by Dave Hazel
“Hi Hidtotim,” Mykal greeted the fairly young soldier with a friendly smile. Mykal noticed the soldier looked scared. He looked more scared than when his group was completely outnumbered by Goblins and were on the verge of being wiped out and obliterated. “Please tell us what’s going on. You look a little uncomfortable,” Mykal said and deliberately avoided saying he looked fearful. He didn’t want to offend the proud young soldier.
“I am fearful Mykal,” Hidtotim admitted and made it clear. “The commander of the force that approaches us is a very evil man. Lanorear flew to us and said that Commander Ingledoss marches toward us. Commander Ingledoss is famous throughout all the lands for being a cruel, vicious and blood thirsty man. He is also known as the Butcher of Bordoan. Bordoan was a village that bordered the lands of Tresston and the Elvin lands. He made his name by initiating the wars with the Elves. Bordoan had been a village in good relations with Elves for ages.
“Commander Ingledoss took his small force and ordered the people of Bordoan to attack the unsuspecting Elves. When they refused he turned on the people of Bordoan and butchered every man, woman and child. He killed all the animals and burned every home to the ground. He walked through the village and ran through the children with his spear while the parents were held down and forced to watch his barbaric cruelty. The tortures he committed on the children for the disobedience of the parents is legendary for the purpose to make the parents suffer greater.
“Ingledoss has an intense hatred for Elves because his father had been killed by Elvin raiders,” Hidtotim continued. “He watched Elves kill his father before his eyes when he was but a child of nine years of age. He vowed to get his revenge and has waged wars on Elves as long as he has had breath in his lungs. The only people he hates more than Elves are those who sympathize with Elves and those who disobey his orders. He believes everyone should hate Elves as much as he does.”
“Oh boy,” Mykal sighed and wondered if their fabricated story of the Elves volunteering to become Hawkmen would work on one who is filled with so much hatred. “Do you think he will have a problem with our Elves who are going to become Hawkmen?”
“To be honest Mykal, I am fearful,” Hidtotim answered and let out a sigh. “Lanorear is also terrified of Ingledoss because of his former life as an Elf. Lanorear has been a Hawkman for a very long time. He hadn’t been an Elf for many, many years, a very long time in fact, yet Ingledoss will still look at him as an Elf. Thus Lanorear is fearful Ingledoss may bring his entire force against the Hawkmen.”
“Does he know what a great service the Hawkmen do for the Great Leader?” Mykal asked.
“Ingledoss has never been stopped in his dealings with others,” Hidtotim said and slowly shook his head. “He is a great commander and a great war leader. Great war leaders and great commanders have the freedom to bend rules and break rules at times. With that being said, great leaders and great commanders can make up their own rules when it suits them provided they do not go against the One. Commander Ingledoss can have his faults overlooked due to his position,” Hidtotim added in almost a whisper as if what he had just spoken was sacrilegious. “Such great leaders can do anything they wish with no fear of reprisal.”
“What about you Hidtotim? How do you feel about him?” Mykal asked.
“I, I, um, I do not know what to say about such a situation,” the young soldier answered and started to squirm.
“The reason why I’m asking is,” Mykal started and paused to study Hidtotim. Mykal tried to discover the truth about the soldier’s commitment. “Because I’m a very loyal person. When I have a friend or a comrade, I am loyal to my friends to the very end of my life. All my friends here feel the same,” Mykal added and pointed to those around him. Those standing near nodded their agreement on the same position. “He may be a great leader and a great commander, but I am not going to allow him to cause harm to my friends,” Mykal said as a warning and tried to get a feel for where Hidtotim stood. Mykal had to decide if he was going to kill Hidtotim and depart or keep his alliance with Hidtotim for his help to get to the castle of Zizmon-Tarl.
