I own nothing. Well, not on the internet. But then, who really does there?
Chasing Through Hell
Fire Within
The frontline had been set up a long stone's throw from the tents. The Horde soldiers stood several ranks deep, the casters spread among and behind them, and closer to the tents another line was forming, one Maurus and the others in the unit was supposed to join.
They didn't get the chance. Maurus and Mathias were still some way from the edge of the tents, Arianna just behind them, when the fiends and succubi dropped from high in the sky, spreading out to delay reinforcements and attack the defensive line from the rear. They were met with a hail of arrows and deadly streaks of light that turned some of the dives into fatal falls but the barrage and the intercepting windriders only took out a fraction of the demons.
The fiends hit the ground roaring, singly or in pairs, the dark steel blades in their hands smashing down onto their enemies with the force of the flight behind them. Screams erupted from those who chose to block instead of dodging, as the heavy blows broke shield arms and shattered shoulderplates and in the following moments of shock, many of the fiends threw out bursts of flame, forcing back their enemies and setting tents alight. The succubi fluttered down along the fiends, guarding their sides with rapid whip-cracks and swiping claws.
Except for the heedless ferocity they displayed, the demons were worlds apart. The succubi were lithe, pale shapes, the black bat wings, horns and hooves only adding something exotic to their eerie allure and somehow it looked sensual when they lashed out with whip and claw. The fiends, on the other hand, were hulking, graceless brutes, at least half-again as tall as Maurus from their black hooves to four-horned heads, the dark blue wings folding back behind them adding another arm's length to that. Their face and, disturbingly, their stomachs, seemed almost all teeth, and there were only what looked like shallow craters above their mouths, making Maurus wonder how they could see. Their muscles bulged under blue skin, though it seemed it took no effort to lift the heavy, sharp armor.
"Forward!" Maurus shouted and the soldiers around him obeyed in a rattle of metal, rushing toward the demons ahead and the group buckling beneath their assault. Payta's shoulder bumped into his right as she hefted her massive tower shield and he felt a little flush of sheepish guilt realizing that the tauren woman was the one actually in command. A rough snort was all the reprimand she gave though and all she had time for before they reached the enemies, going around the side of faltering soldiers.
A familiar incantation somehow reached Maurus' ears through the noise of battle and one of the flock of succubi around the fiends faded to ghostly translucence, falling to the ground now that her wings were unable to move the air. Without hesitation, Maurus lunged through the banished succubus and smashed his mace into the stomach of the surprised succubus hovering behind it. Armor buckled and the succubus fell to the ground, landing on her knees before Mathias' sword thrust out and through her head.
Another succubus fell to the charge before the demons recovered. A number of succubi broke off, flying around the flank of Maurus' unit, whips cracking and one of the two fiends roared and took a step back to better face both groups. A dozen wounds, from steel and magic, dotted its skin, and the armor was already marked by impacts, but it looked no less fearsome for it.
Maurus paid the flankers little attention, trusting the warriors on Mathias' side to take care of it, and stepped toward the fiend, roaring out his rising fear and anger in challenge to the massive demon. Despite the shouts and clamor of battle, the fiend heard him and the dark pits that passed for its eyes focused on him. Both of its heavy swords came crashing down towards him, the fire spreading along the tents glinting in the metal. He managed to lift his shield in time, putting both hands behind it and angling it, sending both blades clanging off the metal, but pain thrummed through his arm from the impact and he almost staggered backwards.
Flame, lightning and shadow soared over Maurus' shoulder, hitting the fiend and some of the succubi around it, drawing shrieks and growls of pain. A greenish shadow flashed across the fiend and as the fingers of darkness seeped into it, it slumped, like a heavy weight had been draped over it. When it struck out at the orcs on Payta's right, there was visible strain in the motion, like its swords were more unwieldy than before.
