Showdown at Blubberfen: Drive Them Back!
Blubberfen was now ripe with fungi and teeming with critters of all sizes.
They'd do for some tasty morsels, thought Skargat as he surveyed the restored bog with pride. Behind him, belches, farts and laughters sounded loud as the Ironforged began the forth day of feasting to celebrate their victory. Even Hrothgur's sullenness had finally gave way, and the Crusher had joined the celebrations, recognising his place in the pecking order.
Then the glint of metal in the distance caught the Tyrant's attention. It moved with purpose and too high over the bog surface to be drifting floatsam. This could only mean one thing.
"Lads!" he shouted "Drop the food and grab your weapons! Them Swordfyshes are at it again, coming into our lands! Barag, Marg and Growt, you track their path and figure out what they've been up to this time. Cargo, Braggoth and Hrothgur, with me! We're going to teach them another lesson!"
With resolute grins on their faces, the ogors stood and marched up to their assigned duties.
A bunch of gnoblars, still swelling with pride for bursting the dam, skreeched in glee and aping the ogors movement joined them.
***
The murky swampland sucked hard at both the ogors' and orruks' feet, slowing them down, when Skargat, Cargo and Hrothgur came upon Krashhart, Ol' Mudgob and Lugger Dag.
Braggoth lagged back, his armour making it more difficult for him to manage the sucking mud.
Hrothgur took the initiative and ordering Cargo with him, closed up on Krashhart. Cutlass, anchor and axes rained on the Warchanter's armour.
Ol' Mudgob bellowed a powerful Waaagh! and he and Lugger splashed noisily away, leaving the Warchanter alone. Skargat immediately sprinted in pursuit.
As he pushed through the mud, the Tyrant shouted few unsubtle threats at Braggoth, making sure that the Maneater moved up, leaving Burna behind.
The Gristle Grinder slammed square on Cargo's chest, and as the Maneater recovered his breath, Krashhart turned tail and followed his shaman.
As Leeway Ruk and Hook tryed to sneak behind the Ironforged, Burna's shout of warning was brutally cut short by Leeway's gore-hacka. Hrothgur rushed back to protect the gnoblar.
Braggoth left the pursuit of Ol' Mudgob and moved to intercept Hook.
With Cargo firing at his back, Krashhart passed close enough to Skargat that the Tyrant could finish the job started by the Maneater and the Crusher, sending the Warchanter to once again grovel in the mud. He them strode forward, in pursuit of Ol' Mudgob.
The Shaman shouted to Lugger Dag, ordering the Brute to move further away.
Ahead of the Brute, Watcha, Basha and Loota forced their way through the mud, trying to reach the orruk and pushing him back.
Hrothgur drew the vial of Blight Serpent Venom from his satchel and smeared it on his axes as he trudged forward to catch up with Leeway. In spite of the sucking mud, the Crusher came upon the brute in an avalance of poisoned blow. Braggoth braced behind his shield and took Hook charge. Soon, both brutes were sent sprawling into the bog.
Ol' Mudgob called the Foot of Gork to descend upon Cargo, all the while hacking at Skargat. At the same time, Docker Goff emerged from the mist, swinging his great axe at the Tyrant. Both the Tyrant and the Maneater, bleeding profusely, reached for their Greater Itxi Grubs and chew on them. Then Cargo opened fire on the Shaman, while Skargat hacked down Docker.
The trio of gnoblar reached Lugger, and though the brute slapped Watcha down and gave a good thumping to Basha, they managed to surround him and push him towards the edge of Blubberfen.
As one, Lugger and Ol' Mudgob realised the only thing they could do was grabbing the wounded and leave Blubberfen.
***
Even if still limping on his mending leg, Barag had led the Gluttons on the Swordfyshes' track. There seemed to be no trace of the orruks trying another underhanded trick to dislodge the Ironforged from Blubberfen. And yet, as the trio advanced through the Prowling Forest, they stumbled upon an old, small cemetery.
There, Barag found an Amethyst Amulet. As soon as he grabbed it, Marg was set upon by deadwalkers, but the glutton emerged from the fight with just some scratches and a bag full of well cured meat.
***
Finga followed Hrothgur's instructions and found the entrance to the hidden cave. Inside, he grabbed a shiny bottle. Surely it was because it was so shiny that the Crusher had sent him to recover it and told not to tell Skargat about it...
