’It’s too open. I don’t like it,’ murmured Jarek Nightstalker under his breath.
Rurik had followed the Necrons to another part of the ruined city, where they had descended down into some subterranean tunnel. Jarek and the rest of the Nightstalkers had met up with him there. ’We need to see what those tunnels lead to,’ said Jarek. ’We move in and eliminate the guards. If the metal bastards bring reinforcements, we withdraw.’
This said, Jarek and Alarik snuck up the middle of the road, crouching behind cover. The sniper Rurik and auspex-equipped Dag deployed in some ruins on the left flank, covering the road and opposite building. Nord moved up the right flank in the cover of the containers.
But the guarding Necrons were immediately alerted and moved to intercept. A pair of Flayed Ones appeared out of a pile of debris in the building and advanced on Nord. Alarik gave Jarek a stimm-shot and he vaulted the cover to engage the Necron Warriors in close combat. Dag used his scanner to assist Rurik and both fired on the Necron Warrior on the other end of the road. Nord gained the higher ground by standing on top of the container and firing on the approaching Flayed One. Jarek ripped pieces of the Necron Warrior before him, but was unable to take him down.
The Nightstalkers ducked the Necron return fire, and Nord used his shock grenade to confuse the charging Flayed One, but only managed to wound the tough construct. The Necron Warriors fell back from Jarek and let the unengaged Warriors fire on him. Jarek was wounded several times, but denied death and stood firm. Alarik joined him and threw grenades into the Necron Warriors, but they proved tough to displace.
Another volley of fire brought a severely wounded Jarek down, and the Nightstalkers decided to withdraw. Nord seeded the battlefield with his remaining shock grenades and fled from the reanimated Flayed Ones he was engaged with, as Rurik and Dag covered Alarik, as he pulled the prone body of Jarek from the fighting.
’Fall back!’ Dag shouted into the comms, and fired his marksman bolt carbine again. Alarik had picked Jarek up and was running as fast as he could, while the rest of the Nightstalkers covered his retreat.
’The Necrons have a much greater presence here than we thought. It’s time to report back to command.’