The Fall of Gilneas – Chapter 19: One Big Orc
The Fall of Gilneas
Chapter 19: One Big Orc
Aderic’s Repose was not terribly far from Keel Harbor. After rounding a hill, the houses of the small harbor town came into view. Of course, that meant the forge where I had first met Daniel. I stopped as we came across it and stared at the dark, quiet structure. My eyes started to sting as memories flooded back in. I remembered the moment my father sent me here to commission a new sword – the day I met him.
My father and Gwen came to a stop after a couple extra steps and turned to me. “Naomi… let’s…let’s keep moving,” Gwen urged.
I took a deep breath and turned while closing my eyes, trying to push the building from my mind. The only thing that dwelling on it would accomplish would be riling me up. I heard the distant sounds of a battle coming from the west, somewhere on the headlands beyond the harbor. There were some strange creaking and roaring noises that were unlike anything I’d ever heard.
As we approached the harbor, I instantly noticed a small fleet of very strange ships. They had pale blue sails, an open, flat deck, and a purple-accent on the hull. There were ornate arches and round lanterns all over them. The ships reminded me of the structures that jutted out from Tal’doren.
Beyond the harbor, I had a clear view of the massive gap that had been ripped open on the Greymane Wall. The symbolism of the country being ripped in half was not lost on me. My attention was drawn towards the docks. I could see Darius standing near the docks where one of those strange ships waited. There were some Gilneans standing around.
But they weren’t alone. There was a medium-sized force of night elves in the harbor. There were two distinct types of them: there were men and women wearing earthen-colored robes, and a large group of women wearing little more than metal bikinis and carrying glaives with three blades. There were also several large, strange-looking war machines. There were stacks of giant saw-like blades loaded onto them.
Darius flashed us a wide grin as we approached. “It’s good to see you again, Naomi,” he greeted; I could hear a cautious edge to his tone, but I appreciated him acting like it was just another day. “The night elves made good on their promise. They’ve brought ships and are ready to offer us sanctuary in their lands. Unfortunately, the Forsaken’s allies have arrived as well,” he told us. He jerked his head to the northwest and I followed his gesture. The massive air-ship I had seen in at Greymane Manor was floating over the only way out of the harbor. There were huge cannons visible along the hull that was suspended between the two giant blimps. “The orcs are advancing upon us while the Horde gunship prevents the transport ships from taking our people to safety.”
“Then what do we do? How are we supposed to fight off another army? What if the Forsaken come from the east, too?” I asked incredulously.
“The druids are holding the enemy back, but they won’t last forever. Fortunately, the elven ships were carrying glaive throwers. They were just unloaded and are being prepared to roll against the orcs,” he explained. As he spoke, the night elf warrior women – the sentinels – began to move their siege engines west. “Go see if there’s anything you can do to help from the back line, but don’t get directly involved in the battle. You’ve done too much today for me to send you straight at the orcish horde.”
I let out a sigh to try to hide my frustration. More battles. At least I had permission not to get involved directly. This time, I’m going to take advantage of that. I turned to my father. “Gwen and I are going to go check it out,” I declared. “Please wait here.”
“But, Naomi,” he began to protest.
I shook my head. “I’m not losing someone else today,” I declared. If something came at us, at least Gwen and I could move fast enough to escape. “I’m not going to be fighting, but I need to know that at least you’re safe.”
He stared back at me for a moment. While he did, I began to feel strange. I was talking to my father like I was his parent. I wondered if he felt the same way. I was sure he knew that he wouldn’t be able to stop me from going, though. “You had better not get yourself into any more trouble. You’re my little girl and I can’t lose you again.”
I shifted guiltily. You selfish idiot. You have to remember what you do to people. Finally, I nodded and promised that I wouldn’t go searching for trouble. I hoped that I would, for once, be able to keep that promise.
I made eye contact with Gwen. “Come on; at the very least, we’ll see something worth remembering,” I invited.
“Okay, but I’m with your dad on this one,” she announced, walking forward. We made our way west through the town. “After all, I’m tired of digging you out of the grave you keep jumping into,” she added after we were out of earshot of my father.
We picked up the pace, our paws slapping against the smooth stone of the road. Before long, we caught up with the night elf forces escorting the glaive throwers. After another couple of blocks, we reached the far end of Keel Harbor, giving us a clear view of the Southern Headlands.
