With the thief safely stowed away for the time being Alex thanked the magus, and unless there was anything else the woman wanted to add she would take her momentary leave. Ariandre was still shackled, a precaution to give Melody an easier time dealing with the woman if for some reason she needed to enter the makeshift cell, and Alex herself still held the key to the shackles to help discourage any escape attempts. Hopefully the precautions wouldn't be needed.
Once their captive was secured and the two were nearly on their way Alex would pause. Aes was looking rather troubled and disturbed, and that just wouldn't do. To solve this little problem the dragon simply spun the angel around to face her, and then she braced her Mate by the cheeks and gave her a gentle, lingering kiss. It was only when she felt some of the tension leave the former demon that she would break the small embrace, and once she did she still cradled the woman's head before asking a simple question. "Better?"
When it came time to find Ria they did so back at the bar. The oni looked bored out of her mind, so Alex solved this problem by nearly throwing her baby into the massive woman's arms. "Hey, got a question. You ever meet anyone by the name of Ariandre?"
Fight Stats
100 militia, 100 lightly armed levy troops
4 catapults
150 Red Crow Mercenaries
20 golems
VS
300 orcs, "mostly cavalry and heavy infantry"
2 dragons
1 shaman
Aescila followed Alex from the mage's tower with her arms crossed over her chest and a stiffness to her stride, the discontent in her head plain to see in her posture. She was so caught up in her thoughts that when Alex suddenly rounded on her she initially stiffened more. The gentle cupping of her cheeks and delicate kiss gradually caused her stiffness to melt, and when the dragoness was content that her Mate had calmed she would find Aes grinning softly at her. "Better," she agreed, and from then on followed Alex with her usual strut.
Ria caught and cradled Anowyn somewhat clumsily, causing the infant to awaken and begin the initial stutters of what might have been a serious bout of crying if the oni hadn't begun tickling her with a single fattened finger. "Uhhh... Ariandre? Doesn't sound too familiar. Why?" She replied, glancing up from the squirming child to look up at Alex.
"I caught her looting the abandoned smith's. I was going to hand her over to the militia, but then Turoc showed up. Right now she's sitting over in the tower in a makeshift cell. Trying to figure out what to do with her." The woman needed to be punished in some form, something that would satisfy the conditions she gave Turoc. But after that Alex was at a loss. Keeping the woman here would just be wrong considering the battle that's ready to take place. Recruiting her for the war effort was nothing but a fancy, and simply releasing her would give her the chance to simply turn around and loot some other place before she disappeared. Perhaps she could become an escort for the last of the refugees. That would negate her chance to steal anything else, and if she was as skilled at evasion as she said then maybe the woman could help lead those refugees to safety.
Fight Stats
100 militia, 100 lightly armed levy troops
4 catapults
150 Red Crow Mercenaries
20 golems
VS
300 orcs, "mostly cavalry and heavy infantry"
2 dragons
1 shaman
"Heh... Caught yourself a thief huh? Glad I got on your good side," Ria remarked mirthfully, "she a cat? I always wanted me a pet cat thief! Think o' the joke potential there!"
Despite her jovial remark, the oni would simply shrug after Alex reaction, Aescila merely offering a sigh and a roll of her eyes. "Who's Turoc, and why should yeh care 'bout some pickpocket not ending up in his or her clutches?"
"Not a cat, but she is Amazonian. And she did try to jump out of a window to escape. And she did try to kick her away through my wrist. Definitely has claws.
"Turoc is..." How was she going to put this? Might as well go with the truth. But before that she made sure Dan was out of earshot before leaning in to answer. "Turoc's the leader of the Red Crows. And complete scum. You saw how bad Roko was, right? Well Turoc is currently running around with one of Roko's finger bones braided into his beard."
Fight Stats
100 militia, 100 lightly armed levy troops
4 catapults
150 Red Crow Mercenaries
20 golems
VS
300 orcs, "mostly cavalry and heavy infantry"
2 dragons
1 shaman
"Through!? Through yer wrist!?" She eyed Alex's hands for a moment before deciding that both of them were still entirely attached. "Well... Sort of surprised she ain't crispy in that case..."
