"Everyone remember what to do?" Thogen grumbled, his shield was held out in front of him alongside Asudroms and Dhordurs, Thalamath, Byl and Hilfar had theirs above the groups heads. "Yes Azaghalbad, keep us alive until we reach the gate .." Hilfar replied but Asudrom was soon to correct "Keep the hammer guard alive ..". The unit moved like a turtle in its shell, safe from the outside word but lack of vision, each one of them followed the dwarf in front and the dwarf in front watched his step, feet climbing a stone stairway. Hosgrim, Thorlaen and Uworin follwed behind the shield unit, he held their mighty hammers and axes tightly, eyes popping over shields to glance up the seemingly endless staircase. "Right, don't let me die .. not before I crush a few skulls" Hosgrim joked around, his right hand rested on Byls back so he could stay close enough to him for protection. Khlsoi and Daingorf, skilled archers trailed a step or two behind, they made no noise climbing the stairs but it mattered very little, the armoured unit in front sounded like a hobbits rucksack falling down a mountain and every pot and pan hitting something on the way down. "I count twenty eight master Daingorf .. what do you see?" Khlosi mumbled, Daingorf squinted his eyes and then chuckled "Twenty eight aye, but make it twenty nine for the one who keeps popping his head up every four seconds." Hilfar sounded a bit nervous, he was never meant to be a warrior but in times of war every able dwarf was to take up arms if they could and so he did, "Just make sure they don't get me!" he grumbled. Step by step they climbed, slow but still advancing. Khlosi leaned towards the shield group and spoke with a simple tone "Azaghalbad, they are firing arrows ..", Thogen pulled his shield down for a second before shout aloud for everyone to hear "Shields! Incoming arrows!" The fight for Orodost was about to start.
Goblins, wretched creatures, nasty in all methods of attack and cowards. Man stood a top a wooden palisade that protected Orodost. From the palisade they felt safe but even a small dwarven unit was a threat to them so they fired arrows. Rusted arrow heads cut the air and gave a buzzing noise as they flew. Some heads dripped of foul liquids and others caked with disgusting substances to cause nasty infection. "Shields tight! Let their arrows bounce off us! We are like a mountain! Stand strong like one!" Thogen ordered, within seconds arrows bounced off steel, iron, wood and stone. Hilfar giggled at first then started to laugh "This all they have?" the group chuckled along with him. Few arrows actually dug into the wood of shields though the warriors did not allow extra weight and brought their weapons down on the shafts to break them clean off. Thogen kept his feet moving up the stairway "Don't stop, you know they wont. Khlosi, you and Dain give them a taste of their own, loose a volley" he commanded. Khlosi gave a nod then him and Dain broke away from the safety of the shields and knocked arrows, Thorlaen even took his cross bow to join the action. "Hit'em good, hit'em hard .." Khlosi said before firing off a few shots, some arrows pounded like nails into the palisade but others found homes in goblin heads and soon bodies started to fall.
Uworin twisted his hands around the shaft of his axe, he grew impatient of hiding behind the shield but he knew better then to charge into a firing zone. Another wave of goblin arrows came from the palisade, this time being close enough spears were hurled as well. Asudrom felt his shield lower a bit when a spear smashed into its center, Byl and Thalamath stuck close and arrow after arrow reflected and tumbled down the stairway in a harmless fashion. "Nothing can break my shield nor any of my brothers shields! We are guardians of Durin's Folk!" Byl cheered, together with him the others shield bearers held the wall clean and tight, nothing came close to hurting anyone. Daingorf waited until the dull thudding stopped before spinning away from the wall again and firing off another quick couple of arrows, they whistled then stopped as one found its way straight through a goblins eye socket and out the back of its head, Thorlaen took his chance seeing a wounded goblin try to take an arrow from its chest and nailed a bolt into the goblins hand keeping it tacked to its body. "Good shooting archers" Khlosi said before firing off an arrow, it spiraled through the air with such precision and struck through the forehead of a goblin then out the back causing the creature to tumble over the palisade and down the mountain. Goblins thought twice about popping their heads over the wooden wall, one by one they were being picked off and now so close they for sure would meet an early grave if their head peaked over. Thogen glanced over his shield once more and yelled "We are near the gate! Hammers be ready .. make quick work of the wood then we storm in! Baruk Khazâd!". Hosgrim, Uzkhas of the hammer banner rolled his shoulders a little, Thorlaen and Uworin got ready as well, weapons drawn. From gaps in the shield wall everyone could see the gate was close, it was a mean looking gate, oak planks nailed over and over again with some support beams along its center and with that it would be no easy push over but the dwarves came for one thing today, get inside Orodost and so the shield wall opened and the hammers went to work.
