Raynor's Raiders, the Zerg Swarm, and the Daelaam Protoss were escorting the people of Rohan to Helm's Deep.
"It's true, you don't see many Dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance that they're often mistaken for Dwarf men," Gimli on horseback said to Eowyn who was on foot. She turned to Jim who was sharing a vulture bike with Kerrigan.
"It's the beards," said Jim.
"This, in turn, has given rise to the belief that there are no Dwarf women and that Dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground which is, of course, ridiculous," the dwarf made her laugh. The horse began trotting and Gimli fell off. "It's all right. Nobody panic. That was deliberate. It was deliberate," he attempted to reassure everyone and Eowyn helped him up.
"I haven't seen my niece smile for a long time. She was a girl when they brought her father back dead. Cut down by Orcs. She watched her mother succumb to grief. Then she was left alone, to tend her king in growing fear. Doomed to wait upon an old man who should have loved her as a father," Theoden stated the fact.
"At least you did the best as you can as an uncle. Things could have been worse without you," said Jim learning that the king and Eowyn were relatives.
"I think using a sword and riding a horse is too old, it's ain't my thing," said marine.
"You always thought being in a vulture is worse than riding a horse. Especially when you have people shooting you," said a vulture biker.
"What's the point of riding beasts?" a Protoss zealot asked.
"That's what men do in the Middle Ages," another marine replied.
"A foe can make two kills out of the beast and its rider," said a Protoss stalker pilot.
At a stopping point, everyone had their meal. "Gimli," Eowyn offered the dwarf a bowl of stew.
"No, I couldn't. I really couldn't."
"I made some stew. It isn't much, but it's hot," Eowyn gave Jim, Kerrigan, and Stetmann bowls of stew.
"Thank you," said Jim, Kerrigan, and Stetmann when they received bowls of stew.
"Not bad," the Queen of Blades commented.
"Really?" Eowyn asked.
"I'm sure my zerg will like your stew. I assure you that they won't hurt you."
Eowyn approached a group of zerglings, hydralisks, and roaches that eyed her. She felt a bit nervous even when they attempted not to scare her. Eowyn boldly placed bowls of stew in front of them and they tasted it.
"This stew is in bad taste," Jim whispered.
"Looks like the zerg are enjoying it," Stetmann commented.
Eowyn approached the Protoss and offered stew. "No thank you, my lady," said Artanis.
"Aren't you hungry?"
"We Protoss know nothing of hunger. Don't worry about us."
"How do you …?"
"It's too complicated to explain."
"You can never feed a machine with food," said Talandar.
"Why not?" Eowyn asked.
"We machines need power supply."
Everybody slept except Aragorn who was smoking and reminiscing the past. Talandar and the Purifiers took the night's watch.
The next day, everyone continued their to Helm's Deep. Two captains of Rohan rode ahead while Legolas was at the front looking further ahead. Several minutes later, there were a scream and growls.
"My queen, a captain is engaged in combat," Ishza told Kerrigan.
"Jim, we have to check," the Queen of Blades told Jim causing him cycle to the sources of the growls and scream.
"A scout!" Legolas shouted as there was a dead orc and a dead creature that appeared like a huge wolf. A captain along with his steed was killed whereas the other was alive.
"What is that thing?" Kerrigan asked.
"A warg, I never thought Saruman can own those nasty creatures," Jim replied as he found the creature familiar and cycled back to get the warning. "I thought they're history," he remembered Azog the Defiler and the Gundabad orcs used wargs.
"What is it? What do you see?" Theoden asked.
"Warg riders are coming towards us! Get your people to safety!" Jim got the warning.
"Warg riders?" Artanis was confused while the people of Rohan panic.
"All riders to the head of the column," Theoden ordered his cavalry troops.
"Come on. Get me up here. I'm a rider," said Gimli and a few men of Rohan helped him up onto a white horse. "Come on!"
"Hierarch, I'm picking multiple hostiles coming towards you," Rohana informed Artanis.
"Raynor, what's going on?" the hierarch asked Jim.
"Orcs riding nasty creatures are coming towards us and they move fast. Sarah and I will handle them. You continue escorting the people in case the enemies get pass us."
"Fast or slow, we'll show them," Alarak led the Tal'darim to participate.
"What are we going to do?" Talandar asked.
"We must continue escorting the people," Artanis replied.
"Swann, take the infantry and continue the escort. Go to Helm's Deep without us," Jim said to Swann.
"Got it," the chief engineer assumed leadership of the infantry while Jim took hellions and vulture bikes to engage the warg riders.
