Formation Grounds
Ulduar
Stone exploded in a fevering tornado of rampant chaos. The barrier crumbled and scattered against the ruinous might of the oncoming vehicle.
Rayne's eyes went wide. The monstrous tank that made such an explosive entrance was easily twice the size of a siege engine. Massive plates of gold and silver made up the bulk of this vehicle's armor. A deadly turret with a caliber that easily dwarfed anything the demolishers could throw sat at the very top. In the front, a rancorous battering ram protected its gigantic front wheels ready to devastate anything that stood in its way.
The sensors in Rayne's goggles were going haywire. A sea of red washed over the lenses. Flaming vents and over a dozen missile pods were only scraping the surface of what this overwhelming monstrosity was capable of.
"Hostile entities detected. Threat assessment protocol active. Primary target engaged. Time minus thirty seconds to re-evaluation."
The paladin's mind froze. Not only did this beast dwarf any vehicle in its vicinity, the thing was completely automated and had a programmable voice. The designer of this hellish engine must be a certifiable genius or a madman.
"What the hell?" Marcus gasped. "That thing talks?"
"Everyone spread out! NOW!"
Sheer desperation clogged Rayne's throat. The tank had started to move. Thankfully the demolishers were amply far away for the time being but the three siege engines were still facing the beast dead center and unable to properly maneuver.
Engines rumbled with a monumental strength. The tank was roaring ahead regardless of friend or foe in its wake. The two outer siege engines piloted by Cayden and Samuel respectively had backed up and begun their escape but Lena's vehicle was still moving backwards without any available room to free herself from this chase.
"Lena, get out of there!"
"I'm trying!" She barked back through the speaker. "Just give me a damn second will you!"
The siege engine started to turn. It slowly backed up towards the eastern side of the Formation Grounds but it was too late. The tank was barreling forward. Its massive battering ram hissed with eagerness. The beast loomed ahead zealously anticipating the taste of its first prey.
"The accelerator's stuck, I can't -!"
The tank tore through the front hull of the siege engine like a flaming blade through snow.
"LENAAAAAA!"
The vehicles meager battering ram was torn clean off and sent flying through the southern end of the room. The tank mowed through its adversary as if it weren't even there and continued to hunt down its next prey.
"Lena! LENA!"
Rayne's desperate cries poured through the speakers. Her siege engine had been completely devastated. It was silent and unmoving much like the voice on the other end of the line which drove the paladin's nerves into madness. Finally, his body triggered an actual emotional response and he was terrified to dive any deeper.
A crackling could be heard through the voice box as the tank moved through the chaos. Rayne could finally survey the extent of the damage caused. His mind gasped as the front end of the siege engine was violently torn to shreds. Its battering ram had been forcibly ejected but a ray of hope lingered in. The underlying armor of the vehicle was still intact. Its primary weapon may be non-functioning but the hull itself was safe.
"Lena!"
"I'm here," she squeaked erratically through the radio. "Damn thing destroyed not only my ram by the primary accelerator too. I'm stuck here."
"Hang on," Rayne ordered. "I'm going to get you out of there. Just –"
"Threat re-evaluated. Target assessment complete. Changing course."
The tank was persistent. It knew no sympathy or mercy. It was just a machine following the orders of its mad creator. Now it was on route towards Ademski and Saelena. They were trapped, cornered, and had no place to run but towards the looming beast that had already devastated one of their own.
"Our luck has changed," Ademski groaned. "I believe the new target is us."
Rayne didn't have to time to think about the consequences. If it tore a sold steel siege engine asunder with one hit, it would veritably melt a vehicle mostly made of wood.
A flare ripped from the paladin's gauntlet. It exploded right across that metal monstrosity's wicked hull. The bright green light was blinding even from this distance so the visual sensors on the tank must have been in complete disarray.
"Ademski, move! NOW!" Rayne shouted not even bothering with the radio. "Everyone else, hit him with everything you've got!"
The Templar Knights unleashed a furious barrage on the tank. They pelted its armored hide with a powerful assault of boulders, rockets, and other explosives. Even Lena popped out of the driver's seat and took the gunner's position on her busted siege engine. Nothing was going to stop them from turning that thing into scrap.
