Reviews:
Guest 1: At least part of the conflict for the Scarlett Monastery/Crimson Post will and is remaining mostly off screen reserved for another story, be it if i finally finish this and get to it, or if someone asks.
Guest 2: Big scary Neanderthals are big and scary. But lets see how well a more legitimate Azeroth force stands against a Chaos force that they actually know is coming.
Guest 3: Well considering that the "cure" for Morrslieb is blowing it the frick up along with the whole Warhammer world, and the two active gates to an absolute hellscape, as opposed to the overused floating islands thing stolen from Dreamscape sequences that most fantasy stories and games from the 80s, 90s and early 2000s did, he'd probably think his is worse since the sword isn't even actively poisoning the world. AKA a dumb storyline there that was just a excuse to strip players of gear rather than having any impact on anything, and personally I'd retcon into something thats actively ongoing so as to justify future threats and evils Blizzard would introduce in the future...(but what do i know i only took multiple creative writing classes, history majors, psych majors and have formulaicly broken down animes and manga just to streamline my viewing/reading experince not having to waste time on trash)
Which who knows maybe the sword is actively playing a narrative role in everything so while Sargeras is gone forever to never come back...until Blizzard need a new villian after the flop of their 2048 Starcraft 3 and their staff's only suggestions are "how about Gonald Grump Electors" and "beat a dead horse"... we could find various evils galvanized by the blade, like those pictures of a small domino causing progressively larger dominoes to fall.
Guest 4: Dhrahgon! Dragons are older and even they can't seem to tell you which came first. But the Treemen are a product of Athel Loren and it isn't known if the Old Ones or the Daemons first awakened the Tree Spirits as such i'd give the edge to the Lizardmen as they very likely were lesser creatures of the world the Old Ones took and shaped into sapient beings where Athel Loren if where it is now is where it has always been wouldn't have existed/been big enough to be of note, until after the Old Ones moved the entire world closer to the sun to help facilitate to expansion of life. which of course the Dragons weren't to happy about. and also don't forget the Elves didn't formally meet the Treemen until after a certain momma's boi threw a tantrum because he didn't get a shiny hat and if i remember correctly they just avoided the forest because "you go in there and bad things happen". AND THEN the forest of Athel Loren renders the whole point moot by being it's own seperate entity in the Warp so time isn't always constant in the woods, go to sleep under a appletree and wake up fifty years later.
Dragon King of the West: Zhao Ming plotting? Whaaaaat? *smirks in chinese culture and political values* and if you don't understand I invite you to look up Sima Yi.
DragonANGL: Just to be sure, Patton understood Rommel and was able to out maneuver Rommel. Likewise Hitler before he joined the future Nazi party was a member of the Soviet Party of Germany and took his marching orders from Stalin, and understood Stalin's mindset allowing him to get the treaty with Russia that allowed the Germans to beat France. Orks in Warhammer are the simplest to understand and thus most their enemies overperform against the Orks, but when you get an Ork who is "different" then the Orks start sweeping the board crushing everything in their path. And Chaos they are impossible to understand, their goals, their mindset, and their methodology the same Chaos Lord even if dedicated to a particular God could switch up their methodology one day to the next based off the whims of their own twisted mind or their fickle God.
As for the views of many of the Neutral entities. Well unfortunately there wasn't a pregenerated map and full cultural knowledge for a land no one has even seen for thousands of years complete with a book of language translation and a list of all the quest givers...i mean people of note who need help. This, plus a war going on between the Horde and Alliance and both of them having spies so I have to ASSUME they have at least a basic idea of infosec. Sure they rarely show that in the game, but that can be forgiven. This means that information will disseminate far slower than if this was say some Continent no one had ever heard of just showing up full of pandas right inbetween the two factions. We have portals that both have under lockdown a war, and neither side having a full picture of Mallus. So with the exception of 'Gods' most neutral parties on Azeroth will be learning of Mallus and the forces there very slowly, we can assume at beast they know about sketchy rats who jumped on a chance to join the Horde and steal land.