"Chaaaaarrrrgggeee!" Hosgrim shouted and held his war hammer over his head before sending it down with great force against the wooden gate. Thorlaen also took his mighty hammer and bashed into the wooden blockage. Like lumberers they brought weapons down over and over again trying to break away at the gate, splinters flew int he air after each strike. Thogen was putting the shields in place on the sides of the hammer members, "Watch for archers! Protect the hammer guard, they fail we fail!" he said pressing his hand against Thalamaths shoulder placing him to where he would like. The shield bearers made a sturdy wall on either side of the dwarves battering down the gate, if archers looked over they would not have a chance to fire straight at the warriors. Still the goblins tried, arrows rained down at the outer gate trying to keep the dwarves out, some brave warriors even hopped down from the palisade and charged the dwarven group. Thogen met the first goblin with the ironed rim of his shield breaking the creatures nose and sending it rolling down the hill, "Keep them away! Hold true! We will be bringing death soon!" he called. Khlosi and Daingorf did their best to fire at goblins who hurled spears straight down at shields and like before goblins fell off the wall dead. Hammers fell upon the wooden door, over and over. Thorlaen felt sweat starting to drip down his head, Uworin gritted his teeth while his muscles flared and Hosgrim groaned after every strike. It took a few minutes but soon small holes started to appear the the gates, the hammers were starting to do their work and now the gate was breaking apart. "I see the other side! Keeping swinging brothers!" Hosgrim cheered but his cheers were cut short, goblins had been waiting for holes to break and now archers used the small gaps to fire arrows at the door breakers.
Each member of the hammer banner fell back, arrows stuck in shoulders, chest and arm, "By Durin's Beard!" Thorlaen moaned, his chest throbbed, his chest plate took most of the damage but the force still bruised deep on the muscle. Thogen roared after seeing the hammers fall, "Get up and keep going, we cannot stop or we will be killed at these very steps! Khlosi, kill those archers!". Quickly Khlosi climbed the stairs a bit with Daingorf and both of them tried to fire at the archers within but they had already hid away from danger, "Gone Azaghalbad!" Khlosi said. More and more archers had started to appear near the gate, they had been firing so many arrows and hurling so many spears that dwarves started to feel the damage, arrows his and broke armour, spears knocked them off balance and goblin brutes became a huge pain with clubs bashing at shields. Thogen reached up at a goblin who was thrust a spear at him and pulled both spear and the goblin down, his boot crushing the head of the creature under him. Thogen took a double take up at the top of the palisade, there was goblins who brought iron pots .. that meant one thing "Oil! Protect yourself!" Thogen yelled, goblins brought boiling oil to pour down on the dwarves, a fate not a single person in middle earth wished to have. Every single one of the dwarves took shelter near a shield and with giant splashes the oils caked the company. "HrrrnnnnngG!" Asudrom groaned feeling a bit of oil find his skin, others moaned in a bit of pain feeling the same but in all not many of them took more then minor scoldings. Hosgrim took back to bringing his hammer to the gate, it was time to get the pathway open! Strike, strike, strike the weapons sounded, they warriors worked with haste attacking the gate and with each hit the gaps grew larger and larger. "Archers are back!" Thorlaen shouted for aid, Thogen and other shield bearers placed their soild shields over the open gaps in the gate to block incoming arrows. "Not this time you wretch!" Hilfar taunted, incoming fire was over they dwarves struck with weapons through the gaps to strike the archers within. Soon after goblin warriors thrust swords and spears through the holes, Khlosi, the nimble warrior stood in the middle of two holes dodging two spears that were thrust through before spinning to fire an arrow into a goblins face.
