"WARGHHH! HAHAHAHAAA!!"
The Orcs roared with savage delight as they fired a hail of gunfire at the walls, hoping by luck to hit something as their aims were merely driven more by chance than skill.
The gathered reserve of Orcs was also pushed up, abandoning any pretense of stealth and their deep voices screaming for blood as they charged.
"Aim for the gunners!" The command yelled along the ramparts, passed from soldier to soldier.
The assault came from both the Southwestern Gate and the Southeastern walls, leaving the Northwestern quiet of any activity. Eurylochus was tempted to pull some men from the unthreatened walls to bolster the defenses at the gate but decided not to commit yet. Within seconds, the Orcs, moving with terrifying speed like beasts as fast as horses, closed the 100-meter distance. Their massive bodies, while powerful, became a liability as they bunched together.
Cracks of gunfire and bursts of thunder split the air as red tracer rounds streaked from the bunkers. The magically enhanced Mithril-core bullets tore through two or more Orcs if they were packed tightly enough. Even the Mithril bullets ricocheted off the ground would seriously injure an Orc if it was in the path of the spent bullet.
"How many of them are there?" Eurylochus muttered in disbelief as the perimeter sensors beeped madly, and their screens showed a dark green wave pouring from the forest's edge.
The computer estimated over 7,000 signatures, an overwhelming tide heading toward the walls.
"Contact HQ! Tell them we've got a horde of Orcs inbound. If they don't send reinforcements soon, we'll be overrun!"
Suddenly, the howl of the TA-7 transport helicopter's engines screamed through the air as it hovered over the concrete landing pad at the mining complex.
The rear ramp dropped open, and almost 100 troops housed inside rushed out and raced toward the walls. Before the ramp had even fully closed, the helicopter powered up and lifted off, clearing the airspace just as the second transport swooped in for its landing.
Sergeant Eurylochus roared like a madman as he fought off the Orcs storming up several siege towers at the walls. His men stood shoulder to shoulder with him, firing into the bulky creatures as they climbed up in a swarm, crackling and giggling like mad constantly.
[IMAGES]
"Get these Mexicans off my fucking walls!" The Black African Sergeant bellowed as he racked his rifle's bolt. "Use your grenades and blow those twin towers apart!"
The soldiers around him wasted no time as they pulled their grenades from their pouches and tossed them over the walls at the base of the siege towers.
BOOOOM!!
Explosions followed, shaking the air, and the resulting screams confirmed their deadly efficiency.
"Fix bayonets!" Eurylochus shouted as he pulled out his own sword bayonet and locked it under his rifle barrel. "Chargeeeee!"
The Orc presence on the top of the walls ceased as the grenades had done their work, and the soldiers' charge swept through the remaining Orcs that had gained a foothold on the walls.
Eurylochus and his men stood over the parapet and fired down into the clustered mass of Orcs below, while others threw more grenades to topple the siege towers, ignoring the giant Orc bullets and streaks of sparkling spells flying everywhere.
"Trolls!" someone yelled at the side.
Eurylochus looked up and under the glare of the floodlights, several large humanoids pushing massive siege towers were charging forward on the right.
"You five, follow me!" Eurylochus ordered as he pointed to the nearest soldier armed with a bazooka, "The rest, hold the line!" and he sprinted with the group toward the section of the wall where the trolls were aiming for.
The walls towered over 12 meters high, but the trolls, standing at three meters tall, pushed the massive towers as though they weighed nothing. Orcs too slow to get out of their way were crushed underfoot. They wore a set of thick iron armor, with a crudely made full face helm, looking like a bucket with holes for the eyes.
The trolls lumbered forward, grunting in pain as bullets peppered their bodies. But their innate regeneration ability kicked in, sealing their wounds supernaturally almost as fast as they were inflicted.
Eurylochus skidded to a stop near the wall and pointed at the trolls.
"Give 'em hell!" he barked at the rocket team. "The rest, provide cover fire!"
The anti-tank team wasted no time as they quickly set up the rocket launcher and leaned over the parapet, aiming the crosshairs at the nearest troll as it pushed a siege tower closer while checking their backblast.
"Clear!"
"One round away!"
The rocket launched with a fiery WHOOSH, followed a second later by a thunderous explosion. At such close range, the rocket would hardly miss. The projectile punched through the troll's iron armor as though it were paper, and the warhead detonated with brutal precision. A jet of superheated liquid metal instantly melts through the troll's thick, bark-like skin, incinerating its organs and turning its blood to vapor.
The troll toppled backward with a mighty crash, with smoke and flames flickering from the gaping hole in its armor. Even with its impressive regeneration power, it could not survive a direct hit to the chest and its healing speed was unable to match with the destructive power of the rocket's warhead.
