"I will protect you, Serna, my sweet human child," Caliaphy said wrapping her feathery wings around the shield maiden.
"NO WAY!" The Shield Maiden gasped, "YOU GREW UP?! HOW IN THE REALM DID YOU DO THAT?!"
"I can only take this form when one such as you is in danger, Serna. Besides you, only Alyson and Lazheros have seen me in my true form," Caliaphy told her.
The elves upon seeing the fairy reveal her true self all bowed slightly, the Sidhe are the fore-bearers of the Elven kind and to actually see one of them in person is extremely rare.
"THIS IS YOUR TRUE SELF?!" Serna gasped completely wild-eyed, "WOW! YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL, CALIAPHY! THE OTHERS AREN'T GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!"
Caliaphy smiled softly at the human girl who was completely enthralled by her celestial presence, "Belief is in the eye of the beholder, belief in the hearts of those who truly believe, Serna."
"YOU'RE RIGHT!" The Shield Maiden breathlessly exclaimed, "HONESTLY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY NEXT, EXCEPT--WOW!!!"
******
Willow made it up the rampart and to Irzen's side as he peered out on the horizon to see their enemy marching towards them, "Irzen, what do you see?"
"There's too many of them and too few of us!" The Swordsman replied without taking his eyes off of the army, "If we can't stop them or slow down their advance before they reach these gates, then we're going to catch nothing but pure unmitigated hell."
"Or not!" War Scribe appeared between the two Elves. Turning to The Prince, the Drowling shoved the parchment into his hands, "Here! A gift from your ex. Read it now if you want to live."
Willow quickly began to read the text as War Scribe turned towards Irzen, "So, ask me any question about the horde."
"What?"
"Go ahead," War Scribe encouraged Irzen, "Ask me any question about the horde and I will answer it--direct questions please."
"How many oxen do the Horde have?"
"Two thousand oxen," The Drowling flatly responded, "All of them are used to pull wagons and weapons from one battlefield to the next."
"Oh, my God!" Irzen gasped, "I forgot about your geas. You are compelled to tell the truth about a past or a present event."
War Scribe huffed half to herself, "And to think Alyson wanted me to ease drop on the Horde and their commanders by teleporting in and around their encampment. Which I don't need to do--"
"Because you know all present and past actions as they are or have happened," Irzen surmised with a smile, "All I have to do is ask for that information."
"Precisely!" War Scribe replied in exasperation, "Finally, somebody gets it! Why should I sneak around when all you have to do is ask? There! Was that so hard to figure out?"
Liliandra remained inside due to the sheer wind force of the elemental Alyson and Lazheros had summoned. She was in awe by how well Alyson was able to control such an elemental, and had to wait until she could managed even walking up to Willow, and his allies without being blown away.
"You don't see THAT every day!" War Scribe pointed up to the heavens where Alyson was high above the storm she and the Bronze Man unleashed.
Clinging to the rampart wall; Irzen looked up, saw Alyson, saw the massive F-5 tornado decimate the ranks of Gruumasht's army and breathlessly exclaimed, "DEAR GOD!"
After about twenty minutes of watching the massive F-5, it began to dissipate giving everyone a full and clear view of the path of destruction of the horde. The main force was crushed and swept aside leaving only the elite forces left to deal with. As it funnel ascended back up into the storm clouds, the form of the elementalist changed in plain view of both sides into the Elder Gold dragon, Perthonexio again. The dragon exhaled a fireball right at the ballistas destroying most of them with one explosive hit.
The Bronze Man thanked the elemental for its aid and closed the corners. The ritual was complete but he remained there on the parapet keeping an eye on Alyson.
Liliandra finally made her way to the wall where Willow and Irzen was. She remained guarded flanked by her handmaidens, "The city remains untouched, Willow for now but this horde is not one to give up so easily. I hope and pray that she had found Prince Yew."
"Agreed!" Willow looked towards the tower where The Bronze Man was positioned, "Lazheros, send in the swarm!"
