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The horses snorted plumes of grey and pawed the frozen dirt, sidestepping lightly and tossing their heads as their riders, cloaked, hooded and about a dozen in number, hunched over their reins. Dusk had stolen over the road and the darkness skirted the tree-line, restrained only by their wary glances which were often cast into the impenetrable shade. The horses huddled in the middle of the road as their masters quietly deliberated. Some two hundred metres in front of them stood the gate of the city, and it glowed slightly. The entire frame had been set alight some time ago, and now tiny veins of fire raggedly crept around the smoldering shell. It was totally silent save when a section crumbled and collapsed, and then it was suddenly silent again, as if the charred shell feared its attacker would come back and obliterate it completely. Corpses littered the ground.
Two of the riders drew level at the front of the huddle and one of them slowly turned to the other, the light of the lantern they carried revealing a mouth drawn into a thin, grim line.
"Do you feel that?" she said.
"Aye, Jhubbz, I feel it." replied the other. "Keep your hood down."
He swung around to face the others, and began issuing commands.
"We're later than I had hoped, my friends. It seems agents of the dark have exploited our absence to the north and made an attack on the city sooner than we had anticipated. I suspected as much due on our approach to the fact that they'd managed to organise an ambush over the bridge, but this is worse than I expected. With LizardMan killed some weeks ago as we'd heard by letter, the city's protective charms were severely weakened with no-one powerful enough to step into his place before we could return. Such was our vulnerability that the city seems to have been taken with relative ease - it is unlikely anyone has been left alive."
At this a few stifled exclamations rose from the group and Jhubbz stared at him with wide eyes, swaying slightly on her mount.
"I know, I know my friends" he continued, "your grief is justified and well deserved of those for whom you fear. But I ask you to save it, for we have much to do and our minds must be clear and our hearts pure in order to do so. There will be enough time for grief - I fear we have realised but a small fragment of our eventual loss."
He wheeled around once more to face the city. The whole place was enveloped in an dirty orange haze as the fires blazing through the streets below illuminated the belly of thick ash clouds. The rider's eyes were already grey, yet they seemed to grow colder still.
"Our chance is slim, at best, but I believe we should attack from two points. A frontal assault from our current position will draw the enemy's attention and aim to clear the streets for the reinforcements which are several days behind us. Even if we take back the city, Jarvisd tells me that he has sensed great numbers of soldiers swarming across the plains to our south at great speed and with great ferocity. He predicts they will arrive in a day or two - no longer."
A man nodded in acknowledgement, a haughty smile flashing in the half light. The commander continued, his voice cutting through the tangible darkness, unwavering.
"We will not be able to resist such a force, and so must ensure that our reinforcements are able to establish a defensive foothold before we are overrun. A smaller group will circle round with me to the messenger's gate at the north east tower, by the barracks. If our luck holds out the enemy has not had the time nor the foresight to notice its presence. Judging by the shadows that fly over the city and the rage swelling from its centre, I am almost certain that the city's magickal defense system has been taken advantage of and turned against us. It is vital to our struggle that the blackstones be liberated from enemy control before they realise their full potential. Should that happen, any chance of victory will be gone."
The Bards had been listening intently and as the plan formulated in their minds they felt hope, and a new determination flowered within them at the thought of victory against such a seemingly endless expanse of darkness that languidly stretched over their city, colouring the pure white stones a sickly ashen grey.
"I need a volunteer to lead the main assault. Who will step forward?"
A Bard jabbed his heels and his horse stepped forward. He drew back his hood and his mount, a huge, jet black beast, flashed her eyes dangerously as she drew up her head.
"Very good Mati. I have no doubt you will be hewing the head of some luckless zombie in the main square before the moon is halfway across the sky."
The man bowed and returned to the group, talking swiftly in a low voice and pointing to several Bards who nodded and grinned sardonically.
"Jhubbz - you will come with me. The rest of you, arrange yourselves accordingly. We must have the central tower by sunrise, do not forget this. May the light shine upon your blades, and good luck."
They all looked at him then, wrapped in their cloaks and with their breath rising in fragile columns as they exhaled. Despite the dark, and the frost, the eyes of them all glittered with a strange flame and they almost seemed to be glowing - as though the moon had risen already.
"May the light guide your path, Orcworm." Mati murmured, inclining his head. The blessing was repeated among them, infused with a dogged perseverance as each one rose quietly with their condensing breath.
