The Great Retreat (Part 2)

Ivanov hastily pulled his head back behind the wall.

"Fuck."

"They can't deal with all of us, sir!"

A blue-eyed soldier crouched and shuffled up behind Ivanov. His name was Vadugin, and before joining the army, he had been a choirboy.

That was hard to tell now. His face was covered in vicious, twisted scars, bearing almost no resemblance to the purity and goodness of a cathedral.

But the young man's eyes remained clear and bright.

"I mean, sir, if we all go together."

Vadugin continued:

"I think most of us can make it through the door."

The casualties would be horrifying.

Ivanov frowned. But did he have a choice?

The others voiced their agreement with Vadugin's suggestion, and Aluno was among them.

"I counted five streets leading to that building. If we charge from different directions at once, we can at least buy ourselves an opportunity. You said it yourself, sir. Time waits for no one."

"It sounds—"

Ivanov was interrupted by the sound of a door being kicked open, followed by thick Ork dialect barking out orders.

He cautiously peered around the corner of the wall—

A group of Greenskins poured out through the main entrance, seven or eight of them, taking up positions around the building.

As always, the heavily accented Ork language was difficult to understand completely, but it was not incomprehensible. The Greenskin leader sounded anxious.

"He isn't confident."

He suddenly told Aluno.

"Sir?"

Ivanov turned toward him.

"That bastard Greenskin. I can tell it's nervous. They didn't expect this place to come under attack. Those sons of bitches thought they had the whole area under control. They thought the heavy weapons cover made them untouchable. Sounds like we're facing worthless Greenskins, not the Blood Axes soldiers we dealt with before."

"What do you think,