Deep in the rusted industrial gut of Hive Orestes, a Slopper named Mug-Grit was busy cookin' in his Slopshop. His rivals had laughed at him for his use of Stompa Oil in his fungus stew last time. And now, he was going to show them.
The air in the plaza was thick with the stench of his boiling spicy fungus and oily exhaust. The Orks who had taken over the Hive City had attacked from the ground floor, unlike others who preferred to go through the Underhive. They had worked their way up towards the spire and taken the space and made it their own, looting everything they could on their way to the big Waaagh.
Mug-Grit stirred a vat of grey, bubbling sludge with a rusted girder; his face was a mask of grease and scars, which he got during his fights with the other Slopperz.
Outside, two Snotlings were being chased by a Small Squig. The snarling, red ball of teeth and two legs lunged and snapped its jaws shut on the leg of the first runt. As the Snotling shrieked, the second one panicked, scrambled into the Slopshop, up the Slopper's back to escape the snapping beast, and—with a wet plop—fell directly into the massive cooking vat.
"AAARRR!!"
Mug-Grit roared in frustration, reaching into the boiling broth with his bare, calloused hand. He fished out the already burnt-cooked Snotling by its neck, glared at it for a second, then squished it flat with his hand.
He tossed the smashed blob corpse into the soup, like a piece of compressed bread.
"Ya want in? Den get in me soup, ya stupid git! It might be good meat!"
Nearby, a mob of ten Ork Boyz, barely 6 feet 6 inches tall and with a hunched posture, were laughing and punching each other as their "Head-Bash" game heated up. They began to walk toward a massive, reinforced blast door leading deeper into the Hive.
"I's gonna find sumfing killy in dere," one Boy boasted, holding a rusted slugga.
They stepped into the darkness of the transition tunnel. Several squigs ran by them and played around, running in front of the group. Everyone was having a good time, only to stop dead when they heard the squeaking of the squigs followed by a wet sound.
"Hm?"
"Wha's dis?"
They had bumped into something. Something tall. Something cold. Something made of heavy, powerful metal.
A low, mechanical hum began to vibrate through the tunnel, and a bright light lit up the otherwise dark tunnel, revealing to everyone present just what they had bumped into.
.
Back in the plaza, Mug-Grit was just about to taste his brew. He planned to create another crunchy pie when a thunderous BOOM echoed throughout the monstrous plaza of the ground floor of the Hive, alerting thousands of Orks in the process.
*BOOOMM*
The reinforced wall next to the doorway exploded outward. Dust, ferro-crete chunks, and the mangled remains of two Ork Boyz flew through the air and splashed on the ground.
Gerhard stepped through the irregular, large hole he had created in the wall, ignoring the perfectly good doorway right next to him.
The MK III-H "Iron Monger" Power Armour stood three meters tall, its sleek, metallic surface shining under the light of orange promethium fires, making the Evil Sunz among the crowd salivate with desire.
"STAND READY FOR MY ARRIVAL, GITS!"
Gerhard's vox-casters reverberated throughout the plaza, drowning out the crackling fires, the brawls, laughter and the chaotic Ork daylife. He dropped the remains of an Ork Boy and shook his large mechanical hand. His presence filled the area, and what a presence it was, pulling everyone's attention. Gerhard opened his helmet, showing them that he was indeed a humie, and to prove to them that he was going to shit on them.
"I AM GERHARD, DA SUPERIOR KRUMPA! DA DAKKA-MASTA! AND I'S 'ERE TO KILL ALL O' YA!"
The Orks in the plaza stared in stunned silence for a moment. Then, that silence made way for a collective cheer and excitement of all the Ors present.
"WAAAAGGGHHH!!"
Skar-Grind, a Goff Nob, one of thousands here, with a jaw-plate made of tank treads, pointed his Big Choppa at the giant.
"DAKKA-MASTER?! YOU'S JUST A SHINY BOX! BOYZ! GET STUKK IN! KRUMP' IM GUD!"
The plaza further erupted into chaos. A wave of Goff Boyz, Squigs and Gretchins rushed forward. They didn't wait on anyone; they didn't think about anything; they unleashed everything they had with their shootas and choppas.
[Observe]
Ork Boy – Lv.16
|HP: 6300/6300
|MP: 0
|A brutal greenskin warrior, who with his mob forms the core of any Ork army. Stronger and tougher than humans, but less disciplined and more excited.
| Member of the Goff Klan.
-
Goff Klan - Da Biggest & Da Baddest
| The Goffs are the Ork "klan" who represent the largest and most aggressive of the known Greenskin klanz. The Goffs are the biggest, meanest and most brutish of all their kind, and that's saying something since they are Orks.
| Of all the Ork klanz, the Goffs are the most inspired by the thrill and thunder of battle. Goffs will take any excuse to start a brawl, even amongst themselves. As a result, the Goffs are specialists in hand-to-hand combat who prefer their battles up close and personal.
