Warcraft belongs to Blizzard
Fate/Stay Night belongs to Typemoon
Warning! This is more of a spin off instead of a direct cross with modern day Fate/Stay Night. I like Saber and so I am gonna put her in the WoW world.
Also, this fic takes place during the first Orc -Human war.
UPDATED! 9/12/14: Xbox432 also help made this chapter better , cleaner:)
Special thanks to Wayfarer who painstakingly helped me put out these chapters. ^_^ You are the best!
Lioness of Stormwind
Chapter 4
**** Redridge ****
Saber saw the gradual change in the landscape as the borders of the Black Morass crossed over into the rocky hills of Redridge. True to its name, the rocks were rust colored with patches of green grass littering their surroundings. What stood out, however, was the mass of activity going on in the distance, where thousands of soldiers and civilians were working together to build a five foot high palisade that stretched from east to west. Much like her own world, the military engineers here were not that different. Their current defensive tactics were similar to what the Romans built before their decline.
"We made it Arturia!" Tiffany exclaimed excitedly as she breathed a sigh of relief at seeing so many soldiers of Stormwind present. Finally, they were safe.
"A formidable place," Saber said, having a different outlook of the area from a battlefield commander's perspective instead of a civilian's. She noted that there was a block wide gap for the civilians to stream through safely.
"Militia Commander," Lancelot addressed the small blonde as he brought his horse closer to his king. "Lord Armin requests your presence."
Saber looked at her first knight from another lifetime and nodded. "Lead the way," she prompted. A dreamy sigh behind let her know that her friend was once more swooning over De Luc. She saw the aforementioned knight adorn a seductive smile that he had used to bed many women, Guinevere notwithstanding, and narrowed her eyes dangerously at him.
Apparently having seen the displeasure on her face the former knight of the lake looked away and coughed into his hand. "R-Right then, this way if you please, Your Ma- milady," Lancelot quickly evaded as he saw the disappointed look on the pretty cleric. Unfortunately his king's displeasure over rode any more lustful thoughts from his mind.
Turning around, she pointed at Cole, her new second in command. "Have half the troops rest while the other helps with gathering lumber," Saber ordered.
Cole nodded and gave a respectful bow before he started snapping orders to the Militia forces.
"Lucky man..." Lancelot muttered under his breath. He had waited an entire lifetime for his king to issue an order to him again, to acknowledge him as her knight once more. He could already see the familiar pattern in the militia group, if they could be called one anymore. Like all that followed Arthur, they became hers the moment they began to serve her. Lancelot did not doubt their loyalty to Stormwind but if Arth- no, Arturia, were to rebel then these men would follow her. As for himself, he had sworn an oath to her back in Camelot, and once more when he arrived in this new world, he knew where his loyalty lay.
Saber, ignorant of her former Knight's thoughts, walked toward the biggest pavilion with Lancelot flanking her familiarly as he once did in another life time. "So... where do you hail from?" she asked, curious to where he was from in this world.
Lancelot blinked in surprise at the attempt at small talk by his king. That had never happened before. Ever. Silence had always accompanied his king no matter what, a habit he did not think would ever change. Apparently he was wrong. "I was born to the De Luc's of Moonbrook. Yes, I was quite amazed that they had the same surname, no doubt my mother's doing," he guessed.
"Moonbrook?" Saber mused as she tried to recall the map of where that was located. A moment later she remembered it was in Westfall, clear on the other side of Stormwind territory. Looking at the Knight's features she pointed out something else that was strange to her. "You look like how I remember you, we must have arrived on this world at different times."
"Yes, Your Maj- Aye, I was brought into this world twenty-seven years ago," Lancelot replied. He had remembered almost passing into the afterlife, so full of regret and hate for himself, when his mother arrived to tell him of what was happening. She told him of a new war to be waged, of his King being alone surrounded by enemies. His love for Guinevere had brought down his King's kingdom, and despite all he felt for the Queen it had been a mistake. However, in this new world, perhaps he could redeem himself and make amends for his role in everything.
Lancelot silently reflected on how he had found himself birthed into a minor noble family, the De Lucs of Westfall. His father had hailed from the north, a knight of Lordaeron while his mother was a Westfall noble. The two fell in love and after a short courtship, his father was released from his service to Lordaeron in order to wed his mother. He had been their first son and had an elder sister four years his senior who loved him the moment he was brought into the world. After that he had two more siblings, brothers, raven hair the lot of them. It was a happy family but he knew that such a life was not for him. He had to train for when his King would call upon him again. The only way he knew how was to distinguish himself on the battlefield. Luckily for him, Stormwind constantly suffered Trollish incursions.
Soon as he was able, Lancelot begged his parents to be trained. He was surprised when he found out that there was no need as any child in Stormwind, when they reach the age of ten, were automatically trained to defend themselves. After the mandatory training, if any wanted to enlist in the military they could. He did not want to wait to reach the age of ten, he needed to start sooner and his parents, bless their hearts, sprung for some of the finest trainers in the land. Lancelot bested them all and incorporated their training in with his own 'new' style he had 'came' up with. He was widely regarded as the best swordsman in all of Westfall by the time he reached the age of twelve. At thirteen he enlisted into the service of the Stormwind military and requested to be stationed at the garrison near Stranglethorn Vale, the front line against the trolls. There he distinguished himself and was recruited by the elite Brotherhood of the Horse, where he made a name for himself among their ranks.
