Chapter Seven
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This was War! No matter how one viewed it, it was the survival of the fittest and Verity knew that survival instinct very well. It ran in her blood like lava and ice, carved her into what she is today and she wasn't going to die now. Over the dusty smoke of dirt the wargs and orcs came. She grinned behind her helmet more than ready to meet them with her own weapons. The Dwarrow and Bilbo were calling down to her to climb the trees, but Gandalf seemed to have figured out that the thin branches wouldn't hold her heavily armored body, especially with the heavy metal limbs that made up for the missing ones. He sat gravely silent in his perch almost as if in prayer for her soul. She wouldn't need it.
She caught the first warg with her robotic arm, allowing it to chomp down on it as she brought her pistol and fired at an angle to hit through the brain-stem of the warg and into the skull of the orc riding it. Both toppled dead to the ground, and she pulled her second pistol from her holster taking a spread eagle stance and aiming the guns at the enemy. The orcs and wargs came to a stop beside the white warg and orc that looked down at the tall warrior defending the dwarrow and Isari. Several wargs and orcs lay dead at his feet. The strange weapons taking them out long before they could come into fighting range. The black cloth along one arm was shredded and hung in rags down the limb but the arm was not affected by the attack that had obviously caused the clothing demise.
In the tree Gandalf whispered something to a small moth that fluttered away from them, and he turned to watch as the woman stood ready to take on the army of orcs and wargs that surrounded them. "What are you fugly bastards waiting for? An open invitation?" She taunted, causing several of the orcs to snarl and roar at her one to charge only to have a shot from somewhere in the distance puncture through both rider and warg and into the ground by Verity's feet. She didn't even flinch at the plasma sprayed hot molten rock and dirt up onto her legs and torso. Used to the heat of the weapon used by the Sangheili that it no longer registered as pain to her when the heated soil burnt into her uniform and touched bare skin beneath.
Azog spoke in his orcish language, throwing taunts out at the dwarrow for hiring a skilled warrior to fight in their place. "That Lad has more guts than your lot and you combined." Dwalin stated back in standard. The wargs snarled and leapt at the woman, and she fired two more rounds bringing them down the riders leaping off before they could get hit and charging at her with swords ready.
Verity threw the pistols into the air, dodging first one blade than the other, in a well timed maneuver before slamming one heavy robotic foot down on the insem of the first orc and horse kicking the other in the chest, crushing ribs and the sternum in the process as well as the light armor that the thing wore. She dropped ducking the next swing of the injured orc and catching her pistols in her hands raising and firing both into the under chin of the orc that she faced before kicking him into the pile that was starting to form around the trees. Her helmet was connected to the ship's AI at this range and Loki was now doing high velocity calculations to help with her aim, sending it through the robotic eye and on screen so that she can see what was going on. She knew from a blue dot on her helmet that Rok was back in his Banshee and coming up for a ground sweep of the area. She inched closer to the trees watching as the Dwarrow threw fiery pinecones at the pile that she had started up as well as taunts.
The loud scream of the banshee had the wargs dropping and clawing at their heads as the sound was too high pitched for them to take very well with their sensitive ears. The Plasma fire soon made a fire mess of the lines that separate the two groups. The roots that were holding deep along the surface gave way and the trees started to topple from the cliff side. "Pull back, and head home. The roots can't take anymore of this. I've got it from here Rok." The Major commanded getting a confirmation from the Banshee as it made a loop and headed off toward the direction of the ship.
The hobbit and others were open mouthed and awed at the sight, even the orcs had watched, cowering from the rain of fire from above. Yet, still amazed by the star that had come to the enemies aid. The tree slipped further falling on its side as the roots lost what precious footing it had, and the tree fell. Two dwarrow fell from the grasp they had and Verity cursed, as she was too far away to throw out her grappling hook to catch either of them. She turned as the sound of a warg charging her reminded her of the enemy they were still facing.
Her fist and pistol went down the warg's throat and she opened fire shooting directly down the throat while strangling it at the same time. She screamed out her fury as she ripped the rider off the dead and falling mount and started pistol whipping him with her robotic arm denting in his helmet and crushing it into his skull as she took all her frustration out on the orc. Soon she covered in the black blood and she turned to face the other orcs, Helmet still on, and her teeth bared beneath it. This was her berserker point.
Thorin moved himself up and started charging toward Azog and the white warg as the white orc was more focused on the woman who was taking out his men in a blinding rage of skilled moves that sliced through his numbers like she was a dragon guarding a hoard of gold. The white warg caught Thorin as he leaped at Azog and the orc turned his attention back to Thorin. "Your warrior is far more impressive than I had given him credit. But, it is a shame he will still lose this round." Azog stated, a sharp grin upon his face as he looked over the injured King. Two orcs that had stayed by Azog's side slide from their mounts and started forward, sadistic grins spreading across their faces.
Bilbo leaped onto the first one, stabbing the small dagger into the belly and chest of the orc until he lay dead at Bilbo's feet. The second one, turned to face the smaller opponent but the charging of the other dwarrow soon even the match as Bilbo rushed to Thorin's side to check him over. "Thorin! Thorin!" Bilbo stated, looking into the blue eyes of the leader as he slowly lost consciousness from the wounds. The sound of an eagle crying out soon alerted the group to what Gandalf had done.
Soon the Great Eagles swooped in picking up members of the group and carrying them off into the night. Bilbo and Thorin was last along with Verity. She was dropped onto the back to cling to Bilbo as the two of them looked over at a limp Thorin.
"Is he going to be alright?" Verity asked, over the sound of the wind sweeping past them. Bilbo shook his head unsure of the question himself.
"I don't know. But they caught the two dwarfs that fell." He pointed them out and Verity spoke in spanish a blessing for the winged angels. Soon enough or not depending on who you ask the giant eagles were setting the group down upon a Giant Rock that protruded from the forest around them.
"Nice big rock to land on." Verity commented in a dry manner, but from this angle she was getting more readings from the ship and AI along with the rest of the com flaring up with communication. They were a lot closer than they had been the day before. "Thank Heavens for flying." She saluted the birds as they dropped off the Dwarrow and Isari and left, flying away from them.
"It is good to hear your voice more clearly Major Amezcua." Loki, the ship's AI stated a hint of a tease to his tone. "What is your status?" He asked.
"One injured, almost dead, from blood loss. However, the rest seem to be okay, if not exhausted from a long night's fight and flight." She stated.
"Was that the movie playing on this flight?" Loki asked, and Verity huffed and annoyed sound that caused several of the Dwarrow to look at her weirdly. She waved them away, moving further away from the group that was looking over at Thorin and Gandalf. A round of cheers had her gazing back at them and furrowing her brows at the sight of the leader standing and moving around a lot more alive than he had been before hand.