19JUN15 - Chapter 2: The Battle |
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GM Rikoo
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Posted: 19 Jun 2015 at 16:54 |
chapter II The castle was only half there. It
rested precariously on the side of a small mountain as though it had been built
whole and then rammed into the mass of rock. Normally it would appear mighty
and defensible, but now it was smoking and falling apart from a side where
dwarven siege weapons had taken it apart. Smoke issued from several towers, and
occasionally a wooden whine would slither across the battlefield and into
Rikoo’s ears. “They’ve
been bombarding for a long time, now.” Rikoo said. He was a
dark-green skinned orc with heavy lines of worry around his face. He wore a set
of light armor and kept a massive hammer at his side. On the ground, sleeping
peacefully, was his massive war-wolf Royal. They were inside a large tent that
rested upon a small hill, positioned so that he could see the siege unfold. In
the room with him was a large table, chairs, food and drink and several others.
Among these
included Tyran; his young elf assistant who featured pale skin and golden hair
that was currently tied back into a war braid. Next to Tyran was Dreafah, a
young female human with dark skin, a mass of black hair and light leather
armor. She rarely said a word. Rikoo wasn’t sure if she ever spoke, come to think of it. “And they
will for a while longer, yeh.” Responded Artefore, a bulky white-skinned dwarf
who sat at the large table in the middle of the tent. “Meh cousins will not
stop if they are not told to. Bombardin’ is somethin’ they feel the need to do.” Rikoo
glanced at the dwarf then returned his eyes to the scene of battle. A fresh
wind caressed his brow and he smelled the fire-scent it carried. At the foot of
the mountain, on all sides, wide-open plains fanned out. They ran off into the
distance, leaving the mountain alone like a lighthouse. The landscape was
broken up only on one side; there was a dense forest that looked as though it
was attempting to sneak up and grow on the side of the mountain. Late in the
night the dwarven armies set up their siege weaponry. It took twelve hours at
least to move the massive machines into place. Yes, they wanted to attempt the
construction at night to help hide from their enemies, but it was mainly to
avoid the heat of the day. Dwarves didn’t care much for sneaking and cared less
if someone knew they were coming, but heat should be avoided if possible. They began
their assault by late morning and it continued on now, though the frequency of
bombardments had slowed. Rikoo watched in wonder as the giant machines moved as
though in a dance. If one was damaged or if room was needed for more, they
moved smoothly, flawlessly, even over the unfamiliar terrain. How they managed
to transport and set up not only on the edge of a forest, but inside it as
well, was beyond Rikoo’s knowledge. The dwarves worked hard to achieve
machine-like precision in much of what they did. Suddenly,
the massive gates of the castle rose and a wave of cavalry shot out towards the
engines. Unfortunately the riders had not understood the dangers of riding into
a forest. Their hopes of breaking the siege were dashed on the waiting spears of a host of orcs who were
there to provide a guard for the engine-keepers. From the far
side of the castle, caravans of goods could be seen approaching. They had been
arriving for some time until a gathering of charioteers flew out of the far
side of the plains. They circled the caravans, capturing most and blocking any
path into the besieged castle. Rikoo looked at Artefore, who shrugged. The mass
of horses created a cloud dust around the caravans, and the cloud rose slowly
until it blocked Rikoo’s view of that side of the mountain. “Damn. I
can’t see anything now.” Rikoo said, waving at his assistant, Tyran. “Send my
messengers to find out what is going on, and get someone here who can
communicate over distances.” The young elf bowed to Rikoo and rushed out of the
room. “I dinna’
who that force belongs to. Looked human. Couldn’t see the standards.” The dwarf
said, answering Rikoo’s unspoken question. “Take your
guard out there and see.” Said someone behind Rikoo. Rikoo turned
to see a gray-skinned elf with dark red hair that was braided down the front of
her blue metal armor. It was a mercenary named Tock who had recently come under
employment by the kingdom, specifically for this mission. “Or are you worried
about tarnishing that armor they wear? One suit costs more than a normal army!”
she sneered. “You are not
here to demand the definition or use of my guard.” Rikoo said, pointing at her
neck. “You are here to fight, and you did so when helping to siege the castle.