By the time he was eighteen there were already whispers from Lancelot's comrades that he was the most likely to succeed Lothar when the old man retired. Lancelot had met Anduin Lothar when he was introduced to the courts of Stormwind during a mission to escort Prince Llane's bride. The older man had a presence that rivaled that of Arthur in some aspects and the skills to match. Though no doubt closing in on the half century mark of his life, the older man had fought Lancelot to a draw, or, to be more correct, he fought the older man to a draw. Lancelot had to wonder, if Lothar was this good at this age, just how much better was he in his prime?
Still, all of that was secondary to Lancelot's real objective: make a name for himself and be noticeable so that his King would call upon him again. Lancelot remembered that his King was older then he was and had deduced that if all remained the same then Arthur would be brought into this world first. While he served the Brotherhood, many respectable nobles wanted to make him their own personal knight. It was an honor that few received, Lothar himself being the leader of the Brotherhood could be considered the Wrynn's own personal knight. Even the Prince's bride had wanted Lancelot to be her own personal knight with Lothar's endorsement. Much to the Stormwind court's surprise, he had respectfully declined. His friends had called him mad for turning down the honor of being the future Queen's first Knight.
While he felt that Llane was a strong Prince, and the future Queen herself was one of the prettiest woman he had ever set eyes on, none of them was Arthur. Only Arthur could have his loyalty. However, as the years passed, there was no signs of Arthur evident, no warrior, male or female, matching his deeds. Lancelot had despaired when he turned twenty-five for several reasons. The first was that he had served throughout the entire kingdom and could not find news of anyone like Arthur in all of his travels. The second was the mass of offers he had to become a personal Knight. Not only did the Stormwind nobles still persist in trying to bind him to their houses, but the kingdoms to the north had sent him missive as well. His reputation had grown even more when he had traveled north for the Knights' Summit and bested every knight in the northern kingdoms. Thankfully his trip north lead him to his sword, Arondight, that was guarded by ghoulish spirits near Elven territory. Lancelot had a feeling that his mother was behind its reappearance, but he was not one to deny such fortune. While the maidens' favors he accepted, the majority of the nobles of the north were a self-serving bunch. He had been glad to leave the north and return south.
They had been on their way from Stonewind Keep when word came in of some incursion to the south. His commander quickly took charge of the situation and rode out with the Brotherhood to repel the invaders. What they found were refugees escaping from the Black Morass, after making sure the citizenry was safe, the Brotherhood set forth, honor bound to rescue the last village if it still held. While his first encounter with a Troll had been an eye opener and example of one of the many dangerous races here on Azeroth, the greenskins were a different lot. They were bigger and felt more menacing. Upon the rescue force's arrival, they had seen the greenskins swarming the town walls and had rushed in to save any survivors. It was there that he received the biggest surprise of his life.
His King, Arthur, was in the thick of the fray slaying a greenskin that towered over her. The expression on her face was the very same one he remembered from so long ago and for a moment he saw King Arthur of Camelot with Excalibur in hand, destroying the Danes on the Saxon's Shores. It took him only a moment to match his King's features with what he recalled. His King still had the same youthful look she always had. A different set of battle armor adorned her body, and she possessed a sword that was not Excalibur on the verge of breaking. Finally, he would get his second chance. If his King did not forgive him and wanted him dead, then so be it. He awaited his King's verdict, he just wished that his King gave some signs of broaching the subject.
"Sir Lancelot, is this the girl?" a Brotherhood Knight asked in front of the battle pavilion as he gave Lancelot a salute.
"It is," Lancelot nodded as the knight chivalrously raised the curtain aside so that Arturia could enter.
Saber acknowledged the gesture and walked in to see several people crowded around a map. The first figure that stood out the most to her was an older male. The reason why he stood out was because of his style of dress. He reminded her of Merlin with his heavy robes and funny pointy hat. Taking her eyes off him, Saber saw Knight Commander Armin nodding to her, a gesture in which she returned. The third figure was a woman in full gray and blue Stormwind battle armor, her helm could be seen placed on the table. The woman had brown hair that framed her face and while she could not be called pretty she was a handsome enough woman. Saber knew right away this was an experienced warrior by how she carried herself. The woman turned up to look at her, judging her worth. There was clear approval in it when Saber's gaze did not flinch. The last was an old man that must have been in his fifties, in white cleric robes much like Tiffany's but only more decorative.
"Militia Commander Arturia," Knight Commander Armin greeted first as he stood straight from the table. He looked at the companions around him and pointed at the wizard. "The rat bastard mage to my left, that somehow tricked his way into becoming an Archmage, is Tobin Snow."
"Turned your hair purple one time and you'll never let it go!" the old Archmage protested mockingly before taking the small blonde girl's hand in his own to kiss. However the girl pulled her hand away before he could. "And you are the girl we heard so much about."
"She's too young for you, you lecherous pervert," the soldier woman said affectionately, though there was a hint of underlying threat to her tone. Turning to the new girl in their midst she introduced herself. "I am the Governor General of Redridge, Mara Fordragon."
"And finally we have a High Cleric of Northshire here, Orlias Cidol," Armin introduced without missing a beat from the banter between his two companions.
