Explosions, laser fire, and the cries of battle would be the melody of the oncoming dance.

The moment Shadow Taker charged, I activated the gravity nodes grafted into each of my major joints—technology typically reserved for server drones and jet bikes. By lightening my body, I enhanced my agility, moving faster than the Ork Warboss. His twin blades gleamed wickedly as they sliced through the air, each strike intended to eviscerate.

I parried his initial attack with my mechadendrites, their prehensile movements deflecting the blade with mechanical precision. My power axe hummed with lethal energy, crackling with an electrical discharge.

As Shadow Taker recoiled from the parry, I swung the axe in a wide arc, aiming to cleave through his armour. The Warboss dodged with surprising agility, rolling to the side and coming up with a snarl. He lashed out with one blade, aiming for my midsection. I tanked the hit, the sword skittering off my shield, and the energy transformed into a harmless light. However, I could physically feel the drain on my power source in my spine.

+++ Primary Power Level Power Level 88.5% +++

I needed to end this quickly.

Seizing the opportunity, I lunged forward, my power axe swinging down in a powerful overhead strike. Shadow Taker met my blow with both daggers crossed, the impact force driving him to one knee. The ground cracked beneath him from the weight of my augmented strength.

Electricity arced between us, the overcharged energy from my augments sending jolts through the air. The Ork gritted his teeth, muscles straining as he pushed back against my axe. I could see the strain in his eyes, the realisation that he had underestimated me.

With a sudden burst of strength, Shadow Taker shoved me back, using the force to flip himself back onto his feet. I skidded a few paces away, my gravity nodes compensating to keep me balanced. This time, he came at me again with a flurry of slashes and stabs, each move a blur of deadly precision. I danced around his attacks, lightening my body to enhance my speed. My mechadendrites whipped around me, intercepting his strikes and keeping him at bay. I retaliated with quick, precise swings of my power axe, each one forcing him to retreat a step.

He skidded back, weapons lowered, eyes focused, A few heartbeats passed before he began to circle me, looking me up and down, assessing my form. I stood still, watching him back impassively. "Youz a tricky one." The Ork grind.

"I could say the same for you. I'll tell you what: if you piss off to wherever you came from, I'll even let you leave." I replied candidly, making a shooing motion.

"Wat, and miss out on this, Ya mad? If I leave, I won't be able to stomp yah!" He crouched down like a beast ready to pounce. The icy wind blew his purple cloak, and a light snow began to fall, little pure dots covering the blood and oil of the battlefield.

Ear-splitting explosions and dazzling beams of energy descended from the heavens as the 5 km Light Cruiser Hammer of Cthonia once more entered our sector, raining devastation and death upon the enemy.

Shadow Taker took my momentary distraction and dashed towards me. I threw my axe at him; he sidestepped the spinning weapon with grace and closed the distance. I outstretched one of my arms, electromagnetic energy pulsing as I yanked my axe back. The power weapon changed direction midair like a boomerang and struck the Ork's back with a smack. Surprised he stumbled a little but kept on going. I launched forward, my hand becoming a claw as I reached for his throat in his moment of vulnerability.

He head-butted my hand, breaking my pinky finger with a snap. Then he dropped one of his blades, grabbed my forearm, and made a quick swipe aiming to slit my throat. I tilted my head, avoiding the blow, but I could feel a scratch at the edge of my cheek.

"Got yah!" Shadow Taker began to laugh, tightening his grip on my arm. "Dat little shield bubble won't work if I'm holding on to yah." He tried to stab me again, but my metal hand slapped the blade away. His laughter stopped as he surveyed our situation. He inclined his head, looked at my arms, and, after deciding something, flicked his blade and presented it to me hilt first.

"You ain't got no weapon. Ya chopper's in me back. I can't krump you good if you're not properly equipped."

I accepted the Ork long blade with a little confusion. "Thank you, I guess?"

