//------------------------------// // Clash! // Story: Tomb Kings of Equestria // by FleetlordAvatar //------------------------------// The Crystal Empire Diamond Edge felt his bones shudder as he slammed into the golem, it's body crumbling under the force of the impact and his hooves pounding it into dust as the formation of Crystal Ponies pushed onward. Sombra's soldiers shattered before them as the charge sped towards their target, Shining Armour at its head, using his magic to create a shield around the ‘point’ of their formation. The Titan was still pounding on the shield, which meant that Sombra had either not seen them, or he had something planned. Diamond didn't have time to dwell on these thoughts however, as he barrelled into another golem, dipping his neck so it crashed into his armoured skull. Heaving it’s broken body upwards, he threw it sideways, scattering more constructs like ninepins. However, as the charge progressed, its momentum waned, despite the princes magic allowing them to plough through their opponents. Soldiers were pulled down by half broken golems and trampled into the ground by their fellows, who simply could not stop. A pained whinny caused Diamond Edge to snap his gaze behind as a Crystal Pony was impaled through his flank, the length of the stone javelin pinning him to the ground and separating him from the rest of the army. Shimmering blood poured from the wound, and he could do nothing but watch as a golem closed in to crush the soldiers head with one hand. More spears flew into the formations flank, bringing down Crystal Ponies with each volley. They were too far forward to turn back, they had to remain committed or risk being surrounded in an attempted retreat. Thankfully, their salvation came in an explosion of arcane power, as three unicorns, bearing the white and gold robes of Celestia's School, materialised on the formations flank. Blasting the golems with spells, their magic severed Sombra's connection, reducing the golem spearmen to rubble, before they teleported away to another point on the line. A bolt of magic from above made Diamond Edge risk a glance at its source. He saw a magical dias floating above the formation, the bright glow of a shield protecting the unicorns within. Had he been able to see whom it carried, the crystal pony would have recognised Sunburst standing in the centre of a dozen more unicorns. The royal sorcerer had wrapped his cloak around himself to hide his trembling, but had so far managed to keep himself together by focusing on boosting the other unicorns power, rather than attacking with his own. As their spells struck the battlefield, Sombra's magic unravelled, his soldiers collapsing into rubble or simply freezing in place as dark unicorns link was cut. This gave the charge a new impetus and Shining Armour ordered them to speed up. The pegasai struck next. The wind picked up, and slowly built to a howling gale as pegasai formations deployed tornadoes and hail to slow Sombra’s forces. Storm clouds were also rapidly deployed, with ponies bucking lightning bolts towards the ground, blasting apart rocky shield walls, clearing a path for the charge.They were closing in on the titans foot, the gigantic construct still ignoring them in favour of pounding on the shield. The pegasus ponies were already deploying the fog, they had to hit the Titan before it was too difficult to see. “Formation Halt!” cried Shining Armour, as they plowed over the last few golems that stood between them and their target. The formation screeched to a halt, the unicorns on the dias creating a shield wall behind them so they weren't his from the rear. "Ready arms!" barked barked the prince, and Diamond Edge withdrew the glass ball from inside his pack. "Take Aim!" He activated the timer. "Loose!" Diamond Edge threw the ball straight for the constructs ankle. "About Formation!" The disciplined soldiers quickly turned on their hooves and reformed the wedge. Beyond the shield, Sombra’s forces were attempting to regroup, but the mindless constructs were unable to form a cohesive line. “Charge!” The shield dropped, and the army once again crashed into the golems. Flashes of green dragonfire soon illuminated the battlefield as the detonators exploded behind them, the caustic contents rapidly eating away at the Titans joint, the stone liquifying with each explosion. As if it had realised what was happening, the gigantic construct stopped hammering on the shield and turned to reach for the retreating ponies. All it took was one step on it’s ruined ankle and the stone gave way. It fell forwards, smashing into the ground with a loud boom. In all the noise and confusion, Flash Sentry, who had been hidden among the clouds, saw his opportunity. With the increasing fog obscuring the battlefield, he calculated that everyone's focus, including Sombra’s would be on the Titan as it fell. As soon as that started, he took off