Her explanation as to whom Turoc was prompted a pair of dark demon-orc eyebrows to rise above her hairline, though she seemed less horrified and more surprised. "Well... He sounds like a right piece of work... Guess ye don't want him adding to his collection eh?"
"Well I was dangling her out of a second story window by the ankle at that point. She couldn't really do much more than kick me as hard as she could. I was about to slam her against the wall, but Aes stepped in and got her to stop."
Ria's reaction to the truth about Turoc was a bit surprising, but Alex rolled with it. No need getting any more worked up. "Definitely not. It's not all I want, but I can't get into it with him right now. He may end up being the only thing standing between the town and the invasion."
Fight Stats
100 militia, 100 lightly armed levy troops
4 catapults
150 Red Crow Mercenaries
20 golems
VS
300 orcs, "mostly cavalry and heavy infantry"
2 dragons
1 shaman
The mental imagery that Alex' explanation inspired caused Ria to grin, but she seemed content to let the matter of how she'd caught the thief end there.
"Seems about the sum of it," the oni replied simply, "can't pick whose on yer side when it comes to war all the time. Them mercenaries dessert for you killin their captain - or worse, turn on the town lookin fer payback - and we'd best just greet the orcs naked an' on our knees, wavin our backsides. Ye wanna kill him when it's over?"
"Yes and no. I definitely want some form of vengeance on what he did, but the Crows are all this town has. Even if we manage to repel this one force that doesn't mean another won't show up. And if I act out it won't reflect well on the local lord." That obviously meant Akorvick, and she already knew how everyone felt about showing that man respect. But it was necessary as part of her upbringing and as a means to keep some form of authority in a town on the front line. But gods was it all frustrating. Alex herself needed to lean back against the bar and let out a heavy sigh over everything that was happening. So many stresses were starting to mount, and even after that massive orgy she still couldn't bring herself to relax. Maybe it would be easier once she decided to actually sleep.
Fight Stats
100 militia, 100 lightly armed levy troops
4 catapults
150 Red Crow Mercenaries
20 golems
VS
300 orcs, "mostly cavalry and heavy infantry"
2 dragons
1 shaman
"Yeh mean big brother?" Ria replied dryly, "who gives a shit what he has problems with? Aren't ya plannin on putting him in his place too?" Aescila, who had simply listened silently up until that point, interjected; "We don't want to cause problems with the locals either, Alex is right. These are hardly the only orcs in the world, and this is a prime route towards Therion. Ochre needs to be defended, and right now the Red Crows and Akorvick are pretty much the only option for that."
Ria simply shrugged and leaned back as well, still carefully cradling Anowyn. "Well... Sure. Still... How yah gonna go about it then? Got a plan?"
"Right now my only plan is to corner him alone and demand he return what he stole from Roko. If he refuses it gives me the right to challenge him for it. I may not even need him to be alone for that. A few credible witnesses would give that challenge more authority."
Fight Stats
100 militia, 100 lightly armed levy troops
4 catapults
150 Red Crow Mercenaries
20 golems
VS
300 orcs, "mostly cavalry and heavy infantry"
2 dragons
1 shaman
"Mmm.... Well, can't say for sure how that'll go... Or how credible I'd be, but if'n ye want me at yer back you know I'll be there. What about big brother though? Got a plan for payback on him?"
"For him... First, get through this battle. Second, find some resolution between you and him. Third, a straight challenge. He probably knows something like that is coming. As for the challenge itself... Before I issue it there are some things I need to know. Some very personal things. Once I have some answers I'll decide how far I'm willing to take it."
Fight Stats
100 militia, 100 lightly armed levy troops
4 catapults
150 Red Crow Mercenaries
20 golems
VS
300 orcs, "mostly cavalry and heavy infantry"
2 dragons
1 shaman
"Makes sense to me!" Ria replied once Alex had laid out her plan, and Aescila nodded in agreement. Then, however, a silence fell on the table. Dingroria began to fidget, and Aes started tapping her foot. "So... What now? Starting teh get a little antsy. Always do before a big fight."
