Ha Hah, you thought I was dead after one month of absence, huh? In truth, that is not at all far from the truth. I had surgery to correct some bones in the chest. Anyhoo, I thought it wouldn't take as long before I was well enough to be able to type again, but. . . there were complications. Quite painful complications. Rather ironic, considering the stuff I've written. Well, Although I am far from well, I feel well enough to complete the story.
A word of warning though, this is a long long looong chapter.
Chapter 34: Twilight of the Gods
Night - Day 19
The moment Talgrun opened his eyes he became aware of a splitting headache. Despite himself, he grunted because of the pain. It appeared that he was lying outside, for all that greeted his eyes was a tree canopy above him. But despite the fact he was outside and that it was most clearly dark, the temperature was most comfortable. Perhaps the blanket covering him was responsible for that, but he didn't even feel cold air upon his face. Upon feeling around, he found he was lying on a bed. On the feet end of the bed lay what remained of his battered armour along with the pouch that contained the crystal.
"Welcome back. . ." Came the unemotional voice of Kaylin from his left.
Despite the pain in his head, he sat up in the bed and put his feet on the ground on the left side, putting him right in front of Kaylin. "Commander. . ." He said, his voice sounding as if he hadn't spoken in years. He tried to clear his throat and then asked, "How long have I been out?"
The elder commander looked up in thought for a moment, then answered, "Just over two days. You had a very severe concussion."
"Two days!" He immediately lowered his voice as he realized they were not alone. There were many others lying on beds similar to his. Kaylin sat on a bed herself, dressed in simple clothing, just like he was. "What happened in those two days?"
"Early yesterday morning, the Legion broke through the barrier we put up. Archimonde has pushed us hard, we were forced to give up the Horde defences. As far as I have heard, we've lost fewer people than in similar situations. Solid plans had been made for a retreat towards the last defences beforehand."
Talgrun nodded, slowly to not increase the headache. "Wait a minute, as far as you've heard? Why are you here with the injured? I only remember you having that wound in the side."
The commander nodded, then said, "The wound had become severely infected. They've been trying to remove it with all sorts of potions, but it's a slow process. Don't ask me why, I don't know." She fiddled with her cloth shirt as if it had been revealing the wound and she wanted to cover it. Only now did Talgrun notice that she was holding something in her hands. It was the shaft of his broken hammer. He remembered shoving into his belt after it had broken. Like that they sat for a while, Talgrun trying to clear away the headache, Kaylin fiddling with the long shaft. Until Kaylin spoke up. "I must thank you." Talgrun looked at her, not understanding for what she must thank him. "In the canyon, you saved me, and then carried me all the way back."
"Ah. . . Yes, I did."
She reached behind her, reaching to the other side of her bed. When she was sitting as before again, she was holding her sword. The broken shaft she had put on the ground. With her fingers she felt along the wide jagged blade. Talgrun couldn't help but marvel at the craftsmanship, there were runes and figures engraved upon the blade. "This is a good sword. . ." She muttered, something akin to emotion shining through in her voice. "I would give it to you to at least pay you back in part, but. . ." She hesitated.
". . .It's to small for a big orc like me, right?" Talgrun finished for her.
"That's what I was thinking, indeed. But I promise, if we both survive the next few days, I will pay you back. It is the only way I can think of to thank you." A simple 'thank' you will suffice. He didn't say it though. "But what will you use for a weapon, then? I don't think that will do anymore." She pointed at the broken shaft which now lay on the ground.
"I'll have to find something to replace it. As I have got to replace other things as well." He gestured at the armour which lay on the feet end of his bed. Another period of silence threatened to commence, but Talgrun headed it of. "So. . . Do you know how much longer we need to hold the mountain?"
"Around two days, Malfurion and his druids are taking longer than they should."
"Can we hold that long?"
"It'll be a miracle if we can. We've lost a great deal of soldiers. There is hardly anybody left to defend the mountain. And to be honest, the few defences us night-elves have build are far from enough."
"Then I'll try to get some rest. . . It's easier to perform miracles when rested." He grinned wide as he said so.
Late afternoon - Day 20
"There is something bothering you. . ." Xani said, stating a quite obvious thing.
"There is something bothering me. . ." Talgrun repeated, sighing. "The druids need one more day to complete their preparations, Archimonde has been strangely holding back one day after the Legion broke through the barrier, almost all of us are dead and we've been pushed back all the way to our last defence. Yes. . . There might just be something bothering me. . ." He looked away from her and redirected his gaze to what lay down the slopes from where they stood.
"But if Archimonde was holding back today, perhaps he'll do so tomorrow as well. . . Then it won't be long until we've achieved our goal."
"He would never allow us that much time to recover. No. He is planningsomething. He has been using this time to plan something or gather forces we won't be able to do much against." He didn't even look back to her as he said so. "Tomorrow, we need to hold. . . Somehow. To protect them." He gestured down the slope. It was the other side of the peak they were on now. The side where most of those who couldn't fight remained. The 'civilians' as the humans put it. Almost all in the Horde who couldn't fight were there, as well as most of the humans and their allies. Night-elves were there in considerable numbers as well, but far less then the Horde and Alliance, mostly refugees from nearby villages. The entire valley, which was huge in size, was filled up completely. It was pure luck that this valley could not be reached by the Legion except if they got through the main passage first. The only other way in was through the air, and the Legion seemed to be more concerned with using the few flying creatures it had left to attack the defenders.
"But if Archimonde attacks in full force tomorrow, no matter if he tries something strategically brilliant, we won't stand for long. . ." Talgrun only nodded solemnly as he continued to look at the valley below. "To think that we stood for so long, only to be defeated on the last day." Again Talgrun only nodded.
For a while he held his head bent forward in thought, but then a thought came to mind. He jerked his head up and looked at Xani. "I've got something for you. . ." She turned so she was completely facing him, curiosity plain on her face. From around his neck he pulled a thin chain. The object attached to it appeared from underneath his armour. "I said I'd get this back to you. . ." He said as he dangled the crescent moon symbol in front of Xani.
"Yes. . . You did." She took the symbol into her hand, prompting Talgrun to let go of the chain. The chain fell over her fingers. "Yes. . ." She said while she thought that if Talgrun had survived to return the necklace to her, he had the best chance of surviving the next day out of the both of them. "You did."
Sunrise - Day 21
The barrier which had been formed at the bottleneck in the Main Passage had held for just over two days. The day after that Archimonde had pushed the defenders harder than ever before, pushing them all the way back to the last of the night-elven defences in just that day. He had been surprisingly quiet after that. But even before sunrise it had become obvious Archimonde would not be quiet today.
Another green burst of hellfire erupted in the distance. It arced upward through the still mostly dark sky and then arced down towards the defenders. It cast a bright green glow on the landscape below as it raced towards the defenders. An even greater burst of blue light erupted when it impacted the magical shield put up by the defending spellcasters. Somewhere down the slopes stood some kind of hellish contraptions, operated by the Legion, which fired these immensely powerful burst of energy. They had been quickly called infernal contraptions because the fire they shot at the defenders was exactly like that of the hulking infernals.
There had to be around five of the contraptions. They were not many, but their power was far greater than that of any catapult the defenders possessed. Not to mention that they actually outranged the catapults even though the infernal contraptions had to shoot uphill.
Yet up until now the defenders had to feel the power of an impact only once. The first time they fired. It had created a crater a hundred feet wide and had blown apart an entire regiment. Since then the only ones strained by the contraptions were the spellcasters, who had to commit all their power to protect the many others against the immense force of the contraptions. Even the most powerful of spellcasters were strained to their limits by the forces the impacts unleashed.
Another burst of green fire shot towards the defenders. It's eerie glow briefly lit up the waiting Legion. Amongst them stood Archimonde calmly directing his forces.
"I wonder what he has in store for us. . ." William said calmly to Talgrun. Almost everybody was visibly trembling with anxiety, if not fright, on this last day. Yet William remained calm, if only on the outside.
"Probably another tiring monologue to tell us how futile our resistance is." Both merrily chuckled.
One of the soldiers in front of them, briefly looked back at them with a look in his eyes as if thinking them crazy. This was not the time to be joking, this was the time to get to praying and hoping, as many others were doing. Talgrun only glared back at the soldier, who quickly looked back down the slope towards the Legion, not wanting to enter a staring contest with the far larger Talgrun.
Where there used to have been many dozens of mixed regiments before, there were only a few battered ones now. What remained was made into a single regiment that was several times larger than a normal regiment. This regiment was now gathered at the far right edge of the defence, a location where Talgrun and his regiments had ended up more often than he could remember.
"So how long do we need to hold again?" William asked, for the third time that day.
"The druids expect to be done just before sundown." Talgrun answered, as he had those other times as well.
The veteran human captain looked towards the sun peeking over the horizon in the distance, and then towards the demonic Horde below. Softer now, so the others wouldn't hear, William said, "You know, I don't think we're gonna make it." He said it just like when the two of them joked, but his eyes betrayed genuine fear. "Do you?"
