"Feuer Frei"
@Questor
Halvdig would not be the last to admit that his older brother was... Odd. He loves his brother Heldig and trusted him absolutely, he would not have listened to him when he suggested they start a mercenary group using the insane flame throwing devices the madmen in gryphonia has come with if he didn't. It was a damn near thing but in the end he knew that his brother sometimes had ideas that were absolutely mad that turned out to be brilliant. Besides, it was the duty of the younger to help the elder. So he had gathered up some of their fellow exiled nobels, convincing them to pool their money to buy the flame throwing machines and then started troll hunting, with extreme success. Taking high rates split among so few heads turned out to make them absolutely loaded with coin, even if the flame machines needed lots of fuel and maintenance (a task his brother had taken an almost zealous devotion to). Life looked really good.
And then the snow came.
A monster that the rediscovery expedition just stumbled upon, rousing a terror so horrifying that all who looked upon it tore out their eyes to avoid looking at it and willfully dove into the ground when the memory remained seared into their souls. Or at least, so did the rumors go. Halvdig didn't believe all of it but the fact was that war has yet again spread it's steel wings over the empire.
It wasn't a surprise when the royal army contractor came. What did surprise him was how Heldig reacted. He was utterly calm and collected, a sure sight of trouble, and simply said
"We have been called, and we must answer."
The group agreed easily enough. They were artillery and so would be able to flee should it go cloaca up, between their savings and the upfront payment they would have enough to buy new flamer throwers and they hadn't yet made enough to retire.
It had been a hassle and a half to march their fire throwers in pace with the army but the emperor was determined to haul every piece of large artillery they could get through the snow. Perhaps not so strange since they had played a large role in the battle of union but what was odd was the complete lack of any rumour confirming it.
Regardless of Halvdig's slight misgivings they were given orders and placements along with some engineers to help set up their position. They had assembled and disassembled their weapons enough times that there was no problem in the set-up. Good thing too since it was not long after that the scouts returned and the confirm came, battle would begin shortly. The crews were readt when the first enemy became visible.
The battle that followed was like nothing he had ever seen or heard of.
Explosions, traps, enough artillery to make the battlefield look like black wheat fields.
An enemy that merely kept coming at them no matter their losses, looking unerringly straight at him.
Had he not been standing next to his brother he would not have heard him mumbling prayers of death and peace as they incinerated hundreds of the enemy, each dying with nary a sigh.
He was then for the first time thankful for the cold and wind. He doubted that the rest of the army would have been as used to the smell like he and his men had become.
There was a lull in the onslaught and the tired fronlines were switched with the still fresh veteran backline. His brother walked up to one of the flame throwers, that had been named Eldalla by Heldig which had just been accepted by the crews, to make some adjustments while the other grease feathers did the same.
"How are they holding up brother?" He asked
"... She is drinking a bit too deeply from her tank. She is eager, and angry." Heldig answered in that very calm tone Halvdig didn't like. "They don't like the cold in them."
"Well... Can you calm her down a bit? We can't have any of them run out too soon or have her nozzle melt. Especially not on these lighter troops."
"Yes, I adjusted her pressure. She-"
Whatever he was going to say was cut off as his eyes widened and he ran infront of the fire throwers to stare at the fog bank. It didn't take long for Halvdig to see what drew his attention as he and the rest of the army saw just why the emperor had wanted so much artillery.
Huge, lumbering monstrosities of crystal were coming towards them, their tree thick limbs cutting through the snow in a way that couldn't keep Halvdig from thinking of what they would do to a Griffin.
"READY THE THROWERS! ADJUST TO LONG, FOCUSED FLAMES!" He yelled over his shoulder at the crews, snapping them back to reality. He turned to his brother. "Come, we need to make ready, won't take long for them to be within reach."
Heldig gave a last look at the monsters before he nodded and turned back and walked to his own fire thrower, "Die Weihen", The Dedicated or The Blessed in Old Gryphon.
Then he began to pray.
"Oh wise ancestors
Who in your wisdom
Found fire
And gave it freely"
Halvdig recognized it, it was a part of Old Gryphon myth of how the first ones discovered fire.
"Fire we use
To warm our homes
To cook our food
To keep the darkness away"
Halvdig checked up and down their line, everyone was in their place. Ready to cool the nozzle, adjust settings and ready with water should something unfortunate happen.
Heldig continued his praying.
"Your children stand here today
With fire in their hearts
With fire in their eyes
With fire in their claws"
This wasn't part of the story, Halvdig could see that the Griffins holding the handles to aim the flame griped tightly. The monsters were coming closer but they had the discipline to not fire before they could hit.
"Using the Old Gift
We shall keep away the cold
We shall burn away the corrupt
We shall drive away the darkness"
Halvdig also knew they were waiting for his brother. No one knew their weapons like him. When he fired, they would know that they had the range.
The prayers continued. Heldig's voice becoming a growl, for the first time looking disgusted and angry at the enemy. The monsters were closing in, many of the longer range artillery were already firing to mixed effect. It looked like it would be a bloody clash with these monsters.
"We shall do as you ask
And give fire freely
To all unfortunate souls
That seek it's warmth"
He griped the trigger.
Die Weihen roared out it's flame, a long serpent of fire jumping through the air towards the closest still standing abomination. It collides straight into the monsters face, cascading over it's back, flowing down it's chest and spilling all over the troops directly next to it.
It
Shrieks. It tosses and bucks, striking it's allies around it. It goes down on its knees, cracking noises can be heard over the sound of cannons and ballista and the roar of fire.
Heldig simply releases the trigger, turns to his next target and let's loose again. Face snarling in disgust.
"Feuer Frei."
The monster tries to dodge and weave but Heldig expertly tracks it, not wasting a pint of fuel.
"Feuer Frei!"
Several other operators say it with him. Fire Free. To never keep a warm flame to yourself when it could warm those in the cold. Given a new, grim meaning.
Halvdig didn't join them. Standing in mixed awe and knowing that he had nothing to add. This was why Heldig was the elder brother, the griffon of action to his griffon of words and coin.
"FEUER FREI!"
Heldig. Whole Holy Flame, if their late father was to be believed. Seeing His brother now, the very epitome of a zealous pyromaniac, fighting monsters of darkness with fire and fury, he could believe it.
____________________
Oh gear God, why did I have to be so inspired?
Ok, so let's do some "behind the scenes"
1. The names: Heldig and Halvdig are puns off each other. If you are swedish you might see it but here is the break down:
Translations
Hel - Whole
Halv - Half
Eld - flame/fire
Helig - Holy
I started with the older brothers name being Helig then i threw in the D (*wink* *wink*) to also have Eld in there. Then I made his younger brother have a very similar name but simply made it Halvdig simply because I have no imagination.
Elda - to burn something
Alla - everyone
Elda alla - burn everyone
Elda + alla = Eldalla
2. I tried to do some background things by giving some nicknames, some image of how mercenaries may think in this situation and take my stab at some old culture. The idea of fire being brought by the old ancestors is obviously Prometheus inspired but I thought that giving the secrets freely and letting others share your fire be one of those ways religion says "don't be dicks, try to get along".
Anyway, I got this inspiration threw in some Holy duty mumbo-jumbo, some inspiration from previous omake "Warmth", some Adeptus Mechanicus Tech priest form 40k for flavour and marinate it in listening on Feuer Frei on repeat.
Edit: added a little to make it flow better and fixed some spelling and grammar.
