All I did here was split chapter 18 into two parts. They are exactly the same, so if you have already read them, there is no new information. The length was just way too much, and in the future, I will rename the chapter 18 and 19. But for now, to keep confusion low, I will simply have it as two different parts for chapter 18.
Enjoy.
"Let us move forward togeth….ah, forget any talk'n mumbo jumbo! Let it be done!" Scattering the void of orcish and pig war cries is the one and only Captain's Skippy's call.
Without wasting a second he reaches forward and grabs a small, unseen lever behind the wheel. Jerking it down, the rod roars in agony as it slides smoothly into place. A short-lived screeching sound bounces across the inside of the ship. There is a brief moment of silence and then metal cracking fills the void.
Ahead of me I notice the set of ropes I just dealt with begin to shake. Following it down, I divert my vision to the deck of the ship and where I had attached the woven cables.
From here, I can tell that the metal wheel is spinning slowly in its place. As it spins, the slack on the once hanging rope begins to lessen, becoming tighter and tighter each cycle.
Finally the rope hits a sudden snag in its length and all of it stops; despite the fact the the metal circle is still attempting to make its rotations. Suddenly, a loud snapping noise erupts from the front of the deck and a blur of gray whips upwards. The once secure metal hoop from the frontal portion of the deck now whirls wildly into the air.
My eyes follow the quick object as best they can, but they lose focus to another sight just overhead. I had not noticed it earlier, but now I make out another circular object hanging just below the massive, purple ellipse.
It looks exactly like the now spinning wheel on the wooden deck, except this one is larger. A multitude of ropes from the side railings run through this object before connecting to the balloon. Actually, all the ropes of the back and front of the deck run to this small device.
I am not sure what this is supposed to be, but I am certain it is some sort of pulley device. You definitely now your instrumental constructs. He has too much spare time on his hands.
CAH-TING
Metal clashes against metal. Sparks sprinkle softly in the air. Ripples of action shoot through the deck around us. Whatever happened is now complete. The pulley system seems to have stopped. Both wheels, on the deck and in the air, have ceased all activity. Wait, no, the one floating freely is moving again.
Both sides of the object spring outwards to form what appear to be two small circles. Oddly, they begin to rotate forward then backwards. As they do, the ropes above and below quiver and quake gently. After a few seconds they too stop, and we are all left in silence.
Sadly, the Captain chuckles weakly and turns back to us, "Ok, boys, get ready for the ride of your lives!"
Not a moment is wasted. Reaching forward with his other hand, the goblin grips another tiny lever, thrusts it up, back, up again, then towards him. There is a slight pause and then he laughs again.
His head stays straight forward, while his hand hovers on the lever, "Brace yourselves; we are heading to floor1; Pigs, Horsemen and skeletons!"
Shooting down, the lever locks in place and instantly the pulley overhead vibrates. In a flash it spirals straight up and slams into the balloon. Behind I hear screeching metal, and creaking up. I glance back for a moment and watch as the main support beam rotates around a metal guiding built into its base.
My legs begin to grow heavier, and instinctively I grip the railings. You need to grip that stuff harder! He must grab it, grab it as hard as you possibly can! Nathanos grabs the side of the ship as well.
The entire ship seems to tip. The captain squeals loudly. Screeching, the ship screams for us to hear. Unfortunately, my heart is far too loud for any of the wails to reach my mind.
Falling forward, the entire Zeppelin front seems to disconnect from the balloon. Plummeting down, the ship spins upon an unseen axis. Gravity is gone. My legs are as light as a feather. The world wafts upon a wiry set of hope. All strength and support comes from the ropes behind us. We are falling. The front of the ship is falling straight down!
I feel sick. My arms grow numb. My mind wanders yet focuses completely. Inside, my stomach twists itself and prepares a procedure of speedy withdrawal. This forces my mouth shut and my tongue up. I cannot make sense of it all. You are having a belly full of problems! He is gonna puke!
CAH-TING
Slamming against the deck, sense returns to my back -- it also returns to my shoulders, neck, head and legs. Bolts of intensifying pain burst through my limbs and travels into the back of my skull. Wood begins to scrape against my back, and, without hesitation, I grip the railing, ignore the surging shots of agony and peer forward. Actually, in this case, I am peering down more.
My feet rustle against the deck as they attempt to find a firm grip, but the sloping ship makes that impossible. The wooden crate slowly glides towards the captain, but slams into an opening in the railing and stops short of the front of the deck. A few bombs bounce from inside and escape into the grip of gravity.