"Zagara, Stukov, take half the Swarm to continue escorting the people while we handle the hostiles," said Kerrigan. She took roaches and hydralisks while the zerglings remained with Zagara.
"As you say, my queen," said the broodmother.
"Let's see if there any essence," said Dehaka as he took his pack of primal zerg.
"You must lead the people to Helm's Deep, and make haste," Theoden said to his niece.
"I can fight," she protested.
"No! You must do this, for me," the king then turned to his cavalry troops. "Follow me!"
"Forward. I mean, charge forward," Gimli ordered his steed.
"Commanding a machine is easier than commanding a beast," Karax commented.
"Make for the lower ground!" Eowyn ordered.
"Go! Go! Go!" said a marine acting like a captain.
"That's it! Go on!" the dwarf managed to have the horse head forward.
"Stay together!" Eowyn shouted as she led the people to the fortress.
"Warriors, keep your eyes open," said Artanis.
Theoden, Aragorn, Gimli, Jim, Kerrigan, the riders of Rohan, hellions, and vulture bikes were ahead of the Tal'darim, Dehaka's pack, Kerrigan's roaches and hydralisks. Legolas picked off few of the warg riders that were equipped with curved swords before mounting into Gimli's horse.
The wargs howled while the orcs roared. "Charge!" Theoden shouted.
The vulture bikes launched grenades picking off some of the warg riders while the hellions used their ranged flamethrowers to catch several lines of them on fire causing them to run around before collapsing into the ground motionlessly. The Tal'darim ascendants took out groups of warg riders with psionic orbs before the cavalry forces collided onto each other.
A Rohan rider hurled a spear at orc and another Rohan rider speared another orc knocking him off from the warg. Legolas released an arrow on a warg that had a rider and the wargs killed the men who were knocked off from the horses.
The roaches corroded the warg riders with acid while Kerrigan's roaches spawned roachlings from the killed warg riders that attempted to attack the other warg riders. The primal and Kerrigan's hydralisks let out their needle spines killing the warg riders. The primal zerglings had to claw the wargs and warg riders from the sides.
"These creatures have foul essence, best not to collect them," said Dehaka as he dodged a lone warg before slashing it on the side. He slashed an orc before slashing another warg.
Kerrigan picked off the warg riders with her psionic blasts and stunned groups of them with her crushing grip lifting them mid-air. She quickly impaled the lone wargs with her wings when they get too close on the sides. Jim fired the grenade from the vulture's gun at the warg riders in front before drawing his revolver to shoot the lone wargs that attempted to flank them.
Gimli fell off from the horse and a lone warg turned its attention to him. "Bring your pretty face to my axe," the dwarf readied his axe but Legolas shot it. "That one counts as mine!" Gimli hacked another warg right at the brain and became stuck after the body fell on top of him.
Aragorn decapitated an orc and Theoden slashed another. A Rohan rider hurled a spear at a warg, another Rohan rider speared an orc, and a Rohan archer picked off a warg rider before being run over by another warg rider.
"Stinking creature," Gimli attempted to push the body before breaking the neck of an orc that tried to kill him.
A Rohan rider slashed a warg on the neck while the blood hunters unseen slashed the wargs on the sides with their psionic scythes. Alarak casted a destruction wave on a group of warg riders killing them while knocking the orcs off from their steeds before turning to see a lone warg attempted roared at Gimli. The Tal'darim Highlord used deadly charge onto the warg killing it and helped Gimli up.
"Thanks," said the dwarf.
Theoden stabbed an orc before stabbing a warg on its throat.
Aragorn stabbed an orc before the Dunedain was knocked off from the horse by a lone warg. Aragorn grabbed onto the warg and engaged into a hand-to-hand combat with the orc that appeared to be the leader. The Dunedain stabbed the orc who grabbed something from him. Aragorn threw the orc off before the warg sent them tumbling off the cliff.
The battle was over when none of the warg riders survived. "Aragorn!" Legolas shouted.
"Aragorn?" Gimli shouted.
Jim, the elf, and the dwarf noticed an orc was alive. "Tell me what happened and I will ease your passing," Gimli readied his axe and the Terran readied his revolver aiming at the orc's forehead.
"He's dead. He took a little tumble off the cliff," the orc said his last words.
"You lie," said Legolas and the orc passed away. The elf took an elvish jewel from the dead orc's hand before looking downwards from the cliff along with Theoden, Gimli, Jim, and Kerrigan.
"Get the wounded on horses. The wolves of Isengard will return. Leave the dead," the king ordered and Legolas glared at him. "Come," Theoden placed his hand on the elf's shoulder.
"Let's go rejoin the others," said Jim.
Author's Note
There will be the switch of POV's in the next chapter.