I came to a halt and stared in awe of what I was witnessing. The battle was very, very different from anything I’d been in so far. The green-skinned orcs charged across the fields – they were far more muscular and heavily armored than the undead troops that I was so used to fighting. Their armor was red and adorned with twisted spikes. They also traveled in smaller attack forces. Some of them rode on the back of massive wolves. I could hear their battle cries from here.
But the most awe-inspiring thing were the night elves that fought back. The sentinels that had engaged the orcs directly danced around the battlefield with a grace that was unmatched by anything I’d ever witnessed. Sure the worgen were fast and able to dodge strikes, but they had turned it into an art.
Then there were the trees. The source of the creeking and roaring I’d heard earlier became apparent. Enormous, animated trees trudged across the battlefield, their legs the size of the tree trunks from the Blackwald. These trees were vaguely humanoid in shape and I could even see faces protruding from beneath their leafy crown. The giant trees swung into forces of orcs, crushing them with ease using their huge bodies.
“Where did those things come from?” I gasped, unable to take my eyes off them for long.
“They’re ancient protectors,” Gwen stated. “The leaders of my order used to talk about them. Powerful druids can call upon the spirits of the forest to rise and fight by their side. I never knew of any that could actually do it, though,” she explained, the awe in her voice matching my own.
“Can you?”
“Of course not!” she responded, sounding almost defensive.
“Well why not?” My wonder at these marvelous creatures had brought back a little bit of my playful side – a side I had feared would be gone forever.
“Because I’m nineteen,” she declared.
“And you spent more time running around as a cat than actually studying your lessons,” I added.
“Yeah…that too,” she commented airily.
Suddenly, one of the ancients burst into flames as a deafening explosion drowned out the other sounds of battle. “What in the…?” A moment later, I noticed the source of the blast. The orcs had their own siege weapons. They were large, wooden catapults that fired fiery projectiles towards the night elves.
“That’s not good,” I heard Gwen comment.
We rushed forward and approached one of the sentinels near a glaive thrower. “Excuse me, is there anything we can do to help?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the headlands. If those catapults get much closer, they could bombard the harbor.
The night elf glanced at us for only a moment. “We have the battle on the ground under control,” she assured us with a calm voice. The sentinel was helping adjust the angle and positioning of the thrower. Suddenly, it fired, hurly several of the brutal saws out onto the battlefield – whistling as they cut through the air. They rained down on one of the catapults, slicing through the supports. The orcish war machine just sort of fell apart.
The other glaive throwers opened up, sending a volley of deadly blades into the orc forces. The night elves that were near the front line dodged and dashed out of the way as the orcs got torn apart. More of the orcish siege engines were disassembled by the night elves weapons.
Then, a salvo of cannon fire tore up a large section of the battlefield to our right. A thick cloud of dust and smoke obscured our view, but I knew that the glaive throwers that had been over there were gone. The airship had decided to support the troops from where it hovered over the bay.
“We have to take care of the Horde gunship,” the sentinel pointed out, her voice actually sounding exasperated. It was quite the departure from the typically-calm demeanor I had seen from them in my interactions with their race thus far. But, still, I would have been freaking out – I was freaking out. How do they hold their composure like that? She looked back at us. “You’d better get out of here before that thing decides to keep firing on our siege engines.
“But what about you? What about the other elves?” I blurted out.
“We are sentinels of the Kal’dorei and soldiers of the Alliance. We are prepared to give our lives if called to do so in order to protect the innocent. Now go,” she commanded.
I thought about protesting, but I remembered my promise to my father. After a moment, I spun around and led Gwen away. “We’re really going to leave them to fight?” she wondered.
“What would we be able to do to help?” I asked her seriously. She looked away, unable to come up with a response but probably not wanting to admit it. “None of this will matter unless someone sorts out how to take that ship down. It’ll sink all of the transport ships before we even have a chance to make it into open waters.” I started to feel overcome by an acute sense of hopelessness. How are we going to be able to escape? How could we possibly clear the path with that thing commanding the skies?
We returned to the docks to find more Gilneans gathered, huddled together and chattering nervously. They had surely seen the airship and knew we couldn’t get away. Darius approached us. “What’s the news from the front?” he asked.
“There wasn’t anything we could do. The elves are holding off the ground forces for now, but not for long. The orcs flying ship will tear them apart if they can’t bring it down,” I reported frantically. I ran my hands through my hair to try to calm myself. “What are we going to do?”
“We’ve been thinking that through, ourselves,” Darius informed us. “We’ve spoken with some of the elves and I think we’ve come up with a plan. Go find Lorna; she’ll fill you in. She should be over by the edge of the dock,” he commanded, throwing his thumb over his shoulder.