He nodded. "No problem, humie." Kicking up his discarded long blade into his hand with surprising dexterity. "Now, where were we? Ahhh yah. WAAAGH!"

With our forearms still locked, the fight turned into a vicious close-quarters struggle. Shadow Taker's strength was overwhelming, but I used my agility and augments to twist and turn, keeping his blade from finding a target. We circled each other again, both of us breathing heavily. The battlefield around us was a cacophony of explosions, laser fire, and the cries of the dying. But in this moment, it felt like it was just the two of us, locked in a deadly dance.

"You fight well, for a humie," Shadow Taker said, wiping blood from his mouth. "But I ain't done yet." His massive hand gripped mine in a vise-like hold.

"Neither am I," I replied, my grip tightening on his forearm.

Our blades locked, and we were face-to-face, inches apart. His breath was hot and fetid, but his eyes burned with a savage light. "You're tougher than I thought, humie."

I grinned, blood from the scratch on my cheek mingling with the sweat. "And you're uglier up close."

He laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that shook his massive frame. "Compliments won't save ya."

He yanked me forward and stepped on my leg, causing me to trip a little bit. I turned the trip into a lunge, and we ended up stabbing each other. He got me between my armor plates, and I stabbed him in the armpit. We both chuckled. We withdrew at the same time, blades slick with each other's blood. A mixture of nanites and combat stimulants flooded my veins like hot liquid metal.

"Why are you not an Ork?" he asked, sounding almost sad. Slashing at me

"Why are you not a human?" I Riposed, Intercepting the blade, He shrugged while jabbing me.

"As fun as this is, Shadow, I'm gonna have to end this now. I've got other stuff to do." With a hiss and pop, I disconnected my arm. The Ork stumbled back as I threw my dagger into his eye the Warboss yelled in pain.

But before I could even unholster my plasma pistol and finish the Ork off, there was an air-deafening roar as the Space Marine Sergeant brought his power hammer down on the other Ork Warboss, smashing his armoured hide like fragile porcelain. Gore leaked from its shell, and the Orks once more began to rout.

"Well, that's it for today then," Shadow Taker said, his voice dripping with a mix of mockery and menace. "Ya best not get kramped before I come for ya, humie."

He pulled out what looked like a squeaky toy, though it was far from innocent. A tangle of wires coiled around it, pulsating with a dark, sinister energy. As he tightened his grip, the air around us seemed to shiver and distort.

Space bent and warped, creating a tear in the fabric of reality itself. Ethereal energy slashed through real space, a terrifying and beautiful display of power. A hue of blazing luminescence cascaded over the plaza, leaving me utterly speechless. The intensity of the warp energy was overwhelming. I could feel my eyes begin to bleed, tears of crimson streaking down my face as I gazed into the warp unfiltered.

Then, with a final, violent shudder, Shadow Taker was gone. He vanished into the ether, leaving nothing but ash and the acrid smell of ozone in his wake.

I stood there for what felt like hours, staring into the distance. Someone tugged at my arm, pulling me out of whatever trance I was in. It was one of the veterans from the 77th, I think her name was Kim or something. Her white winter uniform was bloodied, and she had a bandage over one of her eyes. I glanced at her rank tag. Oh, she's a major now. The last time I saw her, she was a captain. She tugged my arm again.

"Victor, you need a medic. You're bleeding red and white. Do you need help moving?"

I shook my head as the combat stims faded and pain began to creep in once more. I thought I needed to lie down a bit. I was about to congratulate her on her promotion, but then realization hit me like a brick. I looked down at one of my empty arm sockets.

!!! My Arm !!!

I'm not proud of it, but I let out a shrill shriek. The bastard took my arm! And my axe! I fell to my knees, alarming Kim. The arms I had equipped were a set of four developed by the Outer Rim Technocracy in M25. They were artisan pieces made for a transhuman society that doesn't exist anymore—they're literally irreplaceable. I didn't even have a chance to fully scan them. Each arm was different, possessing a unique ability that I was still studying. I hit the ground, spiderweb cracks rippling around my head. Not to mention my axe was a gift from my mentor—oh, she's gonna be pissed. I wallowed in pain and sorrow for a little bit. A gentle hand patted me on the back, before recovering my composure and seeking medical attention.