"The Light be with you, child," the bald old priest kindly greeted and gave the new girl a soft warm smile.
"Greeting, High Cleric," Saber said respectfully with a bow. She then turned to the other assembled individuals and gave them a standard salute from the Stormwind Army.
The Archmage, Tobin was the first to laugh heartily at the girl's display of military decorum. "Quite the pretty little soldier, isn't she? Hard to believe she was the one that lead the defense of Marshal's Keep. If it had been you, Mara, I could understand. You're brutish and manly. But this girl, she's look more at home near the hearth than a battlefield," he commented mirthfully stroking his wizard beard.
Faster than anyone could react, Saber's longsword whipped out as quick as a snake's strike and was within a hair's breadth of reducing Tobin beard by an alarming amount.
"HA!" Mara Fordragon laughed and slapped her hand onto the map table. "Looks like she didn't take too kindly to your assessment, old pervert."
Orlias and Armin lips also quirked up in response to Saber's strike as the Archmage had beads of sweat rolling down his head.
Lancelot had to will himself to not smile at his King's display of skill and authority. With that one move, his king had earned all the warriors respect and MADE the mage respect her. There were only two kinds of people that faced his King: those that respected her and those that are FORCED to respect her. "Ahem..." he coughed to prompt his commander.
"Right then," Armin nodded, having gotten the hint from his knight and turned to the armored woman. "Lady Fordragon?"
Nodding she stood up and handed Arturia a parchment. "Militia Commander Arturia, Daughter of Igraine and Athan, I, Governor General Mara Fordragon, hereby give you a battlefield commission with the temporary rank of Commander for the duration of this crisis," the Governor General declared loudly.
To everyone surprised, the diminutive blonde simply took the parchment and nodded. There was no faux modesty on her end, no hint of pride of having attained such recognition, nor was there any uncertainty in her demeanor. The girl simply took it and accepted it as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Am I to be in command of the militia again, or will I be augmented by the regulars from Stonewind? Will there be mages in my ranks? How many clerics can I expect? What area would you have me defend?" Saber asked immediately. She needed to know what she had to work with now and what part she would be preforming in the battle to come.
Stunned silence permeated the room at the sudden onslaught of questions.
Lancelot had to ball his fist painfully to keep from swelling with pride. "I request my unit to be attached to Commander Arturia to be her cavalry," he volunteered quickly and noted the stunned expression on his Commander's face. He couldn't blame the man, He had never shown preference to serve under anyone before, at least not until now. Even Lady Fordragon, who had once offered him a position as her personal knight, looked stunned by his declaration.
"Uh... Granted," Knight Commander Armin complied as he felt as if something momentous just happened. Even more surprising was how the smaller girl reacted. The blonde had turned to his best knight and gave him a narrow look that made the great Lancelot gulp visibly. Lancelot the fearless, the daring, the scoundrel of maidens. Gulped!
"Please do not acquiesce to his selfish demands. If he is better used at another spot along the lines then feel free to do so," Saber countered immediately. There was a battle coming, Lancelot should go where he would be needed the most.
"I think it would be best for Lancelot to go with you," Mara said as she recovered from the mild shock of seeing a girl turn down Lancelot's favor. "You do need cavalry and the Brotherhood are the best. Your militia group will be augmented by an additional three thousand footman, five hundred Stormwind Knights, four hundred crossbowmen, ten mages, and twenty clerics from Northshire."
Saber nodded as she was already formulating the best strategy on how to use her forces. "And where would you have me position my force?" she inquired of the Governor General.
"We have divided the battle line into seven sections. I will be at section four, right in the middle. Knight Commander Armin will be in Section Three, and you would be in section six to assist section seven in making sure they are not outflanked while repelling any greenskins headed your way."
"Do we know how many greenskins are coming?" Saber asked as she drew the mental picture of what needed to be done at her section in her head.
"Using their magics, the mages estimate the greenskins number at the very least at thirty thousand and could be as high as sixty," Mara stated, looking pensive at having received such news. How the hell did such a massive army amass within their OWN borders? Something was fishy, she could feel it. But right now the threat needed to be dealt with first.
"Between thirty and sixty?" Saber said in amazement. She guessed correctly that the greenskins did have lots of grunts to throw away, but she never imagined that they would be so numerous. "From what I've seen we couldn't possibly number any more than twenty thousand."
It was Archmage Tobin who let out a barking laugh at Arturia's comment. "Pretty, good with a sword from Armin's account, intelligent, and with a keen eye to boot. I think I'm in love," he teased playfully and was rewarded with an elbow to his ribs courtesy of the Lady Fordragon.
"Very astute," Mara acknowledged as she took her glare off the Archmage before turning back to the constantly surprising small blonde. "It is as you said, as of right now we stand twenty two thousand strong. There are several more that might be joining us, a few hundreds from Redridge and maybe a few hundred more form Elwynn."
"We won't be getting any more reinforcements, will we?" Saber asked. She knew Stormwind had more soldiers then this and guessed that they were needed elsewhere. She approached the table map and paid little attention to the fact that the other high ranking officials made way for her. Looking at the map she formulated the most likely battle plan that should occur before looking up at the rest of the group. "How long do we have to hold out for?"
There was once again a stunned silence before the Archmage once more slapped his hand onto the map table doubling over in laughter. "She - heh heh - figured it out -ha!- with just a glance!" he choked out before laughing.
