Blue Lightning and the Bear

by Blue Paladin

Two shadows from the past rise up to confront the New State Army. First they must dispatch the vampire who seeks to make life dance to his whims. But who will aid them against the Dark Knight of Chaos?

32. Chapter 32 How Kobolds Fight

Chapter 32 – How Kobolds Fight

Flik's first impression of Kobold Village was how lively it was. There were kobolds everywhere, walking along the dirt streets, entering the wooden houses, or filtering in from the surrounding forests. Looking around, he realized that all of them were in groups. In the distance, six kobolds were carrying in a net full of fish. Nearby, a number of kobolds were bringing prepared dishes into a house. Over on the right, another group was examining a collection of crystal baubles that a merchant had displayed. Even the patrol that had found them had come as a group, no one had been left behind.

Flik and his men had dismounted and were leading their horses through the village. The citizens, upon seeing them, immediately swarmed around, sniffing at them and barking out greetings. Ren, who was leading them through the village, barked and snapped to try and clear the way.

Flik looked over at Gengen, trying to read the expression on his face. "How do you feel being back among your own people?"

"I don't understand," Gengen answered. "I haven't left my people."

Flik worked to keep the confusion off his face. "You must've been lonely, though, being the only kobold around." He blinked. Gengen had reacted to that statement, but the change in his face had lasted only a moment.

"I was not alone," the kobold said patiently. "It is a great shame and sadness for a kobold to lose his pack, but I have not lost my pack." He looked directly at Flik. "My pack is in the mercenaries, there I have position and duties. I have brothers to defend and brothers to defend me."

The conversation paused while Flik tried to reason out the meaning behind Gengen's words. What was Gengen to the mercenaries? Flik remembered how he'd tried to reject the kobold when he first noticed him. Even now, he saw Gengen as something of an outsider, a liability in battle because he couldn't ride a horse or draw a full-sized bow.

A wave of shame suddenly crashed down on Flik, shaking him internally. He'd encountered disdain for humans before, out of elves and dwarves. Both races tended to look down on humans as shorter lived, less educated, and generally not worth the time to interact with. Yet he had treated Gengen in exactly the same light, focusing on his shortcomings and not taking the time to learn that the kobold was, in fact, an enthusiastic and dedicated soldier. Moreover, Gengen had shown his respect of humans by taking the time to learn to speak with them. He taken the time to study human methods of battle, so that he might fit in with the mercenaries.

At that moment, Flik resolved to find a way to make Gengen an integral part of his unit. Gengen deserved as much respect as he had shown in working to conform to the mercenaries.

Meanwhile Ren had led them through the streets and to a larger house that was nearly flush against the thick forest, separated from the trees only by a wooden fence and gate. A crowd of kobolds was waiting in front of the house. They were a motley group, ranging between tall and short, sleek and bulky. Some had very long fur and others had short, fine fur. There were those who had upright ears, like Gengen, and others whose ears drooped.

A short, bent kobold with white fur emerged from the group. Since he was using a cane to aid his walking, Flik judged that he must be elderly or injured. The kobold shuffled to a stop just short of Flik and looked up into his face. "I am called Cham and am the elder of Kobold Village. You say that Two River City is threatened by the Highland Army? That General Ridley needs our help?"

"Yes," Flik answered.

Cham responded with a series of snarls and barks, rising up into a long trailing howl that was taken up by all the kobolds within earshot. Flik winced because of the pain in his ears. When the noise subsided, the elder said, "No kobold ever forgets his pack brothers, no kobold ever fails to defend his brothers. It would be the greatest shame if we did. We hear your call, oh brother, and we shall drive your enemy back by tooth and claw if we must." He snarled again and it was taken up by the kobolds immediately around him. Then, without any further conversation, those kobolds took off in several different directions. The elder proceeded to walk past Flik in the general direction of the south exit to the village.

Flik handed Nightstar's reins over to Rossgard and hurried along after the elder. A small train of kobolds was gathering to Cham's rear, but no one impeded Flik as he made his way to the elder's side. "If I may, sir, we need to get to planning the attack as quickly as possible." He looked up into the sky and noted, with alarm, that the sun was already half hidden by the western trees. "We need to be there as early as possible tomorrow."

The elder looked up at Flik. "You needn't worry. Everything has been set in motion, including me. I intend to be outside the walls of Two River City by tomorrow morning. Is that not soon enough for you?" The elder chortled, still continuing to walk. "Or perhaps you doubt that my legs can carry me that far?"

"It's not that. It's just that…well, I'd think you'd want to meet with your commanders, try to work out some general strategy, or at least a marching order."