A half-smile appeared on Maurus' face at the sight of Arianna's curse and he pressed forward, with Payta and Mathias at his sides, ducking the claw of a diving succubus and feeling a flash of heat behind him. The fiend sent another blow at the orcs on Maurus' right, driving them back a step, even as another blow clanged off Payta's great shield. Another overhead swing was aimed at Mathias, one he dodged, though just barely. The sword bit into Mathias' shoulderplate and threw him off balance, but the fiend had overreached too much to take advantage. Maurus seized the chance, slamming his shield into the fiend's sword arm before it could withdraw it.
The sword fell from twitching fingers and the fiend growled at him, ducking to take a spear of frost on its shoulderplate instead of on its chest. It spread its fingers, sparks erupting around its hand, and Maurus hurriedly put his shield up in front of his face, but the expected wave of flame failed to appear. A sensation like a gust of wind along Maurus' leg made him glance down for a split-second, seeing Ash, mouth gaping wide, between him and Mathias, who was already recovering.
He swiftly returned his gaze to the fiend, turning his head to avoid the whip aimed at his eye. He cursed himself for the distraction as the whip scored a line of fire along his unprotected neck, just behind his horns. Around him, the succubi were being more aggressive, throwing themselves at the front rank to give the fiend time to pick up its fallen weapon. As they attacked, Maurus could also feel something warm and foggy creeping its way into his mind, a familiar sensation, though far weaker than when he last felt it.
He shook his head and grit his teeth, summoning up anger to fight off the seductive aura of the succubi.
"Get out of our heads!" Maurus roared, swinging his mace up into the chest of a succubus that came too close. In the edges of his vision he noted several of the warriors around him change posture slightly as they also threw off the succubi's aura and whether he had any hand in that or not, Maurus snorted in satisfaction.
While Payta bashed her massive shield into her opponent and Mathias ignored a claw aimed at his armpit in order to smash the edge of his shield into the throat of his enemy, Maurus threw his weight at the succubus in front of him, his shield cracking ribs and his mace breaking her arm. The succubus fell back, allowing him to bring his hoof down hard on the fiend's hand before he could reclaim his sword.
This time, he felt bone break and he saw the mess he'd made of the hand, but the demon merely howled and struck out with the broken hand, its howl only growing louder when the wild punch hit Maurus right in the nose. The wet crack reached his ears more through his skull than through the air, only a heartbeat before the numb pain erupted in his nose.
Mathias darted out to strike at the fiend, but a succubus came leaping at him, long claws aimed at his face. Distracted by the attacker, he failed to notice the fiend's left-hand blade being turned towards him and its mangled hand rising above him.
Maurus blinked through the pain in his nose and took a long step forward, turning his back completely to Mathias and bringing his shield up against the incoming sword. In that instant, he noticed Payta copying him and realized she was guarding against the sword. A grim smile tugged at the left side of Maurus mouth as he continued his turn instead of digging in his hooves, bringing his mace around with the force of both his arm and a full turn of his body. Without thinking, he aimed his weapon at the sickly looking spot spreading on the left side of the fiend's stomach and ribs and unnatural teeth broke with much more ease than should be expected of something so huge.
Despite its gurgling gasp, the demon's attacks hit with no less force. Its sword clanged loudly off Payta's shield and she grunted at the impact and its hand slammed down across Mathias' shoulder and back, driving him to the ground. Sensing weakness, two succubi leapt at him.
Fury surged up through Maurus and he swung his shield at them. They leapt nimbly back from his wild swing, mocking laughter on their lips, but Mathias got a moment to get to his feet and a bolt of flickering darkness turned the laughter of one of them into screams.
The fiend didn't miss the opening. Holding its wounded hand to its stomach, it kicked out with a wide hoof. It hit like a hammer, driving the breath from his lungs, and after the first moment of numb shock, throbbing pain spread across his lower ribs and stomach.
The kick left the demon off balance and Payta didn't hesitate to take advantage. She ducked a wild swing of the sword, one Maurus had to painfully block, and swung her hammer with swift precision, hitting just above the fiend's hoof. The leg instantly buckled, sending the weakening demon down to one knee.
