"Get some rest, Gundruna," said General Krak'too. "We march to battle at first light."
"So the little orcs decided to let us join them, did they?" asked Gundruna.
"No. But I believe they'll be begging us to help them by the end of tomorrow, and if not, we'll get ourselves some orc prisoners." Gundruna was a bit shocked that these little orcs would not let them join the fight, but the large grin on her face as she walked back to her tent betrayed her feelings that tomorrow would be more fun than she expected it to be.
Chapter 6
Battle
The battle horns were unnecessary, for most of the men slept the night near their posts and were awake well before the sun could be seen on the eastern horizon. The night had been quiet, and no orc came any closer to the walls. They were early to rise, however, and as the sun gave some light to the new day, swarms of orcs were lined up in formation, casting a fearsome sight indeed for the men lined up along the walls. Fort Lowmount had four defensive catapults mounted equidistant apart along the front wall. These had each been loaded with a number of metal spheres filled with burning oil. A large wick protruded out of each sphere waiting to be lit. Half the men were lined up along the top of the outer wall, half with bows, the other half with swords ready to protect the archers should orcs gain the wall. The same defence was used along the second wall. Swing ropes were set up between the two walls for a quick escape to those on the outer wall. These ropes could be tied off once the outer wall was lost.
Major Isak was front and centre—he'd have it no other way. He no-ticed the ogres pushing forward the catapults. He knew, though, with the height advantage, his own catapults would have a much larger range. The orc host marched forward at a slow pace. They all wore heavy leather armour of differing designs. They wielded a wide range of weapons; maces, clubs, morning stars, an assortment of sword designs as well as hundreds of bows.
The slow march continued until the army halted just out of reach of the archers. An eerie silence surrounded the area, for what seemed like hours to Major Isak, but was in reality less than a minute. Then sounded an orcish horn, followed by a tremendous roar, and the ground shook as all the orcs stamped their feet in unison. The ogres loaded their five catapults and let them loose. Three fell short, while the other two hit low down on the wall and barely chipped it. All the men along the front wall started laughing out loud. Major Isak was relieved by the release of tension, and so his laugh was among the loudest.
The orcs once again slowly moved forward another fifteen large paces. They were now possibly in range of the longbows, but Major Isak didn't want to waste the ammunition. He knew he would need ample of it, and the orcs would eventually have to charge. But he also knew that the orcs were now well within range of his catapults, and his came with a nice surprise, so he gave the order. The catapult missiles were ignited and released within seconds of each other. The missiles struck deep within the orc ranks, and as they hit the ground they split open releasing the fire oil, which was ignited instantly by the flaming wicks.
Orcs caught fire and started running all over the place, which only served to spread the fires to other orcs. They trod all over their fallen comrades in an effort to get away from the flames. Chaos ensued wherever the missiles landed. They had worked better than the major had expected. The idea had been raised only a year before, and although the missiles had been tested many times, they had never been tested in a battle situation. Major Isak must remember to order more missiles to be... That is, if he had the chance to.
* * *
Although the ten chiefs of the Blood Council controlled the orc horde, each chief was separately in control of his own tribe. That is, after all, how this army came to be. Chief Fa'rasha was the instigator of the combined force. He saw that the only way to rid these lands of humans was if the orc tribes united. So it was that one by one he approached the leaders of each tribe with his idea. As the combined force became larger, it became easier to coerce new tribes. The leaders of the nine largest tribes wanted a degree of control before they agreed to the union, and so the Blood Council was formed.
Although the leaders of the lesser tribes weren't part of the leadership council, Chief Fa'rasha realised that their ideas, when mentioned, would have to be considered in order to hold this union together. His own shaman was still in the Ki'hara Mountains, attempting to unite more tribes. That would become much easier, no doubt, when they had taken control of this human fort.
A basic battle plan had been agreed to by the council, but all in all, once begun, Chief Fa'rasha knew that each tribe would operate separately. He did dream, though, that someday, he would be able to more tightly unify the tribes. But for now, he was happy enough to be able to punish these humans. A victory here would send a message to them, but also to other tribes in the mountains that the orcs were rising.
The ten chiefs gave last minute commands to their captains and then retreated to the safety of their tent. Leadership must be maintained was their reason for remaining behind. Chief Fa'rasha gave the command for the march to begin. Minute by slow minute the army advanced. Finally it stopped; hopefully at a distance the catapults could be effective. The army remained silent for a moment, until Chief Fa'rasha gave the command for the war horn to be blown. Then followed the loud roar and stamping of the feet that all orc leaders had been told to instruct their tribes to do; an intimidation tactic. Then the catapults were launched — ineffectively, and the humans on top of the wall began to laugh. So much for intimidation, thought Chief Fa'rasha.
The captains re ordered the march to bring the catapults within range. When they stopped again they ordered the reloading of the catapults. Before that could be done, though, the humans released theirs. Perfect metal spheres flew through the air toward them, each with their own little flame. The missiles went well over the top of the catapults and the front line, hitting orcs back in the ranks and exploding on impact. Orcs scattered like ants, some on fire. Chief Fa'rasha had never seen anything like it. He ran forward as far as he dared and shouted out, "Hold your ranks and launch those catapults." He repeated the order three times before it was finally heeded, and the catapults were launched.