The elder laughed some more. "I find you humans to be refreshingly odd. First you tell me that I must make all haste, and then you tell me to waste time figuring out how to make the best looking line while walking there?" He gestured at the kobolds around them. "Just you watch, young human. We are all one pack. Every one of us knows our place, and every one of us knows what to do when we get there."

Flik looked around at the kobolds. More were joining the growing group with every passing minute, armed with short swords and light armor. Not only that, but the formation seemed to have some organization that he could not fathom. Each kobold did seem to have a place that they instinctively knew.

The kobold army already had more than a hundred members as they marched out of Kobold Village, and more kobolds were filtering in from every direction. After a while, Flik realized that they intended to keep marching right through the night so that they might arrive on the battlefield in time.

Flik bowed to the elder and said, "Let my men help your pack as well. We can range out in front of you and serve as scouts."

Cham smiled toothily. "Let it be so."

Flik walked back to where the rest of his men, having followed the kobolds out of the village, were riding along. Mounting Nightstar, he said, "We're going to ride on ahead of the kobolds and see what Highland is doing." He glanced around and spotted Gengen, walking between Flik's men and the rest of the kobolds. "Gengen!" Flik shouted. "Mount up behind me, we're going to do some scouting."

Did Gengen betray a moment of surprise before he climbed up behind Flik? He was not sure. Regardless, they trotted out in front of the kobold formation and then kept at a quick walk for some time after that.

The sun was now setting behind the distant western mountains. Flik slowed the pace to a normal walk. The dirt road seemed empty enough, but he could not be sure. The land ahead was gently rolling plains, bordered by sparse forest to the east and more difficult terrain to the west. At the crest of a low hill, he paused and tried to spot Two River City in the distance. It was no good, the angle and evening haze prevented him from seeing that far away.

Night fell. The Scarlet Moon stood high overhead, nearly half-full and waning. The Blue Moon was not up. It was a pleasant, mild night, with the wind from the west driving down the humidity.

"Quietly," Flik cautioned. "We don't want to run into any pickets and fall into an ambush."

"I can see," Gengen declared. "Kobolds have night vision, so if we ride up front, I should be able to tell you if anybody's waiting. Anybody in the open, at least."

"That's good." Flik walked Nightstar into the lead position, and the unit continued on.

The next few hours were tense. Every time they came to a rise, Flik diverted the unit off the main road and out into the fields, just in case there were Highland scouts on the reverse side. There weren't any, but he felt that caution was prudent. All around them, night insects buzzed, and he could hear the distinct bass of bullfrogs. Later in the night, the sky began to cloud up, thin trailing clouds gradually growing thicker. The Scarlet Moon disappeared behind them, leaving the night even darker.

Along towards early morning, with the men almost at Two River City, the forests to the east began to get denser. Flik worried over them, fearing that they might hide an ambush. Concentrating on the trees, he nearly fell off Nightstar when Gengen whispered, "Ahead! There's a barricade." He pointed out into the blackness, somewhere down the road.

Flik scanned in that direction. "I can't see it. How far are we from it?"

"Third of a mile, it's at the top of the next ridge."

Flik squinted, unable to make it out. "Anybody there?"

Gengen paused for a long time, apparently studying the surroundings. "There!" he exclaimed. "There's some movement in the trees to the left, and I think I can see a few more to the right."

Flik led his men back a ways and sent a messenger off to the kobolds. Then came the waiting. He had his men stand down in shifts, permitting them to walk around and stretch out a little bit. For his part, he went through the pre-battle routine. Feeling over his armor as best he could without light. His wooden shield was still punctured and partially splintered from the arrow that hit it during the battle to defend Dunan Castle. He frowned over that, feeling the top wobble a little. He tossed it aside out into the field. It would be better to go into battle without a shield, rather than trusting in equipment that was likely to fail when he needed it most.

There was pink in the east, heralding the rising sun. Flik had the men remount and ride down into one of the low areas, screened from the barricade by another ridge. Dawn brought ominous tidings, the sound of battle to the north. Needing to know what was happening, Flik took a risk and had Gengen dismount, sending him up the hill to see what he could. The kobold was only at the crest for a moment before he came scampering back down.

"The Highland Army is right up against the city walls! They're fighting around the main gates."

Flik swallowed and looked back to the south. "Where are our allies?"

Gengen hurried up the slope to the south, pointed, and shouted, "They're coming, they're almost here."

Within a quarter hour, the first scouts of the kobold army came over the hill and down into the depression. Flik followed them to the top of the hill to the north. In the daylight, the Highland barricade looked even more impressive, an earthen and log breastwork stretched across the road and to the forests on either side, wooden spikes protruding out in front to ward a direct assault. Behind the works were Highland archers, possibly a couple hundred men, clearly alerted to the presence of the kobolds.