CzKarsten: Well thankyou, glad you're enjoying it.
As for Azeroth and belief in the Mallus Gods. they don't deny their existence, and Sigmar himself could come down and be an absolute nightmare on the battlefield, his every fart creating a hurricane force gale sweeping over a army and his Hammer splitting mountains. But that wont impact their view on the Gods in the slightest, because their view can be summarized as, "You're beliefs are all valid, BUT they're subject to our system of beliefs so your God is actually just a insignificant speck." Sort of like these few "diversity is our strength" people who then suddenly get all upset when they actually see a different culture, and rather learn about that culture or recognize the language differences start acting all racist because that other individual from that other culture doesn't conform to their views. With Azeroth all your beliefs are valid, but they also must fit within the six categories and nothing exists outside of that. Even if Sigmar manifests he'd just be a powerful Diety/Being/etc but "obviously he's just a servant of the Light and you'd be better served worshipping the Light Directly/More Directly."
micelzod: whaaat? Nah, Valkia the Bloody, the Cult of the Blood-crazed, the army of the Bloodletters, the Legion of the Gorequeen, and the Children of Blood would never be like thaaaaat. Though honestly one of the things i like about Khorne in fantasy vs his 40k and AoS incarnations is the retention of martial discipline and the fact that he's the "originator" of all military strategy. So there's this disturbing blend of extreme savagery and brutal disciplinarianism in his following.
Hakuryuu: He deserves it...all gnomes deserve it. As for Genn interacting with the Empire that should be reserved more for the story that's increasingly looking to be the siege of Lordaeron and then the aftermath as well as the unseen sides of this story.
rollynolly: No, health and psychological stability is for bitches. I'm getting this shit out today!
JiggyliFAP: Still call me out if i as the writer make a obvious mistake, i try to double check and do research between most paragraphs but I am sadly a mortal lesser being like all of you.
And I'm less inclined to take clan Moors as the "goodguy" Skaven clan. From what i can tell reading the Skaven characters in various books additional fiction and from the Codexes, there's a strange unspoken question (which is Directly posed in another fanfic you can find on this site if you can stand French translated to English) but are Skaven the way they are by nature or nuture? But either way on a weird individual level each Skaven is cowardly, treacherous, and generally a bad party member. But when you get them as a group, while you still have to keep a eye on the individuals, those negatives are diminished. And how this ties to Clan Moors is that the Skaven are more or less a package deal no one clan truly entirely owns any warren, there will always be some other clan involved and typically it's one of the Great Clans or one of their puppets.
But Skaven Society as a whole, while bring cartoon badguys depending, again, on interpretation of some relatively minor factors, can actually range from being as a whole only little worse than some of the Troll Tribes of WoW, not counting troll players heyo, to being actually worse than Chaos followers. And one of the minor debates that shapes this is the question of their females. because real rats have a near 50/50 split male to female, and even if the Skaven have some Dwarf in their pseudoscience makeup, that would still put their female birthrates much too high for breeders to be treated as such a rarity among their kind. So either A) Face value some other BS involved Breeders are super rare. B) Any non-fertile Breeders are just killed. or C) Non-Fertile Females are thrown to the lower strata and treated no different from Clanrats or Skavenslaves (ignoring the possibility of a life of casual brutality, i know so horrible and diffrent from any other rat, and rhymes with grape during their down times or when someone wants to show dominance). But if you go off C interpretation, that puts the Skaven as socially liberal and possessing enough cultural foresight, if only just enough, to imply that they could collectively pull a "we play nice until we don't need you anymore" which is actually an occasional plot point for the skaven even pre-end times.