Talgrun looked of to the side. Several hundred feet, and several regiments, further to the left stood the Silverblades regiment, still mostly intact. Xani stood amongst them as well, this time assigned to help the injured closer to the front, instead of further behind the lines, for there no longer was a 'further behind the lines'. He felt something furry rub against him. He didn't need to look to know it was Sasha. "Perhaps."
He was still looking to the left when he noticed an orc female wearing grunt armour approaching the ragtag regiment. Something quite out of place. There shouldn't be anybody walking around between the regiments now, everybody was supposed to be prepared and with their fellow warriors. Kargagtha, who was now part of the regiment as well together with the remaining trainees, had seen the figure as well. "Who is that? There is to be no walking around now."
William and Walken looked as well. Only Björn, who could not understand what they were saying, continued to look upon the regiment and the Legion further below. "Jirina?" Talgrun asked nobody in particular, when he recognised the figure, his voice a whisper. "What is she doing here?"
Someone else was less quiet in revealing the identity of the one who approached. "Mother?!" It was Adonai who said it, and it was Adonai who was the first to run over to Jirina, unable to be stopped by the older peon-turned-grunt Kirrax who attempted to hold him back. Mother and son hugged for a moment, the last time they had seen each other at least two weeks ago by now.
"Kargagtha." Talgrun gestured for her to come with him. They quickly crossed the distance between them and the mother and child, Sasha, as always, trailing behind. When they arrived, he asked, "What are you doing here? You're--"
"I requested warlord Firetusk that on this last day I be with this regiment." Jirina said, cutting him of.
"You're pregnant!" Talgrun blurted involuntarily, but found Jirina already had an answer ready.
"I've been fighting ever since I've been on this mountain! I may be pregnant, but I'm not helpless!" Talgrun had to admit she was still early in her pregnancy, it wasn't very noticeable yet, but he couldn't quite decide what to say. He hadn't known she'd been fighting, for the last time he'd seen her was back in the Warsong village.
When Talgrun remained quiet to long, Kargagtha said, "We could use her help. . ."
Talgrun briefly looked at Adonai, and then back at Jirina. "Fine. . . But don't tell anybody you're pregnant. I could do without the complications." He then looked to Adonai. "And you! Get back to the group! The fact your mother's here, doesn't change the situation!" Within a second Adonai was hurrying back to the others.
"I see you still don't make exceptions, even now." Jirina remarked when her son had rejoined the others.
"Why would I?" He gestured for Kargagtha to go back to the others as well, leaving him with Jirina. "What do you think Nielak would say now? If he were here. . ." Green flames illuminated Jirina's visage for a moment, followed by an intense blue glow doing the same for a short moment. She looked down as she thought of her dead mate. When she didn't say anything, Talgrun put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Sorry."
"Agh!" She looked up again and turned to look towards the rising sun, brushing Talgrun's hand away in the process. "What are we doing?! We're standing here, talking about what some dead orc would have said, while only a few miles down the slopes stands the Burning Legion!"
They remained quiet for while, looking at the sun while it seemed to take an eternity to rise bit by bit. "Do youthink we can make it through this day?" Talgrun asked eventually, uncertainty getting the better of him.
"Of course we can!" It's unlikely though." She grinned as she said the last and then looked at his face. "Now what did I tell you about getting more scars?" With a finger she traced the new scar on his forehead where Gar's axe had gouged out a deep gash. Put of by the sudden change of subject, he faltered as he tried to find some answer. "Just don't get anymore today." She grinned and then abruptly turned around and walked to the regiment, where she took her place next to her son.
Sighing, he walked back as well, while wondering whether this prolonged battle might not only be breaking their bodies but their minds as well.Probably."They are moving. . ." William remarked when he arrived. Instantly Talgrun turned to look down the slopes at the Legion. At first he had trouble discerning any movement, but eventually he succeeded. "Very slowly, but they aremoving."
"That is not like the Legion. . . To advance slowly." Björn said.
"Archimonde has planned something." Walken added, guessing correctly what they had been saying in common.
And as if him saying that was the sign, All five of the infernal contraptions in the distance unleashed their destructive charges at once. More than a few warriors eyed the orbs of hellfire with curiosity. They were not aimed at the front lines, but seemed to be headed somewhere further behind the lines of defenders. Yet most did not pay the hellfire any attention, for the shield would stop it, right?
But just before the deadly fire would have impacted that very shield, a spell was unleashed further down the slope, by Archimonde himself. A bolt of red lightning shot forward and impacted the shield. Within an instant the shield imploded on itself. The fiery charges of green hellfire got past where the shield had been and impacted their targets dead centre. Their targets were what remained of the long range weaponry of the defenders, the catapults, siege teams and ballistae. For the entire battle on the mountain the sole consistent advantage the defenders had had was their long range weaponry. Within a single second that advantage had been turned around completely. Now the only one who had long range weaponry was Archimonde.
"DAMN IT!" Talgrun exclaimed immediately upon seeing the hellfire impact, realizing immediately what it meant. Others took longer to even realize what had caused the massive explosions, having thought that the shield would protect them.
"MORTALS! THIS WILL BE YOUR LAST DAY UPON THIS WORLD!" Archimonde bellowed from below. "THIS GAME IS OVER!"
"They're advancing! Quickly!" One of the human officers remarked.
"READY SHIELDS! READY BOWS AND GUNS" Talgrun roared at the regiment. Within seconds the regiment shook of it's initial surprise and readied itself. "Walken, I want you up front." He said to the massive tauren.
"Gladly!" The tauren saluted and trudged of to the front of the regiment.
Talgrun quickly revised some of the positions within the regiment, ordered the archers and sharpshooters to fire whenever the Legion was in range and then went down to the front himself, leaving overall command of the regiment to William and Kargagtha. He took his new battleaxe from his back and pointed it towards the advancing Legion, the axe had belonged to a tauren who had been killed a few days before, and roared to regiment, "HOLD!"
The ground trembled as the Burning Legion approached. A vast army of undead and demons stormed up the slopes, all roaring at the top of their demonic lungs. The defenders, most of them at least, shouted back, but the sound they produced was no where as loud as that of the Legion. Not long after, the Legion came within range.
Arrows soared over their heads, guns fired, spells were cast, explosions rocked the ground. In the few seconds before the Legion would collide with the defenders, he looked to the side. There the Silverblades were already fighting the first few undead that had reached them. Further of he saw warlord Firetusk organising several regiments into a tight front. Even further away he saw general Trent's mounted warriors, knights, charging towards the Legion, while hundreds of arrows and bullets soared over their heads. Thrall was organising spells with a large group of shamans and the other spellcasters of the Horde, while Jaina was doing the same with the few mages that remained. Tyrande was leading a large group of archers. He even saw Gar, who, together with a large group of dark trolls, was already fighting the Legion. Malfurion was not present yet, busy as he was with the final preparations for the trap.
He turned back to the advancing Legion, mounted Sasha and bellowed one more warcry before guiding Sasha forward so he could do battle with an approaching doomguard.
Early - Day 21
Xani found herself pressed hard. Not by any demons or undead creature, but by the wounded. There were just to many. She found herself already halfway into healing the next when she had only just finished healing the current one. Yet, there was one 'advantage'. Over the weeks that the battle had lasted, only few of the healers had been killed, for they usually remained at least some distance away from the front. It meant that for every hundred soldiers that remained, there were now more healers than before, if that could truly be called an advantage.
Every time she had the opportunity to do so, she asked, prayed, for a lull in the battle so she might be able to properly heal the injured. Yet she knew she was not the only one being strained. At least she did not have to stand up on the front, facing the Legion.
Another injury healed. She walked to the next. She had to pull the soldier out of harms way, needing to duck underneath one of the hatchets an abomination was wielding to do so. So much for not facing the Legion. The soldier's leg had nearly been cut of, Only a few tendons and skin kept it attached. Blood pumped from the wound in streams. There was a piece of metal shrapnel imbedded in the wound, although it came loose easily when she tugged on it. Shivers ran over her back when she turned the nearly cut of leg so it aligned with the rest of the leg. All the while the soldier screamed in pain, clawed at the ground, clenched her teeth and nearly bit through her own cheek doing so. When Xani was happy with how the lower part of the leg aligned with the top part, she started healing. To help herself, she opened up one of the bottles of potion she had received and let some of the potion fall upon the wound. Almost immediately the wound started closing. The leg jerked a few times when the bones reattached. But then the wound was healed. The screaming stopped. The formerly injured soldier stood up and quickly thanked Xani.
"May Elune protect you. . ." Xani returned, as she had all the other times as well. It had become routine and no longer contained any of the meaning it was supposed contain. Yet, the soldier seemed pleased to hear it, for she bowed slightly in thanks. Xani smiled in return, a smile just as empty as the blessing had been. The soldier seemed undeterred by the emptiness of the gesture and picked up her sword and charged back towards the front.
Xani let her eyes trail the soldier for a moment, soon wishing she hadn't done that. The soldier swung her sword, and was parried by a felguard, who then grabbed the soldier's sword by the blade, undeterred by the wound it caused. The felguard then proceeded to reduce the head of the soldier to a bloody pulp with it's spiked mace.
