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Saturday, November 16, 2019

Before the Teniim Alliance

Will she ever stop messing with monsters, and other humanoids? He thought to himself thinking of his former lover who was a Bard, Former Minstrel, Tavern Wench, Rogue, Acrobat,and a former spy for a wealthy Noble House. It had been a month since they moved out from civilization. As a Teniim Elf Gray "Montis" Toros Yingella chose to be a Warden after spending ten years as a Rogue. Before that during his youth up to adulthood Toros became a Scout Archer then upgraded to Flank Guard. That is when he met her and left his post to become a Rogue like her. He did not mind her being with others yet after spending years together she did not settle down like he had hoped. The last he saw her was at the main road tavern hall where she quit being a Rogue. Now he was a Warden, which made him an elite in the Kimur Elf military hierarchy.

Toros was only a year in the new position when he got drafted for a new "expedition" into the lands of Kashmanol. When he first heard about this, he believed the tribes up north were attacking. Those beliefs changed as his unit marched westward. Their neighbor to the south joined them, armed with guns. Kimur also chipped in on the arms race for modern weapons like firearms, muskets, and rifles. Dorovine modernized most of their military, but kept traditional weapons. As he marched with other elites in his unit rumors about a new enemy surfaced. Many of the tribes and orcs of Kashmanol held this new threat at bay. The Dorovine Elves managed to enlist the help of an Orc Confederacy. Many Orc nations, or confederacies of Kashmanol were fairly peaceful towards other kingdoms for these past few centuries. Like Kimur, Dorovine, and the other elf kingdom-states these Orcs coped with the threat of other races. Entire tribes of Gnolls, Lizard Folk, some Uxane in the southern borders, and the Snow Elves of the North. Another race threatened everyone known as the Kuruks, a larger looking Orc and Ogre breed with horns. They appeared more demon like than Orcish, and are violent towards enemies or outsiders.

Thinking of these enemies Toros recalled the past when Orcs, and Goblins were enemies of the Teniim Elves. During this day in age most Orcs became civilized in this area, and made peace. Near the borders of the Orcish Confederacy Kimur, and Dorovine Forces met with a larger force of Orcs. Four units of Archers, Eight full units of infantry/ swordsmen, Eleven units of Rifle Gunslingers, and a single unit of elite warriors makes up Three thousand and four hundred seventy armed Teniim Elves. As for the Orc Confederacy three missile units archers, skirmishers, Javelin throwers, two full units of infantry, and warriors make up eighteen thousand nine hundred well armed Orcs. It made their coalition army well over twenty thousand strong, which was good according to their leaders. Toros watched the landscape that bordered their enlarged encampment. His own unit had a special place in the fortified encampment, which he found uncomfortable for some reason. Yet he coped with that as he scanned the trees, and fields laid out before him. On top of a hill the Teniim elf spotted movement. At first he assumed it was a deer or a heard when a large grouping of figures emerged into view. He quickly warned the encampment as bells rang throughout the encampment signalling the enemy was here.

Every member of their coalition including the leaders rallied to their front defenses. A force of six thousand foes headed their way in haste. Toros looked ahead spotting another group that had stopped and disappeared in the tall grass. He turned to an Orc next to him named Gorn Dura Freehands, a female Orc who led a patrol behind Kashmanol League lines. Toros was curious about the Orcs holding the invaders back. She explained how tribes, kingdoms, clans, and many city-states banded together. It was at the first sign of these invaders as well. She claimed 569,489 and more Orcs are standing their ground against the invader. This Dura boasted that all over the south Kashmanol Orcs were rallying to hold back the enemy. She did not say anything else to him as she notched an arrow. Toros did the same as did all archers in their army.

More than a thousand loosed arrows rained down on the six thousand force. Their first volley was followed by the volley of two thousand rifles and muskets firing into the enemy ranks. He notched another arrow along side the rest of the archers and released it with the second volley. A third volley of arrows was showered down on the first enemy force they encountered. Four volleys devastated the six thousand reducing it to barely a thousand or less. Sending the rest routing the Teniim Elves, and Orcs cheered over the victory of the day. Toros looked at Dura who guessed that force had broken through their lines. There were more than five hundred thousand at first. Those who fought against the invaders first for Kashmanol must have died, were wounded, or pushed back. For nearly a month the Orc Confederacy saw thousands of wounded warriors be sent in wagon loads to the healers of Kyria. It was a long way to go resulting many deaths from wounds they received at the front. Most of the camp went to sleep, leaving the night sentries keep watch.

Toros woke up before the crack of dawn for his day time watch over the landscape. However as an elite elf warrior Toros was tasked to check on the corpses from yesterday. With his other fellow elites, and 100 young elf recruits, Toros marched down expecting to find survivors and to run into a trap among the dead. A mixture of various races lay among the dead. Arrows and bullets punctured races such as renegade Orcs, those reptilian Troglodytes, violent Gnolls, Horned Kuruks, Outlaw Goblins, Human Brigands, Ogre-Trolls, underground monsters, Dark Warriors of some Villain up north beyond Kashmanol, and alien humanoids he had never seen. Many of these aliens appeared to have been cut off from their own factions. Others held the look of hired mercenaries. Winged Dragon Warriors lay among them as well with armor on their wings. He found one still struggling to live with two arrows in its torso and chest. Not thinking about Toros ended its life when a force of four hundred emerged from the grass. Toros and other elves drew swords bracing for the ambushing enemy.