As for Chaos Warrior ressurection thats a bit sketchier on the Lore side. Because the question that would need to be answered is "how much of a soul is required for someone to be ressurected by the Valkyr?" We know that technically we might not need a full soul as Arthas always stole a portion of a soul with his blade and could still raise those same dead, but is this ability unique to the Frostmourn or Mournblades in general? And then we "know" that Chaos Warriors can be ressurected as cased by Krell, but he also happens to be a unique case whose soul wasn't devoured by the time Nagash ressurected him over a thousand years after his death where there are other Chaos Champions whose souls are devoured before they can even properly die. And Chaos Warrior gain their wargear by bartering away portions of their souls as well as the souls of others. An irony here is that both settings magic rules and lore seem to mesh very well on this topic, yet at the same time both settings are simultaneously frustratingly uncertain with this particular part of the topic.
Hell the Necromancers of both settings probably want to compare notes, because WoW necromancers want to strip free will/personality while retaining skills and abilities so they too can create and command stupid huge armies without their troops suddenly gaining free will on them, while WHFB Necromancers just wish they could more easily create and control more elite Undead without having to sacrifice so much power and effort to create them.
Building to Conflagration
The Talondeep Pass now lay before Hans Leitdorf, his knights, and their Night Elf escorts. Days of marching through the Ashenvale and sending Kaldorei messengers back and forth between the three detachments of the Imperial army had been relatively successful. This, Hans knew, created a flase sense of security, armies always were difficult to hide and it was almost always left a trail no matter how hard one worked to conceal the signs. Even the efforts that the Kaldorei were making, while admirable and thus far highly effective could in turn be used to track the Imperial Army's movement.
It could be that the Horde had a force, or even a entire army waiting on the other end of the pass, or only a few unfortunate soldiers. Either way the moment the Imperials entered the Stonetalon mountains properly, the Horde would be made immediately aware of their presence, stealth would have to be cast aside in favor of speed. So for now the Knights waited, Once the rest of the Imperial Army drew near then they would set for the mountain pass and push to seize every outpost from the Talondeep pass to the Stonetalon pass to the south. So many outposts coming under attack certainly some messenger, witness, or other Sentinel will get the warning out to the Horde from there.
But as the visage of Elspeth von Draken neared him, Hans knew now was the time to set forth. But before he could set out to leave he would have to convene with the Dark Lady of Nuln, and the pale, nauseous looking woman hiding under a umbrella on her horse which was covered in books, ink-wells and what appeared to be potion vials.
After only a few moments of the Head of the College of Death Magic riding both she and her bespectacled companion, who was busy writing on a scroll while sipping from one of the red vials at her side, arrived to meet with the Knightly Grand Master. "What are you doing here Hans?" The Dark Lady of Nuln demanded.
"Can you push your men to march at double pace through these mountains?" The Grand Master asked without answering the woman opposite to him.
In response Elspeth sighed heavily but before she could answer the woman beside her interjected. "I, urgp, I think we could increase the pace but, I-I...just a second..." The woman stoppes mid sentence finishing off her vial of red fluid before continuing. "...I don't think the men will be in any state to battle should we encounter any enemies within the mountains should we encounter them. I haven't had to work much harder than any of the men here, but i-Urgp, but I have made sure to studiously chronicle everything we have encountered thus far."
Hans found himself momentarily distracted and disturbed. "By Sigmar woman, you look like Morr has already taken you to his garden. But you're saying the men are good for the march then?"
Elspeth von Draken then spoke for herself, no longer tolerating this young woman daring to speak for her without permission. "Between my skills in the mystic arts, these so called potions that lady Irma Schoff has purchased in bulk, and the talents of the Iron Company Officers we should make the journey at the pace requested without fail. But should we really set off without delaying for Luthor and the rest of the army?"
"I'm afraid we must. Any delay on pushing the attack from here on out puts us at risk of being countered before we can dictate the field of battle and these mountains are ill suited for our arrangement. We would lose far more men to combat in these mountains than we might to fatigue or whatever sickness is overtaking the chronicler and any other men." Hans replied simply.
"Then thank Shallaya she is a rare case. Despite the men swearing by these so called potions, I suspect that she was conned by the Gnome selling them to her, she's been sick since we started through Ashenvale." Elspeth complained glaring at the woman to her side.