For a moment Xani stood lost. She no longer knew what to do. Heal another one, so that one could get killed immediately after? "Xani!" She need not look to know it was Jonno. "Get back to work!" She sighed and reluctantly did so.
From below Archimonde started a new string of taunts directed at the night-elves. "COME YOU NIGHT-ELVES! WHERE IS THE FIRE AND THE PASSION WITH WHICH YOU FOUGHT SO LONG AGO!?" They are long gone. . . She admitted. He followed it up with more taunts which Xani did not even bother to listen to.
The battle dragged on, endlessly it seemed. At one point Xani even had to heal an injured Kaylin, who normally managed to stay out of harm's way. Despite her best efforts, soldiers kept dying. Please. . . Just a short rest. She prayed to her goddess.
And as if the deity had heard her prayer, the short rest was soon given. Xani hadn't seen her do so, but the high priestess, Tyrnade, had left the group of archers she had been leading. And at the same time that Xani had asked the goddess for a short rest, the high priestess asked for something else. She prayed for her spell to work. Not a spell of healing, but one of destruction.
Despite the fact the sun had now fully risen above the horizon, darkness came. Darkness, the favoured time of day for all night-elves, for it was when the two moons of the world of Azeroth appeared. One moon in particular, the one that represented the moon goddess, Elune. And this moon appeared in the newly darkened sky. It shone brighter than the moon ever should. The light cast seemed to touch the high priestess as she cast her spell. A brilliant aura of white, like the now very visible moon, radiated from the high priestess. What, in a true night sky, would look like stars appeared in the artificially darkened sky. Everywhere around the new moon they appeared, far more numerous than there should ever be stars.
And as Tyrande spoke the last words of her incantation, the spell was completed. Now she need only channel it. The new stars descended from the sky, gaining speed as they did so, leaving behind them a trail of light like that of the moon. Wave after wave of them fell from the sky, and landed upon the many demons and undead. And as they touched the horrible creatures, the stars burned them, burned right through them. No armour could withstand the mighty spell. Demons died screaming their agony as stars burned through their bodies, burned their insides. Undead at first paid the stars no mind, attacking the defenders even while the spell burned through them. But in the end, even the most brainless zombie, whether because any thought of itself or of it's masters, realized it was in trouble. Many a demon tried to flee. Even undead started turning and headed back down the slopes while their bodies were still burning.
The defenders witnessed a chaos like none before erupt just below them, as one half the Burning Legion was trying to retreat down the mountain, while the other half, the half unaffected by the spell, was still trying to charge upwards. Even Archimonde, who normally betrayed no annoyances to anyone but himself, was now visually frustrated. "ATTACK YOU COWARDS!!" He roared at the retreating demonic horde, but for the moment at least, the Legion was more afraid of spell then it was of Archimonde himself. To show his displeasure with the retreating demons and undead, hoping it might spur the rest into attacking again, he, with a simple gesture of his right hand, liquefied the flesh of several thousand demons, a simple act as they were his to control. They did not even have time to scream, for their liquefied insides were already spilling down the mountain before they even knew they were dead. The Legion, even now, remained more afraid of the spell than of Archimonde and continued retreating. Frustrated as he was, Archimonde unleashed his rage upon several other demons near him and then started guiding the Legion into a more organised retreat.
Further up the mountain, the high priestess sighed in relief upon seeing her spell succeed. The field was now littered with countless bodies, by far most of them demons and undead, while the rest of the Legion retreated. "Thank you." She spoke, looking up to the moon. As if in answer, the moon shone extra brightly once and then started to fade away. And as the moon faded, the darkness faded, and the sun returned to full strength.
"You should not exert yourself so much." Malfurion stepped toward her. "Or you'll be spend long before the end of the day."
Tyrande wavered on her weakened legs and sought to get a hold of Malfurion to remain standing. "I know, my love, I know. But we would not have held much longer. The soldiers are spent after three weeks of fighting. A rest, short as it will be, was needed." She sighed again, as she tried to regain some of her strength. "How are the preparations for the trap proceeding?"
"All the incantations are in place. Now it is up to nature herself to rally the rest of the power needed to destroy Archimonde. We need only hold long enough. My original estimation still holds. . . We need to hold until sundown, but now the druids and I can participate in the battle again!"
"Can the forest around us aid us as it has before?"
"All living things in this area, in the entire world, have been devastated, but I belief there may be something left for me to work with. I shall call upon the forest to lend us what power it can spare."
Early - Day 21
Talgrun's new axe imbedded itself into the last of the undead that had chosen to continue attacking. The abomination had been hit by one the stars that had suddenly appeared to fall from the sky, but it had missed anything essential to the abomination's functioning. He pulled the axe back and struck again at the abomination. The axe cleaved the head in two. The undead beast slowly sagged to the ground. And as it finally topples backwards and hit the ground with a thud, a cheer arose amongst the remaining defenders. A cheer of pure relief. At least for a short while, they could rest.
"LOOK! They're retreating!" One dwarf shouted while jumping up and down to look over his fellows standing in front of him, so ecstatic was he with the news.
"They're beat! Look at them go!" A human remarked, to tired to be as ecstatic as the dwarf.
As the rest of the regiment continued to cheer, Talgrun joined a more silent group, one where only Björn was being marginally cheerful about the situation. "Will they be back?" Kargagtha asked.
"Within minutes, most likely." Talgrun answered, receiving agreeing nods from William.
"Then we don't have long. . ." She added, and then turned to the still cheerful regiment. "Drink and rest, we don't have long! Try to make the most out of it!" She received agreeing cheers as canteens and water sacks were pulled from bags and behind rocks. "Well, at least they are happy. . ." She remarked upon turning back to them.
"They feel they've struck a mighty blow against the greatest force ever!" Walken stated as he approached with his own sack of water already near his mouth. Blood and gore covered most of his body, as it did most of those who had been anywhere near the fighting. "No wonder their hopes are up."
"While in fact we've only made a dent in their numbers. . ." Talgrun muttered solemnly, now bringing his own water sack to his mouth. "A big dent, though. A big one."
And as they tried to regain as much strength as they could, new lines were formed. What paltry defensive structures there had been, were now completely razed to the ground. "If we stand there, together with other regiments, we might be able to take advantage of those large boulders." William remarked as he gestured towards a series of large boulders with flat tops, several hundred might be able to hide amongst them. "Our sharpshooters and archers could easily rain down bullets and arrows from up on those boulders."
"And we'd be sitting ducks as well. . ." Björn quickly countered. "Their spellcasters would immediately target us. We'd all be dead within minutes. And when we're dead, there'd be nobody left to cover you people."
"Those rocks are an attractive location though. . ." Talgrun said. "If we and several other regiments were to hold around those boulders, your sharpshooters and the archers could use the boulders themselves as cover, and we could have the spellcasters use the boulders as well to be able to see everything. And then they'd be able to better protect you as well."
Björn pursed his lips as he considered it, then said, "Alright, sounds good. I'll get started." Björn was of quickly to gather the remaining archers and sharpshooters.
"Then I'll organise a few other regiments to back us up." Talgrun said as he mounted Sasha and rode to the nearest regiment. The others only nodded and continued to rest as long as they could. It did not take long for Talgrun to reach what was now the nearest regiment, the Silverblades. "How are you holding up?" He asked upon riding up to Kaylin and Zarius, who were busy organising the wounded. Before they had a chance to answer he proceeded to tell them his plan. The basis of the plan was quickly explained and the two night-elven officers were quick to decide.
"A solid plan. . . Those boulders would make for a true natural fortress." Zarius said. "But if we all go there. What about the gap we'll leave here? We could be surrounded in moments"
Talgrun had already thought of that while the two elves had briefly discussed the plan. "The spellca--" But he was cut of as he noticed something move down towards them. Or rather some 'things'. From out of the forest higher up on the mountain stepped 'trees'. Trees imbued with magic. As before, the forest itself came alive to aid the defenders. Yet Talgrun couldn't help but stare at the many huge forest giants as they strode towards them. The giants, with an agility belying their massiveness, worked their way over and around the defenders to create a new line stretching the entire width of the main passage just in front of the defenders. "Or we can leave it to them. . ." He then simply said.
The two officers both quickly nodded and then went to work to tell the rest of the regiment to go to the boulders and strengthen that position. Talgrun in the mean time went on to order two more regiments, battered ones that would not have held for many more minutes if the Legion attacked again, to strengthen the forces already at the boulder fortress. Upon passing by them, he briefly smiled to Xani and nodded to Jonno, both looking exhausted already.
"How are we doing here?" Talgrun asked upon returning to the boulders. There were sharpshooters, archers and spellcasters climbing all over and in between the boulders.
"Great!" William exclaimed. "The only thing missing to make it into a real fortress is some torches, drinks and a big gate. We should have done this a lot earlier."
"But then we wouldn't have had those. . . Trees, to cover the gap. . ." William just shook his head as if he didn't really care.
And just as the menacing horns of Legion began blowing in the distance to signal their return, Kaylin came to them. "They've returned, but you better come take a look." Talgrun nodded to her and gestured for William and several other officers to come with him. They climbed a top a particularly high boulder and looked down the slopes. Upon seeing what it was that charged up the slopes at them, his eyes opened wide in awe. Most other officers let loose some sort of profanity to show their displeasure.