-
Clang! Ping! Spark!
Shoota rounds pancaked against the Diamantine-Polymorphic Bulwark. Choppas swung with massive bone-breaking force, striking Gerhard's legs and torso. They roared with excitement and battle lust, striking with everything they had. Dozens of Stikkbombs, an anti-infantry fragmentation grenade, were hurled forward.
...
Gerhard just stood there.
He had his mechanical arms crossed over his chest and waited for them to finish, but they didn't. When the dust settled and the Orks paused to observe their krumpin', they saw the Iron Monger suit still as pristine as it had been initially. Not a single scratch marred the polymorphic alloy.
"Dat's it?" Gerhard mocked.
He reached out. His movement was almost lightning-fast, seizing a Goff Boy by the throat. The reason he could move this fast was the thrusters he had built inside them.
He lifted the three-hundred-pound Ork until they were eye-to-helmet.
"Tell me, runt," Gerhard's voice dropped to a menacing growl. "Is you a real Ork? Or did yer spore get bored and grow a Grot by mistakke? Or is you a Blood Axe by chance?"
Before the Boy could snarl and lash out in anger, Gerhard pulled the Ork towards him and slammed its head against his own armoured helmet.
CRUNCH--SQUELLCHH--
The Boy's skull turned to a wet paste instantly. Gerhard tossed the headless corpse into the crowd, where it squished three Gretchins and a Squig.
[Ork Boy defeated]
[+25,000 EXP]
Gerhard slowly turned around, looking at the others who were staring at him.
"WAAAAAAGH!"
The rest of the mob surged forward, undeterred by the sight of such brutality; on the contrary, they got fired up. Gerhard raised his right arm, and the Storm Bolter mounted on his Lightning Claw began to fire, almost excitedly.
BOOOM--BOOOM--
Firearms Mastery (Passive) Lv. 53
| A skill that allows the user to handle firearms freely.
Effects:
| + 114% increase in attack damage with firearms
| + 100% increase in accuracy when using firearms
| - 64% recoil
| + 60% firing speed
| + 3% Kill chain damage increase
-
Because of Firearms Mastery, there was already less than half the normal recoil, and with the Iron Monger, this was reduced to absolutely nothing. Only a stream of high-explosive death could be seen, and the glorious sound of the bolter shooting into the crowd. Every single explosive burst was a masterpiece that, depending on the distance, also took advantage of Sniper Mastery, detonating Ork heads and, in the process, half their upper bodies with eerie precision.
-
Sniper Mastery (Passive) Lv. 13
| EXP: 30.05%
| A specialised combat skill focused on long-range precision, target analysis, and lethal single-shot execution.
| Developed through disciplined aiming, breath control, and battlefield awareness.
Effects:
| +44% accuracy when aiming (stacks with Firearms Mastery)
| +49% critical hit chance at long range
| +54% damage when using a sniper rifle
| Strongly reduces weapon sway significantly while aiming
| Increased effective range of the firearm used
| Additional Effect:
| Gains increased benefits based on [Firearms Mastery] level
-
[Ork Boy defeated]
[+25,000 EXP]
[Ork Boy defeated]
[+25,000 EXP]
[Gretchin defeated]
[+5,000 EXP]
[Ork Boy defeated]
[+25,000 EXP]
[Gretchin defeated]
[+5,000 EXP]
[Gretchin defeated]
[+5,000 EXP]
[Gretchin defeated]
[+5,000 EXP]
[Gretchin defeated]
[+5,000 EXP]
[Ork Boy defeated]
[+25,000 EXP]
The notifications rolled in as the battle heated up.
"WAAAGH!" a slightly bigger Ork appeared, wearing armour, a helmet and a big choppa in his hand.
Ork Nob – Lv.52
|HP: 11,000/11,000
|MP: 0
|A massive Ork leader. Nobz are among the physically larger members of the Ork race and thus more socially powerful.
STR: 120
VIT: 115
DEX: 40
INT: 10
WIS: 8
LUK: 9
-
The Nob smashed his choppa at Gerhard with all his power. Gerhard could feel the power difference between him and the regular Boyz right away, but it wasn't enough to severely damage the Iron Monger.
He swung his sword through the air, slicing through different Orks, while holding the Nob's weapon in place. While the Nob's strength of 120 was impressive, in the armour, Gerhard's STR was 167, so this wasn't much for him.
"WAAAGH! STUPID BEAKY!" the Nob shouted and pulled his weapon away with all his strength.
Gerhard let go and made the Ork fall onto several charging Orks, knocking them over. He didn't care, though, smashing into a Boy out of frustration and standing back up to get close and personal again.
BOOOM--BOOOM--
Two shots with the Storm Bolter, and the Ork was blasted to bloody mist.
