Chapter 328: Fighting Queek (Part 2)

The defense of the Shield of Resistance is peak, and the hammer of the Angrund Clan is unbreakable. This heirloom's hammerhead is trapezoidal when viewed from the side; as a one-handed hammer, it is not large in size, but the Master Rune grants it power that does not match its appearance.

"Tsk tsk, a clan's heirloom, the stuff I have on hand right now is pretty much scrap metal compared to those two." Sinuoli muttered to himself as he watched the hammer of Belegar Ironhammer wreak havoc on the Oath Stone as if he were cheating.

Although the clan he was born into suffered heavy losses during the Great Holy War and half of its treasures were scattered, as a disciple of Krag the Grim, he still managed to scrape together quite a few good things, though it is a pity that their functions are mostly auxiliary.

A large portion of the candle behind him had burned away, and Sinuoli could hear the breathing of the warriors in the front row becoming increasingly heavy, their frequency of swinging weapons also beginning to slow down. Belegar clearly noticed this as well; he rhythmically struck his shield and issued an order to change formation.

The Dwarfs standing in the back row stepped forward to take over the defensive line, replacing their exhausted comrades. Even though Belegar's subordinates were well-trained, the relief still brought a fleeting moment of chaos to the formation.

Ainiya Furen and other women treated the wounds of the clansmen who had retreated, offering food and ale. Although the inferior weapons of the Clanrats were not laced with Warpstone, they were rich in the various viruses of their squalid living environment; while Dwarfs have high resistance, it is better not to take it head-on if there is a choice.

It was another long round of attrition, and Sinuoli even closed his eyes to doze for a while. Although it looked very boring, this was the tactic and strategy that Dwarfs had relied on for thousands of years to survive, relying on their own tenacity and heavy armor to withstand the onslaught of enemies who held an absolute advantage in numbers.

Belegar did not have much strength on hand, but fortunately, he and the two ancestral spirits participating in the battle did not need much rest; they became the backbone of the defensive line, constantly encouraging their kin and inflicting damage on the Skaven.

Sinuoli keenly noticed that the fighting desire of these ragtag Skaven began to drop rapidly. Having lost the Warlord who commanded them, relying solely on coercion and inducement could certainly make them fight for their lives on the battlefield, but fighting intelligently and efficiently was destined to be impossible.

And once the offensive was frustrated, physical strength declined, and hunger appeared, the collapse of the morale of normal rat-kind was almost irreversible. Perhaps those big shots who occupied a seat on the Council of Thirteen could have some special tricks, but the current Queek Headtaker was at his wit's end.

When the second batch of warriors showed signs of fatigue, Sinuoli knew the time for a rotation was coming again. Queek clearly realized this too; the personal instruction of Genuoduoer and years of struggle against Belegar had given it such insight.

"Not good!"

Sinuoli discovered that the Skaven's formation showed some kind of movement; the Clanrats slowed their attack and began to retreat in an organized manner to the rear and sides, clearly intending to clear a path for something.

The Angrund Clan did not disappoint him; the ancestral spirits were older than Sinuoli and Belegar combined when they died on the battlefield, and their experience and beards—even in a spiritual state—were reliable enough.

Thorgrim Ironbrow struck the anvil in front of him; he had been standing by in previous battles. Sinuoli was accustomed to releasing runes first and then wielding his gear into melee, but this Rune Master of Tiefengbao had a different understanding of combat.

"The will of the Sons of the Mountains to take revenge is stronger than steel!"

The Oath and Steel Rune is common on various types of armor, and with the help of the Doom Anvil, it can also be applied to warriors in an area.

"That is a Warpfire Thrower!"

Sinuoli narrowed his eyes; he saw the two-rat weapon team again, only this time the rats were not holding Jezzails and shields. The one in the back carried a huge fuel tank, while the one in front held a nozzle with both claws.

The Warpfire Thrower is one of the deadliest weapons of Clan Skryre, and it is considered to represent the technical archetype of Clan Skryre—powerful and dangerous.

This thing is relatively cheap, and matching that is its crudeness and extreme instability, to the point that the operator has to wear heavy protective gear, making their movements look somewhat ridiculous.

"Puff!"

"Whoosh!"

The Warpstone Flame Thrower technology is simple and crude; as long as the trigger is pulled, a chemical agent mixed with Warpstone powder will spray out and be ignited, turning into green, evil flames.

Fortunately, the range of the thrower is limited and it does not distinguish between friend and foe; the ragtag Clanrats cherished their own rat lives and cleared the path too early, giving the Dwarfs plenty of time to react.

"Throw them!"

Belegar let out a roar, and the Ironbreakers pulled out the Thunder Tubes they carried and threw them out. This type of explosive, similar to a Grenade, was slightly inferior in power to Artillery, but it was convenient and fast.

"Well done!"

Watching the large patches of green evil fire suddenly rise in the Skaven formation and the rats screaming and fleeing, Sinuoli punched the air and cheered. The explosion of the Thunder Tubes ignited the fuel tanks, and the unbridled Warpstone flames burned among the rat swarm.

This green fire was extremely overbearing; as soon as it touched something, it would spread to almost every surface of the target. The unprotected Clanrats wailed and fled, even spreading some sparks to the rear guard.

"Trash! Trash!"

Queek was so angry that his whiskers trembled.

"Burn! Keep burning for me! These stunties are quite waaagh!"

"You, you have a very, very accurate understanding of yourself!"

The two heads on the Skull rack mocked him; losers of the past inevitably gloated when they saw Queek suffer. The massive amount of noise and muttering in his ears made Queek manic; he knew well that obedience stems from violence, and at this time, a beautiful charge was needed to boost the morale of the army.

"Come and compare, compare who can fight better! We are going to have a good fight with them! Yes, yes! Cut off their beards!" The Headtaker stood up, brandished his twin blades, and issued the order to attack.

"Yes! Yes!"

"Beard-things, die! Die!"

"Kill! Kill!"

The rat swarm became restless, and an astonishing number of Stormvermin gathered together; this elite among the Skaven erupted with amazing fighting spirit. The batch of Stormvermin closest to Queek wore red Plate Armor; they were called the Crimson Guard, the personal guards selected by Queek.

"Prepare to fire!"

Auerte-Yanmei shouted; because Delama-Chuiquan had gone to meet the Tiefengbao army and had not returned, he temporarily took over the command of the Kladromen Artillery. Belegar had placed the Cannon and bolt throwers on the outer wall, and now there were only a few Organ Guns in the hall.

"Fire!"

Firing at the same time as the Dwarf Artillery were the Jezzail teams; they had excellent range and provided fire support for the Stormvermin's charge from afar.