"No! These potions certainly work! I've been able to go days without rest, and they clearly work for everyone else! Just whatever this bug is it is far more persistent than normal. I've even been recording it, see by my records i should be on the mend, I've only vomited five times today and I've successfully passed sto-."
"Enough! How much did you buy?" Hans interjected not willing to tolerate much more.
"Well it was a bargain. Five silver shillings for each Healing Potion, and again they really do work. So I bought one hundred and fourty. Juhh-urp-just enough to keep the men energized and to heal any moderate injuries." The Chronicler stated sounding proud. However Hans had to agree with Elspeth, it sounded as though she had been scammed by some Azeroth merchant.
"Either way, have your men pick up the pace. My knights and the Outriders will charge the pass now!" And with that statement Hans turned his horse trotting back to his men before leading the way towards the Stonetalon mountains at a canter with the Knights taking off with him and the Outriders starting at a measured gallop so as to gain a lead before slipping into a swift canter themselves.
It took the Knights once they entered the pass only a couple minutes before they encountered the mines. While most of these exploding traps had been disarmed by the Kaldorei still their guides spotted freshly laid explosives. While the idea of a bomb, and many traps was easy for Hans to understand how such a explosive could be detonated without so much as a fuse nor any sort of mechanism that he could see to trigger it was well beyond his understanding. It would be almost certain that the Imperial Gunnery School and Master Engineers would be collecting every mine they found along this path.
Still the presence of the explosives slowed the Knights until they at least breached the pass and entered into the Stonetalon mountains proper. While the Knights remained on alert they felt themselves strangely at odds with the reality about them. Where were the border watch stations? Why was there not a fortress to check any progress through the pass? Why did they not have at least some patrol or watch raising an alarm over the army marching up from an region embroiled in war?
Every one of Hans senses screamed of a trap, even his Kaldorei counterparts seemed mildly suprised. And yet, they also seemed far too at ease. Hans didn't know if he should be upset by his allies lack of alertness, or if he should take relief in their calm, but certainly he felt he needed answers and thus found himself breaking from his Knights once again to take up a position to Aethalas' side.
"Where are the Horde's scouts?" The Knight Grand Master asked once his horse matched pace with her mount.
"Don't know. If I were to wager, they're keeping a light presence. However, I'm seeing telltale signs of Quilboar." The Kaldorei Captain explained as she pointed to some hoved tracks and pointed quils laying about.
"What's so important about some Boar?" Hans asked still scanning the tracks.
"Quilboar are sentient, and hold a grudge against the Horde. They might not ever fight for the Alliance, but if given an opportunity they'll certainly take it for themselves. But still somethingmust have given the Quilboar an edge, they don't conduct an attack unless they think they have a chance of winning. That's why they typically strike caravans and avoid the Horde military, once they commit their nature prevents them from ever backing down." The Elf explained while Hans listened.
"If the Quilboar avoid attacking us then we should be set to move deeper into these mountains. Still the Horde's lapse of watch, and the Quilboar attack, I fear there may be an army waiting ahead for us now, if not for us specifically then searching to take just Retribution against the Quilboar." Hans then concluded spuring his horse on and back to his men. All the while the Knight praying to Sigmar for further protection for himself and his men in this strange, almost nonsensical, and unnerving world.
Ergere pressed his wolf harder the hound huffing for air as it ran as the beasts followed. One of the scaled hound-beasts lunged at the Orc Swordmaster but he swept his blade carving the creature in half. However while Ergere's blade destroyed one of these monsters that the Armores Knights had set loose, one landed atop the raptor of the shaman next to the Commander. The Raptor collapsed under the sudden weight while the monster's jaws locked around the Shaman's arm it's head thrashing and jerking the Troll about as, mount, rider and attacker all hit the ground.
