Chapter Fifty-Seven
The descent to the Atal-Ra chamber was without conflict, not a single drop of blood was spilt, nary a foe from the entrance down to the cavern floor itself. Bravery slowly turned to confusion with each step down into the depths, and confusion slowly turned to concern. From there, concern began to melt into worry and fear, a self descent that the gods escorting them were powerless to stop.
"What is this beast waiting for?" Aidan heard an Ascalon soldier behind him ask.
"For you to lose your mind, like you are doing." The ranger replied quietly. "Stay strong, do not doubt for one moment that you will be in the fight of your life soon enough, and will need every bit of your courage and wit if we are going to be successful."
And then, they saw the light at the end of the tunnel... literally. Atal Ra still stood, its great central tower still generating and casting light throughout the cavern. In fact, it looked like nothing had changed from when they left.
Except for the fact that every square inch of the cavern floor was filled with some manner of gruesome slathering beast of Bhu'kahuh's insane army, of course, packed from tip to tip tightly on every exposed piece of ground.
The sight... of monsters extending as far as any eye could see throughout the entirety of the cavern, anxiously standing at rest... was unsettling to say the least. The staggering number of foes that stood between the allied army and their destination, the munitions testing bay of Atal Ra, was near overwhelming to Coran's mind. There had to be at least one hundred thousand within the cavern alone... and not even the gods likely knew the number of reinforcements that waited deeper still within the den of insanity further below.
And then, the phantom bellow struck again.
I wanted you to watch as your precious monument to your pathetic civilization was brought to ruins!
But I suppose something should be done with my brood... they will first learn their place before I reclaim what they took from me!
Even those who weren't magically inclined could feel the surge of raw, unnatural energy in the air as it seemed to suffocate the mystical breath of anyone with such strength. Mhenlo watched as Cynn fell to her knees, eyes glazed in terror, her left hand clutching her throat as if she was being strangled. Other elementalists and arcanists quickly fell victim to the same syndrome, and finally, the gods themselves.
The three divine beings collapsed, clutching their heads and screaming, and soon the painful ring and abrupt sense of loss and emptiness struck the entirety of the human forces. They felt alone even as they stood shoulder to shoulder with their comrades and friends. The protective buffer the gods provided was ripped away like tissue paper, and the mortal army, even the staunches of their kind, buckled. Devona, who felt she was prepared, who had successfully fought the fear, went rigid in fright and hopelessness, her arms dropping dumbly to their sides as the front guard of inhuman beasts began a slow, stalking advance to their helpless prey.
Forward, feast upon their fear and their flesh! Let them live only long enough to see their precious city burn!
Yet, in that bleakness, one small flicker of courage stood. Hamm had slowly worked his way to the front of the procession, wedging his smaller frame through the human ranks. His krewe had been the first to face Bhu'kahuh's minions, the first to hold them, even if for a limited time. He alone had been sent to live while his brothers and sisters of the krewe died an honorable death. He was not going to be denied the opportunity to join them.
And he certainly wasn't going to falter where his krewemen did not. They had stared unprotected into the face of this monster, had looked down the gullet into its den, and did not waver. They had fought and they had died as true warriors. He'd be damned before he sullied that noble honor.
And so, the valiant Asuran charged headlong, taking seven strides, planting his feet firmly, and swinging his glaive in an upward, vertical slash; the blow carrying a force that should have been far beyond his tiny frame, splitting the skull of an advancing Oni from chin to temple. As its black blood spouted and the demon collapsed, Hamm's second strike, a descending sweep following the momentum of his first blow, bit halfway through the monster's neck and carried it to the ground in a violent thud.
Breathing heavily with indignant rage and awakened bloodlust, Hamm ripped the weapon out of the Oni's corpse, and imbedded the wooden haft into the ground, marking his kill and daring anyone else to challenge him.
Even the Great Old One itself was stunned to silence, and its influence wavered. In that fleeting moment as it contemplated what should not have happened, it allowed the allied force to regain their wits, as well as steel themselves against future attempts. Mortals were nothing but resilient, having tasted Bhu'kahuh's power once, they would not be gripped by it again, even as the gods themselves were laid lifeless at their feet.
Well... that and the humans weren't about to let an Asuran show them up.
The cavern erupted in a bloodbath, the first wave taking the beasts of madness off their guard while their ancient master reeled from the defiance and breaking of his control. But soon the natural instincts of the demon hordes would return the favor, and the control of their master soon turned the tide of battle back into a standstill.
This was the scenario Coran had feared when he concocted this plan. The minions of Bhu'kahuh were endless, constantly reinforced from the tunnel leading to the old god's lair. While there was enough support along the front to spell those fighting, such energy would not be eternal. Eventually, be it hours or days, the strength of the mortal armies would wane.
The Charr front had also stalled, suffering from a lack of coordination among the Norn, Charr and Ebon Vanguard. Coran withdrew from the supporting line to try to devise a new strategy. Somehow, they needed to create a third front, something to divert attention and allow for the mortal armies to gain further penetration into the cavern.
He quickly sent for Duke Barradin, who was manning command of the Ascalon army, and was soon joined by General Morghan and Dunkoro, who Coran had met the night before and had demonstrated astonishing strategical aptitude, along with Imperial Guard Zhao to represent the Canthans, and Mamp on behalf of the Asura.
"Gentlemen, I think we can all see the problem." Coran noted grimly.
"The numbers of our foe are making it impossible for us to move further. They are replacing their number as fast as we can kill them." Dunkoro noted in agreement. "Meanwhile, our own numbers are being steadily reduced. At this rate of losses, we won't be able to hold our position much longer than three hours at best."
"We need to somehow open another front to divert the pressure. If we can't improve our rate of killing, we can at least try and reduce their rate of reinforcements." Coran declared. "Any ideas?"
"Our people are strained just to hold what we have, your highness." Barradin said.
Zhao was equally pessimistic. "The Canthan Army is already being called to reinforce our brothers in several places. I would not be able to spare any men for terribly long."
Mamp offered one possibility, "My people could probably slip around where you humans can't. But such a tactic would undoubtedly be a suicide mission, and we would not provide much relief for long."
"See who among your number would be willing, Councilman Mamp. Any relief would be welcome at this moment."
At that moment, the ground trembled. At first assuming it was the work of Bhu'kahuh trying to impose his aura of fear again, Coran discerned that not to be the case, as even the Old One's forces seemed momentarily surprised by the movement of the earth. The prince's next thought was that it was a minor earthquake... but his experience with tectonic science told him two things;
One; that this region of the continent was likely the most stable geological strata on the planet. Until the severe quakes that opened up the northern exit to the surface, the bedrock here had not had a significant shift in over three million years. The chances of two distinct quakes capable of doing so occurring in such a short time was near astronomical in scope.
Two; that earthquakes don't grow gradually stronger as time passes.
And finally, when the din and the quaking didn't seem like it could possibly get any louder, a significant portion of the south cavern wall exploded inward, then collapsed. This was followed moments later by a bevy of voices that sounded like grating stone, hollering and making a most magnificent racket.
But most important, demons and Seers were being mowed down like twigs before a hedge trimmer. This was the third front the mortal armies needed. Said third army seemed to care even less for strategy and coordination than the Charr or Norn, but they made up for it with sheer ferocity... and having bodies and wills of literal and figurative stone didn't hurt, either.
What remained of the dwarves had emerged from the depths in response to the waking evil, and with any luck, would prove to be the force that finally turned the tide.