Thogen looked from side to side, they seemed well protected once again, the archers had left the walls for the most part and the hammer guard was closer to getting the company through. His eyes looked at the gate, hinges were loose, oak planks weak and now was the time to get inside. "Everyone .. push! We can push the gate open! Push! Dwarven might be strong and push!" Thogen called, every dwarf put weight into shoulder or shield and charged the gate, the oak boards groaned at the pressure and flexed at the weight but they held. Thogen was not pleased, he knew they could make it through and with a cheer he ordered again "Pusssshhhhh!" and like a herd of charging bulls they smashed into the gate and wood gave way, the hinges blew from the gate and dwarves stormed into Ordost.
Dust flew from the stone ground as the mighty gates of Ordost crashed to the ground, dwarves came charging in all screaming a powerful war cry that filled any foe with fear, "Sigin Tarag!" they all called. Asudrom took his axe and split a goblins skull, Dhordur and Byl pushed two goblins back and used their weapons to cut deep wounds. Chaos was filling the courtyard, goblins were awestruck that dwarves had breached the gate and still they dwarves slaughtered. Hilfar hacked with his sword cutting a smaller goblin to peices, Hosgrim struck one so hard with his hammer that it flew into three others and Thogen just charged, his mighty hammer Thanbukhebâb stuck the first goblin down, then another took his shield to its face and the third felt Thanbukhebâb crush its head, like foes before every goblin winced at the sound of cracking bones that came from the hammers strike, those hits seemed louder then normal. "Seize the courtyard! We clear this floor then move up! Kill them all! To victory!" Thogen shouted, the dwarves formed into their swine horn formation and Hosgrim lead the charge, the single warrior breaking the goblin ranks and the rest rushing the gap to create chaos from within. Cries sounded and goblins fell, they were not ready for this kind of fight and so they were being slaughtered. Dwarves showed no mercy to the goblins, Thorlaen knocked head after head off the foes, Byls spear skewering enemies like pork and Uworin hacked with his axe. It did not take long but soon the goblins in the courtyard were dead. "Reform the shield wall! Reform! We climb to the second level!" Thogen ordered, his unit started to reassemble then marched towards the smaller staircase, goblins stood at the top knocking arrows. "Shields!" Thogen called and together they all stood waiting for the volley though they all felt the burn as arrows picked through holes of his legs, Asudrom feeling one break into his shoulder guard and Thogen taking a arrow head deep in his thigh, with a groan he pulled the shaft and head free from the wound. Thogen beat his hammer off his shield and shouted "Charge before they fire again!" and the company did, slow .. and weighed down by tired muscles and heavy armour. Byl was in a battle lust, his vision seen red and he kept moving, his speed breaking him away from the shield wall and towards the archers. Others looked in wonder to what Byl was doing, he broke free and now was going to fight a dozen enemies alone! "Byl!" Asudrom and Dhordur shouted but still the guardian went, his spear cutting down enemies like a hot knife in butter but so many goblins outmatched him and now he had to defend, shield keeping daggers away but for how long?
