“Yes, sorry about my fit commander; it won’t happen again,” replied the captain ruefully. “I will get on with the story then.”
“Please, tell us everything. We will hold our questions until the end.”
“Right. We traveled about three miles into the forest heading directly east when we encountered a small meadow that had the most putrid smell emanating from it. By the time we reached the edge of the clearing, all three of us doubled over and lost complete control of our stomachs.”
“You three were…” started one of the soldiers. He caught the eye of the commander and quickly shut up.
“As I was saying, we were sick to our stomachs because there were dozens of dead wolves of every color strewn about the meadow floor. They had been pulverized and ripped to shreds like they were made of parchment. Something massive appeared to have killed the gigantic wolves and did so with relative ease,” he explained slowly. “While we were busy being sick, several of the massive wolves came into the clearing. We did not hear their approach because of the noises we were making. Once we did see them, they made a move to come at us. It was then that we heard a series of pounding like someone was hitting the ground with a large hammer. An unbelievably huge white bear came bursting into the meadow and smashed right into the smaller wolves.”
“What? You cannot be serious. The giant bears are only a myth,” retorted one of the soldiers in utter disbelief.
“Shut it!” ordered the commander briskly. “If the captain says that a huge white bear appeared, then a huge white bear did appear.”
“Thank you, sir. After the first white bear killed two of the wolves with a single blow from his gigantic paw, three more white bears joined the fray. Within a few moments, all of the wolves, which varied in their color and all of them were covered with blood prior to this attack, were dead. Then the bears turned and looked at us. So, we bowed to one knee to show them that we were grateful for their help and that we were humbled by their presence. The biggest white bear looked us straight in the eyes and nodded slightly. Then they took off in an eastward direction back into the forest.”
“So, the mythical bears of Tuwa have joined our side. Thank the gods! What happened after they left?” queried the commander gruffly. He had a feeling that what he was about to hear was not going to be pleasant, but he needed to hear it nonetheless. He nodded to the captain to continue his story.
“We fell back onto the ground for several minutes, being overwhelmed with everything that just took place. We could not believe our good fortune, so we just laid there feeling grateful as we looked to the heavens through the canopy of trees,” continued the captain. “When we were finally feeling relaxed laying there on the grass, we felt a menacing presence. One of the guys sat up to look around, and then he was seized violently by that massive black wolf that we all thought to be the leader. Thankfully he died instantly, and we froze while we lay on the ground. We could not move because of the sheer terror that had gripped our hearts. Once we came back to reality, we took off and ran as fast as we could back here. You saw what happened once we reached the barrier.”
“I do not want what I am about to say to be construed as a lack of empathy on my part,” Commander Brugon began. “These events have told us one very important thing. The ancient race of bears has come to the allies’ defense. I believe the scales of this war have tipped in our favor.”
All the soldiers within earshot shouted their approval of his remarks, including the exhausted captain. They had suffered horrific losses, but these terrible events had taken a turn for the better. The bears had come to help eradicate the wolf menace. The only problem with the situation was that no one could speak to the bears except for the druids and guardians. The men returned to their duties of repairing the smashed and burnt defenses of the beautiful elven capital. The sun shone brightly overhead as the soldiers busied themselves once again with the restoration of Tarisdell. They were all glad to be on this side of the elven barrier. Something they would not have thought a few months ago.
War
Lord Dukker calmly walked into the orc camps without anyone noticing him as he made his way toward the high elven camp. He was using a camouflage spell that made him blend in with his surroundings. He did not feel like talking with the orcs any time soon, in part because of his intense dislike for them and also because he needed to get back to his troops as soon as possible. The sooner we strike our enemy, the better. He picked up the pace as best he could on the rocky terrain of Nodin. He continued to think about the information he had gleaned from the silly druids and that one Elemental. He knew that if they could attack that night that they would most likely catch their enemies unaware.
As he entered the high elven encampment, he noticed that there was a small commotion at the center of the camp. He made his way deftly toward the frenzied activity. He had an idea of what was going on, so he broke into a silent run. As he approached the onlookers, he could see his massive steed, standing next to a camp fire. He must have been going crazy not knowing where I was all of this time. I think I will use him to help me make a spectacular return. He vaulted himself over the crowd and then jumped nimbly onto the back of the gigantic spider. He then let spell he had been using fizzle out. He appeared out of nowhere on the back of the fearsome spider.
“I’m back!” said the warlock menacingly. The crowd around him cheered loudly at his unexpected return.
“We are fortunate to have you back, my lord!” shouted one of the soldiers from the crowd.
“You are fortunate indeed. I want all of the captains to meet with me right now. The rest of you are dismissed,” ordered Dukker boorishly.
The crowd around the campfire vanished within a couple of minutes, leaving the gigantic spider alone with his master. Dukker slid down to the ground and began to pace while he waited patiently for the captains to show up. It is a good thing that none of the leaders were here gawking at the spider; at least they were where they should be. He saw a flicker of movement from just beyond the light of the fire. The captains remained outside the circle because of his beast’s presence. They did not care at all for the giant spider and loathed going near it. They are afraid of you; that is a healthy attitude to have. The dark wizard motioned for them to enter the light so that they could begin their meeting.
“I am pleased to see that you have been carrying on in the appropriate manner while I was gone gathering intelligence,” began Dukker stiffly.
“Excuse me, my lord, but we thought you were dead,” replied one of the captains a little more boldly than he had intended.
“Did you now,” replied the warlock Aellenas wickedly. He reached out to his spider’s mind and gave him some quick instructions. Like a flash of lightning, the spider seized the captain who had uttered the fatal question with a web blast. He quickly pulled the defenseless soldier toward his massive pincers. Dukker continued. “This should prove to be a warning to those who doubt me.” With that declaration, the beast tore the high elf in two by smashing his razor sharp pincers together. The giant spider then picked up both halves and stalked off into the darkness to liquefy and drain the lifeless body.
“We apologize for his rudeness, master. What have you learned?” queried the tallest high elven captain.
“Captain Linfilian, you were always good with words, and you are without a doubt the most intelligent soldier in this army. I hereby promote you to lieutenant. As your leader, you will now refer to me as your general, and Linfilian will be my right-hand man. The rest of you will be promoted to the rank of commander.”
“Thank you, General,” replied Lieutenant Linfilian with a bow. The commanders followed suit with a deep bow to their general.