Green light slowly began to fade. They pumped more than enough firepower to render it to ashes. As the dust cleared, panic struck the paladin. Throughout all of their efforts and strength, the tank was still standing as if pelted by nothing more than a few drops of rain.
"It," the mage gasped. "It isn't even dented."
"Oh shit!" Marcus cried. "What are we going to do now?!"
"Hostile entity stratagem predicted. Rerouting battle function. Changing course."
Gears systematically cranked. Vents howled maliciously as the tank slowly turned and pointed its malicious ram square at the paladin's chopper. There wasn't enough praying he could do in the time span it would take for the beast to clear the distance between he and it.
Engines mightily roared as the paladin ripped into the handles and took off in a blaze of speed. This was exactly what Rayne could hope for. While his bike lacked the armor and firepower of the other siege vehicles, it was incredibly swift and could outmaneuver the tank at almost every turn.
The tank was fast. Much faster than it looked anyways. Rayne slammed the turbo booster and was able to maintain a good distance away from the beast but within a few seconds he began to slow and it started to catch up. There wasn't much space to work with in this small area but the paladin was able to carve out a decent section of it and began running circles while his companions littered the walls and away from the direct threat range.
"Everyone stay back!" Ordered Rayne. "I'll drag it in circles. Until then, keep firing. There's got to be a chink in this thing's armor. We just need to find it!"
More barrages of boulders and explosives collided against the tank's thick hide. It paled in comparison to the initial barrage. The Knights were being cautious not to hit their leader. No matter how hard the paladin pushed the bike, the tank was gaining on him. It was only a matter of time before his fuel and luck ran out. He couldn't possibly keep this up for much longer. If he could get that thing to slow down for even a second he could widen the distance and give everyone some room to breathe and figure out how to take this thing down.
"Come on! COM'ON!" Cried Rayne as he gave the metal monster a disgusted look. "CHASE ME!"
Desperation had taken over. All logical functions nearly ceased. Rayne had almost completely forgotten about the tools and weapons at his disposal. He waited for a nice long stretch of land after another sharp turn. The tank was directly behind him. The paladin sprayed a thick layer of tar over the land his bike blitzed through.
Rayne made the next turn and a bit of light sparked at the corner of his goggles. The tar had seemingly done the trick. The tank had slowed down considerably and was struggling to move forward with gallons of black gunk coating its precious cogs and gears.
All of the armor must have been protecting something precious within. The designer knew that all of the gears and switches inside were too fragile to be exposed. Now with the tar filling the inside, it gave the paladin an ample opportunity to cause some true damage to that blasted tank.
Rayne loaded a rocket into his wrist launcher. He immediately pointed it at the trail of tar leading to the beast's undercarriage and fired it without a second's hesitation. The pyro erupted in a chaotic ball of flames. Fire engulfed the tank from within. It slowed to a complete stop before the mechanical voice erupted once more.
"System malfunction. Diverting power to support systems."
Steam poured through every crack and vent. The flames that brewed within were quickly silenced. Tar began to melt from its hide and fall onto the ground below.
"We don't have much time!" Rayne shouted. "Keep up the pressure."
Explosive fury collided against the tank's hull. Every single siege vehicle were giving it everything they had but it was as if they were trying to take down a Titan with sticks and stones. Though extensive in quantity they just weren't doing any damage to it.
Another idea quickly filled the paladin's mind. The pyrite was still flying above in constant waves. If timed properly, they could drop bombs of unrivaled fury upon the seemingly indestructible armor. The only major issue is collateral damage. Rayne didn't want to risk putting his friends in danger if they couldn't properly aim the flying barrels above. There were too many unknown variables to attempt it. The only person Rayne wanted to put in harm's way was himself and himself alone.
"Threat re-evaluated. Target assessment complete. Unleashing missile barrage."
The paladin's heart dropped. Every single missile pod popped open and began raining down a chaotic tempest of rockets into the air. They quickly turned and spun downwards to their intended target below. Rayne revved the engines and stormed through the oncoming barrage. Explosions ripped into the ground and air all around the paladin's body. Tiny shards of shrapnel tore into his armor and chopper. It took everything he had just to keep the bike steady.
A terrifying roar escaped Rayne's throat. The pain was unfathomable. It was like being roasted alive by hundreds of tiny pools of lava. The goggles were going insane in a vain attempt to keep up with all of the ongoing turmoil. His cries resonated throughout the rest of the Knights. Their worries spilled through the speakers but the paladin couldn't hear anything other than the sounds of erupting missiles and his own horrendous shouts.
