Noah’s hammer rang like a bell as it deflected harmlessly off the hellhound’s skull. He had no time to wonder at the creature’s durability before the beast’s head slammed into his chest, throwing him to the ground before trampling him underfoot. Noah sputtered as the air was forced from his lungs as he desperately rolled to avoid being crushed by the next beast. Seeing the soft underbelly of an approaching foe, he drew his dagger and positioned himself in line of the approaching beast. As its front paws pressed into the ground just beside his body he drove his dagger up, the momentum of the beast working to open a long gash spanning the length of its torso. Noah launched himself to his feet, only to jump immediately as the next charging foe lowered its horned head at him. Noah scrambled to the side, searching for the hammer that had been knocked out of his trampled hand. The world was complete chaos as the enemy force plowed through them like cavalry through unorganized infantry. He never claimed to be a tactician, but the failure to predict this outcome burdened him with heavy shame. As he scanned for his weapon he could see his fellow warriors now fighting as individuals or laying trampled on the ground. He had to do something.
“Warriors! To me!” He roared at the top of his enhanced lungs. He withdrew his hand axe and held it in his right hand alongside the dagger in his left. The next beast became his mount as he leapt upon its back, driving the dagger into the base of its neck providing a handhold as he surveyed the battlefield. His forces were well and truly overwhelmed, the results of the initial charge only adding to their disparity. He did note that Recter and a few others stood tall, the bodies of their slain enemies serving as a barrier to the charging forces. Noah shouted again, calling his tribe to rise. He met Ne’Ja’s gaze as she lifted herself off the ground and sprung into action. Ahead he saw Ga’To and Di’Ma desperately defending a wounded warrior lying behind them. Noah drove the blade of his axe into the side of his mount’s neck before withdrawing his knife and leaping upon his comrade's enemy. He slew the beast but had to move before the antlers of the charging moose speared him through.
Noah caught sight of Me’Zin riding the shoulders of a fierce bear who desperately worked to pry her off as she plunged her blade into his skull. He couldn’t help but grin as he took in the savage responses of his tribe who refused to go down without a fight. All of a sudden the battlefield seemed to empty and Noah watched in confusion as the beasts fully passed through their ranks and began to form up on the hill behind them. Only the beasts locked in battle or lying dead remained as the horde prepared for another deadly charge. The demonic beast of burnt flesh and raging fire smiled cruelly as it watched the feeble warriors fight for their lives.
Noah knew that they couldn’t endure another pass of the trampling horde, so he raised his fist and called for his tribe yet again.
“Everyone to me!” He yelled, his voice cutting through the clanging of metal and the rending of flesh. The able-bodied warriors rushed to him, as he ran for cover behind a particularly tall mound of corpses. The giant beasts at least served that purpose well. Recter, Ne’Ja, and Ta’Ku managed to join him along with some twenty others even as the thundering charge began.
“Spears forward! Weapons at the ready! Stay together!” Noah ordered, hoping to establish order in the midst of the untamed kill zone. He found a battleaxe that had been separated from its owner and gripped it with white knuckles as the beasts began their approach. Cries of pain and roars of fury filled their ears, much like the winds of a hurricane blocking out every other noise. His pulse quickened as a beast blurred past their barrier and a jet of flame superheated the air around them. No. Noah gasped as their rawhide armor was set ablaze causing them to yell out in fear. Several orcs immediately dropped to the ground, rolling to extinguish the flames only to be trampled moments later.
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“Strip your furs! Don’t risk the ground!” Noah screamed, hoping his words would reach them. Others caught on as they watched him hurl the flaming layers at passing beasts and followed suit, though not before losing hair and marring skin. Noah was filled with hatred as he saw the fear and pain in his companions’ eyes, only a stalwart few holding on to their previous courage. Those who had come back from the brink had already put to death their fear and now stood ready to write their legend. Noah laid his hand on Ne’Ja’s shoulder, then Ta’Ku’s, and Rector’s. They had a wordless exchange, each of them tensing for their next move.
With a fierce intensity, the four of them burst forth, cutting down the next beasts who dared to pass. They struck out with spear, hammer, axe, and blade each delivering death with a single strike. The System notified him of mountainous amounts of XP that he instantly threw at his path. He focused his attention, forcing his domain to lock into place around him as he whirled in combat with the charging beasts. The four were as titans warring against the sea, moved by the tsunami-like waves but never toppled. The remaining orcs found their courage again as their leaders paved a path of blood before them.
They charged into the fray, cutting down the superior enemies in groups of two or three. There was no honor to be had on the battlefield, and so they made use of every advantage conceivable as they mercilessly struck down their foes. Many beasts fell in that charge, but as the horde gathered once again Noah saw that their numbers had decreased by no more than a third. His people however were battered and broken, and only small pockets of resistance remained across the blood-stained ground. There were too many of them. What do I do? The thought rang through his mind as he desperately searched the battlefield for any sign of inspiration. He didn’t have enough XP to advance his grade, and his inspiration was all but dried up from his previous push to the third Gate. The only hope of breakthrough he had was in his path, though he didn’t know at what level the threshold lay. So far his kills had brought him to level 245 and he could only hope that 250 was the next threshold. With the alarming power of their enemies, that would mean only one or two beasts more.
The warriors scrambled to the other side of the barrier, and Noah steeled his resolve as he faced them, knowing it could be the very last time.
“The tales of your feats will be sung forever more. If we fall, it won’t be until we can drag every last infernal beast with us!” He shouted, knowing too well the value of raised morale. “If you haven’t already, use your XP to level and apply your stats. They will be of no use in the grave.” He noted the far away gaze of a few as they did exactly that, giving a nod as they finished. Noah rummaged around the dead, pulling several furs from their corpses and collecting others that were now charred. He frowned in distaste at that action, hating every moment of it but he still put on the fur dress less his skin catch fire in the next pass. He handed the extras to the others who adorned them with pressed lips. When the ground began to shake they readied their weapons and exchanged final farewells.
Noah waited until the hellish beast was moments away before planting the butt of a discarded spear into the ground and holding the point to its chest. The beast had no time to pivot or stop so it plowed forward, taking the spear in stride and throwing Noah to the ground once more. He quickly rolled to the side behind cover and hastily removed the already flaming garments that dirt somehow failed to extinguish. The others followed suit, letting the initial beasts pass as they chose their targets with care. Noah watched as the hellhound turned around to face them, not racing forward to the hill beyond as it had done before. The spear stuck from its chest, though it appeared to move unhindered. Noah realized in horror that their previous strategy was no more as the beast began its charge afresh, followed quickly by the beasts that had already blown past. The warriors scrambled over the mound of bodies, knowing that to receive the charge would be their end. The screeching laugh of the leader rang out across the plain as it shot forward at the retreating orcs. As Noah braced himself for the assault the laughter was abruptly cut off as a System message filled their vision.
[Contest decided.]
[Sovereign of the Lionflame Kingdom has died.]