"Fuck yeah!" Eurylochus roared, grinning at the sight. "Hell of a good shot!" He began to cheer along with those that witnessed the kill
"Incoming!" a soldier shouted over the sudden roar of gunfire as a dark rain of 20mm rounds sprayed the walls, followed by bursts of magic exploding on impact, sending sparks, heat, and smoke into the air.
Screams of agony pierced the chaos as the Orcs' bullets tore into the exposed soldiers, ripping through flesh and turning bodies into grisly fragments, while some of the wildly spells hit their mark as well, causing those struck to explode into magical smoke.
"Fuck!!"
"Men down!!"
"Aaaargh!!"
"Medic!!"
"Get to cover and hit those trolls and Orcs!" Eurylochus ordered and ducked behind the parapet as he keyed his comms. "Thunderwing flight, this is Apache Three! Requesting fire mission, over!"
[Thunderwing One, fire mission, over.]
"Apache Three, fire mission, grid three-three-four dash seven-two-niner, fire for immediate effect, over!" Eurylochus read the coordinates off his tablet while his back pressed against the parapet as more rounds pinged around him.
[Thunderwing One, standby,] the radio buzzed, [Thunderwing One to Apache Three, that's right on top of you, over.]
Eurylochus cursed under his breath as another volley of enemy fire shredded through his ranks, seeing soldiers fall and their bodies disintegrating in bloody bursts as a stray spell whizzed past his head and spiraled into the night sky.
"Apache Three, affirmative! Request immediate fire mission!"
[Thunderwing One, roger that! Danger close, repeat, danger close! Coming in hot!]
"Get down!" Eurylochus shouted as he waved his men toward cover. "Danger close! DANGER CLOSE!"
The soldiers all dived down and huddled themselves tightly against the parapet as the trolls hammered their siege towers against the walls. Swarms of Orcs soon scrambled up the towers, and their grotesque giggles echoing as they ascended.
But for now, the soldiers ignored them as they huddled behind reinforced concrete to brace for the incoming bombardment. Shouts of "Danger close!" rippled down the line as they covered their ears and opened their mouths, bracing for the shockwave.
The high-pitched scream of Thunderwing Attack Helicopter engines tore through the sky. The gunship roared overhead, lining up with the southwestern gate and unleashing a ripple of rocket fire. The night lit up as the no-man's land was flooded with explosions and the bright bursts casted flickering shadows on the walls.
A wave of flame and smoke consumed the Orc gunners as their positions were obliterated in an instant by the thermobaric warheads. The overpressure slammed into the soldiers, making their insides lurch and causing ears to ring.
The trolls and Orcs climbing the towers were ripped from their footholds, many falling to their deaths or succumbing to the concussive blast. Even the trolls, with their thick iron armor, were no match for the ferocity of the rocket bombardment. They crumpled, their bodies charred and were temporarily knocked down by the immense force.
Eurylochus forced a yawn, trying to relieve the pressure in his ears. Despite the barrier of concrete between them and the explosions, he could feel the shockwave and heat. He stood and surveyed the effects of the bombing run, and smiled in appreciation at the carnage left behind.
"I do love the smell of cooked mushrooms in the morning." He muttered with grim satisfaction.
"Apache Three to Thunderwing One, good run!" Eurylochus called into his comms, offering his thanks to the airborne unit. Turning to his men, he commanded, "Finish off those trolls before they regenerate!"
————————————————————————
After the battle had ended, more reinforcements from the Liberation Army arrived, treating the wounded and setting fire to the Orcs' bodies to prevent airborne spores from spreading, which caused the air to be filled with smoke and the acrid stench of burning flesh.
One soldier nudged the gun away from the burly, face-down body of the dead Orc Warleader.
"Check their bodies," he ordered. "See if we can find any clue or something to how these Orcs got their hands on guns."
He crouched down and picked up a massive revolver, feeling its hefty weight in his hands, and the crude craftsmanship was apparent as he examined the weapon.
"Damn," he muttered, "This looks like a knockoff of our Single Action revolvers, but way too crude. Like some smart toddler pieced it together."
He broke the action and ejected the shells into his hand, whistling as he examined an unfired round.
"Must be around 20mm... What the hell is this thing?"
The revolver looked simple and primitive, but had a solid frame and a top-break cartridge firing revolver and a 'J' grip was made of roughly polished wood. He sniffed the chamber and winced at the rotten egg stench of saltpeter.
"Shit, something's seriously off with this." He frowned, waving a hand through the air. "Hey, I need a runner! Get these rounds to command now!"
"Lieutenant!" another soldier called from the top of a wagon he was inspecting. "You might want to take a look at this!"
"What now?" The lieutenant felt a knot of dread tighten in his gut as he climbed up the wagon. His stomach sank when he saw it.
"Aww, fuck..."
Several crates, their lids pried open, revealed rows of revolvers nestled in sawdust. His men stood silently around the cargo with shock and unease on their faces.
The lieutenant did a quick count of the crates and swore under his breath, staring at the crude weapons stockpile.
"Where the fuck did they get so many guns!?"