Maurus saw the muscles tighten in its good leg and its wings unfolded with a rustling snap. Baring his teeth in a snarl, Maurus threw himself forward, lifting both shield and mace, heedless of the fiend's rising sword and smashed them down into its face. He could feel the breaking skull up through his arms and also the impact as Payta's hammer swept up into the hollow Maurus had beaten into the demon's chest.
The wings, tensed for flight, fell limp and the demon collapsed lifelessly. Almost immediately, the the surviving succubi took flight and the remaining fiend followed them, leaping into the air and beating shaky wings. It was bleeding and blackened by cold and fire, but it still carried both swords and it was heading straight for the chaos outside the camp. Little more than half of the group it had first attacked was still standing, the rest lay dead or dying.
Of Maurus', or Payta's unit, most had made it, though several had been picked off by the succubi. Past Arianna, who stood just behind him, mostly unscathed, Maurus could see a troll he'd spoken some words with, face down in the dirt. Two orcs, throats ripped out, lay in the middle of the road. More corpses were spread all around them, succubi savaged by blades or blackened by heat, cold or corruption.
It had only taken him a short moment to take it all in. With rage and nausea boiling in his stomach, Maurus looked over the casters and specifically caught Arianna's wild eyes.
"Clip its wings!" he snarled, turning his gaze back to the retreating fiend and hurrying forward, a chorus of incantations in his ears.
This time, the fiend was unable to dodge. An explosion of magic hit it and it fell clumsily to the ground, landing in an uneven stumble and Maurus and the other fighters reached it before it had the chance to turn, the casters close behind. Heat and light played across his shoulders and he didn't miss the burst of magic missiles soaring into the succubi above, keeping them from coming to their ally's aid.
'Not that they looked like they would. Faithless wretches,' Maurus thought, bringing his weapon down on the magic-scarred fiend. Heavy blows cracked bone and Mathias' blades sank deep into the fiend's back. Several orcs came around the demon, axes biting into its arms and chest before the demon could recover. It crumbled under the assault, though not before a wild swing opened a one of the orcs' arm from hand to elbow.
With the second fiend down, they hurried towards the front line, coming out from between the tents and veering west to help where the formation was in danger of breaking in two, joining up with more soldiers headed for the battle. The demons had hit hard, but thanks to the half-formed second line, they'd thankfully been unable to fully disrupt the formation, and things were not as bad as Maurus had feared. He'd expected the panicked atmosphere of the battle by the Felfire Hills, but the defenders here were fighting back with furious determination, standing firm despite the enemies on both sides of their formation. The succubi and some fiends remained in the air, harassing the formation from above, but windriders, and bat riders to his surprise, were driving them back. Eagle-like shrieks made him look again, just before they reached the battle and a quick glance made a small bit of wonder stir in him as he saw gryphons and even a few turquoise hippogryphs slice through the air and join the deadly dance above.
He let out a battle cry as he reached the demons, in spontaneous unison with all the other charging along him. Several succubi leapt into the air to avoid the charge and a wounded fiend had already turned to face them, but Maurus saw several demons cut down by the beleaguered Horde in the confusion and Maurus half-grinned, half-snarled with satisfaction. He raised his shield as he saw the dark purple orb shooting from the fiend's hand and felt faint fingers of creeping numbness up along his arm from the remnants of dark magic passing through the shield. The numbness didn't fade before the fiend's blade slammed into his shield and Maurus silently thanked Arianna for her enchantment when he just barely managed to angle his shield enough that the blow didn't drive it into his own knee. Something in the fiend's posture indicated surprise, but its next attack came with no hesitation, sword stabbing forward and Maurus had to step close to Mathias and draw his shield close to his chest to stop the tip from piercing his stomach. Instead, the shield and arm being pressed into his chest sent another throb of pain through his bruised chest.
Mathias' sword swung out at the outstretched blue arm, but he only nicked the wrist band as the demon withdrew his arm quickly. Maurus' swing was parried, mace knocked into his shield in a sword slash that continued down into Mathias. Maurus could hear the crack as the sword hit just below Mathias' shoulderplate and Mathias hissed as he staggered to the side.
