Chapter 174: Battlequeen
Chapter 174: Battlequeen
As Velara rallied her troops, the sound of heavy footfalls echoed through the corridors, signaling the approach of the Demon King Generals. Their presence alone sent ripples of dark energy through the tunnels, unsettling even the most seasoned dwarven warriors. The stone walls of the Dwarven Kingdom groaned under the strain of their power.
Velara gripped Stormbreaker tightly as she led her troops through the labyrinthine tunnels to meet the demons head-on. Her heart raced, but her resolve was unwavering. She knew what was at stake.
Emerging into the main chamber that led to the heart of the kingdom, Velara saw them. Three figures loomed ahead, each exuding an aura of darkness and malice. Morgath, the necromancer, stood in the center, his skeletal hands weaving dark energy around him, a macabre grin on his face as his eyes locked onto Velara's forces. To his left, Garruk, the hulking warrior, stood with his massive axe resting against his shoulder, the ground shaking with every subtle movement he made. On his right was Thalor, the assassin, his form flickering in and out of the shadows, his twin blades gleaming ominously.
The battlefield stretched before them-a narrow corridor with jagged stone walls on either side. It was the perfect place for the dwarves to hold their ground, but against these enemies, even that advantage felt fragile.
Velara stepped forward, her eyes locking onto the Demon King Generals. Her armor shimmered under the flickering torchlight, the Aetherium Plate humming with magical energy. "You will not take this kingdom," she said, her voice carrying across the chamber. "Not while I stand here."
Morgath's skeletal grin widened, his voice like the rasp of bones. "Ah, the battlequeen herself. How noble of you to meet us in person. It will make your death all the more satisfying."
Velara didn't flinch. "We've faced worse than you," she replied. "And we still stand."
Garruk let out a thunderous laugh, his deep voice reverberating through the chamber. "We will see how long you stand, dwarf!" He hefted his massive axe, the blade glowing with the promise of destruction. "You and your kingdom will fall before us, like all the others."
Without further words, Garruk lunged forward, swinging his axe down with a force that could shatter mountains. Velara raised Stormbreaker, meeting his strike with her own. The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, cracks spidering out beneath them as their weapons clashed. Lightning erupted from Stormbreaker, arcing toward Garruk, but the hulking warrior only grinned, absorbing the blow with his thick armor.
Velara pushed back, swinging her hammer again, this time sending a burst of lightning through the air. The bolts crackled toward Garruk, forcing him to stagger back, but his brute strength kept him on his feet.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
As Garruk and Velara clashed, Morgath stepped forward, his hands weaving intricate patterns in the air. Dark energy surged around him, and with a sickening hiss, the bodies of the fallen dwarves began to twitch and rise from the ground. The undead dwarves turned on their former comrades, lurching forward to attack the living.
"Rise, my soldiers!" Morgath cackled. "Your queen will watch as her own people tear each other apart!"
Velara saw the undead advancing but had no time to react as Garruk pressed his assault. She deflected another one of his brutal swings, her gauntlets crackling with power as she unleashed another strike, sending electricity coursing through the air. The ground beneath them trembled, but Velara knew she couldn't focus on the necromancer until she dealt with the hulking warrior in front of her.
Just as she was about to strike again, a flicker of movement caught her eye. Thalor, his form slipping between shadows as he moved. In an instant, he was upon her, his twin blades slashing toward her unguarded side. Velara twisted her body just in time, her gauntlets flaring with electricity as she blocked the blow.
Thalor's eyes gleamed with dark amusement. "You're quick, for a queen," he hissed, vanishing again before her eyes.
Velara's heart pounded as she realized she was now surrounded-Garruk in front, Thalor somewhere in the shadows, and Morgath raising an army of the dead behind her. The odds were grim, but she wasn't about to give in.
"To me!" she shouted to her warriors. "Hold the line!"
Her dwarven soldiers surged forward, their shields locking together as they formed a defensive wall. They met the undead head-on, their axes and hammers smashing into the corrupted forms of their fallen comrades. It was a brutal fight, but the dwarves held strong, determined to protect their queen and their kingdom.
Velara focused her energy, the Storm's Call within her warhammer building as she summoned lightning from the skies above. A massive bolt of lightning struck down from the heavens, arcing toward Morgath and his undead minions. The blast sent a shockwave through the chamber, obliterating several of the necromancer's twisted creations.
But Morgath only grinned, raising his skeletal hands again. "You cannot destroy what is already dead, queen," he taunted, raising more corpses to join the fight.
Garruk roared, charging at Velara once more. She met his attack with a fierce counter, sending shockwaves through the chamber with every clash of their weapons. Despite the strength of her armor and the power of Stormbreaker, Garruk's relentless assault was wearing her down.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Thalor reappeared, his blades flashing as he struck at her back. Velara barely managed to twist out of the way, the assassin's strike glancing off her armor with a spark of energy.
"You cannot face us all," Thalor whispered in her ear before vanishing again.
Velara's breath came in heavy bursts as she took a step back. She knew she couldn't hold them off alone-not forever. But she wasn't alone. Not yet.
"Vincent," she murmured, her gaze flickering toward the inner chambers of the kingdom. Reinforcements would come, but until then, she had to keep fighting.
With a roar, Velara lifted Stormbreaker high, summoning the full might of her magic. The ground beneath her feet trembled as she unleashed a devastating shockwave that rippled through the entire chamber, forcing Garruk back and temporarily disrupting Morgath's spell. "You want my kingdom?" Velara growled, her voice filled with fury. "You'll have to take it over my dead body."
And with that, she charged forward, ready to face the Demon King Generals head-on.