Nathanos continues to hang firmly on his railing, while the sounds of disgruntled Chapel Brothers and an angry Carlin shatter all focus. Unfortunately, only the cackles of the craze captain can be fully understood. "Get ready for impact! This is gonna knock the wind out of you. Hell, you might even loose a few brain cells or two!"
Again, he reaches forward, but this time he grabs a bar resting on the top of the wheel's stand. Giving it a swift yank, the ship creeks and the pulley whistles again. Falling from the balloon, the metal object shoots down, and slowly creeps back into its original place. The purple mesh rocks, and if my eyes are not fooling me, it appears as if balloon is moving.
My eyes focus in then out as it tries to make out if the balloon is truly changing its location, but from this view I cannot tell. Looking back at the Captain, I watch as the front of the balloon comes into alignment with the deck again. I am now certain that it had moved. You could be wrong. He could just be imagining things. Yeah, you could be dead. He knows that he isn't dead; otherwise how could we still be talking to him?
Ignoring the voices, I continue to gaze down the sloping wooden platform. The front of the ship aims towards the ground. Ahead, the once tiny figures of gray and brown quickly become larger meshes of filthy fur and rotting flesh. Faster now, the entire army seems to shrink, yet the individual pieces of said force grow.
Faster, each figure begins to gain an unique set of features. Faster, we are nearing the ground! Fastest, we are going to slam into it! Then, as if the Captain had heard my thoughts, he grabs the wheel and leans back slightly.
Turning his head back to us, but keeping his focus forward, he shouts, "Mista'Fluff-ee, adjust the tail-flaps! Ninety rise to a thirty slant!"
I have no idea what he just said, but, from the slow-paced footsteps of a stumbling creature and the sudden screech of metal, I am guessing the Taunka did. At first the sound comes from inside the ship. After a second, it travels upwards and makes its way to the back. Turning my head, I catch sight of a large, bladed sheet of metal jutting from our side.
Twisting my body a bit further, I can make out the same object on the opposite side. Both of them seem to be aiming upward a bit, letting the lower part of its curved structure aim at the ground. Both seem to vibrate gently, which I figure is due to their odd state of being and extreme force needed to make it that way.
Despite my astute observations dealing with the duel blades, I had neglected to notice the sudden decrease in speed. Once again I look back to the Captain. We are extremely close to the mass of merciless monsters. Fortunately, the ship has begun to pull up. My feet slowly gain bearing on the floor again, but, I cannot help but feel a strange surge of anxiety. I do not think we are slowing down fast enough. You think right! He better not let go of that railing!
The ship continues onward towards the ground. Rooters on the rear attempt to stop its advance, but they don't seem to be working. Heads of pigs and limbs of the dead are in perfect view.
Out of the corner of my eye I watch as the Captain reaches down to his side, grabs a small pair of goggles, raises them to his face, and with a gentle snap, rests them over his eyes.
Looking back at us, he lets loose a volley of his shiny pearls and talks, "We are going in REALLY fast. Not that I planned it, but, hell, might as well go in with a bang!"
Chuckling, he looses composure for a second then continues, "Boys, hug yourselves for your momma ain't! We are gonna ram'em!"
That first sentence doesn't even make….RAM THEM?! Ram them?! What does he mean ram them?! You can see the ground ahead. He acts as if this is some sort of surprise. Wait…oh…damn.
CA-RRASH
My body feels light again. I float gently in the air. Instantly that feeling ends and a sudden jerk of pain rushes through my body. Bouncing once more, I rise and fall once more as the ship shakes violently. Fingers slide from the railing as my back now bears the bulk of my body. Tilting my head to the side, I watch as Carlin crawls upon the creaking floor.
Muffled squeals of squashed warriors fill the air. A light hum reverberates in my skull. Slowly I can gain control of my limbs, and very carefully I grip the railing and begin to pull myself up. Ringing fills my head, while my eyes dart dumbly back and forth.
Stomach muscles twist and turn as my eyes gain a true grasp on what is resting before us. Fields of fur and matted hair rises into the sky like an unholy crop of damnation. The once seemingly small skeleton boars march just yards away from the side of the ship, while their cart barely avoids the front end of the ship.
We are plowing full steam into the heart of this force. And from the actions and sudden looks in our direction, we have been noticed. Every pig men and centaur anywhere near our location diverts their current path and begins a charge at us. Fortunately, the Zeppelin still moves quickly, despite the bodies blocking our advance.
