Establishing Authority (Part 2)

The tremor came again, then once more, as if answering his thoughts.

That slow rhythm made Unoka feel as though he were alone in a dark forest, listening to some unseen horror prowling at the edge of his vision.

"Boss?"

Quadra's voice sounded exhausted. He was still bleeding, though few Orks ever died from blood loss, as if their bodies automatically dealt with fluid imbalance.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I can feel it..."

Unoka jerked both arms sharply, pulling the barbed spear free amid the blood splashed across him.

Throughout the process, Quadra only grunted once.

"There are explosions to the southeast."

"Maybe."

"But the tremors aren't in sync with the explosions."

Unoka considered it and confirmed that he wasn't mistaken.

"What?"

The ground shook once, then again.

This time, even slow-witted Quadra felt it. At the same time, all sorts of sounds began drifting over from afar.

The howls of the boyz, gunfire, and the thunderous crash of houses being knocked down.

"Wait—"

Unoka had barely spoken when he was cut off.

A colossal silver-white shape strode out of the smoke of war, like an actor passing through a curtain onto the stage.

It stood three times taller than an ordinary Morkanaut. Curved armor plates several meters thick covered its shoulders, while its enormous barrel-shaped hull embodied the strongest form an Ork could imagine. Silver-white paint coated its raised metal hide.

Both its arms were long-barreled weapons. Its shielded, oil-slick casing gleamed within the thick mist, and electronic green light flickered in the eyes of its huge, smiling face-like head.

Scanning beams swept the ground ahead of it, while tree-trunk-thick pistons hissed as it advanced.

It was a god of war, a supreme war machine. The world trembled beneath its feet.

"What is that?!"

Unoka felt himself scream. Quadra