Rage of the Blade Song - 6
At the sound of a second roar from one of the night sabers, Eldre'Thor perked up.
"We have to get out there, now! Before they kill the sabers and leave us stranded!"
The lieutenant quickly moved for the entrance, gracefully maneuvering among the bodies with grace as he was followed by the rest of the company. Ouroboros trailed behind last. His mind was ablaze with fear and it was only the adrenaline of the moment which managed to fuel him.
He cursed himself for not saying anything earlier after hearing the metallic scrape. Ouroboros was now certain that whatever made it had been no effect from the wind, but one of the foul demons lying in wait for them. Now they were cornered in a pile of their own rotting kin with the Burning Legion surrounding them on all sides. The ringing sound of the Fel Guards screaming for Elven blood was all he heard. The soldier tried to pick out how many foes they might be against, for surely their numbers could not be that great, but the constant echo of their howls mixing as one made count an impossible task. He desperately hoped that, maybe if he and the rest of his companions just stayed put, perhaps the demons would simply pass them by, but he knew this to merely be wishful thinking.
The five soldiers gathered at the hallways end, where the snarling of sabers and grunting of demon soldiers in battle came at them from the entrance. Eldre'Thor Featherfall put himself first, held his sword at chest level, and charged down the hall. Two more followed him and two more after them before Ouroboros was free to go to their aid as well. From where he stood the green fog almost seemed to be glowing as it filled the temple doorway; as he rushed forward, the soldier imagined that he just ran through a funeral shroud for death was all around him.
Battle between the Night Elves and the demon foot soldiers had already met, and the angry clash of steel rang in his ears. He couldn't tell how many of the Fel Guard were there, but it was obvious their squad was outnumbered - it looked to be three for every Elf. Already one of the sabers lied dead already; the head, having been nearly hacked off entirely, lolled to the side as its body bled out and a hind leg kicked in wretched death throes. However, noting the two crumpled forms lying gutted near the carcass, Ouroboros wagered that the demons had lost two of their own against the ferocious felines. The Elves put up a valiant defense rushing to the aid of their animal companions, and managed to draw the demons' attention onto themselves, but now they were forced to endure the full brunt of their attack atop the temple steps.
Fortunately, in their zeal to route the Kaldorei defense which dared show itself, the Fel Guard company turned their backs on the night sabers in a frantic rush to butcher the true enemy. Yet the great sabers, loyal to their Elven handlers, did not flee once ignored but instead hounded the Legion troops from behind and mowed straight into the back of their lines. As the demonic forces converged on the Elves they suddenly found themselves caught between two foes, and were forced to split their attention once more.
Ouroboros moved to lend his blade to the far right, alongside one of the men standing beside Eldre'Thor. The five of them formed a half-circle barricade along the steps and used the elevated ground to their advantage. They found it difficult to go on the offensive, but the group managed to parry a great deal of strikes aimed at ending their lives. Occasionally one of the Elves would find a break in the demons' own defense, and they would lash out to claim a life of their own. Slowly but surely, the number of Fel Guards was dwindling.
Suddenly an agonized roar shook the fighters. In the back one of the demons managed to slip their blade past the sabers quick feet and stuck one in its chest. Rather than mercifully slay the fearsome beast, the Fel Guard was so overcome with blood lust that it continued to run the feline through until he managed to overturn the animal. The other night sabers quickly turned toward the vicious demon and shredded him beneath their combined claws, but they could do nothing to save their dying companion and the saber moaned mournfully.
"Shadowfoot!"
The man beside Ouroboros shouted and a horrified look of anguish crossed his features. However, one of the demons up front took advantage of it's foe's shock and lunged forward.
"Look out!"
Ouroboros Bladesong attempted to bring his sword up for the man beside him, but he wasn't swift enough. The Fel Guard's own blade stabbed him through the gut, piercing right through his forest green armor while Ouroboros' own swing came in slow and rebounded off the demon blade.
He desperately wanted to avenge his fallen ally, but in his rush to protect a fellow soldier, Ouroboros had placed his own life in danger. He pulled his blade back just in time to parry a set of swings from the Fel Guard before him. The foul creature savagely rained down a series of blows that threatened to force Ouroboros back up the steps. Yet, if he allowed that to happen then the demons would be able to encircle the Lieutenant, as well as the other two soldiers, and he refused to budge an inch. He finally found the reprieve he needed when the demon made a furious lunge which Ouroboros was able to deflect off to the side; using the Fel Guard's own momentum against him, the Kaldorei soldier ran his family blade through the demon's warped skull.
Just as he was moving to stand beside his lieutenant, the demon that killed his ally slashed him across the chest. As it's own companion fell, the Fel Guard focused on Ouroboros while he was busy pulling his sword from the demon's head. The attack had been an upward swing, and so strike not only cut through his armor and chest, but also lifted Ouroboros from his feet and knocked him to the ground. Faring better than the body he saw earlier, the soldier's head came down hard on the flat side of the step rather than its edge, but the sudden impact and horrendous wound on his chest took the fight out of him and Ouroboros grew dizzy.
The demon let out barking laughter as it stepped closer and prepared to run him through. However, Eldre'Thor intercepted the Fel Guard's path and blocked it from the fallen Elf. Lieutenant Featherfall struck out viciously at the surprised demon and cut its own chest in multiple locations; he finished by beheading the foul creature and kicking the corpse backward.
Ouroboros' breathing became labored and he strained to prop himself up, only to fall back down. Even as his eyes went dim, they rested on the sight of his Lieutenant valiantly standing over him in defense. As the Kaldorei's world went black the last thing he heard was Eldre'Thor barking commands to those that remained, though they were nothing more than a mumble.