Chapter 29: The Wolves Desd

  The unch bay of The Steadfast thrummed with power, red warning lights fshing as the tdown initiated. The cmps holding the Sorion-Lupus Revise in pce hissed as they released. Ihe cockpit, Garett’s fingers danced over the trols, feeling the hum of his war mae as it awakehe HUD flickered to life, painting his vision with tactical readouts and a crimson outline of the battlefield below. He took a deep breath, grinning as he hailed the bridge.

  "Garett Fenralis, Sorion-Lupus Revise heading out!"

  A split-sed ter, another voice cracked through the s, sharp and fident.

  "Anya Bckstark, Direhound and, ung!"

  The other Direhound pilots followed in swift succession.

  "Nissa, moving out!"

  "Jerik, let’s get this over with!"

  "Brody, systems green, locked and loaded!"

  "Brenn, bringing the thunder!"

  The mechs roared to life, ung from the underbelly of The Steadfast in streaks of burning lumihrusters. The weight of gravity yahem down toward the war-torn ndscape below. The battlefield stretched out beh them like a living storm—fshes of fire, ice, lightning, and wind ripping through the air. The Embercd rebels had no she of battlemages, and their magic tore at the sky like an angry god’s wrath.

  A hailstorm of elemental magic surged toward Sorion-Lupus Revise as soon as it cleared the ship’s defenses. Shock, Frost, Bze, and Gale magic crackled and exploded against its mithrititanium pting, but the armor held firm. The mech cut through the age like an unyielding titan.

  "Not even worth putting up barriers," Garett muttered. He leaned forward, fingers ing around the triggers.

  The back-mounted luminite on charged in an instant, golde pooling at its core before unleashing a volley of Starfire beams. Bzing nces of raw luminite energy streaked through the air, iing any unfortunate bastard to be in their path. Rebel foot soldiers and lesser mechs were reduced t silhouettes before colpsing into ash. A clearing formed at the outskirts of Vellmont’s walls, enough for the Direhounds to nd.

  Yet more Drakeguard mechs came to intercept them, their t forms streaking through the air, firing off torrents of elemental magi their dragon-fed maws. Shockwaves of fme, ice, and raw are energy bsted toward the desding mechs, f quick evasive maneuvers.

  ***"Astrum fornótt, ignis eximius!

  Muspelheim's fmma, desdite!

  Fornótt's fury, inimicis immi!

  Ignis, excrus, hostes tere!"***

  Ignis Fornótt!

  Before the enemy could fully verge, the sky above ignited in a casg rain of fire—Lyra, from the deck of The Steadfast, unleashing an inferno that slowed their advahe Drakes reeled, their armor scorched and cracked, moments before The Steadfast’s luminite ons roared to life, redug them to sm wreckage in a single, blinding salvo.

  The thundering impaechs hitting the earth shook the battlefield. Direhound units fanned out, their ons log into position.

  Anya’s voice crackled through the s. "Milord, with all due respect, I’m surprised you’re able to pilot a mech…"

  Garett smirked. "I kind of ied a little something—makes me able to use magic."

  Silehen a sharp inhale from Anya. "That… sounds amazing! So that’s how you were able to fight the knight ba Elderwynd—"

  Jerik’s voice cut in. "I hate to burst your little love bubble there, chief, but we got Iron Revenants ining!"

  A low metallic growl rumbled through the air as the hulking forms of Iron Revenants marched over the ruined battlefield, their rotting flesh bound within monstrous suits of power armor. Voidsteel pting eheir decayed frames, and crimson sigils pulsed across their grotesque forms, feeding them with a twisted mockery of life. Their jagged bdes and heavy gaus crackled with unstable energy, a fusion of corrupted luminite and raw elemental power, as their hollow eyes glowed with the ember of uh.

  "Alright, boys and girls," Anya’s voice was like steel. "Let’s show them what happens when you step into our hunting grounds."

  Nissa giggled. "Captain, do I have permission to go absolutely feral?"

  "Nissa, I swear to the gods—" Anya started, but it was too te.

  The petite pilot’s Direhound shot forward, twin daggers fshing in the haze. She moved like a ghost, dug and weaviwee Iron Revenants, severing exposed joints and cutting deep into power cores. Sparks and gore-colored oil spttered across her mech’s sleek pting.

  "Damn it, Nissa!" Jerik groaned. "Why do you always make me look slow?"

  "Because I’m adorable and fast," she chirped.

  "No, you’re a menace," Brody muttered, log a fresh clip into his luminite rifle.

