by Marcus Sloss
The team nodded to me and I led them to the location Dina guided us to. Sure enough, after a few trees, there was an ogre holding two pines while squatted. His face contorted in agony trying to release a turtlehead. Janice never hesitated. She froze his feet and his hands. Before the first fireball hit him, two crossbow bolts ripped into his right eye and into his brain. The fireball smashed into the dead ogres face. The heat released his hands and he teetered until he fell. He died so quickly he never realized what had happened. We raced to the body. The stench was awful… I gagged a few times while keeping my stomach contents inside my body. Markus opened the bag as Nate went to work on the chest. I cut out the left eye and tongue. The heart gave a wet smack as it was added to the pile. I carried the bag for now because it was starting to get heavy.
Dina guided us deeper into the trees away from our foes and then up a steep slope. The sun was setting now, we were about to lose all vision. Ropes with hooks were unpacked and launched up the hill. I felt mine grab a tree and I yanked myself up to find I was only halfway to the plateau. I saw another hook with rope coiled up here from a failed throw. I snatched it off the ground and launched a throw to get the rest of the way up the cliff. I snagged a root and climbed the rest of the way to the peak. I was silent as I reached the plateau.
The slightest of movements gave the shaman scout away. I burned aura in a burst of speed and slammed into an air shield. It withheld most of my body except my sword arm had gotten through. I sliced then hacked at the concentrating enemy magician. The shield weakened as my blade did damage. I got through his defense with time and ended the surprised scout’s life. I rummaged through its bag to find basic supplies for a long camp out. That told me no replacements anytime soon. I scoured the plateau perimeter quickly with the dying light. I had to focus hard to find the enemy rope leading up here. It was a bent small sword with a long line of dried guts. I pulled it up and added to a loot pile with his bag.
I returned to the shaman’s body to see Nate extracting the key components. I opened the sack that was quickly filling. I left it for him as I checked on my team. Donnie was the last one up, coiling the rope as he went. I extended my hand to the young man, he grasped it for the last few steps up. I grabbed the hook and rope from him and stuffed it in my bag. I pulled us all into a huddle around Nate.
“Great work today team. Tonight the real fun begins. We put a scout on all four corners of this plateau. If you are supposed to be watching west… then watch west and ignore the cannon fire to the east. Trust me, when it starts we will swap out, so everyone gets a chance to watch. Stay diligent. Let your eye adjust and listen. Hoot or caw if you sense something. Four people on guard duty, the rest in the middle relaxing. We earned a snack, some water, and a chance to sit on our asses.”
Donnie, Brad, Fwar and I volunteered for the first shift. We were doing fifteen minute rotations roughly. It was hard to keep time on Vin. There were a few watches and large clock towers, but only the richest of the rich had those. The sun had fully set and night rolled in. There was a cloud cover that was so thick, no stars or moon shined through.
I was relieved of my post and had finished eating when the initial belch of a cannon roared across the bay. We never saw where that first long shot landed. I crossed my arms as I watched the bay remain silent, knowing the battle for Herodian Bay had begun.
CHAPTER 6
A nerve wracking half hour passed after that first shot. I was so concerned I checked in with Dina twice. The Horde ignored the shot and whoever fired earlier was probably no longer on the job. I really wished the griffins could talk with the other humans. Maybe we could create a sign language or something. The Horde never shifted as their armies lazed around the fires. The working goblins were full tilt though. They shifted around the encampment in hundreds of tasks. The fear of the whip did not allow any to rest. If I had to guess they worked better in the dark. There were at least a million goblins moving around the massed enemy. The fighters though, they relaxed… even after a ship launched a cannonball. If the enemy didn’t care and we were still holding fire, it meant we merely had to wait for the battle to resume.
