To Take the Ship

Kalimdor Region
Northwatch Sector
2250 Hours

The gryphon dove down towards the deck of the ship, its wings snapping back to give it a final burst of speed as the Alliance vessel grew larger and closer. Wind howled around Belleri, blowing her dark hair out behind her as she clung tightly to the man holding the reins. Her brown eyes scanned the deck of the ship, taking in the details of the vessel with a professional detachment that had served her well in years of battle.

Men were dying below her.

Orc landing craft had surged towards the beaches of Northwatch Hold and several of them had veered off towards the Alliance vessels sitting at port. After a few cannon barrages had been exchanged and several ships had caught alight, boarding parties had hit the naval vessels of the Alliance and now the deck of the ship was a swirling melee of flashing swords and daggers as sailors fought to hurl the green-skinned foe off the deck.

Belleri pointed and shouted over the wind, her voice lost in the howling gale and the roar of distant cannons. The man guiding the bird seemed to get the point though, nodding once and letting his mount swoop down towards the deck. He brought the bird in as close as possible, it's claws only four feet above the forecastle of the ship. Belleri wasted no time, slipping from the saddle and landing lightly on the deck even as the gryphon released her trained hunting fox that it had been holding in a talon. The creature landed nimbly next to her and then the war was upon them.

Rifle up Belleri had only seconds to pick targets as orcs attempted to secure the ship's forecastle. With a roar her weapon unleashed a barrage of death, instantly hitting one, then two, and then three of the green-skinned combatants and hurling them off the ladders they were using to climb up. The fox with her jumped down into the swirling melee, tearing at legs in an effort to hamstring the attackers as Belleri walked to the edge of the raised platform and crouched down, using her more stable position to begin plastering the attackers on the deck below her with rapidly fired and extremely accurate shot from her rifle.

The sound of combat began to fade a little as Belleri cleared the lower deck closest to her of orcs. A few stragglers climbed up from the boarding ships below, and she put several well placed rounds into them before they could join in the fight, giving her allies some time and breathing space. At the other end of the ship, combat continued to rage.

Confident now that the Alliance would prevail, Belleri paused to reload her rifle when a shadow passed over her. Looking up, the wings of a dragon blotted out the sky for a moment before it passed over the ship. She began to hurry in her reloading as the dragon turned and swooped lower, a huge figure rising up on its back. As it passed over the deck, the figure leaped off, plummeting down to land hard on the wooden surface below, scattering combatants there. As it rose up, Belleri beheld one of the largest orcs she'd ever seen, an axe in each hand and a roar echoing out over the battle.

And then the killing started.

Fingers scrambling to close the breach of her weapon, Belleri could only watch in horror as the orc hued down several sailors as if they were simply trees to be chopped into firewood. More men rushed the armored figure, only to be cut down in turn with swift, accurate strokes of his massive weapons. The orc lurched forward, barreling over combatants and even some of the smaller orcs that had boarded the ship, using his weight and might to bash aside all opposition. Almost instantly the tide of battle began to turn as morale broke and sailors began to flee from the awe-inspiring figure.

Belleri brought her rifle up just as a huge axe descended and cut the trained fox she'd been using in half. The unfortunate creature was hurled from the deck, its gore mixing with the blood of fallen men and orcs as the combat became some of the bloodiest Belleri had ever seen.

Keen brown eyes sighted down the length of her rifle and her fingers squeezed the trigger, her shots striking out at the orc. Although she didn't miss, some sixth-sense or combat awareness caused the huge orc to bring an axe up as she unloaded her weapon on him. Bullets deflected from the blade, from his shoulder armor, and even from one of his thick metal bracers as he surged forward, cutting down more of the Alliance sailors.

Time seemed to slow for a moment as the orc titled his head up. The dim glowing red sockets of the faceless helmet he wore seemed to bore into Belleri's own eyes, an almost electrical contact between them that seemed to say that only one would walk away alive. They were dancers in a game of life or death, two professionals dedicated to doing what they did best; bringing war upon their foes.

The orc began to run, rifle shots chewing gaping holes in the deck around him as he built up speed until he had enough momentum to leap into the air. The huge figure hurtled forward and upwards, gaining purchase on the forecastle as Belleri desperately hit him with more shots, the rounds deflected by the thick metal the creature wore. In an instant his axes came up and then down, the keen edge of one barely missing Belleri as she leaped backwards. The second blade connected with her rifle, sheering the barrel off as if it were made of paper.

She knew she was doomed as the orc reared up over her, axes extended on either side of him. With a determined look on her face, Belleri straightened herself up and stood firm before him even as his weapons began to descend in an arc that would cut her in half. Without flinching, her gaze still firmly staring into the sockets of the helmet, she brought the sheered rifle up in one hand, pointed it as his chest, and pulled the trigger.

The weapon, now nothing more useful than a sawed-off shotgun, roared as the ammo within it burst out of a barrel that was warped and far too short. The projectile shattered the end of the barrel, sending splinters of metal in a spray in front of it. The splinters struck all over the orc's armor, sparks flying as the thick plates absorbed the impact. While the orc was unwounded, the impacts did slightly alter the course of his weapons as he was forced to retain his balance. Belleri found that, rather than being cut in half, she was body slammed with the flat of a blade that was approximately the length of half her body.

To say that it was painful would be an understatement.

Her vision began to blacken as her body was hurled through the air like a broken doll. Her last vision as the water beside the ship rushed up to meet her was of a huge, triumphant orc standing on the forecastle of a now-burning ship, orcs roaring in support below him as he bellowed out a cry of victory.

General Morgaath Bloodmoon had stolen the victory that day, but it mattered little to the woman as blackness took her and then cold water shocked her back to consciousness a moment later.

It would take several days for her to recover from what was essentially a full body bruise down her entire left side, and several more days for her to obtain a new set of gear after the destruction of her sniper rifle. She would mark the orc's form well though, for it would not be the last time they met. Far from it.