"I'm not sure." Alex had added her own little bit of a fidget, mainly in the tip of her tail starting to thrash back and forth in irritation. That had been going on for some time, but with a question in mind she started pondering. "As best I see it we have two options. We can try to relax, let ourselves recover so we can go into this thing at full strength, or we can try to work and burn through our anxiety. Right now Aes and I desperately need to get some rest, but after that I think I'm gonna start training, maybe even do so with some of the militia. I've been feeling kinda lazy lately, and I need to get out of that habit before I throw myself into a battle." And some of her skill may actually rub off on the conscripts. Even if they only pick up a trick or two anything would help prepare them for what they're about to face.
Fight Stats
100 militia, 100 lightly armed levy troops
4 catapults
150 Red Crow Mercenaries
20 golems
VS
300 orcs, "mostly cavalry and heavy infantry"
2 dragons
1 shaman
"Think I'll take a walk then, burn off some energy," Ria said, rising. After a second she held out Anowyn, offering her back to Alex, "don't worry, I'll keep away from the tomb. After that... I dunno, maybe I'll get some sleep. Don't think the local militia would appreciate me as much as you, tryin ta help 'em get their act together and whatnot."
With that she would simply make to depart, and Aes would rise as well. "Shall we be off to take a nap then?" She suggested, and with a wink added; "And only a nap this time~" Should Alex pronounce herself done with sitting at the bar, her Mate would lead her towards the stairs and ultimately up to their bedroom. Aes would keep her word, although she would strip to the skin so that they could lie down and prompt Alex to do the same. Her molestation would start and stop with a simple massage before they laid down, however, and they would be allowed to drift off without interruption.
A few hours later, presumably dressed once more and possibly in her armor, Alex would find the training fields easily enough. Unfortunately, Turoc's insulting approximations of the abilities of the militia and levies was sadly fairly accurate. Everard and his sergeants were doing what they could, but even the militia - mostly hunters, town guards and retired men at arms who had at least a bit of training or experience in the use of arms - were fairly disorganized and most didn't have the best of form. One unit, comprised of a few town guardsmen and former mercenaries, looked fairly decent, but the other nine squads still needed a bit of work if they were to be whipped into shape.
The levies, in contrast, were an embarrassment. They were tradesmen and farmers, masons and ranchers. It was clear that not a one of them knew how to use the spears they were carrying, nor were they moving well in formation. A charge from an orc warband would annihilate them while barely slowing down, especially with knightly support, and given that they had only a few days to train them that likely wouldn't change nearly enough. The ones given bows were a bit better, they at least had the ability to form into a line and fire at mostly the same time, but most of them couldn't even hit the targets much less the important parts of them.
Roko at least had found a use for some of them, putting the levies to use in the operation of the siege engines. The men he'd chosen, all farms or masons by the look of them, were strong enough to do the work of moving the catapults and their ammunition, though they couldn't spare any of it for test firing given how little they had on hand. Where they failed was when pressure was applied, as they seemed to panic easily and stopped following commands, though Roko was trying to whip them into shape.
One of the biggest problems came in the form of the officers, unfortunately. Everard, Roko, and Turoc were all doing fine, and while the latter was harsh he was also a professional soldier. The rest of the squads were led by Everard's second hand man - another former mercenary of some sort, a hunter who was handling the levies being trained as ranged support, two other Red Crows, and then it seemed that whoever had been in the town guard had been made a sergeant for militia or levies. The common troops among the levies didn't seem content to listen to a bare-faced boy just because he'd joined the guard, and even the more seasoned guardsmen were quite obviously out of their element when it came to leadership and training others in the art of combat.
Time was of the essence if the locals were to be worked into a state in which the orcs wouldn't simply slaughter their defenders. Aes had taken off to go and spy on the orcs when they left the inn, but if their previous pace held the estimation had been that they would enter the valley somewhere around early evening tomorrow. Alex had the rest of the day, only a few hours before dusk, and then tomorrow morning before the ambush she'd planned to eliminate the biggest threats among the orcish ranks would have to be enacted.
There was nothing further for Alex to add, so she simply accepted Anowyn and bid Ria farewell before returning to their room and once again putting the baby down for some rest. The massage that followed was accepted, Alex even felt a measure of arousal creeping back into her exhausted body, but it was far from enough to keep her from simply cuddling alongside her Mate and taking a much needed nap.