What charged up the hill was no army of flesh and blood, but one of infernals. The sky now darkened again as well, but not because of some spell of the high priestess, but one of the Legion. "They've done this before at the Horde defence, but then we had massive spells, minefields and siege equipment to deal with them." William pointed out. "This time we have none of the latter two." But unlike before, this army of infernals was disorganised. Each seemed to try to get ahead of the others, to get at the defenders first. Talgrun never needed to order anybody anything. The other officers began ordering the few remaining spellcasters to prepare spells for any infernal that dared get close to them.
The sky continued darkening, while the few clouds present lit up with red light and streaks of green lightning shot across the sky. Infernals started falling from the sky now as well. Most seemed concentrated near the centre, but one dropped just a little distance to the right of the boulder fortress. As the monstrous being of rock and flame climbed from it's crater, spells of all sorts were immediately unleashed upon it. Parts of it were immediately frozen, while other parts got hit by fireballs hot enough to melt even an infernal. It never stood a chance, it collapsed before it even fully stepped from the crater.
But the massive army that charged towards them did stand a chance. Two dozen at least were heading towards them. The forest giants started moving forward to meet the infernals head on. They dwarfed the infernals in size and most likely in power as well, but Talgrun doubted whether a tree, however large it may be, had any chance against a creature of fire. He need not have worried though.
While spells had already reduced several infernals to rubble, the first of the infernals met the tree closest to the boulders. The forest giant swung a mighty branch once, the thick branch colliding with the infernal head on. The infernal shattered instantly as the rocks that made up the chest were immediately thrown back while those rocks that made up the limbs still had momentum forward. More than a few of the infernals that had been bearing down on the boulders now veered of towards the tree. Meanwhile the spellcasters kept casting spell after spell. Between the trees and their spells, they quickly destroyed all the infernals within a considerable radius, while only a few of the gigantic trees had become damaged by the infernals.
Elsewhere things had been different. The middle of the defence had suffered the most from infernals falling from the sky, but even there the army of infernals was destroyed.
Again a cheer went up. "Even Infernals cannot get at us!" One shouted, to be quickly backed by others.
Talgrun quickly climbed onto the boulders, leaving Sasha between the boulders. "Or perhaps they can. . ." He muttered upon seeing a new wave of infernals charging up the hill. Now, though, the other demons and undead also charged up the hill along with the fiery companions. "Now it gets interesting. . ."
Midday - Day 21
Hours later, the defensive line had shifted. The boulder fortress, almost all the way on the right side of the main passage, had held with relatively few losses. But everywhere else there wasn't such a natural advantage. Everywhere else the defenders had been pushed back, the least on the right side near the boulders, most on the left side, where the defenders had taken heavy losses against the infernals out in the open.
The amount of infernals racing up the slopes had decreased greatly as if the Legion had expended all they had to spare. Now the battle had mostly returned to being fought with ordinary weapons. Yet, Archimonde had still managed several strategically brilliant manoeuvres, often using magic to decimate entire regiments of the defenders.
But just a few minutes ago, the defenders had struck back, much in the way Tyrande had managed to beat back the Legion with her spell. Again the Legion had been forced to perform a chaotic retreat when several dozen spellcasters, led by Thrall and Jaina, had orchestrated a spell of immense proportions.
But for one person it had come just a few seconds to late.
Talgrun watched as William gently closed her eyes. The rest of her face was still contorted in anger and pain, as if still engaged in battle. Many were gathered around the fallen orc, whom had been dragged amongst the boulders. Especially the few former trainees that remained were shocked by the lifeless body they were standing around, for it was Kargagtha they were gathered around. Or, part of her at least. Her lower half still lay somewhere out there, amongst the many other dead. A doomguard had been her final undoing as it attacked just when she had finished of a pair of ghouls. It's flaming sword had cleaved her in half just above the waist. William had dragged her top half out of the battle. She'd been alive for only few seconds after being dragged amongst the boulders.
She was but one of many who had died, but still most were more shaken by her death than the death of dozens of others. For she had been known to many, especially amongst those here. Even though it pained him to say it, for he knew she deserved better, Talgrun said to those gathered, "Enough! Lay her with the rest and reinforce the position. We won't have long until they attack again!" Most immediately went do as he said, while William dragged Kargagtha's body to a large pile.
Upon seeing that everybody was doing as he had said, Talgrun trudged of between a series of boulders, memories of a living Kargagtha bouncing around in his head. Particularly that one time in the Warsong village. Frustration getting the better of him, he kicked against the nearest boulder, his metal boot breaking of a piece. The newly created pebble rolled along the ground until it came to rest against another set of boots.
"Hey. . ." He heard Xani whisper, she had snuck up to him. A gentle hand came to rest on his cheek. She didn't say anything else, but he could read more meaning in her eyes than any words could describe. Blood was smeared all over her armour and visible skin. A few bruises decorated her face, but otherwise she was unharmed, unlike his already numerous, but insignificant, cuts all over the exposed areas of his skin.
Yet, despite her intentions, and her comforting presence, he withdrew and said, "Don't you have wounded to attend to?" It sounded far to angry and threatening than he intended it to sound, for he merely wanted to be left alone. His meaning became clear to her despite the anger he radiated. She left silently. He sighed and then walked onward, quickly leaving the collection of boulders.
The remaining warriors now no longer belonged to any regiments. All races, whether they understood each other or not, were mixed. They all worked together on building what few barricades they could to funnel the Legion where they wanted them. Jirina stepped to him, she had not been there when Kargagtha had been declared dead. Adonai was following her. "Kargagtha, she's dead?" He nodded. Jirina bowed her head and whispered something under her breath. Upon looking up again she said, "She was a--" But he cut her of with another nod. Jirina was quick to leave again, but Adonai lingered.
"I saw it." The boy said. "She died valiantly. . ." Talgrun nodded his agreement and then told the boy to return to work.
Pushing Kargagtha way to the back of his mind best he could, he stepped towards Kaylin and Zarius. "How are your night-elves holding up?"
"We're taking losses, but that is not my worry." Kaylin stated, unemotionally, nothing seemingly capable of fazing her. She looked not one bit worried as she said she was. "What worries me is that the protectors that rose from the forest to aid us, are all but gone. If the rest of them are defeated, it leaves a large gap to our left. We'd be surrounded within minutes if it stays like that. We may need to abandon this position, so we may be able to fill that gap."
"We can't leave this position!" Zarius countered, to Talgrun's surprise. "This is the best fortified position along the entire front. If we leave, the entire right side of the front will collapse the moment Archimonde attacks again."
"That is true. . ." Kaylin mused. She looked down in thought at the trampled ground. "But without reinforcements to fill that gap, we will have to leave to avoid getting surrounded or bypassed altogether, by the Legion."
"I will send out a messenger." Talgrun said. Upon whistling once, Sasha, the last mount they had, immediately appeared. He called Kirrax to him and quickly told the former peon what message to deliver. Sasha protested lightly when Kirrax mounted, not used as she was to any rider that wasn't Talgrun. She quickly quieted when Talgrun told her it was okay. Kirrax evidently knew how to ride with considerable skill and was out of sight quickly. "Let's just hope there are actually any reinforcements available." He said to the two elves.
"I doubt it, but perhaps they can pull soldiers away from other areas where they are slightly less needed." Kaylin said.
Knowing there was nothing left for him to do, except wait for Kirrax, with or without reinforcements, he starting walking amongst the battered warriors, speaking comforting words whenever he could, or helping with putting a barricade, despite the fact he knew any barricade they made would not hold the Legion for long.
"Can we still hold long enough?" Walken asked. The gigantic tauren had seemingly materialied from thin air to ask him that.
Talgrun looked at the sun and saw it was already starting it's descend back to the horizon. "I think our chances have increased." He said eventually. "But I thought you no longer cared. . . You seemed so eager to get yourself killed before."
Walken sighed, a sound not unlike that of a dragon breathing, and slowly shook his head. There were deep gashes all over the tauren's body and just like everybody else he looked tired. "Perhaps once, but no longer. I let my memories get to me then, but I think. . . I think I have gotten over them."
Talgrun smiled briefly and patted the tauren's muscular shoulder, needing to reach up to do so.
Walken's gaze shifted down the slopes, but before the tauren could say what it was that had caught his attention, Archimonde's thundering voice rang out again to taunt them. "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THESE GAMES! NO MORE DELAYS! I WILL NOT BE HELD FROM MY PRIZE ANY LONGER!"
"Here they come again. . ." One dwarf muttered.
"Then let's not disappoint them! GET READY!" Yet, while Talgrun shouted that, he noticed there was something different about the Legion. He strained his eyes to see better and then noticed what it was that seemed so different. There were now a great many creatures flying above the Legion's ground forces as well. And most of those seemed to be heading directly towards their part of the defence. It seemed Archimonde had figured out what was holding down his forces, and he planned to get rid of it.