I peer over the edge. At the sides of the ship, broken soldiers cling helplessly to the metal sheets. Limp warriors fall to the ground as the ship crushes the unlife from them. Others, however, reach angrily at the hull. Hands are shredded as the speeding cruiser causes the metal to slice easily through the fleshy appendages. Sadly, a few manage to grip on, but they simply dangle uselessly.
A sudden jab in my shoulder draws my attention. Quickly jerking my head, I notice Nathanos next to me. Instantly my eyes change to see him holding a small gray object in his hand. As it rests there, I cannot help but smile. Nathanos is always so thoughtful; thinking of his troops and enemies simultaneously.
I grab the bomb from his hand and look back forward. Ahead, the cart pulls away from us. Its deathknight seems to have hastily gathered the skeletons for it; the boney warriors sprint to keep up with the cart they were destined to be placed upon. A good distance away, the walls of the city hold back the might of this march. Sadly, the older siege tower still hold firm. You do not like this! He hates these filthy creatures!
BRURSH, BRURSH, BRURSH
Explosions ring from behind me. I do no have to look to know our friends our the creators of that catastrophe. Instantly Nathanos' voice follows the echoing eruptions, "Worm, I believe these towers are nicely constructed. I also believe it is our duty, as the horde, to test out that said strength."
I turn to him and smile, "I will take the closer one, and you will aim for the one at the wall."
Nathanos chuckles, sticks the fuse into the fire and looks out in the crowd, "My thoughts exactly. Now, worm, let us bring some excitement into these pig's lives!"
Aiming, Nathanos takes his time. I, however, stick the fuse into the fire, let the sparkling wool burn brightly for a just a second, and then arch backwards. The bomb's weight is greater than I imagined. Fuel within rocks my hand as I steady myself. Pulling my arm forward, I focus all my might, all my energy, all my direction at the cart nearest to us.
Floating in the air, the bomb easily escapes my grip. It tumbles end over end for a few seconds before falling fast to the ground. Bouncing off the front end of the cart, it misses its misses the target I aimed for, but instead fines one even better. You done good. He can throw!
BRURSH
White fragments shoot in all directions as the bomb ignites the boars. The skeletal pig on the right is instantly vaporized. Skidding uncontrollably to the left, the other pig breaks apart as it looses all its sinister strength. Finally, the cart's front end lifts upwards. It stands vertically for a brief second. There it decides which way to fall. It decides which way to end. It decides where to land. And, luckily for us, it chooses going backwards; making the cart officially useless.
Suddenly Nathanos laughs and speaks, "Good show, worm, good show!"
His eyes switch over the small bomb and the equally as tiny fuse, "As for this one, well, that tower is a great distance away. Looks like I will need some help!"
Swinging his body forward, he lets the orb fly high. The fuse appears to be nearly burnt out as is spirals around and around, but even that doesn't keep it from reaching a good distance in the air. Finally it finds its final height, then, very slowly, it starts its descent down. As I stand here, I can tell it will not reach its target. You can see that easily. He can see Nathanos needs a new pitching arm.
Tumbling downward, it aims for a patch of pigs a short distance from the cart. There is no way it will reach it. Nathanos put too much arch into the throw; he should have thrown it more directly! You suddenly are the master of physics, eh? He knows all about trajectory and explosives now.
After a short moment, it spins into the crowd. I expect it to vanish into the pack and to leave in its wake a dome of destruction, but…it doesn't. Right when it reaches the horizon of the mindless horde before us, it finds a pig, collides with its feeble head, and then bounces into the air. Spinning once again, it only gets a few feet, but, it is all that it needs.
The tiny bomb clips the corner of the cart, rolls forward, and disappears behind the wall of white. I wait for a few seconds and cannot help but smile. Strangely, nothing happens.
A loud grunt erupts from my side, "You have go to be kidding me!" Nathanos stomps the already quaking ship, "A dud?! How in the world did I get…"
BRURSH
White shrapnel ricochets in all directions. Chunks of torn wood shoot into the air. Suddenly the right side of the tower creeps down. Pulling with it the left side follows quickly after. At the base, skeletons scamper to support the already debased structure. It begins to slow as the boney bulk begins to gain control. The orcs, however, feel that the tower is in fact ready to fall.
