The party that had been formed only consisted of four, and SJ was thrilled to see that she knew two of the party, Greb and Gary. “It’s great to see you two here,” SJ said as they stood in Captain Broadaxe’s office in the barracks.
“As soon as they heard you were heading to the valley to scout, they both volunteered,” the Captain said. “Remember, all this is just a scouting trip. Do not interact in any way with the hobs. If you see any, if possible, hide up and stay out of their way. Only if it is a life-or-death situation are you to attack. We don’t want them getting any ideas as we rarely send scouting parties out.”
“Understood. Sir,” the four assembled guards said in unison.
“SJ is leading the way as she knows the cave’s location. Gary, you are leading the overall party. Rex will follow you and return to Alice if there are any problems. Leaving now, we expect that you will arrive just as it gets dark. Once the area is scouted, I need you to return straightaway.”
“Yes, sir.” They all replied.
SJ was impressed with the four of them and their professional attitude. They left the Captain’s office, and Gary led them through a rear door to an area SJ had never seen. Walking down a short corridor, they arrived at a caged door.
“What’s this?” SJ asked.
“The armoury,” Gary said, smiling.
“Oh. I didn’t realise you had one.”
“Where do you think we get all the town’s defence weapons from?”
“I thought you all owned your weapons.”
“We do, but we can also sign out other weapons as needed, and since this is a scouting mission, I want something quieter,” Gary replied as he knocked on the metal cage door.
A Halfling appeared, and climbing a small step, he opened the hatch in the door. There was a small metal shelf, and it reminded SJ of the Police armouries she had seen in American TV shows.
“Hi, Gary. What do you need today?” the Halfling asked.
“Hi, Bowie,” he said, turning to SJ. Have you ever fired a crossbow before?”
“No,” SJ replied, shaking her head.
“In that case, can I get four crossbows and bolts? Also, five cloaks, please.”
“Sure, give me a few minutes,” the Halfling replied, climbing back down and disappearing behind a wall. Several minutes passed, and SJ could hear a lot of grunting and groaning from within the room before he eventually returned, balancing the four crossbows, four sets of bolts, and five cloaks precariously. SJ had no idea how he had even picked them up. He placed them on a table at the side of the door and then climbed back up the step before leaning down and lifting them through. Each one he handed out, he made the recipient sign for it. This took several more minutes, and once they were fully supplied, they all thanked him and left.
Gary handed SJ a cloak as they left the Barrack’s main entrance. “Here, put this on.” It was a deep, mottled green colour and looked like the camouflage patterns she would have expected on military uniforms back on Earth.
“Thanks,” SJ said.
“It will cover your dress at least,” Gary replied, smiling.
SJ took the cloak and pulled it on. It was made of thin, soft fleece-like material that didn’t hamper her movement.
“That goes well with your dress,” Dave said.
The party began towards the valley. SJ learned the names of the two others in the party: Joplin, a human rogue, and Rach, an elf ranger. Joplin had been a guard member for several years, and Rach had only recently joined after finishing training as a new ranger. As they made their way along the forest path, they heard the howl of a Wolf. Joplin and Rach immediately lifted their crossbows.
“It’s ok,” SJ said. “That will be one of the pack.”
“What pack?” Rach asked nervously.
“Have you not all been told?” SJ asked.
“I hadn’t briefed them on them yet,” Gary said, coughing nervously. “We don’t normally come out this side of town.”
“Ah,” SJ replied.
Gary spent the next few minutes informing the other three about the pack of Wolves that now lived between the town and the valley. Joplin was amazed that there was a friendly Wolf pack, but Rach didn’t seem so happy about the situation. Greb took it in his stride; the howl did not make him react. The more SJ got to know Greb, the more stoic he was in nature. Even when training, he rarely showed emotions.
It was getting dark as they neared the trail’s end, and they had slowed their approach, not wanting to walk into a hobgoblin scouting party. SJ had informed them that they seemed to be permanently out in the forest at the top of the ridge. Joplin scouted ahead as they approached, and the others followed him slowly as he indicated they were all clear. SJ directed them down the river’s edge until she reached the area she had cut into the forest, where the hobs had been with Cristy. Now making her way through the underbrush, she found the small clearing and the animal trail the hobs had used.