Peace was soon found but certainly hard fought. Smoke trailed off Rayne's armor. Fresh patches of newly blackened steel coated the shimmering silver plates. The tank's barrage may have ended but it was still on the hunt with a straight line between it and the paladin.
"Rayne, are you alright?!"
The ringing still plagued his ears enough to mask the identity of the concerned voice.
"I'm alright," the paladin replied. "Don't worry about me. Just keep hitting that damned beast."
"That's what I had in mind," Marcus replied. "I actually had an idea – wait. Hold on."
"What's wrong?"
Rayne's mind went blank. The tank was looming closer and all he could think about was the concerned tone in the warrior's voice.
"Shit! My launcher's jammed," spat Marcus. "Hey Weasel!"
"Yea?!" The gnome shouted with his finger still stuck on the firing button.
"Still got your tinkerer's kit?"
"Of course!"
"Well then hunker down here and see if you can't fix it for me."
"Marcus, we don't have time," pleaded Rayne. "If your vehicle is damaged, retreat and let us handle it from here."
"Don't worry Rayne," the warrior snidely stated. "It'll be alright."
The paladin did not like the sound of that. His mind raced with the possibilities fueling those words. Just as the gnome reached the launcher seat, it finally struck him like an unending tsunami.
"I'm here Marcus," Weasel stated. "But I don't see anything –"
"MARCUS DON'T - !"
The warrior pulled the trigger. From within the demolisher's wooden frame, Weasel took to the air like so many other boulders prior. He spun magnificently. The black leather armor adorned on his rotund frame could almost pass for a hardened rock if it weren't for the pair of tears trailing in the arc. The gnome's last words could be heard growing further and further away with each passing moment.
"Marcus you bastard I'll haunt your dreams!"
Weasel flipped forward and landed perfectly square on the balls of his feet. He turned towards the demolisher he once sat upon and spat loads of venom that his drenched daggers could never hope to hold.
"You son of a bitch! When I get off this thing I'm gonna –"
"Unauthorized entity attempting circuit overload. Activating anti-personnel countermeasures."
"Uh oh," the gnome winced. "Unauthorized entity? Anti-personnel countermeasures? You don't think he's talking about me, do -?"
A spark of lightning snapped behind Weasel's neck. He ducked with barely a breath to spare as the purified energy tickled his hair.
"If you don't want to go tasting any more of those, I suggest you find a way to stop that thing from the inside!"
"Marcus!"
Rayne scowled at the warrior. His blatant disregard for the life of one of his fellow Knights was astounding. Marcus was supposed to be the most honorable of them all given his experience. This just reeked of foul play. No one should have taken such a stupid risk like that. No one except Rayne of course.
"Hey wait," the gnome cheered. "There's a latch here."
More lightning cackled in the background.
"Weasel be careful!"
"Ah ha!" He heroically shouted. "I'm in!"
Knowing Weasel was out of direct harm was a good sign. Rayne didn't even want to think about the hundreds of ways that could have gone horribly wrong and keep his mind locked on the opportunity that laid before them.
"RAYNE WATCH OUT!"
The bike exploded in a cavalcade of metal parts. The paladin had taken his eyes and attention off it for only a second and was sent flying along with his beloved vehicle. In that terrible moment, the tank had caught up and ripped the back end of the mekgineer chopper to veritable shreds.
Rayne collapsed on the ground with a ghastly crunch. The physical anguish of the fall nearly trumped the oncoming mental pain that would soon follow. He rolled for several feet with bits of his bike trailing alongside and even overhead. The cold stone surface never tasted so bitter upon his face. His sword and shield came to a skidding halt not too far from his grasp.
Fire enveloped his muscles. Rayne pushed himself up of the ground. The world was spinning. His vision was blurry and unfocused. The only semblance of order was in the flashing white light in his goggles that blared out a dreadful warning.
Enemy Approaching!
The paladin steeled his eyes. The abominable tank was closing in on him. In just a few moments, it would paint the walls of these Formation Grounds in his blood. If that damned beast thought he was doing to go down without a fight it and its maker had another thing coming.