You will forgive me if I need a moment before I can pay you the remainder.” “Take the hammer, Rikoo. Use it with your
guard. You could make a real difference in this fight.” She responded. Within an
eye’s blink Rikoo undid the Hammer and tossed it at Tock. The elf caught it in
her hands. She held it up and gasped. “It is… it
is much lighter than I thought it would be. It feels… it feels almost like a
toy.” She said. Within another blink the hammer was gone from her grasp and
back at Rikoo’s side. “It’s no
toy, but now you can say you held it during a battle. Now leave us or stay
quiet.” Rikoo turned
back to the dwarf. “Arte,
where’s that messenger?” Within a few
minutes the dust began to settle, but in response a hail of arrows arced from
the walls of the castle. Some of the arrows were massive things. Shot by giant creatures, Rikoo thought.
The arrows did not do much to the siege engines or troops inside the wooded
area, but the dwarves who operated the engines or who were unlucky enough to be
without cover were beginning to fall. Artefore made a sound of alarm. “Tock, there. You can see that the enemy
demands a response. Have you something to say to that?” he asked the mercenary. “My
trueshots will, yes.” she responded. Rikoo could
not take his eyes off of the battlefield but could hear the mercenary issue a
command outside of the tent. The person she commanded yelped the command to
someone else, and that person yelled it to another who was farther down the
line. Within under a minute the command had reached the hidden trueshot
archers, nestled in tall grasses that lined the perimeter of the woods. Arrows shot
up and over the wall while some zipped straight and directly into the open
spots that pockmarked the castle’s stone walls. A few screams pierced the
crowded air, bodies fell forward and to the hard ground below. The rain of
arrows from the top of the wall slowed considerably. Rikoo smiled. This seemed
too easy. “Rikoo,
someone is here to see you.” came the voice of Tyran behind him. Rikoo turned to see Tyran bow and
move out of the way to make room for a tall female human in full armor. Her
dark eyes were set inside pale skin and dark hair swept over one shoulder. Her
weapons were ancient and used, but still strong and deadly-looking. Rikoo smiled
and took a few steps towards the woman. “Star.” He said. Artefore grimaced at the
sound of the name, but Rikoo gave him a quick sideways glance. “You do still
prefer Star, yes? I cannot get it in my head to call you The Star.” “No, Star is
fine, of course.” She answered. Her voice was cracked from the dust. “The Star
was a given name, brought on by my commanders. They wanted to show their
loyalty, I heard, and so issued the name as a proclamation of their
stubbornness to follow me anywhere.” “Ah, as in
the southern star?” Rikoo asked. Star looked
at Rikoo for moment and then slowly smiled. She shrugged and the armor made a
sound. “You’re here
to help, as we asked. But, we did not expect
you, to be honest.” Rikoo
motioned to the table with the map on it. “Koda is in the North, here, with his bears. They attack an
encampment of… whatever it is we are dealing with in this castle.” He pointed
between the folded opening of the tent and towards the castle. Star nodded and
looked at the map. “Rill and
Nokigon are here, to the East. They
are holding a pair of cities that once belonged to our enemy. They are
analyzing the information they found inside.” He gestured at the map. “Aurordan is
below them, here, with a smaller band
of spies. Luna is bound to catch up with him at Rill’s location, then they will
all return home for rest and supplies.” “Who continues
to hold the cities?” Star asked. She
was known to capture and hold cities with almost minimal effort. She was not
only a superior fighter, but strategist as well. Rikoo waved
in the air. “The usual. A force from the kingdom.” Star crossed her arms and
the metal skin of her armor creaked slightly. “I am not playing the issue,
Star,” he said. “it is simply not something I can talk about.” She paused,
nodded, and decided to drop it. “You might
have seen my charioteers riding and capturing the incoming caravans?” She said. “So that was
you, eh?” Artefore asked. “We couldna’ see the banners.” “The road
kicked up much dust. It would have been hard to see anything from any
distance,” she responded, “But we did capture the incoming caravans. Not much
inside, which was odd, but we stopped them from going anywhere.” “Thanks for
that, Star. But… I need someone with your army and skills to go inside. I need to see what they are
protecting in there.” Rikoo said. “In there? Into a castle that is in the
middle of a siege?” she snorted. “My dwarves
will stop the engines soon, lady,” Artefore said “but I have found out that my
infantry has sustained a good amount of damage from a wave of attackers that
burst from the castle.” “Convenient.”
