Under Skadi's command, an elite group of Proto-Dragon Knights pierced the four airships' defensive fire and positioned themselves directly beneath the vessels, a blind spot for their heavy cannons.
Alliance soldiers watched with bated breath, while some nobles secretly hoped for disaster. However, the sterns of the Skybreaker and Skyfire suddenly disgorged a wave of red figures: the Red Dragon Knights, Galen's decade-long secret weapon!
Two hundred elite guards of the old king, now Red Dragon Knights under the command of Danath's wife, Nielas, made their dramatic entrance. The formation of this order had emboldened King Thoras, sparking thoughts of rivalry with Lordaeron, despite his past support for Terenas and the crippling cost of the orc internment camps.
(Bro got married?)
These were dragons, far superior to gryphons in power and prestige. Varian, Daelin, and Liam, the heirs to their respective kingdoms, watched with envy, eager to bolster their own nations' strength with such formidable aerial units. Having witnessed the diverse mounts of other races – night elf hippogryphs, high elf dragonhawks, dwarven gryphons, gnome mechanical contraptions, and tauren giant eagles – they yearned for their own exclusive aerial forces. While dwarves provided gryphons, the Wildhammer held the best breeds and taming expertise, a resource only Galen seemed capable of consistently accessing.
"Everyone," Varian said seriously, glancing at Daelin and Liam, "we owe Galen a significant debt for this exploration of Howling Fjord!"
Liam remained oblivious, but Daelin understood immediately. "The Obsidian Dragonshrine!" he exclaimed.
"That's right! The Obsidian Dragonshrine…" Daelin sighed, "Galen is truly insightful!" Liam, though younger, grasped the significance, his eyes wide with admiration for Galen.
If Utgarde Keep was the Dragonflayer clan's command center, the Obsidian Dragonshrine was its foundation, the proto-dragon hatching grounds. Halgrend served as the training facility for proto-dragon knights. The SI:7 would be failing spectacularly if Galen wasn't aware of these critical locations. By drawing the Vrykul into a full-scale defense of their capital, capturing these two sites would grant the Alliance control of unhatched proto-dragon eggs. While adult proto-dragons were loyal only to the Vrykul, the eggs offered the potential for the Alliance kingdoms to cultivate their own aerial legions over time, provided they could secure the eggs and learn the methods of raising and taming the creatures.
The ruthless Skadi, mounted on his powerful Glauf, wreaked havoc, his harpoon spear tearing through aircraft propellers, forcing gnome pilots to bail out. Nielas, leading the Red Dragon Knights, spotted the menacing blue proto-dragon and steered her red dragon whelp into a head-on confrontation.
Scarlet dragon breath and icy proto-dragon frost collided in mid-air, showering the sky with ice shards. Outmatched, Nielas pulled her dragon's reins, landing on the deck of the Skybreaker.
Proto-dragon knights plummeted from the sky, but Skadi pressed his attack, relentlessly pursuing Nielas into the airspace above the Skybreaker.
Suddenly, a barrage of iron chains shot from the deck, ensnaring the blue proto-dragon's neck, wings, and legs. The gunship's assault team rapidly cranked the launcher's bearings, tightening the chains and dragging the struggling proto-dragon downward.
"Warning! Warning! Enemy invasion!" A shrill gnome alarm blared as gnome musketeers swarmed from the cabin, unleashing a volley of fire.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"
"Roar…" The musketeers' armor-piercing rounds elicited a painful roar from the blue proto-dragon.
"You inferior insects, barely reaching my knee! You'll pay for this!" Skadi roared, leaping from the ensnared proto-dragon into the ranks of the musketeers, his harpoon sweeping the gnomes aside.
"Oh! Blast it! Who said we weren't as tall as his knee!" A distinct gnome voice cried out as a towering, steampunk-style robot, easily over six meters tall, lumbered into view.
"Massive strike! Steam charge!" Thermaplugg's bellow accompanied the giant robot's charge towards the Vrykul on deck.
The aerial battle raged fiercely, with proto-dragons, Vrykul, and aircraft wreckage falling from the sky. Fortunately, the Red Dragon Knight Order sustained no losses, a relief for Galen's father.
On the ground, with Dragonskull Village in ruins, Stromgarde's ground forces advanced to Utgarde Keep's gate. A disorganized mass of Vrykul poured out, resembling a scattered rabble rather than a disciplined army, and charged towards the Stromgarde lines.
"Tch!" Danath, the Stromgarde commander, scoffed. This is the origin of mankind? They lacked the discipline of border bandits, and Danath doubted their combat effectiveness compared even to Amani trolls, aside from their size.