When they awoke it was off to the training grounds. Alex entered on her own, Aes taking leave to spy on the orcs while Ria simply didn't with to get in the way, and that left the dragoness to assess what she found. And it was lacking. The militia and the levies were just as bad as Turoc said, the lack of training so painfully obvious that it actually hurt a bit to watch these people stumble over each other. Those with some martial training were obviously trying their damnedest to turn that around, but given what was coming the effort needed to be made. So Alex leapt right in. As she moved around she offered what bits of advice she could, small nuggets of battle wisdom that would enhance whatever meager skills she saw and hopefully cover for some of the flaws she found, and she even went so far as to offer herself as the villain in a few mock battles to give the individual squads a chance to put their talents to the test.
But as the day was coming to an end one thing stood out. They lacked leadership. That wasn't to say there weren't any. The commanders were proving quite adept, Turoc himself showing why he led the Crows, but when it came down to the individual squads the appointed lieutenants left much to be desired. A number of them were barely trained themselves, one of them little more than a fresh recruit, and it showed in how their squad responded. Some couldn't hold themselves together. Others were prone to panic. The ones assigned to the fresh-faced lad looked ready to do their own thing simply because he didn't look the part of a leader.
So when it was time to head home Alex gathered them all together. Those that looked overwhelmed, those that proved ineffective, those who held no respect, they were all taken aside. That's when she started drilling into them. It wasn't overtly harsh, but it was evident that she was not pleased with the performances she had seen. And most of it boiled down to a lack of guidance. So she was going to light a fire under their asses. She was going to lay into them, browbeat them, even go as far to cuff a few if they seemed distracted or morose. Why? Because she need that from them. They needed to get their own fire burning. They needed to show some spine and stand up for themselves. They needed to show that they had the confidence to take lead, because if they didn't then their men would be slaughtered. If they couldn't pull their squads together then they would simply fall apart when the fighting started, and any trained warriors would pick them apart as they scattered. And that was the greatest problem she'd seen when facing the orcs. Too many times she had seen men simply break. That sent their lines to crumbling, and that let the greenskins completely overwhelm what remained with sheer brute power. The only hope the levies had to keep that from happening was to stay together and watch each others backs, and the only way they would do so in battle was to have some strong presence keeping them in place. That's why the lieutenants were needed, and that's why Alex wanted them to show some damned strength.
Hopefully the kick in the pants would get those men to take charge because she didn't have time to sit around and watch them. The day came to an end, a moment was taken to clear what little bit of corruption she could, and when it was time to rise Alex started making preparations. First she made sure someone would be near for Anowyn, and that meant Angelle was stuck on baby duty for the rest of the day. Then it was time to gather everyone involved in the ambush together. They need time to set up and iron out any problems that rose once they got into position, and given exactly how Alex wanted to surprise the dragons she would need to take flight and be in position before the enemy arrived. That would leave little time in the morning to train or even see if her efforts with the squad leaders were taking root, so all she could do was hope she reached at least some of them before she needed to get herself ready.
But she did take the time to do one thing. Akorvick had left to keep his own watch over the orcs as they approached, and she doubted he and Aes would have taken the time to meet let alone coordinate. So she made sure she had his attention and went over their plans. When one of the dragons were killed by either her brother or herself those massive bodies were to be put to use. They would be thrown at the shaman, or at least pushed to crash either on top of or nearby the man, and in whatever confusion that caused Dingroria would have an easier time reaching her target. If everything went according to plan the sudden surprise at seeing the dragons slaughtered would prove just as useful, and everyone could get in and out before the enemy had time to react. There was no telling how the actual ambush would actually play itself out, but there was no point in worrying about it now. If a problem rose up then she just had to deal with it.