I looked past him and, sure enough, his daughter could be seen on the other end of the dock. She was carrying a wooden crate and followed by several humans who were doing the same. What’s she up to? And why do I get the feeling that I’m going to have to fight again? “Do I…do I have to be part of the plan?” I asked, hoping he would tell me no.
Darius’ face was serious as he nodded. “I’m afraid so. We need our best fighters involved, and there’s no denying you’re up there with the best of us,” he informed me. I was afraid of that. And I really didn’t feel like one of the best. I was reckless and sloppy. I wished I had had more training. As I thought on this, I was instantly reminded of how I had trained in the past – in the woods, alone with Daniel.
No! Now isn’t the time to think about that. My nose and eyes stung as I suppressed the urge to cry again. I have to be strong. I have to survive this for him. “Un…understood,” I finally responded. Without another word, we walked past him and towards Lorna.
“This is absolute shit,” Gwen declared angrily as we walked. “They don’t need us. They can take care of this, themselves.”
“Maybe,” I sighed. “But what if we didn’t help and they failed? We’d all be fucked,” I pointed out. “Let’s at least hear what insane thing they’re going to ask us to do before we get mad about it.”
“Fine,” she grumbled. I began to wonder what she was thinking. Gwen always looked so invigorated in battle as she darted around in her animalistic form. I was surprised she was resistant to the prospects of another. Was she just as tired of it all as I was? Was she more concerned with how I would act when thrown into another fray? I knew I was worried about that. I didn’t trust myself not to get too reckless now that Daniel was gone. There’s more to live for…and don’t make your loved ones feel the way you do now.
“Lorna!” I called as we got closer.
“Ah, Naomi; just in time,” she commented. “I’m sure my father already impressed on you that we need to get rid of that flying gunship if our people have any chance of escaping.” I nodded to answer. “Well, here’s the plan. Keel Harbor had its share of rebel sympathizers in the old days.” Were there any places in Gilneas that didn’t? “I’ve managed to round up a hefty amount of incendiary explosives from one of our storehouses,” she announced, slapping the side of the crate she was toting. I was a little terrified by how many of these storehouses they had hidden around the country. Crowley and his men could have waged a real war against the king had the worgen not torn apart and – subsequently – unified us.
“And we’re going to get them on board the thing…how?” I inquired. My stomach squirmed uncomfortably. It was in the sky; there were only so many ways we could get up there. Can we steal a catapult and just launch bombs at it? I hoped that was it.
She smiled. “I’m glad you asked. We’re going to hit the enemy with a force small enough to fly undetected. The night elf hippogryphs should do the trick,” she explained. The night elf whats? I wasn’t too keen on getting back up in the sky after the bomb-bat ride. I looked up the dock in the direction Lorna had been heading with the crate. There were several strange beasts standing there. “We’re going to load them up and then we have to wait for the airship to get into a good position. Tobias will give you the signal when we’re ready to go.”
“O-okay,” I responded emptily. I shot a nervous glance at Gwen. She shrugged and pulled me away.
“Can we get mad now?” she whispered.
“I don’t want to fly,” I groaned, cupping my hands over my snout. Just breathe. You won’t die here.
We approached the creatures on the edge of the dock. They were a strange combination of animals. Their front halves resembled birds, with bluish-green feathers and talons on its front legs. Though they had beaked faces, they had antlers like a stag. Their back half looked more like a horse, complete with hooved hind-legs and equine tail. A pair of massive, magnificent, feathered wings sat folded at its side, connected to the creature near their shoulder blades. So this is a hippogryph… I’d never seen anything like it, but they were certainly beautiful animals – much more pleasant to look at than the bats. And I hoped that they would be a somewhat more stable mount.
“Have you ever seen one of these things?” I asked Gwen curiously. “I mean, you do a lot more exploring than I do.”
“I don’t think they have anything like this in Gilneas,” she commented. “They’re kind of pretty.”
“They’re also kind of weird-looking,” I mentioned.
“Well, so are we.”
Tobias Mistmantle stood nearby with an excited grin on his face. “It’s you again,” he commented. “I was wondering if Darius would manage to talk you into helping us out again. It’s going to be a fun one.”
Yeah…fun… “Have you ridden one of these?” I wondered cautiously.