Midday - Day 21
Talgrun's shout was heard even within the boulder fortress. "You heard him!" Jonno shouted at his fellow healers. "Let's get the last few of these wounded taken care of so they can join in the fight outside!"So we can have a few seconds of rest before the new stream of wounded comes in. What had been his white armour, was now coloured in every colour that made up the blood of the various races that defended the World Tree. From his current position amongst the boulders he could see the World Tree. And each time he looked, it gave his endurance that little boost it needed to heal another wounded, for he knew if the World Tree was usurped by Archimonde, all he would have done so far would have been for naught. He had no wish for that to happen, perhaps even less than he wished to die.
The last of the wounded was taken care of. The healers who still had the strength to do so started passing out water amongst them. Xani it was who gave him a sack of water. He gratefully took it and allowed her to sit next to him. A portion of the water he threw over his face, washing away some of the grime on it. The rest he drank, savouring every drop as if it might be his last one.
A shout from above caught their attention. "Flyers! Hundreds of them! They're all heading over here!" Not long after that gunshots resounded, followed by the shrieks of dying demons and undead monstrosities. The ground trembled as the Legion's ground forces approached like a thunderstorm. Mere seconds later the sounds of steel clashing upon steel and claws was heard, screams of the dying following not long after.
"Alright then! We should--" Jonno said as he stood up, but a scream from above, on the boulders, had cut him of.
"Watch out! It is--" The scream became a horrifying cry of someone who was being gutted alive. Both Jonno and Xani looked up just in time to see the night-elf get torn in two by a bat-like creature that had landed on the boulders. Both halves fell down amongst the boulders, one dropping so near Jonno that the blood of the dead elf splashed onto him.
"A gargoyle. . ." Xani pointed out, but before Jonno could ask how she knew that, she had already gone to the fallen elf.
It did not sit well with Jonno. There were not yet a lot of injured to deal with, so he continued looking up. It seemed the gargoyle was still on a killing spree up there. Body parts kept on rolling over the edge of the boulders, while small streams of blood followed. But he couldn't see the unholy monstrosity anywhere. He drew his short sword and continued to peer up.
Another body, much more whole this time, was flung over the edge of the boulders. It, a human, landed not far from Xani, who had by now eased the torn apart half of the night-elf into death. Xani immediately, without care for anything else, went to the new body to check for life, which she evidently found, for she gestured for Jonno to come. He did. There was a wide hole in the right side of the human's chest. A bad injury, but with quick and precise attention not necessarily fatal.
Before he might have doubted whether the young Xani would be experienced enough to handle such injuries, but that was long ago. He had seen her skills increase rapidly to the point that she might be more skilled than him. Only a single second was spend thinking of that, though, for he was still more concerned with what went on up on the boulders.
And only because he was looking did anybody get any advance warning. He saw the gargoyle tipping over the edge, slashes and arrows everywhere on it's body, but still very much alive. "Everybody OUT! It is coming down!" The gargoyle was not doing well in trying to get down, for it's large wing span had never been meant for this sort of thing. It still swung the claws on the tips of each wing around, even while it was climbing down.
Only just in time did Jonno pull Xani down underneath one of the claws, before it would have torn her head of. He started pulling her away, towards a passage in between boulders that would lead to another 'room' where healers where busy. She tried to pull the human with her, but was forced to let go when the gargoyle's claws came round again. She was missed, but the human took the full brunt of the blow. His chest was utterly torn apart.
They made it safely away from the gargoyle and into a passage in between boulders, but Jonno felt it would not be safer there. In fact, it might be more dangerous. The air felt colder and colder as they proceeded through the passage. He heard a sound, like that of a dragon with a torn throat breathing out quickly. With a grunt he pushed Xani into the nearest wall, just in time. The temperature plummeted. A blast of air rushed passed them, only a smaller boulder protecting them from the full force of the attack. The rush of air stopped and the temperature slowly increased again.
They peeked around the protecting boulder and saw everything had been frozen solid. Everything, the rocks, the dead, the wounded and the healers. White covered everything. Jonno looked up just in time to see a frost wyrm taking of.
"Jonno! Your ear!" Xani exclaimed upon looking at him.
Gently, he felt around the right side of his head. Part of it was frozen solid just like everything in front them. Upon touching the middle of his right ear, he heard something break. Strangely enough he felt nothing. In his right hand lay the upper half of his long pointed ear. "Lucky me. . . Could have been my head." He said, slightly dazed. His mind felt numb. He felt around more and noticed the entire right side of his head was frozen solid. The right eye no longer functioned and he had trouble moving his mouth, particularly the right side resisted. "Oh. . . It. . . Was. . ."
"You're not dead yet! Now move! That gargoyle is coming!" He turned sluggishly to see she was right. It had killed everything else in sight and now came after them. Dragged onward by Xani, he started to run. Whether it was his increasingly slow mind playing tricks on him, he didn't know, but he thought he felt a tug on his stomach. It was gone soon enough though and it hadn't slowed him, nor did it hurt. They raced through the frozen area. "It's climbing over the boulders!" Xani alerted. "It can't get in between the boulders!" Jonno found his neck lacked the capacity to twist, so he couldn't look back.
His left eye started faltering, his legs wanted to give out, his right arm no longer functioned and the only thing holding the left arm up was Xani as she dragged him on. "Puh-- Please. . . I c-- Can't go on!" He shivered even as he was running.
"Just a little bit more, that passage is long enough to protect us. It won't be able to reach us."
Then he suddenly was no longer running forward. Xani was no longer dragging him. His remaining eye only saw a shimmering white wall. He felt strange, as if hanging upside-down. Am I dead? He wondered. Than he found he really was hanging upside-down. The ugly head of the gargoyle appeared. Twisting his neck best he could, he saw one of the gargoyle's claws was through his left leg, and was holding him up. The gargoyle screeched at him. Another claw appeared, it was being drawn back, as if it were preparing to punch him in the face.
He found he no longer had his sword, he must have dropped it. Finding whatever strength and willpower he could summon in his barely functioning left arm, he struck the gargoyle in the face before it could strike him. Blood seeped from the gargoyle's flat nose. It was evidently hurt, for it tried to hold him away as far as possible, it wasn't used to getting punched.
The gargoyle was quick to recover though. But just before it could strike with it's claws, it screamed in pain and withdrew the claw pierced through Jonno's leg. He fell down and landed hard on his neck. Just before hitting the ground he saw Xani had drawn her own sword and had sliced through both of the gargoyle's legs. It had fallen to the ground, where it was quickly finished of by a sword to the head. But it seemed luck was not on Jonno's side. In a dying spasm, the gargoyle kicked out and hit Jonno fully in the chest. For a moment he experienced the feeling of flight, the fact he really was soaring through the air combined with his numb mind enhanced that feeling greatly, until he collided with a boulder. Up until now he had felt very little of all the wounds, but that changed now. He felt it, and being a seasoned priest, he knew exactly what it meant. The shattering sound accompanying the colliding with the wall added to the knowledge of what was wrong with him.
He had broken both his spine and had cracked the back of his skull. Small miracle he was still alive at all. Unable to use any part of his body below his shoulders, he sagged to the ground. Trying best he could to look at his body, he now also saw what the little tug was he had felt earlier. It had been the gargoyle's claws ripping through his stomach.
"Jonno!" He heard Xani shout. Sorry Xani. Sorry commander. . . Kaylin. . . His remaining eye blacked out, exhaustion took over. Finally! Rest! Every muscle in his body he still had control over relaxed. He was dead before Xani could even get to him.
Midday - Day 21
"Concentrate on that frost wyrm!" Zarius shouted to the remaining archers on the boulders. Against the demons and undead on the ground they were still holding well, but those in the sky were picking them of like flies.
"Get up there and lead them from there!" Kaylin shouted at him, only barely audible over the roar of battle. "They can't hear you from here!"
He saluted in agreement and ran of towards the boulders. Just before he would have started climbing, he saw someone stumbling out of the boulder fortress. "Xani! What are you doing out here!"
"Most of the healers are dead! A gargoyle landed amongst the boulders and wreaked havoc!" She paused and then shouted. "Jonno's dead!"
Zarius nodded his understanding and then said, "Tell the commander!" And without looking whether she did so, he started on his climb up the boulders. There he found a true bloodbath. He swallowed hard, even after all the things he had seen below. Wherever there were dents in the rocks, there were now pools of blood. Intestines lay spread all over the place, as well as body parts. At least half of the archers and sharpshooters had to have been killed.
But up here, at least he could more easily make himself heard. "Everybody! Reorganise!" He went from group to group and told them what to do best he could, then picked up the bow of a fallen night-elf. "Concentrate on THAT one!" He shouted and let loose an arrow upon a frost wyrm flying past. Although he was not that good with a bow, he was still good enough to hit any beast that flew by, although he never managed to hit what he actually aimed for, the head. But whenever he hit one of the beasts, every other archers and sharpshooter shot at that same monstrosity. Even those who could not understand what he was saying quickly figured out what he meant by just looking at the other elves. The spellcasters tried to aid best they could, while still casting their protective spells.
This way they managed to quickly pick of the flyers of the Legion, while warning each other whenever one came in for an attack.
And from here it also enabled Zarius to be the first to see the last of the forest giants go down.
But he was also the first to see something else approach.