I checked on my scouts and added two more to our observers. We had counter rotating patrols now. It may seem a bit excessive but we were on a nice high ground, not too far from the enemy’s main base. Seven hells, there already was a scout up here, meaning this could become a strategic point. The rotating guards were there to look for hooks and rope or gut line used for climbing. It was also to keep the troops that were hunched down in the dirt awake. Not sure if Fwar ever pulled many full night shifts after a long day, but even I got drowsy. The friendly hand on a shoulder or gentle shake was normally enough to fight off the sleep. The troops were on edge, both literally on a cliff and figuratively because ships were not firing.
Then it happened. A cacophony of thunderous booms echoed across the bay. The outer edges of the protected water danced in explosive illumination as the first salvo raced forward. Eight of humanity's final warships barked in anger. With the sky overcast and the moon not glowing, we never saw where the rounds landed. All we heard was the sound that shattering wood makes. The enemy reacted this time. Some goblins went to flee and felt their master’s lashes.
Shamans shouted orders that ogres enforced. The shambling chaos of millions of Horde grew into a semblance of formation. A second volley belched forward and this time I could see the enemy ships at sea. The very few who had crews, which were the ships closest to the shore, were pinned in by the outer vessels. Large holes were evident in a few ships. They were still swaying and upright. I only briefly glimpsed the damage but it seemed the shots were too high. I heard more splashes than crashes this time. Good, that meant the sinking ships would permanently clog the enemy fleet in the kill zone.
I counted the time between rounds fired. It was mere moments over a minute. Not bad for random people combined together. The fourth round was even faster. Give it to humans to excel at death once a rhythm gets established. I found myself too focused on the launching volleys. We were due for a swap out. The six of us in the middle went and replaced those on guard duty. I crouched myself into the roots of an angled tree as I relieved Nate. He whispered everything had been quiet and left to watch the show. I could see the fire blossoming in the night sky through the trees but my eyes were focused on the ground.
Five minutes became ten, and then ten to twenty. I was expecting a change out soon when I caught a glimpse of movement at the base of the cliff. I turned to the center of the plateau.
“Woot… Hoot…” I messaged out and cursed internally at using different callouts.
Nate raced to my side. He gazed down until he saw what I did. He nodded to me and was gone. Markus and Victor showed up to get a peek also. Nate hustled them over as he devised a plan. I was stuck watching as a dozen shamans, a few dozen orcs, and a troop of trolls piled up at the base of the cliff. This was not good. At least a hundred Horde were making their way here. The only factor that kept me from outright retreating down the opposite side of the cliff, was they had no idea we were up here. They never once focused on the cliff and were constantly watching the ships fire.
Donnie slid down beside me. When he settled in Donnie readied his crossbows. “Nate has a plan, hurry.” He said in a whisper. The young man sure was more confident now.
I patted his shoulder and kept my silhouette low as I crept to Nate.
“Update,” Nate said.
“Got distracted… The Horde is flinging orcs via catapult at our ships and we griffins are snatching them out of the air. It is the funniest thing ever. They do not see the hundreds of us flying in the night sky. It is a snatch, kill, and then dump into the Bavie barrier. It only just started so we are overly excited. Let me scan your area…
“They have no idea you are up there. They are lined up double file and the line stretches all the way to the base camp. Must be a whole division ordered up to your plateau. You can do some damage but if they encircle you… It wi
ll end terribly. Gryff… I guess I can watch you… instead of catching flying orcs. Sure know how to… Never mind here comes Lord Nova. I am the fastest and it makes sense that I catch, then haul the orcs.” Dina said with a certainty.
“I will be above you. Slay the Horde with ease, my friend. If they move to encircle you, flee. I will let you know and clear a path if I have to.” Lord Nova said taking over recon duty for me.
Brad ran back from Donnie to share a report. “They are lobbing grappling hooks now. Only two lines though.”