like a lightning bolt, wings beating as fast as he could, speeding through the fog and noise towards the edge of the battlefield. On top of his dias, but obscured from view, Sombra tracked Flash Sentry through a magical telescope. He knew that Shining Armour was liable to try something, which was why, when the attack began, he had been using this particular artifact to see through the fog and cloud cover. In his time as king, the unicorn had hoarded many such artefacts and sequestered them away in vaults only he knew about. Scanning the skies, he had spied Flash hiding away. Sombra knew that he was likely the true reason for this attack. This was confirmed when he saw the pegasus check the binding on the message he had hidden in his breastplate. With a dark chuckle, the unicorn hurled a single bolt of dark magic at Flash Sentry as he took off, it struck the pegasus at the same time the Titan impacted the ground, and he gleefully watched as Flash spiralled uncontrollably downwards, his trajectory taking him away from the battlefield. In the noise of battle, no one would notice, and Sombra would be able to raise the Titan again in time. As far as he was concerned, Shining Armour had accomplished nothing. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Flash Sentry returned to consciousness with a pained, sucking gasp. Pulling his face from the ground, the pegasus coughed and spat as he tried to draw life giving air into his lungs. The sounds of battle were gone now, replaced by the howling gales of the frozen north. He looked back and saw the length of the trench he’d made on impact, his flight instructor would not have been pleased with that landing. Flash struggled to pull himself from the crater, pain shooting through his limbs as he tried to lift his own weight. Eventually rising to his hooves, the pegasus limped forwards and tried to focus, shaking his head to clear it while he inspected his injuries. One wing hung limp at his side, burned and bloodied feathers sticking out at odd angles, he tried to lift it, but it wouldn't respond and was likely broken. Pain ran the length of his side, where his coat had burned away, leaving the flesh bloody and blackened by Sombra’s spell. There was pain in his chest every time he took a breath, but the pegasus pony did his best to ignore it as he thought. It was obvious that he couldn't go back, they would have the shield restored and Sombra would likely have repaired his army. That left one option, follow orders. Steeling himself, he took, slow, shaking steps forwards, as he limped off towards the nearest Equestrian outpost, teeth chattering in the biting cold of the north. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The Old World When the dead fought, they typically fought in silence, though there were exceptions. The Vargulf roared in feral fury as it smashed another line of skeletons to splinters. A tide of zombies rushed in to exploit the opening, but were met by a countercharge as the Tomb Kings tried to reinforce their line. Arrows rained on the Sylvanian undead from raised ledges and scaffolding, while spear-length shafts flew from the bows of the Ushabti. These would be deadly to a living army, but to the dead, it was an inconvenience. They clattered harmlessly from bones, or simply buried themselves in necrotic flesh. There were those that did fall, thanks to the Ushabti’s efforts, as their attacks shattered bone and pulverised flesh, but it did not stop the advance of undead. “Hold the line and aim for the sorcerers! Kill servants of the Usurper!” barked Usur, decapitating a Zombie. The key to any undead army was it’s magic users and necromancers, they gave life to the soldiers and forced a will upon their empty shells. Though there were exceptions, such as where a soul could be bound to mortal remains as was the case with the Tomb Kings, though they still needed the the magic of a Liche priest to rise from the grave. From their elevated positions, the remnants of the Cobra and Asp legions went to work, their enchanted bows bypassing protective spells as they sought targets. A shaft struck a necromancer in the throat and he fell with a gurgling scream, the venomous magic melting his flesh, a line of undead collapsing as his power was broken. Another hit a vampire that was carving its way through the front of the battle line, it’s body disintegrating in seconds before it’s bodyguard clattered into piles of lifeless bones. But it didn't matter how many fell, the servants of Nagash had brought plenty of bodies. From his position at one of the brasiers, Rehu tried to block out the clamour of battle and focus on the ritual that would see them safe. It had already been a complex spell when they deciphered it, as it had phrases in elvish, dwarven and that strange language on the mirror, but they had modified it to take advantage of the warpstones magic, along with the position of the Chaos