Atop Billy the War goat, the Swordsman continued to slice and smash through the opposition. The Drow was leaving a trail of dead bodies and broken bones in his wake as he taught the Orcs a brutal lesson in Drow shock combat!

One ogre spotted the drow on the wargoat and charged forward and in a mighty and terrible leap the large creature hit the ground with such force that the wargoat bleeted in protest narrowly avoiding a rock wave. The ogre wasn't done yet as it swung its ten foot spiked club in a wide sweeping arc right at swordsman.

Irzen saw the blow coming and fell back into his saddle as the sweep from the ogre narrowly missed his head. The Swordsman urged his wargoat onward as Irzen moved to flank the ogre before it could attack again.

The ogre growled in frustration bringing up the spiked club for another sweeping attack. The first swing missed but the second just clipped the wargoat's back leg enough for Billy to stumble slightly recovering just as the ogre slammed its club downward.

When the ogre slammed his club downward, Irzen saw his opening to strike. The Swordsman leapt from the back of his wargoat with his hands wrapped firmly around the hilt of Evenflow and buried his blade into the exposed chest of the creature.

Twisting his sword deep within the wound he made, Irzen yanked his blade free and sliced off the head of the ogre that had stood against him.

Lazheros was busy healing those of the cavalry with the worst injuries and buffing them up to rejoin the battle. For a moment he was tempted to revert to his true form but then he spotted Gruumasht and Barakas standing off in the distance. The half orc had a sickly grin on his face as though he was preparing to unleash the undead.

Captain Andaerean reined his horse right and left cutting down orcs as he rode through sea of elves and orcs battling each other. The sound of another elven horn sounded in the distance catching Andaerean's attention as arrow storm so thick nearly blotting out the sun rained down into the thickest section of orcs, wargs and ogres that were clumped together. Half of the fifty or so members of the Horde fell. One lucky arrow went far and wide striking the half orc warlock in the shoulder and then exploded. **KA-BOOM!!**

Barakas snarled in pain and retreated into the shadows away from the battle front.

After the first arcane arrow was loosed several more were released forcing what remained of the Horde to retreat. Captain Andaerean had seen this many times before, any of the horde that survives will return in greater numbers than originally encountered.

Lazheros glanced towards the arcane archers behind the line of elite swordsmen of Winter Marsh who came to meet them on the battle rather than wait. At their head was Willow's oldest brother, Prince Ash and his generals steadily advancing along the fields driving back the remnant of the Horde leaving none of them alive.

Irzen caught sight of the arrows and instinctively ducked as they exploded into their targets. Turning around to see who had fired them, the Swordsman caught sight of Prince Ash and his advancing soldiers and began to make his way back towards Lazheros' side.

"Vel'uss ph'nind? Bbil xor mua?" The Swordsman asked the Cleric.

Translation: "Who are they? Friend or foe?"

*******

"Oh yeah!" The Prince shook his head, "Forgive me, my mind has been on other things as of late."

Alyson motioned for Captain Mandur and his company to intercept the enemy and they did so with utmost haste. The guardian fighters had one job protect the common folk and prevent any warg riders from getting through.

The Juggernaut simply melded with the ground and came up with the guardians who brought up their shields with their spears pointed outwards impaling any wargs that got too close. The mounted troops charged over and across the open fields cutting down any trying to flee.

"Come on, your highness, your people need their prince now!" The elementalist reined her horse forward and took off in a head long gallop to join the hill dwarves.

"Right!" The Prince spurred his horse onward towards the sound of battle. As they came towards the battlefield, Willow unstrapped his bow and arrow and cut loose with an arrow that drilled into the skull of one of the wargs sending its rider flying to the ground.

Alyson brought up both arms in a yin-yang motion blasting six riders off of their wargs slamming to the ground just as Captain Mandur's wargoats trampled them into the dirt.

Willow cut loose with another arrow and then another and then another in rapid succession as he dropped three wargs and their riders alike as they charged onward.

The Juggernaut opened up the earth beneath the last wave of oncoming warg riders. None made it out or dodged it as the ground devoured, crushed and spit them out a hundred yards to the south of their position ending the skirmish all together. The dwarven guardians relaxed enough to allow the common folk out of the protective circle.

The Prince lowered his bow and took stock of the battlefield before him. Willow was grateful that Alyson had summoned The Juggernaut, but after seeing his handiwork the Wood Elf was doubly grateful for the arrival of this powerful and deadly ally.

One of elves stopped to notice the ranger, "Prince Willow? You've returned! Surely your timing was a grace of the gods themselves!"

The Prince took notice of the Elf and nodded, "My return is less so the grace of the gods and more so my desire to save our homeland. Who are you? How do you and your kin fair? Do you or any of them stand in need of healing?"

