The roaring river water surged through the breach, instantly flooding the entire tunnel. The Skaven had never expected such a thing to happen. They screeched and scattered in panic, but just as Duanmu Huai had predicted, while Skaven might be able to dig a maze of tunnels underground, that didn't mean they could breathe in water like fish.
So, when the flood came crashing in, all they could do was scream and run for their lives.
"Run! Run!!"
Felch pumped his legs desperately, racing deeper into the tunnel. Behind him, the roaring water rushed like a furious beast in hot pursuit. The slower Skaven had already been swept away, their shrieks cut short before vanishing entirely. Now, only Felch was still forcing himself to accelerate—but no matter how hard he pushed himself, the sound of the water behind him was still getting closer and closer.
For Skaven, tunnels had always been places of safety. Now, they felt like a road straight to hell. The darkness ahead made Felch unsure if he was even running in the right direction, but it didn't matter—he refused to die here. He wanted to live. Live! Become the mighty leader of a warband, become a lord!!
A thunderous crash came from behind. Felch felt as though an invisible giant hand had slammed into him, sending him tumbling to the ground. Before he could even get up, the surging river swallowed him whole.
Gluglugluglug!!
He struggled desperately, trying to break free, but when he opened his mouth, icy river water poured in, choking him. His arms flailed wildly, but all he could see were shifting blurs.
A moment later, his head slammed hard against the tunnel wall under the force of the water. His consciousness went black, and his body disappeared into the dark, flooded depths of the tunnel…
"What in the world…?"
The Empire captain stared in shock. Moments ago, a massive whirlpool had suddenly formed in the middle of the river, sucking the water inward. Then, to their astonishment, the Skaven who had been escaping under cover of poison gas came scrambling back out—only to be cut down without mercy. It was only afterward that they realized the tunnels had been completely flooded.
"Looks like the plan worked," General Paster remarked calmly. The Empire captain frowned.
"What plan, General?"
"Oh, nothing much…"
A sudden splash cut him off.
Out of nowhere, a huge hand thrust out from the water beside them and grabbed the riverbank. Soldiers jumped back and drew their weapons as a massive black shape broke the surface and hauled itself ashore.
"It's you?"
The Empire captain was surprised to see the steel-clad knight dripping and tangled in river weeds. General Paster chuckled.
"Hahaha, seems your plan went smoothly."
"Not bad. I was worried something might go wrong, but it looks fine now."
Duanmu Huai nodded. After blowing the breach, he had climbed out through it. The rushing river had been powerful, but an Inquisitor's Power Armor wasn't for show—it was built for space combat. If it couldn't withstand a bit of river current, that would be shameful.
"This takes care of a major threat," General Paster said with satisfaction. True, the operation had turned Mordheim's underground into a network of water channels, but that also meant the Skaven could never dig new tunnels there again. Without their burrows, their threat level was cut in half—effectively driving them out of Mordheim entirely.
On top of that, they had taken back the docks and the bridge. Combined with Duanmu Huai's aerial bombardment that had wiped out the mutants and Chaos cultists in the slums, the DC district was now fully reclaimed. All that remained was to clear the servants of the God of Tyranny and the God of Desire entrenched in the XC district, and the whole of Mordheim would be theirs again.
"I'll report this to His Majesty at once. He must be waiting for my good news."
Apparently, the general knew how to play his cards—reporting victories in stages to collect multiple rewards. After all, if he only announced "Mordheim has been reclaimed" once, he'd only get rewarded once. But if he sent separate reports—"We've taken back the DC district," "We've taken back the XC district," "We've taken back Mordheim"—he might just get rewarded three times…
Still, there was one small issue…
"Ahem… Steel Knight, could I ask you to change your warband's name?"
"Why?" Duanmu Huai looked at him with a faint smile.
"I just think… your deeds deserve a more fitting name. Something like 'Blade of Sigmar' or 'Iron Fang'…"
"Pink Bunny Rabbits is fine."
"Uh… but His Majesty—"
"Pink Bunny Rabbits is fine."
"…Fine. I understand."
Seeing the general surrender in despair made Duanmu Huai grin with satisfaction.
If it weren't for moments like this, why else would I use such a name?
After that, Duanmu Huai returned to camp, greeted the others, and took the Reliquary Box from Olgis—luckily, it was still intact. Just to be safe, he carried it to an isolated spot before attempting to open it.
"Hm… let's hope there's something good inside."
Judging from its size, it was too small to hold a weapon or gun, and not heavy enough to be solid metal. Probably some kind of ornament, he guessed. Hopefully nothing too troublesome.
He silently prayed as he opened it. Every reliquary box had its own unlocking sequence, but Duanmu Huai was familiar enough with them to open this one quickly—like knowing the password in a puzzle game and skipping the tedious exploration.
Inside lay a sleek black piece of equipment shaped like an exoskeletal glove.
What's this?
Seeing it was mechanical, Duanmu Huai relaxed. If it had been a psychic artifact, he would have been more cautious. Machines were at least less inherently dangerous.
He reached in and picked it up. A system scan appeared in his vision.
[Gravity Gloves (Rare Equipment): Area Weapon]
[Consumes 3 Psychic Energy to use]
[Shockwave, Gravity Manipulation, Electromagnetic Interference]
"So it's this."
His eyes lit up. He'd heard of the Gravity Gloves before—not just because they were powerful (which they were), but because players loved using them to play "Minecraft," building houses and bases as a sort of standard pastime.
As the name implied, channeling psychic energy into them allowed control over gravity—not only to lift and place objects like in construction games, but also to demolish buildings and vehicles, making them perfect for anti-structure warfare. With them, one could even throw up fortifications or walls in the middle of battle.
Of course, players had nicknamed it "Minecraft" for a reason.
Its only drawback was its limited range, only affecting smaller objects—but still more than enough for most uses.
Duanmu Huai attached the Gravity Gloves to his right-hand armor. The steel framework locked in place with a flash of light, and the system confirmed the installation.
He extended his hand and made a grasping motion. A large chunk of earth and stone rose from the ground and drifted to one side under his control. A twitch of his fingers compressed it into a perfect cube.
Hmm… now I'll put a wall here, a roof there… oh, and a foundation over here, cut a window here, tidy up the ceiling… Building was fun. No wonder players with this gear could create entire grand cities.
"Master, what are you doing?"
Olgis walked over, curious.
"Oh, Olgis, I'm building a house. What do you think of it?"
He lowered his hand and clapped with satisfaction. Olgis studied the structure, then nodded slightly.
"It's very pretty, Master. Who's it for? A grave?"
"…Let's go back."
Yep. No building talent whatsoever.