As Maurus snarled in rage, purplish black streaked over his head and the fiend howled in pain as the shadow bolt struck its chest. Crackling light bloomed to Maurus' left, and out the corner of his eye, he saw succubi fall back, arcs of lighting writhing around them, even as he pressed the attack on the fiend. It defended furiously, lashing out with the swords at its attackers, but it was weakening, gasping for air as its muscles visibly decayed underneath its skin. As Payta crushed its right arm and Mathias ducked another blow, Maurus swung his mace up into its throat.
Maurus felt a victorious rush as the demon stumbled back but when it fell the feeling vanished, erased by the cries that told him it had fallen on two trolls. He hurried forward to help, only to leap across the fallen demon to put himself between the trolls and the wolf riders charging through the gap that was appearing in the line.
It was the first time Maurus had seen fel orcs and he felt his skin crawl at the sight of the orcs' devolved kin. Their green eyes held a mad fury and their snarling mouths were almost disfigured by the jumble of long teeth growing from their gums. Their skin, where it wasn't covered by haphazard armor of leather and dark steel, was a red just a shade paler than blood, stretched taught over subtly deformed frames. Too taught, it seemed, because pale spines and ridges jutted from their skin in places.
Despite their feral appearance, they rode their wolves with the easy control of experienced riders, one hand grasping the long fur on the neck of their mounts, the other gripping a long, curved sword, smeared with fresh blood.
The wolves resembled their riders. They were frothing, feral beasts, with wide jaws of cruel teeth and eyes tinged with a rabid gleam of green. Their fur was mangy and spotted with blood and dirt, giving their black coats a red hue.
Very aware of the trolls trapped under the fallen demon behind him, Maurus set his shield to meet the charge, raising his mace.
Three fel orcs reached him in an instant, and he brought his mace down, aimed at the head of one of the wolves. The wolf weaved around the blow and before Maurus could reverse the swing, swords flashed out and he could have sworn he saw a shimmer of green along their edges. The blows came fast and heavy as a rider passed on either side of him and he sucked in a shocked breath when his shield was knocked aside. It wasn't that the fel orcs' strength was overpowering, the fiends were stronger, but they hit far harder than any orc Maurus had ever known, taking him utterly by surprise. His breath came out in a gasp when one orc swept his sword along the inside of Maurus' weapon arm, the other trailing his up the side of his left leg. His leg threatened to go out from under him, leaving him off balance and unable to get his shield up before the third rider drove his wolf into a leap and thrust his long blade forward.
Maurus turned his head, avoiding the stab that was meant to go through his head, but unable to dodge it entirely. It sank into his shoulder, just below his shoulderplate, the cold metal sending pain blazing out along its path as it was forced deeper by the wolf and rider crashing into him.
Their combined weight brought him to the ground and fresh pain burst from his shoulder and limbs, making him lose his grip on his mace. He felt the sword push through his back, and what air had been left in his lungs came out in a choking exhale.
Breathless, he got his right arm between himself and the snapping jaws of the wolf and shuddered as the orc tugged out the sword, its edge drawing a line of hot pain along his cheek along the way. His heart was hammering in a chest burdened with the weight of the wolf and its rider and he seemed unable to fill his lungs properly, the left one feeling like something was squeezing it flat.
With his head spinning from the pain and lack of air, he tried to keep an eye on both of them, not even daring to look for the other riders. The wolf's teeth snapped at him again, spraying bloody foam at his face and the orc raised his sword again.
Seething, dreadful words slashed through the air with the swift deadliness of a Barrens Viper and Maurus saw the dark magic fly over him, even as another incantation began behind him. The fel orc went rigid and screamed in agony, his sword slipping from his fingers as his muscles seemed to shrink and wither. The next blast of dark magic seeped into the orc, causing his skin to darken as if from fire, but somehow it seemed like the heat was coming from within.