Fight Stats
100 militia, 100 lightly armed levy troops
4 catapults
150 Red Crow Mercenaries
20 golems
VS
300 orcs, "mostly cavalry and heavy infantry"
2 dragons
1 shaman
While she might have been given a degree of deferment from the head of the militia, Alex's efforts didn't always see immediate acceptance from the various militia groups she set about trying to assist. While that might not be surprising - even in Crolia women and nonhumans weren't always completely tolerated in positions of authority - it slowed things down in a predictably irksome manner. It took a bit of stern talking to cow them into working with her, and some seemed uncomfortable with her advice. The whole of her efforts took more time and energy than they needed to overall, but were nonetheless successful in at least getting them to listen and put a bit more energy into hopefully more effective training. A few started to do a bit better at the drills, at least. No one who accepted her offer at a mock combat did well against her except for the group led by Everrard and the groups led by the Red Crow members, particularly Turoc's who managed to encircle her while four kept her moving in any direction they wished with careful prods with their spears. Coordination took some time, however, and to expedite that process she needed to work on the officers rather than just the groups of enlisted me.
When she'd managed to gather the men acting as squad leaders who weren't adept at their positions, the troublesome ones having been quite evident from when she'd been trying to train them in groups, Alex would find her progress as frustrating as she'd been led to believe going into her gathering of the problem officers. While many seemed hungry for any advice they could get, some simply refused outright to listen to her, considering the whole exercise a waste of their time and requiring severe browbeating to even remain and take her pointers. And then, some of those still didn't seem to take her advice even then, requiring additional grumbled berating. Some others who did seem open - particularly the young man - seemed so hopeless that anything she said, whether delivered kindly or with a cuff to the back of the head, would only serve to make them appear even more out of their element. A particularly fierce bout of effort reduced a man to tears.
Still, she did manage to motivate about half of them to a satisfactory degree, and instill in them a few ideas on how to properly organize their underlings. If nothing else, they could try to copy her demeanor when she was drilling them to turn around and drill the men and women who were supposed to be under them.
All in all, it certainly wasn't a complete waste - she had definitely done some good - but it wasn't a resounding success either. Perhaps some of what she'd said would sink in, but one couldn't instill skills and will earned over years and decades of pure experience in the matter of a few minutes, or hours, or even days. There was almost no way that the levies would be ready to face an orc warband in a fair fight in the time left to them to prepare, even with Alex' full attention directed at them, and they wouldn't even have that much given what she had to do the next day. Need and reassurance might motivate them to do their best, but sometimes a person's best still wasn't enough, and if such proved the case here...
Still, the valley would take time to cross for the larger force heading towards them, giving them at least two more days to ready themselves to defend their town, and after darkness fell things broke up to allow people to rest, leaving Alex to do the same. After another night of cuddling with her Mate - Aescila had reported that she hadn't seen anything unusual among the orcs but also hadn't risked getting closer than she had to - it was time for their final preparations for the planned ambush. The orcs would be crossing into the valley around mid day, and the Red Crow contingent of the ambush had already left to take up positions in the forest by the cliffs, some fifty warriors moving at a double march through the woods. It was a mark of the Crows' unusual tactics - almost favoring the orcish manner of battle rather than the more traditional one - that the difficult terrain didn't slow them significantly. They would be in place to cover Ria's retreat once she had killed the shaman, and the massive oni would have to hurry along as well even though her massive legs could propel her a bit faster than normal sized folk could manage.
Akorvick came down from Melody's tower last to join the gathering of Alex, Aes, and Ria in the nearby village square, landing with a thud and folding his massive natural wings around himself like a cloak to ward off the pre-dawn chill as he straightened. "We should depart shortly, and wait just beyond the cliffs," he said shortly as the dust settled from his impactful arrival, "I will draw the dragons into the air, it would be best if the orcs aren't even aware that you two exist until it's too late for them to plan around you. You'll have to give the oni her enchantment from afar."
"Works for me," Aes said, "I can deliver it through something summoned, it'll just have to remain with you. I have to be the one to take one of the full dragons down, so Karthus is up to one of you." She nodded her head towards Dingroria, who nodded in turn without speaking. The oni was looking a bit green around the gills, but if she was nervous about her role in the plan - trying to sneak into the orc warband to assassinate their shaman - she didn't display it openly. "The chaos caused by the falling dragons and the mercenaries should be enough to keep them from noticing you coming," Aes said reassuringly, "just get in, do the deed, and get out. The spell shouldn't fade just because you've struck, and orcs don't often have mages at all, much less someone who can pull off a decent dispel. I'm afraid that I won't be much help against anything but the dragons, I'm stretching what I'm allowed to do as it is, but you should be alright." She gave Ria a reassuring smile, but the one that the oni returned was fairly thin.