Star responded. “The truth.” The dwarf growled. “Please.
Let’s not.” Rikoo held up his hands to stop the fight before it started.
“Artefore will still go in, and I will submit some of my guard as well, if you
need the help. After the dust clears some we will be able to see where we
should enter. I believe we might go in at different points, but I need to wait
to see what the scouts say, if anything.” “Again,
sending someone else to do the work the hammer could do.” Tock cracked. Rikoo
forgot she was there. “Use it, Rikoo.
I’ve heard the stories and know it… ” Rikoo
quickly slipped the hammer from its belt and pointed it towards the elf. “This is a tool, not a weapon. I am not its owner nor do you give it commands!” He yelled. “It looks
like a weapon to me. Perhaps next time you could arm yourself with a pair of
smithy tongs!” Tock barked. “And perhaps
you can arm your mercenaries with fenceposts!” Rikoo responded. Artefore stood
back, eager to watch the display. “My mercs
would happily fight, but could you say the same? You have a weapon that could
make much difference, but all you can do is commit a few hundred troops in
golden armor …” Rikoo grunted and swung the hammer at the air in front of Tock.
The elf crackled and split and was gone. Artefore
gasped. “Did… did you…” he asked. Rikoo,
turning back to the table, sighed. “No, she is back with her mercs. She can go
away from this field of battle, payment in her pockets, as far as I am
concerned. Her deeds are done and my debt to her is paid.” He looked at
the map, turned to view the castle. “It’s dying down,” he said. Star walked to
the opening of the tent and looked out. She could smell the sharp odor of the
elf’s disappearance. “We can do
it.” She said. “I have what and who I need. We marched up from the south
earlier. My charioteers were only a smaller, faster portion of my army. We can
do it.” Rikoo looked
at her and then back at the scene. “I need as
many alive as I can,” he said. Star laughed sharply. “Alive? Alive! As they shoot me full of
holes and poke us with their swords, we’re supposed to ask them to stop and
come with us? Why this, why now?” she demanded. “I didn’t
say they all needed to survive. I
said I needed as many left alive as you can spare.” He said. “You and I both
know there is something more at work behind those walls, and this is the first
larger castle that we have been given the chance to capture. We need to know
why and what.” She sneered
and waved her hand at the scene, indicating the fields. “There’s nothing to
know. They are invaders, and need to be contained. Those dead bodies will tell
you nothing, nor will the captured fools who heap themselves inside that dying
house. This is a strange day, Rikoo.” He held up
his hands. “I know. I know. But I ask
this because we feel there is something to learn here. Something, but I cannot
tell you what.” The woman
turned and looked at Rikoo for a moment. He’s
not lying, she thought. But do I
trust him? She turned from the scene and walked towards the exit. She
paused and turned back to Artefore and Rikoo. “I expect a
free round of drinks when I return.” she said. Her tone was tense. Rikoo nodded
slowly, frowned. He knew what he was asking her to do, what he was asking her
soldiers to do. “Bring back
as many alive as you can,” he said. “We need
that information.” “Don’t
worry,” she responded “… we’re harmless.” She walked
out of the tent. They could hear her issue a few commands as she walked towards
her mount. Rikoo sighed, turned back towards his view of the destruction. He
would send some of his guard to accompany Star’s forces, but could not go into
battle himself. He was one of the few in the kingdom who knew the influence the
enemy held in his kingdom right now,
and was the only one who knew this secret while having such access to the king. “I’m
rallyin’ mine, and we’ll join up t’ Star before she goes in.” Artefore said
behind Rikoo. The dwarf looked around the table, chewed a morsel of food and a
swig of beer and picked his helmet off of a stool. Rikoo looked at him and
nodded. “Thank you.”