On the ground the battle did not last long. The shaman called the spirits the power of Lightning coursing through him hand and then dying before ever touching the beast as if the creature was some sort of Felhound casting silence. The creature then jerked it's head tearing the Troll's arm off earning a quick gasping cry of pain as the beast swallowed the Troll's arm whole. The Shaman attempted another spell to try and push his attacker back, but the spell died in the air as massive jaws extended and clamped around the head and torso of the Troll and the creature began thrashing the swiftly dying Troll's body.
Ergere nearly turned back to try and save Troll, but the thrashing of the beast brought the sounds of breaking bones and Ergere knew that yo try and save the Troll was futile. Instead he and the rest of his company rode on staying just ahead of the beasts who pursued them. They came into sight of the Crimson Post, hunters with bows and others lined the walls. Once the party crossed into range of the range of the wall defenders Ergere shouted his command.
"Turn, we face these beasts now!" The Blademaster shouted turning his wolf and the others about him turning to face down the beasts behind them. A half dozen Wolf Riders and Shamans, plus the Blademaster himself and two Druids shifting into the forms of bears then rushed headlong into nearly eighteen of the beasts of the invading Knights.
Ergere and the others charged headlong into the beasts who roared eagerly leaping at their foes. Ergere himself immediately carved into one beast that roared, but even with a sword removing a large hunk of its flesh still leapt up immediately roaring a dirge of hate as its fangs aimed at Ergere's throat. Swiftly the Blademaster's sword was used as a shield to block the creature's face as it collided full into the sword bouncing off the metal and back onto the ground.
Now the beast lunged for Ergere's mount, forgoing any defense and still viciously attacking. However the Wolf that Ergere rode was a skilled veteran of the horde and dodged while turning its side giving Ergere the opening to use his blade to cleave the scaled monster in half.
Taking advantage of his freedom Ergere swiftly surveyed the clash. Two Shaman lay dead, one of the Druids reverted back to his true Tauren self and was now using his horns and hands to fend off his attacker. expertly placed arrows and shots from the walls struck the attacking creatures while spells fizzled and died before ever striking their targets. The clash between the two sides only lasted for several seconds past what Ergere watched as he threw himself into fighting these beasts his sword cleaving yet another one apart it's disgusting two mouthed head falling ofd with ease. All while wounds from arrows and the blows from the riders tore the monsters apart and one of the Shamans shoved his staff down the throat of his attacker unleashing the fury of nature straight into the stomach of the monster, the magic weakened but still tearing the creature apart from the inside out.
At the end the creature's, and their victim's blood soaked the ground. The beasts dying to their last in their crazed attacks while loaded with arrows, and all around them the bodies of many of the Shamans and one of the Wolf Riders lay torn apart. Now they could look over the remains of the beasts, each was a large scaled monster almost like a felhound but unlike felhounds they each had a drakeish heads and a thick bronze collar. Yet even before Ergere's eyes the bodies of these creatures began to boil melting into pools of blood as the collars rusted and broke into dust.
Once the creatures bodies were gone the survivors gathered the bodies of the dead and returned to the Crimson Post where many of the Horde's leaders, Kogkradd, Alyzz, and even Zhao Ming waited. Immediately Ergere was set upon by the mystified Horde members while Kogkradd looked on with excitement and Zhao Ming simply observed. All of the Horde members bombarded Ergere Brokenaxe with questions ranging from "What were those crestures" to "What is coming" and "Are we under attack".
It took Ergere several moments to collect himself under the barrage of questions before the Commander answered his troops. "I don't know, they didn't speak any of the languages provided to us. Instead they were massive armored figures who pulled out a captive, an Alliance Adventurer, and decapitated him infront of us before loosing those crestures on us."
"So we don't know who these newest attackers are?" One of the Blood Elves serving as a Crimson Post Officer asked.
Ergere nodded a negative before answering. "I at least noticed two symbols each of them had on them." Ergere used his blafe to roughly recreate the first symbol he had seen, there oddly now was no power in the symbol where before it felt like a vessel in his eye would burst just looking at the symbol. It was a triangle at its core that with the additional lines became a vaguely skull like shape. The second symbol possessed elements of the first and was much harder for Ergere to draw but was that of a chalice or maybe fortress gate mimicking the first symbol but then with the swooped bat wings, or maybe Dragon or manticore wings, emerging from the structure.
