Chapter Fifty-Four

June 2, 2012

 

4th of Haymonth

 

                After taking a moment to regroup, Ulric surveys the field.  He sees several groups of infantry battling several groups of ogres on one side, as well as several groups of cavalry fighting.  The right side, where Finn is commanding, is being effectively pushed back, while the left side is holding steady. 
                Ulric charges off screaming, "To glory!"  Another knight in friendly livery rides up by Sir Sebastian with a fresh horse.  He thanks the man and hops on quickly.
                "Where's Ulric going?"
                Sir Sebastian looks up after Ulric and answers, "Probably to kill something.  Let's join him!"  He spurs the horse onward and heads toward the ogres.
                As Ulric approaches the group, an orc seems to sense that he's coming and turns toward Alabaster, setting his shoulder and shield for the charge, and driving his spear into Alabaster's haunch.  She doesn't seem particularly hurt, but the quick stop is somewhat jarring.  Briggette is not far behind, and another orc attempts to slice into Chancellor's flank.  His barding deflects the blow, and both Briggette and Ulric manage to take out their attackers.  As they arrive, they see Finn standing in the center of a pile of dead orc bodies and embroiled in a fight with a large green ogre.  He yells out to the two, "I've killed it three times!  It just won't die!"
                Ulric charges into the center of the ogres, "Die, you half goblin sons of motherless donkey shite!"  None of them stop to fight him, so he steps up to one of them and lays into it fiercely.  He turns and takes out two more as they move off to fight others.  Suddenly, a bear is heard roaring from Ulric's general direction, and we see the sigil on his shield once again come to life.
                Meanwhile, Briggette charges the troll fighting Finn.  She lands a solid blow with her lance, and Finn follows that with another solid hit.  The troll falls.  She sees another ogre across the field mowing through some of our friendly soldiers, and she charges him.  She hits solidly, but he does not go down.  She wheels Chancellor around to strike him once more, but he has already closed the distance to attack her.  She misses, but Chancellor strikes it with his hooves, and bites it hard.  It survives this exchange--barely--and swings at Briggette, but her return blow finally sends him to his doom. 
                About that time, Sir Sebastian arrives on the scene and charges into one of the ogres, killing him instantly.  He attempts to charge one of the other ogres, but runs into Alabaster and Ulric on the way.  This breaks his charge, but doesn't cause any damage to himself or to Ulric.  Despite the interruption, Ulric manages to kill the ogre he'd been fighting.  Sebastian turns toward the orcs and begins to charge through, murdering them in short fashion.
                Several of the orcs surround Briggette, but she laughs off their numbers, attacking in succession and killing two of them nearly instantaneously.  The few remaining orcs begin to drop around them like flies, and Ulric gives a loud rallying cry.  The infantry on this side of the field turn and charge into the orcs on the other side.
                As Ulric and Briggette turn toward the battle, they see that the majority of our archers have broken ranks and are running toward the wall.  The remaining archers have circled up back to back and are fighting as best they can against the onslaught of orcs.  In the midst of the orcs, there is a large creature with a tower on its back.  It has two enormous front teeth and a strange long nose or tentacle coming from the center of the front of its face.  Its skin is leathery and grey and it has humongous feet that crush everything in its path.  It makes a loud noise from the tentacle and uses it to pick up and slam down foes in its way.  Inside the tower on its back, several archers are shooting at the men around its feet.
                As Ulric, Briggette and the remaining mounted forces turn toward the creature, they take a moment to stop and heal up.  Two orcs break from the group and charge toward the halted warriors, but Ulric handily disposes of the thiny threat.  They charge forward, directly toward the large beast.
                Boian, Brianna and I see the tide of battle turning far ahead of us.  We see this same beast tearing into our remaining archers and Briggette, Ulric and another knight charging toward it.  We break for the fight, but it will take us a while to reach them.
                As our knights charge, four orcs in front of the mammoth animal set their spears for the charge and attempt to hold the line in front of it.  Those four orcs are quickly sent to meet their maker.  Ulric rides right through the outlying orcs and slams into the monster.  Boian, Brianna and I reach the battle and join in the fight.  It takes quite a bit of work, but we manage to bring down the beast.  Ulric lands the fatal blow, burying Law's Claw in its thick hide up to its hilt.
                We continue to fight, felling several of the orcish archers and footmen until they break andd make for the woods.  Our men chase down and kill as many as possible as they leave the area.