Rayne pushed himself forward. He seized his sword and shield. With one incredible thrust, the paladin drove the bulwark into the ground. The horned tip cracked the stone surface and embedded the steel barrier nearly a foot deep. Rayne clasped his sword tightly. He stood behind the shield baring his family's crest and eyed the mechanical demon with unrivaled passion.
"Come on!" Rayne taunted. "I'm standing right here. Come and get me!"
The tank approached mercilessly. It sped along with the words bouncing off its hide like so many projectiles as it aimed its massive battering ram square at the center of Rayne's tiny frame.
"Total systems failure. Defense protocols breached. Leviathan Unit powering do-o-o-own..."
Steam wheezed from the cracks of its armor. The tank slowed down considerable. Its ram nudged the shield harmlessly before coming to a complete stop. The vent atop the beast's frame flung open. From within its wire-filled core, a familiar gnome popped into view with multicolored cords looped throughout his head.
"Did it… Did it stop?"
Rayne collapsed his hands upon his knees. Tired breaths pumped out of his lungs in rapid succession. Death was mere moments away and all he could think about was not the fear that should have been swelling through his core but its absence entirely.
"Is everyone alright?"
The question barely came out through the paladin's heavy panting. He was a bit more exhausted than he cared to let on.
"We're all just peachy kid," the warrior boasted while hopping off the demolisher. "How about you? I didn't want to say anything during the heat of it all but you were getting pretty intense back there."
The paladin snapped up. His eyes bore through Marcus. An emotion finally crawled through the darkness and stepped into the light. It may have been one he had worked for years to control and bury deep within but this was not a time to be holding back. If the warrior thought that was intense he hadn't seen anything yet.
"What in the hell do you think you were doing Marcus?"
Rayne stormed over towards the warrior and stood inches away from his domineering presence.
"How could you endanger the life of one of us so foolishly? Does his existence mean so little to you that you could carelessly just throw it away like that?"
Tensions thickened along the Formation Grounds. Marcus was not one to stand there and take a verbal lashing. His defiant nature is one of the many reasons he had trouble maintaining lengthy relationships with soldiers and friends alike.
"Let me get this straight kid," Marcus sneered. "Are you upset that I did something without you giving the order or just that it worked better than you thought it would?"
The flicker of rage building with Rayne's heart grew tenfold with that comment. For Marcus to think so little of him or his companions was unacceptable.
"The difference between what I order and what you did are night and day. When I ask something of you, I am taking a careful measure of your skills, abilities and experience. In the end, you still have a choice in the matter. With what you did, Weasel did not. Do you see it clearly now?"
The warrior shrugged.
"Look, I've been through plenty of battles in my day so if you're looking for an apology, you're not going to find one here."
Marcus paused for a short breath before finishing.
"In my experience, as long as everyone can walk away from the battle with their lives intact then it's a victory in my book. Life is too short to be dwelling on the past. I haven't regretted the things I had to do in order to be standing here now and I won't regret what I did today either."
"That's just in Marcus," the paladin countered. "You are more experienced. You have the wisdom of more battles than the lot of us put together. However, if you continue to take any more foolish and needless risks your luck is bound to run out."
Rayne stared ominously into the warrior's bold brown eyes as he laid out his final statement.
"And once that happens, all of that regret you have passed over will fall upon you with the weight of a mountain. You may be standing proudly now but I'd hate to see what happens to the man who never apologizes when he's forced to utter his first."
The paladin brushed passed Marcus and made his way towards the crumbled opening. His hands trembled slightly. This was the first time he had crossed words with any of his companions in such a bold manner. Something about the entire ordeal bothered him. It was as if the very words coming out of his mouth were not his own.
The Rayne of a month ago may have been more inclined to agree with Marcus' reasoning. He valued the warrior's wisdom and welcomed the opportunity to learn from his experience. However, the Rayne of today was not the same man. He was letting his anger get the better of him. Putting Weasel's life in danger was only the half of it. The paladin was more upset that he wasn't the one taking all of the risks instead. That's why he decided to take on this mission. That is what he had to do in order to free himself from this burden continually hounding his conscious.
Brann and the Archmage Rhydian arrived on the scene moments later. They marveled at the destruction caused by the incredible tank and the efforts of the Templar Knights who claimed the first victory on this day.