"What makes you say that?" Knight Commander Armin asked seriously.
"Well, judging by how fast they arrived within Stormwind territory, I doubt Stormwind has fifty thousand men lying around at a moment's notice," Saber explained her reasoning to the gathered people. "I would say that the plan is to form a bulwark to blunt the attack here or over at Deadwind pass until the rest of Stormwind's forces can be mobilized."
By this time Mara just shook her head with a smile on her lips before nodding for the girl to continue.
"Then it would be best, in order to give us more time to engage them at the mouth of Three Corners with a sizable force to block off entry to Sunshire, Redridge, and Elwynn Forest," Saber continued while pointing at the location on the map. The part that was labeled 'Three Corners' had three narrow passageways that lead into three separate territories of Stormwind, each with an ideal choke point. "Ideally we would have twenty thousand soldiers stationed at each passage, with a fortified fallback point in the middle. This would force the greenskins to either split their attacking army in three or hit one of the corners full on, in which case, they would leave their flank and rear expose to two sizable armies from the other two corners."
Armin and Mara shared a look with the Archmage and High Cleric before looking back to the girl who had not taken her eyes off the map.
"However, since time is not on our side, we would have to make a defensive stand at the mouth of Three Corners to give Sunshire and Elwynn time to set up their own blockade. And that is not accounting for the fact that Stormwind itself is probably fortifying its position in case we all fail in our duties," Saber finished looking up to the rest of the group and then tilted her head in a way that they found adorable without her realizing it. "At least, that would be how I would go about it."
"It is exactly as you say," Mara Fordragon said, looking at the blonde girl with respect. It was something she didn't think she could feel for someone so young. "We need to hold out for three days at least."
Saber frowned. Three days to engage such a force? In her experience, this wasn't an organized army that marched on their land. It was a barbarian horde. The battle would likely be decided within a day at the most, two if they were lucky. Three days would be impossible.
The Governor General then turned to look at the blonde girl and smiled at her. "It really is thanks to you that we were able to even mount a proper defense. Without your town tying up the greenskin forces, the other villagers would not have been able to warn us of the impending attack. I shudder to think of what could have happened. They could have washed over all of the Black Morass without anyone being wiser and marched on Stormwind itself!" Mara angrily punched the table in front of her. Someone, somewhere, dropped the ball in mapping out the Black Morass. They were told nothing else lived in the swamp besides small tribes of Trolls... well whoever that was made a gross error.
Saber nodded. She knew what could have happened had the greenskins really taken out her town quicker than the survivors could have alerted Stormwind. "Then if you don't mind I would like to get ready," she requested formally as she sought to excuse herself from the meeting.
"You are dismissed," Armin said with a nod of his head. As he watched Lancelot and the girl walk out he could not help but shake the feeling that there was more to the girl then she let on.
**** The Next Day ****
Saber, clad in form fitting Stormwind Grey armor that was covered by a royal blue tabard with the gold stitching of a lion on its front and back, stood gazing at the battlefield impassively. Lady Fordragon had sent her a Knight's greatsword, a large two-hander with an intricate lion hilt design and a blue colored handle. The blade, according to Lancelot, was crafted with high quality Mithril, metal that the Brotherhood uses. She had given it a few experimental swings and found that it was well balanced, it was no Excalibur but then again, not many swords could match her old blade.
So here Saber stood in high quality plate mail, armored from the shoulder down, with the greatsword stabbed into the ground, her two armored hands resting on its pommel as she stared into the distance waiting for the greenskins to come. Unbeknownst to her, she had been magically painted by the Archmage Tobin, who magically created more copies and passed them around the battle lines. Her deeds at the township of Marshal's Keep had spread through the army, and it was because of her growing reputation that the new influx of troops she had received quickly took to her.
"All sections have reported in. They are ready, Commander," a soldier from Redridge by the name of John Keeshan reported. He was a young man of at least twenty years of age with shoulder length hair. He was to be her aide and adjutant.
Saber gave a small nod as she heard the soft sound of thumping in the distance. "They're here," she announced as she gazed with hardened eyes into the distance.
Private Keeshan looked at the incoming greenskin forces and steeled himself for battle. He had been hand selected by the famed Sir Lancelot to be Commander Arturia's aide. It meant he would probably be in the thickest of the fighting if the stories about her are to be believed.
"Soldiers and Militia of Redridge, Elwynn, Sunshire, and Black Morass!" an unseen voice boomed along the lines loud and clearly. "I am Governor General Mara Fordragon!"
Saber looked up into the sky at where the Governor General voice seem to originate from. It was probably magically enhanced. She saw the first wave of green marching slowly and deliberately from the Black Morass, a stream of greenskins beating their axes onto their shields.
"Today we stand united as sons and daughters of Stormwind!" Mara's voice rang out. "Since our founding, all who have challenged us have fallen. These greenskins will be no different! Trust your commanders, trust the men and women next to you, and trust in yourself, together, we WILL break the greenskins on our swords! For Stormwind!"
"FOR STORMWIND!" the roar came from up and down the line as the soldiers banged on their shield while yelling.
The greenskins, as if in response to the sudden roar, roared back even louder, stamping their feet and shaking the very ground the defenders stood on.