Unhindered, they reached the top of the steep slope where the steps began. It took SJ a few moments to gather her bearings, and then they began the more arduous and slower task of working through the treeline until they reached where SJ knew the cave mouth was. The gradient increased, leading them down the side of the slope into the thinning trees until they reached the entrance.
“The village can be seen from here if you just move over through the trees there; it is clear in daylight,” SJ said quietly.
Gary nodded and signalled to Greb, who made his way towards it. Gary looked at the cave mouth, but there was no way any of them in the party could ever squeeze through the tunnel. They then moved over to where Greb was crouched by a tree, looking out into the valley below.
“You see the fresh rockslide?” SJ whispered to Gary, the freshly disturbed stone clearly visible in the moon’s bright light.
“Yeah. I can also see the path you mentioned. That is not an easy climb to get up here.”
“I am surprised you have never been out here before.”
“We haven’t been required to for a long time now, and my rota is normally around town. I wouldn’t usually be involved in scouting missions, but I had to volunteer when I heard we would escort you.” Gary smiled.
“No one has ever scouted the hobs before?”
“It is normally left to the Druids and their familiars, such as Rex.”
“I suppose it keeps people out of harm’s way.” SJ couldn’t fully appreciate the interaction between the Druids and their familiars and had no idea if they could communicate in a way that allowed them to describe things they had seen.
Looking down into the valley, they could see the fires and torchlights of the enclave. There were at least two dozen patches of light in the now-encompassing darkness. They stayed watching for a few minutes before Joplin whispered harshly. “Can you see that?” as he pointed towards the left of the village.
Their eyes panned left, and they saw a line of torches in the distance. Because of the ground’s undulation, they were not easily noticeable as they appeared and disappeared again, but something was moving across the left side of the valley. It must have been a significant size, as the line slowly grew as it began to get nearer. Turning back to look at the village, they watched as more torches were lit and shouting began.
“What’s happening?” Rach said quietly.
Travelling across from the valley’s floor, they could hear shouting; they were too far away to make out anything being said, but they could see a hive of activity in the village. Gary stared into the distance, his eyes scrunched, trying to work out what it was. At that point, the four of them all jumped out of their skins as a voice sounded just in front of them. Rach let out a squeal of surprise, clamping her hand to her mouth after pulling the trigger on her crossbow, with a soft thunking sound, sending her bolt harmlessly down the valley side.
“I will go look,” the voice said.
Thankfully, there was too much commotion below for Rach’s squeal to be heard. SJ gathered her wits before the others, looking around wide-eyed, wondering where the voice had come from, and spoke first. “Harrietta. What did I tell you about scaring people?” she hissed quietly.
“Sorry,” Harrietta said as she slowly began to appear before them.
Joplin began to scramble backwards at the apparition’s appearance. Rach and Gary both had eyes like saucers. Only Greb, who had still jumped, had quickly regained his composure.
“It’s a good job. They are making a noise down there, or we may have been heard.” SJ said sharply.
“I said sorry,” Harrietta huffed.
“I thought you said you would check the village out already?”
“I thought it easier just to accompany you.”
“Have you been with us the whole time?”
“Yes.”
SJ rolled her eyes. “You could have at least let me know.”
“You know now,” she smiled. I am going to find out what is going on. I will be back soon.” The apparition suddenly disappeared again.
Joplin turned and looked at SJ; his face was white as a sheet. “That was a talking ghost, right?”
“Yes. I thought you would know about her. She is Mistress Francisca’s follower.”
“I had no idea,” Joplin replied.
The other three shook their heads, indicating they had no idea either.
“I am sorry. She was going to scout for me, but I didn’t know she would be with us. I thought she had gone ahead already.”
Continuing shouts could be heard as the group watched from the cover of the sparse tree line. They watched as the line approaching from the left spread further into one long, extended line facing the village. The village now also had a line of torches that were facing them. There was still a substantial distance between them, and the left line slowly worked forward until it stopped facing them. From seeing the area in daylight, SJ knew it was a huge open plain below in the valley with little if no cover.
