New chapter! Next chapter will feature the Draeneis!
Chapter 5: Day of the Centaur
Centaurmane Keep, The Barrens, Year 35
As the inhabitants of Centaurmane Keep slept, a silent figure walked up the stairs and onto the battlement. His name was Rotax, and on his neck hangs a small horn, crafted by the Blood Elves and enchanted by their best mages. He had been released by the Blood Elves on one condition; blow the hand-crafted horn at dawn when he was rescued by scouts from Centaurmane Keep. He doesn't know the use of the horn, nor the importance of Centaurmane Keep; his only desire was to be freed from the strange shadowy figures that followed him everywhere in his mind, filling him with nightmares during his enchanted sleep forced upon him by the Elves. He looked at the black sky and saw a burning elvish face, he looked away from it, it was merely his mind he thought, blow the horn and everything will be fine… He raised the horn to his lips, and with one almighty blow from the orc the horn bursts into life, spreading its sound across the plains, and taking Rotax's life with it.
At the same moment, the Spirit-enforced gate to Centaurmane Keep shattered and broke into dust.
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There was confusion, as orcs ran across the keep haphazardly and knocking others over. As soon as all the orcs had been woken by the horn less then 10 minutes ago, they knew something was wrong, very wrong.
When Durokar discovered the body of Rotax and the shattered gate, he knew something big was happening, no-one without a sizable army would dare to encroach upon any Horde holdings, even if it was a small keep. Even worse, he could feel that this and the Blood Elves are connected somehow. But before he could relate this to anyone at all, another horn sounded. It sounded eerily familiar to the horn they heard 10 minutes ago, but this time it was coming from far away.
"You know what this means don't you Durokar?" said Garlon the old orc from behind Durokar.
"Yes, the centaurs are coming." replied Durokar.
Just then Gudhagh Akinos, the commander of the keep said, "What is your wish my lord?", although he was the commander, Durokar has much more experience than him despite his young age.
"Send messengers to Spiritwind and Wolfsong, we need those reinforcements. And barricade this gate, not with rocks or wagons, use spikes and spears that would slow them down." soon he was yelling orders everywhere and soon there was order again amongst the orcs.
After roughly half and hour, they could finally hear the sound of the centaurs' hooves, although they still could not see them, it sounded like an inevitable wave to the orcs, but to the veteran commander Akinos, who was standing behind the gate with a group of elite orcs and Durokar, it told much more than that. He bent down with his head on the ground and closed his eye in concentration. "Roughly 500 centaurs I would think, and some sort of humanoids is amongst them, larger than Quillboars but smaller than ogres… Who could they be?" said the commander in a puzzled tone.
"Whoever they are here they come!" shouted Durokar, as centaurs, hundreds of them emerged over the ridge and swarmed towards the keep. On the battlement some orc officers had the good sense of yelling fire, many centaurs fell, but not nearly enough to break their attack.
By now the first centaurs has reached the gate, but slowed down by the spikes placed around the gate most of them were cut down by orcs easily. Durokar thought they might have a chance of winning when he heard a whooshing sound of his head, he turned back and just in time to see an orc incinerated by flame. Another whooshing sound, another orc screamed as his very skin burnt off. As Durokar implanted his battle-axe into the torso of another centaur, he shouted the orcs above to shoot at whoever that is doing this. He looked on as the arrows flew towards the back of the centaur horde, but to his horror, the arrows stopped midway and turned back! Transfixed by this sight he barely had time to dodge a spear aimed for his heart, merely a second later, he heard screams from above as the arrows shot the very archers who fired them. Sorcery, Durokar pondered as he continued fighting the endless horde, not centaur magic either, something advanced, like… at that moment he felt that air around the victims was heavier than before, and finally realised that it was demon magic.
And demon magic means warlocks, and no warlocks could wield demon magic better than the Cult of the Burning Blade. Then the terrible answer dawned to Durokar, the centaurs and warlocks are working together, neither of them could topple the Horde alone, the warlocks with too few members and centaurs too warlike for their own good, but together they could lay destruction to any who stand before them. Where are the reinforcements! Durokar thought angrily now that the threat was not only to this keep, but to Durotar and Mulgore as well.
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Upon the ridge, the centaur chief smiled. The orcs fought bravely, yes, but it would hopeless, he had already sent other groups of centaurs to attack other Horde holdings in the Barrens, no-one would come to rescue this bunch of pitiful greenskins.
Behind him Ch'rni the warlock also smiled, his master's plan was near completion, so close… and that is why they must not fail now, for killing the heir to the title of Warchief was crucial to the plan. He muttered his chosen code-word, and all the Burning Blade Cultists in the vicinity felt it in their bones, it was time.
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It was going badly for the orcs, very badly. The wall had been taken, and what remains of the guards gathered inside the living quarters. Their only salvation so far was that the centaurs could not climb the stairs and could be picked off one by on yet they knew eventually they would break through. Suddenly the centaurs stopped on the stairs, just out of sight. Then a whooshing sound appeared, the orcs fell back, step by step as they thought the warlocks are near. But it was even worse, an orc screamed as a dagger was inserted into his back, another made a sputtering sound as his throat was cut. Durokar looked around, it was not orc warlocks or centaurs attacking them, they were rogues, lowest of the low. On their green faces there were tattoos of a burning sword, and in their eyes burned an unholy flame that Durokar had seen in Blood Elves merely half a day before. While the orcs were concentrating on the assassins who had crept up on them unseen using demonic spells, the centaurs attacked, although their hooves were not used to stairs, their bloodrage more than enough fuelled their speed. At that moment, Durokar know they were doomed, unless he could ask the Elemental Sprits to completely get rid of all the centaurs around the keep, it was a long shot, as he knew no Spirit would grant him such a boon, yet he beseeched still. Spirits of Earth, Fire, Water, Air and the Wilds, heed my call. May the creatures of the Wilds aid us, may the flame burn the centaurs, may the water drown the foul creatures, may the wind sweep them away, and may the earth tremble and swallow the centaurs whole. Durokar waited, of course the Spirits won't grant me such boon, he thought, it was too big, it would destroy the natural order of life…
Wolves suddenly howled, desert cats roared, plainstriders screeched. The wind picked up a notch, the water in the well inside the keep rose, the campfires burned with the intensity of a volcano, and the earth rumbled and made many centaurs fall. Around the keep the wild creatures charged at the centaurs, the fires spewed blazing hot ashes and burnt the centaurs around them, the water rose out of the well and threw the centaurs against the wall, the wind picked many centaurs and threw them far away. But the worst damage was caused by Earth, as though the Spirit thought that the centaurs were abominations, massive holes opened up and sent the centaurs to an earthly grave.
Yet during all the chaos, the orcs were not harmed. They looked at the countless corpses of centaurs, and the ruined keep, and they knew this was not the only place the Burning Legion, through their agents like the Burning Blade and the Blood Elves, would strke.