RISE OF THE SWARM

The orcs surged forward their war cries echoing through the night as they charged the black monolith that was Horizon's base. The dead orcs had been revived, their forms fueled by the shamans magic. Their movements were slow but powerful they lumbered groaning, sickly green liquid dripping from their mouths. The living orcs ran alongside them, axes and other weapons drawn in glinting in the moonlight.

On the inside Horizon stared at the incoming horde, his silver tendrils wildly flaying behind him.

"Deploy drones."

The base obeyed. From hidden compartments alongside the bases exterior, metallic objects where launched into the air. With mechanical clicks the metal objects unfolded, growing large metal rotors as well a twin rotary cannon. The drones optics focused on the orcs as they engaged.

The drones opened fire, bullets rained down like a storm, firstly shredding through the undead orcs, their flesh offering no resistance to the bullet fire. Skulls exploded as bodies were torn asunder. But the didn't stop, green energy began coalescing at the body parts bringing together strands of flesh to fix the orcs. Even in the half broken state, the orcs didn't die , with groans they inched forwards, driven by the shamans will.

The living orcs though were smarter.

"TAKE COVER!" Bollock shouted at the top of his voice.

He rushed diving into the wreckage of the wrecked missile pods. The rest of the rocs followed, taking the corpses of their fellow orcs using them as shields from the relentless fire. The drones readjusted their positions and began to strafe their location with heavy fire.

Ghorruk the chieftain snarled as he stood there menacingly staring at the drones, his massive wolf stood behind ready to pounce. The drones began firing at him but the shots barely caused him to flinch. They landed but bounced off his body.

Ghorruk crouched down and, with a huff, launched himself towards the drone, he appeared before it instantly his fist raised high in the air, he brought it down smashing the drone. The drone exploded its parts flying down everywhere. He landed on the ground with a louds stomp, on his hand sparking drone parts. He removed the axe from his back pointing it at the flying drones.

"BRING THEM DOWN!" He bellowed.

The orcs roared, their morale rising after seeing the brutal display of power by their chief. The responded instantly as they began launching projectiles into the air, spears, axes even rocks flew into the air targeting the drones. Some missed their target but many more hit. The drones sputtered in the air, their motors failing as they crashed into the ground in fiery heaps

From his base Horizon observed all of this, collecting data on the orcs fighting tactics and adapting to counter them.

"Activate the sentinel units."

From hidden hatches, ten sentinels appeared. Their visors glowing an eerie red that matched Horizon. On their wrists , mini-rotary cannons primed and aimed. They observed the orcs and less than a second later they charged forward, their hydraulic legs launching them at great speed forward.

One of the orcs roared as he rushed to meet one of the sentinels. One of the sentinels saw the orc, it raised its hands as a mechanical whine came from his hands as its hands shifted and changed turning into sharp blade.

The orc didn't even scream as a second later it's head was cleanly severed from it's body. His blood spraying in a wide arc. His body fell limp to the ground, his face still frozen in confusion at what had just occurred. But the sentinel didn't stop, it turned the mini rotary cannons on its wrist whirring to life, as it fired at a group of orcs.

The rest of the sentinels quickly fell in line, their hands also shifting to sharp blades. Plasma cannons on their shoulder began firing at every orc on the battlefield. The orcs stared in horror, a second ago they were winning but now they were being slaughtered being turned into nothing but cattle.

But the orcs weren't one to give up. In the back the shaman, prepared a spell. Lightning crackled at his hands. He thrust it forward a large lightning bolt flew towards the sentinels too fast for them to dodge

The bolt struck one of the sentinels. The machine convulsed as wild untamed lightning crackled through it systems overloading it causing it to temporarily shutdown.

Bollock didn't let this chance slip, he rushed towards the stunned sentinel raising his axe into the air. The axe glowed with primal power as he brought it down unto the sentinels armored head splitting it in two.

"CHARGE!" He roared.

He and the orcs charged at the remaining Sentinels engaging them in combat. Some were cut down and some were shredded but they managed to take down some of the sentinels. The fallen orcs immediately began standing back up fighting the sentinels.

Horizon looked at this, at this rate he would lose. The holographic screen Infront of him changed scenes to now showing the shaman. He had been constantly reanimating the corpses of the orcs, brining them back to life. As long as he lived Horizon was destined to lose.

"Prepare the rail bolt."

From a hidden corner of the base a compartment opened up, a large gun was revealed. It was built like a sniper only much more advanced. This was the rail shot, a high caliber weapon that fired single powerful round aimed to take down key targets. Horizon had improved its power output with mana, enhancing its power.

The weapon glimmered with red energy as it powered up taking aim at the unsuspecting shaman.

"Fire."

The weapon fired, a powerful plasma blast launched through the air superheating it. The Shaman immediately felt his danger senses ramp up. He tried raising a shield but the attack was to strong. The round shattered the barrier like glass, striking the Shamans head turning it into mush.

As his body fell so did the Orc corpses, that he had re animated.