The First Legion of Stromgarde, an elite unit hardened by years of fighting trolls and orcs, possessed superior numbers, formation, and equipment. Their level 4 rare alloy weapons and level 6 rare alloy plate armor, mass-produced in Eastwind Rest, gave them a significant advantage against the Vrykul's more primitive arms and armor.
"Infantry, form ranks, advance! Musketeers, crossbowmen! Fire!" Danath commanded.
Despite the relentless Vrykul charge, they were cut down with minimal losses to the First Legion.
"Trash! Utter trash, unable to overcome even these lesser beings!" A booming roar echoed as a Vrykul of immense stature, towering over his kin, descended from a castle balcony. Upon impact, arcs of lightning erupted around him, causing several Stromgarde soldiers to cough up blood.
Danath recognized the arrival of a Vrykul Lord, estimating his height at seven meters. He was clad in thick, ice-blue armor, a spiked helmet concealing his features, and carried a colossal battle axe nearly as tall as himself. Weapon and armor combined, he likely weighed over a ton. Danath briefly questioned the lineage connecting humans to such a behemoth.
The giant Vrykul swung his axe, scattering a portion of the First Legion's formation. Ordinary soldiers struggled against such might, even in formation. Only a costly sacrifice of many lives could potentially bring down this legendary foe. But that was not Danath's way. This was the moment for a general to rise.
Danath hefted the shield on his back: Truthguard. Originally wielded by Aragorn, who now favored the Silver Hand warhammer after awakening Tyr's memories, the legendary paladin shield had been gifted to Danath by Galen. With Turalyon possessing Quel'Zaram and Uther close to forging the Light's Wrath warhammer, Galen ensured his cousin would not be outmatched. Forged by the Titan Watcher Archaedas, incorporating a fragment of Tyr's Silver Hand and Alanna's protective runes, Truthguard resonated perfectly with Danath's core of Holy Light: Guardianship.
Ingvar roared, his battle axe raised to breach the shield wall. But Danath moved first, bracing Truthguard with both hands, directly meeting Ingvar's sweeping blow.
A resounding crash echoed across the battlefield, eclipsing even the sounds of fighting at the gate. The force of the blow pushed Danath back several steps, his face flushing. However, a surge of Holy Light restored his color. He examined his shield; not a scratch marred its surface. In contrast, Ingvar's axe blade was chipped and jagged.
"Truthguard?" Plunderer Ingvar recognized the shield, a weapon famed even among the Northsea Vrykul for its invulnerability against powerful foes, from Vrykul Warbringers and giants to the very claws of the Old Gods. Avarice flickered in Ingvar's eyes. A divine artifact! It could elevate him above King Ymiron himself. With a wild laugh, Ingvar lunged at Danath.
"Hey, big guy! Seems you underestimate me!" Danath retorted, meeting the charge head-on.
Clang! Axe met shield again, the impact forcing Danath back another step.
Clang! Truthguard blocked another heavy blow, but this time Danath held his ground, gradually acclimating to the Vrykul Lord's immense strength. "Big oaf! Is that all you've got?"
Ingvar, not fully grasping Danath's Common tongue taunts, understood the mocking tone. Enraged, his eyes turned blood red. A crimson aura erupted around him as he stomped the ground, channeling all his might into three consecutive, desperate axe strikes.
Clang! Clang! Clang! The third blow shattered Ingvar's axe.
Bathed in golden light, Danath stood firm, having activated his Burning Defender and the safeguard of the Ancient Kings, weathering the Vrykul Lord's furious assault.
"My turn!" Avenging Wrath wings flared behind Danath as a golden angel materialized behind him. As Danath's longsword moved, the angel mirrored his action with a golden holy sword.
Sword pierced flesh, light extinguished soul.
"Pfft!" Shock froze Ingvar's face as he swayed and collapsed to his knees with a thud. Danath swung his longsword again, decapitating the giant.
"The enemy general is dead!" Danath raised Ingvar's severed head high. The already faltering Vrykul around the castle broke ranks and fled towards the gate.
Danath did not pursue, instead ordering the First Legion to secure the battlefield and encircle Utgarde Keep.
The ground battle was won, and the aerial conflict was nearing its end. Skadi's blue proto-dragon lay dead on the Skybreaker's deck, its body still crackling with the residual energy of Therma Plug's scorched current.
"Incompetent beast! Your corpse is barely fit to be dragon feed!" Skadi spat, kicking his fallen mount aside and charging towards the group striker once more.
Boom! Before Skadi could reach it, a shell slammed into his back. Reinforcements from the other three airships had arrived.