The wolf paid its master little heed and Maurus struggled to keep the teeth away from his eyes and throat, but when a dark orb, almost looking like a skull from this close, hit its shoulder, it shrank back with a whimper. It was only for a moment, but it was enough and as the wolf recovered, Maurus hand closed on its head and pulled. There was a wet squelch, a faint crunch and a feeble, short yelp and then the wolf fell limp, its head pressed into the side of Maurus', his horn deep in its eye socket.
Fighting for breath, Maurus pushed the wolf off him as Ash tore past him, growling.
He looked up, or rather back, as his right hand patted its way across his chest to the pouch with his health stone. One of the trolls under the fiend was dead, her head cut in half, and Maurus inwardly cursed, though the other, covered in his dead partner's blood, was still trying to extract himself. A fel orc tumbled from his dying wolf, head caved in by Payta, as Mathias and the other fighters brought down two other riders, before the group moved, bringing Maurus within the protective ring formed around the casters. Behind them all, more Horde were fighting both demons and fel orcs in a melee that was just short of total chaos.
Arianna stepped up to Maurus, inexorably drawing his gaze and his chest hurt with a heavy thud of his heart. Her eyes were slits of piercing emerald fury and her staff was a beacon of light, yet Maurus still got the odd sensation that it was drawing in power from the air. Her free hand a blur of shadow and fire and her lips moved with frenzied speed, forming long, foreign words with grim determination.
She looked magnificent, graceful and raging, despite her skin seeming to cling even tighter to her frame and her fingers looking claw-like even as she danced them through the gestures of her spells.
"You dead yet?" Mathias shouted, as they fought to push back the fel orcs and fill the gap in the formation. One fel orc was running away, heedless of everything around him, as others were cut down, several unable to defend themselves as they writhed in agony. One was tossed from his whimpering, shuddering wolf and two burned and rotted from within.
"Still-," he began, talking to Mathias' back, but the word turned into a painful cough as whatever had seized his left lung tightened its grip. His hand found and crushed the health stone and he felt the familiar, feverish burning make its way through his body to his wounds. He groped for his mace as the wound in his shoulder fused shut, burning like he'd been pierced with red-hot iron rod, before he pushed himself up on his elbow.
Arianna glanced down at him and her eyes eased open a little. She finished a spell, sending a bolt of shadow towards the enemies and hissed quietly: "Stupid."
Maurus tried to push himself further up, but any movement of his left arm drew more waves of pain from his chest, leaving no doubt that the health stone hadn't fixed the whole problem. As he coughed in an attempt to answer Arianna's insult, she added, louder: "Valja! The cow needs healing."
A burly troll shaman with hair and armor all in crimson hues looked up from the troll she'd helped out from under the fiend. Her mouth twisted around her tusks in annoyance but she lumbered over, flanked by the limping troll, as Arianna resumed casting with fierce intensity.
"Get up?" It was half a question, half an order. With a rough grunt, Maurus pushed himself to his hooves, the effort leaving him breathing hard, his chest burning and his face twisted into a grimace.
Valja's expression grew darker, though her eyes turned a shade gentler. As the group moved along with, keeping Maurus and Valja at the center, she put a hand on his chest, her mouth moving in murmurs too soft to be heard over the battle din, and green bloomed around her hand, soothing the tight pain in his chest.
"Back to camp, your lung's flat," Valja said, so quickly that the healing glow didn't even fade before she continued the spell.
"I can still-" Maurus began.
"Make us trip over your prone form. Or fall on us," Arianna said flatly, glancing back at him. Her eyes moved from his face, to the glowing hand on his chest, to his shield arm, tense and stiff from holding the heavy shield so as to provoke as little pain as possible from his wounded chest.
"You're not a great meatshield now," she added pointedly, before turning her attention back to the battle, giving the impression that that was the final word.
Maurus ground his teeth, his gut roiling with anger unrelated to the death and destruction around him. He'd messed up again. He'd left the group behind, for a few short moments and underestimated his enemies and now he was a burden. Yet his pride and anger told him to stay and fight, to power through and make up for his mistake.