Thogen started to run again, he called to the others "To the Zabad! To the Zabad!" and with a cheer all the dwarves charged, Hilfar was first to get to the stairs, his sword hacked a goblins leg clean off and with a shove he threw the creature off the stairway. Thogen used his shield like a plow and drove a goblin back and straight into a wall splattering it like a bug. Others followed similar suit, meeting the goblins then throwing them down to a long fall. The dwarves came to protect Byl but again he hard already started to run off, "Wait!" Asudrom called grabbing at Byls arm but to late. Thogen and the others started to climb after him, in pairs they marched up the stairs and quickly turned around a wooden wall, Byl stood their but face to face with a dozen archers who fired a volley of arrows. "Shie-" Thogen tried to order but it was up to reaction time now, those dwarves who had turned the corner only had a split second to raise their shields or become a pin cushion. Hilfar looked with white eyes as the rim of his shield caught an arrow that would of split his nose in two and Thalamath ducked his head away feeling at least five arrows hit his shield. Hosgrim and Byl did not wait, they charged the goblins and again they group started to fight. Axes swung high and low and goblin heads rolled. From behind a horn blew, a dwarven horn that Durin's Folk knew all to well. Breaking through the shield wall a dwarf pounded through with a large axe and cut three goblins in two. "Took you long enough .." Thogen grumbled, Hroskold chuckled as he continued to cut the enemy. "Is that how you thank me for bringing Reinforcements from Gondamon?" Hroskold laughed, with him two dozen Gondamon guards joined the battle. Together everyone fought to clear the second floor, they were closing in on Sarnurs gate but that was if they worked together, something that fate seemed to not want to let them do.
Byl darted up the stairs alone yet again, his spear thrusting into goblin bellies. One by one goblisn fell to his might but a fifth goblin to meet him took the spear in its gut and found it was stuck there. Without a weapon to strike Byl started getting pummeled by clubs. "Hroskold, Hilfar, Dhordur! Save Byl Everyone else with me!" Thogen groaned, they should have stuck together but now they faced to goblin forces. Thogens eyes looked to the goblins that him and his group were pushing back, Hosgrim was well protected by Asudroms shield that blocked swords to that a mighty hammer could crush bones. Thogen tugged down a shield with his hammers crows beak so that Hosgrim could turn brains into mush. From behind dwarves started to scream, goblins pressed hard from Sarnur as they did not want to lose the stairway. Hilfar fell back when many goblins jumped to him, Hroskold and Dhordur were forced to fall back with him. "Byl! Fall back! Fall back!" Hroskold pleaded but it fell on deaf ears. Hilfar screamed again as he was knocked to the floor, his sword waving around to cut anything it could in protection. Thogen shook his head he had to think of something, the goblins in front of him moved back in fear. They were cornered and new they would die but only if the dwarves striked now. Thogen took his attention and turned it towards a large bridge that hung over head "Hit the beam! Bring this bridge down as we can save our brothers!" he ordered Hosgrim and Asudrom. Quickly they went to destructive actions again chipping away at the rotten wooden beam. The bridge started to buckle and wave from side to side until the beam was broke free and timber fell blocking the goblins from joining in on the fight. Thogen turned and started to charge towards his brothers who needed dire aid! "Come and die! Thanbukhebâb will be the last of you! Die!" he roared and crashed into the goblins flank. The group was still in single combat but they started to look for one another "We have to form a wall! we will get killed if we cannot get together!" Hroskold shouted though battle, Asudrom nodded his head. Everyone was growing tired, they had been fighting for a long time and now weapons just didn't struck with as much force. Asudrom took up his trusted elvish blade and made quick slashes at goblin skin. Hilfar had found his footing and got up looking for others, he could see better that his helm was knocked off his head. One by one the dwarves met at the stairs, killing goblins in their path. Soon the dwarven shield wall was together and like a machine of war they killed their way up the final set of stairs.
The enemy seemed to grow thin, dwarves looked in shock seeing that they were retreating towards Sarnur, the goblins losing all courage to keep fighting. "They- They are running! We win! We win!" Hilfar cheered, Hroskold smiled and others spoke pleasing words. "Mahal's hammer had shielded us today, we were granted victory!" Thogen spoke to his company, together they climbed to the very top and behind them Gondamon engineers started to set up barricades. "If we took Orodost we would hold the top so the real army could muster, like you ordered War master." Hroskold said, more engineers ran past setting up a barricade and warriors meeting them to protect it. The dwarves had won a stunning victory, they came and broke into Orodost with force and now held an opening into Sarnur, they set the final piece into place. There was one more fight to take place, goblins and Dourhands would meet Durin's Folk. They would meet their allies, they would meet death.
One last time.