"Our people are well enough to travel, Prince Willow," The elven man in noble merchants clothes said approaching the ranger, "Either way is acceptable in these dark times and we are grateful for your assistance. I am Galifax, a merchant from Safe Habor, my caravan was attacked upon nearing the capital. We had heard the royal decree from the king and came as quickly as we could."

"Safe Harbor you say?" Prince Willow asked with increased interest, "What news do you have of my brother, Prince Birch? Is he well? Has he been attacked yet? How does he fair these days?"

Galifax scratched his head, "He's ah...umm...doing well, Prince Willow. Spends more time out to sea than his duty to governing the city. As far as the city goes, everyone there have been alerted to the Horde's invasion and preparations have been put in place."

"My brother spending more time at sea than on land is no surprise, Galifax," The Prince reassured the Merchant, "He has long favored the water over the land. But as long as Safe Harbor stands on alert, we have a stronghold from which we can attack and a safehold to which we can retreat if necessary."

A howl rose up in the distance beyond everyone's sight and the elementalist suddenly got down from her horse, "Take my horse, Master Galifax. For your wounded, I have other ways of traveling."

"Why thank you, my lady," Galifax gave her a courtly bow and motioned to the few who had been injured enough for them to ride.

"And mine too!" The Prince dismounted and offered his steed as well, "Your welfare and the welfare of our wounded comes first."

She rubbed the gauntlets again, "Captain Mandur, do you have any wagons to spare? It doesn't look they have much to carry."

The hill dwarf captain nodded, "Aye, my lady. I have one wagon available to help the prince's kin and we're almost to the city. Make haste, lads!"

The wagon came up with two wargoats pulling it, the rest of the caravan climbed aboard with the supplies from the wrecked wagon with a smile, "Those damnable orcs will pay for raiding the lands of Sunrider and his kin. We've left them a little surprise to show our gratitude!"

"Captain Mandur, I'm looking forward to seeing your 'gratitude' in action." The Prince responded with a slight smile.

"Willow, time to go," The elementalist told him as her form began to shimmer and change once more into the gold dragon.

"Go where?" The Prince gave the Elementalist a quizzical look.

*******

The princess pointed out one area for Serna and Caliaphy to search together in the hopes of finding a book or scroll having a wax seal with a leaf emblem in it. The chamber stood six feet high and fifteen feet long with shelves running down both sides covered in dust and cobwebs.

Caliaphy brought her hands together producing Faerie fire, a magical flame that does not burn but rather reveals anything that's hidden to the naked eye, "Okay, Serna, this will help us see if what we're looking for can only be found with magic."

"Thanks, Caliaphy," Serna entered the chamber and began to carefully take in her surroundings, "Wow! This place is REALLY old! Even the cobwebs have cobwebs down here. What do you think, Caliaphy, would this be a perfect spot for hide-and-seek or what?"

"Yeah, maybe but we have to help the princess first, Serna," The kurori winked, "Our friends are depending on us to succeed."

"I know, I know," The Shield Maiden replied as she began her search in earnest, "As Lord Irzen likes says, business before pleasure, now where is that book or scroll with the leaf emblem wax seal?"

The shield maiden found a scroll with the leaf emblem wax seal on it in the far corner of the chamber glowing a light blue from the Faerie Fire. The kurori found nothing herself except stirring up the dust and sneezed, "Ahh....AH-CHOOOO!"

"Bless you!" Serna smiled at her friend before she turned back to the scroll she held, "Hey! I think I got it. It's a scroll and his has a wax seal emblem of a leaf on it. Unless there is another here that we haven't seen, I think we need to get this back to the Princess and see if we have what she wants."

"Okay...ah...ahh...AH-CHOO! *sniff* Ugh this dust is really getting to me, Serna," Caliaphy wiped her nose, "Eeww! Gross! My kind doesn't sneeze! Oh man, some of Alyson has rubbed off on me!"

"I would dare say a lot of Alyson has rubbed off on you," Serna replied as she fished around for a handkerchief in her pouch, pulled one out and gave it to her friend, "Blow your nose and then we'll go and give this to the Princess."

The kurori took the handkerchief and blew her nose and handed it back to the shield maiden, "Thanks, Serna."

"You're welcome!" Serna replied as she received the handkerchief.

Liliandra checked one book shelf with no luck and went onto the next one and spotted a thin tome that lay between two larger tomes and pulled it out. It looked more like a journal than a book and peeked her curiousity, "Hmm? What's this?" She opened it to find some entries detailing notes regarding the wards and a series of traps that guarded the way to each one. Turning slightly to the sound of a sneezing faerie child, "Are you alright, Caliaphy?"

"I am now." Caliaphy walked over.

Serna walked over to Liliandra and offered her the scroll, "Your Highness, I think we found it. Is this what you are looking for?"