  Brenn, the walking artillery, pnted his feet and unleashed hell. The Direhound's massive shoulder-mounted ons roared, sending seismic shockwaves through the earth as explosive shells tore through rebel ranks. Enemy mechs crumpled uhe relentless barrage, fmes erupting in all dires.

  "Keep ‘em off me while I reload!" Brenn barked.

  "I got you, big guy," Brody replied, deploying an automated turret as he fired precise shots into any ehat dared approach. His Direhound moved fluidly, shielding Brenn while keeping their firepower at maximum.

  Garett, meanwhile, was an unstoppable force. Sorion-Lupus Revise carved through the battlefield with ruthless efficy, sshing through Iron Revenants with its psma bde and tearing apart rebel mechs with pinpoint on fire. The Azeroth drive and his mech's modified systems hummed with power, the forbidden fusion of teology and magic w in tao make him a walking god of war.

  One of the rger Iron Revenants lunged, its colossal axe desding toward him. Garett’s mech twisted, avoiding the blow by mere inches before driving its bde deep into the enemy’s core. Sparks flew as the titan of steel staggered, its body log up before detonating in a violent explosion.

  "Alright, Direhounds, we’re pushing through!" Anya shouted. "Let’s clear a path!"

  Ihe cockpit of Soldraknirr, Lyrius sat in silence, listening to the warning beeps as a massive object appeared on his radar. He adjusted his sensors, moving closer until The Steadfast loomed in his view. He let out a slow chuckle."Oh? So the local lord finally bares his fangs?" he mused.

  He had heard stories of the sed heir of House Fenralis—the one assigo the Verdant Vale. A man who could not use magic, yet still, he may be a petent ander. Lyrius narrowed his eyes, keeping his distance, as his minions below ehe mechs that had just deployed from the ship.

  "Never uimate the ferocity of a ered foe, for it is in the darkness of desperation that men discover the genius of rebellion."

  A lesson drilled into him by his uncle, Duke Dragan. He kept his distand observed as his forces threw themselves at his eesting their mettle before he made his move.

  Above the battlefield, Lyra stood on the deck of The Steadfast, her robes billowing as she unleashed torrents of rainfire and frost upon the enemy below. Swathes of Embercd rebels and their mechs burned or froze where they stood, their formations crumbling under her relentless barrage.

  The retaliation was swift. Several Drakeguard mechs broke away from the battle below, asding rapidly toward The Steadfast, their dragon-fed maws glowing with destructive energy. Elemental bsts streaked toward the deck, but before they could reach their target, shimmering barriers fred to life—Leona, standing resolute, her bde drawn, shielding Lyra from harm. The luminite ons of The Steadfast roared in defiance, vaporizing the assaints one by one.

  The assault tinued for several mihe air thick with smoke and magitil finally, Lyra colpsed to her knees, drained.

  "Lyra!" Leona and Nyx called out in unison.

  "Don't worry, I'll be fine," Lyra assured them, breathless. Nyx padded up to her, lig her face while she stroked the soft wing-ears in response, the familiar a weak smile.

  Leona quickly reached into her knapsack, pulling out a small vial. "Here. Fenralis stamina potion—watered-down version of our usual supply. Still strohaore-bought alchemist trash, but you should be able to ha without our training."

  Lyra took the vial and dow in one gulp. A shiver ran through her as renewed energy flooded her limbs. "You must've been thinking about me when you made this. Thank you, that's so thoughtful of you!"

  Leona stiffened, ears turning red as she averted her gaze. "Y-you're our firepower, after all!" she stammered.

  Nyx smirked, tail flig. "Aw, is the mighty Leona flustered? Should I get you a potion for that too?"

  Leona scowled, blog another ining bst with a swift raise of her shield. "Nyx, I swear to the God-emperor—"

  Lyra giggled as she rose to her feet, strength returning. With a g the battlefield below, she raised her hands once more, calling forth aorm of destru to clear the path for their forces.

  Lyrius' gaze then flicked toward the deck of The Steadfast—toward the lotlemage unleashiation from above. He sneered.

  "What's this? Casting spells on deck? Are we ba the Nyx'thuul Sce?"

  He saw the vulnerability, the oint in their strategy, and he was determio exploit it.

  With a silent and, Soldraknirr fred its golden wings and surged forward, the air rippling with power. The bridge of The Steadfast was now within reach, the dragon-mech’s massive face staring down at the and crew i fpped its wings backward, maintaining its altitude, and then—

  Its maw opened.

  A blinding torrent of Starfire erupted forth, streaking toward the de a cascade of celestial destru. Lyra, Leona, and Nyx stood at the epiter of the attack, the searing inferno desding upon them.