Chapter 14
The Crux of the Matter
Greetings all, sorry about the delay, but here is the latest chapter and the next will be here in about a week I hope. Once more nothing belongs to me and I hope you enjoy the latest chapter.
It is often said that if only commanders had a great view of the battle, such as what bird might see soaring above the battlefield that the tide of any battle could change. Such was the case at the siege of Aaron's Mill, where many hulking birds and lizards circled the battle from on high viewing the battle to its tiniest detail, from the desperate raid to the mass blessing of a legion of orcish warriors. These beasts were not majestic eagles or the other great birds of prey, no these were carrion eaters, guided by the stench of the slain… they were there to feast.
Very few knew how desperate the situation was for the embattled defenders, the siege had only lasted two days and many were optimistic at the start of the third…save for a dwarven commander and a battered company of adventures who had in secret left to strike a crippling blow against the enemies siege weapons, it was a partial success. They had returned all save one of their group who had been buried as he collapsed the tunnel to prevent its capture. They had achieved something but, in their hearts and minds they knew they had only postponed the inevitable. It showed in their walk, their heads were stooped as they wearily moved towards the wall,
Watching them approach the walls was Clovis, a contradiction in terms if ever there was one. The half-orc bard was singing an elvish lullaby to a wounded soldier. With merely the smallest portion of his immense strength he raised the wounded elf to a waiting carriage to move her away from combat, though not necessarily a safer place. His multicolored cloak had been stained with blood and grime, but there was laughter in his voice as he burst out, "Well at least Nerull isn't squatting on the walls." It was then that he saw Gamgee and the others making their way back to the wall.
"I saw Gamgee, stellar job out there all of you. I saw that quite spectacular fireball light up the morning sky out there." Gamgee, looked at him with a haggard expression but no words came. The same look was evident on the other three as well. Acting quickly Clovis ushered the group into his library, scrolls and books lay nestled in neat orderly alcoves that ran along the walls. The one item that was not a book or scroll in the library was a colossal bardiche that was mounted on the far wall. Natural light flowed in from a vast sky roof made of glass so clear that to the untrained eye it appeared as there was no nothing separating the room from the sky Ushering the four adventures into the room he shut the door after them and facing. They all had a look of defeat and hopelessness upon them
Gamgee minced no words as he told of the battle, ht swift destruction of the catapults, and then the discovery of the tunnels. "They're everywhere Clovis, with wards that I can't even begin to describe. I couldn't collapse any of them, my magic failed against them. All thats left to do is die well I guess." That said the dejected elf let his head slump and hopelessness take over. Sparing glances around the table, Clovis saw the same looks on the three companions as well.
"What a lord of dragon dung. I don't care if the avatar of Grumush is out there with that host, as long as we have the will to fight this city will not fall. Remember that Gamgee, all of you. Thrack hated elves because of what had happened to him, yet he ran down that tunnel to save everyone that is in this city, everyone. We fight for what we believe in and I for one will not let all that I have built be lost to the ages because some stinking thrice blasted invaders from the wastelands." Spit was flying from the half orcs gaping maw as his words echoed through the room.
"Look at yourselves, you think this battle is over because of some tunnels? Your battle was not the deciding one, those take place far from where we expect them to take place."
Shaken by the librarians brash manner the group began to rise, the look of defeat was off of their faces, and grim determination was seeping back in.
"To give up now would be a grave dishonor to all of those that have fallen before us." Crystal uttered while rising.
"Its only Orcs, so what they can't win a battle aboveground just because they have stupid tunnels." Brangar answered.
"If am struck down in this world then in the next life I shall return to avenge this life, though it may take several years of intense meditation and then there is the matter of finding my way back here. Of course by then all my foes very well may be dead of any number of causes, however…"
"For the love of Waukem, Janet we get the point already, I'm not out of spells yet so lets see what good we can do." One by one they rose from the table, paladin, barbarian, wizard, and monk, all with their faces set n grim determination. The librarian watched them move and wished he could join them, but his abilities with his blade that had won him his wealth had faded from memory and he doubted he would do much good at the walls, besides he was needed here to care for those who were wounded. Grabbing another roll of cloth Clovis moved to return to the dying to cheat death a few more times, if he was lucky.
All across of the city tunnel openings appeared and from within came their vile constructors c tunnels past the wall broke through the Oaths and curses in a dozen languages accompanied the ear numbing pounding of steel against steel as blades clashed against one another to form a maelstrom of complete and utter bedlam. The orcs swarmed out from their tunnels like a horde of ants rolling over barricades and resistance regardless of their own losses, but they could not link up with the other tunnels. In the western ward of Aaron's Mill fighting raged through the zocallo as blood of both orc and the goodly races fell upon wares from throughout the known world. All of that was nothing compared to the fighting that raged around and on top of the gates. Though the orcs had penetrated the walls with their tunnels but they cold not overwhelm the defenders.