“Nope, but the night elves swear they’re very reliable,” Tobias responded. “They ride ‘em all the time, so how hard could it be? They also tell me these things are pretty smart – pretty much fly themselves.”
It was a small relief, but I was still uneasy. “Wh-when are we going to leave?” was my next hesitant question. Lorna and the others started loading explosives onto the saddle-bags of the hippogryphs.
“Once we’re loaded up, we just need to wait for the Horde gunship to get into better position. If we can make use of the clouds, we should be able to hit them before they see us,” he explained. “Getting antsy?”
“Not exactly the word I would use,” I grumbled.
Gwen and I stood by, waiting anxiously for Tobias to give us the signal. He kept his eyes fixed on the gunship in the distance. After a few minutes, it drifted beneath the clouds over the bay. “It’s time,” he declared. “Mount up.”
With a groan, I approached one of the hippogryphs cautiously. “It’s just going to be a nice, easy ride, right?” I asked it at a whisper. The thing screeched at me. “I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll hold you to that.” I began feeling very silly talking to this winged animal. Carefully, I jumped up onto its back.
The hippogryph shrieked again and reared back, unfolding its huge wings. Oh, please no. Settle down! It took off at a gallop while flapping. Before long, we were airborne and I was hugging its neck for support with my eyes snapped shut. It definitely felt different from the bat. While the wind still whipped at my face, my bottom definitely felt more secure. After a moment, I cautiously opened my eyes.
We were soaring through the air. With each beat of its wings I was pulled higher and higher into the clouds. I began to lighten up my grip on the creature’s neck, figuring it would not be a good idea to strangle the poor thing – especially while I was still on it. I dared to look around. There were about a dozen other hippogryphs flying around me. I could see Gwen, Tobias, and Lorna each on their own mount. There were also several Gilnean militiamen accompanying us.
We ascended into the clouds and I immediately was unable to see more than a foot in front of my snout. I prayed that this hippogryph knew where it was going, because I certainly didn’t. My heart started racing again. Okay, this wasn’t so bad at first, but I don’t like this. I need to be able to see. Every second, I expected to collide with one of the other hippogryphs or the hull of the gunship.
After what felt like forever, the hippogryph started to glide down. I could feel the descent as the pit of my stomach began to rise, like I was falling. It has control. It knows what it’s doing. I’ll be okay. I had to keep telling myself that.
We broke through the clouds, just above the gunship. I could see a small bridge connecting the top of the two balloons. There were a few orc lookouts posted up there. It didn’t look like they had noticed us yet.
Tobias’ hippogryph approached first. As it swooped over one of the blimps, he hopped off and slid down the side onto the bridge. With a howl, he began fighting the closest orc to him. I saw Lorna and the others start to drop down, using the balloon to cushion their falls. If they can do it, I should be able to. My hippogryph made a pass. With a deep breath, I jumped off the side of it.
I did not like the feeling of freefalling. I stared directly at the ship and where I was going to land. After an eternal few seconds, I hit the blimp, bouncing a little on the fabric, and slid down onto the wooden platform.
“Clear the rafters!” Lorna commanded, raising her rifle and firing at one of the orcs that began charging across the bridge. I noticed the saddle-bags full of explosives were piled up at her feet.
There was a familiar, audible growl next to me and then I saw Gwen dart forward in her preferred form to fight off the green-skinned enemies. I unsheathed my rapier and ran after her. There wasn’t a whole lot of room to maneuver on the bridge, so my speed wouldn’t help me much. I’ll have to be especially careful. Luckily, there weren’t too many guards up here. I could hear the deck below was in chaos, though. The entire ship had been alerted to our presence.
I noticed an orc pursuing Gwen as she attacked another. With an angry shout, I launched myself at him. He turned in time to deflect my strike. He sneered at me, eyes filled with bloodlust. With an enraged grunt, he swung his battle-axe at me. I tried to parry it, but the size and weight of the weapon was a bit overwhelming. I jumped away in time to keep the blade from biting into me. I could hear the tip scrape across the surface of my breastplate. That was close!
As the orc finished the arc of his swing, I lunged forward with my sword. He leaned back to avoid it. Spry for a big fellow. But I figured his balance couldn’t be to secure in that stance. I swung around and kicked him in the chest as hard as I could. The orc blinked several times as he staggered back to regain his footing. His face told me he never expected someone like me to be able to hit him. Then, as hard as I could, I rammed into him before he could regain his balance. The orc fell back over the railing and plummeted to the deck below. It was eerie listening to his screams just abruptly end as he collided with the surface.
