The low moaning sounds were impossible to pin down, they moved, almost jumped from place to place. As the greenskins advanced behind Graznak they tightened their grip on their weapons. They did not move forward silently, those of the party that were mounted had a tough time getting their beasts to go forwards and they snorted in response to each kick that drove them on. The packs of squigs were gibbering and bouncing off of each other as they hopped along, there was the occasional shout of pain as a grot rider was knocked off of the slobbering red creature.
The moaning persisted through it all, non of those noises drown it out. Had Graznak, or anyone of the party, been of a thoughtful nature it might have occurred to them that the sound was something they felt rather than heard.
If he had been able to pay attention to it Graznak would have even been aware that he could hear the moaning over the sudden roaring battle cries that came from nearly a dozen different places ahead of him at once. He was focused on the figures flooding out of the shadows and towards his ranks. On his left he saw beastial warriors leap upon Magub in his chariot.
"Watchum! Beasties," he yelled out.
As the mass of orcs to his left moved to surround the pale skinned, hairless beastmen, his eyes darted back to the ruins ahead. A shadow detached itself from a a wall and moved through the rubble in the streets, it was a big, hulking shadow and before he was even aware he was doing it the orc warboss gave a swift kick to Boar's flank and, with cleaver in the air, opened his mouth.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!"
Before the war cry had reached its end he had slammed full tilt into the massive form that had revealed itself.
His cleaver tore into the monstrosity, its skin lit with glowing runes. Each slice tore open that skin and the blood that came pouring out had a phosphorescence to it as it splashed onto the street and over Boar. The creature struck out itself and a cloven hoof smashed into the chest of his mount, sending it staggering, throwing Graznak off balance. The creatures speed belied its bulk and in the moment it took him to recover Graznak felt incredible pain as a horn pierced his side, smashing ribs and puncturing deep into his guts.
Reeling from the wound Graznak pulled back and saw the creature was chanting and the runes on his skin glowed brighter, they dimmed as a light flashed to Graznak's right. He glanced over briefly to see six of the orcs were consumed in weird, green flame. Their screams were cut off and it seemed as though the flame burned on the outside but then also burst forth from the inside and as each warrior dropped to the ground small hands pried open their chests and diminutive blue beings emerged. Wreathed in flames they immediately attacked the orcs in front of them.
Enraged Graznak pushed the attack against the monster whose wounds seemed to be knitting back together. He slashed again and again and more glowing blood spilled, the creature barely seemed to register the pain and lashed out with his staff. Graznak ducked that but moved right into a kick that knocked him from Boar. Before he could even hit the ground the creature had delivered another kick that sent him flying and crashing into the ruins, which then collapsed further on top of him.
Bleeding from a dozen minor wounds and one big one Graznak lost consciousness for a moment.
When he came to, he groaned and started trying to dig himself out from the rubble. His left arm was almost useless from the injury he had sustained to his side. He managed to move enough of the rubble to look around.
Zwitgor was swinging the piece of masonry he had on a chain at the massive Chaos monster the grot giant had faced down. Again and again the improvised flail smashed into the cygor and the creature tried to fight back ineffectively scratching the giant with its horns. He saw the giant grab the monster by those horns and smash his forehead into the creature's nose. A geyser of blood erupted from the creatures face. The giant kicked it and it went to it's knees. As it tried to rise the giant bashed it again and again with the flail until the creature fell and moved no more.
On one his knees now the orc warboss tried to stem the flow of blood from his side with his one good hand. He felt the warm fluid flowing out between his fingers as he held his guts in place. Moments of blackness were interrupted by visions of the battlefield, but unconscious or not Graznak still heard the moaning, even over the din of two savage armies clashing.
He saw hands reaching up out of the ground, glowing spectral hands grasping at combatants on both sides.
He glanced over at Trawlag, the shaman's eyes were glowing as he moved in jilting, seemingly-random motions through the press of the fighting. He saw translucent creatures emerge around his brother and saw the scythes they bore, weapons no less deadly for being intangible.
The slashing cuts brought Trawlag to his knees and then the orc shaman fell on his face.
The orcs surged past the fallen shaman. They carried the fighting to the beastmen and the last thing that Graznak saw was a mounted orc smash his way through the last of the enemy near him, sending them braying into the night.
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Defeating the forces of chaos was not without cost, but it had not been difficult. What had been harder was quieting the restless spirits that plagued his forces even after the enemy had fled. Kroirriogs heard the cries of the dead for justice but any mercy that had existed in the goblin shaman had been pushed out of him by the powerful hallucinogens that were his regular diet.
He had ordered the grots to send the giant squigs and the giant around knocking down buildings until the dead left off their harassment. Something eventually worked and now he looked down over the two orc brothers lying seriously wounded at his feet.
If he did nothing they would probably die. With the number of orcs still around and having suffered heavy casualties among his own forces Kroirriogs was in no position to hasten that process. There was also the very real need to keep Graznak alive. As dim as the orc warboss was, it was true that Gorkamorka spoke through him in some way and that he was necessary to guide Kroirriogs to the Great Toof.
He reached into his bag and pulled out a small piece of moss. Reaching in again he pulled out three different mushrooms and one by one he crushed them in his right hand and smeared them into the moss. He knelt by Graznak and placed the poultice over the massive wound in the orc's side. He picked up one of the small squigs that were constantly hopping about him. Pinching it on either side forced open its mouth, pinching harder opened it further and he pressed the tiny teeth into the moss and through them into the skin of the orc.
"Put 'im on Boar and let's get out of 'ere. "
He glanced back over at Trawlag and then looked up at the orcs that were giving the shaman a wide berth.
"I can't do anything for him."
is building a new Orc Army for Mighty Armies.
