General Sanjay walked up to the water’s edge and placed a tentative foot on the smooth surface. The water was solid as though it had been frozen except that it was not icy or slippery. He looked at the slight druid with a look of approval as he placed both of his feet on the magical barrier. He turned to face Zaire while still standing on the water and gave him a look that clearly asked what they needed to do next.
“General, will you please have your troops cross over this temporary bridge I have created and march them directly at that boulder on the other side of the river. That is the entrance to the Shabazie Path.” The druid was clearly not focused on what was happening at the moment. He was still thinking of his talk with the water god. He wished that he would have been more forgiving. In the end our two councils are going to have to stand together. After all, we too experienced the same treachery that has torn apart the guardian council.
“You want my soldiers to march across this bridge and walk into that massive rock? Don’t you mean that we need to go around it to the secret entrance behind it?”
“No, I mean that you walk at the rock as though it were a curtain. I warn you that if a person is not resolute about entering the secret path, then they will not be granted passage.” The druid marched himself across the river and walked right at the boulder at the base of the tall cliff. Everyone tensed as he reached the point where they all thought he would hit the rock. When he came into contact with the entrance, he vanished from sight. A collective gasp escaped from the troops who could see what was going on.
“Leave it to a druid to be so dramatic,” the general said dryly. “Follow me!” The army resumed their march and crossed the river and entered the surprisingly vast tunnel under the cliffs.
***
The sound of the river filled the air as Khalida and Kuma made their way south along the western bank of the Blaine River. As she neared a narrow bridge that would allow her to cross the flowing waters, she stopped abruptly like a feral beast that sensed its prey. She looked around the water’s edges trying to see someone or something that was not there. I sense the traces of powerful magic around that area on this side of the river. If I am not mistaken, it feels like druid’s magic. She continued to puzzle over this development as she sat there atop her massive bear.
A little further done the river on the eastern bank there was a dark figure in the eaves of the Aran Forest. She did not move yet because she wanted to ascertain the intentions of the person that was standing there by the river’s side. Then, with a sharp turn of its head, the dark elf caught sight of her. She could not make out what it had said, but whoever it was had summoned magic and threw it at her with great strength. A bolt of purple lightning shot at her almost too fast for her to counteract the attack. Khalida was able to deflect the magical missile and sent it flying into a nearby tree. The blast blew apart the massive tree like it was a sapling.
Before Khalida could go on the offensive, he was gone. Who in the name of all that’s holy was that? Why would an elf attack me? Maybe that was one of the high elves. But why was he down by the water all by himself? We know that the orc and high elven armies are positioned in Nodin a few of miles east of here. After a few more moments of pondering what had just happened, she decided that she had better get across the river and get back to Landen as fast as possible. She needed to report to King Leroy about what she had learned and then inform him that the next major attack would likely come from the south.
She gently prodded Kuma with her mind to cross the bridge and to hurry as fast as she could along the base of the southern cliffs. As the bear began to pick up speed, she could hear a voice in her mind telling her to wait. She halted her bear midstride and whirled around to face the direction the familiar voice came from. It was Lord Neb who had called after her. She rode back to the edge of the water on the north side of the bridge they had just crossed. She hopped down lightly onto the ground and walked a few paces into the cool water.
“What news do you bring?”
“I have met with one of the druids. I was told that he was assisting the army of Aran by helping them to enter Landen through a secret passage. He, of course, made it clear that his kind still do not trust us after all these years. Also, Lady Hilzarie gave me some even more interesting information.” He went on to explain about the druid council and also told her what the druids had learned about Kana.
“Well, this is both good and bad news,” she replied slowly. “The good news is that the druids will help our allies fight this war. The bad news is that they will likely try to make us all out to be the source of evil in this violent affair.”
“What shall we do about it?”
“Nothing; let them do what they feel is best. They are wise enough not to make all of the guardians out to be villains. I am sure that Zaide knew that Kana was the only Elemental fighting against the peoples of Tuwa. It will be because of this knowledge that he and his kind will not stir up the people against the rest of us. He knows that we will be needed to put an end to Kana’s evil ways.”
“What do you think Kana is doing up in the north? We know that she has Lord Keb up there, but what else is she doing up there?”
“I fear that she has committed an unforgivable sin. Evil wraiths do not just float out of the north anymore. We took care of those spirits centuries ago. Someone has released them from their imprisonment, and we know that only one of the elder guardians could do that. I am afraid that she has gone and made a deal with the devil himself.”
“You think Kana released Drogan along with his horde of vile abominations? If this is true, then the druids and the rest of the races of Tuwa will never trust us again. There will be no winning this fight. Evil will run across these lands like my flood of Nairi. Do you think our master knows of this treachery?”
“I do not doubt that he does. He knows a great deal more than we are being told, but I am certain it is for the best. As for this war that is about to consume us all, I agree with your assessment of the situation. Unless we find a way of stopping a northern army, the people of Tuwa will perish…the good with the bad.”