I allowed myself to take a deep breath before turning around. The rest of the assault force was finishing up the remaining orcs up on the rafters. Lorna wandered over to us as a couple of the Gilnean militiamen began shooting at orcs on the deck down below. Well, so far, so good.
My eyes drifted over to the gigantic balloons. “Hey Lorna…why don’t we just blow these things?” I asked. It made enough sense to me. An airship couldn’t stay up without its hot air. Then how would we get down? I could think of one way, but I wouldn’t be too happy about it.
She shook her head. “That would be no good. The wreck would block our exit,” she pointed out before throwing me a mischievous grin and a wink. “No, I got a better plan.”
“Does that plan include an exit strategy?” I asked nervously.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, yeah?” she laughed. How is she so calm about this? I hoped the hippogryphs were smart enough animals to come back for us. She turned towards the rest of the group. “I want two sharpshooters to stay behind and cover the deck. Everyone else, use the ropes to rappel down. Let’s give them hell!” she commanded energetically.
Rope? Looking around, I noticed the coils of rope she was referring to. Great…so I’m going to be dangling from a rope sixty-some feet over the deck of a ship floating hundreds of feet in the air. Brilliant. What could go wrong?
Tobias tossed the ropes over the side. “Well, let’s get to it, then,” he shouted, grabbing hold of one and launching himself over the railing.
“Come on, Naomi. Let’s finish this and get the hell out of here,” Gwen encouraged. I saw Lorna start her descent. The marksmen atop the balcony were keeping them well-covered.
I grabbed a robe and took a deep breath before climbing over the railing. I could feel my muscles tighten as I kept a death grip on the rope. Slowly… I eased up a little bit and I felt my heavy body jerk down. In a panic, I clutched the rope with all of my strength. This is horrid. Little by little, I made it down. It took me so long, in fact, that there didn’t seem to be any enemies around when I finally touched down on the deck.
“You really don’t like heights do you?” Gwen laughed.
I shook my head. I tried to think back to figure out why. Maybe it was the bat ride. I had no idea. When it came down to it, I shouldn’t be so uneasy about it; I’ve done much more dangerous things lately. My cheeks started to burn with embarrassment. I’m so worthless.
“We’re making for the bridge. Pick it up, Love,” she urged.
I couldn’t help but notice the vibrations in the floorboards beneath my paws, reminding me of where I was. Regardless, I ran forward to join the rest. Lorna and the others were standing outside of a chamber that could only have been the bridge. They had their rifles raised and primed on the two orcs that were therein. One of the orcs wore a large hat, which I took to mean he was the captain.
Slowly, Lorna and her soldiers crept forward, ready to fire if challenged. “Hands up, greenskins!” Lorna demanded with a sneer. “My men will give you your new bearing. You try anything funny and we’ll fill you with lead, understood?”
Nervously, the orcs nodded as they raised their hands. The one next to the captain was shaking violently.
“Good. I guess they don’t teach all of you to fight till the last man,” she added with a laugh. “Smart.” She turned to Tobias, Gwen, and me. “The rest of you, follow me downstairs,” she commanded, hoisting the bombs onto her shoulder.
“There’s a downstairs?” Gwen blurted out.
“Of course,” Lorna shrugged as she walked past us. We fell in behind her. “You didn’t think the whole ship was filled with hot air, did you?”
Gwen didn’t respond. On the opposite side of the deck was a ramp leading down into the underbelly of the ship. I pulled my sword out as we descended. At the bottom of the ramp was rather claustrophobic chamber with closed doors on each side. There weren’t any guards down here, much to my surprise. I didn’t know what was on the other side of those doors and I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to find out.
The far end of the chamber opened up suddenly, creating a wide corridor with a single entryway into the back of the airship. There were a few orcs here and Gwen, Tobias, and I charged forward to engage them. I had a lot more room to maneuver and make use of my speed, so it was considerably easier to evade the powerful orcs’ attacks. They yelled what I expected were profanities at me in their crude language as they swung wildly. More orcs poured out of the room at the other end. They’re so desperate to stop us; they must know what’s coming.
A gunshot rung out the moment I sensed movement behind me. I spun around and jumped with a start. An orc was right behind me, his weapon raised. But he wasn’t moving, an increasingly vacant stare in his eyes. Then he slumped to the ground. Lorna stood a ways behind him, smoke billowing from the barrel of her rifle.
“Thanks,” I gasped, hoping my heart would slow down soon.