[Ork Nob defeated]
[+120,000 EXP]
Gerhard was a monster, a true bulwark against the green tide of excited deaths. He waltzed through the Goffs and killed wherever he passed. Goff-dominated warbands were notorious for the sheer number of Ork infantry they mustered in times of war. All it took was the hint of a good fight, and the Goffs appeared in droves, flocking to any Warboss who could promise them the chance of opening some skulls.
Because they preferred close combat, Goffs preferred to fight on foot, usually only hitching a lift on passing Trukks so they could jump off nearer to the enemy and get stuck into them as soon as possible.
And while this horde consisted mostly of Goffs, there were not only Ork Boyz present.
[Detect Presence]
Suddenly, the sensors and his skill warned Gerhard about movement from behind him. Two Ork Kommandoz 'de-cloaked'.
-
Ork Kommando – Lv.25
|HP: 6600/6600
|MP: 0
|A rare stealth-oriented Ork. Considered to be the epitome of Ork kunnin', they work as units behind enemy lines to create havoc and confusion.
-
These Kommandoz, a rarity among the Goffs, used their jagged blades and rushed forward, aiming at the suit's power joints. They were "kunnin'," but Gerhard's mind was faster, long having noticed them and knowing where they would strike.
He didn't even turn around. Thanks to his new skill [Parallel Processing], he continued to fight up front while using [Psychokinesis] in the background. He seized a massive, discarded engine block from the scrap pile and swung it behind him like a flail.
The engine block smashed into the first Kommando, liquefying him against a pillar. The second Kommando tried to dodge and leap, but had severely miscalculated.
Gerhard moved slightly to the back, making the Kommando miss him by a hair's breadth. The Kommando turned around and slashed his combat knife forward again. But Gerhard brought his right arm forward and pierced the Kommando's torso with his Lightning Claw, holding him in the air, as if he weighed nothing.
"WAAAGH!" the Ork still roared, even as he was being pierced, proving his incredible tenacity.
Gerhard used [Energy Drain] through the Lightning Claws and sucked the Ork dry, while swinging his left arm through the air, cutting through dozens of Boyz with his Power Sword.
The Ork Kommando shrivelled, his life force feeding Gerhard's Mana pool, before he discarded him like a pile of trash.
Another Ork mob rushed forward. This time, it was an 'Ard Boy mob, thinking themselves smart and wearing 'Eavy Armour. They roared at the top of their lungs and slammed their choppas and shootas at Gerhard.
-
'Ard Boy – Lv.30
|HP: 9200/9200
|MP: 0
|An Ork Boy that wears 'Eavy Armour. Such armour is usually made from sections of armoured plates and scavenged pieces of armour, battered into shape so that it fits its wearer (well, sort of). It usually includes huge metal pauldrons and other metal plates bolted together, or even riveted onto the Ork himself.
| 'Eavy armour has a ramshackle, improvised appearance, but offers far more protection than its humble origins can suggest.
Traits:
| +40% physical resistance
-
The Iron Monger aimed his left arm at the shouting gits and, right before they reached him, he triggered the Repulsor Ray in his palm. The Repulsor Ray was what Gerhard managed to create after focusing on the laser technology in the Lasguns and Long-Las he created.
PWEEEEEWW--
Only slightly more powerful...
He vaporised the 'Ard Boyz's upper bodies, totally unbothered by the armour and special traits. The beam continued forward and melted through dozens of other Orks of the mob running towards Gerhard.
[Ork Kommando mob defeated]
[+600,000 EXP]
[Ork Boy defeated] x 14
[+350'000]
The fighting never stopped. Suddenly, a roar, followed by an oily black flame, could be seen in the sky above. Stormboyz, the shock troops of the warband, activated their rokkit packs and shot through the air.
-
Stormboy - Lv.24
|HP: 5000/5000
|MP: 0
| Ork Stormboyz dedicate their lives to the time-honoured martial disciplines of drilling, marching and hurtling through the air. To this end, they go to war strapped to 'rokkit packs' that, when activated, propel their wearers forward.
Traits:
| +12% speed boost
-
They hurtled through the sky with zero regard for steering or their own safety, aiming to slam into Gerhard like living missiles. They fired their shootas while they were at it, for extra damage.
"FER DA BOSS!" one roared, his rokkit pack sputtering.
The proud Stormboy was met with the first demonstration of Gerhard's more powerful [Psionic Mana Shield].
As the first Stormboy slammed into it, the shield reflected the kinetic force. The Ork bounced off the barrier, seemingly defying conventional physics and spiralled uncontrollably into the Slopper's shop, causing a massive explosion of fungus and shrapnel. Gerhard raised his Lightning Claw, and the Storm Bolter boomed, picking the remaining Stormboyz out of the air like bigger pigeons.
[5x Stormboyz defeated]
[+125,000 EXP]