He said to the dwarf. “You’ll be
paying for two rounds,” Artefore
responded. The dwarf
noisily stomped out of the tent. Rikoo wondered how a company of dwarves could
ever hope to surprise the enemy. Luckily, they didn’t need to. They wanted their foes to hear them coming.
Rikoo’s own people, the orcs, believed in a similar tactic, but chose to take
it a few steps farther by making incredible noise as they approached the battlefield.
The resulting sound had confused even veterans; after all, you never knew when
the host of orcs that ran towards your ranks was actually made up of a few or
much larger numbers. Rikoo stood
and waited for the silence. Once it would become quiet, he knew it would had
come down to soldier versus soldier inside the crowded streets of the sieged
castle. An hour
later, one of Rikoo’s scouts poked his head inside the tent. Rikoo was still
standing, waiting for any news. This time he sipped on a cup of hot coffee. He
raised an eyebrow and held out a hand, inviting the scout to enter. The
smallish, brown-skinned orc dipped inside, bowing. “We found
someone, sir.” He said in a husky, gravelly voice. “Who?” Rikoo
answered. The scout
turned and made a signal to someone who stood directly outside of the tent. A
woman, an elf, with white skin and a pinched mouth and dark hair that swept
over darkened armor, was pushed in. Her hands were bound tightly behind her
back, and her face was scratched. Rikoo frowned. What is this? he thought, they
know better than to anger me with slavery. Behind the
elf walked Albine, one of Rikoo’s commanders. He held his sword out, ready to
cut the woman down. “Albine…
what… what are you?” Rikoo stammered. “We found
her, sir, out and about and up to something ‘orrible.” The human man grimaced
and looked as though he was on the verge of spitting on the woman. Rikoo
considered his commander. He was a slight man, sickly looking but tough in
battle. He had tanned skin and reddish hair, but was so dirty now that his
clothes, skin and hair were all the same color. “She was sneakin’ ‘round th’
camp. We just ‘appened ‘pon ‘er, me and two of me soldiers did, and there she
made ‘way with two of their lives. We remaining two caught ‘er but even then
she gave us a fight. Luckily Sned caught ‘er wit’ a poison blade, made ‘er
sleep for a while ‘en we searched her.” Rikoo held
up his hand, quieting the chatty, dirty man. “Have her
sit. There.” He said. “Put your sword
away. Keep an eye on her, get an extra pair of eyes in here to help you
with it if you need to, but put the sword away.” The man
pushed the elf onto a stool on the far side of the table. Rikoo poured a drink,
held it to her to see if she wanted it. She scowled and shook her head. He put
it to his mouth and drank. He forgot how parched he was. Another man came in
through the flap, stood behind the woman and set his hands on her shoulders,
pressing her into the seat. Rikoo made a sharp look at the man who then
released some of the pressure. “What is
your name?” Rikoo asked the elf. She sniffed
and looked away. “What were
you doing here?” he asked again. She made no
notice of the question. Rikoo
sighed, looked around the room. These people had never seen what he was about
to do, but they all talked about it. Oh
well, he thought, now they can talk
about it as if they were there. He undid his hammer from his belt and set
it on the table. It looked smaller now, less intimidating. It was less a war
hammer and looked closer to the hammer a smithy might use. He set it upright on
the flat top of its head and slid it closer to the elf woman. She eyed it
nervously but looked away. “What is
your name?” he asked again. The woman
looked at him and stared. She had the look that someone gets while daydreaming;
far away, looking through Rikoo more
than at him. “Alyrra.”
