Chapter Ten:
Tactics and Hammers.
The screams stopped and the impacts began to slow till it became quiet again. Granger shifted the rocks making a small hole. He looked out and saw the destruction and crushed corpses. The ground now was riddled with craters and lava freely oozing out from below, along with mangled bodies laying about.
Laughter filled the air as Granger broke apart the barrier. The Warband walked out unscathed to see the destruction before them.
"He killed them all. His own..." Krulla thought out loud.
"That's flame for ya. Just sickening." The iron legionnaire said without taking his eyes from the carnage. Flame legion soldiers crushed and burned bodies lay before them. The smell of burnt flesh and hair over powering the smell of magma. Thier master, thier leader sacrificed them without a second thought.
Menlorr was scanning the tops of the cliffs for any signs from Ruthear. His lips curled in anger as he saw no signal of him. He turned his gaze to the shaman. He could feel his blood boiling and the grip on his swords tightened.
"Now that the lackeys are taken care of, let's cut the head of the snake off. Painfully." Menlorr said as he started walking in the shaman's direction. His blades swung beside him with every vengeful stride. He could not let a shaman of the flame legion live but more importantly he could not let a cowardly and reckless leader ever lead again. The thought of losing a member of his warband fueled him. His body already tired from the previous fight had now vanished, renewed and seeking revenge.
Carve Warband weaved there way across the mangled camp with a mencing pace. Walking past burnt and twisted bodies, jumping across lava streams and smoldering craters. they closed the gap on the only living survivor of the flame legions camp.
The shaman stared at the charr's approach with a wicked grin. To him his followers were replaceable and only pawns for his dirty work. It brought a smile to his face with all the power he held. These annoying creatures have no idea what a shaman wielding a gods might can truly do.
Shards of ice flew his way from the charr wielding a wand. With a wave of his hand, a lava barrier spewed forth from the ground turning the ice to steam.
"Ah. You're the spell caster that brought down my flaming creation." The shaman teased. "Put out one flame and another shall rise!" He shouted as a glob of lava sped towards Granger. In the corner of his eye he saw something speeding towards him as well. The shaman ducked in time to miss a killing strike from a hurling hammer. The beautiful hammer was now imbedded into the rocky wall a few feet behind him. He started to rise when he heard the rumble behind him. He was too late to dodge the hammer that was now on its way back to its owner.
The hammer slammed into his back launching him forward off his feet. Before he could reach out to stop his fall, he could see a charr charging in from his left with a mace aimed for his head. He quickly shot flames out of his hands that reversed his momentum, sending him just out of harms way as a mace smashed the ground where his head would have been. Once he was on his feet, he now noticed that he was surrounded. Without a second thought the shaman summoned a ring of fire around him that then exploded outward. The flame wall pushed the three charging Charr back with groans. He smiled at the sight until he saw the largest of the group was unfazed and now charging at him.
Krulla let the flames wash over him as the wall of fire collided against his holy armor. The flames licked across armor and fur. He felt no pain. He rushed at the shaman with renewed determination. He swiped his hammer left and right. The shaman was quick to dodge and throw bursts of flames at him. He kept his flurry of hammer strikes up as if never running out of energy. He ignored the flames that tried to distract him.
The others had now recovered from the fiery attack and began to make their way towards the fight.
"Enough!" Shouted the shaman.
He slammed the ground with a fist. A wave of rock and lava rippled out from him getting bigger and bigger. Menlorr and the others that surrounded him could not dodge a wave this fast. They all winced and shielded themselves as best as they could. As the wave of intense heat hit them, it cooled almost immediately as they were all thrown back to the ground.
Tylaa just started to get up when she noticed her armor and fur was now covered in a protective layer of ice. Some areas were thinner or missing from the lava that now cooled and fell off harmlessly. She looked over to Granger with relief.
Granger saw the thank you in her eyes but didn't want things to slow down. "Hurry up and end this!" He shouted.
Tylaa nodded at the words. She agreed things needed to end, they were hurt and energy was running low. They couldn't keep this up forever. She stood up at the same time Menlorr did. He shook off his own chunks of cooled lava. They locked eyes. In those few seconds a small conversation was exchanged between the two veterans. Menlorr looked back at Kullra who was now standing tall and angry. Menlorr's looked at Krulla for a second and then a nod.
Kullra simply gave a small nod back in understanding, then held out his hand as if waiting for something. "Granger! Lend me a Hammer!"
At that Tylaa and Menlorr sprinted at the shaman who was now in mid chant. The surrounding area began to rise rapidly with heat. Lava began to pool in rings around the shaman.
Granger answered Kullra's call with a grunt of frustration. "He's almost done with his damn chant! It won't be in time!"
"Hammer!" Krulla instructed again louder without looking away from the shaman.
Menlorr heard the warning Granger gave and quickened his pace. He still saw no signs from Ruthear but had to hope he was just out of sight still waiting for his signal.
"NOW RUTHEAR!" Menlorr shouted.
A hammer began to materialize in Kullra's outstretched hand. It's frozen foggy form became solid. Kullra gripped the hammer's cool handle. Icey fog began to pour from it as the surrounding heat began to eat away at it. Kullra charged ferociously with two large war-hammers at his sides up the middle towards the still chanting shaman.
A loud crack of thunder erupted from the left and the shamans left hand exploded into blood and shreded meat. The shaman howled in pain and the building heat around them stopped. The rings of lava splashed back to the ground.
Menlorr and Tylaa quickly in turn slashed and smashed the shamans knees sending him to the ground. The shaman now on his knees clutching his bleeding stump looked up to see a large heavily armored Charr with flowing brown fur in mid air wielding two wide spread warhammers hurdling towards him.
Time slowed and a voice called out to the dying shaman. "You have failed me." It boomed in his ears. "I give you power and you cannot even stop these pathetic weaklings? At least your soul will still be of some use."
"Please have mercy great one. Save me." The shaman begged. "I still have much-"
"No!" The voice echoed.
The shaman could feel the power leave him. The flow of never ending energy sapped from his body. He felt small and helpless again. He could now truely feel his defeat.
Time began to return to normal once more. The silvery blue and brown rocket slammed down in front of the shaman.
"Wait I-" The shaman shouted.
Kullra let the weight of the hammers swing forward from the momentum, combined with his full strength behind it, driving home the two hammers together. Blood, fur and brain matter coated the guardians chest and face. The arc of gore shot up and over the victorious charr.
Blood rained on the two Charr standing to the sides of the shaman. They all stood there for a moment before Tylaa broke the silence. "Now that was a beautiful killing blow."
"Agreed." Their leader said. "Did anyone else hear a gunshot from over there." He pointed to the cliff covered in shadows. A figure could be seen slowly walking away.
"Yeah thankfully he wasn't killed in the meteor shower" Granger said strolling up with a wounded Legionnaire. "But this guy needs some help."
"This is nothing. Fractured ribs and a couple scars. I'll be good with a nights rest and ready to do all over again tomorrow." The older Charr laughed and then winced in pain.
Krulla finally stood up after saying a quick prayer for the shaman. He did not need to but he prayed for his peace in the after life, as well as all the others that lost thier lives today. He turned around coated in fresh bloody war paint.
"Now for you." He said with a grin that would have been normally relaxing to see, but the gore that covered him, made Krulla look menacing.