Akorvick mostly ignored the exchange, but glanced at Alex and said; "Dropping the dragons on them is a good idea, if we can manage it... But there may not be time for it. If we can do it, all the better, but if trying to guide them down would stop us from taking them out, there shouldn't be a question of which one we do." Ria and Aes both shot glares at him, the oni's somewhat sallow and Aescila's annoyed, but he ignored both women and continued to gaze at Alex expectantly. "It might as well be stated now, but we may be making more dangerous enemies with this. True dragons do not die with their mortal forms, and if they manifest again they may seek revenge on us," he continued calmly, as if the prospect was merely an annoying change in the weather rather than a grudge coming from an enraged, immortal demigod, "we may as well coordinate now which of us will try to take which. Would you prefer to handle Karthus, or the other one?"
What he said was not entirely false. As true dragons were daemons rather than mortal creatures, killing their bodies could only accomplish so much. Born dragons - those created from unions of two dragons - were more mortal but often ascended to daemonhood upon death, assuming their killer was not powerful enough to consume them. It was only half-bloods like herself and Akorvick who were generally confined to the limits imposed on them by mortality. Regardless of her responses to Akorvick's apparent callousness towards Ria or concerns about retaliation, Alex was left to add any further ideas or concerns before the four of them took off to join the ambush, three in the air and one on the ground...
The moment one of the men started to tear Alex halted her overbearing pressure. "Listen to me." She would actually prop him up, forcing him to stand tall as she gripped his shoulders and demanded his attention with a little more care than she'd shown so far. "The upcoming battle is going to be painful. No matter how well things go people are going to die. Even if by some miracle we manage to hold the orcs back without a single loss blood will be spilled and lives will be lost. That's going to be hard. On you, your allies, and most importantly the men under your command. Fear and doubt is going to grip them, and I fear that many of them will want to desperately turn and run for cover. And that is where you come in. You need to hold them together. You need to be a pillar of strength that keeps your squad from breaking and creating the opening the orcs need to crush our defense. You're going to be the example they see, the backbone that keeps them from caving under pressure so they can all work together to keep each other alive. That's why I've been so hard on you all. You need to be able to weather this assault, to stand strong and show the same amount of steel to your followers even if you want to turn tail just as badly as they do. So I need you to get a grip on yourself and tough it out. All right?" With that she waited for the man to respond, and the moment he did she would nod before turning cold again. What she told them was the absolute truth, and even if they couldn't summon the same kind of will that her past had drilled into her they could pretend. Even if it was nothing more than a farce sometimes that was all that was needed to keep your team together and survive.
The following day saw preparations for the ambush being made, and Akorvick joined them as the main players sat and strategized for their key roles. Her brother rather enjoyed the thought of using the dragon's bodies against the orcs, but he stated the obvious. The main objective was to kill them, and that took priority over everything else. Alex understood this, but instead of stating such she graced him with a look of passing annoyance. Despite everything he probably had his own case of nerves to deal with, and if the past was any example Akorvick dealt with stress by channeling his emotions rather aggressively. Thankfully that was being tempered into verbal abuse, and hopefully it would stay that way.
But he also brought up something else. Killing the dragons would create a rather powerful enemy. Death never truly bothered true dragons like it did their mortal half-kin, and if they felt particularly vengeful then whoever killed one would find a rather dangerous daemon following them until the dragon had gained its vengeance. And it seemed one of Aureus's brood would be doing just that. So how would they decide who took on that burden? Akorvick felt fully justified in leaving that choice to his sister, so she did just that. "I will engage a dragon. There's no telling how effective that opening shot will be, so whoever gets the first kill should be prepared to assist the others once they're clear." That as well should have gone without saying. "I'll also be attacking from above. I'm hoping there's enough cover there to let my climb into the air, and once there I'll transform then dive and use the momentum to make my first shot even stronger. After that we'll just have to see how quickly I can savage what remains."