The kobold scouts studied the fortifications for several minutes and then hurried a message back to the main body. Their army certainly had swelled during the night, possibly to almost a thousand men. Flik looked back to the roadblock. Still, those Highlanders would be able to hold the kobolds off for a while. Would it be long enough for their main force to take Two River City? If the city fell, the kobolds didn't look like they'd be able to retake it, no matter how enthusiastic they were.

Flik rode back to find Cham, the kobold elder. He was in the center of the kobold formation, marching nonchalantly towards the Highland positions. When Flik dismounted, the elder looked up at him and said, "Thank you very much for your timely report. It was very instrumental in forming our plan."

Flik nodded. "That's good. I hope that there won't be too much time lost pushing those Highlanders back. I'm not sure how much longer Two River City can hold out."

The elder chuckled. "Not to worry, you shall see how kobolds fight." He barked and snarled out some orders, and the units of the army quickly arrayed themselves into a long line of several squares with skirmishers out in front. Cham looked towards the Highland positions and let out a deep howl. The kobolds to either side joined him, their numbers gradually growing to include the whole army. This aural assault lasted for more than a minute, ending only as the foremost kobolds broke into a sprint towards their enemy. Seconds later, the entire army was surging forward, barking and yipping.

Flik pulled his fingers out of his ears. The display was impressive, but would it really break the morale of the defenders? He watched the kobold charge develop. As improbable as it seemed, they appeared to be trying to drive the charge home, right at the spikes of the barricade. He shook his head. There were going to be a lot of casualties in the next few minutes, but if the kobolds gained the entrenchment in one move, it would certainly reduce the time needed to get to Two River.

The Highland archers readied themselves behind their breastwork, aiming at the onrushing kobolds. Flik, still behind the kobold lines, squinted through the dust to try and make out what was happening. The kobold snarls and barks changed to yips and whimpers of dismay. Part of their center appeared to break, individuals turning and running. The two flanks of the formation carried on, drawing close to the fortifications.

For a moment, Flik thought the kobolds would get there in enough numbers to carry the works, but apparently they did not. After a few minutes of inconclusive combat, the two flanks also began to fall back. As they did so, the kobold center, suddenly regaining organization, attacked again.

Flik chewed his lower lip. What was going on here? He rode towards the fighting, Rossgard and the others following him, to try and get a better view. He found Cham one ridge forward, observing the battle with an unconcerned expression.

Flik could not feel so sanguine about the situation, especially when the renewed attack faltered. "We need to get through them," he said, gritting his teeth to maintain his calm.

"Patience, young human. We are nearly there. Just watch and you will see." The kobold army had reformed, and Cham strolled to the front letting out his howl again. The kobolds added their voices to his, their enthusiasm sounding undiminished.

But the Highland side looked unruffled, too. Their commanders were bringing up more men to the line, so that it practically bristled with arrows. The kobolds' yell ended abruptly and, for a few seconds that felt much like an eternity, nothing happened.

The barest inkling of doubt crossed Flik's mind, and then the Highlanders were suddenly enveloped in confusion and fighting. There were more kobolds attacking from behind the enemy lines. The kobolds around Cham, now that their opponents were in disarray, rushed towards the barricade.

Cham remained where he was, too old to take part in the actual combat. When Flik approached him, the elder began speaking softly. "Let me tell you something of the differences between kobolds and humans. When a human learns to fight, he learns first how to fight alone. One against one, so that any man might equal any other. But few kobolds are strong enough to fight in that way. We always begin by learning how to fight in pairs. One feints to draw the enemy, pretending to attack with all his might, and then the other rushes in for the killing blow. Our armies fight in much the same manner. Enough, now we must go forward and see to rescuing the city."

Flik went up to where the kobolds were hurriedly pulling down the barricade. A group of disarmed Highland prisoners was also helping, under the watchful eye of kobold guards. Past the impediment, Flik cantered out in front of the kobolds to look down at the battle raging around Two River City, three miles distant.

The fight had grown in intensity, with both sides apparently bringing in more soldiers. The main action was still around the gates, where a group of defenders valiantly stood in a half-circle and tried to hold the Highland army out. Flik could see that the action was much too hotly contested for the Two River side to break it off and retreat. The Highlanders were likely to gain the gates before all the defenders could make it safely inside.

Another fight was occurring down the walls, where the Highland army had brought up ladders. Here, the defenders were Winghordes, one of the three races that inhabited the city. These warriors looked like slender humans, save that they had fully functional wings on their backs and talons for feet. They were using those wings to great effect now, staying out of sword range and dropping rocks to clear the ladders.