“Do you not understand that Commander Ingledoss has between two and three thousand soldiers with him?” Hidtotim asked and seemed to gasp as if Mykal was asking him to make a choice between the two sides. “You are not one hundred strong. Though under your command I witnessed a mighty powerful force of magic,” he vocalized as if trying to weigh the options in case he had to choose. “I do not see how you would be able to oppose Ingledoss if he tried to harm your friends,” Hidtotim said and shot a glance to the six Elves
Two miles away the force came into view after topping the rise in the land. “All the men are ready Sir,” Sergeant First Class Lemon announced when he and Gunnery Sergeant Ratner came back to Diaz and Finley.
“Do you think you can convince this Commander Ingledoss not to attack our Elves?” Mykal asked Hidtotim directly. “We are on a secret mission for Zizmon-Tarl and the Elves are giving themselves up to become Hawkmen.”
“I do not know,” Hidtotim answered and fidgeted where he stood. “I am not a commander. I am only the ranking soldier among the foot soldiers who follow orders from what remains of the force we were a part of. I do not wish to get into the middle of a battle with one of our fiercest leaders,” he added and sounded like he was on the verge of a breakdown. “I am sorry Mykal. I would have to answer for being disobedient if something should arise.”
“I understand that,” Mykal said and chuckled. “Believe me, if something happens where we are going to be at odds with each other there will be no one to answer to. I will destroy him,” he added with a confidence that must have sounded foolish to Hidtotim.
“Mykal, you do understand that the force coming toward us has over two thousand in their number? Do you not?” He asked again.
“I understand, but I will not allow one hair of my men to fall to the ground without me killing everyone who tries to harm them. Do you understand that?
“Yes. I understand your loyalty and I believe you believe you think you can stand against Commander Ingledoss,” he paused. He was unsure what he wanted to say. He clearly didn’t want to offend Mykal and he didn’t want to come across as unappreciative for what Mykal and his people did when they rescued them from the Goblins.
“I don’t want you to take sides if things go bad,” Mykal said to Hidtotim and looked hard into his eyes. “Since we rescued you I don’t want to have to turn on you,” he added, but the truth was he wanted Hidtotim to lead the way to the castle of Zizmon-Tarl in the hopes of finding Doninka before the time of the deadline ran out. “Just make sure you don’t take their side if things go bad cuz we’re a secret weapon for Zizmon-Tarl and I will unleash a mighty power on your people that you have never seen before. Understand me, all I am asking of you guys is to not take sides and do nothing if you are worried, okay?”
“I believe you Mykal,” Hidtotim said with a slight sigh as if he feared Mykal’s words were bigger than what he could deliver. “I will not stand on Commander Ingledoss’s side and I will instruct my men to choose wisely.”
“Good, good. If things go bad just stay neutral and I won’t harm you. Tell your men that. And then just try to convince Ingledoof that he shouldn’t raise any questions with the Elves,” Mykal said calmly. “I will not let him harm my friends,” he added and looked down at the gold band around his middle finger.
“His name is Ingledoss,” Hidtotim whispered the correction so as not to embarrass Mykal.
“I know what his name is. Where we are from, the name doof, doofus and the like means dumb ass, stupid, moron and so on. I deliberately called him Ingledoof,” he barked the emphasis on the modification of the commander’s name which generated loud laughter among the men who heard him. Mykal looked down at the golden band of magic around his middle finger and felt a surging hatred start to flash through his entire being.
‘There’s no way I’m gonna allow this bully to push us around,’ Mykal thought hatefully. He
believed this commander who tortures and abuses children may try to keep him from getting to Doninka’s prison. He had dealt with other bully’s in the past but this one had a great big reputation to go along with his actions and his big army.
“Alright, men get ready,” Finley yelled when he noticed how the massive group was approaching them. “Our force is going to be divided.”
“I want 60s and 203s evenly split,” Ratner shouted and the men immediately turned back to back so they could face the enemy on their side of the plains.
From the rise of the next little hill the group had divided into five smaller groups of five hundred and thirty-four each, not counting the leaders. Two blocks of five hundred thirty-four soldiers went to the right and two blocks of five hundred thirty-four went to the left to have them completely surrounded. The main group with the leader approached from the front. That group had five hundred thirty-four soldiers also.
