Post
by Praeothmin » Fri Jun 01, 2012 8:21 pm
Update...
Chapter 65
Kyra, already getting on the ferry’s cable in pursuit of Riddick and James, saw the boulder hit James in the shoulder, throwing the big MACO leader in the river, to disappear below the water, and never come up.
Her panicked cry caught the other’s attention as they were clearing the rest of the Orcs on the south shore of the river.
“Shit, we gotta get the Major!” Hudson called out to the others.
“We can’t!” Replied Doc.
“We need to get this ferry to the other side of the river to help Drizzt and Riddick.
If we lose the other side, we lose the ferry, and the Dwarves and humans from this territory lose a very strategic crossing point.
Our orders were to protect it, and it’s exactly what we’re going to do, understood?” He asked aloud, the question being mostly aimed at Hudson, everyone knew.
The man nodded, though his demeanor showed he didn’t like it.
As the last Orc on the south shore died from a mighty Warhammer blow to the face, caving it in, four Dwarves went to the crossing rope while four others started untying the ferry to get it moving.
The rest simply went to their wounded kin to tend to them.
The ferry briefly moved, loaded as it was by so many bodies, and they feared they wouldn’t be able to cross the river in time.
But then Boomer went to the rope, gripping it tightly, and pulled with all her might.
The ferry almost jumped forward, again surprising all who didn’t know her well at the strength she had, the big human Barbarian even wondering if she was stronger than he was.
He didn’t ponder this for long, seeing his best friend reach the other shore and move towards the incoming enemy group, calling his panther as he went.
Drizzt would need help soon, Wulfgar knew, and even as good as Riddick was, he wouldn’t suffice.
They needed to cross fast.
And so he went to the ferry rope, and like Boomer before, added his might to the pulling team.
His great strength, added to Boomer’s and the four Dwarves already pulling, saw the ferry greatly increase its speed, crossing the river Surbrin within minutes.
Just in time to meet the first Orcs that were reaching the ferry.
***************************************************************************
Drizzt had just reached the shore as he pulled his magical figurine out of its belt pouch and called for Guenwyhvar, his great magical friend appearing through its usual grey mist, to run beside him as he dashed towards the approaching enemy.
As he was running towards them, some Orcs threw their spear at him, most of which passed him by harmlessly, and those that were a threat, he simply deflected through quick parries of his scimitars, batting them aside as easily as one would swath a fly.
The mighty panther, Guenwyhvar, batted the spears coming close to her with her front paws, breaking the shafts of those it connected with, so powerful were her strikes.
Still, being such a big target, one spear did manage to find a hole in her defences, and opened a gash at her side.
The magnificent beast, knowing it could not die, simply roared in defiance, a powerful sound that shook many Orcs to the core.
And then Drizzt was among the Orcs, spinning and jumping, dancing and turning, always evading, parrying, his scimitars moving in perfect unison with his body, always using any opened defence to score a hit on an enemy, while narrowly avoiding any retaliation from the beleaguered Orcs.
While the graceful Elf was keeping the advancing Orcs on their heels, the mighty panther was simply ploughing through them savagely, and had left three Orcs dead after her first attack.
But, unlike Drizzt, not fearing Orkish weapons, and attacking furiously, it left itself opened to counter-attacks, and an Ogre took advantage of this, as its huge club connected with the mighty cat’s side in a tremendous swing.
Mighty Gunewyhvar was thrown in the air, landing on a group of Orcs in a jumble of paws and limbs.
It had been hurt by that hit, but still it got up, and using all four paws it raked at the Orcs it had landed on, causing many garish wounds to the poor creatures that were incapable of defending themselves.
The Orcs closest to the cat quickly learned to give it a wide berth, leaving the dangerous creature to the Ogres.
They turned around and ran towards the Elf, trying to reach their companions to surround it in the hopes that numbers would prevail.
But then Riddick arrived, and the Orcs knew they were in trouble once more.
The Furyan attacked furiously, decapitating the first creature that crossed his path, cutting off another’s arm at the elbow, breaking another’s knee with a well placed kick.
Still, the Orcs numbered close to fifty, plus the Ogres, and from the corner of his eyes, Riddick could see the Giant approaching fast, and he knew even he could not fight it while engaging the Orcs and Ogres.
In fact, he wasn’t sure he could take it on even if there were no other enemies.
They would need help fast.
Guenwyhvar was getting up and was turning to face an Ogre coming towards her when she was hit in the back by a thrown boulder that she never even saw coming.
A loud cracking noise was heard, and she felt pain.
As her hind legs were losing sensation, a big club hit her on the side of the head, and she dissolved into grey mist, fleeing to her home plane so she could heal and mend her wounds become coming back for more Orc blood.
She hoped her friend and master would fare well until then.