She answered. Her voice was cracked. Rikoo knew that she had not been offered
food or drink while she was captured. “What were
you doing here?” he asked. “To kill.
Kill anyone whom I could.” She answered in a thick accent. The two humans
looked at each other. “Who sent
you? Are they inside that castle?” he asked. “I do not
know, but they are in that castle. Yes. They sent me. I was paid by someone
who… someone…” Rikoo let
her pause to sigh. She was under a spell, and it tended to tire those it
affected. “They paid
me, said their commander needed me to stay away from the battle. Until, until I
could… “ “Could
what?” Rikoo asked. He sat back, considering his prisoner. She looked like she
was fighting the desire to speak. Unusual, thought Rikoo, the hammer will make
her talk, though. “…until I
could distract you, somehow…” Rikoo leaped
up from his chair. Distract me? His
thoughts screamed, from… A crack of
lightning burst across the landscape. There was a boom, and Rikoo fell to the
ground. A great wind tore the tent from its ropes and it fell. Rikoo covered
his face as the heavy cloth muffled him in darkness. He could hear another boom,
this time slightly muffled due to the thick cloth that encased him. His heart
felt like it was being crushed by the shockwave. The ground felt like it was
rising like a wave of water. He could
hear some of the guards and knew that they had been hurt. He didn’t hear his
prisoner but could tell that the guards were wrestling with her. He attempted
to work his hands free, tried to call to the hammer or his wolf, but his body
was pinned. He felt a
slight lessening of the weight; someone was attempting to lift the tent off of
him. He heard another crack of lightning, an echo, and another. The weight was
coming off of his chest. For a moment, he could see a female elf, black armor… A hot dart
of pain thrust up under his arm and into his chest. He began to let out a
scream, but his world faded to black. Star opened her eyes. She could see glossy
sky breaking through strands of smoke. Her ears were ringing and it took her
several moments to will her limbs to move. She leaned up on one elbow and
looked around, smelling acrid smoke and tasting blood. Something had hit her in
the face. A rock? A piece of wood? Something flew at her when… An explosion, she thought, the castle? Somewhere? Where did it come from? Where… where am I? Slowly she
stood and could barely make out her surroundings. She was in the clearing of a
wall of smoke. It writhed around her, carrying with it bits of burning paper.
She adjusted her helm; the old thing had likely saved her life. What just happened? I was standing…
somewhere, watching for any sign that my soldiers had finished their mission...
what mission? I was talking to… to
someone. They were telling me about… Star
grimaced. She could feel the words stick in her mind. She held her hand to her
forehead and winced. She could not
remember. Suddenly,
someone fell into her. She stepped aside, pulling her sword in one quick
movement. It was Duran, she thought but didn’t quite remember, a local
commander and businessman who had volunteered some troops to the effort. She thought
that she saw him back at the camp, but did not know if he sent some troops into
the battle. He was
falling to his knees, panting heavily. A cut had settled on his scalp and it
bled heavily. He looked up slowly, squinted at her face and smirked. “Star, is
it? Good to… see you… here.” He was obviously in some pain. She reached down to
help him up. “Where… where am I?” he
panted. Star?