Mykal and Towbar stood with Finley and Diaz and a few others facing the approaching army. Of the Two thousand seven hundred and twenty-four soldiers all but about fifty-four were foot soldiers. The fifty-four leaders rode on horses. There were several carts and large wagons that carried supplies. Those were pulled by large draft animals. Some were oxen and some were horses that didn’t seem to be good enough to be battle horses.
Commander Ingledoss rode the lead horse and it was clear who he was. The man rode high in the saddle with an expression of confidence and pride. Physically, he looked strong and large, but he wasn’t the largest soldier. All the soldiers had the bright gold and red uniform. Compared to Hidtotim and his fourteen men they looked bright and shiny where as Hidtotim and his few men showed the wear and tear of battles and a long tour of duty. Ingledoss wore a helmet that drew all the immediate attention to him. The long bright colorful feathers, some real and some fake, were as long as three feet tall. His colorful helmet set him apart from all the other helmets.
Hidtotim and his men walked up past Diaz to greet the military legend as he approached. Mykal saw the fear in Hidtotim’s face and heard it in his deep breaths. Hidtotim and his men snapped to a sloppy form of attention and saluted the leader on horseback by slapping his left shoulder with his right hand. Hidtotim spoke while Ingledoss eyed the strangers and his eyes seemed focused on the Elves and Hawkmen. Ingledoss didn’t seem as interested in the strangers as he was in the hated Elves and former Elves.
Mykal seethed with his own hatred. He became concerned when he noticed many of the soldiers were armed with bow and arrows. The way the group was split up they could easily be wiped out by the archers from three sides. It was too late to tell Towbar to prepare the magic powder to conjure up the green fog and just take everyone to the outside of the Pass. Mykal had to hope Ingledoss would just allow them to go their way and not have a problem that would lead to a conflict. ‘Would I be willing to give up my Elvin friends to keep us all from being killed?’ He asked himself while eyeing the massive numbers of soldiers all around them. ‘Hell no!’ he shouted his thoughts. The very idea that the thought entered his mind made him want to go on a bloody, violent, rampage.
Mykal listened as Hidtotim spoke and introduced Diaz. Mykal glanced over to Towbar and noticed Towbar’s eyes looked around the area to assess the situation. The giant gripped his six foot sword casually but he could easily jump into combat should a battle break out. Mykal could hear murmuring voices all around them from the other soldiers who awaited Ingledoss’s orders. These men were soldiers who lived to make war and to keep peoples in line when they occupy an area.
“…And so our commander took those of us who wanted to travel through the mountain in order that we would arrive a few days earlier,” Hidtotim explained “After we had been attacked by the fiendish flesh eaters we were then trapped and attacked by an army of Goblins. This is all that remains,” he said and omitted the fact that he killed two of his own men who had been bitten by the AFAs. Hidtotim looked up to Ingledoss who sat upon his horse.
The commander looked as if he enjoyed his dominating position towering over those on the ground. He listened to what was being said but his eyes kept turning back to the Elves and the Hawkmen.
“We would have most certainly been killed. We would have all died if it was not for Diaz and his men,” Hidtotim added and pointed to all those behind him. “When they rescued us they made clear they were on a special mission for the Supreme Ruler. When I questioned them about the Elves in their company they explained how those six Elves have given up their lives to volunteer to become Hawkmen, like Lanorear and his clan of Hawkmen,” he quickly added as if he would get into trouble for allowing Elves to be in his presence. “I personally have battled under the guidance of the Hawkmen in just the past six months. I know how valuable the Hawkmen are to the Supreme Ruler.
“The leader of the Hawkmen, Lanorear, has declared they have been searching for Elves to volunteer to increase the numbers of the Hawkmen clan,” Hidtotim said and it sounded like he was making it up as he was going. Hidtotim remained poised, but clearly sounded scared. “Since I, Commander Ingledoss my Lord, am not a commander, and not in a position to make such important decisions, I thought it best to wait until I should come upon a commander such as yourself to decide what to do. As I explained my Lord, my commander, Commander Dand Gulag had been killed inside the mountain.”