"Payta?" he asked, deciding to let the sergeant just ahead make the decision for him.
Payta grunted, stopping one of the fel orcs' charge with her shield and bringing her hammer down over the edge of it, breaking bone beneath its pauldron. Her words, said in the middle of the violent motion, came out in a yell: "Heal time?"
"Shoddy, minutes," Valja answered. Payta glanced back and Maurus followed her gaze to the confused fighting behind them. It would be risky going back through that in his condition.
"Make him useful," she commanded. "I'll open the wound for rehealing myself. Earth Mother knows he needs sense beaten into him."
Maurus scowled, partly at the words, partly at Valja's cruel grin, but he found himself grateful as she continued her work, seeming to put more effort into it now.
He still felt utterly, shamefully useless watching the fight going on around him. He tried to keep an eye out for surprises, but the Alliance and Horde above had gained the advantage over the demons, making attack from above unlikely and unless he spotted a caster before the other on the ground, any warning of attack he gave would most likely come too late. That left him watching helplessly, grinding his teeth and feeling his fear much more clearly than he usually did in battle. With every hit and wound his allies suffered, he tensed and wanted to leap out to crush the attacker and he only held himself back with the knowledge that it would render Valja's efforts useless if he went back into the fray before she finished.
'At least the battle is going our way,' he thought, watching as Arianna made a sharp motion, summoning fire to rain down ahead of the group, giving them some breathing room. While breathing slowly became easier, though only somewhat less painful, the formation closed again and the wolf riders found a solid wall of muscle and steel meeting their charges and frost, fire and lighting hampering them as they approached. Behind, Maurus saw the Horde cavalry arrive, raptor and wolf riders speeding forward, followed more slowly by kodos thundering forward in time with the sound of drums which further steeled the defenders' resolve. For a moment, Maurus wondered how the flyers had mobilized faster than the cavalry.
He brought his gaze back to the frontline as the next wave fel orcs came charging at them. An odd, undulating howl rose from that direction and despite the dust in the air, he though he saw something, more like thin mist of blood, appear around the orcs. Just before the fel orcs hit the line, he realized that they looked even more rabid now, foaming bloodily at the mouth, eyes wide.
Only half-audible over the noise, someone shouted: "Frenzy!"
Then the orcs hit the line and a shudder went through it, as the frenzied orcs broke through the front rank. Payta stopped an orc cold, but the strength and speed of his attacks forced her back and several in the front rank were pushed aside by the reckless orcs. Mathias, too light to stop such a charge on his own, instead blocked the attack and stabbed his sword deep into the orc, but, heedless of the mortal blow, the orc lashed out with a blow that took off the arm of the orc on Mathias' left.
Another fel orc broke through on Payta's right. It turned and made for Arianna, who was sending her withering magic at the attackers breaking through by Mathias and Maurus charged past Valja, letting out a battle cry that hurt his lungs.
With no heed to the pain in his chest, Maurus raised both mace and shield, uncaring of how open it made him and slammed them down. The fel orc only managed to turn his head toward him before the mace crashed into his skull and his shield continued down, cracking the wolf's spine and sending it into a limp tumble.
It still crashed into Arianna though, and she yelped in surprise as she was knocked down. Maurus turned to her, chest aching, but only made one step before fire exploded twenty feet away, in the midst of a confused knot of Horde and fel orcs.
Reacting on some instinct, Maurus stepped in front of Arianna and raised his shield. It was not a moment too soon. He felt an impact as heavy as any the fiends had laid on him, sending pain thrumming down his arm and into his entire upper body, and for a moment a corona of blinding light blazed out from the shield as the metal of the shield grew hot enough to hurt.
Arianna let out a sharp command in the demonic tongue and Maurus lowered the shield, seeing another fel orc berserker too close for comfort. He was on foot, bleeding and his left arm hung limp and crippled, but he laid about himself with his long sword with incredible speed. A forsaken lay under the feet of his dead wolf and two robed casters lay behind him, clutching their bloodied bellies.
