Cheap cigarettes quickly brought everyone closer together. After taking a deep drag, the lead soldier slowly blew out a smoke ring and said:
"For two weeks, he did nothing but squat in his little nest. He watched the surrounding positions get wiped out one by one, and that coward didn't do a thing. Then the Orks brought in a big toy and smashed his nest to pieces in one shot. Heh."
"A big toy?"
"A fucking huge mechanical giant. One stomp crushed half the school."
"An Ork Diamond."
Ragnar spoke quietly. He had seen Ork machinery before, but anything capable of destroying a fortified stronghold in a single blow could only be the largest of them all—the Ork Diamond.
"So what now?"
"The Supreme Command has already sent someone else to clean up this mess and settle it for good."
"Who did they send?"
"Why are these civilians still here?"
A voice asked. It was a deep, penetrating voice, given even harder edges by the loudspeaker.
Then a figure stepped into the beam of light from behind the soldiers. Ragnar could not understand how the other man had appeared here without anyone noticing.
When he saw him clearly, he finally understood.
It was a Slayer from the Civic Temple, wearing form-fitting powered armor capable of concealing him.
Clearly, the Supreme Command had requested reinforcements from the Civic Temple to clean up the aftermath.
Ragnar felt his chest tighten and his pulse suddenly quicken.
He had only heard of Temple Slayers, never seen one in person. They were said to be humanity's strongest warriors, superhumans capable of fighting a hundred men alone.
Until this moment, he had not realized they were so mysterious.
The dark gold, curved armor was as eerie and unfathomable as the tomb statue before him. The dim