The orcs climbed on ropes, ladders, or the stacked piles of their own dead to reach the beleaguered defenders, such was their hatred of those that had profaned their god by dwelling within sight of their dwellings, and nowhere was the struggle fiercer than at the gates of the Dwarven gods. Orcish spells, and projectiles crashed into the dwarven wrought stonework and the spell laden gate. A never-ending stream of reinforcements and casualties were brought to and from the gate, but all they could do was to hold the beasts in check.
The Orcs were throwing everything that they had against the gates and leaving the walls relatively alone, there tunnels were contained inside the city, and the siege weapons that the orcs had were gone. It would be madness to leave the walls to sortie out and battle the orcs outside the city walls, even at the rate the orcs were being slaughtered they still had numbers on their side, but there was something that was missing that troubled Gloin. His revelry was broken by a sudden realization…there were no orcish clerics at the gates. For all the orcs out there dying, clerics should have been there rallying the horde. "Where by the soul forger are you cowardly one eyed worshipers?"
"Talking to yourself is not a good idea by little bearded friend." A bloodstained elven bard replied.
"Well it's the only way I can have an intelligent conversation Elindil."
Far away from the gate, a circle of Orcish clerics prayers booming with power rose above the clamor of battle, as their chant grew in strength the ground itself trembled and rose as though it were a wave and crashed into the now weakening spell ward walls. For a moment it seemed as though the walls would hold as the enchantment held…but for only a single heart-retching moment. The wall buckled and bowed inward with each consecutive wave till in a tremendous explosion leaving a gap large enough that a terrasque could walk through. A pure and unbroken silence hung for countless seconds…until the remnants of the wall came crashing down from the sky, and a gutteral cry of triumph rose from the orcish ranks as they abandoned the gate to surge for the gap.
"To the gap you dirty retches of my sister's daughter, get to the gap or we're all vittles for some ugly orc!" Gloin screamed out.
"Aren't all orcs ugly sir?" A familiar elven bard said between breaths.
"Elindil now is not the time for jokes!"
"I know I know my short little friend." Elindil called back as she moved as only an elf could, and soon Gloin was falling behind as his much swifter companion rushed further and further ahead with each step.
Between gulps of air he screamed out, "Freaking fraking long limbed thrice blasted elves!"
"Don't worry I'll save a few for them if you hurry Gloin." Elindil answered between bouts of laughter. In a few minutes the bard had reached the edge of the wall just as the orcs were beginning to climb out of it. "Oh what perfect times to have a fine elven compound long bow." The days of ceaseless action had no effect upon her aim and soon the hum of her bow filled the air as one after another orc fell to her lethal accuracy. The first wave was already dead and she began to draw here bow back further to take aim at the next wave…until a horrendous noise broker her reveries as the draw string of her bow was sheared in half. The orc that was responsible was shaking its bow in triumph and readying another shot…until a dagger magically appeared in its neck. "Should have taken the second shot instead of gloating about it you dumb orc."
Glancing back Elindil saw the dwarves would never reach in time, and the next wave of orcs was nearing the edge of the crater. "Oh this would make a great ballad, a shame I won't be there to sing it." With a grin on her face and her rapier in her hand Elindil leapt on top of the leading orc, the pair tumbled down into the crater, Whether by luck, skill, or the divine favor of the gods themselves the pair of mortal enemies barreled into the remainder of the second wave and knocking back into the bottom of the crater where they all were intertwined in broken huddle of bodies.
Elindil crawled on her hands and knees out of the wriggling piles of orcs, their hands grasped at her rending her armor and tearing her flesh…but they could not hold the blood and grime slickened elf. She sprang upon the pile and drove her rapier into the wriggling mass of bodies again and again till at last there was no more movement. Elindil. "Well maybe I will sing that ballad after all." That was before she turned around and saw the next group of orcs rushing down the crater towards her, seeing this she began to swear in elvish and dryly spat out, "Oh this was predictable."
Elindil frantically wove her hands in an intricate pattern frantically trying to cast a spell before they were upon her. The results were far from what she had intended as a mud creature of some kind exploded upward from the crater floor. "How did I do that?" She watched in bizarre fascination as the mud creature threw itself at the orcs, with its longer arm the beast parried away spear thrusts and with its shorter arm it grasped the leading orc by the neck and squeezed the life from it.
The second wave was dead in a matter of minutes but the third was nearing the crater at a dead sprint, and the dwarves and moving as fast as their short legs could move. It was a race, one that offered only death…but the mud creature would not wait it began to walk with a steady pace to the onrushing orcs.
"Mud beast, stop I command you. No don't go out of the crater, wait here. Don't you walk away from me, I don't know how I created you but you stop right now or I'll uncreate you. All right I don't know how to do that either. At least wait for me." Scooping a quiver and bow from the pile of slain orcs she followed her 'creation' into the fray.
Ramblings from Rohan:
Sorry it took so long to post this but I have no free time any more. But this story will be finished I've got some crazy ideas and I want to use them. Pease any comments will be appreciated.