Line ---

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

I remember always hearing stories about reinforcements arriving at the last moment to save the day from certain disasters. But no one ever talks about when reinforcements come four hours after the action has ended and the survivors are just picking up the pieces. At least, on the bright side, we were relieved, and I could return to my compound, repair myself, and sleep.

Leaning on the windowsill of a ruined third-story building, now an improvised hospital for the wounded, I looked out into the plaza and felt the empty socket where my fourth arm used to be. Over a hundred additional Lunar Wolves and a full brigade of Imperial Army troops had come to relieve and reinforce us. Their final push was to take the rest of the town and secure this strategic location. Several more cruisers had descended into low orbit, transporting men, women, and supplies to the various fronts of this colossal campaign.

Yawning, I received a message and acknowledged it while jumping out of the third-story window. My robes fluttered as I landed in the snow, startling some of the newcomers. I strolled towards the temporary command center, rolling my shoulders. Above, Space Marine strike craft and Imperial fighters flew in formation. A massive push was coming, and I wanted no part of it.

The temporary command centre was once a library, judging from the bookcases and decayed terminal-like computers. The spacious interior was quickly becoming cramped with the bulky bodies of space marines and officers from the other brigade. I quickly found a stool, despite everybody standing up, and took a seat, waiting for everybody to file in.

I pulled out my data slate, grimaced at its cracked screen, and began to write the next chapter of my book. I just needed to think of a chapter name. But before I could start typing, the screen glitched, showing me static. Stupid thing. I smacked it on the bookshelf beside me a couple of times like a misbehaving child before it resumed normal function.

A veritable hiss of angry binary assaulted my receiver implant. Looking in the direction it came from, I could see Gamma walking toward me with purpose, her eyes wide. She tilted her head sideways where I could see other tech adepts coming in. She sent me another rant about the sanctity of machines and my conduct that could basically be summed up as:

"Stop screwing around. The Orthodox are here."

I let out a deep sigh of irritation. I sent a transmission to Dot and Pork, who were doing repairs outside, to bust out the incense, oils, and whatever random bull crap the Orthodox liked. They were a relatively large faction in the Mechanicum, but if I didn't stop what was to come, they would have total control, stopping any progress and even stagnating it due to their beliefs.

The meeting began. All relevant individuals were formed into a rough circle with the captain and the sergeant in the middle. One of the tech adepts accompanying the new forces brought out a hollow table that walked on spider legs, mumbling prayers and holding a candle as he walked, leading the spider table to the centre where the space marines were. He knelt before the machine, wiping a cloth over the keyboard and entering something. The holographic table whirred to life with a sound reminiscent of old modem computers of the 20th century. The harsh clicks filled me with nostalgia and longing for more peaceful days.

The table flashed to life, illuminating the library in a sickly green colour that made long silhouettes on the wall.

The captain took off his helmet, revealing himself to be a Son of Horus. As in, he looked exactly like Horus Lupercal. I recognized him as Horus Aximand, Captain of the 5th Company of the Luna Wolves, and a member of the Mournival, one of the four chief advisors and confidants of the Primarch. And with that, I am bailing out of this operation. However, another part of me said this had been the chance, I was waiting for to get close to one of the Primarchs. He was right there. If I could get in with him, then… I shook my head. No. I wasn't going to risk my cohort on an "if" and a "maybe." I'm sure another chance would appear soon. Right now, I needed to GTFO and RTB before I was embroiled in another honour duel with an Ork.

I could feel an arm on my shoulder. She looked pretty annoyed. She sent me another paragraph in binary that could pretty much be summed up as "Pay attention."

My thoughts drifted as Gamma's grip tightened on my shoulder, her stern binary whisper cutting through my distractions. I blinked, refocusing on the captain's words. His voice was a low rumble, filled with the authority of countless battles won and lost.