moon, which was now reaching its apex above the mirror. A wailing shriek to his left caused the liche priest to throw himself backward, narrowly avoiding the ethereal grip of a banshee as it screamed through where he had been standing. His fellow priests similarly found themselves targeted as the ghostly maidens surrounded them. Spitting sacred syllables from his mummified mouth, he slammed his staff on the ground and a wave of magic flew outwards, blasting the creatures backwards before manifesting into chains of light that bound them in place and burning their ethereal flesh. The priests at the other braziers used similar spells to drive off their attackers, but not all were so lucky. Several of his brothers had fallen in the ambush, mummified bodies crumbling as their souls were torn to shreds by ghostly claws. On the ground, the Vargulf continued to cause havoc, smashing undead soldiers with abandon, its unrestrained feral fury making it a danger to anyone that came close. It threw its full weight against both armies, shattering bones and crushing necrotic flesh with every strike. "Pikes!" ordered Phar, ducking under a swing from the beast. "Bring the pikes forward!" With discipline born of centuries, the ranks parted and halberd wielding soldiers quickly filled the gap. Thrusting their weapons forward, several found their mark and pierced the Vargulfs cursed flesh. It roared in rage and charged it’s attackers, but the skeletons front rank dropped to one knee as it reared back to strike, stabbing upwards at its unprotected belly. The monster emitted a pained cry as it was gutted from below, the Nehekharans driving their weapons deep, as thick, black blood rained over them. The pikemen continued to push upwards, using the creatures weight to force their weapons further into its body before finally piercing it’s heart. As the corpse was heaved aside, Phar led another charge and smashed into the Sylvanian line. He was a whirling dervish of death as his Kopesh sliced through necks and shattered bone with a skill honed through thousands of years. There were few that could stand against the King of Numas as he led the Nehekharans through the ranks of Sylvanian undead. He was also using the opportunity to vent his frustration, his hate of Usur and his cowardly plan being channeled against their enemy. He might not be able to kill the black boned king, but for now, this was suitable. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Keagan marched forward with his Grave Guard, their scythes reaping a deadly toll on the Tomb Kings. The Wright felt something in his spirit rise like a tide as each opponent fell, their bodies and souls shattered by the enchantments in his weapon. It was something that made him crave slaughter, the spilling of blood and the screams of his enemies, the same force that made him chase down the orcs in the canyons now compelled him onwards, his scythe cutting down the Nehekharans mercilessly. The weapon hit something with a loud clang. The Wrights balefire eyes met another as he came bony face to face with King Hassep. Hasseps grip tightened as he forced the halberd down in a sweeping arc and elbowed Keagans skull with a bone jarring crack. The Wright staggered backwards, but swiftly recovered and swung his Scythe in a vicious arc towards the Nehekharan king. Hasseps own weapon rose to meet it, deflecting the blade and leaving Keagan open for another attack, but the Wright was ready this time, leaning back to avoid the bony fist. As they fought, a deep rumbling grew under the cavern, the ground shaking before it suddenly fell away beneath Hassep, the Tomb King disappearing into a mass of furry bodies as burrowing teams, drills and digging machines exploded to the surface among both sides. Thousands of Skaven swarmed into the cavern and attacked anything in sight, dragging down monsters and constructs with a weight of numbers, while Rat-Ogres and other malformed horrors clawed and smashed their way through both armies. Skirritik, laughing and shrieking as he leapt from a digger, shattered a vampires skull. Everything had gone according to his brilliant plan, now all the dead things would fall to his army. However, moments later, Rehu and the liche priests completed the portal ritual. Mummified arms spread wide in invocation, they wove the final spell as bolts of arcane power surged from the brasiers and into the gemstone at the mirrors peak. The gem flared a bright green as the energy erupted skywards to strike the chaos moon, drawing down its energy and causing the mirror to explode with light as the portal opened for the first time in centuries. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Laura wailed with glee as she plucked a Skavens soul from his body, shredding it into the ether. The rat men were little more than chaff to the Banshee, but she took great pleasure in ending their miserable existence nonetheless. A shimmer in her peripheral vision caused the ghostly maiden to dive low from where she floated, a sickly green lightning bolt shooting past her seconds later. Snarling at the impudance of the spellcaster, she spun around and saw a Skaven Grey Seer was stood on the corpse of the Vargulf. The horned rat jumped and shrieked in its chittering language as she swooped down, her claw-like fingers extended and ready to wrap around its throat, but a hail of warpshot forced her back upwards as a ratling gun opened fire. The Skaven gunner had a moment to feel smug, before a scythe decapitated him with a single stroke. The Grey Seer attempted to retaliate, but Laura's ethereal fingers erupted from his chest and she rendered his soul to nothing. As the rat man's lifeless husk slumped over, she smiled at her saviour. "Always in the right place my love." "I will never see you harmed my dearest." Keagan embraced her as his Grave Guard formed up around them, slaughtering any Skaven that dared to interrupt their moment. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Usur snarled in frustration as the battlefield dissolved into chaos, the Skaven had broken apart the battle line, and now everyone was fighting their own battles. With the rat men focusing their attacks on the Warpstone braziers and his treasure carts, several having already been overrun as assassins cut down the guards and Liche Priests with warpstone daggers. "Reform the line!” He ordered. Rehu ascended on his dias and spat blazing light from his bony fingertips, vaporising Sylvanians and rats alike as he tried to give the army space to maneuver. As he worked, the priest felt a soul in danger and immediately began chanting rites of reformation and resurrection as he sought to save it. From under a pile of bodies, Hasseps arm snapped upwards to throttle the Skaven that was attempting to pry off his crown, the other looters turning tail immediately as he broke its neck. As his bones re-kit, the king struggled to his feet, his hand flying to the canopic jar at his waist, relief flooding through him when he found it was undamaged. This was replaced by fury, as he remembered the mass of clawing, squealing, biting Skaven that had swallowed him in the middle of his duel. Snatching up his fallen halberd, he charged the nearest enemy, a Plague Monk wielding a smouldering censure like a mace as it battered and bludgeoned anything that came close. The rat was in such a blood rage that it didn't see the Nehekharan king, until his weapon erupted from its chest. It looked at its bloody tip with detached surprise, before Hassep drove the dying fanatic into the Sylvanians like a battering ram, forcing his way back to the Tomb Kings line. Freed from the ritual, Liche priests threw spells and incantations at both the Skaven and Sylvanians, giving the Nehekharans enough space to to reform into a semi-coherent front. With their forces reorganising, Usur gave the order for a fighting retreat, and the army slowly backed towards the portal. First through were the remaining treasure carts, including Usur’s research and the Caskets of Souls, these were followed by their priests and attendants. The deconstructed constructs came next, along with the necrotects needed to reassemble them before the Ushabti and remaining constructs went next, then the skeletal legions and their commanders in disciplined formation. "Don't let them escape!" barked Jason. "Their souls belong to Nagash!" "Die-die dead thing!" screeched Skirritk as he leapt through the air, his warpstone club slamming into Jason's side. The vampire staggered sideways as the Skaven warlord pressed his attack, a second swing smashed Jason's jaw and drove him to his knees, while the third would have taken his head off, had he not managed to cast a shield spell. Diverting power to restore his face, Jason deflected the next attack with his sword, but the warpstone still burned into the cold steel, and he could feel tiny pieces of it smouldering in his flesh. Skirritik swung his club at the vampires head once again, Jason brought up his sword and two locked together. He snarled at the Skaven above him, the rats needle like teeth bared as it cackled and spat in his eye. Gathering power around his other gauntlet, the vampire shot out his armoured hand and grabbed Skirritik by the throat. Gurgling in panic, the Skaven warlord released his weapon and clawed at the armoured fingers that held him in a vice like grip. Jason smiled darkly as he rose to his feet, preparing to snap the impudent creatures neck. However, like any Skaven, Skirritik did not play fair. Jason heard the gunshot, his abdomen exploding in pain as the warpshot buried in his flesh. Releasing the Skaven with a cry of agony, he staggered backwards, and Skirritik immediately smashed his club into the vampire once again, flooring him. Looking up, Jason saw a tiny warplock pistol in Skirritiks free paw, green