Nate nodded. “Here is our plan, Brad lay down quick escape lines on the west. Not all the way to the ground. The first shelf is fine, we can slide down the lower cliff. Marcus, I need two javelins. Tammy get me a torch.” Nate said and waved Victor over. The torch was handed off and the tiniest of flames danced. Nate ran to the south end where it was the easiest to see the cannons fired. They had slowed their pace. Someone probably realizing the leaking water was slow to sink ships. The torch was embedded into the ground and then two javelins were placed by closer to where the enemy would ascend the cliff. The dead shaman was propped up facing the fire.
I think I got it. “Lord Nova is on overwatch. He is going to let us know if they catch on and start to encircle us. So Nate… We face the body south, use the flicker of the torch to catch the eye. Then what?” I asked.
“We have to kill them before they realize what we are up to. Keeping only one line working will be key. Find a good ambush spot to the north where we can execute a quick killing blow and then quickly remove the body. The ground will eventually become slick with the blood, but we should get a few before they realize. Who knows how many? Maybe hundreds. Set a few people to remove parts because it will only take you to kill them. Your strength and speed will probably do best at keeping the killing silent.”
I was wanting to call a retreat. Mostly because I felt very isolated on this plateau with limited escape options. I inhaled a determined breath and calmed my anxiety. Lord Nova himself was above us. We could burn a path if needed. Trust in the team was paramount.
“I will find a nice spot, organize the rest.” I went over to the eastern hook and studied the area. A volley of cannon fire lit up the skyline. An orc was halfway up the rope. A first in a chain of Horde climbing eager to reach the top.
I peeled my shield off my back and buried the base into the dirt. I went a few steps down to Donnie and grabbed his shield too. I shimmied his shield beside mine to give my silhouette a nice cover. The first orc crawled over the edge and immediately focused on the light to the south. He never looked north and went to scold the dead shaman. The moment he stepped forward and past my shield cover I swung my sword with a backhanded swing. The body stepped one more foot forward before it fell flat to the earth. The head bounded towards the dead shaman and I swore it blinked in its death roll.
My team was efficient and I was impressed. Tammy raced for the head while Nate and Marcus hauled the body to a point where both Brads carved out vitals. There was little time to watch them work as the next Horde member crested the edge. A troll this time. He was hesitant until the orc behind him spurred him forward. I removed the troll's head and snatched the body before it could fall. The orc behind him was already nearing the edge.
The next orc died like the others and a slow goblin gave us time to regroup. Over the next dozen kills, it was always the hesitant trolls that caused a problem. We still managed to pile the bodies. The Knights of the Frontier were an efficient killing machine. Every few minutes the cannons from our ships would unleash a new torrent of flames and I would get a view of the battle.
More catapults had been dragged to the shoreline. Endless lines of orcs were waiting their turn to be flung at our ships. In the short span, I had to view the foe there were hundreds of catapults. If I were to guess the enemy had amassed at least a million troops.
I sliced another head free. This time it was a shaman and when the body hit the wet gore on the ground I heard a jingle. Loot! I hoped the Brads or someone got those coins. Nate’s flickering distraction was working perfectly. And I had to admit, I probably would have fallen for it too. You crest an edge and look around. The only thing you see is a faint light. You probably are going to approach it. Especially if you have no fear of an enemy around. It gave me a pause in reflection. Never go into the light.
I thought I would never tire or get bored of slaying Horde. Tonight I was proved wrong. We must have mindlessly slaughtered seventy plus foes when Lord Nova alerted me.
“Retreat now I must go! A new foe approaches from the air!” Lord Nova said in a hurry.
While the statement was confusing, the urgency was not. The next troll hesitated at the edge as it stood. I raced through the night and planted a boot into its chest, sending it flying. I swiped down and severed the line full of Horde. They tumbled down the cliff in the darkness.
I never needed to say anything to the troops. Donnie scrambled from his nook and slung his shield over his back. My team condensed to the sacks of body parts. The Brads halted further extractions and picked up spare tools to stuff into bags. Nate sealed the sacks for carrying. I tossed the drenched blood bag over my shoulder when the unthinkable happened.
