Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Battle (I)

"Remember, use the basic arrows to bombard them! Keep individual spells and skills to a minimum until you need them! Wait for my signal!" Elendnas shouted, as he drew his own longbow.

He had to speak confidently, without showing fear or mentioning it. Something like "don't be afraid" could be counterproductive. It was better to simply be firm, and give clear and simple orders. If they had something to do, they wouldn't have to think about the overwhelming stampede that was nearing them.

Perhaps, almost all of those present had faced the losts, but very few in a pitched battle like that. It had no comparison to the skirmishes to which they were accustomed, and more than one's legs were shaking. It included a certain young elf who had wanted to be a commander. There were thousands of corrupted beings, tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, maybe millions? There was no end in sight for the enemy forces.

"Tighten your strings, archers! Those with area spells or skills, prepare them! Healers, alert! Don't waste mana on scratches! Cast spells at will behind enemy lines as long as you're above 70% mana! Get ready! Wait! Wait! Shoot!" the elf ordered.

Projectiles and spells began to fall behind the second enemy lines, thus decimating them. The projectiles were especially efficient, as they had been designed to contain purifying magic, and had been in preparation for years. They had known that one day those projectiles would be needed.

Soon, a gap opened behind the first line of losts that was charging against the elves in the vanguard, the tanks. Shields and mana barriers stopped the enemies, even though the elves were pushed back a few inches. Their momentum had been reduced by not counting on those which came behind. They had fallen due to the ranged attacks of the elves.

The first line's mission was to block them, to let them push each other. The mission of the rearguard was reducing the numbers of the enemies. They had to shoot at the mass of losts that seemed endless.

There were also offensive warriors, specialized in hand-to-hand combat. They took a step forward at the same time their companions took one step back, thus temporarily replacing them.

The warriors unleashed their attacks, with mainly swords, but also spears or axes. They took the losts by surprise, and were able to deliver the first blow. Every hit was always with a powerful skill that they had been preparing.

However, few enemies fell. They preferred to weaken them, mutilate them, leave them between themselves and the rest of the enemies. That way, there would be less pressure on the tanks for a while. Surely, their own corrupt companions would end up annihilating them. It would save the elves some work, and the losts would waste more energy.

"Switch!" the elf in charge of the vanguard yelled.

She was a red-haired elf named Caranlín. Although her level wasn't that high, she had experience in mass combat. She had miraculously survived months ago in an ambush by the losts. They had resisted with much inferior forces until reinforcements arrived. Eldi himself had been in that battle.

The warriors took a step back. The losts, which despite their wounds wanted to continue attacking the elves, suddenly found shields that blocked them.

Some elves were injured, although there were mostly scratches. For now, they wouldn't need treatment, except for a few who had been unlucky, or too reckless.

"Barrier 6!" a voice was heard at the same time a little further back.

Those in charge invoked wind spells to deflect the projectiles coming from the enemy side. For its part, Elendnas' group had stopped their offensive. They were waiting for the enemies to approach again, so they conserved strength and ammunition until they were within range. They weren't tired, but this battle would be long.

"Everyone shoot except group 2 and 8!" Goldmi's husband ordered again a little later.

The losts in front of those two groups were slower, and hadn't covered the gap left by the previous ones yet. That was a war of attrition, with an enemy far superior in number, but far inferior in organization. Although the generals could give orders, they weren't comparable to the veteran and expert commanders in front of them. Their soldiers, the losts, didn't respond to orders like the living ones either.

"How long will it take to assemble them?" the elf in charge asked the gnome engineers who had followed the elves.

There were hundreds of them assembling huge catapults. They had begun to rebuild them as soon as they had stopped to wait for the enemy.

"27 minutes and 43 seconds," the foreman assured with confidence.

The elf didn't say anything more. It was enough for her to be told half an hour, but she knew that those beings were perfectionists. Without a doubt, it would take exactly that long if there were no unforeseen events.

"You've already heard it. When there're 8 minutes and 16 seconds left, prepare the projectiles," she ordered another group of gnomes.

She would have said ten minutes, but the elf knew what they were like. She also knew that it was better to let them do the calculations. In fact, she had been assigned there because she was used to dealing with gnomes.

The projectiles didn't lose effectiveness for ten minutes after preparing them, and they needed the time she had indicated to prepare them. Those projectiles were delicate, but very effective.

With containers designed in collaboration with the gnomes themselves, specialized mages had poured their power into them. Then, those containers had been sealed and stored for when they were needed. Now, it was time.

In fact, Goldmi had been one of those mages. While she wasn't a mage, her power was adequate, so she had poured it every night into the assigned containers. Furthermore, unlike others, the elf could do it from home, since she could store them in her inventory. From time to time, she would travel through a Gate to deliver them.

In fact, the elf regretted not being able to see them in action. Nonetheless, she was hoping that one of her acquaintances would record it. Those catapults were behind all the groups. They were waiting for the opportunity to go into action, and give their enemies a nasty surprise.

Even further behind the catapults, huge military tents were being set up. Numerous spells were being cast to protect them, since nothing should attack them by surprise.

There, the troops had to rest, in purified areas without miasma, and with a high concentration of mana. There were also some specialized tents to treat the seriously injured.

They were essential equipment to face a long battle, where attrition was one of their worst enemies.