Drizzt’s heart skipped a beat when he saw his magnificent friend disappear, knowing the only thing that could force her back like that was great injuries, and so, even though he knew the cat could not die by mortal hands or weapons, he still feared for her, if only for a second.
His own predicament though, surrounded by Orcs, forced him to push his feelings and fear for his friend away and devote his mind fully to the battle at hand.
He knew his and Riddick’s situation was dire, as they were now alone, with no support, facing an Orc horde with Ogres and a Giant.
He did not know when his friends would arrive, or even if they would get there in time.
He knew he needed to be at his best, and so he devoted all his senses in the battle, falling in the persona he called the hunter, where his conscious mind had no control, letting reflexes honed by hundreds of battles lead his weapons, his body, into attacks and defences so perfectly timed that to any outside observer, the battle would seemed almost choreographed, as if each and every attack and counter had been rehearsed a thousand times over.
A fast approaching shadow had the Hunter move to the side in a quick spin that allowed him to partially evade a thrown boulder, the projectile impacting fully an Orc that was moving in for an attack at the Dark Elf’s back.
The Hunter was clipped on the left shoulder, and his spin had allowed him to absorb part of the attack, though his arm and shoulder were becoming numb from the impact.
His left hand slowing down, no longer able to follow the Hunter’s right blade in its attack and defensive patterns, meant the Hunter could no longer stay within the Orc horde, or he would surely perish.
He was making his way back, trying to extricate himself from the throng of attacking Orcs, when his left scimitar missed its first parry, a low sword attack that hit him in the calf and robbed the Elf of a supporting leg during a quick pivot.
Down he went to the ground, his left hand letting go of his weapon to cushion his fall and push him in a roll, one that was interrupted by a heavy Orc boot that impacted against his ribs, robbing him of his breath, then stomping on his right hand, pinning his only remaining weapon to the ground.
Drizzt’s conscious mind retook control as he lay there on his back, looking up in the Orc’s face to see savage glee, the smelly creature snarling as it plunged its sword into Drizzt’s body.
The Elf twisted his body around and succeeded in evading the blow, but the Orc simply lifted its sword to try again, this time in a sweeping arc that left no room for any evasion.
The sword was stopped by a curved knife coming in low and pushing it out high, the man holding the knife then disengaging the first knife while pivoting his torso to open up the Orc’s stomach with a second knife, finishing the move with a shoulder block on the Orc to free Drizzt’s right hand.
The Dark Elf thanked Riddick by sending his scimitar up in a block while performing a kick-stand, the motion giving his arm sufficient momentum to move the bigger Orc’s weapon away.
Once up, the Elf back pedaled until he was back to back with the big knife wielding man.
Although he only had one weapon left, the Orcs quickly realized he was far from defenceless.
His weapon, always moving in sweeping motions, pointed down right to deflect an attack, then reversed its point upwards to block a spear, and then once more across Drizzt’s body to block two swords at once, under the unbelievable stare of his opponents.
By the sound of the grunting behind him, he was certain his companion was having equal success against his opponents.
He felt Riddick and he could make it until he spotted the Giant lifting another boulder in a throwing stance, looking at him.
His eyes widened, and he almost missed a parry, leaving the attacking Orc wondering how the Elf had been able to block his attack while he wasn’t even looking at his opponent.
He was about to warn Riddick of the impending danger when the Giant dropped the boulder as its arm was at the top of its throwing arc, an explosion caused by the impact of a silver streaking projectile surprising the creature in mid-throw.
The rock flew harmlessly to the side and eventually skidded to a stop in the river close to the shore.
Its eyes left the Dark Elf to try and find the source of the attack as another arrow flew home.
The impact hurt the Giant and boosted Drizzt’s morale, as with the silver streaking projectiles he noticed that the Orcs around Riddick and he were now preoccupied by some incoming bolts.
“Leave our friends alone, you pig-fucking bastards!” Hudson yelled, one among the many insults he was hurling at the Orcs, unaware and obviously uncaring whether the Orcs understood him or not.
Drizzt saw the giant take two running steps and bend down, and he feared the Giant, apparently out of projectiles, had found a rock to throw at Catti-Brie in retaliation for her stinging attacks.
It wasn’t so.
As another silver streaked projectile was heard flying in, the Giant raised its left hand in front of it, its newfound shield blocking the incoming shot in an explosive display.
The Giant’s shield shrieked in pain, as in its rush to defend itself, the Giant had picked the nearest creature by the clothing, an Ogre, and had used it as protection.
The injured creature did not understand what was happening, only that it was being hurt by the silver streaked missiles coming at it from the accosting barge.
As the barge hit the ground, a dozen Dwarves came pouring out of it, Bruenor at their front, and they ran straight at the Orcs, yelling and growling.
The attack was savage, the Dwarves putting everything they had in the attack, and in no time they have cleaved an opening in the Orc ranks allowing them to reach their companions.