“Don’t mention it,” Lorna replied happily. “Hey, isn’t this how we met?”
“Except this time, I didn’t have someone hanging off my arm,” I muttered.
I took a moment to get my bearings. The room was more than wide – it was open to the outside. There were a number of platforms hanging out over the open sky. Some of them had cannon turrets, but others had some very peculiar, winged creatures. They had the head of a lion, leathery wings like a bat, and a tail that resembled that of a giant scorpion. What a bizarre thing. I didn’t know what it was, but I was pretty certain it would be a particularly unpleasant flying experience.
“What are those things?” I asked.
“Our ride out,” Lorna responded immediately. I was afraid of that. Well, I guess possibly dying was better than definitely dying. “The furnace room should be up ahead.” She marched forward, toting the bombs. I followed her into the big room at the end of the chamber. Sure enough, there were some iron structures in there resembling large boilers or furnaces. There were moving parts on them. The machines emitted an audible hum.
Lorna went to work rigging the explosives. “Just hold them off, now,” she requested. “We don’t know how many are…” But she was interrupted by the floor shaking. It shook again…and again. It was rhythmic – like footsteps. “What in the…” Lorna spun around; I did the same. “Oh…that’s one big orc,” she declared, her voice filled with surprise and awe.
A big orc…what an understatement. The behemoth that lumbered towards us across the room outside was beyond big. He was easily the size of the abominations we’d fought, maybe bigger; it was hard to tell from here. But he wasn’t a stitched-together hulk made up of many things. He was a single continuous form with bulging muscles that looked like they were carved out of stone. His shoulders were thicker than my entire torso and covered in thick plate armor adorned with rows of spikes. His arms were almost comically long compared to its comparatively stubby legs. The brute’s head was easily the size of a ripened watermelon. There were two large tusks poking out of the lips of his jaw, one of which had a brass tip. Unlike the abominations, this orcs expression held the dangerous signs of intellect.
“Keep it off me while I get this sorted,” Lorna commanded. I could hear her tinkering with the bombs, but my eyes were fixated on the orc behemoth in front of me.
“Uh…how?” was all I could mutter in disbelief. How in the world does an orc get like that? And how in the name of the Light are we supposed to fight it? I tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword. A strange sense of hopelessness overcame me. We’re doomed…if the Horde has soldiers like this at its disposal, what hope do we really have? I began to shudder a bit. Daniel…I don’t want to die.
“You should run now, while you can,” the orc warned, his face twisting into a crooked smirk. Can he sense my fear? Why…why am I so afraid of this thing when I fought all the others? By all accounts the undead things I’d fought were so much more terrifying, but I was paralyzed.
Gwen’s eyes on me caught my attention. She stared at me, like she was studying my face. Can she tell what I’m feeling too? Without any notice, she turned herself into her cat form and charged forward with a roar.
“Gwen!” I called after her. That thing’s going to kill her! The gigantic orc swung at her, but her sleek body zipped past his tree-trunk-like arms. It wasn’t the fastest thing we had faced; that size must actually come at a cost for these things…a glimmer of hope.
Tobias lunged forward with a snarl to join her. I watched him swipe at the brute, his claws digging into the greenskin’s forearm as he raised it defensively. I could see the wound bleeding, but the orc did not seem to care. He brought his fists down right where Tobias was. The floor of the ship cracked and splintered beneath the blow.
I staggered, trying to keep my balance as the ship shook. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Tobias steadying himself after barely evading the crushing strike. That was close. Tobias would have been killed for sure if he’d been hit by that! I swallowed hard. I need to get in there…I need to help.
“I don’t know what your hangup is,” Lorna commented. “But if that orc lives, we don’t.”
Come on, Naomi…get over it. Move! Fight! I kept telling myself to move forward. Finally, I was able to shake my mounting dread and thoughts of doom long enough to run forward. My body wasn’t moving as quickly as it used to…and not nearly as quickly as I needed it to.
I charged at the orc, who was swinging wildly as Gwen and Tobias hopped around him, and lunged forward with my rapier. I stuck him in the side of the leg. The brute howled in pain and rage. Did I get it? He swung around and slammed the back of his fist into me.
I yelped in agony as my body flew through the air and smashed into the wall of the engine room. I can’t breathe…I’m dying… My entire body was consumed in a pain beyond description. I had no doubt that bones had shattered beneath my skin. Somehow, I was still conscious – barely – and I caught glimpses of the orc as my vision drifted in and out of focus.