“They look like battle lines,” Gary whispered.
“Battle lines? Who would be attacking the hobs?” Greb asked.
“I have no idea. I have seen formations like that before from my clan days. Suppose you look at how the torch lights are positioned on the left group, the spacing, and how they stagger slightly. I think they are orcs,” Gary said.
“Why would an orc clan be marching on a hob village?” SJ asked.
“This is unheard of. There is no way that a battle should be forming near a starter town. This sandbox feature that has been implemented has amended the whole structure of the land. At no point in the history of Amathera have I ever known such a thing to occur? I need to try and do some digging,” Dave said urgently.
“An orc clan will march on anything it believes it has a right to,” Gary replied. SJ noticed a sneer on his face. She would have to ask him about his past; she had not known he had originated from a clan.
“It is an orc Clan, and they mean business. That is a full assault group,” Dave said.
“If they are just about to fight, this would be the prime time to take advantage and hit them,” SJ said.
“It would, but it would take time to get the guard here. Never mind down into the valley.”
“Gary. Should we send Rex back anyway to tell Alice?” Greb said.
Gary looked at him, frowning momentarily, making his mind up before removing a small whistle from his pocket. It looked just like the one Alice had used in the office, and SJ heard no sound. Within moments, the form of Rex swooped down from above on the ridge. Gary removed a pencil and paper and started to scribble a note. Folding it, he placed it into a small cylindrical tube on Rex’s leg. “Go Rex as fast as you can,” Gary said. Without making a sound, Rex took off and began to fly back to town.
The companions watched the proceedings below; the left line, which Dave had said was orc’s, had stopped some distance from the hobgoblin line along the village edge. Nothing seemed to be happening as the time passed. Seeing a shimmering in front of them, Harrietta appeared down the valley before approaching. This time, giving them a chance to be aware she was there and not all jump at her sudden appearance.
“There is an orc army approaching. I managed to get near the Ogre as he spoke to his mage. They have been at ends for months. The orcs believe this valley is theirs, but it is their first time marching on them. Flying the lines briefly. There are probably about 250 hobs and 150 orcs.”
“That seems slightly lower than the last group that attacked the town,” SJ said.
“The Ogre had sent a group off to go away with the female hobs and their young, and several male hobs accompanied them. They have just kept their main fighters behind.”
Having never considered that there would be young down in the village, it brought a new perspective to the situation.
“This will be interesting,” Dave said.
As they watched, the beating of drums began to echo through the valley.
“Orc war drums,” Gary said.
“Should we get closer?” Greb said.
“No,” Gary replied. We will wait. I doubt the Clan will attack at night; they will likely wait until daybreak, so we have a few hours. They will keep the war drums going all night to disturb the hobs, to keep them awake and on edge. I was born with war drums beating and can sleep like a baby through them.”
The night slowly ticked by. None of them could take their eyes from the torchlight and listen to the ominous sound of the drums beating. It was terrifying for SJ to imagine scenes from many old films back on Earth. Even though she had been a part of the raid on the town, the fact that two bodies of beings were lined up against each other, just waiting for that call to charge, was nerve-racking and fear-inducing, making her skin tingly with anticipation.
“Whoever wins this fight will still be a problem for the town,” Gary said to SJ.
“Why’s that?” SJ asked.
“Clans think they can take what they like. If they win here today, they will attack the town soon enough. If the hobs win, at least, they will be weakened.”
Eventually, the sun’s first light began to appear as its soft glow commenced to light the sky; with the break of dawn, the drumbeat upped its tempo. From their vantage point, they heard the cries and roars begin along the orc’s line. This was returned by the hobs, who began shouting and roaring back. SJ then noticed the huge imposing form of Bordon standing at the centre of the mass of the hobs. She could feel the nervous tension in the air and was not even amongst the masses below.
A small group of orcs began to separate in the centre of their line, and it appeared that a mounted orc stepped forward and in front.
“No!” Gary exclaimed. “It can’t be.” Shock etched on his face.
“What?” Greb asked.
“That is my old Clan. I recognise that mount anywhere.”
“I can’t tell what it is from here,” Greb replied.