“Dand Gulag was a great friend of mine and he will be sorely missed,” Ingledoss said with sadness and shook his head. “However, there is still Elf blood in our presence,” Ingledoss snarled as if he didn’t care about the loss of his close friend and fellow commander. “The Hawkmen still have Elf blood inside them,” he hissed. “Look at this bad stew before me,” he snarled to his men. “We have Elves,” he said and waved his hand toward the Elves. “We have Hawkmen which are Elves or at least part Elves. Maybe they are half Elf,” he added and waved his hand toward the Hawkmen. “Half Elves are equally foul as full Elves,” he added with a snide smirk that sounded somewhat playful.
“Now we also have Dwarves,” he waved his hand to the pint sized long beards. “We even have an Anart,” he said and waved his hand referring to Towbar being a giant. “We have several other types of foreigners, one who looks like he could be a lawless wizard,” he said which had to be a shot at Nordad. He stared at the older magician and scratched his unshaven face which normally appeared to be clean shaven save the thick Fu Manchu style mustache Ingledoss sported.
Some of his men shouted and some laughed. The Elves tried to blend into the group but there was no way they could hide away from the army that was like drug dogs in sniffing them out. Their odd appearance, near white blonde hair, near white pale skin, pointed ears etc., didn’t help to keep them from sticking out like a sore thumb.
“We are on a special assignment,” Diaz said but the rowdiness of the soldiers prevented his words from being heard.
“Since we have them surrounded we should make the move and rid the world of them,” Ingledoss shouted in a somewhat playful manner while he tried to size up the strangers and assess the situation. His taunt generated more laughs and shouts from his men. “We could easily end this and be on our way. T’would be like swatting insects,” he added while he grabbed the ends of his long mustache.
Mykal saw that Hidtotim looked terrified, but Mykal got the impression that Ingledoss was being playful. He seemed to be in a good mood. “You don’t wanna do that,” Mykal said loudly and caught sight of the two camera men recording the entire discussion. He didn’t like that they were filming the confrontation in case he had to turn himself invisible. He didn’t want his invisibility to be caught on tape.
“And why would I not want to do that?” Commander Ingledoss laughed.
“One reason would be that you wouldn’t get to see the wonderful things we are bringing to Zizmon-Tarl your Supreme Ruler. We are bringing mighty gifts from the other side of the world. Then you would personally be responsible for breaking the treaty we have set up with the Soso nations from those lands,” he ad
ded in hopes that it would sound good.
“What gifts do you bring?”
“Are you the Supreme Ruler?” Mykal asked confidently showing the size deficit had no concern for him.
Ingledoss looked to his close friends on horseback, fellow commanders. “No. Of course not.”
“Then you don’t have the need to know,” Mykal said firmly. “We have our arrangement with Ziggy Stardust. That’s what I personally call the Supreme Ruler,” he added as if he had a personal relationship with the evil bad guy. “It’s an inside joke between me and him.” Mykal caught sight of Diaz’s lips moving slightly, so he knew Diaz was praying. Finley gasped a fearful sigh. Several men among the soldiers expressed quiet shock that one would boldly speak to the Butcher of Bordoan that way.
Ingledoss paused as if deep in thought. He seemed to be weighing his options.
During the quiet pause Mykal heard Roy Jr. whisper to Mathis. “Dat ol’ boy is crazy. If we get outta her he needs to start playing poker for a livin’ cuz he is bluffin’ the hell outta that dude.”
Mykal wanted to laugh but he held his facial expression in check. “You’re probably wondering why someone like me is talking to you like that when you probably have us out numbered twenty to one, right?”
“Yes,” Ingledoss answered and looked to his three close friends on horseback beside him.
“It’s because I know why we’re here, and you don’t know why we’re here,” Mykal said and moved on without answering his question. Mykal realized Roy Jr. was correct, he was bluffing his way through this situation. “So we will just be on our way and it will be like we never met and I will be sure to put in a good word for you with Ziggy Stardust.”