Alright. Welcome one and all to the show. We got quite a treat for you tonight. Well, not really. This is kind of a mini update while I try and arrange what stories get priority over others.
Anyways, I own neither World of Warcraft or the Inheritance Cycle. Enjoy.
Fire lit up the night sky as a single drop of dragon's blood ignited a mixture of firebloom and volatile rum. A simple brew, nonetheless strong enough to scatter the soft earth of Mulgore. Smoke flared up in patches, marking the battle for all onlookers to see. The small band of Taurens sent to defend Bloodhoof village was devastated by the Alliance's cowardly assault, but they themselves did not go without casualties.
Blood caked Gundag's face as he rose from the crater, tearing his scolding hot helm off with much delight. His eyes, soaked in a synthesis of his brethren's blood and his own, blinked rapidly at crimson tears, blinded in the explosion. The blood was everywhere, dripping from his blown ears, dribbling from his scorched nose. Senseless, yet he could feel the Alliance scum dancing around him from the shadows, feel them hunting him. Experience and instinct took over. His fingers snatched up a half-moon axe and black-steel shield, both still broiling from the blast wave.
One came from the right. He feinted, dropping the fool with a sound swipe across his back. Another on the left dove towards her death as the Tauren split her skull in half with a quick clap of his shield. The third got close, nearly pealing Gundag's face over his forehead before an arrow pierced the human's neck.
He only gave his savior a sideways glance before charging forward, making short work of anyone unlucky enough to feel the weight of his hooves or the keenness of his horns. He was surprised to find a dozen or so warriors at his side, in no better condition than him but fighting with the same fury or more. They bunched up shoulder to shoulder, forming a line of dark metal, and advanced as a wall, each warrior shielding the other, each blade moving in unison, each foe dropping in unison.
They couldn't out for long, not even at this pace. The archers could cover them from afar but without reinforcements they would be rotting corpses by dawn. Luckily the explosion had punted the gnome engineer who'd built it, so the rest of the night would be decided by metal and blood.
Gundag knew that wasn't true. He could feel the magic in the air, echoing from across the plains. Whether it was friend or foe, eh did not care. Just keep stepping forward, keep his men alive. Nothing less, nothing more.
And then the Tauren beside him tumbled over, his entire body boiling. Gundag took his place, cleaning through the two human fools who dared to assault the line. He dropped his axe by his brother's red-hot body and borrowed his shield. Slamming the shields together, he released a resounding sound sending a shockwave out in front of him. the earth was scattered like dust along with everything upon it.
"Warlock!" He shouted, swinging the shields to either side. "Warlock!"
A hail of arrows passed overhead and nailed the front line of Alliance forces to the ground. Gundag's brethren leapt forward with a sadistic glee in their eyes, deaf to his warnings. The cracked earth underneath them buckled, black fire overflowing and curling across their flesh. In seconds Gundag was separated from his foe by a wall of swirling fire and ash.
He clutched his fingers over his ears, drowning out the screams with the thick metal of his shields. He failed, the black steel echoing the deathly voices a thousand fold.
Close it off, he thought quietly. Block it all out. Go to the well. Go to the water. It wets your lips, cools your head.
His breath became nonexistent in the flaming storm, snatching up by the red embers. Heartbeat, now a whispering wind, blood liquefied and diluted into a trickling stream.
In two steps he was at the wall, piercing it with an ear splitting shout before unleashing a second shockwave at the base of the flaming barricade. The entire center mass of soldiers were either devoured by the fire or torn to shreds from the blast. Those alive were left to the mercy of a berserking Tauren.
He let his shoulders slump and legs stretch wide, a loose, flexible stance. In a swift turn he caught the flames on either shield, the black steel broiling blood red. Running from side to side, he became a scorching whirlwind. They could not mobilize in the chaos, not with blind arrows ripping them in half.
Again Gundag smelt the unsavory scent of magic in the air. It was a desperate, cowardly scent like that of a fidgety mouse. With each head the Tauren claimed the more frantic it became,. It grasped blindly at him, missing more than once, fatal curses striking his foe before he could.
He wasn't left completely unscathed; his muscles loosened and shields grew heavy. He threw one to each side, knocking over a set of soldiers, and snatched up a large broadsword. Eyes bounced from side to side as he moved low across the ground. The archers were coming to close to him, lit aflame in their blind shots, and more than once did he find himself cursing them.
Then he saw him. He was gowned not in a dark, rune-layered robe but the simple armor of a soldier. However, it was too clean, free of dents or scratches, a black spot on the battlefield.
He strove forward, clutching his sword tightly between his fingers. He was but a good five steps away when the fiend laid eyes on him. blood-red hands were up instantly, a bolt of coiling shadow flaring off of them. Gundag dropped into a defensive stance, using the steel blade to parry the spell.
Darkness exploded around him, eyes seared by the dark light. The blade split in half, sending shards up and down his large frame until he felt like a piece of shredded pork. A pain-vibrant roar escaped his lips as he toppled down to one knee, the shattered sword being all that supported him.
He spotted a sinister smile sprout across the warlocks face, a smile he whipped away by throwing himself forward. He got two steps before another bolt struck his broken steel. It ate away further at the metal that was now wet with the blood flowing down his arms. One step, and he was down to his knees, breath broken and hilt all that remained of his weapon.
A chuckle leaked from the false soldier's lips, a chuckle Gundag couldn't bring himself to slap away. The warlock muttered in some twisted tongue before a final black bolt began to curl across his fingers.
Once again darkness exploded around the Tauren, but not with a large, azure stripe running through it. Thunder rolled over him as he stared at the small, smoking rater sitting between his foe and him. The former was dumbstruck, jaw ajar and eyes wide. They were aimed into the distance and Gundag allowed only a brief glance at his savior.
Not an archer, not even a Tauren. A robe masked all measures of sex or race, but the individual was definitely a tall humanoid, calm and collected against the flaming backdrop.
Rain befell, them not a slowing dripping but a living hurricane. The grime and blood splashed off Gundag in waterfalls as he let the rain revitalize him. taking a large gulp, he set his eyes back upon his foe.
In a moment a multitude of events occurred. The firewall toppled over until it was just a pile of fleeting embers leaking steam. Revived warriors raised their horned heads and charged into the surviving enemies. The warlock called upon his dark magic's but found his voice drowned out by a torrent of wind.
And then there was Gundag, lording over him with hair swaying like rotten seaweed and eyes aflame with crimson electricity. He raised both fists triumphantly and let them fall.
So there's Gundag. Next chapter I will focus on what was going on with Bloodmane and who he's going to see. I would say now but I want to keep that part of the story close to the belt.
Oh, and someone commented on how Dragons do not transform into Orcs. Actually, it has never been stated whether or not Dragons are limited in the races they can transform into. They've done Elves, Humans, Gnomes, even Goblins. I don't see why Orc would be excluded. And in the War of the Ancients Trilogy novels Krasus or Korialstrazs transforms into an Orc near the end of the novel, so I would assume it is possible.