Balls of fire explode into the toppling side, while arrows crippled any single skeleton they can find. Bone fragments rain down. Screams of shattering skeletons and failing architecture fills the air; the sounds equal that of a demolished building even. The side continues to splinter, until, finally, the entire ride side cracks and crumbles.
Then, for all to see, the mighty tower of bone vanishes to the ground; leaving only an array of white dust, crushed marrow, and smashed pigs. Following shortly after the rumbling collapse is a mesh of grunts and cries. My eyes divert to the figures on the wall, and instantly I am lifted inside.
Creatures of green, blue, teal, brown, all sorts of variety of colors raise their arms into the air. Weapons are held high for all to see. Cries burst of victory shatter those of aggressive rage. The orcs, upon their walls, yell to us a song of victory.
Sadly, it is short lived. From behind a deep responds. To me it sounds simply like an barrage of squeals and snorts, but quickly the force reacts. Ahead of me, the bone pile shifts. Skeletons rearrange themselves, scurry to the wall and then quickly unarranged themselves. Climbing on top of each other once again, they begin building multiple smaller structures now. They begin building ladders.
As they do this, a pack of centaurs position themselves in the middle of the field. After a second, a deep grunting fills the air, and the centaurs raise their previously unseen bows. A second later, they release a volley for the wall. Orcs crumble to the short attack, while others vanish out of side. It appears the scourge had a back up plan.
Despite this attack, the orcs are far more than able to reply fully. Arrows explode from the towers above, and within seconds centaurs and pigs alike cease their attack and let death come for them once again.
My attention is altered as a sudden shake in the Zeppelin draws my focus. The ship's base grows heavily on my feet and I notice a strong force in my left leg. I wait for a second then realize we are ascending.
Before I can turn my head, the Captains cry is heard, "Ok, boys, we gotta get back up again."
He pauses, giving me time to look over to him. Right as I do, I notice a large stone formation in front of us. It is one of the rock pillars I saw earlier. That would definitely explain why we are lifting off, so my question was instantly answered. You got silenced even before you spoke! He cannot handle the rock!
Slowly we take in the air, but fortunately, I feel like I am going to vomit for only a second as we barely pass over the jagged stone tower. It seems rather odd that we are going at such a sluggish speed, especially with this maniac. Looking back over the wall, I watch as third tower makes its way by the first one still standing. We did our best; saved half the wall. You said it. He needs to save the wall he is standing on!
Uncontrollably I glance down. I now know why we are going so slowly. My eyes peer down and sadly, another pair stare straight back up. Filthy ghoul! Raising my gun I ram a bullet into the chamber, and bring the weapon into aim. No need to aim here.
TITHBURSH
Blood splatters from the monster's head. Rolling backwards, the completely lifeless scourge releases from the metal siding and falls down. The body bounces off of the side of another creature. Instantly I lock on this new figure. It's a disgusting mesh of fur.
From this distance, the pig man is horrific to the sees and potent to the nostrils. The fur is greasy, and the visible muscle and bone appears dried and rotting. A metal helmet rests firmly over the bulk of the top of the creature's head. Its eyes cannot be seen from behind the metal.
Once again, my gun is at the ready. TITHBURSH, TING. The bullet ricochets into the air. Again, I aim. TITHBURSH, TING.Another time, the bullet flies away. That helmet is far thicker than I imagined. You now know why the bomb bounced so nicely. He has learned; now he must aim for something…fleshier.
At that, I load my gun, lift, and aim a bit lower this time. TITHBURSH. Squealing, the pig flinches maddeningly as the round slices through its rather long snout. Bits of rotting flesh rip from its face and floats downward. The limp body holds to the side for only a moment before falling.
A shout comes from my side. Turning, I watch as one of the Forsaken gunners is pulled from his position and thrown overboard. The assailant is another disgusting pig. Foolishly, the creature is not finished. Reaching over, it grabs a hold of someone I would not dare touch.
Without hesitating, Nathanos glares at the monster, reaches back and grabs an arrow before stringing the bow on his elbow. With two fingers, he adjusts his weapon and with a gentle pluck, shoots the pig in the throat. The bow falls to the deck, but the pig does not budge.
No, instead it directs its unseen vision at the warrior and with all its might, lets forth an array of gargles, screams and horrific squeals. Marris pulls himself forward and grunts; his eyes focused upon the metal cap. Then, as swift as a fierce wind, Nathanos pull himself backwards, grips the axe at his side and with a quick hack, chops the beast's arm clear off.