smoke wafting upwards from the barrel. The Skaven warlord tossed the weapon aside and raised his club, ready to end the vampires life, only for a set of ethereal hands to impale him through the chest, before a scythe cleaved him in two. Keagan helped Jason to his feet, as the two halves of the Skirritik fell to the floor with a wet smack. Their sister was immediately upon her vampiric brother, swooning dramatically at the sight of his injuries. "Brother dearest, are you alright?" "I'll live,” he groaned, forcing necromantic power into his wound. “But keep them off me until I'm healed. Then we will finish this for good." The Tomb Kings had managed to continue their retreat despite the chaos, though not everyone had made it to the formation, and many had been isolated and cut down, especially on the raised portions of the cavern. Thankfully, most of the army was now through, all that was left were the Black Legion and the Kings themselves. It was as Usur looked out upon the chaotic melee of Skaven and Sylvanian undead, that he realised they would never be safe so long as the portal remained. He had relied too much on secrecy, and now they were discovered it meant that even if they made it through they would be immediately followed by the Sylvanians. He desperately searched his mind for a solution, something, anything he could remember. It was then he recalled an incantation he had found long ago carved into a golden plaque from the jungles of Lustria. He had read the spell once and it had remained in his mind ever since, almost like it wanted to be there. Sepa, stood at the formations centre with the other kings, turned his head to see his father march resolutely up to the head of the formation. The mummified king stood to his full height, his enchanted Khopesh glittering as he raised it high. “Sepa,” he said. “You will make a fine king.” Usur charged forwards, his Tomb Guard at his back. They crashed into the Skaven and Sylvanians with the force of a wrecking ball, shattering bones and crushing ratmen as they forced their way towards a brasier of burning warpstone. With an anguished cry, Sepa rushed forwards to help, but was halted by a firm grasp on his shoulder. “If you follow then his sacrifice will be for nothing!” snapped Rehu. “He’s my father, I cannot abandon him!” “Listen to your priest child!” snapped Phar. “If we don’t leave now then we will be overrun!” supported Hassep. “I will not!” argued Sepa. He greatly loved his father, in life they had ridden together, in death they were entombed together and he was the first one he saw when they rose again. They had been inseparable for centuries. “We don’t have time to debate this!” spat the liche priest. Reciting a few words of power, Prince Sepa fell limp in his arms. “Forgive me my prince,” he muttered, before shuffling towards the portal. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Usur fought with desperate ferocity, his khopesh slicing off limbs and gutting rats in an awe inspiring display of skill. As his Tomb Guard helped to clear a path, he took up a fallen spear and threw it into the head of a hideous, malformed creature of perverted warp science. As it fell dead, another, that resembled a hundred rats crudely stitched together, rose to take its place, swinging a gigantic rusted blade towards him with a feral roar. Spinning around the strike, Usur sliced off its hand at the wrist before rolling under it’s flailing arms and towards his target. Reaching the brazier, he chanced a look back at the portal. His Tomb Guard were holding back both Skaven and Sylvanians, as Rehu, with prince Sepa limp in his arms, pulled back through its shimmering surface, closely followed by Hassep, and then Phar. It was done, what remained of Nehekhara was safe, his work was safe, his son was safe, and soon all would be beyond Nagash. He felt a calm acceptance wash over him, he knew this had to happen. Turning, a pale vampire, flanked by a banshee and wright stood on the other side of the brasier. The Vampire grinned sadistically as he approached, a spell already swirling around his gauntlet. "It was a clever plan," he mocked. "But you should know that nowhere is beyond the reach of Nagash. You have accomplished nothing." "I wouldn't say that," he replied. "I still get to kill all of you." Raising the khopesh high, he screamed a spell so ancient that it made the brazier flare with unnatural power, before he drove the weapon deep into the white hot warpstone. Jason and his siblings had no time to react as the spell exploded outwards in a wave of green warpfire that rocked the cavern, vaporizing everything in its path. Had anything been living above, it would have witnessed an entire mountain tremble and shudder, as miles upon miles of underground tunnels and caves were flooded with magical might. Then, with a deep and shuddering groan, the peak slowly collapsed inwards, entombing everything inside.