"Beyond that ridge, I can feel it and I can see them now, they are so close."
Slender fingers moved in imperceptible patterns through the air as the blind elf twisted the strings of magic to enable him to witness what even his keenest eyed brethren could not. Silrian could sense the approach of the stinking horde even from this distance.
"We must get there quickly."
Tylis glanced over at the mage. He knew that magic user was right, the pool probably would be over the hill and the Ogres that Silrian had seen would be approaching. With luck they were in time and with even more luck they would be able to stop the Ogres from coming any closer.
Now as he came up over the hill he could see the movement as trees shook from the passage of the Ogres through them. He cursed them, to himself, and knew that he could move his own army through those woods without disturbing much more than a leaf. The tramping of the creatures was now audible and the smell would soon follow.
He glanced down and could also see the pool. Even in the mid day sun it didn't look like much, certainly not something to drag nearly 400 elves this far from Ulthuan.
But it did have some draw and Tylis noticed that the longer he looked at it, the harder it was to look away.
He snapped his attention to the business at hand.
"Geryon, get your bolt throwers over the hill and behind the pool, they will be here soon and we need to dissuade them from coming too close."
"Tanyar, keep your horsemen back, for now it is more important that they see your banners without seeing your strength, it will look like more than it is."
He dismounted, the motion was like water moving down a sword blade more than anything else. He was moving along in front of the infantry now addressing them. His voice caught on the wind and carried to the farthest troops, he did not need to look back to see Silrian assisting this speech.
Then catching the reins as his horse trotted past at a motion from his hand he leaped into the saddle again.
The bolt throwers were moving into position as they saw the first of their adversaries, Tylis spurred Quissling faster and rode well ahead of the army, near the largest banner in the Ogre force a massive being separated from the rest and moved forward also.
Tylis reined up, exactly half the distance between the two armies.
"Go back, Ogre, this pool is not something you have the experience or wisdom to explore. You will unleash . . ."
A massive blunt blade came flying from the Ogre's hand and Tylis was nearly dismounted in his attempt to avoid it.
He said not another word but wheeled his horse around, the parlay had not gone well. His men were already in motion as he rode back. The bolt throwers were in place. The cavalry now moved to just below the crest of the hill and the infantry stood silhouetted against the sky at the top of it.
If the Ogres wanted this pool, if their shamans told them some fantastic lie about it, they would know there was a price to pay for it.
As Tylis reached his line a massive form moved from behind a cluster of trees. Bellowing out some sort of rattle cry, the creature moved and as he did the chains on his arms rattled musically.
The chariots on the right were astonished by the speed of the creature, it moved with a quickness that belied it's massive bulk. They had just started to urge their horses forward when it was upon them. With his first movement the giant slammed his club through one chariot, the massive tree trunk crushed the front of it and sent the archer flying into the air. The second chariot suffered more as the giant leaped over the first and landed on one of the horses as it was wheeling around.
It almost made a popping noise as entrails were launched out of both ends.
Up and down the giant jumped making a bloody, pulpy puddle. His distraction allowed the third chariot to escape and the giant lumbered into the boggy lake, possibly to wash off his feet.
The elven infantry was horrified by what they had seen and moved to stop the monster. They entered the thigh deep water and jabbed at him with their spears. His hands and club drove down on them and drove them back, scattering and throwing elves hither and thither.
The attack was broken up, but the giant limped a little in the swamp.
Tylis had wished his men had not reacted in the way they did. To attack the giant like that was foolish, he knew that he did not have the archery power on that flank to destroy the creature but this was mostly about keeping them back.
His neck snapped to the left as a shout went up, once against monstrous creatures exploded from behind a copse of trees and were gathering speed as they charged towards the bolt throwers. As bolt after bolt streaked through the distance between the enemies, the distance grew shorter.
Rhinoxen and Ogre alike were pierced by 5 foot bolts. But the inertia of their attack was enough to carry the hairy beasts into the warmachines and despite a heroic resistance by the crew the machines were destroyed and all the crew killed.
The elven commander dropped his hand and bright banners hove more clearly into view, the hooves created a sound that echoed down the valley as they crested the hill. They came thundering around to flank the Ogres if they ran towards the now unguarded pit.
But the remaining Ogres leaped forward at the same time and charged like mad into the elven lines, some went for the spearmen on the hill, others went into the cavalry.
The mass of yellowish flesh pushed the infantry back off of the hill. As the spearmen fell back the archers were exposed and the massive creatures plowed into them as they seemed decidedly less sharp.
They were and white robes quickly turned red.
The result was not as bad for the elves on the right. The cavalry stepped up their advance but the Ogres still caught them off guard and the mass of Ogres bulldozed through the slender elven mounts.
The cavalry was able to withdraw in some order, and the reserve cavalry charged into the Ogres as they reformed. The silver helms saw this and they wheeled their horses around and charged back in as well.
But the press of mithril on flesh was not enough and the cavalry attack was repulsed. The dying neighing of horses mixed with the gurgling gasps of elves and ogres. The Ogres Iron Guts came up from behind, completely fresh and the cavalry drew off, having given a less metallic clad foe their best twice and twice having been repulsed, they decided that any more would be suicide.
On the other side the spearmen attacked the Ogres that had just killed their archers. They forced the panting behemoths back and back and back and finally butchered the last remaining defiant ones and more fled into the swamp. But the giant loomed large behind them and charged into the now exhausted elves. But the spearmen were up to the challenge and as the giant came lumbering forward they put up their shields and set their spears. As he jumped up and down on them, pulping the rest of the unit their spear tips jammed upwards into his feet and into his legs. As the giant squished the last elf the pain finally hit him and he fell on his back howling.
He would not recover.
Tylis signaled to his men to withdraw. It was not to be their day today. The infantry was almost all destroyed, the cavalry were exhausted and there was no artillery to cover their retreat now.
The cavalry galloped off with the Ogres chasing them but were able to lead them off of the path of the infantry before joining the majority of the force in leaving.
Tylis looked around him for Silrian, but the mage could not be found. He had not seen him fall. Geryon caught his glance and moved towards the commander. "He fell, he rushed forth when the Rhinoxen charged the bolt throwers, when the men saw him enter the fray they knew the importance of their duty and they fought like demons. He fell with them."
"The Weeping Scar is now in the hands of the Ogres, who knows what terrors they will unleash."
tries a stucco repair product to contour his bases.