“How dare you puny weaklings attack us? You should have scurried away when you had the chance,” the orc roared.
I gasped out a jagged breath; my chest burned in protest. My mouth was strangely warm and wet. I tasted iron. Great…it feels like…my lungs are ruptured… I tried, in vain, to stand up, but I didn’t have the strength. My vision started to fade again.
Then, I heard a sound that froze me to my core: a frantic whimpering that didn’t sound quite worgen. I forced my eyes to focus and I saw the orc giant had Gwen in his powerful hands. I could see her struggling to escape.
“I got you now,” the orc chuckled malevolently. He tightened his grip and I heard Gwen cry out.
Gwen…no! Something burned within me. That awful bully! I will not let him hurt Gwen! I can’t! I moved my legs and pushed my way up the wall. Get up. She needs me. There will be time to die later! As I rose to standing position, my pain numbed. Breathing became much easier, though admittedly it was not without its problems. My body shook, but not from weakness and injury. Unbridled adrenaline coursed through me.
My sword lay on the ground nearby. I scooped it up and squared myself against the orc. “Put her down!” I demanded, the anger reaching the boiling point.
The orc turned towards me but did not obey my command. He let out a quick laugh. “Look at you. You can barely stand. What chance do you think you have?”
Pure recklessness fueled my body. I sprinted forward, pushing my body to the limits. The pain returned as I forced my muscles to move faster and faster. In an instant, I had closed the distance and jammed the tip of my blade into the wrist of massive orc. The strike forced him to release Gwen, who collapsed to the ground. She was still moving, though. I had no idea where Tobias was.
I sidestepped his counterattack and began slicing everything inch of orc flesh I could reach, creating a veritable whirlwind – a furious bladestorm that would have chopped a lesser enemy into pieces. Somehow, when I hopped away to assess the situation, the orc was still standing. Though, he obviously couldn’t take much more; blood streamed from the dozens of deep wounds I had etched into his flesh.
The orc fell to one knee and held himself upright. “H-how?” he gurgled.
I didn’t respond. My rage was overflowing. The orc was near death, maybe mortally wounded. But I wanted to be sure the job was done. I darted forward and leapt high into the air. As I came down onto the orc’s slumped body, I dumped all of my power – all of my rage – into one final strike. The thin blade pierced his skull and cut his head clear in half cleanly. My execution blow was a wild success.
As I extracted the sword, the orc fell to the side, shaking the ground. I slid the bloody blade into its sheath. As the adrenaline drained from me, so too did the numbness. The pain returned in full-force, my enraged healing not setting right all of the injuries. I fell to my knees – my muscles not able to keep me upright – and began gasping for breath. My lungs hurt again and my body was screaming at me.
“Naomi!” Gwen cried, running to my side. “Are you okay?”
I coughed and drew in a sharp breath as pain jolted through my chest. I shook my head, not sure if I could actually speak. I don’t know if I’m going to make it…Daniel…I’m going to die. Tears appeared in my eyes.
“The bombs are about to blow. Quick, get to the wyverns!” Lorna announced. I tilted my head back and gazed down the open passageway. Tobias was near the other end, slowling rising. The orc must have thrown him clear across the ship. He began limping towards one of the weird, winged animals.
“Let’s go,” Gwen urged desperately. “Naomi, stand up!” She began stripping off pieces of my armor – the shoulder pads, gauntlets, and bracers – in order to lighten the load.
I mustered enough strength to rise with Gwen’s help. She got underneath my arm and supported my weight as we moved forward. Even so, my legs shook. Lorna commanded us to hurry and then ran ahead of us. She got out of sight around the corner. I could only assume she had mounted one of the beasts and was on her way off to Keel Harbor.
We were making slow progress. How much time could we possibly have left? And even if I get out of here, there’s no certainty I won’t succumb to the injuries. Gwen has to get out of here…she has to survive. “Gwen…go,” I gasped in a labored voice. “Leave me…get to safety,” I insisted.
“I’m not leaving you,” she responded stubbornly.
We made it out of the engine room and into the open chamber. There was a single wyvern left, but it looked about ready to fly off on its own. “Just…go,” I repeated weakly. Gwen didn’t say anything; she just kept carrying me forward.
A deafening explosion resounded behind us. We’re out of time! The ship gave a violent lurch and Gwen and I were thrown forward by the blast from the exploding furnace. Something bit into my side and I cried out as we hit the floor.