Then another group of kobolds joined the battle, rushing out from the main gates of Two River City to join the beleaguered defenders. The kobolds from Kobold Village were now forming up on the ridge overlooking the fight, preparing to go down and enter the battle. Flik looked out to the east, searching for Viktor's forces. A cloud of dust in that direction suggested that they were approaching.

A premonition caused Flik to swing his eyes back around to the city. A giant dome of white had just enveloped the defending troops, a sure sign of the Bright Shield Rune and that Riou was in the midst of the fighting.

Cham walked up next to Flik. "Now we do what we've come to do," he declared and barked orders to the kobolds around him. The kobolds swarmed down the hill, forming up into several smaller units as they did so. However, the Highland army suddenly wasn't in the mood for fighting. Almost seamlessly, they switched from pressing the attack to withdrawing in good order. A wedge of blue and white cavalry came up to skirmish with the kobolds and slow up the pursuit.

This seemed to catch the leading kobolds off guard, and the unit quickly got caught up in a melee. Flik urged Nightstar forward, calling for his men to come to the kobolds' aid. Watching the approaching fight, he realized that his actions were fairly foolish, but he just never felt right standing back in safety when his allies were in trouble. At the last moment, he remembered that Gengen was still mounted behind him, and really should've been let down. Then there was no time for anything except survival.

He parried aside a Highland sword and slipped his under the enemy arm, jamming it up into the weak point in the armpit. Nightstar carried him past that opponent, but more approached. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a kobold roll under a horse and hamstring it. Then Flik had to parry another attack, countering with a thrust that just missed. With his arm outstretched, he called on the lightning rune and blasted the unprepared Highlander out of the saddle.

There was the sharp clash of metal on metal directly behind Flik, and he turned in time to see Gengen's sword holding off that of an enemy. Flik unleashed the lightning rune on this new opponent, who brought up his shield in time to take most of the energy off of that. Still, he did not come back for another try at Flik.

"Thank you," Flik said to Gengen.

"It's just my job."

The Highland cavalry was starting to fall back. They had not stood for long against the superior numbers of the kobolds, but the time they gained was enough. After a few more minutes of grudgingly giving ground, they turned and followed the main body in retreating north towards the Lana River. Flik trained his eyes to the east, trying to estimate if Viktor's units had any chance of catching up. They did not. The Highland general had timed his retreat perfectly and would get away without any further significant losses.

Now that the battle was over, he remained on Nightstar, breathing heavily and sweating. This day had become hot and humid. Looking back on Viktor's men, Flik saw that they had mostly halted, save for a small group that was riding towards Two River City. He and his men trotted in the direction of the delegation.

Naturally enough, Viktor was among them, riding a brown and white northern draft horse. More surprising was that Shu was also there, on a dun. The strategist acknowledged Flik with a nod and said. "You have completed your mission in a most exemplary manner."

Viktor smiled. "We came as quickly as we could. Fitcher even sent a letter screaming for help. Bet you he didn't realize we were so close."

A messenger came galloping in from the gates of the city, one of Viktor's men. Pulling up, he shouted breathlessly, "They say Lord Riou fainted at the end of the fighting." Flik felt his chest constrict, forcing the air out of his lungs. However, the messenger continued, "He was taken to the New Leaf Inn, and they think he will recover. Lords Makai and Ridley await our delegation in the Assembly Hall."

"Very good," Shu answered calmly. "Viktor, assign some men to find the New Leaf Inn and keep Lord Riou under surveillance. They are to report immediately if his condition worsens." He looked thoughtfully into the distance. "I shall have to study this Bright Shield Rune more closely, if I am able. Look there, in the distance, at that perfect arc of dead grass."

Flik did, picking out the wide area of brown grass after a moment. His memory slipped back to the dead orchard after the battle of Waldron Village and the words of Genkaku that he'd read in Muse City. The Bright Shield Rune had done this, taken life from the earth, broken it into pieces, and given it to wounded men. He could not begin to comprehend the forces at work to do that.

Shu spoke, catching Flik's attention. "I want you to return to Dunan Castle as quickly as you can. I will be needed here for negotiations, at least for a while, and I don't want to have all of our best generals away from our headquarters. Be vigilant for any Highland moves. If they attack, work with Apple to hold them off and send a messenger to get me with all speed. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly and we'll be able to follow you without delay. Understand?"

Flik took a moment to look at the kobolds from Kobold Village greeting the kobolds from Two River City. It was an impressive show of barking and hugging and jumping up and down in the air. He turned back to Shu. "Yes, sir."