* * *
Major Isak ordered the catapults reloaded, but told them to hold their fire. The orcs launched their missiles with slightly more success. One actually tore through the stone parapet protecting the defenders on the wall. It was too far away for the major to tell if any casualties had been suffered.
The men on the wall endured another three rounds of catapult fire before the orcs realised it was doing minimal damage. The walls were well built, and relatively few men had been hit. They were too sparsely spread along the length of the wall. That's when the charge began. Thousands of orcs running toward the walls shook the ground. Groups of them were carrying large wooden ladders, while another group came through from behind with a turtled ram.
"Archers ready," yelled the major. "Centre ignite and concentrate fire on that ram, all others take down the ladder carriers." The captains passed on the major's orders to those out of earshot. All the archers above the huge wooden gates ignited their arrows and targeted the turtled ram. The orcs had thought ahead, though, and saturated the wooden turtle's back before the charge, and nearby orcs were carrying small thick leather blankets to stamp out any flame that did catch. The ladder carriers were having a rougher time of it, but for each orc that fell to an arrow, another was there to take his place.
As the orcs closed in, they ran straight into traps. Wide, deep trenches had been dug out at random, but in such a way that it would funnel any attacking army into five separate groups. At the bottom of the trenches, metal spikes awaited the falling orc. The ground opened up beneath them, and many fell to their death, a great deal were pushed from behind as the orcs struggled to halt their charge. Those that survived the fall and the spikes were no doubt too injured to continue the fight. The orcs carrying the ram made it through as they followed the road. Meanwhile two groups to either sid
e were funnelled through the trenches where they were met by a barrage of arrows.
The orcs started to use their ladders to cross the trenches and eventually started filtering through, but were well behind those that didn't run into the traps, and were more sparsely spread. The orc archers came within range and started picking targets along the walls. Few hit, but the major couldn't afford as many casualties as the orcs, and the men were forced to duck and dodge as the arrows came at them, halting their own barrage. There were so many of them and already they were starting to put their ladders up against the walls. The major ordered the catapults to fire at will and for the archers near him to concentrate on those orcs operating the ram which had now reached the gates. Archers from the inner wall were also told to fire at will, for although they couldn't see the army, it was near impossible for them to miss a target, and so the sky became filled with arrows. Orc bodies were piling up, but they kept on coming. The exploding missiles from the catapults caused devastation further back in the orc ranks, but the orcs had still managed to gain the wall, and more and more men found themselves in hand to hand combat.
A ladder was raised not too far from the major. The ladders reached about a metre below the top of the wall and so they couldn't simply be pushed over, but still allowed the orcs to pull themselves onto the wall. So Major Isak grabbed the soldier next to him and told him to help him pick up a large chunk of stone, debris from a shattered piece of the wall, and the two of them dropped the rock on top of the ladder, shattering it and dropping the numerous orcs that were climbing up it to the ground. When the other men noticed the effectiveness of this, they began to do the same thing, but the ladders kept coming. Then the shamans began to cast their spells.
* * *
Chief Fa'rasha watched the carnage from well back. He could see that they were suffering huge losses, with the orcs falling into pits, the ones getting through being pummelled by hundreds of arrows, and the devastating catapults with their explosive missiles. But the ladders were going up now and the ram was doing its job on the gate.
When the archers finally made their way into range and started to hound the archers on the wall, things were looking up, and orcs were making their way onto the wall. As more and more gained the wall, less and less arrows were being fired. But then the humans began to drop heavy rocks onto the ladders, breaking them and sending many orcs crashing to the ground. Chief Fa'rasha knew they couldn't afford to lose too many ladders as then they'd be unable to scale the walls, and so he ordered the shamans forward to protect the ladders.
The orc shamans had been ordered to stay out of range until they were needed. That time had come and so they charged forward until they were close enough to set off their spells. Magic missiles burst forth from their hands, and lightning bolts harassed the humans from above, allowing more orcs to climb atop the wall. One of the more powerful shamans was able to summon a phoenix, a large fiery bird, and set it to attack the men on the walls. A bunch of arrows were launched at it, but they were burnt up as they hit the bird and only served to feed it and make it fiercer.
The humans close enough to the bird were overcome by the heat and would drop to the ground. The magical bird could flap its wings in front of itself until the tips of each wing touched, which would then burst out a line of fire in front of itself. The bird was doing more damage than the rest of the orcs combined. Chief Fa'rasha was enjoying the show. At this rate he could take the fort before reinforcements arrived. Once word spread of a quick and decisive victory like that, orcs would stream out of the mountains to join forces with his. It was a good day indeed.