"Would you look at that?" Brann smirked. "Here comes the lad willing to fight a tank with his bare hands."
"You saw that?" Rayne jestingly sighed. "I was hoping to catch it off guard but it appeared to have the opposite effect."
"I'll say," the dwarf laughed. "That was the gutsiest thing I'd ever seen in my life."
All jokes aside, there were still plenty of questioned left to be asked. The first of which was how they were caught completely off guard by this unknown adversary.
"Was that tank here when you last assaulted this fortress?"
Brann shook his head.
"No sir. I ain't ever seen anything like that before but my guess is that they decided to beef up their defenses knowing we'd be coming back for a second round."
The paladin peered back at the disabled monster. Its design and strength was unlike anything he'd ever seen before.
"Who could have created such a powerful tank? It appeared to be built for the sole purpose of dismantling siege vehicles?"
"It had to be Mimiron, that blasted tinkerer," the dwarf spat. "He must have taken notice of our initial assault and designed that thing as a countermeasure to our forces. A damned fine one too. Bet that bucket of bolts didn't expect us to tinker with his tinker."
Reminding Rayne of the argument he just had with the warrior only further pushed his mood into the foul territory. He did his best not to show it but the thoughts continued to linger.
"Our friends fought well, Brann, but we're not done yet," Archmage Rhydian spoke.
"Perhaps so, but it's only a matter of time until we break back into Ulduar," replied the dwarf. "Any luck finding a way to teleport inside?"
The Archmage despondently shook her head.
"None at all. I suspect it has something to do with that giant mechanical construct that our scouts spotted in front of the gate."
"Construct?"
Rayne flipped his lenses to the zoom function and peered down the wide open pathway before them. A large set of stairs leading up to the fortress' entrance was well in view. Bits of littered scrap parts and other metal debris were not too far off in the corners of the room. However, there were no signs of any construct.
"There doesn't appear to be anything there Rhy-"
The ground quaked as a solid iron column slammed into view. Rayne quickly reduced the zoom of his goggles. With each crank the object in question came into sight. It wasn't until he reached the final setting on the dial where he saw the metal humanoid in all its glory.
"By the light…"
"Must be another one of Mimiron's tinkers," the dwarf stated.
This creature stood at least one hundred feet in height. Its limbs were thick and heavily armored. Pale blue light emanated from several openings on its shins, hands, chest, and most noticeable, the head seemed to be made up of it entirely. The most alarming thing about its presence was its ability to move. Despite its enormous height and apparent weight, it could maneuver around the field with ease. The dexterity it possessed was almost on par with a human.
One of his machines was already bad enough but this one was in a league of its own. If they rolled in there with siege vehicles, that humanoid construct could bat them aside with relative ease. They wouldn't stand a chance battling it head on. This day was growing darker with every passing second.
"What about the plated proto-drake and the fire giant that were spotted nearby?" Asked Brann "Think your mages can handle those?"
"The Kirin Tor can't possibly spare any additional resources to take on anything that size," Rhydian sorrowfully replied. "We may not have to though."
The Archmage pointed along the path leading straight towards the tall metal construct. Two openings on the east and west sides led towards the monsters in question. However, Rhydian appeared to have a plan already in mind.
"We can sneak past them. As long as we can take down that construct in front of the gate, we should be able to get inside."
"Sneak?!" Gasped the dwarf. "What do you think we are, marmots?"
"We're hunting an Old God, Brann," implored the Archmage.
"Fine. If our allies are going to be the ones getting their hands dirty, we'll leave it to them to decide how to proceed."
Avoiding the proto-drake and fire giant was definitely the soundest option. Unfortunately, the paladin didn't have any idea how to get past the construct so their efforts would be moot either way. Their mission appeared to be over just as quickly as it began. If only they had something of equal size and strength to combat the construct then maybe they would have a chance at entering the fortress.
An incessant droning above called to Rayne's attention. He looked up and saw the continually swarm of pyrite barrels traveling high overhead. He then shifted his gaze towards the decommissioned tank. A light sparked. The paladin may have found a solution to their problem. It was going to take a bit of elbow grease and brainpower but with the ones available on site, he was sure they could pull it off.
"Brann, please bring Findle over to the Formation Grounds," Rayne kindly asked. "I'm going to need two dozen barrels of pyrite and about an hour of his time."