PROLOGUE - BEAT THEM ORKIN, SON
Planet: Arioch
Kane threw himself behind a berm of dirt near a shoddily constructed wall on the outskirts of the village. His platoon grouped around him and waited for instructions. He had no choice but to wait for a lull in enemy fire or hope that friendly air support would be able to take out the defensive installment in the center of the Village.
Plasma and physical rounds danced across the dirt berm and smashed what remained of the wooden hut to pieces. The intense fire tore divots in the small amount of cover between him and his squad, the only cover that was preventing certain death. The enemy obviously knew where they were.
“Fucking Orkin, you think with this being the last place on the planet they're left at in number they would just GIVE THE FUCK UP!” Kane yelled the last part over the berm. “This was not worth the contract pay,” he muttered low enough that no one heard him while gripping the Mana-rifle in his upper hands.
The Orkin weapon emplacements crew responded with guttural laughter and another hail of weapons fire. They obviously heard him. Kane managed to duck down even further. He was now one with the dirt and animal shit around him.
One of his squad crawled up to him, black armor with the standard silver starburst on the breastplate streaked with mud and grim.
“Sir Kane, we have been discussing options and I think we can take that emplacement!” the birdlike Alurai called over the din of weapons fire. “We have enough Mana left to call in a lightning strike. It won’t destroy it outright, maybe, but we can disorientate them long enough to get there!”
Kane mulled it over for a moment before accepting the reasoning. “Do it!” he ordered.
Seven of the thirty remaining platoon members gathered together around a blue crystal the Alurai had removed from his pouch. Together they focus their Mana on the strange mineral, which began to swirl and glow brightly with blue light.
Kane looked up to see light clouds gathering above the Orkin crew-served weapon. Almost immediately the incoming fire halted as Kane heard the Orkin screeching at each other in their guttural language. Not even his nanite translator could figure out what this particular dialect of the language was. They were probably trying to figure out what clouds were. Dumb fuckers.
He poked his head over the dirt berm to see half a dozen of the giant green beings waving animatedly at each other and gesturing at the sky. Soon enough, however, a massive cracking sound followed a huge bolt of lightning which struck square in the middle of the weapons emplacement. This had the effect of knocking down all but one of the Orkin. The single green-skinned being that had been the target of the strike was nearly incinerated entirely. What was left of its body was still standing, however, fused to the earth. Being melted to the ground tended to prevent one from lying down and dying.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Mage team remain here and rest, assault platoon forward!” Kane roared as he jumped to his feet and ran directly at the enemies.
The Orkin were disoriented for a moment but quickly regrouped. Unfortunately for the enemy, Kane was already amongst them.
Firing his rife several times he managed to take off an Orkin head with his chaotic aim. He then dropped the weapon in favor of the four blades he drew from their sheathes. Two of the long blades were imbued, courtesy of the Boss. He held these blades in his upper hands. His lower hands held an un-augmented short sword each. He practiced with all four.
Sprinting across the thirty meters to the emplacement Kane threw himself over the fortifications in a massive leap. Striking the ground he came up in a roll and sliced through the armor and midsection of the nearest Orkin warrior.
Spinning in place he finished the wounded warrior off with his short swords while decapitating yet another with the powerfully enchanted long blades in across strike. He searched around for a target before finding a huge Orkin that was directing the troops. Kane ran straight at him.
The Orkin reacted and took a swing at him. Kane ducked under the massively wide attack from the huge being and realized it was an, absurdly so, large battle-ax. Bringing the blade up to cleave the handle, he was surprised when it bounced off, only causing a divot in the shaft but otherwise leaving it in one piece.
He stared, startled for a moment. “What the fu-“
He was cut off as the Orkin grinned and roared, renewing its assault with a flurry of swings which Kane just managed to dodge. Wondering where his troops were he took a partial second to look past the large aggressor and take stock of the overall situation.
Kane observed as the rest of his platoon came charging over the embankment and engaged the remaining of the emplacements' weapon crew. The fighting was fierce, and he winced as he saw one Gorkin fall under an axe.
Returning his attention to the green fucker in front of him, Kane focused on deflecting the fast, heavy strikes from the large being. Kane struggled to match the vicious pacing of his opponent, using all four blades to shunt and redirect the massive physical force that was being directed at him.
Focused entirely on the enemy in front of him he caught the most recent backswing from the axe, directing it nearly straight up. The maneuver threw the Orkin off balance and Kane used the opportunity to bury the two short swords in its kidneys.
Roaring with pain and nearly frothing at the mouth the green monstrosity brought the axe down on his shoulder. Between the sheer physical force and the quality of the weapon it cut through Kane’s armor and sank six inches into his red flesh.
Kane grimaced as he heard cries from his platoon, a half dozen of the nearest mercenaries slammed a variety of weapons into the green monster. Something here was wrong, there was just no indication of what. This green demon was far more resilient than he should have been.
Yet they still wouldn’t fall. Dropping one of his primary blades Kane grabbed the shaft of the axe, ensuring it couldn’t be withdrawn. Bringing back his other long blade to plunge it into the Orkin’s eye socket the beast muttered his first intelligible words.
“The gods are coming weakling. And they thirst for your blood!” it growled out in stilted words.
Kane took his head a moment later and collapsed on the ground, the axe still on his shoulder. Glad that the fight was finally at its end, the ragged remains of the platoon cheered. The final bastion of resistance on this world had been cleared out. And they couldn’t be happier.
The large red Quadrian took a look around and breathed out a sigh of relief. That is before a small humming noise caught his attention.
Coming from the Orkin body a vibrating noise could be heard, even over the din of cheers. Kane turned to look at it questioningly. Then in a final act of spite, as if in death the nasty green Orkin was having the last laugh … the fucker exploded.