Wolfran the Knight Avenger

In

The Last Crusade of Altraumzen

Episode 4: Bloody Landfall

Atmospheric entry on to Altraumzen was not without casualties, but they were far lighter than they could've hoped for. At least for the ground troops. Wolfran saw one of their escort corvettes break up before the armored ship could disengage from shielding their drop. The raining fire of support craft and fighters being eviscerated by the anti orbital cannon cluster was horrific, but created an unexpected providence.

The excessive debris disguised and shielded the raining drop pods and mechs. To even Wolfran’s astonishment, he saw that only four mechs had taken damage and all of the heavy infantry drop pods were still protected at the center of their formation. All of the mounts were still operational as well. The fleet wasn’t so lucky. The Knight Captain gridded his teeth at the carnage even as he thanked his savior for the light casualties amongst his men. That would change when they struck the burning surface, but they would need every sword when they struck. An extra prayer for the departed would be needed if they survived the reckoning of Ishtar.

The raking fire blew past them in a rush signaling that they were below the cannon clusters’ range of fire. None too soon either. As much as the debris was shielding their advance they would be shredded if they attempted to make landfall in the midst of the carnage. Not to mention unfired ordinance was starting to explode in the raging heat of the recks and burning atmosphere. Signaling the infantry captain Wolfran set his computer for a new landing zone. In the few seconds they had left before their fiery crash only one suitable location was available. What looked to be the rally point for the demonic legions gathering from the many caverns and passages beneath the surface.

When the briefing had said they were to make landfall in the heart of the swarm of demons they were not exaggerating, but Wolfran figured not even the Grand Marshal had this stunt in mind. The Knight’s Captain could almost imagine the incredulous look that was crossing Konrad’s face as Wolfran led the flight of gliding mechs and infantry drop pods toward the massive granite blocked square inside the main fortress and dark temple. The defenses fired, but not even advance targeting computers had time to catch the raining death before they were right on top of the gathering legions of the damned.

Wolfran had a fleeting glimpse of rising blue towers covered in bulls and golden reliefs before the rush of flesh, organs, sinew, and gore splashed across his screens. Apparently, as his mount’s computer informed him, his mech had landed on a twenty foot tall red skinned demon with burning black hornes. Landed wasn’t quite the right word. Implode after splitting the fiend from horn to hoof was far more accurate. Now his mech was appropriately bloodied, the crusade could properly begin. How fortuitous.

The Captain’s place was to command much like that of the Marshal however a captain’s task was a young man’s vocation. One was in the fire when they weren’t commanding, and now was the time for the flames. The descent had separated Wolfran from the rest of the company, and driven right into the heart of the massive demons. This was from a tribe known for their scarlet flesh, and appetite for the flesh of babes. Wolfran resolved to thank his Savior for his good fortune. What a perfect target for his bloodlust.

Strewn about him were limbs and gore from his fiery landing but demon ogres were hearty, and more than one was simply dazed from the blast. Looking out from the screens his cockpit and his helmet display Wolfran felt the unmistakable shape of a wide smile filling his face. The memories of his childhood, and lost friends. His dear sister. His utter powerlessness in the face of evil, and a single word came up from that boy trapped in the hell of loss. The word escaped the knight’s lips before he let the blood fill his mind.

“Finally.” Wolfran didn’t even bother to draw his zweihanderkrieger blade.

His blood boiling over the Knight struck with not an ounce of hesitation or fear. At last he would have their heads on spikes. He would tear them asunder. Today was their hell. If the Lord Almighty wanted mercy he would’ve held him from the task. He was released, and these would feel the wrath of the heavens first.

Wolfran sent his mount forward reaching out with blinding speed grasping one of the rising twenty foot giant’s hornes ripping the head asunder its screams and blood bathing the metal suite turning its silver visage into a scarlet knight of wrath. With the black hornes dripping with gore and sinew still hanging in strands from where they’d been torn from the skull of the deceased beast of the damned Wolfran gored the faces of the next two giants rising to their feet. The last monster ran for a tunnel opening with golden statues of chimeras flanking either side of massive bronze doors that were open wide. Out from the depths of this crevice vomited forth legions of evil beyond reckoning.

Werebeasts of all varieties from ten foot tall dogs running on hind legs to serpent men whose tails disappeared into the darkness behind them. Men in light armor and helmets fashioned into the shape of wolf heads and bulls came charging out in loose formations firing plasma and sound wave weaponry toward the rampaging knights and men at arms. Last came another wave of the demon giants with the single eye of the cyclops and fangs as long as pikes.

Engaging his boost jets that were not powerful enough to overcome the terraformed gravity of the lava scourged moon, but powerful enough to maneuver in space and control descents Wolfran burst forward launching himself upon his fleeing enemy. The last giant died screeching as the spine snapped under a merciless metal boot, and its head was wrenched from the torso. Still screaming like a stuck pig as long as the lungs stayed connected to the brain.

Without missing a step Wolfran turned the horned blinking head into a forked cannonball tearing into the ranks of weredemons, lizardmen, small dragons with cybernetic implants enhancing their strength, and finally impaling directly into the neck of a charging giant ogre demon chieftain who had no less than eight horns on his massive skull, and stood at least twenty five feet tall. The massive body crashed to the ground drowning its minions in its own blood.

Several of the twisted human divisions faltered, and shied away from the rampaging mech. Still, many of the demon beasts were driven into blood lust, and came on without heed for their coming judgment. They came snarling until they were gutted in the hundreds by the twin plasma shotgun on either side of the head of the mech. The “head” was a turret which could twist in all directions at horrific speed. Whatever was left of the fiends shorter than seven feet were crushed into paste as the Captain’s charge was hardly checked. And yet even in his berserker state Wolfran understood there were two many to crush. Or at least that task would take far too long for practicality’s sake.

So he drew his zweihanderkrieger the capacitors whaling to life along the thick blade of the oversized sword. As he drew Wolfran sliced a massive snake with a woman's face and fangs in half before letting the charged capacitors release in full strike. Lightning burst out in a wide arch in the face of the tunnel raking the unprepared masses before they could join the battle, or even think of countering the knight’s strike. Surprise had helped his task, but devastating weapons helped.

The charred remains of the masses twitched, and Wolfran could only imagine the stench of burnt flesh and unwashed bodies was horrific. Being a mounted knight had more than one perk. Still, more were coming, and the larger fiends as well as the human regiments who had taken cover were beginning to relaunch the attack. They knew that the zweihanderkrieger blade would need time to charge for another blast of that magnitude. Pity for the damned since the Knight’s Captain had more weapons at his disposal.

Ignoring the coming battered waves of minions set on overwhelming him, Wolfran aimed his shoulder mounted cleanser rockets to the roof of the cavern. Too late did the denizens of Ishtar’s tunnels see his task, and before long the high explosive charges had the entire passage collapsing on the heads of his foes. Most were buried, and the rest were beset upon by the heavy infantry of the men at arms who came swarming over the rumble around Wolfran like enraged hounds on the hunt. The sight calmed the Captain. The time for bloodlust was over. Now was the time for command and guile.

The Story Will Continue Every Friday.

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