Midday - Day 21
Walken had no idea where he was, nor how long he had been there. He had run around and had battled in so many places in front of the boulders that he had lost track of where he was. He might be fighting at the rear of the boulders for all he knew. Never was there an opportunity to check. There was always another ghoul or felhound, if not one of their larger kin. Right now he hammered one felhound into the ground. He followed it up by parrying the sword of a felguard with his hammer. Endlessly it seemed to go on. And perhaps it did, he could no longer tell.
He hit a doomguard's head so hard it came loose from the neck. A pair of humans pushed in front of him, cutting him of from direct combat for the first time. It gave someone else the opportunity to tap him on his shoulder. He nearly decapitated the one as he whirled around. At first glance he thought he was looking at Talgrun, but he then saw this orc was slightly shorter, a lot less muscled, somewhat younger and less scarred, but otherwise the orc's face looked strikingly like the champion's. A second more and he recalled that this one was called Kirrax. And another second later that Kirrax had been sent for reinforcements.
"Well?! What about the reinforcements?!" He roared at the orc, straining to get above the thunder of the battle.
The orc guided them away from the battle before speaking. "I have returned with four hundred! They have closed of the gap before any undead could get through! More will be coming soon, led by warlord Firetusk himself!"
"Good!" Walken roared back. "Now go tell the champion! He'll want the wolf back as well!" The orc saluted and was of immediately, guiding Sasha along on. Walken stretched to his impressive full height to look across the many warriors, demons and undead. Some distance away he saw the reinforcements, they were doing exactly as Kirrax had said. Knowing that their chances had now gone up greatly made him smile involuntarily.
Midday - Day 21
Talgrun fumbled with a bandage as he tried to tie it around his right arm. There was deep cut going from the edge of his armour at the shoulder down to his hands, where only the metal gloves had prevented any further harm. It bled so badly that he wondered whether one of the more important veins had been hit. He had lost his axe an hour ago, so a long sword was now resting against the rock upon which he leaned.
Having worked with bandages before, he quickly managed to adequately tie the cloth around his arm, just in time to see Kirrax approach him with Sasha in tow.
"And?" He asked when Kirrax was close enough to hear. Kirrax only gestured of to the left as if presenting an actor on stage. The reinforcements had already closed the gap there. "Good work!" He gave the only slightly shorter orc a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"Firetusk will be here, soon, with more reinforcements!" Kirrax added.
Talgrun nodded and then told the orc to return to battle. Sasha came over to him, allowing him to mount. While flexing his right arm, the fingers on his left hand played with the new necklace that hung around his neck. It was made of the broken claw of the dreadlord he had killed during his not-quite-suicide assignment, which had become lodged in his shoulder when the dreadlord died. It wasn't much to look at, just the broken claw with thick leather strap attached to it. But any demon with even half a brain would know what it meant. More than a few of the more intelligent demons, doomguard and eredar, had faltered upon seeing it.
Involuntarily his gaze was suddenly drawn to something amongst the demonic horde. Not the sheer size of it, nor the chaotic castings of the eredar, but one towering figure. He could not pull his gaze away. The figure stared right back at him. He had the feeling as if he stood but a few feet in front of the demon, so much had his eyes focused upon it. Archimonde frowned at him. Talgrun felt drawn to those frowning eyes, in which a light of an unnatural colour burned. They tried to suck him in, he realized. He strained to pull away from those eyes, and only through use of all his willpower did he succeed. Careful to not be pulled in, he looked again. Archimonde was still looking at him, but it seemed the spell, if it had been that, was not in effect anymore. He no longer felt drawn to those unnatural eyes, he could hardly even discern them from this distance.
Although he was not pulled in again, he realized Archimonde now knew he was still very much alive, if he didn't before. The knowledge that Talgrun's very presence might cause Archimonde to push even harder against their position unnerved him. So far though, nothing seemed to have changed. Until he noticed another figure, not so far away, amongst the Legion. A one horned dreadlord.
Dethrox.
Dethrox looked back at him and seemed to gesture for him to come. Talgrun returned the gesture and waited. To his disappointment the dreadlord disappeared amongst a group of doomguard. Come then, you coward! We have unfinished business!
Midday - Day 21
"So that pesky orc is still alive?!" Dethrox asked no one in particular. He must be dealt with! Archimonde's voice roared in his head. This is your chance at redemption! Kill him once and for all! He could feel Archimonde leave his mind, the demon lord having more pressing matters to attend to, leaving Dethrox free to say or think what he wanted without fear that the archdemon would hear. His hand involuntarily went to spot on his ribcage where Talgrun had broken his ribs on two different occasions. "Damn that hardy orc to the beyond!" He cursed not for the first time. "He should have been dead far to often!"
But then his hand touched the many areas where Archimonde had tortured, punished, him for not being able to deal with the orc. At least that was how Dethrox saw it. For it was because of Talgrun that that young orc warchief had managed to escape his grasp, and that his assault in the Barrens had failed. And even when it was Archimonde himself who had failed to permanently get rid of the orc, it had been Dethrox who had suffered for it, for having let it come to that. Only the small amount of potential he still had according to the demonlord had been his rescue. "If I fail again, there will be no mercy, no more chances. It'll be death or eternal torture! Rightfully so!" That was the way of the Legion. Dethrox could consider himself lucky to have not been destroyed the first time he had failed because of Talgrun. Archimonde normally had very little patience with his subordinates, less even then Mannoroth, who had been the one to give Dethrox a second chance when the orc warchief had escaped.
He stepped out of the group of doomguards he had used for cover from Talgrun's eyes, and started towards the frontlines. He had long noticed that Talgrun still had an aura of ancient magic around him, although the orc seemed neither effected by it nor seemed to be using it. "Perhaps when I have finally killed him, I can have a chance at whatever it is that radiates that energy." Fearing he might be heard by Archimonde, he didn't dare say what else he thought. And perhaps I can use it to get away from the Legion, away from Archimonde. For despite the fact he believed Archimonde to have been fully in his right to punish, Dethrox still harboured a hate against the demonlord and many of the other leaders of Legion. A hate that had build up over many centuries, but only recently had it increased manifold through Talgrun.
Talgrun had seen him again. He was riding a wolf it seemed. The orc rode parallel to the defenders lines, beckoning for Dethrox to come over. Dethrox moved in the same direction, walking parallel to the frontline as well, returning the gestures. The demons and undead parted before him so could walk unhindered.
"I guess I can't convince you to come to me?" Dethrox asked, using spells to make sure Talgrun heard loud and clear.
"Why don't you come over here?" The orc replied arrogantly.
"Then perhaps I will!" With the help of a few beats of his wings, Dethrox jumped over the defenders, landing just in front of Talgrun.
Some of the defenders immediately turned to face him, but Talgrun stopped them with a gesture of his hand. "This one is mine!" The orc shouted at the defenders. Reluctantly, the defenders returned to fighting the demons and undead, but for a while longer they would cast suspicious glances towards Dethrox.
While Talgrun dismounted and spoke something to the wolf, Dethrox noticed the new necklace the orc was wearing. The wolf slowly stepped away from it's master, reluctantly. Dethrox gave the wolf a single look of contempt but then focused upon Talgrun again. "He was a fool!" He stated as he pointed at the necklace Talgrun was wearing. Dethrox had of course known what it meant. "He never had been capable of serious thought, only living for carnage. I guess that is what he got!"
"You're not any different!" Talgrun returned vehemently, actually making Dethrox consider it.
"Before, perhaps. . . But not anymore."
They were interrupted when a pair of night-elves appeared. One on the ground while the other was up on the boulders. The one on the ground, a female, spoke. "Tagrun! Step away we'll. . ." As she spoke various archers appeared on the boulders, ready to fire upon Dethrox.
Talgrun did not let her fully state her intentions, though. "None of that! He is mine!"
"But we have him!" The elf on the boulders protested.
"No you don't." Dethrox simply said. Without even moving a finger, all the arrows readied on the various bows suddenly snapped in two. Dethrox then turned to the female night-elf, whom he finally recognised. "Hello again. . . Commander Kaylin!"
The elf trembled with anger upon being spoken to by a dreadlord, but then recognised the dreadlord as well. "Dethrox?!"
"Indeed." From his hands shot forth two bolts of shadowy energy. They impacted the elf and threw her back a few feet. Talgrun seemed ready to run towards the elf and check her for any life, but Dethrox headed him of. "She'll be fine in a few moments."
"Zarius, get back to attacking the flyers! I will deal with Dethrox." Talgrun said confidently. For a moment it seemed this 'Zarius' would disobey, but in the end Talgrun's authority held. It was just the two of them now. Well, not completely just the two of them, the wolf still lurked somewhere, always just outside of Dethrox's view. "Alright then." Without further warning, Talgrun charged, swinging a long sword as he did so. Dethrox parried with the claws on one hand and tried to cast a spell with other, but when he unleashed it, his hand was diverted away from Talgrun when the latter batted it away with a backhanded blow.
This might take a while. . . He grinned and hoped it would.
Afternoon - Day 21
"Get on your feet! There is no time for rest!" William shouted at a small group of soldiers. They were exhausted, just like everybody else.
