Hunter

The Skitarii on the ground had all perished beneath the Orks' assault and the splash damage of all manner of apocalypse-class weapons. The parched earth, its moisture and blood vaporized by explosions, searing heat, and ion storms, showed signs of desertification. Places struck directly either held pools of magma awaiting cooling or glassy craters reflecting dazzling light.

The remnants of the Orks hiding beneath tunnels and vehicle wrecks around the Titan Legion's feet occasionally fired at the Titans, but the Titan operators and princeps never spared these overconfident greenskins a glance. Their only opponents were the not-yet-dead Ork super-heavy tank formations and the Gu Jujis farther away, still within range.

Big Big Big Waaagh had become a metal ruin fit only for dismantling and repairs, but the remaining Gu Jujis had no intention of waiting helplessly for death. Protected by the Orks' Waaagh! field shields, they fought the Titan Legions evenly.

High-velocity shells and lightning were stopped by the Void Shields, while slow indirect-fire shells and aerial bombs were intercepted by countless point-defense guns, exploding in midair and becoming billowing clouds of black smoke. The sky over the entire battlefield had been completely obscured by the smoke and dust of war, turning utterly dark. Scarlet ion lightning surged within that heavy black smoke, through which not a trace of starlight could penetrate.

The climate in this region grew ever worse. Under the effects of plasma mega-cannons and Volcano Cannons, the ions in the air became increasingly chaotic and violent. A localized storm formed, sweeping up sand, dirt, flesh, and blood from the ground—a literal storm of blood and gore visible to the naked eye.

Under the cover of those storms and the Gu Jujis' firepower, hundreds of battle fortresses fitted with enormous Iron Claws sped forward amid the screech of sand and gravel scraping against metal plates.

Battle Fortresses

They stealthily parked the battle fortresses two kilometers from the Warlord Titan. Through the scarlet storm, they could clearly see the enormous blue barrel of the Warlord Titan's plasma cannon glowing with the eerie blue light of imminent overheating.

"Hey hey hey!" A Big Mek with a strange laugh poked his head out of the battle fortress's roof hatch and observed the Warlord Titan through the binoculars in his hand.

"I told ya, in weather like this, them shrimps can't spot us. You lot were still scared? You're disgracin' Gork and Mork!"

The Ork boys he had scolded awkwardly rubbed their bald heads, their faces full of embarrassment.

"But can that thing of yours really work? Looks like nothin' but a claw to me."

"What do you know, ya runt? This ain't an ordinary claw. It's fitted with a super badass Explosive-Absorbing Field and equally super badass Smart Rockets. I'll show ya, and then you'll get it."

The strangely laughing Big Mek pulled himself back inside the battle fortress and plopped down into the chair controlling the Iron Claw. After smashing the holographic screen ripped from an Imperium command center a few times, the display refreshed to show the view directly behind the Iron Claw.

"Ooohhh!" The Orks cried out in amazement. The Big Mek with the "hey hey hey" laugh clearly enjoyed that. After putting on an expression that said these boys could be taught after all, he pressed the first button on the control stick.

A buzzing sound rang out. The electromagnetically accelerated Iron Claw swiftly shot free of the battle fortress's launch rail and flew toward the targeted Warlord Titan.

"Warning. An unidentified solid object has been detected approaching from the left."

"Calculate its speed."

"Its speed exceeds the Void Shield interception threshold by fifteen times."

"Adjust Void Shield output to 55 percent."

"Adjusting Void Shield output to 55 percent."

Amid the orderly operations on the bridge, the Void Shield's energy was precisely adjusted to deal with the incoming object. The Warlord Titan could not waste time rotating its body to intercept it with the safer and more efficient point-defense guns. The Void Shield would handle the task perfectly.

Just before the Iron Claw reached the Void Shield and was intercepted, the Big Mek monitoring it from the battle fortress abruptly pressed the second button on the control stick. The rockets mounted ahead of the Iron Claw ignited, providing immense reverse thrust that slowed it down.

"The unknown object has slowed! It passed through the Void Shield's interception!"

"What?"

Amid the princeps's shock, the Iron Claw slowly forced its way through the Void Shield bit by bit. Seizing the moment, the Big Mek pressed the third button. More rockets behind the Iron Claw ignited, forcibly lifting the claw back up after it had begun to fall, and it slammed viciously into the Warlord Titan's armor.

"That's it? Looks like nothin' special."

"This is only the beginning!"

Amid the Big Mek's excited shout, the Orks finally noticed the long cables trailing behind the Iron Claw. After they transferred the battle fortress's energy from the vehicle to the claw, the four-pronged claw embedded in the Warlord Titan rapidly heated until it glowed red. Then, after a scorching explosion mixed with a magnetic storm, it detached from the Titan. The battle fortress's rail cables swiftly reeled the heavy, searing Iron Claw back in. During its retrieval, the claw smashed apart every wreck and rock that tried to block its path.

A huge section of the Warlord Titan's leg armor had been melted away, exposing mechanical structures and cables that spat sparks. It had clearly suffered considerable damage in that attack.

Having witnessed the Iron Claw's power, the Ork boys in the battle fortress immediately abandoned their carefree attitudes. One after another, they eagerly pulled teef from their pockets and begged the Big Mek to let them try it too.

The Big Mek nodded in satisfaction and accepted a fine large tooth from one Ork's hand. He had knocked it out of a drunken Ork's mouth in some fungal tavern.

"Ha ha ha! Let them shrimps see how good I am!" Then, copying the same procedure, he launched the Iron Claw once more. The similarly modified battle fortresses also learned to use this useful and entertaining weapon under the instruction of the Big Mek's Gretchin assistants and Mekboyz. It reminded them of the days in the Snakebites clan when they used big choppas and spears to catch giant Squigs.

Dozens, then hundreds, of Iron Claws pounced from the shadows of the storm and beneath the cover of wreckage toward the already damaged Warlord Titan.

Linked to the Warlord Titan, the princeps felt the Machine Spirit's wail. Though the massive wound in its leg would not be enough to bring down the god-machine, the exposed cables severely affected the Titan's turning and movement.

"More unidentified projectiles incoming!"

"Raise Void Shield energy to 100 percent. Turn the body and use the point-defense guns to eliminate them."

The fully charged Void Shield became even more conspicuous, radiating a faint white glow. It was barely visible under daylight, but within this sufficiently black storm, it became a massive beacon anyone could see.

The Titan turned its body, presenting the side with the most turrets and the best firing arcs toward the high-speed Iron Claws. In the distance, the Gu Jujis saw the Warlord Titan turn and seized the chance to unleash every last shell and round they had.