The coming of the Great One

(adapted from a segment of my own novel)

Aerdrie stood abreast her companions at the front of her troops, leaning on her sword. Far to the left and right she saw row after row of Aughundel warriors tear into the enemy's ranks, opening them up to the gifted that followed. She gazed ahead at the wave of undead and beasts charging towards her, under a sky that seethed and boiled with clashing arcane forces. In the distance, somewhere over the unending sea of metal, there was a huge flash of yellow light, then a deafening boom that shook the ground. Aerdrie could see bodies being tossed high up and away in the air. A roaring warcry came from the charging line of undead. There were still a few seconds left before the onslaught, and she tried to calm herself, relaxing her muscles. She could hear the common men shifting in their armour behind her.
The wave was almost upon them. She felt the energy emanating from the jewelled pommel under her palms, its warmth spreading up her arms. She cast a quick glance at her friends flanking her. No word or command was necessary, just a look of mutual purpose and understanding. Bjornsten smiled ominously in his helmet. Raising her blade, Aerdrie grinned back, and hurled herself into the coming storm.
First foe was down in an instant. The second followed in a heartbeat. Aerdrie then blocked an incoming stroke and hacked off the head of the assailer. The blade felt alive in her hands. The enemies around her became hesitant, sensing that their various armours provided little protection against her. She kept attacking, knowing that her ferocity would bring hope to the men following close behind. She slowed down her charge in order to keep an even line with the rest. seeing the other gifted spreading out evenly among the men, their superior prowess clearly inspiring the common soldiers. Bjornsten came up on her left, and through sheer strength alone was cutting down as many men as she was. A few yards to her right, Yanic was shedding his advanced combat techniques in favour of pure fury, wading through fallen foes. A proper line formed, and a vigorous battlecry rose again over the field, this time from Aughundel's defenders, as they all cut deeper into the sea of enemies.
As time passed, the enemy soldiers overcame the original shock caused by the ferocity of Aerdrie's men's onslaught. They started putting up more of a fight, remembering they were in superior numbers. Aerdrie saw more casualties within her ranks. She barked out the order for men following behind to relieve the front fighters. It was repeated by the other gifted down the flanks. She intensified her own hacking, her armour and blade stained dark from the blood and ooze of fallen foes. The man next to her went down loudly with a vicious looking spear rammed into his gut. Aerdrie brought her blade down on the assailer's arms, and as the blight soldier bent forward back up through its neck. Two more blights took its place.
There were more bright flashes and thunder, both ahead and behind. Lightning streaked across the churning skies. Brief gusts of wind came in from various directions, carrying with them the reek of things burnt and dead. The sky turned utterly black in some places, elsewhere the clouds broke, beams of sunlight reaching the blood-drenched fields. Both sides were now standing their ground. At least as far as Aerdrie could see, though that was limited. She allowed herself a gaze out across the battlefield, and a heavy mace creased her helmet. Cutting down the wielder, she found it wisest to keep her attention on her immediate surroundings.
Then the air went dry, and warm. There was a distant crackling sound. Aerdrie knew magics were in the works, close by. The sounds of the battle became muffled. Everyone was aware of it now, and the intensity of the fighting lessened. Then, a few hundred yards to Aerdrie's left, a green flame appeared in the air above the heads of the combatants. There it flickered a moment, before growing to the sides and downwards, all the way to the ground, forming a blazing circle some twenty feet across. Inside it, the air churned and boiled. And then a huge creature emerged.
Humanoid in shape, it stood almost three times as tall as the surrounding men. Its frame was massively muscled, and red as blood. Green blight wreathed its limbs. Great wings sprouted from its back. The face was roughly human, though feral and twisted with rage, eyes blazing, the mouth full of fangs. A powerful, clawed hand held a massive, curved and jagged sword. The beast's gaze swept over the battlefield, and for a brief moment it fell upon Aerdrie. She felt the raging eyes pin her to the ground, rendering her unable to fight. Then she felt energy flowing through her from the jewel on her blade, returning her to her senses. The men around her all stood gaping at the creature. The beast released it's grip on her, started hewing at the men trying to flee from it's reach. The flaming portal dematerialised. The sky overhead darkened. Aerdrie hacked at the head of the enemy soldier standing closest, and as it fell in a gush of green ooze, the rest of the combatants began coming to their senses.
The battle grew chaotic. Any attempt of tactic or strategy was futile. They managed to somewhat hold the line though, avoiding being flanked or surrounded. Aerdrie hacked away at limbs and joints, the enhanced blade cutting flesh and armour alike. The ground was covered by men dead or dying, making it difficult to keep one's footing. Blood was everywhere. She heard the near clang from someone catching a blow that had been meant for her head, but had no time to see who had aided her. The slaughter continued. Neither side was gaining any ground. Aerdrie and her men was killing a lot more than they lost, but for every foe they cut down, two seemed to take its place. How the battle was going elsewhere Aerdrie had no idea.
