage to recreate that move, I will be doing us all a favor and reducing the time spent in this risky engagement.
Having made up my mind, I look down at Weiss, who is still stuck just below my chin. With the hand holding onto my Laspistol, I extend a finger to give her a little boop on her rebreather. I wink before pointing my Laspistol at the Heavy Stubbers-wielding Ogryn in an under-the-shoulder manner and pulling the trigger on repeat. As expected, whatever sorcerer is fueling the Ogryn prevents it from taking any critical damage, even if the shots hit its head. Nonetheless, I successfully angered the Ogryn into fully focusing the barrels of its weapon on my location. Near immediately, the reinforced Black Steel is subjected to a concentrated and relentless punishment as the Ogryn ignore Scorpin's Weapon Squad above us altogether.
As Black Steel is braced against the storm and Weiss is visibly trying her very best to make herself as small as possible out of necessity, not fear, I shout.
"2-1! Support Sarge!"
"On it!" Comes Scorpin's bark as she rushes her Squad to another part of the platform now that they aren't pinned down by the Heavy Stubbers.
While Scorpin's Squad is setting up to target the sledgehammer-wielding Ogryn that is giving our dear Sergeant Johnson a fitness check, I start angling my shield. Instead of the usual Front Toward Enemies, or in this case Front Toward Heavy Stubbers, Black Steel is now presented at an acute angle that, while risky, causes most of the incoming bullets to start bouncing off in a different direction while still retaining much of its deadly momentum. Additionally, for Weiss' safety, I interject my body between her and the incoming stream of stub rounds.
I have no doubt that this maneuver will earn me yet another earful from the Rookie beneath me, but it does pay off in a quite surprising way. After glancing my shield, the deflected slugs suddenly find themselves embedding in the back of the Ripper Gun-toting Ogryn. The Ripper Gun-toting Ogryn is forced to its knees when large-caliber bullets keep slamming against its back, causing it to lose its footing, and along with it, its aim at the pinned-down 3rd Platoon members. Using this chance, two of my comrades peek out from their cover with their underslung grenade launcher primed. With two delectable thumps, a pair of High Explosive Dual Purpose grenades are fired and impact the kneeling Ogryn right afterward. The resulting explosion and splattering of blue Ogryn flesh once again hammered in the fact that 3rd Platoon doesn't care if it's long-range or danger close...
We'll get them all the same.
Just be glad that the grenades managed to arm themselves in time.
Although the grenade explosions have blasted away the last lingering trace of the smoke screen, it does give Scorpin's Squad a beautiful view of Johnson being one annoying human soldier against something that's easily twice his size.
"John!" Scorpin shouts toward our Sergeant. "Duck!"
Acting out of trust in his long-time war buddies and hardened instinct, Johnson immediately dodged yet another mighty hammer swing before rolling tactically into the very same hole that I kicked him into earlier. Even before Scorpin can prompt him, Donovan already pulls the trigger on his Accatran Melta Gun, scoring yet another massive, gaping wound that is very much fatal to the zealous Ogryn. Just to be safe, however, Scorpin and the rest, aside from the Flamer-wielding Raymond, immediately pile on a volley of las shots and heavy stub rounds. More than charred and punctured, the Ogryn is completely chewed up by a double-tap that is very much an overkill.
But then again, there's no such thing as overkill, only enough and not enough.
And after that...
Well, unironically, there's no afterward. The battle haze induced by Battle Meditation is cut short when 3rd Platoon belatedly realizes that the Astartes have taken out the remaining Ogryn seconds before we deal with our batch. Once again, I must emphasize how scary an Astartes is to easily manhandle a threat that requires immaculate teamwork from a group of Imperial Guards to kill off.
If you really have a good head on your shoulders, then never piss off an Astartes, much less an entire Chapter.
Coincidentally, everything happens in less than three minutes, give or take some seconds depending on your perspective. Not gonna lie, those were some mad, mad minutes that I've ever experienced in a while as a Guardswoman.
As the adrenaline finally calms its flow in our veins, I let out a soft exhale before holstering my Laspistol and offering Weiss a hand, which she takes easily enough, but not before giving me a little tap on the head for worrying her so much, again.
Still, while we do successfully eliminate the surprise intrusion and thus give us free rein to wire everything to blow once more, it has come not without a cause.
"Drake...? Drake!"
3rd Platoon is down yet another member, it would seem.
Weiss and I look on grimly as one of 3rd Platoon's long-standing members, a man whose name is literally just Dragon but goes by as Drake because his name is too corny, is now clutching his belly with blood being coughed out of his system. He was one of the two people who used the grenade launchers to kill an Ogryn, and he did so while already injured, from what I surmise.
Damn it...
"Medic!" Someone shouts, even though our Platoon medic is already next to the casualty.
[Emperor of Man: Ein, don't.]
The Emperor's interjection cancels out any intention I have of using Atsuko's Gift to heal my friend and comrade. And I hate how I understand and accept the necessity.
Weiss, who is next to me, catches me in my low mood and gives my shoulder a silent squeeze.
Anders, Surbella, and now Drake... If I can't help you return to your former selves, then I will make you better than your former selves. You have my solemn words.
I then review what Nicolae rewarded me with all those times ago.
[Robocop Design Knowledge.]