Chapter 36 - By demons be driven - PART 2
Felrus saw their leader, Jaina Proudmoore, frantically approaching the orcish leader. "Thrall! The skies are burning!" She said.
The warchief looked up. "This is no natural storm! Blessed ancestors... Everyone brace yourselves!"
And brace himself, Felrus did.
He would never forget that sight. He still remembered as vividly as the day he had first saw one. The skies above were ablaze, and he could see the first meteor falling through the clouds, covered in those demonic emerald flames.
It crashed to the ground just outside the Human Expedition base, sending rocks and debri everywhere. Those less experienced in the Human Expedition and the Orcish Horde were approaching it carefully, not understanding what was going on.
But Felrus did. He knew what was about to happen. He knew what they were facing.
"FORM RANKS!" Screamed the Gilnean, weapon and shield in hand. "WE GOT INFERNALS!"
Commander Wyrmbane too was charging ahead with his warhorse. "TO ARMS, MEN! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!"
And then, they saw. From the smoldering crater where the meteor had fallen, a colossal stone hand emerged. It was covered in fel flames, sticking out like fingers and joints. Then they saw an arm. The infernal continued to rise, and they all bore witness as the rest of the creature lifted itself from the crater.
Infernals had always been one of the greatest weapons the Legion and the Scourge had in their arsenal. A colossally large monster comprised of a strange mineral not found anywhere on Azeroth, completely covered in perpetually burning demonic flames. They were completely immune to magic, and most weapons would not only bounce off their sturdy exterior, but the fel flames would be enough to repel any melee attacker. These creatures were the closest thing to an unstoppable force Felrus had ever seen in his life.
Before this burning titan, even the orcs hesitated. "What the hell is that!?" A grunt shouted from the frontlines. Felrus ran forward to join the forces forming a defensive circle close to their base's entrance. "Don't let down your guard!" He was shouting. "If you approach recklessly, the flames will burn you to ash!"
The orc merely glanced in his direction, then spat. "Bah! I'm not afraid, human! Watch how a real warrior fights!" And with a rallying warcry, the axe-wielding grunt charged forward.
The infernal had completely climbed out of the crater now, and was slowly moving towards the Human Expedition's base. It saw the fearless warrior coming its way, and Felrus could have sworn he saw that monster smile. It lifted one arm, then took a swing in the air before it.
The heat wave was enough for Felrus, much farther away, to wince and cover his face. The poor orc tried to resist it, but the pressure was enough for him to be swept off his feet. The infernal lifted one foot as tall as the orc was, then brought it down, squashing the warrior like an insect. Then it continued to advance towards the defenders, leaving burning marks in its wake.
"ARCHERS!" Came Wyrmbane's command. "OPEN FIRE! EMPTY YOUR QUIVERS, SHOOT THIS THING DOWN!" To that order, not only the archers, but the riflemen and even the troll spearmen began shooting their deadly ammo at the infernal. Some projectiles burned to a crisp before even reaching the monster's rocky flesh, the rest harmlessly bounced off the demonic stone skin.
Relentless in its advance, the infernal had reached the first watchtower. It lifted a fist and readied it to punch the mighty structure. Commander Wyrmbane unsheathed his sword, golden wings of light sprouting from his back, and leapt in the air, holding his weapon with both hands above his head as he came down against the infernal.
The defenders were probably more surprised by that tactic than the infernal itself. The paladin fell against its chest like a cannonball, and the infernal collapsed on its back. Wyrmbane was completely enveloped in the emerald demonic flames, but his body was surrounded by a holy aura of golden light, protecting him from the tainted immolation. "DO NOT FEAR, MEN! PUT AN END TO THIS MONSTROSITY! FOR THE LIGHT!" He shouted as he repeatedly struck the infernal's chest with his weapon.
Felrus was the first to join the attack. With a rallying cry of his own, he ran forward, shield held in front to protect him from the intense heat as he brought his sword down against the infernal's legs and joints. His past experiences had taught him that the most effective way to defeat so large an opponent was to rob it from its mobility, then batter it down from all sides. The infernal, however, was unlike anything this world could summon.
It was very difficult for any melee fighter to strike at the creature. Even Felrus, clad in his plate armor with shield in hand as he was, was sweating bullets and barely able to withstand the mortal heat. He couldn't imagine what the orcs, who wore little to no protection, were feeling. And even as Wyrmbane withstood the fel flames, the monster was already starting to rise, ignoring the assault upon it.
