Rollvag mounted his pegasus. Wonder snorted briefly. Elkin and Vilef rode up to him. Their faces seemed to shine radiantly. Rollvag noticed their silver armor, green caps and dark green hunting cloaks. "Surely these are the noblest of the elven kind," thought Rollvag to himself. "There are many things that I want to ask them about, but now there is no time..."
"Well Elkin?" asked Rollvag quietly. Elkin gave a sigh:
"They're coming, Rollvag, they're coming..."
"Somehow, I knew you were going to say that..."
Neetah rode up vigorously.
"Neetah?" asked Rollvag yet again.
"Take a position across the path with the two scout groups to watch either side so they won't evade our center... Then, we wait," she said.
"Accepted. So ordered." spoke Rollvag briskly.
The dirty grey, now infamous army spread out into a murky line at the base of the Upper Pine Forest below the adventurer's position. They moved together like ants :getting ready to fight for food. Unperturbed, they seemed to know right where they were. The adventurers fought back the temptation to yield ground. The sound of abrupt, precise Drog orders filled everyone's ears and soon a stench like rotten meat filled their nostrils.
Suddenly, they stopped their advance. Drums boomed and the shouting grew louder. First, two companies of spearmen set up at the front of the line on one knee with their shields resting on the ground. They left room at the center for a pike wielding group.
Rollvag strained to see if their were dangerous swordsmen behind the line, but all he could see were two large groups of archers. Next, two groups that looked like war dog or Tzaenog handlers set up at the very back of the line. Finally, two more garrisons of equal size backed up in waiting behind. their front.
Rollvag was impressed with their efficiency in light of the selfishness he had heard the Ard often displayed.
"I wonder which tribe this is?" thought Keri grimly. The terrible noise ceased immediately. Seconds passed. The stillness was so quiet, that everyone could hear the sound of their own breathing. A full minute passed that seemed like an entire day. No charge followed.
"What are they up to I wonder," said Kuros to himself. The adventurers didn't have long to wait. A single black clad Drog Tzeanog rider appeared in front of the pikemen bearing a white flag. He rode his beast in a saunter up to medium range, and then stopped. Keri made as if to bowshoot him, but Rollvag stopped her with a wave. "Let's hear what they have to say," he ordered plainly.
The drog cleared his throat:
"By the authority of Muda, the Consair of the Ard forces of Ontor, we order you to return our property -- our slaves; and surrender yourselves to our might. You have mercilessly broken Hold Laws by attacking our defenseless castle within the jurisdiction of Ontor. You elves have no place here. Either pay us with your servitude or pay us with your lives. How will you answer?"
Rollvag looked at Tato with a wild grin on his face.
"Tato, good friend, now would be a good time to give them our answer!"
Tato thought for a moment and then said: "Tell them, 'You have deceived many with your golden serpent words, but you will never deceive the True Lord. He will give you our answer!'"
"Bravo, Tato," said Elkin. "Bravo.`
Rollvag rode forward a few paces and then shouted Tato's answer in Drag to the amazement of all.
The messenger laughed deeply and then turned his beast around and headed back behind the enemy line. The Drags made no noise. Not a single spearmen moved a muscle, much less showed any emotion. Another minute passed ...
What a sight the Adventurers and their army must have been to all who witnessed the battle. Rollvag sat on Wonder with Elkin seated on Trotter on his right and Tato seated on Rugged on his left. 'To the right of Elkin was Vilef on his effereet. To the left of Tato was Keri on Tragar. Further right was Longsilver, Kuros, Byc, Tara and Ovin on their beasts. Further left was Neetah, Artan, Cher and MLtrl.,.i on their beasts. Beside then sat the one hundred Ghosts on their e++ereet- fifty to each side. All of them except Tato and Murki wore the green camaflauge garb, cloaks and hats of Elven origin. Tato proudly wore his ceremony emerald jump-suit and, of course, Murki wore his khaki fighting gi. The bright colors of the pegasi and effereet shined in contrast to the greens and browns of their riders. The beasts waited patiently and were not frightened. More could be written about the spectacle that would fill several more pages, but know this:
These men and women -- most of them strangers to this land, stood together with the others prepared to give their lives to defend a people that they had never known.
Astonishingly, a mist slowly seeped out from behind the Drog line of spearmen and hugged the ground.
"Boy, I don't like that!" said Rollvag loudly. "Prepare your bows! Use emaril arrows for the first volley! Aim high!"
