The great battles of Lake Bykaal were coming to a head, and The Expedition was attempting to solidify their influence over the area. But a summons from Hammerhal was recently made to two of the bindings currently embroiled in the fighting. And so, with enemies in-between the two groups and the most efficient realm gate in the area, Admiral Bjornssen gave the two groups a small detachment of Kharadron, and they were on their way.
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It did not take long for them to find resistance!
Ahead of them, a huge army of the dead sought to take out a huge number of heroes in a single swoop. Massive amounts of skeletons, terrorgheists, and Nighthaunt stretched across the valley before them.
The army of the dead made the first move, aiming to cut their quarry into two, and avoid the firing power, they spit their forces. On either sides the massive terrorgheists led their forces into battle, while the skeletons took up the rear, cutting the Duardin from getting to a nearby arcane power source.
The first casualties were two of the gunhaulers, ripped from the skies by the terrifying beasts. But they had done their job, and the Kharadron responded by cutting down huge swaths of the dead with their barrage of firepower.
Unfortunately for the Duardin though, it wasn’t enough. The enemy had survived the onslaught and tore up the front lines. Scores of the Kharadron fell before the ghouls and undead in just moments. With the ships going down left and right, and the front lines decimated, the Soulbound were forced into battle early and against their will.
But, this was to be the detriment of the enemy. Fighting as if they had never been parted, Banoffee and Cerlana held against the terrorgheist on their side of the valley. Managing to bring it down while two gunhaulers protected the two heroes.
Zotikos leapt into the front lines, encouraging the Kharadron to stand firm and hold their lines. They had been decimated, but they were not lost, not yet! As he flew into battle, Xiao and Errrrr called to him, pointing out the greatest threat, the Morghasts. As the two mages made a way for him through the lines of battle, he was able to move straight towards the shock troops and straight into the carnage. His blades flew through the air as if possessed, dipping and weaving between the flying harbingers of death. And so, Zotikos made a name for himself among the Kharadron that day, slaying both of them in order for the guns to be turned on the nearby terrorgheist
It was then that the battle had its strangest addition yet. Following the sounds of battle, and the smell of trading to be had, Snazzy and his crew suddenly threw themselves into the battle. It seemed they had not come to help either side, but rather to trade their varied goods and wares. Although a bit of a nuisance, Xiao took the opportunity to be sure that the little band did not get any bright ideas, and promptly bribed convinced the little buggers to at least stay away from the Kharadron firing ranges.
It was turning out to be quite the fight, and yet the death army had not seen its greatest threat up until now. Verbric and Borgut, never ones to stray from a fight, had become lost underground while Verbric tunnelled below the enemy. But now, without a moment to spare, the two appeared behind enemy lines and promptly leapt into battle. Between the two battle-hardened warriors, and Zotikos who had run across the battlefield following his altercation with the Morghasts, the massive lines of ghosts on their side of the valley never stood a chance…
With the battle almost won, both sides had two warriors that just wouldn’t back down from their fights, a lonely crazed Ghoul, and a heroic Endrinmaster who had ploughed into hordes of Flayers in order to give Verbric, Borgut, and Zotikos the room to move about the central artefact. Incredibly, both of these warriors held out longer and longer, but, when all was said and done, it was the Endrinmaster who survived, while the Ghoul died in a blaze of bullets that threw up enough smoke and dirt that the resulting smoke plume could be seen for leagues around.
With the last of the skeletons getting diced up by Borgut, Verbric, and Zotikos, as well as burnt up to a crisp by a little volcano sent from the ever-accommodating Grimnir, the battle was won! The heroes had managed it, not unscathed, but certainly victorious.
It said they rather liked the feast that followed.
