As the preparations finished, the afternoon sun had already dwindled in the sky and was casting long shadows across the grounds. The air began to cool noticeably and gave relief to the men who were exhausted from the day’s hard training.
Suddenly, shouts of alarm rang throughout the encampment, spreading confusion everywhere. Erin and Tyrius looked up to see fires spreading from some of the distant tents in the camp.
They immediately ran with the soldiers they had been training to go put out the fires. As they neared the burning tents, they realized the source of the flames. Fireballs were being hurled from the darkness among the trees just outside their defenses and igniting everything they came into contact with.
The camp was in an uproar.
Realizing what this could mean, Tyrius quickly shouted to Erin to run and inform Captain Ryan to have his men line up and prepare for battle – mages had come for them. Erin quickly complied and scrambled through the camp frantically searching for the captain. She found him shouting orders to his men to gather as much water as they could from the nearby streams to help put out the fires.
“Captain!” she said, trying to catch her breath. “Tyrius said we are under attack by mages. We have to get the men into defensive position!”
“Just when I was hoping it was only an accident.” he said, shaking his head. “Okay, go tell the archers to get into line behind the defenses. I’ll get a small group of soldiers to help the others contain the fires while the rest of us get ready to face the enemy. I’ll meet you back with Tyrius near the front lines shortly. Go, get those archers ready!” he screamed before rushing off to get his men into position.
Erin quickly ran to the archery range and grabbed a bow and quiver before rushing off to find all the archers she could. She was able to locate several groups of men she knew to be good with the bow before directing them all to line up behind the barrier walls and begin firing into the tree lines.
She directed them to shoot anywhere they saw the flames coming from, hoping they would hit their mark and take down the mages before they could cause further damage to their camp. They immediately sprang into action and began lining up and firing volley after volley of arrows into the depth of the trees.
She could see dozens of balls of fire ignite seemingly out of nowhere and quickly fly over their heads and into the encampment beyond. The screams of men, women, and children rang throughout the camp and she knew from the horrendous sounds that some of them were dying.
People were rushing frantically around, some working to put out the fires, others to prepare for the attack, while some she could see were only children, screaming and crying amidst the confusion and chaos, paralyzed by the fear that consumed them.
Erin couldn’t believe her eyes. Only moments before the camp had been bustling with purpose, now it was a scene of total chaos and confusion.
The smoke from the fires started blocking the full view of the scene behind her; however, she could see the shadows of figures endlessly running back and forth. Formations of soldiers began to appear through the smoke, making their way toward the defensive line, preparing for battle with Captain Ryan leading the way.
Just as they lined up, the thunderous sound of footsteps coupled with the eerie sound of the screaming undead came echoing through the forest. It was almost muffled, like they couldn’t get enough air to make a real scream emit from their decaying bodies. The soldiers quickly lifted their shields, forming an impenetrable wall of steel, while holding their swords at the ready for the coming onslaught. Through the smoke they could see the shadows of hundreds of men running between the trees.
“Archers! Fire!” screamed Erin. Immediately dozens of arrows flew through the air over her head into the tree line. The sound of dozens of deadly impacts thudded through the forest as arrow after arrow struck its mark. Some of the shadow men fell to the ground while others continued their charge unwavering.
“Get ready men! Something tells me these defenses won’t hold them back forever!” cried Captain Ryan.
And almost as if in response to his call, the shadow men finally reached the barriers and flung themselves at it mercilessly, without concern for their own safety. Dozens became impaled in the jumble of spearheads, but it didn’t slow down the charge, as others simply climbed over their fallen comrades and continued full speed towards the line of soldiers.
“Steady, men, steady!” cried Captain Ryan. “Wait for it!”
The horde of undead were only feet away and the soldiers were getting uneasy waiting for the command to attack. They could see the whites of their eyes under their dark armor when at last Captain Ryan signaled the attack.
In unison the men bashed hard against the oncoming legion of undead, forcing them a step back, before lunging in with their swords to take them down. Blades connected with flesh, severing limbs and heads, causing dozens of undead soldiers to fall with the first wave of attacks, but the onslaught continued.
Fireballs were unceasingly being thrown over the front lines and into the encampment, wreaking havoc in the crowds behind the men. Erin ordered the archers to renew their efforts on the mages hidden in the trees and let the soldiers deal with the undead soldiers, seeing their arrows were having little to no effect on their unfeeling flesh.
Some arrows found their marks and the number of fireballs seemed to diminish, but there were still dozens of mages hurling balls of fire from the darkness beyond the tree line that seemed to be just out of reach of her archers.
Erin ran over to where Tyrius was standing to let him know of the situation. He nodded his head and instructed her to stay with the archers before running off into the smoke. She trusted him to take care of the situation, so she immediately set her focus back on the battle at hand and began firing her arrows at every fireball she could see forming in the darkness, hoping her arrows would meet their mark.