***
Even if the other gnoblars had left him behind, Skreecha was happy. As he splashed through Blubberfen he had uncovered a bunch of golden coins. With avaricious eyes, he collected them an returned to camp.
The Flood
The stench of putrefying algae hung heavily over the cracking hearth of what had been Blubberfen. The few surviving, skeletal trees creaked in the breeze. Yet, the attention of all the Ironforged and their gnoblars was on the two figures grappled in a bear hug.
As soon as the different parties had met at sunset, it was clear leadership must have been decided once and for all. But with so little provisions left, an eating competition was out of the question. Without a word, the Tyrant and Crusher had charged at each other and started belly wrestling.
After hours of bouncing off each other with neither able to get an advantage, Hrothgur had lowered his head and grabbed Skargat, forcing both Tyrant's arms against his massive chest. The move surprised Skargat, and for a moment he staggered back. Then he planted his rear foot and twisted around, robbing Hrothgur of his advantage and breaking his grip enough to slid his own arms free and grab the Crusher.
Now they were both pushing forward, one arm around the other's shoulder and the other around their waist, their meaty fists clutched over the opponent's back. Neither was advancing.
Then, with a might bellow, Skargat arched his shoulders backward and lifted Hrothgur, all the while tightening his grip. The Tyrant spun around and then released the Crusher who sailed through the air and slammed against a dying tree, uprooting it.
Skargat stared at the Ironforged, panting heavily.
"Anyone's anything to say?" he growled.
In the following silence, the drunken laughters of the Swordfyshes sailed through the night.
"Good! That's the last time I want to hear those orruks laughing. Cargo and Braggoth! At dawn you'll pick the five best gnoblars, leave the other two to tend the wounded. Then we'll burst that dam! My way this time! And that will remind you all why I'm called Brainglut!"
***
At fist light, Krashhart and Ol' Mudgob stood atop their crude dam. Behind them, Lugger Dag and Flotsum awaited in the wailing mangrove copse.
The Ironforged advanced, each ogor shielding the gnoblars with their bulk. The diminutive creatures puffed their chests, for they had been given the most important task.
Krashhart surprised everybody with his quick reaction. He barged past Ol' Mudgod and leapt from the dam, the Gristle Grinder hefted over his head and aimed at that of Skargat.
The Tyrant seemed to ignore him, instead turning to kick Loota. The gnoblar flew through the air squeeling. As the Gristle Grinder glanced Skargat's helm, Loota landed with a heavy tud, rolled forward and then started running towards the most distant struts.
The Warchanter came at Skargat again, but the Tyrant ducked and countered with a low blow, sweeping Krashhart off his feet. The orruk landed on his back. Skargat lifted his foot and slammed it down with all his weight on Krashhart's chest, squeezing all the breath out of him.
Faced with such a display of both cunning and brutality, Ol' Mudgob panicked. Instead of rushing to protect the nearest strut, the shaman poured eldritch blasts on Skargat. But the Gulping God was smiling upon him, and the Waaagh! energy washed off him.
Braggoth seized upon the shaman's mistake and climbed up the riverbank, cutting Ol' Mudgob off from Sneeka and Basha which immediately pressed and lit their blasting charges into the dam.
Burna and Loota followed suit, as they had been instructed, screaming with glee at their own prowess.
Cargo advanced toward yet another strut, Watcha in tow. In front of them, Lugger and Flotsum rushed out of the wailing mangroves to protect it.
But it made no difference. With a mighty thunder, all three charges exploded simulteously, scattering debris in all directions. In a split second, the echoes of the blast were drowned by the rumble of a wall of water coming crushing through.
***
Hrothgur had wondered away, the shame of his defeat too strong for him to rejoin the Gluttons. He ventured deep into the Prowling Forest and came upon an opening on the flank of a rocky hill.
Somehow, he managed to crawl through the narrow passage and emerged into a hidden cave. There, he spotted a chest. As it opened it, it revealed a trove of books and azyrite astrolabes. But what caught the Crusher's attention were the vials marked with a skull and crossbones.
He unstoppered one and the acryd smell of Blight Serpent Venom hit his nostrils. With a grin, he stashed them in his satchel. If he could not win leadership with strength, callousness would do.
The Dam
"Once again taken down! While I've uncovered the Swordfyshes' plot!" Hrothgur's voice boomed, interspersed with deep laughters.