Again she felt the eyes of the raging beast upon her, feeling the force of that gaze combating the power of the jewel, attempting to wear her down. Allowing herself a quick glance out over the sea of men along the left flank, she saw the towering figure pressing its way through the melee. Their eyes met briefly, and it let out a ferocious roar. Increasing its pace, it cut through friend and foe alike, using a seething arm as well as the massive blade to sweep away anyone in it's path.
And Aerdrie knew it was coming for her.
'Aerdrie..!' Bjornsten shouted from somewhere close by.
'I know..!' Aerdrie shouted back.
'Whatever is going to happen, it better happen soon!'
'I KNOW!'
Their line was thinning. More and more of Aerdrie's men fell to the never-ending onslaught. She glanced around and spotted Harro forces off to a side, but they were too busy to come to their aid. From what little she could see, the enemy was now pressing on all over the battlefield. The beast kept drawing closer.
A ghost warrior wearing a strange mismatch of armour and a nasty looking axe made its way around Aerdrie to cleave at her back. Aerdrie spun to deflect the blow. As she cut down the warrior her gaze fell on a small cluster of elms on a hillock someways behind the battle, and she caught a glimpse of blue and purple among the trees. She spun back again to meet another attack, and after the initial strike was blocked, cast another look back over her shoulder, but saw nothing but trees. She hoped she had been mistaken. This was no place for a little one. As she met another charge from the new foe, she almost had to stop and blink.
Before her towered a well armoured blight officer, wielding a heavy sword and shield. It emanated such evil and hate she lost focus of the task at hand. A massive helmet partly covered its face, but Aerdrie saw a set of blazing eyes, set in a frame of rotted flesh. She was so taken aback she barely remembered to raise her blade to fend off the next blow. The captain attacked so violently that blue sparks flew when their blades met. Aerdrie was pressed backwards, and stumbled on a body, falling to the muddy ground. To Aerdrie's surprise, the blight warrior waited for her to regain her footing before continuing its charge.
She began meeting the attacks more actively, and the two combatants exchanged a series of vicious blows, neither gaining any advantage. Aerdrie was a bit puzzled over the captains prowess, as well as its shield and armour's resilience to her blade, but then noticed a couple of very special-looking rings on the undead's fingers. It seemed they were both enhanced above their normal abilities. She initiated a complicated series of blows, but the captain answered with equal ferocity. From the corner of her eye, Aerdrie noticed Bjornsten was slowly working his way towards them. The air became warmer. The beast was less than thirty paces away.
Aerdrie felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck. She froze in mid-stroke, as did the captain and the soldiers surrounding them. The beast paused it's wade through the men, looking up at the skies. The churning, black cover cleared away, and the battlefield was bathed in sunlight, the creature growling in anger as it hit it. In the distance, the beasts aiding the undead army seized their assault and fled east.
Aerdrie then felt a wave of fear flow over her. Primal fear, like none she had felt before, and that she could not explain. The beast roared in rage. Aerdrie took a step backwards. The blight captain did not follow. Their eyes met, and he saw the it feeling the same thing. The field became quiet.
And then she remembered.
The tower. The cavern. She lowered her blade and continued backwards, the captain doing the same. The beast roared again. All around soldiers stood confused and agitated. Aerdrie regained some composure, although the fear was still gnawing at her. She saw Bjornsten and Yanic were eager to take advantage of the situation, though they were clearly feeling the effect as well.
But Aerdrie knew what was coming.
'Fall back...' she muttered.
'What?' Bjornsten asked.
Aerdrie mustered all her strength, overcoming the numbing sensation. 'FALL BACK!' she roared.
The other gifted looked puzzled, but the order was eventually repeated down the ranks. The opposing forces needed no command, and began moving disorderly in the opposite direction. The captain vanished out of sight. The beast did not move, fixing it's gaze on Aerdrie again.
Shadow raced across the battlefield as a great shape covered the sun. Panic spread though both armies, as they moved away from each other at increasing speed. There was the sound of air moving, lots of it. Fire came from the sky, roaring and red and green, falling on the retreating lines, burning through the ranks, leaving behind a mass of melted bone and metal. A violent gust of wind swept fleeing soldiers on both sides off their feet.
Aerdrie landed hard on her back, and saw an enormous shape sweep low across the sprawling armies. A green and golden body both muscled and lithe, a sweeping tail, a long neck ending in a narrow head. Eyes orbs of blazing white. Great wings bore Him high up into the sky again, each stroke causing a storm tearing at all the tiny creatures on the ground.
The beast remained standing though, unscathed by the raging fires. Raising a fist up into the air, it let out a roaring challenge. It was then knocked to the ground as a huge piano hit it from above with a loud clang. The ground shook as Shulahravaukar set down in front of the staggered creature.
He was huge beyond reason. The dwarfed demon climbed out of the pile of wood, lifting it's blade, and was torn to shreds in a fit of gold and fury. Nostrils smoking, He turned His blazing gaze at the fleeing army, and let out a roar so loud and deep it sounded like it came from the earth itself. There was another gale as He again rose to the skies. There was more fire. More destruction. Aerdrie looked in awe, not believing her eyes. He had come to her aid a second time!