The name registered in her brain and it unlocked the gate that held back her
thoughts. She could remember standing, looking at the castle. The siege engines
had stopped their bombardment and a few skilled archers continued to peck at
the troops on the walls. She had just finished watching the last of her troops
stomping into the mess of a castle. Strangely, they seem to be receiving very
little resistance, at least that she could see. She prepared to follow them in. She sent a
smaller force than normal, and maybe that was a mistake. Maybe if she would
have overwhelmed the enemies, what she saw soon after would not have happened. An explosion, she thought, an explosion! That’s what happened. I sent my soldiers in and the
entire house went up in an explosion. It sounded like a thunderclap from
heaven, a death-boom hammering across the straight expanse of these bloody
plains! She felt her
knees weakening slightly, but her training told her the reaction was based on
shock and could be overcome with her will. She stood up straight, looked past
the dying Duran and into the smoke. “Ah!” the
man exclaimed, “…the smoke, it is blowing away!” She could
see the dark shape of a small mountain coming to stand before them. Its peak…
something seemed different than she remembered. The smoke continued to clear
and she could make out trembling bodies in her peripheral vision. Moans and
creaking armor started to break through the high-pitched whine in her ears. The mountain
was there, yes. She sent her warriors into the city that rested in the side of
that mountain. The city, where was it? The city had
vanished and in its place was left a gaping hole. Rock and debris was still
pouring from the wound, piling at the foot of the gray mountain. “The city!
It is gone!” she pointed. Duran, holding a hand over the gash on his head, sank
to one knee. “So it… so
it is.” He gasped and slumped to the ground. One of his troops came out of the
mist and bent to him, stepping over piles of the dead. She could
hear someone walk up behind her. A hand pulled on her shoulder. She turned
quickly, sword in hand. It was her second in command, a mighty human man with dark
skin and brilliant pale eyes. His silver armor was coated in fine dust and
spots of blood. “The Star,
my commander!” he attempted a salute but his breath was shallow. She could see
that he had a wound at his side. Something must have hit him, hard. “I remember. We were standing here,
planning our next steps. You were convinced that we should have sent in a next
wave of…” he tried to catch his breath. She stepped forward to help, but he
held out his hand. “…but then, an explosion. It sounded like lightning, and the
entire castle, it, it erupted into the air, pushed by a ball of light or fire.”
She gaped at
the man. Her memory came back fully. She recognized the sight, the sound, the
smell of the explosion. It was a
spell of Tenaril. A massively powerful spell, true, she thought, but one that rarely caused damage. It was used to transport entire
cities and their citizens across the landscape. Developed by a mage of
incredible abilities many generations earlier, it was even used to terraform
the landscape, but never as a weapon. What went wrong? “A Tenaril.” Star whispered into the air.
Her second-in-command was standing next to her now. His brow wrinkled at the
word. He knew, like she did, that the spell was never used in situations like
this. It required not only the most powerful magic users in the city, but
commanded that as many citizens as possible to concentrate on the magic user.
Without the aid of its citizens, no city could teleport. It was impossible to
pull off during the delicate first few days of a city’s settlement and it was
very nearly impossible during a siege. Somehow, the
enemy had transformed the mighty spell into a weapon. The thought stuck in
Star’s throat. She was someone who had fought in many battles. She saw many
horrible things, and many of her people had died in front of her. This was
something more than that. This was a weapon that could potentially be used
anywhere, even during a siege. Her sword’s
tip dragged in the sand. She felt it catch and instinctively picked it up. As she did,
a mangled monster who a head stood taller than her ran out of the dust; it
showed green-black eyes that were embedded in gruesome, wet-leather skin. Its
hair hung down in knots, and its armor resembled flesh that had recently lost a
scab. She pulled the sword up, drew it back and sliced forward. The beast
fell just before its hands reached her throat; the two halves of its body on
either side of her feet. She was awake now; alert and ready. The smell of blood
woke her from her dream. More screams
came towards her. Whatever survived the explosion that claimed the plains was
coming at her now. After all, the city was long gone… there was nowhere for its
defenders to go but towards the enemy. Star looked back to see many of her
soldiers coming to and forming defensive lines. It filled her with pride to see
her battlemates falling back on years of training and experience. So, she thought, my
arrogance saved me twice. Once when I sent so few into the city, and now when
the many remain to defend my flag. She could
see dozens of her soldiers in bright armor standing in a line beside her. They
had their weapons drawn, ready and waiting for the enemy to hit. She could
hear the screams of the creatures getting closer. She smiled and tasted blood. Edited by GM Rikoo - 23 Jun 2015 at 16:35 |
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