"We. . . Can't. . ." One protested, breathing heavily at the same time.
"I will have none of that! Get back to the battle! Over there if you will, they need the help!" The one who had spoken before started opening his mouth to protest. "NOW!" William bellowed at them. After taking one last quick sip from their water, weapons were drawn again and the soldiers went back to the battle.
After wiping a few drops of sweat from his forehead with an armoured glove, something to the side caught William's attention. The reinforcements from earlier were being pressed hard, but it seemed more were inbound. A large force was racing down the slopes from behind the defenders. Peering through his binoculars, of which one glass was broken now, he quickly saw it was warlord Firetusk in the lead. He tried waving at the warlord, but Firetusk could not possibly have seen him.
Mere seconds later, an unexplainable sense of dread took over. There is something wrong! A shiver went down his spine. Something in the air itself caused it, or perhaps he was finally losing control of his senses. He looked around in an attempt to detect the cause and quickly found it. It was Archimonde himself casting a spell. The new reinforcements were almost at the defenders when the spell was unleashed. A tear in the air seemed to form in front of Archimonde. It stretched towards the defenders, growing wider as it did so. Every being it touched was torn apart by some invisible force when they were touched by the tear. It killed defenders, demons and undead indiscriminately. Anything it touched was doomed to a painful death.
The tear did not head in William's direction, though. It headed straight for the new reinforcements, and straight through the defenders holding the line there. Strangely enough the tear stopped just before it would have hit the first of the reinforcements, which would have been Firetusk. But the damage had already been done. Demons and undead poured through the new breach, quickly widening it. More and more poured through. The reinforcements tried to mend the gap, but were overwhelmed, there were just to many pouring through the gap.
Many of the fast undead quickly spread out behind the defenders' lines and then surrounded the newly arrived reinforcements. Within a minute there was nothing left of the reinforcements, every single one dead, including Firetusk.
Most of the demons that had poured through then concentrated on moving further uphill or moving to attack the middle of the defenders' lines from behind.
"Damn it all!" He shouted. Already he could see what remained of the original reinforcements start to retreat towards the boulders. "Damn it all to whatever lies beyond this world!" He continued cursing even while he started searching for Walken or anybody else he could trust with something of importance. "You!" He pulled the shorter orc away from the battle, There had been no immediate threat nearby anyway. "Adonai. I need someone to tell them to cover our left and rear! You're it!" He meant the defenders which were now retreating towards them. The young orc quickly looked at what he meant and then nodded. "Make sure they cover the boulders and have them position their archers and sharpshooters on top of those boulders!" Adonai looked unsure as he tried to process the sudden flood of information. "You got that!?"
A second of hesitation later the answer came, "YES!"
"Then go!" The boy was of quickly, leaving William to continue his cursing as he looked for the next person he needed.
For a moment surprise took over when he saw Talgrun was still battling one on one with Dethrox. They had been at it for a while now. Talgrun had landed some blows on Dethrox, for cuts and bruises decorated every inch of the dreadlord, but nothing very serious, except that the claws one hand had been reduced to stubs. It seemed the other way around was also true. Talgrun's greatest enemy right now seemed exhaustion. Sweat mixed with blood sprayed around whenever he made a sudden move. Part of him was actually on fire. The large orc's right foot was burning with black fire that just could not be doused whatever Talgrun tried to do so, yet it seemed to be little more than a distraction to the veteran orc.
He felt awkward disturbing their duel, but he had to, he had no idea what else to do about the new situation. "Talgrun!"
Talgrun turned slightly to look at him for a split second. Fanatic bloodshot eyes met with William's for a second. Reason was no longer driving Talgrun. It was just vengeance and rage now. "Stay out of it!" Talgrun roared angrily.
The will to continue quickly fled from William, but he had to. "The reinforcements have been destroyed, along with most of what's been holding the line to our left. We are being surrounded!"
For a moment it seemed Talgrun hadn't been listening, but then the huge orc asked in a short burst in between parrying Dethrox and swinging the sword, "What about Firetusk?!"
"Warlord Firetusk is dead!"
A moment of silence, at least between the two combatants, passed while Talgrun processed the information. When the moment passed, Talgrun let loose a loud roar and struck upward with his free fist against Dethrox's jaw, who was forced backwards by the blow. Forced back far enough for Talgrun step to William. The much shorter human suddenly felt very pathetic and weak when Talgrun picked him up by the collar with just his left hand. The bloodshot eyes locked onto those of William. "You're in charge! Deal with it! Have whatever is left of them protect our left and rear!" The orc then threw William away slightly.
William managed to land properly. Already did that. But he didn't have the stomach to actually say it, fearful of how Talgrun might react. So there is nothing left to try. . . No way out, we'll be surrounded. For a short while he watched Talgrun battle Dethrox, but eventually he just walked away. Hopeless as he was, he cast his eyes skyward, in hopes of finding something up there that might be helpful. But then he found it. The sun, it had greatly progressed on it's way towards to the horizon. While the battle had seemed to have taken an eternity, it had in fact truly gone on for a considerable amount of time now.
Filled with new hope, he climbed the boulders, needing the dodge the claws of a gargoyle while he did so. Upon reaching the topmost boulder he pulled out his binoculars and peered through them.
There!
He saw it!
The sign!
A large red flag waved on the end of a long pole. The sign that the preparations for the trap were almost, if not completely, done. Ecstatic, and perhaps not quite sane anymore, he pulled the nearest night-elf to him, one he recalled being called Zarius, and pointed towards the red flag in the distance. The taller elf, night-elven eyes being far superior to a human's, quickly saw it and his face also took on an immensely relieved expression. A smile decorating the elf's visage, Zarius nodded to William and then started shouting at the others still on top of the boulders, most likely relaying them the news. Some started cheering, while others just went on with firing what arrows and bullets they had left with renewed hope.
Restraining himself only barely from jumping of the boulders, what would have surely resulted in a broken leg if not worse, he climbed down and started spreading the news.
"Just hold on a little longer! It won't take much longer!" Everywhere where the defenders could do so, they started retreating up the slopes or into makeshift fortresses like the one William stood in front of. Archimonde had passed them by, not even casting a glance in their direction.
Confident of himself in his assurance that he was about to usurp what he had come to this world for, Archimonde taunted the defenders one last time. "THIS IS ALMOST TO EASY! If I HAD KNOWN THIS MORTAL RESISTANCE WOULD BE SO WEAK, I WOULD HAVE LAUNCHED THIS INVASION CENTURIES AGO!" William cast a glance up towards the World Tree. The huge, majestic, tree dominated the skyline to the north. It's peak was lost in the dark clouds. William knew not what sort of trap had been laid, but he was confident that it would destroy Archimonde, for so much effort had been put into creating and defending it.
Afternoon - Day 21
Xani had heard the news that the red flag was now visible, that the trap was set. She had come outside to see it for herself. Upon seeing it hope had filled her. Just a little while longer. She kept saying to herself.
But curiosity had gotten the better of her. She had heard from the few healers that still remained that Talgrun was apparently battling a dreadlord on his own, and did not wished to be disturbed as he did so. The truth of it was quickly known to her. She had no trouble recognising the one horned Dethrox.
"Talgrun!" she shouted at him. Almost had she shouted that the trap had been set, but thought better of it, for she knew that Dethrox might well relate the news in some way to Archimonde. She did not want to be responsible for ruining everything.
Talgrun became distracted upon hearing her voice, almost fatally. A spell impacted his chest flinging him away against one of the boulders. Or at least it would have been fatal to an average night-elf, Talgrun merely shrugged it of. Attention focused upon Dethrox again, Talgrun turned the sword he had been holding over in his hands so he was holding the tip, and then threw it at Dethrox. Dethrox tried to get out of the way, but lacked the energy to do so, exhaustion now getting to the dreadlord as well. The sword embedded itself tip first into the right side of Dethrox's chest. Talgrun was on his feet quickly and sprinted to the stricken dreadlord like a maniac, the intention to rip the dreadlord apart with just his hands clear on his face.
Even though Xani had expected to see Talgrun this fanatic if she would ever be witness of a duel between the orc and Dethrox, it scared her to actually see him such. Talgrun never got to actually rip the dreadlord apart. He bowled the dreadlord over and started to pull on the sword still embedded within latter's chest. Then an ominous roar from behind her made Xani turned around. Just in time, for demons and undead were incoming. The lines of the defenders had broken. She could see what remained of the defenders retreating amongst the boulders where they would try to hold.
After quickly drawing her sword, she parried a felguard's sword, but found she was pushed back by the sheer strength the felguard possessed. She stepped back towards the passage where she had emerged from the collection of boulders. The demons and undead slowly closed in, cutting her of from Talgrun. She could still see their struggle, though.
Dethrox had managed to get one hoof underneath Talgrun. Through sheer strength, the dreadlord launched Talgrun of him. Talgrun hit the ground hard where his remaining momentum made him roll in Xani's direction, he bowled over a pair of ghouls before he finally came to rest against the boulders.