"Catapults and crossbows at the ready!" Saber ordered loudly, startling the soldiers near her. But they saw that her command was carried out efficiently even as more greenskins streamed out from the swamplands.
"Mages ready!" Saber shouted and received an affirmative cry from behind the lines. "Keeshan, tell the footmen to lock their shields and brace for impact and have the lance unit ready."
"Aye, Commander!" John saluted as he speed off to do as he was ordered.
Taking her hand off the pommel, Saber grabbed the hilt of her greatsword and pulled it up before expertly turning it upward and raising it high. "You heard Lady Fordragon. You are ALL sons and daughters of Stormwind. Let's show these greenskins what happenes when they dare attack Lions. We will destroy them!" she roared and raised her greatsword higher before slamming it into the ground.
The loud reception of the men around her let Saber know that any pre-battle jitters they had were now gone. Still, Saber watched on as the sea of green bodies moved toward them slowly, unfortunately they were still out of range of her ballistic weapons. It was then she spied more of those massive peach colored things that stood taller than the greenskins. Beckoning Keeshan to her side she gave him another set of orders to carry out.
"Those bigger ones are dangerous! Do not engage them, let the Knights do it!" Saber shouted to the men on the line with her and heard the sound of fists striking armor, confirming that they had heard her.
The greenskins stopped short just outside of Stormwind catapult range before they started to stomp onto the ground, banging their crude weapons against their wooden shields. The sea of green parted and revealed a massive greenskin in dead black armor. It clearly towered over all others of his kind. The greenskin said something to his force before he raised his hands into the air and let loose a savage roar. His roar was returned by the thousands upon thousands of greenskins.
"LOK TARRRRRR!" the big greenskin shouted as he pointed his wicked looking waraxe toward the Stormwind forces. As if some imaginary chain were taken off, the greenskins surged forth like a rolling green tide, threatening to wash away all before them in a tide of blood.
"Steady!" Saber commanded the men around her as the greenskins army quickly closed the distance between the two forces. When they reached the firing zone, she gave the signal to launch the catapults filled with oil and fire at the greenskins as was planned. She then readied her next order even as she saw boulders impact the green tide. "Ready crossbows!"
There were sounds of multiple locking mechanisms behind her. "Aim for the head of the giant monstrosities!" she reminded them as she saw the dozens of greenskins crushed by the stones from the catapults. Yet still they streamed forth like a wave. Just as the greenskins were almost upon their defensive palisade she gave the signal to attack. "FIRE!"
As one, all the soldiers in Commander Arturia's section dropped to their knees as the crossbowmen behind them fired into the sea of greenskins almost at point blank.
"Defensive formation!" Saber shouted as the first greenskin made his way up the wall of dirt and sticks only to be cut down by the closest defenders. Looking up and down the lines she saw the sea of green had started to engage the defenders on the line. "Now mages!"
Suddenly sharp blocks of ice fell from the sky, hammering into the attacking greenskins, killing some right away. To their credit the greenskins simply put their shields over their heads and continued to climb the defensive wall.
"MURARRH!" one of the peach colored giants bellowed as it rushed past the other greenskins, trying to barrel directly into the dirt wall.
Saber moved through her lines quickly and struck hard and fast, beheading the behemoth in one strike as several greenskins moved in to engage her. "HAAAAAAAAAAH!" she roared at them in defiance as she swept her greatsword into the greenskin horde, killing several upon contact.
And just like that the two sides engaged in a mass of bodies, metal armored defenders on one side trying to stem a wave of green on the other. The mages ran out of mana within the first two hours of battle, their Blizzard spells had been the only thing softening the greenskins attack. A few moments later the full might of the greenskins crashed into the Human defenders.
Saber lost track of time as she set about doing what she had done best in her old life, killing. Enhanced by her Prana Burst ability, she rained death upon the weaker greenskins, she was careful to use it in small spurts as to not drain her mana reserves. However, despite her ferocity her lines buckled from the sheer pressure exerted from the attacking force. Suddenly there was a flash of green as something slammed into her knocking her off her feet. The force was so powerful it sent her tumbling a short distance from the front line.
Momentarily stunned, Saber blinked to clear her vision and searched for the attack point of origin. She spotted several greenskins in dark robes moving their hands in a familiar spell casting motion and growled menacingly. The greenskins had mages after all.
"LANCELOT!" Saber shouted, having held back her former first knight for just this moment. "The robed ones over there!" she pointed at the group only to be struck once more by another spell. Unlike the first one which was green, this one was inky black and felt much more vile. While it didn't leave any visible wound it did sting something fierce.
With a blare from their war horn, the Brotherhood Knights, with their heavily armored warhorses, sped out. Section six defenders instantly opened a gap in their lines for the Brotherhood forces as they collided head on with the attacking greenskins. For a moment the greenskins poured into the opening only to be trampled under iron hooves as the surge from the Brotherhood mowed down all in their way. The Brotherhood fought their way past the greenskins and made a bee line toward the greenskin's spellcasters.
Lancelot took one of several spears loaded on his warhorse and flung it hard, its aim true as it struck the body of the greenskin mage closest to him. His companions, not blessed with his strength or aim opted for a different type of attack as they fired their crossbows from horseback at the robed ones.
"RARRRGH!" one of the Ettin-like creatures yelled as it rushed toward Lancelot.