As she set another arrow onto her bowstring she glanced over to the front line where Captain Ryan and his soldiers were holding off the enemy onslaught with surprising efficiency. She could see wave after wave of the undead soldiers falling to their blades left and right. When one of Captain Ryan’s soldiers fell wounded, he would be quickly pulled away and replaced to fill the hole in the shield wall. They slashed and stabbed and battered the enemy with their sword and shield tactics and seemed to be coming out on top, despite the unending horde of undead soldiers mercilessly throwing themselves at their blades.
As the bodies stacked up, Captain Ryan ordered his men to step back a few paces in order to provide more room for his soldiers to fight. This gave the enemy more room to advance, however they swiftly met their doom, as they were quickly struck down as they came within reach of the soldier’s blades. It appeared that their training was paying off.
Just as she thought the attack was going well and victory was at hand, the unthinkable happened. The mages blasted through the defensive barrier and opened a gaping hole for the undead soldiers to rush through. Now they were able to run through the opening in much larger numbers without having to climb over the barriers.
“Regroup! Hold the line!” cried Captain Ryan over the clamor of battle.
His men quickly regrouped and tightened the shield wall to prepare for the coming horde of enemies. The undead rushed at them like wild men, flailing and slashing without any regard for their own safety.
Their attacks were ferocious and unyielding, forcing the Captain and his soldiers to take steps backward to avoid being pushed over from the overwhelming numbers now facing them. Erin knew that Tyrius better do something quick to dispatch those mages or they would soon be finished destroying the barricades and be able to set their focus on the soldiers instead.
The men fought valiantly to hold the lines, but the onslaught proved to be too much for them to bear, and suddenly the line broke. Dozens of undead soldiers broke through and divided the soldiers into smaller groups as the battle quickly progressed into an all-out free for all.
Soldiers were battling back to b
ack and in small, tight circles against increasingly overwhelming numbers of undead. Left and right their forces began dwindling down as they were getting crushed by the masses.
Erin instructed the archers to take up their swords and join in the battle, and she quickly threw down her bow and unsheathed her sword, running head on into the carnage.
She slashed left and right, ducking under several close attacks, and felling a number of undead soldiers. Though they were easy enough to dispatch, their overwhelming numbers made it a difficult battle, as it seemed for every opponent she took down, two more took his place.
As if things couldn’t possibly get worse, the mages began to press forward from the depths of the trees and make their way towards the front lines, firing flaming balls of fire into the midst of the battle. Cries immediately ignited as men’s flesh caught fire within their metal armor, unable to escape the inferno.
She had to do something.
Erin rushed through the fighting masses, ducking and dodging attacks as she made her way to the mages. Just as she reached the charred remains of the defensive wall, she came face to face with the first of the mages.
He was tall and wore a dark red cloak and hood, enshrouding his face with a depth of darkness Erin hadn’t ever seen before. His hands were long and boney, covered in a decaying flesh that looked scabby and rotten. It lifted its hand towards her, and a hot fire sparked into existence. She braced herself for the end, when suddenly a flash of light shot out from her left and sent the mage flying backward, vanishing before he hit the ground.
Erin looked around and saw Tyrius coming out from the depths of the trees, a fierce look in his eyes. He ran quickly by Erin and stood in between her and the remaining mages, preparing for battle. He looked more intense than she had ever seen him, a fire in his eyes that revealed the true power he possessed as a gifted member of the Elders.
“Where did you go?” she asked.
“I went to flank the group of mages within the woods to try and catch them by surprise. I was able to take out several of them before reaching you, but there are too many. I will do what I can to fend them off. Go now! Get out of here before you end up dead!” he cried.
“I won’t leave you again!” cried Erin, determined to stand by and fight with her teacher
“So be it!” cried Tyrius, lifting his hands and getting ready to attack once again.
Erin grabbed a throwing dagger from her belt and prepared to throw it at the nearest mage. There was only a small group of roughly twelve mages remaining, with only Erin and Tyrius to stand in their way before they reached the battle that raged on behind them.
The mages all lifted their hands in unison and fire ignited in their palms, ready to be unleashed on their two opponents. Erin threw her dagger and Tyrius quickly cast another blast of white light towards the nearest two mages just as they were about to cast their fireballs.
As her dagger soared through the air toward its intended mark, the mages all suddenly screamed out a shriek of surprise and vanished into a dark mist right before their eyes. When the mists dissipated, a group of elves came jumping over the fallen bodies of undead soldiers, bows drawn and at the ready, each sporting arrows that had bright glowing barbs at the end.
They released their arrows of light, felling several undead soldiers immediately upon impact, then darted into the battle. The elves dispatched the remaining undead soldiers quickly and efficiently, slicing effortlessly with their curved, silver blades. Erin and Tyrius stood awestruck as they watched the tides of battle quickly change in their favor, the elves’ magical blades proving to be deadly efficient against the undead army. Where had they come from? Why had the elves come to their aid? They hadn’t been seen for ages!
When the chaos of the battle finally dwindled down, the soldiers all gathered to receive new orders from the Captain and regroup to put out the fires around the encampment. Suddenly, the elves all turned and encircled the soldiers, blades drawn and at the ready.