Maurus hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should drag the wolf off Arianna, before deciding to go for the orc. He lead with his shield as the orc swung his sword in a wild arc, coming within the swing and jerking the shield left, sending its still hot edge into the orcs wrist.
The sword clattered to the floor, but the orc showed no hesitation, grabbing the edge of the shield and hauling himself around it, biting at Maurus' face.
He reared back to avoid the razor-sharp tusks and the swipe of clawed fingers. Out the corner of his eye he saw a fresh burst of fire and spun to block against the flame. Instead of the impact though, he felt the same, odd sweep of wind from before and saw the fire sputter and die. Sparing a glance to his side, Maurus saw Ash, drawing small motes of green magic into his wide open mouth.
The howl of the fel orc warned Maurus in time to turn back to it and block the sword it had picked up while he was distracted. The incredibly fast blows were enough to drive him back, despite the fact that the orc had only one working arm. He was breathing hard and it felt like something was tearing away from the inside of his ribs.
Then the leg went out from under the fel orc, as Ash's sharp teeth ripped a bloody chunk from just over its heel. Before Maurus could land a blow, a line of blue-white light cracked past him and into the orc, sending it into violent convulsions.
"My patients live," Valja said grimly and Maurus gave her a thankful, if pained grin.
"Now work," she said, throwing out a hand in the direction of the front line as she hurried to the downed casters.
Maurus glanced around, breathing slightly easier at seeing both Arianna and Mathias standing, before taking a stance beside the latter, where losses had created a hole in the line. He was hoping the newly arrived cavalry could take care of any that made it through the line and that he'd been healed enough to make it through the fight because now there were certainly others who needed the healing more than he did.
"Thought that sounded like you," Mathias said, baring his teeth in greeting. Again, fire had blackened him, this time down his neck and probably through his armor, but he seemed mostly fine.
"This time, I stay here," Maurus said, more roughly than he intended, steeling himself for the next attack.
The battle didn't drag on long. With the aid of the cavalry, the frenzied orcs were brought down. The battle din faded, leaving behind only the screams of the wounded and dying and the crackle of those flames in camp which had not been put out. In the distance, a new cloud of red dust was rising, but those making it were leaving, not approaching. The last wave had been a distraction, to allow most of the riders a head start from pursuit. The surviving demons had vanished too, into the alien sky, though the Horde and Alliance flyers had brought many down as they fled.
"Cowards," Maurus snarled, the vibration in his chest sending little stabs through his lung. He looked at a dead fel orc and saw how his eyes had filled with blood, his face spattered with bloody froth. Some of his muscles were distorted, like they had torn beneath the skin, without any blade touching them. The frenzy did more than the spell of blood lust some shamans knew. There was a foul smell about the corpse, like sickly, burned blood, a smell that stood out, even among the stench of the battlefield. "Callous, faithless, vile-"
"Since you're still upright, go help Valja with the wounded," Paya said, cutting him off. Maurus looked up from the broken orc, swallowed and nodded.
Valja was still sitting by one of the casters, brow furrowed in concentration as she worked on the oozing wound on the troll's stomach. The other caster looked pale, but only a hideous scar remained where there had been a mortal wound before. Beside the three, Mathias was ripping off the armor of a warrior with one hand while the other was pressed down on the warrior's back to staunch the steady flow of blood.
"What do you need?" he asked. Valja tossed her head at the pack beside her.
"Look around. Wrap anyone that it might save. Don't fall over."
Maurus snorted. He wasn't a stranger to injury, but he wasn't exactly a healer either, not even the mundane kind. He grabbed some bandages though and he didn't have to walk far before he found a wounded orc. All around him, people hurried wounded toward the tents or sat and tried to help those they found, like him.
"How is your chest?" Arianna asked, walking up to him as he pressed down on the stomach wound and inspected the gash in the orc's head. He whimpered, but didn't seem to really notice his surroundings and Maurus wondered for a moment whether he was wasting his time.