Seeing the creature charge, Lancelot took out his spiked flail and gave it a quick wind-up before he unleashed it onto the incoming beast's head, crushing its skull instantly. Another monstrosity charged him a moment later, but with one smooth motion he unslung another spear from his warhorse and flung it with great accuracy at the creature's head, making its body lurch backward from the momentum of the strike. Taking out Arondight he started to cut at the greenskins around him. Some of them were trying to pull him off his horse while others tried to stab their spears at him.
Saber nodded in satisfaction as the spellcasters of the greenskins had been disrupted. She saw Lancelot and his Brotherhood Knights fighting their way back to her lines and sought to aide their retreat. "Push. Them. BACK! Crossbow unit two and three provide cover for the Brotherhood Knights!" she ordered as she charged head first into the lines and proceeded to cut a bloody path back through the greenskins. Her royal blue tabard was now splattered with blood as was her grey armor, but still she attacked relentlessly. Her forces seeing their leader fight with such ruthlessness let loose a roaring shout as they too surged forward, following her example to push the invaders off their palisade.
Lancelot was cutting his way back to his lines when he saw a massive greenskin with a wicked looking hammer making his way toward his King. This greenskin radiated more menace then any he faced thus far and was accompanied by more of those massive creatures.
Blackhand growled in anger. His force had yet to break through the pinkskin's defensive line yet. "Gul'dan! Where are you?" he bellowed. Immediately his Orc adviser made his presence known.
"Yes Warchief?" Gul'dan said, bowing subserviently low to his master. However he felt the massive Blackrock Orc grab him by his robes and lift him to his eye level.
"I thought you said they were not ready and that we would crush them with ease!" Blackhand shouted before he backhanded Gul'dan and pointed to the armored pink-skins lines. "Does that look like our forces having an easy time to you?!"
"Warchief, I assure you, this is the only defense they could mount against the might of the Horde!" Gul'dan groveled quickly in a submissive tone. For all his magic Blackhand could kill him on the spot if he so chose. "Crush this and all of their fertile lands are ours for the taking!"
"And what have your Shadow Council been doing? The pinkskins own warlocks have caused a lot of death by themselves!" Blackhand growled again but saw that Gul'dan smiled cruelly at his statement.
"A temporary setback great Blackhand," Gul'dan smirked evilly. These mages were powerful but Medivh had taught him how to hunt them and more importantly, how to kill them. "These... mages shouldn't be of any concern to our forces anymore, we have killed the majority of them, the remaining ones would be a nuisance at best."
Blackhand nodded, pleased by this bit of good news. "I see your Shadow Council is still useful for some things," he grudgingly acknowledged.
While the mages were powerful, they were not really working together, not like the warlocks. Using the Fel Eye they were able to ferret out who was a mage when they cast any spells. Several death coil spells later and the rest of the pinkskins mages were forced to pay attention to their attacks, effectively ending their assistance in the battle. The ones in the white robes could withstand a few hits before dying but they appeared to be more like the healing shaman of old. In other words, a pathetic magic user.
"There have been some whispering about a golden haired demoness among the pinkskin's ranks. I want you to take care of it," Blackhand said, frowning. Several orcs had reported that a small armored golden haired pinkskin had killed with impunity all Orcs and Ogres that dared challenge her, many had went to test their mettle against the slip of a female. None had claimed her head. If anything she was claiming theirs and the body count was rising. Already his forces were starting to avoid the area she was in; that was unacceptable. Orcs do not turn away from a fight.
Gul'dan bowed low to hide his face, the truth was he had set a target on her head from the get go but no matter how many Death Coils or Shadow Bolts she was hit with, she did not die. It was as if she shrugged off their spell's attacks. Even his high level Shadow Bolt spell only seemed to make her angrier. The warlocks were at a loss on how to deal with the golden haired demoness. He could still feel Blackhand's eyes on him, awaiting his reply when he spotted Doomhammer on the field. Quickly using the situation to his advantage. He urgently pointed at Blackhand's second in command.
"There is no need Warchief, Doomhammer will crush the golden demoness!" Gul'dan crowed and saw that Blackhand looked pleased as well. Everyone knew that Doomhammer was the Horde's greatest warrior; even Blackhand had to admit it. Yet Doomhammer was not ambitious by nature and did not want leadership. That suited Blackhand and Gul'dan just fine.
++++ Battlefront +++
Saber's instinct told her to dodge left just as a massive greenskin smashed his war-hammer into the spot she was just in and got a good look of at her attacker. The first thing that stood out to her was that the greenskin was bigger than the rest of his kin. In fact it was almost as big as the peach monstrosities. Unlike the others of his kind, this greenskin was silent. Its assessing eyes were not filled with the familiar savagery but instead with intelligence. It opened its mouth to say something in its bestial language, then pointed to itself and said "Doomhammer" in Common. How did this creature learn Common?! What did it mean by Doomhammer? Was it the creature's name or title? Or was it the creature's class, like a Servant? Was it meant to be intimidating?
Looking at it warily, Saber pointed to herself and replied. "Saber." Opting instead to give it her classification as well.
"Saber... " the creature, Doomhammer, mouthed out in an unnatural way before laughing in amusement.
Tightening the grip of the greatsword in her hand, Saber swung the two hander at the creature's head, forcing it to dodge at the last second. Quickly she angled her strike away from it and turned it in another direction to lob off the head of one of the peach monsters accompanying it.