“What’s the meaning of this?” asked Captain Ryan, alarmed at the sudden turn of events.
“Where are my people? Speak wisely or your next words may be your last” said the Elven leader.
“Your people? I don’t know what you’re talking about. We have no Elves in our company” said Captain Ryan.
“Don’t play games with me, mortal! My people witnessed some of their villagers being taken away by soldiers dressed in the colors of your king, accompanied by those dreadful beasts. Now tell me...where are you holding them?” he threatened, moving his blade dangerously close to the captain’s throat.
“You misunderstand! There’s been a coup! My name is Nathaniel Ryan. I am the Captain of what’s left of the Royal Guard of Eldergate. We are the last remaining survivors after our kingdom was placed under attack by a rogue faction of soldiers led by our former General, Octavian Krauss, along with a small army of Wolf Guard. He has betrayed the King and has his sights set on ruling the Northern Kingdom and beyond.” replied Captain Ryan, quickly.
“I see. And I assume this Octavian Krauss is behind the abduction of my people?” asked the Elven leader, wanting to put aside any doubts before sheathing his blade.
“I assume so. We have never had any intentions of harming your people. We only wish to maintain the peace we have shared for so many years.” replied Captain Ryan.
“Understood…my apologies” said the elf, sheathing his sword and motioning to have his men do the same.
“My name is Gilric Ellisar, prince of the Woodland Elves. We wish for the same peace you speak of; however, we will not sit idly by while our people are being taken away. We first heard of these abductions a few days ago when a young elf girl came to us distraught that her mother had been taken by some wolf creatures. She said they were with soldiers from the Northern Kingdom.
“At first, we were skeptical to believe that wolves had kidnapped one of our people. The Wolf Guard hasn’t been seen for many years in our parts, and in the past wouldn’t dare approach our borders so carelessly.
“However, we sent a small company of scouts to investigate and they confirmed what the girl had reported. There were large amounts of Wolf Guard patrolling our borders along with a company of what appeared to be soldiers of the Royal Guard. Apparently, they had been ambushing several small settlements near the outskirts of our land and had reportedly kidnapped dozens of the villagers.
“Once we had word of such things, I immediately dispatched our most skilled warriors to track down this party and take back our people; however the tracks grew impossible to follow, as we came to a place where too many paths intersected. We sent a small group of our men to follow each path and scout ahead. The first group to come back reported they found the trail of a large body of men headed Northwest towards the base of the mountain.
“We assumed this was their main force and that our people would surely be with them, so rather than wait for the others, we chose to move forward in order to catch up with them and make them pay for their crimes. We came across a pack of Wolf Guard that had been posted not far from your encampment; they didn’t last long against our blades. Their presence only seemed to confirm our suspicions; however, it seems we chose wrong.
“We must hurry if we are to meet back with the rest of our scouts and find our people. They will have news of their findings.” The Prince finished his report and turned to head back in the direction they came.
“Wait, we are heading the same way. Let us join forces and accompany your men on your journey, maybe we can be of some assistance and repay you for saving our lives. It is my suspicion that your people are being held at the Royal Palace in Eldergate. This is where General Krauss is building his army. I don’t know what interest he has with your people, but I have a hunch he’s up to no good” replied Captain Ryan.
“Very well. But we must hurry. I take the safety of my people very seriously. The longer we wait, the more chance there is that when we arrive, there won’t be anyone left to save” replied the Prince.<
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Captain Ryan and his remaining soldiers gathered up what supplies they could from the wreckage of the encampment and tasked a small force to stay behind to protect the citizens while they worked to rebuild the tents that had been destroyed.
They were instructed to assist with efforts to rebuild the encampment and to take care of the wounded that were in no condition to accompany them on their march to the capital. If they did not return within a day or two, they were instructed to march to Ravenfell with the King to seek shelter and flee the growing threat of General Krauss and his army. Once he was sure that all affairs were set in place, the Captain met with Erin and Tyrius to say his goodbyes.
“I’m going to take my men with Gilric to try to help them in whatever ways I can. I have a feeling his people are being held captive in the dungeon of the Royal Palace, so I am confident that we will meet again soon!” said the Captain to Tyrius and Erin.
“Go – meet with David and the others to let them know we are making our way to the capital with a company of men and Elves.”
The captain lightly chuckled at the thought of it. He never thought he would see the day where men and elves fought side by side once again.
“Let us pray that David and his friends have gained the support of the Barbarian army… we will need all the help we can get if we have any hope of making it through this alive.” he added, before embracing Tyrius and Erin and saying his farewells.
Captain Ryan then turned to the King and bowed respectfully, before addressing him.
“Your Majesty, I beg you to stay behind with your people. This conflict has already proven to be too treacherous to allow you to go any further. We cannot risk your life in taking back the kingdom. If things go wrong, you must flee to Ravenfell. They will know of your plight.” said Captain Ryan, pleading to his king.
David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb Page 25