Sheathing his weapon, and slinging his shield over his back, the Cleric of Bahamut raised both arms and summoned the native insects of land to swarm the remnants of the horde. A black cloud of stinging insects poured out of the trees and fields in all directions towards the remaining group of orcs. Merely as a distraction rather than actually being able to take down any of them. Naturally tough hide and thick armor prevented most of the insects from penetrating their armor except where their faces were exposed.
"Why don't you ask me where he is, Princess, and I can tell you right now?" War Scribe haunched her shoulders, "I am compelled to tell the truth when someone asks me a question."
"Where is my husband, Prince Yew?" Liliandra asked the drowling with her hand on her sword hilt ready to take off the head of War Scribe should her knowledge be false.
War Scribe's eyes suddenly had a distant look in them as though she were staring at a point a thousand yards away, "Your husband, Prince Yew, is in the hands of Captain Mandur and his Hill Dwarves two hundred yards behind the Orc lines where their left flank used to be." She pointed off towards a corner of the battlefield, "Over there. He is badly injured and in dire need of healing but he still lives." The Drowling came to herself and smiled as she saw Liliandra's hand on the hilt of her sword, "You can run me through if it will make you feel better, Princess, but when someone puts a direct question to me I cannot lie. Even if I want to do it, I simply cannot."
The Prince turned his attention back to The Swordsman, "Irzen, go and tell Captain Andaeran to make ready his calvary for a direct assault against Grummasht's remaining forces. Once the swarm has passed, I will lead our Archers in laying down a withering covering fire that will keep them on the defensive while protecting your advance until you can smash into them and break their ranks. We're only going to get one chance to break the back of his army. And now is that chance. GO!"
*****
Irzen ran down the parapet and towards the main courtyard where Andaeran, Mermidon, Dragolem and Billy were waiting. The Swordsman conveyed The Prince's orders to Captain Andaeran after he mounted the war goat. "Any questions? Or anything that is not clear? Or anything that you want me to repeat?"
Dragolem smirked cracking his knuckles, "No problem here!"
Mermidon steeled himself but said nothing.
"Good!" Irzen nodded his head in agreement, "Then let's do this!"
Captain Andaerean was already mounted when his second blew the horn of battle and they headed out the side gate riding along the valley's hillside edge of the fields to avoid the broken bodies of the horde, and anything else that could cause problems.
Irzen raced out with Andaerean, Mermidon and Dragolem at a full gallop. As they closed with their target, Irzen looked over to the ramparts of Westfall and smiled at what he saw.
"READY!" commanded the first line of Elven Archers that stood on the wall and tower ramparts as he drew back upon his bow.
The Elven Archers simultaneously nocked their arrows in preparation.
"MARK YOUR TARGETS!" One of the Elven officers yelled out, "MARK YOUR TARGETS!"
"AIM!" The Prince ordered as the rest of the Elven Archers drew back on their bow in unison with their leader.
"FIRE!" Willow commanded as he let loose his arrow among a volley of wooden shafts flying long and high in a tight upward arc until they began their deadly descent in a hail of death.
The insect swarm did its job well. By distracting the Orcs with their stinging attacks, the swarm kept the Orcs from setting up a proper shield wall that would have fended off the arrows. The first volley was a murderously deadly one as a quarter of Grummasht's remaining troops were pin cushioned to death.
"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" The Prince ordered as his Archers did the same.
*****
Just as Captain Andaerean and his company began to collide with the remaining Orcs, the insect swarm shot upward into the sky leaving the battlefield altogether.
On the far side of the battle field the gold dragon cut loose a frightful roar that stunned the orcs and ogres just enough for Captain Andaerean and his company to charge through with their spears and swords. While Dragolem dropped the giant with a jet of acid that literally melted the flesh and bone off one of its legs. With a cry of pain, the giant collapsed to the ground trying in vain to crawl out of the way of charging elven horses.
