Chapter 18: The Battle of Kulendra!
-----Sol now marched along between two large hobgoblin bodyguards wearing the same dark armor as their chief. They occasionally looked at Sol and snarled although somewhat in low tones. Morosh continued to lead the entire troop forward and Sol could only guess what was going on in the Chieftain’s mind as the Gorian could only look at Morosh’s huge back plate.
-----At a steady walking pace, they left the village square, moving between smaller structures and vacant homes. The fires from the center of the village were now at their backs and for Sol it was now becoming difficult to see where they were making for.
-----As the army came out onto a large open field, Sol could suddenly see off to the southwest, perhaps a hundred yards, fires of another settlement. This could without a doubt only be the orcish mining operation. The glint of the fires could be seen twinkling off the river nearby. Still at this distance, Morosh’s army was under cover of darkness.
-----At this point, the army slowed and Morosh sent for the Captain of the troop carrying swords and bows. After conferring with the captain, hobgoblins were sent out as scouts. Morosh had said to find the best approach to Cruesh’s tent.
-----As Sol looked skyward, he only saw the darkness of the clouds.
-----Ulthang was silent during the march, though each time one of Morosh's bodyguards grumbled in his direction, the commander turned to look at the offending hogoblin, offering only an evil mocking smile, or dismissive disdain altogether.
-----In a strange way, Sol looks forward to the coming immediate conflict. With this fight, he would not have to fear who fell by his side, nor did he particularly care who ended up winning. The Gorian also takes comfort in the presence of the cloud cover, and upon looking to the heavens, he briefly swells in pride at the chaos this night would bring to the evil ones. Under his breath, Sol mouths a prayer to Strator, dedicating the coming clamour of furious battle in his lord's name.
-----Time passes as the troop awaits the return of its scouts. In the meantime, Sol is basically ignored for the moments that he mediates on the Rager. The soldiers around him seem motionless; their squinting eyes narrowed on the far distant activity by the river.
-----Soon, however, the scouts return with good news. It is reported to Morosh that the orcish chieftain is in his tent with only a handful of guards by his tent. The one the orcs called their witch doctor had been spotted moving through their camp.
-----Looking around at his captains, and at Ulthang, Morosh growls in rough common, “Cruesh and his guards must die. Slay the magic using orc. Once the leaders are slain, surround the orcs by the river. They must surrender to me.”
-----“Will we kill them later?” one of the bodyguards asks him.
-----“No,” Morosh almost roars, “Once they surrender, we still need them to drive the humans.”
-----Sol then hears Morosh give orders to the scouts to lead the troop around to the orcish encampment. So begins a careful lurching stride off to the north away from the river through the darkness. Across the grassy plain they move and soon the troop veers ever so slightly to the northwest and then finally in a western direction. All the time it seems so dark beyond the light of the river operation that Sol can only keep his eyes on the hobgoblin chieftain before him. About a quarter of a mile to the north of the river, Sol begins to make out the low campfires among a sort of tent village.
-----As they move closer and closer no alarm is raised. Sol can now tell that it is obviously some humanoid rabble that inhabits this foul encampment. Even the crude tents seemed grimed and slimed with filth and its smell is carried on the smoky air from the fires.
-----Now Morosh begins to occasionally motion to some in the troop to spread out and a few small groups look ready to attack the encampment from different points. Suddenly, the chieftain growls lowly to the scout in front of him and Sol finds himself carried along as Morosh and his bodyguards begin to rush forward.
-----The hobgoblins still remain quiet as they rush by row after row of tents. Somewhere off to each side, Sol can now hear shouting, screams and quick sounds of fighting. The Gorian can envision the hobgoblin soldiers racing up on unsuspecting orcs and finishing them as quick as possible. Suddenly, the tents ahead of Morosh and his scout thin out and before them stands a larger tent with a collection of about six large orcs guarding it. The orc guards are already alerted to the sounds of fighting and dying in their camp and stand ready with spears in hand.
-----Morosh motions and a few of his own bodyguards ran forward to attack the guards. The chieftain himself then follows them, intent on charging the tent.
-----Sol also rushes forwards, sword raised as he targets one of the larger orcs guarding the tent. His first couple of swings are targeted unusually. They swing low, aiming to rake across his opponents’ gut, so they'd be unlikely to kill it. Instead, the Gorian wants his foe screaming in absolute pain, a common reaction to gut wounds. Agonized calls should be enough to rouse the camp in entirety. Only then will the warrior aim to kill his foe efficiently.