While the others marveled at the symbols Kogkradd simply looked on with a eager yet confused expression. Contrasting the Ogre was Zhao Ming who remained silent watching the display as Ergere drew, with a implacable expression though eventually he settled his gaze on the Orc Commander and allowed a small smirk to form.
"We know what you are about to face." The Iron Dragon announced.
After several moments of tense silence as the Horde around the Dragon waited, eventually Alyzz grew impatient waiting. "Well and what is it, WE are facing?" The Goblin demanded, her tone one of irritated frustration.
"I think it's time we alter our arrangement.I will still be using your portal for my army, but if you want any of my forces, let alone those needed to win this battle for you as requested, then you will agree to my new terms laid out on this letter." The Cathayan Dragon said while holding out a paper to Alyzz.
Swiftly the Goblin snatched the paper but upon inspection realized she could not read Cathayan, she could barely speak it. The Goblin's frustration grew as the Dragon turned to his attendants. "Until they agree to the terms, by signing or placing their seal on the paper then, prepare to pull our forces back, we don't want to needlessly face this foe in combat if we can help it. I'll be speaking to this other self-proclaimed Dragon if anyone wishes to hild audience with me." And then in a flash of unnatural speed the Dragon walked away leaving the Horde members he left behind confused.
"What the hell is this all supposed to mean? What is this bastard trying to pull!?" Ergere roared while the Cathayans spread out spreading their Dragon's orders to the Dragon Guard stationed across the Crimson Post.
For her own part Alyzz scowled glaring at where Zhao Ming left towards, glaring at her quarters. "I don't know, but I know who to get answers from. Kogkradd we need to go back to your tribe, Zhang Genji better know how to read." And with that said Alyzz took off at a run to where Kogkradd's tribe had gathered eagerly waiting, and eagerly confused as what was to come.
Alyzz and Kogkradd swept in like a storm shouting in desperation for the comrade they had left behind in their haste to check on the returning scouting party. Zhang had taken up preparing several stakes and other sharpened barriers they could use to hold off attackers and was trying to prepare a row of sharpened logs, tying them together so they could be raised to fell a charging horse sized creature easily. Zhang seemed eager to answer Alyzz, but the Goblin could tell her companion was slightly unhappy at having been left behind.
"Zhang, we need you. I need you desperately." Alyzz told her companion once she was in earahot.
Immediately the Shugengan Lord perked up rising to her feet. "Y-yes how may I serve?"
As she arrived Alyzz grabbed a stick and started drawing in the ground saying. "First do you know this symbol, apparently everyone here knows it yet doesn't have any useful information." The Goblin complained as she sketched the symbol of Khorne.
"I said that they frozen north bites, usually a good fight and a good meal after." Kogkradd grumbled, some of his nearby Ogres cheering at the news.
"That doesn't help me!" Alyzz complained loudly.
Looking down at the symbol Zhang sighed. "Yeah Ogre, that wasn't helpful. And Alyzz stomp out that symbol and forget it. I know who we're facing. These are the followers of one of the Dark Gods, Blood crazed warriors one and all, they've only ever failed to attack the great bastion, but their blood crazed ferocity is legend."
Alyzz sighed stomping out the first symbol before starting on a crude recreation the second symbol. This symbol took the Cathayan noblewoman longer to decipher but eventually she frowned. "I've only heard legend. But For a Dark God of Hate and Murder there is one who is the closest anything has ever come to being beloved by such a God. This is the current icon of her followers. But why are you asking me this?"
Alyzz frowned deeper at her servant's confusion and answer. "Because your Lord refused to tell us, infact he refuses to even aid us, until we sign whatever this agreement or treaty is he's already pulling back all of his forces immediately." As she spoke Alyzz held aloft the paper handed to her by Zhao Ming.