The ships fired again, revealing the night with light. Lord Nova flew between our fleet and two black dragons. They were in equal size. I never knew the Horde had dragons… dragons, they most certainly were. A torrent of flame raced for Lord Nova, the second dragon belched forth its furious red mixed with orange. The fire wrapped around the mighty griffin, the night alive with light.
I could hear his cackling laughter from the plateau. My team was frozen in awe and fear as the griffin was engulfed in flames. Yet Lord Nova roared in laughter, defying his attackers. I watched his feathers burn and his skin melt. Then I noticed it. The green trickle of healing knitting his horrendous wounds. Nova was a psychotic to endure such torment and laugh.
The enemy dragons were not amused. They were thirty feet long and ten feet wide. Everything about them was meant for a dark night. They were entirely black besides the fire that projected from them. The thin, tightly knitted scales, gleamed with the reflection of the light of their inferno. I could see long strong wings that spanned as long as their bodies were. The talons on the feet were impressive and curved with deadly intent. The exact creature from myth and legend. I watched as they poured on the flames, not comprehending why their foe was not falling to his death.
Out of the darkness a sight that will haunt me forever appeared. Griffins by the hundreds casually revealed themselves. They slowly approached Lord Nova as he scoffed at the enemy's incoming damage. The griffins left behind the darkness to emerge in the illuminating fire that was consuming their lord. This was a terrifying display.
Lord Nova never stopped laughing as he burned and the enemy dragons seethed with rage at his denial of death. That was until the hundreds of griffins behind him were noticed. The flames suddenly stopped and night enveloped all again. They were too late to flee. I knew the griffins were diving in for the kill. We heard brief combat then nothing.
I pushed my team to the western edge ready to descend when the night sky lit up in an inferno of vole fire. I watched as the griffins carried two dead dragons propped up to look alive. A stream of flame arced from griffin paws beside the dragons dangling heads. It was not perfect but you could see the rationale. With the dragons for cover, the Horde’s army was set upon. We only watched the opening inferno. The human fleet in the distance was turning to return home and this was my cue to do the same.
We scaled down the western cliff and made it to the ground safely. The enemy was fleeing north and we let them go. The dozen of us had done a lot and we had a mighty haul to return with. I ordered us west, back to Bavie. The night was bright, as fires raged behind us. The griffins utilized the dead dragons for as long as they could. Finally, only residual fires burned an hour into our march to safety.
I called a pause. “Now that was one for the storybooks or a hell of a
ballad,” Janice said as she tossed off her bag.
“Dragons, I never knew…” Markus said as he stretched his limbs. “Seems dumb to unleash them at this point.”
I swallowed a few gulps of water. “I think the Horde leadership knew dragons would face a losing fight against the griffins. My guess, those dragons were really for killing ice cats and yetis.” I downed a few more sips.
Suddenly there was twisting pain in my core. It was so sudden, it caused me to spit the water out and onto Donnie. I fell to my knees in pain. My core called to me but not the purple aura. I felt hands stabilize me as I utilized my mind to delve into my inner body. There the yellow contract magic. I sensed angst, anxiety, and terrible fear. My mind swirled with the implications, thinking something had gone wrong with the Rakmar deal when I realized this was Amber’s contract. She was in danger.
I coughed to clear the water and stripped my heavy armor off. The sacks and excess gear tossed to the ground. The Knights were looking to me for answers.
“Amber is in danger, not sure how, but our contract is tearing at me in concern. If you can’t carry this stuff, leave it. I am fairly certain we can get it later. I am going to run as fast as I can to aid them.” I said.
“Wait, my wives are with them,” Fwar said.
“I know, exactly why I am going to burn a lot of aura and make it there in a fraction of time you can. Nate, you are in charge.”
With that said, I was gone. I had two crossbows and my sword with no shield to move quicker. I was without chain link and accepted the thick leather would have to do. I called upon my purple aura to increase my speed.
“Any… Griffin… Overhead…” I said as I bolted between trees.