I laid there, drifting in and out of consciousness. The wyvern was incredibly agitated. Gwen…get out of here…please! The beast flew off, fearing the ship’s destruction. No…we’re trapped…she’s trapped… I began cursing myself; I had killed her. If I hadn’t been so weak, she would have made it out. I couldn’t save her or Daniel.
“Naomi!” I heard Gwen call out frantically. Her voice sounded so far away. I could feel her hoisting me up onto my paws. “Naomi, we have to move!”
What’s the point? We’re going down with the ship. The ground shook violently. Everything felt so unreal, like I was just and observer in all of this, watching as Gwen and I tried to escape an inescapable situation.
She dragged me to the edge, where one of the wyverns had been moments before. The ground was approaching fast. Below, scores of orcs scurried to get out of the way. So that was the plan…kill two birds with one stone.
“Gwen…I’m sorry,” I sobbed through gritted teeth.
She shushed me and held me out at arms’ length. She gasped. “Your stomach!”
I looked down; a jagged piece of metal was embedded in my belly, just right of center. It must have been thrown from the engine room after the explosion. “It’s…it’s nothing…I can’t even feel it,” I told her. It was sort of true; my body was consumed by pain, so I couldn’t really notice that specific wound. “I’m sorry,” I repeated. “I don’t think…” I took a deep breath. “Thank you…for being my friend…such an amazing friend.”
She looked at me with a concerned gaze for a moment before her expression strengthened. “Thank me later,” she stated before pushing me off the side of the ship.
What? My mind couldn’t really register what just happened. I was staring at the sky and I could feel myself free-falling. My eyes blacked out and I drifted closer to unconsciousness. Where’s Gwen?
I felt something clamp around my arms, just by my shoulder. I heard the flapping of wings. It no longer felt like I was falling. More accurately, it felt like I was hanging, my paws dangling in the air below me. My eyes focused long enough to look around; two massive talons had latched onto my arms. I followed the talons up and saw the same giant raven-thing that I had seen flying over Lord Walden’s estate.
Where did that come from? It took my mind to finally make the connection: Gwen! I’d seen her transform into animals so many times, but I had no idea she would be able to take this form. I turned my attention forward; Keel Harbor was getting closer and closer. I could see the night elf ships waiting in the waters of the bay. I couldn’t really hear anything as wind whipped across my face, nearly drowning out the ringing left over from the explosion.
Before long, we were gliding over the town. Gently, Gwen set me down near the docks. I immediately collapsed onto my but, holding myself up with an outstretched arm. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see a pair of paws drop down onto the ground out of the air.
Gwen ran up to me and knelt down, putting her furry muzzle right in front of mine. “Naomi, we made it!” she declared triumphantly. “We’re going to get out of here!”
I opened my mouth to respond, but I lacked the energy to speak. My body started shaking violently. My vision was blurred. Again, I tasted blood in my mouth.
I could see the outlines of others running towards me. “Naomi?” she questioned. “Are you okay?”
My eyes drooped and I began to sway. My arm wouldn’t prop me up for long. It was becoming harder and harder to breathe. It was becoming harder and harder to stay awake. If I pass out, I’ll surely die.
“Naomi, stay with me!” Gwen urged desperately. A faint green glow appeared around her hands. She spent so much energy just mending the small wound a couple of days ago. She won’t be able to rejuvenate me now.
My arm gave way and I collapsed to the ground. The others were getting closer now, but my vision was going black again. Gwen…just go. Get on the boat and get out of here. I’ll happily sacrifice myself if I know you, at least, escaped. I wished I could bring myself to mutter those words.
Daniel…I’ll see you soon…maybe sooner than you expected. Sooner than I wanted. Fear gripped me amidst the pain. I don’t want to die…I don’t want to die… I could feel tears building in my eyes, even though I could no longer see. I could faintly hear Gwen screaming out my name.
It’s not fair…I gave so much…I tried so hard…why do I have to die? After everything that had happened, I deserved to keep going. I was so close. The ships would set sail and I would be gone.
“Quick, get a doctor…a healer…anyone!” Gwen cried out. “Get her on the ship!”
It’s too late…I’m too far gone. Oh, Light…I don’t want to die. If I had the energy to cry, I was sure I would be sobbing uncontrollably. Daniel…everything hurts…I can’t take it…I…can’t… I began to slip out of consciousness.
“Naomi!”
That was the last thing I heard before every sense went dark. There was nothingness. I knew what it meant, but I thought death would feel different. This is the end…
Mind of Malm 