Whoever was closer to the ambush rushed to a larger grouping of Elves who stood their ground. A few Teniim warriors had to fight to get away. One very young Elf Male with charcoal hair in a pony tail was caught. The enemy swarmed him. Toros watched them beat the youth into the ground. As he prepared to hold his ground he spotted the rest of the enemy force hiding behind the grass, and a patch of trees. His attention returned to the ambushing enemy. Unsheathing his Sabre Toros sliced open a brigand's bowels before cutting a Goblin down. Fellow Elf Brethren cut down their foes as they came within blade's length of their positions. Although they outnumbered the Elf Force the attackers hardly stood a chance. More corpses added to the carnage from the day before. From the flanks three forces came on behalf of the Teniim Soldiers. Once force made up of 505 Orcs, another had 385, and the third was the force he saw running from the enemy.

Toros turned to an officer who he knew well and nodded. The officer nodded in return and blew a whistle for the Elf force to pull back to their lines. One hundred sixty-nine Teniim Warriors raced back to camp leaving their allies to wipe out the enemy. Running back to camp would appear foolish to some, but brilliant to others. Skills of Elite warriors of Teniim had the mindset to stand against impossible odds. Toros knew this well, but their mission was to check the dead, and they did just that. He turned around to watch their allies slaughter the remaining forces of the six thousand. The three forces of Orcs marched back to their lines. He kept looking over at the smaller force who ran from the larger one. It consisted 353 knights, warriors, and gladiators with Orcish appearances who pulled back from the front to reinforce them. A small force was not much, yet these were Orcs. Those involved in this day's fighting received the rest of the day to rest. Every member of the new force were given food and space within the encampment.

A full day passed with hardly any action other than refugees fleeing the front line. It could only be estimated hundreds of thousands of Orc civilians in each mass leaving their homes. Nothing was sadder than watching these refugees flee the invasion, which would reach other lands east of them. One group of refugees marched close to their camps hoping they would be of some protection during their flight in case the invaders pursued. Many of the Orcs handed weapons to the strongest looking females among them. Toros noticed those weapons were from the dead invaders they killed. Each weapon handed to those refugees was meant for protection. Some Orc children chased some of the younger Elves playfully until their mothers or older siblings called them back to the fold. A sight like that eased the pain in the hearts of the defenders and boosted spirits of those who watched. From some of the refugees they learned more Orcs were pulling back, others taken prisoner, and many more either surrendered or died in battle. A few spoke of desertion, and defection to fight in other lands for these invaders in the name of higher glory.

Just one day after the refugees passed them another force of Orcs came from the front. Approximately 1, 187 Orc fighters came towards them from the north showing signs of defeat. Their leaders said they had to pull back to save what was left. More Orcs were doing the same thing. Shortly after the new arrivals from the north another force of enemies could be seen. Toros warned his fellow warriors of the enemy heading this way. He kept his eyes on the enemy who had another force in the south. Squinting his eyes Toros took a better look at the southern force. He knew it would a day or two before they came close. During those days their leaders had them prepare more defenses, and sent out couriers. Stragglers, and smaller bands of warriors came to them or made their way to the Kyrian healers well behind their lines.

On the second day of their preparations Toros counted 9000 enemies heading their way with another force behind them. This other force consisted of ten thousand. He glanced towards the south where he could tell the Orcs were retreating in force. About 10, 404 Orcs of Kashmanol had pulled back from the front. They were followed by 12, 150 enemies who were in turn avoided by a smaller force in the distance. Each of those forces were far away and they had another enemy force to deal with. He saw the gap in Kashmanol lines had widened, and more had opened. To the elves and Toros this meant the enemy may invade their lands if Kashmanol falls. He watched all forces move around as his own hands notched an arrow preparing for another fight. Out of the corner of his left eye he noticed the Orcs managed to shake the pursuing enemy and united with the smaller force of 4, 150 Orcs who also pulled back. Toros kept looking ahead to see if there were more forces marching this way. That is when something flew towards them. To his surprise a large bat looking creature flapped its wings while heading towards them. It gave some a great startle as at least one ran off screaming like a woman.

This bat creature perched itself on a shield on a staff in the ground. It called out to their leaders for a few seconds before an Orc grabbed it. Gasping for air the bat tried to give a message. Claiming to the be enemy messenger this bat tried to charm its way out of the Orc's grip. To its misfortune it did not work and it was still in the Orc's grip. A War Leader came to the front as the scene drew a crowd. He forced the other Orc to release the bat messenger who thanked the Leader for saving him. All the bat messenger said to them was for them to surrender and the Elves to go home. They refused the offer of surrender choosing to resist the invaders. The bat messenger scowled at this answer and flapped off to his own camp with Elves and Orcs cheering behind him.

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