“So you believe that there is very little hope then.” This was a statement rather than a question. They both knew that these tidings and deductions spelled the doom of Tuwa.
“If we can turn Kana from her evil ways, then we will have a chance. Remember, it took all seven of us to imprison those fowl creatures the last time. We need to get this information to the others as soon as possible. Neb, will you contact the others for me?”
“I will.”
“I must find our master and see if he already knows of this evil. Maybe he has a plan to turn the tide of this dreadful affair.”
They both quickly departed to carry out their tasks. Neb went in search of Hilzarie and Necia to give them the information they had just discussed. Khalida jumped onto Kuma and urged her to run as fast as she could. I must find my master, Kuma. You know what to do. The bear picked up the pace and headed north along the western cliffs.
Encompassed
Generals Tadok K’K and G’Dang approached Mount Adem with trepidation in their wretched hearts. Though many considered the orcs to be brainless, bloodthirsty beasts, they were actually among the more intelligent races of Tuwa. They did not have scholars or artisans, but they had some of the finest battle strategists. These two generals were among the most adept at planning tactics that would ensure them victory in almost any confrontation. However, King Kasim’s mountain kingdom provided several obstacles that were not easily overcome. The two massive armies made camp some ten miles northeast of the northern entrance to the dwarven fortress. They were still in the eaves of the forest, which afforded them protection from prying eyes. A patrol sent by the dwarves would be hard pressed to find the orcs because of their location. They were situated just south of the Seda’s domain, so that meant that none of the allies would be caught near their camp.
“G’Dang, we are going to have to make our move soon or else we will lose the el
ement of surprise. If the Seda keep pestering us day in and day out, we will begin to have deserters,” boomed General Tadok K’K. He did not care for the spirit creatures, but he also knew that they did afford them a measure of protection from those that they were on their way to kill.
“Tadok K’K, you make a very good point. I think we should analyze the defenses of the dwarves and prepare the best possible strategy from what we do know about this mountain fortress. Of course, we will need several escape roots if the need should arise. General Magnar is the greatest warrior the dwarves have had in centuries. He has caused us much pain and loss during his regime. We cannot allow ourselves to underestimate the temerity of this little fellow,” replied General G’Dang.
“The first thing we need to account for is the hidden archers along that massive wall that surrounds the entire mountain. It is impossible to see them even in the daylight, so it would probably be better for us to attack during the night. This will not mitigate the damage they will inflict upon us, but we will have a better chance of gaining the tops of the walls with minimal losses. Once on top, we can systematically remove the long range threats.”
“Are you proposing to use the siege ladders only? What about constructing some siege towers? What about providing cover for our troops with our ballista’s?”
“The point of just using the siege ladders would be to make an approach that will give us a measure of stealth. We do not need to announce to the entire kingdom that we are on their doorstep. Plus, I do not believe that we should attack during the middle of the night. We should choreograph the attack so that it coincides with the sunrise. They would never suspect that from us. They think that we cannot stand the sunlight, but we will prove that they are wrong about that. Dead wrong.” Tadok K’K gave a short harsh laugh as he said this.
“What about their legendary secondary defense?” G’Dang asked this cautiously because of Tadok K’K notoriously short temperament.
“I do not believe they even exist, but if they do, we will be ready.”
“How will we do that? They say those creatures are impervious to pain?”
“Simple. We will remove their heads from their bodies like any other beast. We will not waste any arrows on those guard dogs because it would only irritate them. I am more concerned about the real defenses that lie behind the wall.”
They continued to discuss their plans for several hours into the night. They understood that it was crucial to attack at the right moment in order to gain the upper hand. Even though G’Dang’s army had nearly one hundred fifty thousand soldiers, he did not feel that numbers would win this confrontation. Ultimately it was decided that it was best to wait them out. They would surround the mountain to ensure that no one escaped and would remain out of reach while they would attack periodically from multiple directions at the same time. They hoped that this would not only confuse their enemy, but that it would also enrage them enough so that they would make a fatal mistake. General Tadok K’K would take his one hundred twenty five thousand troops to the east and south while G’Dang would guard the north and west.
After another couple of hours, they had determined exactly what methods of attack that would work best in various scenarios. Once they actually did make their move-that is, if they were forced into being proactive-then they would implement the tactics they had just devised. Their plan for fending off a rush from the mountain fortress was quite simple: they outnumbered the dwarves significantly. After hitting them with catapults, trebuchets, ballistae, and arrows, they would engage what was left in hand-to-hand combat. They were far superior in stature and strength, or so they believed, so they felt they could easily overpower the little folk.
“Do you think the bearded runts have any secret passageways or any traps set around the mountain?” queried General G’Dang seriously. He did not want to get caught off guard while surrounding the dwarves.