"With Chaos mere hours away?" Zhang gasped, clear and evident shock on her features. Immediately the Cathayan servant snatched at the paper taking it and letting her eyea run over the page reading every line.
Then the Shugengan Lord made servant read the paper aloud. "We of the Horde herein agree to the following terms of negotiation from now on. First the Horde will allow Zhao Ming and his guard escorts to travel unimpeded to whatever lands they desire on Azeroth's surface. Second Alyzz Kneecord will submit herself to the service of of the Ruler of the Eastern Provinces, Yin-Yin the Sea Dragon under the watch and care Zhang Genji. Next the Horde will open the Crimson Post and any others portals for unrestricted access to the rulers and servants of Grand Cathay. And the Horde will surrender land and provide support for Dragon Yin-Yin as she establishes the first Cathayan trade settlement on Azeroth. The Horde from now on acknowledges the supremacy of Grand Cathay on Mallus and will not stike against Grand Cathay or the Celestial Dragons, and lastly all agreements made between the Dragons of Grand Cathay and the Dragonflights of Azeroth are final will not be challenged by the Horde."
Alyzz's head spun as these terms were read aloud to her. Was Zhao Ming really going to allow an army to overrun this place over what seemed like a arbitrary change to their preexisting agreement and some acknowledgement? "By my family's profit margins! Hand it over! Damn Cathayan bureaucratic bullshit!" The Goblin ranted swiftly signing the paper before running back to find Ergere.
She found the leader of the Crimson Post standing over the walls listening, the faint sounds of far off drums barely perceptible. Nowhere to be seen were the Dragon Guard of Cathay, only a thin line of the Horde's warriors stood on the walls. "Ergere, Sign the paper now. We NEED the Cathayans if we want to survive this, and the terms here are barely anything more than what we agreed to, and of course Sylvanas could disregard this at any time."
The Orc Blademaster turned to look down to the Goblin. "Really, you want me to trust these humans? With their shifty despicable ways? Their word holds about as much weight as a Stormwinder's, as much weight as a soft breeze, nothing!"
"But we need them and if this at least keeps them here long enough to help, then we survive, or at least keep these guys from breaching Azeroth. We can't let their leader through." Alyzz pleaded with the Post's commander.
"And why should I care about who you think is coming?" The Blademaster demanded.
"Because they're as bad as...as, as Gul'dan or Azshara. The person coming is beloved of a Dark God like the Old Ones. They'll bring their corruption to Azeroth if allowed to pass." The Goblin insisted holding the paper to Ergere now with a panicked energy as the faint barely perceptible drums became louder by more and more steps with each beat.
"Fine, but your fate hangs on this going over well. I will make sure my Warlord and the Warchief both know I'm signing under duress." And as he spoke Ergere lightly used a quil to pen his signature onto the paper.
"I'll probably be the only one to regret this." Alyzz responded before rushing to her quarters. As she ran Zhang Genji finally caught up falling in besides her Goblin mistress.
Then Alyzz burst into her chambers where Wrathion and Zhao Ming sat across from one another. The Black Drake's face was spread into a full smirk as he nodded to his Cathayan counterpart before standing. "It looks like I'm no longer needed here, and I take it you still won't consider my offer. Though if you really need me I'll still be just on the other side of the portal." And with that Wrathion left leaving Alyzz and Zhao Ming to speak.
The Dragon stood taking a regal pose and with a small smirk he extended his hand to the goblin. As Alyzz planted the paper scroll into the Dragon's hand, she felt a small sense of unease washing over her. Swiftly the Dragon opened the scroll reading it over before closing it and smiling down at the Goblin. "Welcome to the service of Grand Cathay, Alyzz Kneecord. Now it is about time I remind your Horde of the power I command." And still holding the scroll the Dragon walked out of the room and back into the wider Fort.