"EVENFLOW! EVENFLOW!" Irzen screamed at the top of his lungs as Billy crashed head on into an Orc and knocked the creature into the not-so-wonderful world of coma. The Swordsman slashed to his left and decapitated an Orc, then he slashed to his right in a downward stroked and lopped of the right arm of another Orc.
Mermidon charged head long into the bulk of the elite orcs with the full force of a sonic boom. The shockwave carved a path through the line sending them slamming into the ones next to each other. He held his own well enough but there was one elite orc wearing magical armor and he came face to face with him. This was one of Gruumasht's lieutenants and he came in fueled by a blood rage and frenzy unlike Irzen or anyone else had seen before. There was a mighty clang of steel as the jagged axe slammed against Mermidon's armor gauntlet. The orc snarled again using the momentum of his strike to bear down harder then pulled back with a twist severing the arm of the platinum draconian off at the elbow. Mermidon howled in pain and rolled out of the way to avoid another devastating hit from the orc's weapon. The platinum Draconian tried to retreat but found himself blocked by his comrades and orcs fighting each other now. He now understood one thing, this enemy would not stop until there was nothing left, and made the choice. "Strike me down, and you die too!"
"NOOOOO!!!" Irzen cried out as he tried to race to Mermidon's side but found his way blocked by two Orcs charging at him.
The lieutenant grinned maliciously bringing his jagged axe up over his head and it struck with a force driving the draconian into the earth with the blade buried nearly clean through the mid section. Satisfied with his kill, the orc went to reach down only to be incinerated by radiant fire as Mermidon's form became a brilliant pillar of pure white light consuming all in a ten foot radius. There was one finally flash of blinding light and Mermidon ascended to the heavens and maybe someday return.
Billy slammed into one of the Orcs and sent him flying backward while Irzen lopped off the head of the other one that stood against him.
Dragolem dropped to his knees when he saw his twin fall on the battle field, everything seemed to blur and time slowed down. His own form of darkness lightened to gray at the loss of his brother and he too retreated from the battle, "Irzen, you're on your own!"
Irzen was crestfallen when he reached Dragolem's side, "I'M SORRY, DRAGOLEM! FIGHT WITH US! AVENGE HIM! PLEASE!"
The swordsman's cries fell on the deaf ears of the draconian who left the battle field shattered and broken in spirit at the loss of his twin. He merged with the earth and was gone.
"DRAGOLEM! DRAGOLEM!" The Swordsman screamed at the departing elemental.
In his place stood the orc lieutenant, the blood rager known as Ashuruk, and he remembered Irzen. His wicked smiled filled with blood, "Ah, I remember you, drow. The sissies that Venger had working for him back in the day. The one the master blasted in the back cuz' you weren't fierce enough to do the hard jobs!" The orc swung his jagged axe in a wide arc hoping to cut the drow in half and followed through with a return stroke.
Irzen deliberately fell off of Billy's back and landed onto his feet on the ground. With his sword at the ready, the Swordsman snarled, "And I remember you too Ashuruk, always kissing Venger's butt like the good, little, boot-licking toadie that you are!"
"YYYYAAAAHHHH!!!" The Swordsman charged forward, hit the ground with a roll and launched himself towards Ashuruk's chest with the intention of trying to drive his sword into the Orc's chest.
******
The gold dragon caught the last few fleeing from the battle with a blast of fire that melted the orcs where they stood. None survived to relay the information of the battle at Westfall, she made sure of it. The loss of Mermidon and the retreat of Dragolem caused the dragon to roar so loud that it called out the other piece of the Crimson Dragon armor.
In the distance a huge red dragon emerged and the gold went to meet it in the sky far from the battle of Westfall. The clash of dragons lit up the night sky far and wide forcing the red to retreat and the gold the victor. When the gold returned to Westfall, she landed just outside the city's main gates waiting for the cavalry to mop of the rest of the horde.
The Elven cavalry continued to tear into the remaining Orc horde and whittle them down. Though it was a bloody and terrible affair amidst the screams of the dying and howls of rage, the Elves and Hill Dwarves slowly but surely began to get the upper hand against their determined foe.
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