"'undred yards, lads!" Captain Pike yelled, flinching as a wave of water crashed over the side of the steamer. 

Rokdar moved to the front of the ship, manoeuvring his way past the cannon crews as they darted back and forth, plying their trade with steadfast heroism. 

What he saw, would have shaken the heart of an ordinary Dwarf. 

The beaches of Blood Bay were alive with the black masses of an entire Orcish army. They were standing as far forward as the sea itself, with the foremost warriors almost waist-deep in the waters. They were smashing their shields against their weapons, creating an earth shattering racket. There was so many, and for a moment, even Rokdar wondered if he and his kinsmen could possibly hope to win. 

Another salvo of cannons tore into the massed Orcs, tearing holes in their claustrophobic grouping. Cluster shot was a brutal thing; a cannon shell designed to exploded half way across its firing arc, to rain down red-hot shrapnel on its victims. Incendiary shells were more savage though, and would simply explode into a wall of fire on impact. Though no sooner had the smoke cleared, and the flames quietened, the gaps created by the steamers' cannons were filled with more eager Orcs. 

"Alright lads," called Rokdar, looking back at his men. "They be eager for it. We gonna be fightin' 'em from the moment we make landfall. Keep swingin' til yer axe stops hittin' green flesh." 

His men bellowed a hearty response, waving axe and gun in the air in testament to their bravery. Rokdar felt a sting of pride pierce him; these were his men, and this was his regiment. If they survived the day, they'd all be heroes. He just hoped that the sun didn't rise to an ocean of Dwarvish corpses. 

"This is it lads, brace yerselves!" Captain Pike shouted, before reaching for a level besides the wheel. He pulled it, and there was a hissing sound. 

Shortly after, the front of the steamer ploughed into the beaches, grinding Orcs underfoot. The sides of the ship came down, released by big bulky hydraulic arms, and they splashed into the water. 

"For Mordun! For Ugani!" Rokdar roared, as he ran across the deck and sprinted down the ramp. His men followed in short order, though some descended down the other side. 

Rokdar splashed waist-high into the water, and a hulking Orc warrior, at least seven foot tall and built like a war horse, came at him with an axe. The Dwarf Captain raised his own, and blocked the strike using the shaft. The Orc rebounded, and snarled, but before it could come at Rokdar again, its face exploded from a musket shot. 

"Yeah!" Rokdar screamed, pounding his chest with a gloved hand. "That's 'ow we do it lads! Any. Means. Necessary!" 

Rokdar's men surged around him, struggling in the shallow waves, just as the first of the Orcs came at them. There was little time to establish order on a beach head, and Rokdar didn't try. Instead, he threw himself at the green skins, and just hoped he didn't cut his way too deep into their ranks - he'd done that before, at Grey Hill, and had almost died. It was easy to get carried away in battle, that sometimes you'd fight your way into isolation, surrounded by the enemy on all sides. 

An Orc swung at Rokdar with a rusted mace, and the Dwarf knocked it aside with the head of his axe, and then headbutted his opponent in the groin. The Orc stumbled backwards, whimpering, and Rokdar followed up with a broad stroke across the midsection. The Orc fell back into the surf, a sickly dark liquid pouring from his grievous wound and mixing with the sea water.  

Rokdar took a moment to look further down the bay, and saw that no less than twenty steamers had ploughed into the beach, and were disgorging their men. He also saw a tidal-wave of Orcs pressing against his kinsmen as they tried to get their footing. Rokdar shook his head; the first few minutes of a beach landing were always the most costly. 

Another Orc broke from the chaotic melee around him, and tried its luck. Rokdar used his shoulder to shunt the Orc off balance, and then smacked it in the stomach with the head of his axe. It fell to its knees, gasping for air, and Rokdar brought his axe down on its skull. Blood and brain exploded from the Orc's head, covering the Dwarf captain from head to toe. 

"YEEEEEEEAH!" Rokdar roared, pounding his chest again. "Drive 'em back boys, drive 'em back!"

His men complied, and pressed against the Orcs harder. Already they had managed to cut their way out of the surf, and were forming coherent battle lines.