Outside waiting was Zhang Genji who immediately dropped into a bow of supplication, as well as several attendants who bowed waiting for Zhao Ming's order. They did not have to wait. "Recall the Dragon Guard, return them to their posts. Take this scroll ans see to it that copies are made and sent to Yin-Yin's fleet, back home and through this portal. Also send a runner to my army. I want Generals Lie Fong, and Geo Bei to prepare their men immediately, Geo Bei is to wait for my order, Lie Fong may act on their own discretion."
"Your will be done, My Dragon. But making enough scrolls will take time the warriors will unfortunately need to hold the Khornittes back long enough for us send the riders with accurate copies." One of the attendants said taking the scoll of paper from Zhao Ming and running off to a table where several waiting scribes soon took the reading the paper while preparing their ink brushes.
Zhao Ming then turned to a nearby officer of the Dragon Guard walking up to him. "Our enemies today are Chaos Warriors of Kong Nüe under the command of one they call Valkia. Miao Ying may have faced her once in the past, but I have never been given the pleasure of defeating this foe myself. All the more honor to us for defeating her without the walls of the Great Bastion to support us. Still she will strike unexpectedly lashing out to break us wherever resistance is greatest. I want the remnants of my riders to prepare to accompany me as we hunt her down."
The Dragon Guard bowed. "By your command my Dragon."
If there was going to be anymore of this showboating command taking from Zhao Ming a long brass tone that made the ground tremble ans echoed through the hills cut him off. Alyzz hearing the tone rushed to a tower looking out from the Crimson Post and into the lands beyond. At the top of the tower Alyzz's eyes could see well beyond what could be seen on the walls, and a terror began to mount.
The army that came was not some overbearing swarm like the Mallus Orks had been, yet somehow it was far worse. Fire consumed the land about it, the sky became a dark haze over where this army marched. Merely looking at them made Alyzz's eyes water as a dry sensation struck her face. Monsters and mortals marched side by side, driven forward by both a fear of what lay behind and over them and an all consuming hate for what was ahead of them, a hate even Alyzz could sense from so far away.
Then as suddenly as the odd impression of hate rolled from this army an army that seemes to crawl across the land towards a inevitable goal had burned itself into Alyzz's eyes than did it change. Now instead of each step seeming small and inexorable, each seemed to propel the army towards their goal like a stone from a Catapult, and the order of the army rather than driven by a fear of another force, their discipline seemed more a byproduct of their speed as the soldiers appeared as savage and uncontrollable as could be.
It took them moments to cross land where Alyzz had thought they would take hours just a second before. The pace of the army kept changing and merely looking at them became painful, so instead Alyzz chose to watch the rest of the battle preperations in the Crimson Post. A confusing process as Zhao Ming tried to assume full command with obvious resistance from Ergere who fought a battle of wills all while trying to prepare for a foe he knew nothing about.
It was as both the Dragon and the Blademaster's battle of wills took place that the Khornitte army closed and assembled outside the fortress. They lined outside the fortress and drew banners, horrifying things made of blood dyed fabric and skins. On the outskirts of this army beastial goatheaded men brayed their spite while lightly armored, or even naked barbarians screamed their hate, then at the center of the army more armored men beat their axes against chestplates whole fully armored and truly massive warriors watched on their eyes burning with a desire to be unleashed.
The cacophony ended as a single droaning brass note washed over the army and into the waiting defenders of the Crimson Post. The defense, barely able to repair the damaged walls and reorganize their defense answered the invaders challenge with their own trumpets and a uplifting cry. These Khornittes were fools attacking a foe they knew nothing of, they would pay for that arrogance in blood, and the rising spirits of the defense let these barbarians know that their defeat was inevitable.
But before Ergere's shouts could lead his Horde Warriors into a series of honorable chants that would recall the Horde's glorious history, and recount all the impossible odds the Horde had overcome a single shrill shreak overtook the entire field. The sound lingered, impossibility long, deafening and blood curdling. And then it ended and the black haze over the enemy army broke as thousands of horrific harpy-like creatures flew down low over the heads of the army, and a beam of blood-tinted light revealed the Gorequeen flying over her troops.
Then with a single gesture, it began.