“I would venture to guess that they do have several traps in place and that there are probably several escape tunnels. I would be willing to bet that these underground passageways do not go farther than a couple of miles in each direction. This would put them entering the plains around the mountain and would make their appearance clearly visible. All we need to do is place sentries at the rears of each formation, and we should be warned of any trickery from behind,” replied General Tadok K’K seriously.
“What about the traps? I would think that we should ferret out any possible dangers before moving our large forces into possible harm. It would not do at all to have our soldiers maimed or killed by unforeseen dangers. We could send in the berserkers.” This thought came to him suddenly and it burst out with a little too much enthusiasm.
“You would send those brutes in, would you…that’s not a bad idea at all! They can do their special brand of demolition and remove any possible threats. The dwarves probably know that we are here, so a few explosions would not give anything away. If anything, they might be afraid of what we were doing!”
“General Akuji, I believe we have a good plan. We should implement it during the night so that we maximize the amount of confusion we cause for our little, bearded neighbors.”
“Maurizio, you’re right! Let’s do it tomorrow night. Then, right before dawn, we will have the berserkers set off a series of explosions that should rattle old white beard himself!” He laughed raucously at his own slight of the guardian. They continued to laugh loudly for quite some time at their own perceived brilliance.
A group of one hundred berserkers gathered together the following morning to receive their instructions from Generals Akuji and Maurizio. The berserker was a special breed of orc that was used for almost anything life threatening because of their unique physical strength and lethal prowess. They stood nearly two feet taller than the tallest orc, which made the shortest berserker stand at nine feet tall. There were some that reached a legendary height of twelve feet! They were simply gigantic in every way, including their intellect. Their name was a misnomer that belied their intelligence and capabilities. Many of the orcs’ enemies had made the fatal mistake of assuming that these rare brutes were expendables.
“You maggots are here to carry out a dangerous but vital task. We require your expertise with explosives to clear the plains around Mount Adem of any possible traps. The difficult part to this job is that you will be required to do your work beginning at nightfall tonight,” explained General Akuji in his gruff, deep voice.
“I don’t see a problem with your request General Tadok K’K. My soldiers will perform this task flawlessly as usual. The question is, good general, what is in it for us?” asked Commander Gar’Dak. He was the leader of the small orc giants and stood at an impressive eleven feet six inches tall. He had a long, silver mane of hair that ran the length of his broad, muscular back. There was not an ounce of fat on his rippled body anywhere. He wore dull armor that was two inches thick at its weakest spots. The dull look was the purposeful tarnishing of the thick armor so that light would not give the wearer away from a distance.
“After you successfully completed your mission, you will have another assignment waiting for you. You and your troops will be our rear guard. We expect the little bearded ones to try to surprise us from behind through secret tunnels,” replied General Maurizio. He simply ignored the question about what was in it for them.
“You will receive whatever you ask in return for performing these two services,” interjected General Akuji. He could tell that the berserker commander was about to lose his temper if his question was not answered. He knew that if he interceded quickly that their displeasure would be sated.
“You always were the intelligent one,” replied the giant commander in his low, booming voice. It was clear that he was very serious and that he actually respected the General Akuji. “We get to take what we want from the dwarves after we have beaten them. That should be sufficient repayment.” He smiled toothily after he had said this, which was a frightening sight. His yellow teeth had a reddish hue to them that co
uld not be mistaken for anything else than blood from his most recent meal. They had a tendency to eat the smaller orcs when food was not easily found. They preferred the taste of goblins, but traveling that far for a meal was a waste. That is if you were only able to get your hands on one or two.
“You are too kind, Commander Gar’Dak,” General Maurizio replied thickly.
The two generals went over the plan with the berserker commander in greater detail and even altered some of the plans based on suggestions from Gar’Dak. After about an hour of discussion, they separated so that the berserkers could make preparations for their nighttime demolition. Their skills for using various forms of explosive materials were second only to the dwarves. The difference between the two was that the berserkers used their talent for destroying things while the dwarves used their abilities to create structures out of stones and precious metals. Commander Gar’Dak did not like killing the dwarves because he respected their unsurpassed craftsmanship, but he knew that if he did not assist the orcs in subverting the little folk that the generals would most certainly destroy them. It was a matter of survival of the fittest, which meant that they would do everything in their power to preserve as many dwarves as possible.
***
“King Kasim, it appears that the orc host that is camped in the forest is nearly three hundred thousand strong. They look like they are preparing to remove our traps with the help of berserkers,” reported Commander Giles Bobrilir dutifully. The king had always liked the commander because of his thorough nature and detailed reports. He also happened to be responsible for the impregnable defenses of Kasim’s Fortress.
“Commander Giles…you always amaze me with what you know. I won’t even ask you how you know. General Magnar…what do you make of this report?” asked King Kasim.
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