Immediately following this, a plume of mist rose up behind the spearmen or was it? Something huge ascended up out of the mist. It had scales and a mouth with huge teeth! The pegasi whinnied and the effereet squawked in fright. Vilef's mouth dropped open when he saw it.
"Elkin, you were right!..." he said in dismay.
"What? What is it?" asked Rollvag fearfully as he looked to the left and the right.
"It's a huge Tzaenae," stated Tato grimly.
It was. It emerged from the vapors and ambled out in front of the line. The lime-green colored gargantuan lifted up its head and sniffed menacingly. When it caught sight and smell of the Adventurers and the Ghosts, it cocked its head up and roared ferociously.
The Ghost Warband managed to keep their mounts from bolting, because now the beasts were scared. The Tzaenae advanced at an unafraid, confident gait. It looked like doom for the forces of good, because the creature could easily have killed them all..
Suddenly, two blinding lights streaked out from the Eastern and Western edges of the forest. The Tzaenae stopped short ir] surprise. The bolts converged on the Tzaenae an attacked its face with bright streaking flashes. First, the left eye of the Tzaenae was slashed viciously. Then a huge gash sliced in its neck, drawing a spurt of blood. It was Finnie and Flippie! Then came another surprise, a third streak of light flashed down from the Eastern sky.
"Dondor!!!" it wailed. A third slashing sound followed as a shining bolt tore deep into the Tzaenae's skull.
The Tzaenae roared in pain and shook its head sideways. The lights danced around and slashed and fainted, taunting the giant creature. The Tzaenae fought back, but all it could do was paw and snap at the air -- hopelessly missing with each attack! The giant beast finally rose up on its haunches to try and get at its assailants! The Drog were stunned in disbelief and could not act, but Elkin was watching for this very thing:
"Fire on its belly! Quick!" he yelled.
The emaril tipped shafts of death flew away from their taught bows and pierced the hide of the Tzaenae's big belly. One arrow, that of Tato, plunged deep into the creature's heart. The dreaded monster roared one last time. Blood poured forth out of its mouth. Then it wavered, and flopped over dead. Finnie and Flippe and the newcomer with his small winged Tazae fell back hurriedly.
When the Drogs saw that their champion was dead, they grew fiercely angry and recovered from their shock. Immediately the Barbarian bowmen prepared to launch their arrows and the Spearmen gave a blood curdling yell and charged up the hill toward the Adventurer's Warband. The Drog were one hundred strong, with yellow teeth grit and wild eyes staring. The Adventurers aimed their bows, but before they could launch their arrows, Elkin yelled "Stand aside!"
Elkin raised his staff high above his head in a sweeping motion and uttered great words of power in Otowalei. "By the True Lord!" Out of the Earth in front of them ushered forth a ten pike high wall of fire! It burst forth quickly and charged down the hill toward the onrushing spearmen. The Barbarians' eyes widened even more. Some stopped, then more stopped -- piling into one another. Some turned around and ran back toward the pikemen and archers. The Drog Yuccah archers stopped aiming, dropped their bows, and turned to run! The wall flew down the slope. Those that were caught head on were engulfed first. They tripped, screamed, and writhed in anguish.
The wall of fire overtook those who stopped. It engulfed those who ran back to their line! Although difficult to see at first, a line of swordsmen, who stood undaunted, appeared at the front of the Barbarian position. They rapidly bent down, planted their massive shields, and hid behind them -- they hoped to hide from the fire.
But this fire was no earthly fire. The wall smashed into these Barbarians also. It knocked them backwards, and burned even more brightly! It caught the whole garrison in crackling energy and broke them. The Muda Drog ran in terror into the ranks of the other two garrisons. Soon even they turned and ran, despite the cursing of their leaders. The fire had turned them to shame!
A few minutes later, all that was left at the Drog position was a great cloud of smoke and charred bodies and equipment. When the ghosts had seen what had transpired, shouts and cheers came forth:
"Elkin! Elkin! Bravo! Bravo!"
Elkin turned back to look at Tato and Rollvag with a slight smile and a tired look on his face. Tato looked at Rollvag.
Rollvag looked at Tato. "We won! We won!" Rollvag reached over to Elkin.
"If I were a girl, I would kiss you. May the True Lord or whoever he is bless you, bless you...."
Back to Arveta 6 Table of Contents
Back to Arveta List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 2001 by Abram Paradies.
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com