The Orcs, trying to reform around the new arrivals, knowing that as soon as the Ogres arrived they could possibly overpower the Dwarves, were dismayed when two others joined in the fray.
Boomer and Wulfgar, as soon as the ferry had been secured to the shore, had come out running, eager to get in the fight, Wulfgar to rescue his best friend, and Boomer to make the Orcs pay for the loss of her commander, a man she had very strong feelings for.
And so as soon as the Orc ranks had reformed around the Dwarves, they were thinned anew with savage power, the big human Barbarian and the Cylon woman using their considerable strength to hack, smash and dismember any Orcs unfortunate enough to stand in their way.
The Orcs no longer a threat, with still half a dozen Dwarves and Doc protecting them and the ferry, Hudson and Hicks had turned their Crossbows towards the Ogres, bolt after bolt being embedded in the big creature’s bodies, while Catti-Brie kept trying to bring the Giant down.
But then, as things seemed to be going well for the friends, the Giant reached the edge of the combat zone, moving around it so the melee was between it and the ferry, ensuring that Catti-Brie could still not fire at it legs, its no longer moving shield protecting its upper body.
It lifted its huge axe high in the air, and brought it down in the middle of the Dwarven formation, scattering it all around, allowing some Orcs to score some hits against their enemies.
One Dwarf had not move fast enough, and as the Giant was retrieving its axe, the Dwarf’s body fell to the ground in a bloody mess, cleanly cleaved in two.
Knowing her friends would not last long against the Giant if they also had to fight off Orcs and Ogres, Catti-Brie shifted her aim and fired at the Orcs standing between her friends and the ferry, thinking of clearing a path so the companions would have more space to evade the Giant’s attacks.
This time, though, her bow was ravaging the Orcs, as none of their shields could stop her magical arrows, and they could not, unlike the Giant, pick up and use bodies as shields.
Wulfgar, seeing how dangerous the Giant was, and trusting fully in Catti-Brie’s aim, sacrificed his defence to launch Aegis-Fang, his mighty Warhammer, at the Giant’s right knee.
The hammer impacted with a resounding “crack”, and the Giant’s knee let out on it, bringing it down to the ground on all four.
An Orc thought the human defenceless, as his dead brethren had thought so many times before, and so it attacked, its spear coring through the mighty human’s left flank to exit out of the other side.
Wulfgar, through gritted teeth, grabbed the spear head with his left hand, and pulled the spear through, and when the surprised Orc was near enough, he grabbed it by the neck with his right hand, and tore its throat out.
The creature fell down gurgling blood.
Riddick saw his chance with the downed Giant, and he tackled and Orc out of his way as he made his way to the huge creature.
He killed another Orc, pushing it back with both knives planted in the creature’s torso, and as it fell, he used its body as a platform from which he jumped high onto the Giant’s back.
Or he tried to, for the Giant was down, but far from out, and as the Furyan missile was streaking towards its head, it backhanded it with all its might, launching it in the air to land almost ten meters away on the hard unyielding ground.
Riddick passed out in a groan of pain.
An Ogre had reached the Dwarven line, and with a great heave of its weapon, had clubbed a Dwarf on the head hard, sending the poor warrior to his death in great pain.
Its action was not unpunished, though, for Boomer, intent on reaching the Giant, found the Ogre to be in her way.
It tried a side sweep, left to right, of its club, but Boomer bent under it, stepped forward and planted her sword in its groin as she got closer, heaving with all her strength.
The Ogre almost cried as it felt life escaping from it.
The remaining Ogres fell to the heavy bolts of Hicks and Hudson as they fired their last projectiles.
They looked at Doc, and each other, and with a nod, all three ran off the ferry into the melee.
They did not have Wulfgar’s strength, or Drizzt’s speed, or Riddick’s skill, but they were no ordinary men either.
They were MACOs, handpicked by James Reynolds, their formidable leader, and further trained by the same man, to be part of a unit of badasses among badasses, and they knew how to fight as a team, and so they ploughed through the Orcs in a triangular formation, parrying, thrusting, slashing and tackling Orcs, the trio a devastating group within the remaining Orc ranks.
The Giant saw it troops defeated, the battle lost, and so it tried to get up and flee, but the damned human hammer had shattered its knee, and had made it unable to run.
And so it decided to die with glory, by killing as many enemies as possible.
It got up on one knee, and lifted its axe up high over its shoulder to make a wide sweeping attack and cleave as many of the wretched Dwarves and humans possible.
But as it started moving its arm, its meat shield no longer in place due to the Giant having to use its left hand for support, a silver streaked arrow found its face, the impact stunning it, followed by another, and another, and as the fourth one impacted, it no longer cared about the Dwarves or the Humans, it was simply dead as it fell face first on the ground.
Last edited by
Praeothmin on Mon Jun 04, 2012 1:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