The Maneaters looked at each other, at the still unconscoius Skargat they were carrying and at Hrothgur flanked by the Gluttons. If they had learnt something over years of mercenary life, it was when to avoid a pointless fight, as long as there was a paymaster to meet their fee. They simply nodded at each other.
"What you want us to do then?" asked Braggoth.
"Nurse the useless fat lump. Me and my lads will sort out the Swordfyshes and their dam".
Hrothgur stomped away, Marg and Growt following after darting mocking grins at the Maneaters. A couple of gnoblars flashed their tongues and rushed behind them.
As the party was safely at a distance, Braggoth turned to the other Maneaters.
"Wake him up..."
"...and tell him what happened..." continued Cargo.
"...always good keeping two paymasters fighting!" finished Barag.
The Maneaters' laughters rolled over Blubberfen, now more a mudflat than a proper bog.
A thick mist had rolled over Blubberfen by the time Hrothgur and the Gluttons had reached the dam. Over it, they could just see Ol' Mudgob and Battendown.
The plan was simple. Marg and Growt would have surprised them, emerging suddenly from the fog. At the same time, Hrothgur would have creapt forward unseen and destroyed the rearmost struts.
What the Crusher could not see in the mist, was that Krashhart and Yardarm Gark were watching over those struts from a nearby clump of wailing mangroves.
Marg and Growt sprung into action, but neither was able to take down their targets quickly as they had planned.
Upon hearing the din of combat, Krashhart bellowed orders and Yardarm rushed forward to intercept Hrothgur as he crept along the riverbank.
Skargat arrived on the scene, the expression on his face enough to terrorise Burna into telling him what Hrothgur's plan was. The Tyrant peered into the mist and as a gust of wind blew it away for a moment, he saw it was not working.
The Tyrant barrelled forward, shouting insults at Hrothgur and ordering Burna to start doing the only thing he was good at.
As the gnoblar ignited a bag of powder and blasted a hole in the central section of the dam, Skargat leapt over the riverbank and smashed down Ol' Mudgob. With a powerful kick, he sent Marg forward. Behind him, Sneeka aped Burna and another section of the dam blew up in smithereens.
Krashhart stomped on the fuse set by Marg, all the while shouting for the rest of the Swordfyshes to hurry up.
A bunch of Brutes responded to the call, coming to Battendown's rescue and forcing Growt away from the weakened section of the dam.
Burna climbed through the breach he had blasted and slowly advanced through the water now starting to flow again. A little ahead, he spotted the one point in the dam still constraining the stream.
But Hook dealt a decisive blow to Growt and advanced, spotting the gnoblar as it waded past him. The Brute called out at his mates and Lugger Dag jumped to catch Burna.
On the riverbank, Skargat squared up to Krashhart, all the while taunting Hrothgur to show some guts and come out of the fog. The Crusher responded by barreling forth and landing a flurry of blows on the Warchanter. But then Marg robbed both of them of the final blow. Krashhart rolled down the riverbank into the mud below.
Suddenly the mist lifted and Battendown, left out of the action, could see the fight was hanging on a knife edge. He shouted to Yardarm and Leeway Ruk, directing them to take Skargat from behind.
Lugger Dag kicked Burna unconscious and was then jumped upon by Hrothgur and Growt. But he stood his ground, giving time for Hook to join in and take Marg down. It was now impossible for Hrothgur to get close to the struts.
Skargat turned around and with a single blow sent Leeway to join Krashhart in the mud. But with Yardarm immediately taking the place of his comrade, the Tyrant too could not smash any of the struts. And with the mist gone, so was the Ionforged advantage. With a bellow of rage, Skargat called for a retreat.
***
As the mist lifted, Cargo left the camp to hunt for some food, leaving Braggoth and Barag to watch over the few belongings left to the Ironforged.
Suddenly, the trees at the edges of Blubberfen shaked, a grovewyrm emerging from them. Now that Blubberfen was dry, the creature was able to bounce forward, clearly intent on preying upon the Ironforged.
Braggoth and Barag braced themselves, and though they managed to fend the wyrm off, the little supplies left and the camp palisade were destroyed in the fight. Even worse, Barag broke his leg. They had no choice but to leave the area, lest the wyrm came back, and meet with the rest of the Ironforged closer to the Swordfyshes' dam.
