by Jeff Inlo
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Sy did not have to speak a single command to keep his men in the ready. His ground troops were the finest of Burbon. The elite. They knew their task, knew every hand signal of the group leaders. They waited within dark warehouses, in narrow alleys, and at crucial crossroads. They read the signal torches in the towers and knew of the dwarf positions before the battle commenced. The strategy of the elf guard and their own captain remained imprinted in their every thought. They held to their broadswords and shields as if these weapons were but extensions of their own arms. They waited with patience, without fear.
The first of the ground forces to go into action was granted a reprieve when Enin sealed the initial dwarf surfacing point. They would get another chance, but they would have to wait. They pulled back, returned to a dark alley as the situation was signaled to other commanders.
The second dwarf tunnel opened up near the eastern tower directly across from Holli's original position. Ground forces under the command of Ray Coale immediately readied for the first engagement. Coale's men, numbering twenty, waited in an abandoned warehouse as Coale signaled the enemy position and his intentions to the other group leaders in the vicinity. He would distract the dwarves from this tunnel and lead them to a crossfire of slingers and archers three blocks to the west.
The dwarf tunnel appeared just one block from the warehouse's main door. The street lamps burned bright and the dwarves surfaced in clear sight. Coale counted off the dwarves as they rose from the tunnel. He watched carefully as they took their formation. They moved slowly, but deliberately. A dwarf force commander rattled off angry orders. As the dwarf leader called for a formation, the first thirty dwarves formed a three pointed wedge. They wore heavy armor. Coale could only imagine the strength needed to carry such weight in battle. The dwarves carried weapons of raw power, weapons such as axes and maces. A few held broadswords and mauls, but he saw no bows, long or cross.
With the formation in place, the first dwarf assault group moved forward. They stepped slowly almost clumsily, and in that, Coale's confidence grew.
Coale shifted his concentration from the surfacing point to the moving formation. More dwarves continued to evacuate from the hole, but Coale would not concern himself with these. He signaled the next closest ground team to divert this second enemy formation. The first would belong to him. He gave his first order just above a whisper.
"Loose circles. Keep them at bay, engage long enough to get their interest, then pull back at my command. Nothing fancy, no heroes means no casualties. Let the long range defenders earn their keep. We'll sure as blazes be earning ours."
He moved out first with a staunch yell. He took to the open street and his men filled in behind him. They did as he asked, forming four loose circles, each of five men. They spread out knowing their greatest advantage was not their height, but their maneuverability.
Coale, a large man, towered over the approaching dwarves. He held out his sword with menace. His own bulk matched the stockiness of the dwarves, yet his greater height gave him overall size superiority. He motioned for the dwarves to attack, if they dared.
They did so with fervor.
The charge of the dwarves was almost laughable. They moved with all the speed and grace of an anchored cargo ship. Yet, no soldier could deny their uncanny strength or their unyielding will to conquer the enemy.
Under Coale's immediate direction, the circle formations spread wide and moved with the dwarf assault. Soldiers back-pedaled slowly, allowing the dwarves to close only slightly. Three of the four circle formations each drew a bead on one of the three wedge points. The fourth waited in the rear as support.
Coale displayed caution with his antagonism. He allowed the dwarf force commander to believe he was willing to engage, but he was also moving with care. He gave ground slowly, showing no sign of his true intentions. The dwarves continued to pursue even as he led them to the place of their destruction.
As the invaders drew close, the soldiers at the forward points of the circles jabbed out with their swords. Those in the rear called out advances as the soldiers on the side perimeters stepped up and back to disorient the enemy's perspective of distance.
Coale kept a constant flow of backward movement, slow enough to keep the dwarves interested, fast enough to keep from full engagement. A few times, he allowed the invaders close enough to make a single strike. Blows from axes that landed upon his shield split the metal with long gashes. The power of the attacking dwarf vibrated through his own arm and shook his entire body. In such instances, he revealed no surprise, only a bizarre grin which enticed the dwarves into further pursuit.
As the conflict slowly yielded to a large open square, Coale suddenly ordered a fast retreat. The circle formations of his own men quickly dissipated as the soldiers took off to the four corners of the square.
The dwarves were left swinging at air as they could not pursue with the same speed. The dwarf commander eyed his surroundings and saw open streets in four separate directions. He quickly ordered the wedge to break into a square. He took the center as he attempted to surmise Coale's next move. He could not believe his eyes.
Coale's men took hold of long lines hanging from building corners. They pulled upon them with furious desire. Thick nets dropped from above and blocked all points of escape for the dwarves. Just as the last net hit the ground, arrows and rocks fell like rain from the sky.
The square formation broke as dwarves ran for cover that did not exist. Some hoped to cut the nets with their axes, but they moved so slow they fell victim before they could reach their target. Those that survived the volley of arrows, felt the sting of swords from Coale's men. Again, just as Holli's first ranged attack met with complete success, the first ground engagement proved one-sided with the dwarves on the losing end.