"I'm still breathing," he answered lowly. 'Though it's unpleasant,' he added silently, looking her up and down. Unlike himself and Mathias, she had escaped the battle with nothing worse than the abrasions from when the wolf downed her, though her robes were more tattered than before, shoving skin rubbed raw through the rips and tears. Her lack of injuries made his body feel just slightly lighter. At least his recklessness hadn't gotten her hurt. "Are you fine?"
"I have another health stone," she said, ignoring his question. Judging from her tone, she might as well have been commenting on the weather, but Maurus recognized the offer for what it was. Apparently, his breathing betrayed his discomfort.
"Best give it to someone who needs it," he said, deciding the head wound wasn't too bad and moving to the orc's bleeding belly. It hurt slightly to speak and he had no doubt the health stone would help, but he had no urgent need for healing.
"I don't think I truly understood the term bullheaded before I met you," she said, irritation entering her voice.
Maurus applied the bandage and drew it tight.
"I'm still right. I'm not dying," he said, giving his work another look before hauling the unresponsive orc to his feet with a harsh grunt. A thought occurred to him as he looked for the white pennants flying over the healers' tents. "Could you make more? You seemed to wield a lot more power before."
"I'm afraid not," she said, as they began moving toward the healer's tents. There was already a growing crowd gathering around them, carrying or supporting wounded or hobbling on their own.
"Really?" Maurus asked, running his gaze over the ground as he walked, searching for movement.
"That was more power, more quickly than I'm used to," she said and Maurus glanced at her when he noticed the exhaustion in her tone. Now that he looked for it, her posture matched her tone and though she still walked with her graceful steps, they were not as effortless as usual.
"Are you alright?" he asked. "It was very impressive, but you shouldn't overdo it. I can only imagine the burnout is worse with your magic."
He didn't miss the quick tension that went through her at the last few words, but the genuine concern in his voice appeared to mollify her. She gave a tired little smirk.
"Considering my company, I think I am entitled to a little recklessness." She gave him an intense look that reminded him of the shining fury he'd seen during the battle, stirring something in him. Her tone was dark when she added: "They needed to die."
Maurus breathed in, feeling another warm stab in his chest, and reached out to brush his hand along her arm. He smiled. "Thank you."
She turned her gaze away from him, green eyes softening as she scanned the field for wounded who were still unattended. "It was nothing you wouldn't have done. You did the same for the troll."
"Still, I'm always grateful," Maurus said, not sure he'd displayed quite the same intensity and certainly not the same success as Arianna had. She shrugged nonchalantly, but Maurus thought she looked slightly embarrassed.
His eyes fell on a dead fiend, blackened and hacked bloody.
"If only that was Ven'Zarul," he said, noting the similarity in size and general shape, "we'd have been finished."
"If only," Arianna agreed as they reached the crowd in front of the healers'. She produced the piece of horn, shielding it slightly from view and murmured her tracking spell.
'It's almost a habit now, checking whenever there is a free moment, Maurus thought. 'Almost wasteful.'
His words were proven wrong a dozen heartbeats later. Arianna's eyes snapped open, her face creasing into a frown and she crouched, murmuring to Ash and presenting the horn to him.
Maurus looked at them in surprise.
Ash sniffed, growled and gave one of his odd barks, turning in a circle before facing south, like a hunting dog that had found a trail. Maurus stared.
"He's to the south now," Arianna said soberly. Maurus couldn't quite read her expression, but he thought he saw both worry and excitement. He glanced around.
"You, take him," he barked at a forsaken on his right, and pushed the unsteady orc at him without waiting for an answer. He hardly noticed the forsaken stagger momentarily before getting a good grip on the wounded.
"Mathias!" Maurus bellowed, ignoring the pain and the sensation of too little air in his lungs. "Come here. We got work to do!"
Good news. I updated. Bad news, it took a while. I think that I will stop making promises that I can't keep. But I will keep updating.
Let me know what you think. As always, any words are welcome, be they praise or criticism. Even the nitpickiest of comments are appreciated. I'm here to entertain and to learn after all.