Part 50: Mission 50: The Enemy's Gate Is Down (Part 2)

Mission 50: The Enemy's Gate Is Down (Part 2)

Ten minutes after the mass emergence.



Emil Västerström: Is it just me, or is it a bit too quiet? With a force that size, I thought they'd be hot on our heels.
Vlasta Devínská: I haven't seen anything either, but of course, I haven't had a chance to do a radar sweep.
"Doctor" Snark: The enemy probably wasn't expecting Dragoth to open the gate off-schedule. They might still be organizing their forces.
Basil: In that case, we should haul ass. Fall back and regroup while we have the time.
Mael Radec: No.
Basil: Huh?
Mael Radec: We need to take the Gate, and we're going to have to deal with those enemy forces sooner or later. Any reinforcements we might get are still weeks away. There's no telling what else Dragoth could do in that time.
"Doctor" Snark: Radec's right. If Dragoth's troops are still organizing, then now's our best chance. We could do a lot of damage before they get their shit together.



Vlasta Devínská: They haven't advanced beyond the Gate yet. If we're gonna do this, now's the time.
Mael Radec: Vlasta's right. All tanks, mobile infantry, aircraft, full speed! As soon as you see them, open up with everything you've got!



Erik Spanner: Don't mind me, I'll just be hanging out at the back of the formation.



Reginald P. Linux: What the h- there are people here! There must be thousands of them! The orcs have them surrounded!
Solaus: They're being taken away for sacrifices! Kill the orcs! Don't leave a single one standing!
Vlasta Devínská: Hold on, Solaus, I don't think that's a good idea. Something's weird here. The orcs aren't even looking at those guys. They're letting them wander freely. It looks like they're all faced to the west, away from the prisoners, away from us, and toward the main enemy force.
Reginald P. Linux: So, that implies...
Vlasta Devínská: They aren't capturing those people, they're protecting them!
Michael de Boulogne: What?
Vlasta Devínská: Hold on, there's a few of them facing this way. It looks like they've spotted us, and... that's it! That's the signal! Everyone, hold your fire, these are Ka-Tugrag's orcs!
Mael Radec: Alright. All units, approach them. Hold your fire but keep your weapons trained on them. We don't know if this is a trick.



Stephen Smith: If it's a trick, they killed a lot of their own to pull it off. There's a goddamn sea of Orc bodies here, of every variety.



Ka-Tugrag: Well met, humans.
Mael Radec: Ka-Tugrag? I'm surprised. We hadn't been able to reach you for weeks. Our commanders presumed you dead.
Ka-Tugrag: 'pologies. Dragoth's forces were getting wise to our communication routes. Ambushed us a few times by following couriers, and they bled us pretty bad. Least my boys got a good shot on one of the Death Knight platoons. Hurt 'em pretty bad, too. Took just about everything we had to pull of this little coup.
Joe Moore: So wait, those wounded Death Knights we found, that was your doing?
Solaus: Before you get too friendly with us, Orc, I believe you still have some captives. Send them over.
Ka-Tugrag: 'Course. By the way, you'll want to clear them out sooner rather than later. Things're still pretty hot out here.
Mael Radec: We have a few auxiliaries who'll escort them to safety. What's the tactical situation?
Ka-Tugrag: Pretty grim, speakin' honestly. The orcs was split about fifty-fifty between us and Dragoth's. My boys fought better, of course, but we didn't have Mammoths and Hell Riders on our side. What you see here's all that's left after we fought off their last attack.



Basil: Is this really happening?
Michael de Boulogne: Are we really working with them?
Mael Radec: We are. The prisoners are coming our way now. These orcs have fought our enemy, protecting our people. As far as I'm concerned, they're with us.
Erik Spanner: You mean we get our own expendable cannon fodder?
Mael Radec: Don't get your hopes up. Alexander wants minimum losses and we're going to give him minimum losses.



Ka-Tugrag: The enemy's coming! If you have problems with this arrangement, you'll need to hash them out later!



Svetlana Aliyev: You heard the man, ehm, orc! We've got Dragoth against the wall, so let's finish him!



Ka-Tugrag: About that. Some of the orcs that came through the gate joined me, and they told me a few things I hadn't known. Dragoth's trying to rally his hordes around his dragons and wizards, and he has two of each. Kill them, and his army will topple like a tent in a windstorm.
Mael Radec: Appreciate it, Ka-Tugrag. Everyone, consider enemy wizards and dragons priority targets!