Orcworm smiled, and nudged his horse into a gentle trot. Within moments both he and Jhubbz had vanished into the forest, leaving only a faint afterglow that glimmered among the oak trees.
"Ready yourself my friends" Mati said, drawing his blade and letting the crimson steel glitter in the first rays of moonlight.
"Tonight we take back New Orcshire!"
Two of the riders drew level at the front of the huddle and one of them slowly turned to the other, the light of the lantern they carried revealing a mouth drawn into a thin, grim line.
"Do you feel that?" she said.
"Aye, Jhubbz, I feel it." replied the other. "Keep your hood down."
He swung around to face the others, and began issuing commands.
"We're later than I had hoped, my friends. It seems agents of the dark have exploited our absence to the north and made an attack on the city sooner than we had anticipated. I suspected as much due on our approach to the fact that they'd managed to organise an ambush over the bridge, but this is worse than I expected. With LizardMan killed some weeks ago as we'd heard by letter, the city's protective charms were severely weakened with no-one powerful enough to step into his place before we could return. Such was our vulnerability that the city seems to have been taken with relative ease - it is unlikely anyone has been left alive."
At this a few stifled exclamations rose from the group and Jhubbz stared at him with wide eyes, swaying slightly on her mount.
"I know, I know my friends" he continued, "your grief is justified and well deserved of those for whom you fear. But I ask you to save it, for we have much to do and our minds must be clear and our hearts pure in order to do so. There will be enough time for grief - I fear we have realised but a small fragment of our eventual loss."
He wheeled around once more to face the city. The whole place was enveloped in an dirty orange haze as the fires blazing through the streets below illuminated the belly of thick ash clouds. The rider's eyes were already grey, yet they seemed to grow colder still.
"Our chance is slim, at best, but I believe we should attack from two points. A frontal assault from our current position will draw the enemy's attention and aim to clear the streets for the reinforcements which are several days behind us. Even if we take back the city, Jarvisd tells me that he has sensed great numbers of soldiers swarming across the plains to our south at great speed and with great ferocity. He predicts they will arrive in a day or two - no longer."
A man nodded in acknowledgement, a haughty smile flashing in the half light. The commander continued, his voice cutting through the tangible darkness, unwavering.
"We will not be able to resist such a force, and so must ensure that our reinforcements are able to establish a defensive foothold before we are overrun. A smaller group will circle round with me to the messenger's gate at the north east tower, by the barracks. If our luck holds out the enemy has not had the time nor the foresight to notice its presence. Judging by the shadows that fly over the city and the rage swelling from its centre, I am almost certain that the city's magickal defense system has been taken advantage of and turned against us. It is vital to our struggle that the blackstones be liberated from enemy control before they realise their full potential. Should that happen, any chance of victory will be gone."
The Bards had been listening intently and as the plan formulated in their minds they felt hope, and a new determination flowered within them at the thought of victory against such a seemingly endless expanse of darkness that languidly stretched over their city, colouring the pure white stones a sickly ashen grey.
"I need a volunteer to lead the main assault. Who will step forward?"
A Bard jabbed his heels and his horse stepped forward. He drew back his hood and his mount, a huge, jet black beast, flashed her eyes dangerously as she drew up her head.
"Very good Mati. I have no doubt you will be hewing the head of some luckless zombie in the main square before the moon is halfway across the sky."
The man bowed and returned to the group, talking swiftly in a low voice and pointing to several Bards who nodded and grinned sardonically.
"Jhubbz - you will come with me. The rest of you, arrange yourselves accordingly. We must have the central tower by sunrise, do not forget this. May the light shine upon your blades, and good luck."
They all looked at him then, wrapped in their cloaks and with their breath rising in fragile columns as they exhaled. Despite the dark, and the frost, the eyes of them all glittered with a strange flame and they almost seemed to be glowing - as though the moon had risen already.
"May the light guide your path, Orcworm." Mati murmured, inclining his head. The blessing was repeated among them, infused with a dogged perseverance as each one rose quietly with their condensing breath.
Orcworm smiled, and nudged his horse into a gentle trot. Within moments both he and Jhubbz had vanished into the forest, leaving only a faint afterglow that glimmered among the oak trees.
"Ready yourself my friends" Mati said, drawing his blade and letting the crimson steel glitter in the first rays of moonlight.
"Tonight we take back New Orcshire!"
Last edited by thebadhatter on 2011-07-15, 03:15; edited 4 times in total
