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Midnight.
Three hundred elven archers lay concealed behind the outlying forests
and hills known as the Whispering Oaks region. A hundred more waited
patiently behind the first front line, scattered strategically up and down
the country side.
The war cries of the marching orcs left little doubt of their upcoming
attack.
" This is just an advanced force," the elf general Heathir warned his
fierce troops, and indeed lines of orcs were soon spotted over the hill and
into the marshes,. They were marching quietly towards the northern front of
the elven forces. Heathir's blue eyes glittered and stood out as a bright
shimmer in the starless night, he kept his cloak tight about him, masking
the full splendor of his golden and silvery elven armor. His blond hair was
neatly stacked in a pony tail, thus preventing it from flowing freely in
the dark of the night.
The orcs came on, head first into the elven trap. One by one the
battalions marched into the dark forest, unaware of the danger lurking in
the underbrush.
"Hold," the tense general muttered under his breath to his skilled
troops. The seasoned elves were nervously holding their powerful bows back
awaiting for their commanders orders.
More and more orcs marched into the forest, confident of their ability
to remain unnoticed with the cover of the night. Little did they know that
death was but an arrow away.
"On my call," Heathir muttered under his breath to the elf mage.
Heathir weighed his time wisely if he was off but one second ,all of his
troops might perish this night. "Now," came the generals hand signal. The
mage besides him immediately began chanting and shortly thereafter a
lighting bolt struck out to the heavens announcing the orcish forces doom.
The first volley was now unleashed, almost all of the arrows hit their
mark. Orcs scrambled to the sides looking for the enemy, agonized screams
were echoed throughout the whole forest. Heathir always the optimist aimed
his great rune carved bow towards what seemed to be an orc leader. This
specific orc was protected by a score of ogres standing around him, shields
locked with one another. Taking careful aim, he let go of his string. The
death bound arrow dove right into the amazed orc's throat and into the
vulnerable back of one his ogre bodyguard. Suppressing his satisfied
chuckle, Heathir knew they had but a few seconds before the orcs managed to
reorganize and locate the source of their suffering.
"Again," the general signaled to the already chanting mage, and not a
second passed before another lighting bolt soared into the sky, alerting
the elvish troups of their retreat. All elves disappeared as swiftly as
they had appeared before the orcs, except for one group which remained
behind awaiting the right moment for an offensive strike. Among them stood
Heathir, huddled up under the underbrush covered by leaves.
The remaining goblins and orcs finally came to an organized stop and
fell once again into formation. By then the ground was already shaking by
the colossal charge of the larger portion of the orcish army. They were
coming in fast and faster still were the odds piling against the elves.
Heathir quickly instructed his little group to prepare for the
charge. The general had given the main force more than enough time to fall
into place on the second hill, yet he waited a few more minutes for the
adrenaline to build up inside of him. The fire glowing in his blue orbs
could not be dismissed by his troops. They knew their general well, they
had served under him as soldiers and friends for years and all of them had
seen that glow upon their leaders eyes more than once. This unmistakable
reddish glow was the reason why all of them had volunteered to stay back
with Heathir. Grins widened across all of their faces and without a doubt
they knew what was to come.
The ogre closest to Heathir never managed to squeal a warning before
the crystal red broad sword burrowed into the beasts abdomen in a slashing
thrust. Heathir was now exposed to all the orcs in the area. Indeed he was
exposed, and he was exposed in his greatest splendor. His golden and
silvery armor shone in the dark night as a star and his red sword reflected
tenfold the lust for battle that was in his blue eyes. A group of goblins
quickly charged wildly towards the seven elves.
The first orc was quickly dispatched by a dagger throw that caught
him in the heart, the powerful blow drove the orc staggering backwards
right into the tip of an allied spear causing a domino effect which tripped
the orc behind him and a portion of the charging group. The orc besides him
paid no heed to the happenings and came spear first at Heathir.
"Move," came a desperate cry from a soldier to his general, but the
seasoned elf knew better and swiftly side stepped to the right, slapping
the spear away with his sword. Using the momentum of his sword to guide
him, Heathir, made a full turn and kicked the orc's back which sent the
wretch staggering forward, towards the curved scimitar of one of his
faithful elf soldiers.
"Ha," came the ever confidant voice of Heathir with a loud chuckle
and the battle was on.
The elves fought in harmony, dancing around the orcs, each strike
completing each others thrusts. But even they, an elite elven force could
not hold the hundreds of orcs and other fowl things coming at them from all
sides. Heathir knew this and he also knew that their assault was to merely
lead the orcs on to the next ridge. Piles and piles of orcs lay before them
and more were being cut down each passing minute. Heathir allowed an extra
few minutes of sparing and allowing the savage orcs to slowly drive him
back. He nodded to his soldiers to do the same. The orcs now gaining in
confidence and numbers pushed the already hard pressed elves further back.
"Retreat!" came Heathir's sudden cry
The elves turned to flee and ran quite slowly for the capacity of
elves. The orcs believing their opponents weak made chase close behind.
Quickly retreating through the forest, with goblins, orcs, and many ogres
on their heels, the daring group carefully led the orcs to another would be
grave .
Heathir could not suppress a wide smile as he swiftly ran through the
forest. "Orcs" he mumbled. Yes, he thought, he had yet to find a race as
stupid as the orcs in all of the realm.