Solaus: Well, I guess if we're really doing this, I'll blast a wider hole. We'll be sitting ducks if we try to roll through one at a time.




Vlasta Devínská: Enemy contact, southwest. I can only see the edge of their force, though.



Michael de Boulogne: We'll see if we can't make them come to us.



Stephen Smith: I've been spotted, they're taking the bait!



Jorji Costava: Looks like Mammoths out here!



Jorji Costava: Am okay, just need time for fixing!



Gregor: Be careful, Vlasta! Metal Mammoth may shoot you, too!
Vlasta Devínská: I don't think so. The enemy knows how important our radar trucks are, and how fragile. I should be okay unless that Mammoth rolls forward.



Patrick Gallagher: Vlasta, you're tempting fate. Just be careful out there.



Michael de Boulogne: Dropped the last one we got coordinates on. We'll need to get closer if we're going to take out those Mammoths.



Vlasta Devínská: Definitely in the Mammoth's gun range now. Fingers crossed, guys.



Vlasta Devínská: Found 'em! And there's a wizard, too!



Solaus: Wizards are priority targets, right? We'll take it out as soon as we shoot-and-scoot the Mammoths to death.




Vlasta Devínská: Good to still be in one piece. I'm getting strong magical readings from that wizard. It looks like he's placed some kind of barrier around himself.
Michael de Boulogne: I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle with sufficient rocket fire.



Solaus: It's weakening! Keep it up!
Vlasta Devínská: Say, now that we've seen the wizards, I wonder where they're keeping the dra-



Vlasta Devínská:



Solaus: Shit, Vlasta! You alright?
Vlasta Devínská: Barely. They missed my command vehicle, but most of my platoon... Jesus, I can smell it from here. Now hurry up and start shooting, or we're all dead!



Joe Moore: Think you can just swoop in and torch Vlasta? You fuckers aren't the masters of the sky anymore!



Bob McKenzie: That title's for us and the jetpacks to fight over now, eh!



Anil E. Hilated: Okay, now the Fortress of Terror!





Michael de Boulogne: It takes rather more artillery fire to destroy one of these than I'm comfortable with.
Anil E. Hilated: But the bigger they are, the harder they fall!




Michael de Boulogne: That's one wizard and one dragon we can scratch off now.
Griff: Alright! Halfway there!
Ka-Tugrag: Yes, but this was the easy half. Dragoth knows his chain of command's about to break. We'll have to smash through the rest of his army to get to the ones that're left.
Solrick Skaft Smashing through armies is what we do best.



Solrick Skaft: Looky there, looks like they were guarding a portal! This is probably one of Dragoth's last sources of fresh troops.



Michael de Boulogne: Then let's tighten the noose.



Solaus: Portal down! The hill's secure, though there's a ghost wandering around on the other side of that wall for some reason.



Anil E. Hilated: Dealt with. And as long as I'm here, why don't I blast a hole for you guys?
Basil: Good idea. I don't see an end to this wall. I wouldn't be surprised it completely enclosed this place.
Sigrún Raske: On other words, this is where Dragoth makes his last stand.



Griff: Okay, everyone in!
Mael Radec: That includes your boys, Ka-Tugrag.



Griff: Oh shit, they were waiting for us!



Vlasta Devínská: Not a lot, it looks like. Just a few AT Orcs. Artillery, can you take 'em out?



Solaus: Done.



Doug McKenzie: Thought I saw some peekers to the west, eh.



Joe Moore: Confirmed, more orcs!



Anil E. Hilated: This can't be all Dragoth has left, can it? He seems to have a tendency to spring unpleasant things on us at the last minute.



Vlasta Devínská: Well, we can deprive him of a chance to. Got another portal to the north. Looks like they cut corners on the construction, there's only two focus nodes to knock out.



Solaus: Might've installed it in a hurry, after we started pushing toward the Gate. In any case, it won't be menacing us anymore.



Vlasta Devínská: Shit, Riders spotted. We were wondering where the big fight was, and I think we're about to get it.



Anil E. Hilated: Everyone move up, then! We know there's at least one dragon still out there. We're going to need every bit of firepower we can spare.



Basil: Ka-Tugrag, tell your boys to hang back. It looks like some serious shit's about to go down.
Ka-Tugrag: No can do, Basil. We swore we'd be there when Dragoth fell, and besides, you said you needed all the firepower you could spare.



Stephen Smith: Here they come!