“It’s a horrible thing. No one knows how he ever tamed it.”
“What is it?” SJ asked.
“A Borzie. They are foul beasts. Imagine a hogling in a permanent frenzy, and you may be close. What confuses me is why they are here. I was born two territories away in a 20-30 capped area. Many of those orcs will be much higher levels than the hobs they face, so they are not worried about having a smaller force.”
“I am going to get closer,” SJ said.
Gary looked at her with a concerned look.
“Don’t worry, I will be miniature.” SJ quickly removed her cloak and shrunk down to her miniature form. “Harrietta, are you still here?”
“Yes,” the ethereal voice replied.
“Will you join me?” SJ asked.
“Of course,” Harrietta said with a happy lilt.
“Be careful,” Greb said as SJ took off.
Flying down the valley, staying close to the ground in the bright light of day, SJ just hoped no one would see her. She tried to stay out of view of the two lines of combatants as much as possible and hoped they would all be otherwise engaged. It didn’t take her long to reach the plains. “Harrietta.”
“Yes?” Harrietta replied.
“Sorry. I just wanted to check you were still with me.”
“I would have said if I couldn’t keep up with you.”
“Good.”
They were probably only a few hundred metres from the village now, and the sound of the war drums being struck echoed all around. Up by the ridge, it had sounded ominous, but nothing like being this close. She flitted through the grasses of the plain, finding the main path that the hobs had created over time, running to the base of the valley’s side. Staying to its edge and low, she proceeded to approach.
The buildings were ramshackle as she approached, and she could see they had not been maintained. The area was disgusting, with rubbish and filth littering everywhere. The hobs were not concerned about personal hygiene, looking at the state of the place. There was evidence of several various animal skeletons lying around. Not seeing any movement on this side of the village, SJ flew to the nearest building.
Pausing briefly at the entrance, which hung open, she peeked inside quickly, checking it was clear. The stench that hit her nostrils was horrendous, and she recoiled from it. Littering the floor were blankets, and it looked like more than twenty hobs probably slept in it usually. Scattered on the floor were what SJ could only guess may have been some children’s toys. She couldn’t fathom living in these squalid conditions and could understand why they sought to take the town.
The sun peaked above the mountainside, and the war drums suddenly stopped as the first full ray of the morning lights bathed the valley floor. SJ froze at the sudden silence. She whirled around and checked that nothing was near. All she could hear was the occasional sound of movement.
“They are meeting in the middle,” Harrietta whispered.
“Where are you?” SJ whispered.
“Looking through the ceiling,” SJ looked up, and Harrietta’s face smiled down at her before her face disappeared again as she moved to look back outside.
“I am coming up,” SJ whispered. Moving to the roof, SJ landed gently. She was so glad her wings were silent. Creeping forward in her miniature form, she reached a broken and decrepit chimney that looked like it might collapse at any moment. Peering around the stone side, she took in her first clear sight of the battle lines.
With the morning light streaking between the lines as it continued to creep above the mountainside, the massive form of Bordon strode out towards the centre while from the farside, a huge orc stepped forward on the largest boar SJ had ever seen. The orc was massive, much larger than Gary, and Gary wasn’t small, but the Boar was monstrous. She wasn’t surprised they could tell it was a mount from the tree line. It had four huge tusks protruding from its lower jaw and was at least the size of a large Rhino back on Earth. It was covered in chainmail, and running down its snout was what looked like plate armour. A skull crest and red flail were painted on the front of the armour between its eyes.
The huge orc pulled the mount to a halt, almost at eye level with Bordon, while it sat on its back. It wore scale mail from what SJ remembered of her gaming days and carried a large round shield painted in a blood-red colour with the same crest. In its other hand, it carried a vicious-looking flail, whose chains dangled down the side of his mount with three huge, spiked metal balls attached.
Bordon stood there in the attire he had worn at the township: skin trousers, bare feet, and bare upper body. The muscles rippled across his shoulders as he flexed with his huge club held in one hand and resting it in the other.
“What do you think you are doing, Bordon?” the orc called. The pair was still about forty feet apart. You know you can’t beat my Clan.”
Bordon began to laugh, a deep, resounding sound.