The paladin was forced to retreat, his divine protection faltering and starting to wither out. He jumped off the infernal and fell to the ground next to Felrus. "Commander, he is too sturdy! We need siege weapons!" The warrior shouted, helping the paladin steady himself.
Wyrmbane nodded. "Orcs!" He said, turning towards the Horde defenders. "We need your catapults! Together, we can defeat this foul beast!"
Felrus saw the horde hesitate. On one hand, they didn't want to follow the human commander's orders. On the other hand, it made absolute sense. Finally, an orc captain turned around and shouted: "You heard him, you miserable whelps! Tear that thing apart! Lok'tar!"
Felrus sighed in relief, then turned back to face the infernal. It was already standing up once more, and readying itself to attack the watchtower again. "TAKE COVER!" Screamed the Gilnean, who grabbed Wyrmbane's wrist and pulled the man with all his might.
The infernal punched the watchtower, and the structure blew up as if hit by an explosive. Chunks of stone walls flew everywhere, along with one of the arches stationed there. Debris cascaded down over Felrus and Wyrmbane, who were scurrying off to try and escape the Infernal's reach. "We have to keep it occupied until the catapults arrive!" He said, helping his commander up once more behind the barricades.
Wyrmbane nodded. "I'll charge again-" He was beginning to say, but Felrus tightened his grip on the man's wrist.
"No, sir. It's folly to try and hold it alone. Your protection is growing weaker. You try to attack from the front again, and your barriers won't hold out. We need a different tactic."
Halford Wyrmbane turned to face Felrus. "Then what do you propose we do, Blood Knight?"
Felrus' face twisted as he was called by his unliked little nickname. "We need hit and run tactics, and assistance from the mages. The creature may be immune to magic, but it's flames are magical in nature. If we can gather priests and wizards to protect us from the fel heat, all we'll need to worry about is it's sturdy shell and its blows."
Wyrmbane nodded. "A sound plan. But there's no time to gather our spellcasters! The creature will breach our defenses before we can organize ourselves!" And just as he said that, the infernal punched the watchtower a second time, and the whole structure began to collapse, falling to the ground next to the demonic monstrosity. Fortunately, the people within had already evacuated after the first blow.
"In that case, we should-" Felrus began to say, but at that moment they heard a honk from behind. Felrus and Wyrmbane turned around to witness one of the dwarven steam tanks charging forward at full ramming speed. They dived out of the way, and the massive mechanical vehicle continued onward, colliding with the infernal head on.
The creature let out a loud screech, but, incredibly, it managed to hold its ground. Planting its feet firmly on the ground, it grabbed the tank by its sides, then opened its mouth. Demonic flames were belched out at a steady stream, pouring over the tank's metallic exterior. Fortunately, that probably was the single most fortified, armored object in the entire continent. It was quite literally a metal bunker with wheels and a cannon.
And speaking of which, as the infernal continued to belch flames from its mouth, the steam tank's cannon shifted and aimed directly at the monstrosity's head. Felrus heard something cock and trigger within the machine, and suddenly, it fired a mortar shot directly at the Infernal's open mouth. Its head was enveloped in smoke, and the monster staggered, falling on its back a second time.
Still on top of the infernal, the steam tank lowered its main cannon and shot a second blast at its chest. But then, the infernal's hands came crashing down against the tank, slamming at it from both sides. The thick metallic hull caved in, but didn't break. The smoke subsided, and the infernal's head was exposed. A solid chunk had been blasted clean off, and the creature only had half of its face now. Its arms were repeatedly battering against the steam tank, trying to smash it to bits against its own body, those green flames burning the whole time.
"We have to help them!" Felrus said, running forward without hesitation.
Wyrmbane held his hand out. "Then take my blessing, champion of the Light!" A golden light emanated from the paladin's palm, and Felrus felt his body grow warmer. But in a different manner from the infernal's heat; this warmth felt invigorating, refreshing. It filled the warrior with determination and strength. His body was enveloped in a golden aura, much like the paladin's, and with a challenging shout, Felrus stuck his sword forward.
His weapon struck the infernal at the blazing sphere that formed its elbow. The creature let out yet another screech, and Felrus twisted his blade before pulling it down, slicing through the fel that served as a joint for the monstrosity. The infernal's arm stopped moving, the flames around the fist dying out as it fell to the ground.
Thanks to Wyrmbane's holy spell, Felrus was unaffected by the flames. He continued to strike at the infernal's side as the steam tank began rolling it's wheels back to try and escape the monster. Felrus saw the creature raise its other hand, redying a deadly blow to end the warrior's life.
