El-Vador's Travels Read Online Free Page B

get too close to the archers in the woods.
    They
had dispatched of the scouts and foragers that the Orcs had sent
ahead to warn of an encroaching Elven presence. Unless the men on the
palisade raised an alarm at the birdsong they would be entirely
unprepared for an attack.
    A
final call went out through the forest, that was the signal that the
hidden archers had been waiting for from their vantage point. Now the
arrows would shoot up from the clearings and strike deep into the
heart of the Orcish encampment. Then it would be Cusband's time to go
to work.
    The
arrows burst out of the forest almost soundlessly, arcing their way
toward the fort in a steady stream that bypassed the palisade walls
entirely.
    Cusband
peered out of the trees, something was wrong. There were few cries
from the Orcish horde, he had expected the wave of arrows to have
caused far more casualties than that.
    Then
he saw them, a line of Orcs yielding axes and charging directly
toward the growth he had hidden himself in. Somehow they had known
the attack had been coming.
    As
much as Cusband despised these green-skinned enemies, he still had to
respect them as warriors on the field of battle. The scrawny Goblins
might have cried out in alarm initially, but they began shooting well
before the few cries that were emitted had ceased. The Orcish front
line had been prepared and lurking out of sight, now they hurried
forward in the hopes of catching the Elven archers and butchering
them. A horn sounded from the fort, spurring on their efforts.
    What
they hadn't been banking on was the likes of Cusband.
    Before
the Goblins and Orcs outside the encampment reached their target of
the Elven archers, Cusband and his fellow foot soldiers swept out to
meet them. A large Orc thrust at Cusband in surprise. He parried the
spearhead aside with his shield and thrust the point of his axe up
into his opponent's jaw. Blood sprayed and spurted, splashing Cusband
in the face. Roaring in triumph, the forester pressed on.
    He
might have been hewing firewood in the forest rather than Orcs on the
battlefield. One after another, they fell before him like so many
twigs and branches. Certainly they were better armoured than the
trees he faced daily, yet even the strongest armour could not help
but be breached by the wide swathes of his axe.
    Forward
then, ever forward. Cusband waded into the press of green flesh. An
arrow ricocheted off the head of his axe, harmlessly bouncing off his
leg and impeding him not. Another volley from the forest silenced the
Orcish archers for a while longer.
    He
tore through the chaos toward one of the gateways in the palisade. If
they could trap the remaining Orcs inside as they fell back in
disorder, they could end this attempted occupation here and now.
    'To
the gate!' he roared at the men who stayed with him. 'Secure the
gateway!'
    On
they came, smiting and shouting, goal clearly in sight now.
    The
resistance they faced continued to give ground. A few Goblins were
routed, fleeing the battlefield in the vain hope that they could
escape. To the enemy's credit, the majority of their soldiers fought
until their dying breath.
    In
the red rage of battle, Cusband cared nothing for the seemingly
endless supply of foes pouring out of the gateways. The more enemies
he had to face him the more he could dispatch with his axe and the
more his thirst for vengeance would be sated. He chopped down another
foe with ease, clearly the Orcs had sent the bulk of their best force
against them already. The gate, was very close now and in spite of
the influx of numbers they were not overwhelmed. He blazed onward,
fuelled by his rage, not willing to cease until every Goblin and Orc
lay dead at his feet.

    'By the blue hells!' exclaimed Gurgash, ducking under the palisade
as the arrows came flying in.
    'Mother preserve us.' Harg replied in agreement, weapon already in
hand. 'You were right, they were out there this whole time.'
    'Protect the gateway!' bellowed their commanding