Instantly falling backward, the pig releases another squall of squeals. After a second of tolerating the horrendously pitched screeching, Nathanos arches the blade back and lets it swing at the pig's head. Hovering silent now, the pig stays completely still. For a brief moment it sways. Suddenly falling backward, the defeated pig makes its exit from the battle.
Out of nowhere the cry of the captain's voice returns, "All this crazy fighting! Man, I cannot help but think about poor old boomer down below!" Chuckling at the wheel, the Captain interrupts the chaos with his own craziness.
Quickly I turn, pull my shovel from my back, and swiftly beat in a ghoul's head before turning to see what he is yelling about. As I twist, the captain continues, "You know that lad wants to be a hero?! Ha, goblins are not heroes!"
He tilts his head backwards and laughs before continuing, "No way, no how!"
From behind, Carlin cries, "Is this really a good time for this?!"
I glance out the corner of my eye. Carlin slams his shield into a pig before sliding his blade straight down a pig's throat. He turns around and glares at the Captain, "I know you feel like filling the obviously dull situation we are currently absorbed in, but…"
Carlin is unable to finish before the high-pitched tone takes over, "Silly pinky, goblins only know two things; efficiency and payment." He clears his throat, "It is inefficient to simply fly when I can fly and talk at the same time!"
The Captain shakes his head and nods, "To stray from either goal makes a goblin a fool!"
Glaring at the green individual, Carlin seems baffled, "Well, what about the payment then? Us dying payment enough for you!?"
Skippy shakes his head and turns to Carlin, "Lets just say, Pinky, that I am more of a fool than you can imagine." He chuckles to himself.
Nathanos blurts from my side despite the wild captain's cackling, "We already know that, you crazy twit!"
You better turn around! He needs to smash something!
Without delay, I spin and smack another ghoul in the face with my trusty tool. Dazed and rattled, the undead fiend loses grip and ungraciously makes a quick exit.
A sudden jerk in the ship forces me to grab the railing and brace myself. The ship tips to a higher angle. My feet slip to the side and I am barely able to steady myself. Unexpectedly the vessel creaks and the pressure in my left leg vanishes.
Sadly I stumble in place as I find the wooden floor below me stabilize and finally level out. About time, I was getting sick of going up and down. You loved it. He liked the part where he wanted to vomit!
As I find my balance for another time, the Captain shouts again; however, this time his tone is far more alarmed than normal, "Gar-ge-lays!"
I cannot help but turn and throw a cock-eyed look at the Captain. At first I am completely lost at what he said, but Carlin's cry from the side brings some sense to it, "Gargoyles!"
My head turns, but before I even look at Carlin, another sight takes my focus. Resting before me is the canyon of red and orange. Rows of towering pillars made of stone align themselves atop the rocky surface of the canyon top. These said large rocks of jagged and scarred shape surround pillars. Those rocks appear to grow in height.
Lifting upward, the stony forms rise. It appears as if ground itself moves, and as it does, distinctive figures are given shape. Short, twisted claws protrude from long, sickly legs.
Bones show up clearly through the malformed torso while wings of torn flesh ripple outwards in both directions. Between both spans of flight, a large, rather hairy head exposes two rows of fangs and encases two, beady, green eyes in the middle.
An army of Gargoyles.
You liked Gar-ge-lays better. He…I actually did too.
Within a matter of moments, the sky is filled with the winged wretches. Dozens cloud the air with their filth. Hurriedly they gain altitude, and as they do, they begin their horrific flight in our direction.
Suddenly the ship sways, and I reach for the railing. I twist to see the tiny captain spinning the wheel and bracing his body to the right. As he does this, the entire vessel arches to the right and makes directly for the cloud of chaos.
Nathanos laughs oddly then slaps the railing. After a second, he leans backwards and grunts as he readies to talk, "Head straight into the enemy, genius!"
Stopping, the ship no longer turns. Instead, it begins gaining speed. Each individual figure becomes far more definite. Both parties head towards each other. Unfortunately, I have no idea why we are.
However, before I can voice my concern, Carlin takes control, "Are you mad?! There is no way we can attack them head on!"
Skippy laughs, "Pinky, there are three reasons why we can attack them head on." He clears his throat, "Firstly, if they reach the wall, the poor greenys will be overwhelmed from both aerial and ground siege."
He glances forward for a second before looking back at Carlin, "Secondly, I hate Gargoyles, and the only way for me to exert my hate is by shooting them."
For the last reason, he looks back forward and his voice deepens, "Finally…these are my skies."