And then that hand was struck by another giant flaming boulder. This one, however, was covered in red flames, burning thanks to the mortar that covered the stone projectile. Looking back over his shoulder, Felrus saw two more such boulders flying through the air and crashing against the infernal to devastating effect. The monster fell to the ground once more, now severely damaged.
"Do not relent, warriors!" The orc captain was screaming. "Our allies are distracting it, now we do our part! Fire upon the monster! Kill that demon! FOR THE HORDE!" With cheers and shouts of their own, the horde forces loaded up their catapults and prepared to fire yet another volley of flaming boulders at the infernal.
Felrus jumped out of harm's way. Wyrmbane's blessing saved him from the fire, but the catapult ammo was a different story altogether. The infernal was unable to get up thanks to the steady suppressive barrage the horde was unleashing.
The steam tank then circled around the fallen infernal, stopping right next to the creature's head. It lowered its cannon, directly at the monster's broken face, and fired once more.
The infernal let out one final, deafening screech. Then, every flame in its body suddenly vanished, and its stone limbs began to crumble, turning into dust and vanishing with the wind.
It was over. The infernal was defeated. Felrus let out a loud sigh of relief and stood up, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Whew… That was close." He said, approaching the battered, partially molten tank. "Are you alright?" He shouted, looking worried.
The hatch atop the tank opened, and from within, Felrus saw the large bald head of Sticks Hardbones sticking out. "Yeah, I'm good! We really did it! We beat that monster!" The gnome shouted, giving Felrus an excited thumbs up as he struggled to exit the cabin.
The warrior smiled and stepped forward, arms outstretched to help the gnome climb down from the broken machine. "Thanks to you, friend. Were it not for your courage and your mighty weapon, I fear the damage would have been tenfold." He said, looking back over his shoulder towards the broken watchtower.
Sticks seemed to blush at that. "W-well, I couldn't just sit idly, you know! I-I knew I had to do something to help!" He said, clearly embarrassed.
Felrus set the brave gnome down and gave him a salute. "And do something, you did, my friend. Thanks to you, we can prepare for their next attack. Come, let us go back." With his little friend close by, Felrus made his way back to the Human Alliance base. Orcs and humans alike were cheering and waving their weapons in celebration.
Halford Wyrmbane gave Felrus a salute. "Well done, Blood Knight. And you as well, sir Hardbones. Thanks to your courage, the monster is defeated."
Felrus shook his head. "No, commander." And then he walked towards the orcish captain, who was watching them. Felrus held out his hand, "It was thanks to our courage. We combined our strengths, and at last, we have taken the first step to defeating our true enemy. Orcs, humans, and all the other people who have joined our cause. In the battlefield, there is no room for prejudice. Only warriors, risking their lives. Together."
Everyone went silent. The orc captain's eyes went from Felrus' outstretched hand, to Sticks on the floor, then towards the still smoldering crater from which the infernal had crawled out.
"Hmph." Said the orc. "For a human… You're very brave. I can respect a warrior who does not fear death." And with that, he took Felrus' hand, and shook it vigorously. "You're right. We fight together… For now."
Every warrior cheered. Their joy, however, was short lived. At that moment, they witnessed no less than three more blazing meteors clad in demonic flames falling from the sky. This time they landed not only close to the Human Expedition's, but the Orcish Horde's camp as well.
"Hmph. They fall, only to die." Said the orc, readying his axe.
Felrus nodded. "Aye. What is it your people say?" Felrus inquired, looking at the massive green man with a smile. "Victory, or death?"
This time, the orc grinned at Felrus. But it wasn't the condescending, mocking grin he had come to expect from their people. No, Felrus had seen that expression before. It was a grin of acknowledgement. Of understanding. The grin shared by two men who understood each other, even if only for that brief moment.
At that moment, their reinforcements arrived. Elven priests and mages unleashed their fortifying spells, encasing their fighters in magical barriers and bolstering their strength with arcane power. The orcish shamans blessed their warriors with the fury of the elements, encasing their weapons with the power storm, earth and fire as their magical totems were placed all over the ground, providing further protection and enchantments to every warrior.
They all stood, side by side. Orcs, humans, trolls, dwarves, gnomes, tauren and elves. They stood together, facing the demonic invasion that threatened to swallow their world. They stood together, facing the apocalypse, and pushing it back, without fear, without hesitation.
Together, they all stood.
The orc captain lifted his weapon.
"LOK'TAR OGAR!"