Althas Makari - Animosity VIII Week 2 - Friends in Maw Places

 Marshal Makari and Wurrgog Prophet Shaka take their joint forces through the jungle around the Stomach Pit the Bonesplitterz once guarded, stopping mid-way between two bridges. Shaka then manifested two enormous green hands, one holding the Cogfort Kapros, the other holding the tribe’s Rogue Idol and a throng of boyz. The armies sailed over the gap and charged through the undefended quarter of the village, breaking open a stone paddock wall and engaging with the Womb-Gut ranchers of the reptilian monsters kept there. Kapros’s flame cannon kept the beasts at bay while the Idol smashed out the other side, and Makari led his Freeguilders into the breach to find the slave quarters, where they were happy to find remnants of the Sons of Thunder. Makari made the decision to abandon attempting to find the Maw-Wife, but instead used his Steelhelms to get as many of the duardin free and back to the Hands of Gork, where they could be released from bondage. 

As the Expeditionary Force of Thermodon moved through the jungles around the Seven Stomach-Pits, the Cogfort Kapros ground to a halt, one of its legs jammed up with pus-leaking vines. Marshall Makari disembarked his Freeguild troops and continued on foot, swearing silently when Warforger Vasilis reported that it would still be possible to drag the floating earthmotes with the army. They had been tasked with engaging the forces of the Womb-Gut village suspended over the Stomach-Pit, on a mission of mercy to free the enslaved duardin inside. As valuable as the Kapros would have been against whatever forces guarded the entrance to the village, Makari had always known that the war machine would not be able to cross the bridges and help in the most important action of their mission.

As the jungle broke, and the cookfires of the village became visible, Marshall Gorgos circled back over the infantry company. “Orruks,” he said through pursed lips and tight eyeslits, before wheeling his Griffon again to be behind Makari’s forces. Makari formed up his soldiers just in time to see a mass of Bonesplitterz emerging from the canopy. 

A massive boss led a horde of boyz on one flank, and a shaman atop a boar led a throng of riders on the other. It appeared that the Womb-Guts had allies, and that the Expeditionary Force would engage the village’s defenders much earlier than anticipated.

The Bonesplitterz surged across the battlefield, and Makari took his Greatblades up the middle to meet them. The lightly armored orruks could not stand up to the human swordsmen, and the Bonespltterz Boss went down among a cloud of hacking blades.

On the other flank, Marshall Gorgos mistimed his charge and was caught by the boar riders, but the barding on Arketa the griffon held firm, and his retribution was savage.

Vasillis was able to summon the incarnation of the Eight Points and trap it within the Realmjack armor that was stored on the earth motes. 

The steel colossus, just barely in the wizard’s command, strode forward and engaged a second unit of Orruk boys. They tore into the steel plates that the realm spirit was forced to animate, and it spent more time tearing the attackers off of it’s form than hitting back. Still, the charge of the Bonesplitterz was stopped, and the Steelhelms behind were able to establish a defensive line.

As Gorgos tore into the last of the boarboys, and the Greatblades licked their wounds, Makari was surprised to hear a call of “Dat’s Enuff!” from the back ranks of the Orruk army. 

A Wurrgog Prophet emerged, letting his spear and staff clatter to the ground as he floated forward on a column of green energy. Makari handed his saber to the Greatblade sergeant on his right, and walked across the field to meet the orruk. From behind the wooden mask, he saw a great toothy jaw working the common tongue. “Dat’s Krimmgrit, dead under yer lads’ boots. He was always the favorite of da Womb-Gutz. But I can hear Mork tellin’ us dat we need to find anudder way. So whatchu got?”

Five hours later, Makari led Prophet Shaka across the boarding plank of the Paralos, and into the command cabin of Grand Marshall Lykos. The Bonesplitterz indoctrination into the Starfall Devils would come later. For now, the High Marshall was thumbing though a treatise on Waagh magics, and had a proposition to make to Thermodon’s new allies.