"Saber!" Doomhammer growled savagely before charging the smaller girl.
"Doomhammer!" Saber shouted swung her greatsword in a wide arc and struck the greenskin behemoth with all her strength and was surprised to see 'Doomhammer' had stopped the attack with its hammer. Though it did show some strain of having to stop her blow. The Greenskin then pushed her sword away and moved quickly to cave her head in.
Instead of dodging back, Saber moved forward and punched its exposed flesh with her plated fist, staggering it slightly, even as she was struck with the back of its hand in retaliation. It felt like she was hit by Berserker all over again. Recovering quickly from the attack, she closed the distance between them only to jump up at the last possible moment before hammering her greatsword at its head.
Doomhammer, to his credit, reacted swiftly and swung his hammer up quickly with equal force, the impact from both of their blows shook both combatant's arms but the greenskin was still physically stronger.
Saber did not have Avalon and so it took her a bit longer to recover. By the time she did the greenskin had charged her with its arms still shaking and bulldozed her into the ground.
Crashing onto the ground with the golden haired demoness, Doomhammer rolled on top of the girl ready to smash her head like a ripe melon fruit.
Saber saw the greenskin arc its hammer over its head and knew that she could not stop the momentum even if she could bring her greatsword up to block it. For a split second she wished she had worn her helmet because of what she had to do next. Saber released her grip on her greatsword, grabbed the armor of the greenskin by its shoulders cuirass and pulled it down toward her taking it off balance. Then she did something else that took it by surprise.
She smashed her head into its mouth. Hard.
The creature, stunned by the pain, did not resist when Saber pushed it off of her to roll away. She grabbed her greatsword before rolling to her feet, holding in a defensive stance. Already her vision was tinted red, Saber knew she probably had a gash on her forehead and watched the greenskin recover as it focused its attention back onto her. Its mouth was bleeding a copious amount of blood, and it actually spat out a few of its teeth before gazing at her with murderous intent.
"Come get me then!" Saber taunted as she charged the greenskin. She put all of her strength behind the next swing even as she saw the greenskin doing the same with its hammer. Then with a mighty roar that startled her own soldiers and the fighting greenskins, she swung her sword at Doomhammer with all her might.
Hearing the little female give a roar worthy of a warrior, Doomhammer roared back in kind as he swung his hammer to meet the golden haired demoness' blade.
The two weapons each met each other at the apex of their attacks, the sharp edge of Saber's greatsword met the blunt edge of Doomhammer's maul. However much Saber had wished it, the greatsword, though well made, was not Excalibur and so was no match for the ancient warhammer blessed by powerful Orc Shaman's from throughout the ages.
Saber saw the blade of her greatsword shatter, its metal shards seemingly hanging in midair for a moment before flying everywhere. Some of it struck the exposed flesh of the greenskin. Several even punched into her plate, she saw that the greatsword had been reduced to one third of its size. She held it up to block the next attack she knew was coming. Her body flew several feet across the field. She saw that the final part of her greatsword had shattered from Doomhammer's follow up attack, leaving only the hilt in her hand. Saber's arms were numb from absorbing the block and was slow to react.
Doomhammer roared as he charged the golden haired demoness and swung his hammer down with as much force as he could muster, intent on crushing the girl, only to see a blade as black as night blocking his attack.
"Lancelot!" Saber identified, having recognized Arondight in front of her and looked up to see the straining face of her Knight. She quickly rolled away as the two started to engage in combat. Feeling the sensation returning to her arms, she picked up a shield from a dead footman and a longsword from a dead militia man and charged back into the fray.
Lancelot was skilled, that much he knew, but besides a few here in this world none could match the daily training and sparring sessions he used to have with the Knights of the Round. As such, he found himself hard pressed to match this greenskin in combat. The blows from its wicked looking hammer were making his arms feel numb. He was grateful that Arondight was a special Fae sword that was equal to that of Excalibur. Out of the corner of his eye, Lancelot saw another of the Ettin sized creatures charge at him. Clearly it wanted to turn the even match in the greenskin's favor, and it would have too had his King not intercepted the creature.
"Focus on him, Lancelot!" Saber ordered as she struck into the creature's head, shield then ramming the longsword in its jugular, killing it instantly. She rode the momentum of the dead creature down and turned around to smash the shield into another greenskin's face before piercing its heart with her blade.
Lancelot saw the greenskin before him looking at his King fighting ferociously and shouting encouragement to the Stormwind faltering lines with a respectful expression on its face. Taking advantage of the greenskins lapse in attention, he separated himself from it to give him some space. "You will fine she does not go down easy, greenskin."
Though the greenskin did not comprehend the words it did understand Lancelot's tone. With a roar as it prepared to charge the knight again, a loud horn blared across the field, one Lancelot recognized. It was the Brotherhood war horn, turning around he shouted. "We should fall back to our lines and hold there!"
Saber nodded as she helped the soldiers engaged on the battlefield fall back to their fortification. It was from this angle that she saw an army of black armored Knights crash directly into the greenskin's flank and continue to ride through, undeterred, by the bodies in the way. Apparently that was the straw that broke the greenskin's resolve. Stonewalled by the Stormwind defenders for most of the day and now being mowed down by the Brotherhood Knights, the greenskins broke and ran away in a disorderly fashion.