"-Thanks to the contributions of our forward teams, he Inclined his head to the corner where the 77th and the solar auxiliary were. We have two footholes.

The table's holographic projection flickered, revealing a detailed tactical map of the town, its surroundings, and a planned assault vector. Aximand's voice, deep and resonant, filled the room.

"Brothers," he began, his gaze sweeping across the assembled Luna Wolves, "Our mission is clear. We will mop up any resistance left here and push forward to secure this sector." His gauntleted finger stabbed at a series of markers on the map. The Ork Fortress City, the locals called it, Mork Berge—a festering sore on this infested world—glowed ominously.

"The Luna Wolves will spearhead the assault, supported by the army. We will cleanse this filth, and—"

I looked down at my data slate, barely bothering to pay attention to his speech, and began to edit the readiness of my forces. I'm not going to join in an assault on a fortress city—not now, preferably not ever. The Navy can't even get close because of the surface-to-orbit guns, and we can't use ICBMs because of the Void Shields covering the place—not to mention the handful of Gargants spotted by scouts. I heard a shift in the crowd and looked up again.

The holographic table zoomed out to reveal the entire planet. There were gasps and whistles amongst the crowd as the full scope of the invasion was made clear. Scattered across the various continents and landmasses were icons representing different Space Marine Legions—fourteen present in total. Additionally, there were several special icons interspersed, indicating the presence of Primarchs on the holographic table.

But despite all that, there was one thing everybody was looking at, something special that every single officer, non-commissioned officer, and Marine longed to see: the Imperial Aquila with thunderbolts. The Emperor would be taking to the field. With over a quarter million Space Marines and millions of Imperial troops, this would be the biggest military offensive in human history since the Cybernetic revolt and the Dark Age that followed.

"Take heart knowing that the Primarchs and the Emperor are in orbit, watching our progress," he said. His voice became dark. "We will not disappoint them."

The meeting went on for a little bit longer as they hashed out the nitty-gritty details of which squad would be going where and who was going with whom.

So the plan is for all forces here to clear out the settlement. Once that is done, we will use the town as a logistics hub and fallback point if needed. The 77th and the Auxiliary Company and my cohort will return to base once the town is secure and the rest of the 11th Regiment is here to relieve us. So, we have one more adventure before we need to go home. Mopping up Orks in an urban environment—great.

The room was filled with a tangible mix of anticipation and dread.

My initial thought about this was, "Ah, at least we have the Luna Wolves to help with this," but now they're pushing forward and leaving the cleanup to us. Out of almost 150 Marines present, only 20 will be helping with clearing the town, which, in hindsight, is actually pretty generous. So you win some, you lose some.

The Space Marines wanted to attack immediately, but most of the troops hadn't slept in hours and were exhausted from the constant fighting. Colonel Han wanted at least 10 hours for his brigade to recover, but the captain wasn't having any of it. They went back and forth and finally settled on 8 hours. I saw Han's satisfied smile as he walked out, knowing he'd done his job. When negotiating, always start high—never start at the number you actually want. Especially true when dealing with military types.

I got up from my stool and stretched my back, wincing at the pain in my side. Gamma watched me impassively before speaking. "Why do you cling to your senses so much, especially those that discomfort you?"

"It's a reminder, that despite everything I've done to myself, I'm still human underneath. Pain has its functions—it's your body's way of saying 'Stop doing what you're doing, idiot.' Why would I get rid of such a useful function? It's inbuilt troubleshooting, though it does get annoying at times."

I threw my data slate in the air like a frisbee and caught it with the other hand. "Come on, let's go. We have our own debriefing and after-action report." I nodded to the sergeant and walked back into the plaza. Immediately, I wanted to walk right back out when I spotted Dot and Pork having a standoff with a few red-robed Tech Priests. Uhh...

There goes my plan for a restful eight hours. I hadn't even eaten yet.