"Hold still!" Someone shouted from above. Just as the first of the felhounds lunged towards Xani, arrows rained down upon the demons and undead. She looked up to see her father with a dozen of archers. "Get inside!" He shouted at her. She nodded and started to pull on Talgrun's body in an attempt to drag him inside. He was far to heavy though and he seemed to be unconscious. As if she had been waiting for this very moment, Sasha appeared from behind a smaller boulder and started to push against Talgrun limp body, the giant wolf far more capable of pushing such an immense weight.
His eyes opened again. "We need to get inside." She said just loud enough to be heard. He blinked twice, regaining his senses, and then jumped to his feet.
"Dethrox!" He roared, but the advancing demons and undead, who were still being held at bay by the archers above, had cut access to Dethrox of. The dreadlord was visible though. Looking just as enraged as Talgrun was, the dreadlord pulled the sword from his chest and seemed to be trying to get the demons and undead to move aside, but they didn't listen anymore.
"Come on, we need to get inside, we're holding them of there." She put an arm in front of his chest and tried to push him inside. Eventually he gave in and did as she wanted, leaving Dethrox. Soldiers came to cover the passage after they had passed through it.
Amongst the boulders they could easily be heard without raising their voices much, for the monstrous roar of battle decreased greatly as they went further into the boulder fortress. Soldiers were protecting each passage that lead into the various open spaces amongst the boulders. Looking as if dazed, Talgrun was slowly letting his gaze pass over the entire room they were in now. "Jonno. . ." He muttered upon looking at one of the many corpses in one corner. Xani cast her eyes downward, chills running across her spine as she thought back to Jonno's death. "Firetusk. . ." Talgrun muttered then, looking to the east where the warlord and his reinforcements had been utterly annihilated.
"Talgrun?" She asked concerned.
As if something had snapped back into place, Talgrun briefly looked at her, most of the vengeful madness gone, and then looked at the soldiers present. Calculations seemed to be going inside his mind as he took stock of everybody's condition. After finishing, he briefly looked at her and smiled, before starting to order everybody around. Soldiers were repositioned, the few remaining officers were talked to, order was created.
Now we just need hold on a bit longer. She thought as she went back to what she did best, healing the injured. Knowing that the collection of boulders made for a natural fortress made her confident that it was entirely possible.
Just before sundown - Day 21
"At last! The way to the World Tree is clear!" Archimonde said to himself as he gazed upon the World Tree but a few hundred feet away. "Witness the end you mortals! The final hour has come!" He roared at anybody who was close enough to hear. Already he could feel the immense powers emanating from the tree. They coursed through him. And as they did so, he absorbed them, making him grown not only in power, but physically as well. With each step closer to the World Tree he grew. The trees became but toothpicks that cracked underneath his feet, while the World Tree still towered over him. Finally, it is mine! These puny races are to be commended for their efforts to protect it, but nothing can stand before the might of the BURNING LEGION!
He climbed to the peak of the mountain, grabbed hold of one of the thick roots and then pulled himself up so his feet were near where the World Tree's trunk became roots that burrowed deep into the ground. Grabbing hold of the trunk he gazed up at one of the most impressive things he had seen in his entire, long, life. Even though most of the tree was lost in the clouds, with his heightened senses he could still see every inch of it. Involuntarily he started to move his tail in excitement.
Having seen enough of the tree, he was going to devour it anyway, he bend towards the tree and concentrated upon usurping the power. A horn blowing in the distance caught his attention. He hadn't seen any mortals near the tree on his way up. No matter, they will be dealt with once I am finished. A soft wind picked up, quickly increasing in strength. Still nothing to worry about, he would not let anything distract him now, especially the pathetic attempt of some spirit of nature, so he closed his eyes to better concentrate upon the power so close by.
But then something did distract him. A nagging in the back of his mind that something was wrong. He opened his eyes to look around. His view was immediately filled with many small wisps of light. Hundreds of them. Thousands of them! A burning sensation unlike any he had felt before started within his insides. He looked down at his chest and saw it was radiating blue light. This is not right! I have been trapped! He raised an arm towards his chest, but found he could only do so with the utmost difficulty. The wisps whirled all around him, radiating energy unimaginable. The burning sensation increased until it became true pain, something he had not felt for himself for a long time. Then it increased more. The blue aura radiating from his chest spread to all his body parts.
The pain made any rational though impossible. Despite himself he roared in pain. None can stand against the burning Legion! He thought desperately in the hopes it would allow him to channel some sort of spell to free him of his torment. But he couldn't cast anything. He wouldn't even have been capable of lighting a campfire.
Then the pain ceased suddenly. The blue aura expanded away from him. The spell cast upon him had ceased! HAH! None can stand befo-- The blue aura collapsed back upon him. And with a flash of blinding light. . .
. . . He exploded.
Within an instant every tree within a several miles radius was burned to the ground. All the power that had been within him and the many thousands of wisps was now unleashed in one gigantic explosion. A wall of fire stormed down the slopes of the mountain as a result.
Adonai saw one of the human warriors, who had been outside to protect one of the entrances, enter the space between the boulders where most of them were gathered. "The Legion, they are retreating! All of them! See for yourself!" They did, all of them did. They poured out of their fortress and gathered on the south side of it. The demons and undead, all of them rushed passed them down the slopes as if their life depended on it. Talgrun was looking up the mountain at the source of their fear. Adonai did not, he only saw demons running away, something he had wished to see, remained alive to see.
"Take that!" He shouted, running down the slopes after a doomguard, enthusiasm having gotten the best of him.
Only several seconds later did he hear Talgrun shout, "NO! Everybody stay inside! Take cover amongst the boulders!" Only then did Adonai look back. His lower jaw dropped in awe, both at his own stupidity to immediately run out and at the massive firestorm that thundered down the mountain. "Adonai! GET INSIDE!" Talgrun shouted. The older orc was already running towards him to drag him back to the boulders if need be. Everybody else had already managed to get back inside. Adonai had only managed one step when Talgrun had already arrived. The veteran orc looked back one second and then pulled Adonai down to the ground. "Make yourself as small as possible, close your eyes and hold your breath!" Talgrun ordered. Adonai did so.
Talgrun cast an arm around Adonai to make sure the younger orc would not accidentally get away and then shifted his feet to get as much grip as possible. He huddled over Adonai to shield him from the oncoming flames.
The flames hit. Heat enveloped them. A deafening roar filled their ears. Hair was scorched away wherever flames touched it. Adonai smelled burned flesh, possibly his own for he felt as if he were being burned alive, even though he wasn't breathing and thus should not smell anything. He felt a thud and had almost opened his eyes to look, but quickly realized the flames would burn the soft tissue of his eyes away immediately. He could only guess that the thud had been a body colliding with them. The fire seemed to rage endlessly. Adonai's breath began to run out, but he kept his mouth closed, knowing what the heat would do if he breathed.
All the while he wondered why Talgrun had come out to do this. Did he think he could somehow withstand the heat better and then protect him? But then why would he take the risk? He decided it was neither place nor the time to think of it further.
The flames abruptly stopped. It was as if an immense weight fell away from him. It remained smoulderingly hot, but the flames were gone, mostly. The smell of burned flesh stayed and increased even. He became aware of burns all over his body. But upon shaking of the original surprise at having survived the firestorm, he looked at Talgrun. The back of Talgrun's armour was completely black from burns, while everything else was covered in soot. Most of Talgrun's hair had been scorched away, as Adonai's had probably as well. The back of Talgrun's armour was so hot it still made hissing noises as it touched his skin. Adonai now saw it had in fact been the body of a demon that had collided with them. A felguard he suspected, for it's sword was stuck in Talgrun's back.
Yet, despite all this, Talgrun was very much alive. "You idiot!" He shouted. "What did I say? Stay inside! But what did you do!? You ran of like a dwarf chasing a treasure!" Adonai couldn't help but grin. Talgrun was quick to stand up straight. "Damn!" He shouted upon feeling the hot armour on his back. "Get it of!" he tried to undo the bonds that kept his armour together, but his burned fingers made it impossible.
The older orc did not even seem to notice the sword, but perhaps all the burns had diminished his ability to feel all the many different things that hurt. Adonai quickly pulled the sword out of the other orc and showed it. Talgrun just looked at it for a moment with surprise, but then continued to demand the armour be taken of. Adonai's much thinner, and less burned, fingers quickly unlatched the bonds. The back armour fell away, revealing that Talgrun's back had not yet been burned to badly yet, but lying on his back would not be an option for a while without serious healing.
Talgrun sighed in relief as the hot armour fell to the ground. "Finally!"
In silence they looked down the slopes at the remaining demons retreating far below, both of them then sighed in the knowledge that the battle was over. They then both turned around and started walking towards the boulders. The others were now emerging again, and started cheering at them. Adonai quickly picked out his mother amongst them. She was not hard to spot, as she was one of those running down towards them.
Talgrun looked at one of those running down as well. Xani it was for him. He smiled and then looked at the others one by one, William, Björn, Walken, Kirrax, Kaylin, Zarius and lastly Sasha. No words they could have spoken would have been appropriate. Talgrun only patted Adonai's shoulder twice and then, just before he would have collapsed from his new injuries, let himself be supported by the first to arrive, Walken.