Lancelot saw the greenskin look at the armored Knights riding his way and muttered something in its guttural language. With an angry shout it too took one last swing at Lancelot before falling back and running toward the forest. He saw the Brotherhood Knights follow all the way up until the forest lines, mowing down many of the enemy in the process before stopping and turning back to the Stormwind defenders.
Saber did not recognize the banner of the Brotherhood Knights, only that it was somebody important based on its intricate design. A quick survey of the now silent battlefield showed the section lines had all but crumbled.
A few hours later as night descended, clerics and others could be seen helping the wounded or moving the dead. Saber had made back to her lines as Lady Fordragon rode out to meet the Brotherhood Commander in charge of their rescue.
"Somebody you know?" Saber asked her former knight and allowed herself a brief respite as she collapsed onto her backside. She had done her share of dragging the surviving wounded first in her section as well as ending the still wounded greenskins, giving them a clean death. Her knight had been summoned by one of his fellow Brotherhood, but he had desired to stay here with her. She ripped off a clean piece of her tabard and started to wipe at the wound on her forehead. Not the first time since the battle had ended. The Clerics had offered to heal the flesh wound but she had declined as others were in dire need of their services.
"Don't use that, Your Ma- Commander," Lancelot chided as he took out some clean bandages from his supply pouch.
Saber looked at the expertly cut bandages and pressed it against her head. "I need a better sword," she sighed, openly sharing her private thoughts to her former Knight. While this world had well crafted weapons, there were none with the durability she needed to fight with all her might. Looking enviously at the sword by Lancelot's side she had to ask him. "How did you find Arondight?"
Lancelot looked at his trusted blade before looking back at his king. "I found it in Lordaeron. It was protected by forest spirits in an abandon catacomb close to Elven land," he answered. Suddenly, he grinned at his king, making her look at him strangely.
"That rapscallion smile of yours has not changed at all," Saber said ruefully as she brushed a stray lock of golden hair from her face. Before everything went wrong, affair and all, Lancelot was the life of the party, beloved by all except Gawain. This was the same smile he wore back then when he was up to something only he found amusing. She was glad, that meant he was not the broken man she met during the Fourth Grail War. "You are up to something."
"Perhaps," Lancelot replied, grinning before his King punched him in his side. "Arghh!"
"I may not have much strength left but I am still strong enough to chastise you if you do not spit it out this second," Saber ordered in a menacing tone. It was the same tone she used back in Camelot when she had enough of the childish prank wars conducted by the Knights of the Round.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Lancelot whispered softly and saw his King look up at him sharply. Clearing his throat he gave his best smile and made sure to capture his King's expression for what he had to say next.
"Well?" Saber prompted impatiently.
Keeping his eyes on the pretty blonde face he said. "I know where Caliburn is in this world."
Lancelot will forever burn the image of his King's jaw dropping comically in his memories.
TBC..
Next: Caliburn and Judgment
AN:
Quick fix: Lothar's age, he was in his mid-forties not in the mid-sixties. Still doesn't change anything though. :D
Once again thanks to Wayfarer for editing this fic! Seriously he slogged through it. If there is anyone else that is interested in helping me edit this fic along with Wayfarer please drop a line.
So, another chapter down, it took a while but we finally got there. I was told by a friend that Nasu hard core fans might have a problem with me and what I choose to do creatively regarding power levels. To me I strive for balance, something Blizz needs to do, amirite? But anyway. I was told to be ready to be flamed into submission because things are not scaled to how some feel it should be. But I have a Nasu verse expert and my own knowledge of WoW and when I compare and contrast, it fits. To me, WoW world is currently similar to Earth Age of Gods, where Fae, Divine Beasts, and others walk the lands.
Oh and a quick note, Gul'dans attack aimed at Saber is Chaos Magic type. Chaos Magic in the WoW verse was created and used by the Burning Legion to kill divine beings. Great power, frail mortal bodies.
If you don't like the story then there is nothing I can do about it, for those that do, thank you.
Now here's some information that I think might be pertinent.
Ettin - They are big like Orges and are indigenous to Redridge
Doomhammer is intelligent, could have picked up Common or magically picked it up. I wanted that scene.
Three Corner - In WoW it really is called Three Corners, for those that don't play wow, it's a flat grassy and hilly area. It lead directly into the three maps of Stormwind Kingdom.
This is the major difference in WC1 and this story. In WC1. The Orcs invaded and stormed through the Black Morass and Stormwind was taken off guard. They also punched all the way to Stormwind City itself before they were beaten back by the Brotherhood and Stormwind Army. That battle just took place in this chapter.
Mara Fordragon - Actual WoW Lore Character, there WAS a statue of her in Stormwind somewhere with a sword and shield. It was in the library of the castle, have no idea where it is now.
Keeshan - Actual WoW character and actual veteran of the first war. I figure a wink and nudge here right? Do Redridge for those that still have a wow account. :D He's Rambo now.
Archmage Tobin and High Cleric - Orignal OC.
Orcs while tough are shown to be highly superstitious. Calling that little girl a demoness who has been killing them with impunity is in character to me.
Yes Saber has her A-rank immunity to magic. It hurts her but doesn't instantly kill her. Good thing wow has higher level spells. ^_^ So she gotta be careful~~~
As always C+C welcome, Reviews Appreciated.