* * *
Major Sarkis was the commanding officer of the three hundred men that left Arthea before the sun had come up. He was just hoping that the duke hadn't waited too long and they would find the fort in orcish hands when they arrived. With this thought in his mind, he made great haste, and pushed the men hard. He wanted them to be able to fight at the end of it, so he couldn't afford to push them too hard. Master Pilk and five other wizards had also joined up with the battalion. Master Pilk had told the major that the wizards weren't there for offensive action but to provide an escape route for as many women and children as they possibly could. Major Sarkis understood, but would much rather have these wizards help with the battle. There were only ten registered wizards in Arthea, the other four had been ordered to stay in Arthea in case they were needed.
When they crossed the bridge over the Tear Drop River and saw the remains of El Rasa, their spirits dropped. Puffs of smoke could still be seen rising from some of the burnt out buildings, but it was obvious this town had been destroyed possibly as many as twenty hours ago. If the orcs moved straight on to attack the fort, it could be all over by now. Even still, they had to press on. After a brief rest, Major Sarkis ordered the men to move out. At least no bodies had been found in the village, so hopefully all the villagers made it safe and sound to the fort.
* * *
General Krak'too ordered a halt. The way the scouts had found be-tween the stony cliffs and the river was narrow and rugged and was taking some time for his army to traverse. The way was starting to open up now, but the general thought he saw dust rising in the south. He ordered Feygrus up to higher ground, who was the only scout to come along on this mission. The general had decided to leave a hundred orcs behind, along with the ogres, so that work could continue on their forward base. He knew how much damage the worg riders could do in a battle, and held faith that his five companies could hold their own in the coming conflict.
Feygrus returned from the hilltop and reported a small human army moving along the road to the south, a good third of them riding large creatures.
"So the humans have their own riders, do they?" said the general quietly to himself. The little orcs could soon find themselves fighting on two fronts, thought the general. Now even more anxious to get there, he ordered the orcs on faster.
* * *
Major Isak was battling two orcs in front of him. His men around him were also fighting. More and more seemed to be streaming onto the wall. The major knew that if this kept up, they would be forced to give up the outer wall and retreat to the inner wall. Down below was the relentless banging of the ram against the gates. He could hear the great wooden gates straining against the blows, and was silently praying to Zulma, the god of war, to help keep them closed a while longer.
Some of his archers must be faring okay, as he could see the occasional arrow out of the corner of his eye streaming toward the orc army. The orc directly in front of him stabbed forward, thinking he found an opening as the major's sword swung just a little too high. At the same time, the orc to his left slashed wildly at neck height. The major quickly turned side on, dodging the stabbing blow, while at the same time ducking the slashing strike of the second orc, a very risky move, but it paid off. The facial expression of the orc that stabbed at him went from one of victory to one of disbelief as he clutched at his open neck, trying to stem the bleeding from the wound inflicted by his own comrade. The major rode the momentum and continued to spin, crouched low, and slashed across the other orcs stomach while he was still staring at his dying friend, not understanding how he had managed to kill him. He died wondering.
Major Isak quickly surveyed his surroundings to determine how the battle was going, before he was confronted with another orc. There did appear to be fewer ladders against the walls, and no more were being brought forward. If they could gain some breathing room and smash the remaining ladders they could hold out a bit longer; although that flame bird was still causing a disturbance. Something had to be done about that. That's when a thought hit the major at the same time as a sword hit his shoulder, slicing it open.
* * *
Captain Riyad saw the major take a hit to the shoulder. Why did he insist on fighting on the front line? Thought the captain. He was only ten paces from Major Isak, but those ten paces seemed to be filled with orcs. Heat swept passed him as the flaming bird went in for another swoop. One
thing about that bird was that it seemed to be killing more orcs at the moment than humans. But that only meant that more orcs were on the wall than humans, which was not a comforting thought. He had a few men that had rallied around him, so he instructed them to push for the major.
Captain Riyad was possibly one of the finest swordsmen in the Arthean army; the only thing that kept him from being a major or higher was his short temper. If he thought orders to be wrong, or at least not in line with his own reasoning, he would not only argue fervently, but throw abuse at all but the duke himself. He always ended up obeying those orders once he had calmed down, but while he kept doing it, he would never rise above the rank of captain.
His temper served him well at this moment, though, as he took out the frustrations of Major Isak's unwillingness to lead the defence of the fort from the inner wall. He respected the major for his bravery, but thought that a commanding officer needed to be free to assess the flow of the battle, and the way it looked at the moment, the men could soon be without a leader. With these thoughts in his mind he pushed on, cutting orcs down in front of him as a lumberer cuts down branches in a forest. During this display of pure wrath he did manage to note that the major wasn't as injured as he first thought and had since disposed of the orc responsible for the wound. So it was that he found himself face to face with Major Isak with some breathing room around them.
"I have an idea for that bird," said Major Isak, after a quick nod of thanks.
"I'm sure the men would welcome that," replied Captain Riyad. "Then we can perhaps turn our thoughts to those damn shaman, ay?" continued the Captain.
"One problem at a time. We need to get to the closest catapult."
"No worries, this way then," said Captain Riyad as he turned and headed back the way he had come. "We have already started clearing a path this way," continued the captain with a smile on his face. The captain's men and the major's men joined forces and proceeded to cut a path toward the catapult.
The Gate - A New Breed of Orc (The Gate Series Book 1) Page 12