Ka-Tugrag: Gharak-Kur, no! Be careful, they have Mammoths!



Vlasta Devínská: Found it.



Anil E. Hilated: Lot of priority targets here! They'll be in range to hit Vlasta soon, and he's already lost most of his unit.



Patrick Gallagher: Nothing we can do about it now! Just wipe out as many as you can!



Jorji Costava: No room for cowards in Cobrastan!



Basil: Taking out the last one! Quick, someone who's got range, hit the Mammoth!
Anil E. Hilated: Basil, that Hell Rider is still-



Anil E. Hilated: Shitshitshit!



Anil E. Hilated: Half my guns are down! Gonna have to sit the rest of this out... never even got a chance to drop a few shells on Dragoth.



Joe Moore: There! The second dragon!



Patrick Gallagher: Can't deal with it, kind of busy here!



Joe Moore: You just leave it to the experts, then!



Mael Radec: Mammoth is down! Now, hit the Riders!



Billy Mays: BUT WAIT! FIRST SEE HOW ORDINARY SIDEWINDERS CAN KEEP YOUR SKIES DRAGON-FREE!



Svetlana Aliyev: Okay, people, all that's left is the last wizard! Find him and blow his crusty robed ass to hell!




Basil: Okay, we're clear! Let's go!



Jorji Costava: Is still plenty for everyone!





Reginald P. Linux: Oh hey, demons! Seems they've been showing up a lot lately.



Emil Västerström: Knocked most of my flyers out of the sky, too! Sorry guys, I'm gonna need a minute to get everyone back on their feet. Or rather, in the air.
Jorji Costava: You take time and enjoy sunshine, Emil. Cobrastan's finest can handle!



Jorji Costava: Blue energy bolt is hitting me! Last wizard must be nearby!



Jorji Costava: Ha ha oh right, I forgot, you guys can do that too!



Mael Radec: Costava's almost surrounded! Get in there and save him! You need to take out the demons!



Erik Spanner: No Radec, we are the demons! Uh, I mean... okay, I dropped the last one. Get back here where you've got rocket cover, Jorji!



Gregor: Already has rocket cover!



Solrick Skaft: And flying battlesuit cover!



Jorji Costava: Wow! More bunkers here than on Kolechia-Arstotzka border, and these ones move!



Jorji Costava: Ha ha, and I found the wizard after all! I found-



Stephen Smith: Shit, Alexander's not gonna be happy about that.
Mael Radec: We've lost more than one fine soldier today.
Stephen Smith: No, I mean he never once produced legitimate paperwork. Now the Commander's gonna have to go through about a hundred names to see if any of them are his real next of kin.



Basil: Guys, focus! Remember what he said! It was the wizard! The last wizard's somewhere close!



Erik Spanner: And there he is! Alright, just try to ignore the gigantic floating death castle, everyone! Take out the wizard and we win!



Solaus: Got 'em!
Vlasta Devínská: The Fortress just stopped! The enemy orcs look confused!
Habitually Red: We've done it! The Gate is ours!




It was a long and painful road, but at long last, we'd done it. With the help of our new allies, we'd seized the first Gate. Minutes after his last general fell and his soldiers were routed, Dragoth was spotted fleeing headlong toward a nearby Well. This was presumably part of some final, desperate act, after the others had failed, to try to seize victory by quickly replenishing his magic. He failed, and the chaotic energies of the Well destroyed him. As soon as we'd confirmed that the site was secure, we called in a team of engineers to plant a series of archotral charges around the Gate which could, once armed, be blown at a moment's notice. We wanted to study the Gate now that we'd finally captured one, but if the worst should happen, we were prepared to destroy it rather than let it fall back into enemy hands.

With the enemy's General dead, their portals and destroyed, and their Gate rendered useless, General Malcolm's forces were able to bring the grueling, costly liberation of China to a quick and decisive end. Shen Tzu was dragged from his bunker and secured prison, where he would await an Alliance tribunal for his crimes, and the Chinese government-in-exile made preparations to return to Beijing to begin rebuilding the country. The remaining Forces of Darkness in China beat a hasty retreat to the BFS, against which the Alliance was already drawing invasion plans. We weren't just surviving anymore. We were winning.

Two Gates remained, and just days after our victory here, I got a call. The next one had been found, and the Drunken Slavs had been tasked with taking it.


KILLED IN ACTION:

Ragna T. Bloodedge
Isara Gunther
Jorji Costava