With everything in place it seemed the group was getting ready to depart, but before they did Alex gathered Ria's attention. "Remember, you need to get in and out, but if you can't then don't worry. Aes and I can cover for you once we've dealt with our threats. Just set off that explosion you mentioned earlier if you think you can't get your shot."
Alexandra Alistar: HP = 80, PP = 64, EP = 88/88, Status = Better be ready
Aescila: BUFFED Akorvick: BUFFED
Fight Stats
100 militia, 100 lightly armed levy troops
4 catapults
150 Red Crow Mercenaries
20 golems
VS
300 orcs, "mostly cavalry and heavy infantry"
2 dragons
1 shaman
The soldier she'd broken down took some effort in calming, trying to shake off Alex's grip and more or less forcing her to straighten his back by force alone. He at least managed to look into the half-dragon's eyes, but his gaze wasn't particularly sharp as he looked back at her and his eyes flicked away regularly as she delivered her encouragement. When she had finished, he took a moment to nod wordlessly, opening his mouth only to close it again without speaking. Whether or not her words would have the desired effect on the man she couldn't say for sure, but they would find out... When the orcs were at the walls and each and every man would have to stand their ground.
To her acceptance of the burden of handling the other true dragon, Akorvick simply nodded and said; "Then I will deal with Karthus' aspect." He again simply nodded in agreement when she said that whoever brought down their mark first would have to help the others deal with their own dragon as quickly as possible, and with that portion of their meeting concluded Alex was free to turn to Ria. The oni simply nodded wordlessly, but then cleared her throat and grunted; "Believe me... I'm not interested in sticking around and ending up dogpiled by the shaman's mates."
Unless Alex had anything else she wished to bring up, Akorvick would say; "Lets get this done then." If there were any preparations left to do, Alex had best do them now. Angelle had Anowyn in her care and knew to ferry her away as quickly as she could before the real battle for Ochre started, though their oldest daughter seemed numb to the gravity of the circumstances facing them. Dingroria departed, thumping off along the path, a silvery owl conjured by Aes sitting on her shoulder, and her Mate and her brother - two people whom she likely couldn't possibly have had differing feelings for - were waiting. They wouldn't need to be in position as soon as the ground walkers, their ability to fly allowing them to cover the ground much faster than even long-legged Ria.
(Initial expenditure into Draconic Transformation? Other buffs activated? Alex basically has as much time as she wants to prep for this.)
Hours later, dusk was falling, the sun hanging dipping towards the rim of the valley to the West. There lay Therion, and Gods-Reach, and so many other communities. There lay the domain of her father, where her parents awaited the opportunity to meet the family that Alex had created, odd though it might be. There lay everything the orcs would seek to obliterate if they were allowed to pass through here. North lay the Academy, an unassailable bastion... So long as it was supplied, but if they could sweep North and cut away the arteries that fed it... Even the most powerful mages could not conjure food from thin air. The town of Ochre itself might be small, but its importance lay beyond the souls who would be maimed or lost if their defenses failed.
The column of orcs lay below, meandering down a path that trailed down the edge of the steep cliffs. It was treacherous terrain, especially for so many at once, but they handled it with the precision and care of professional soldiers. There was no sign of the dragons, but of course they could easily be traveling in their mortal guises rather than their full glory. Alex could glimpse through the cloud cover where each formation of the oncoming battlegroup broke, allowing her to pick out the various sections from among the approaching hoard.
First came the clanless as was normal, walking in loose formations of small squads, kept ordered by orcs on horseback who shouted orders from their mounts that marched behind them. Next came several columns of far more organized orcs traveling on foot, each bearing a banner of a different color and shading on their armor. The first wore red, the visage of a toothy leering smile emblazened in black on the crimson standard and upon their shields. The second wore brighter blue, and sharp eyed as she was Alex could see quivers on their backs and longbows over their shoulders in addition to their shields and hand weapons, their symbol resembling a serpent of some sort. The third was the longest but broken into three groups at the forefront of which walked several figures in heavier armor and carrying greataxes or halberds or greatswords, each leading a long line of orcs that were armed with a wide array of armaments, all clad in black with a similarly colored standard heading each group. On each banner sat the symbol of the orc king's soldiers, the crossed blade and axe in white set against an orange flame upon the black cloth.
Behind the three columns of black-clad orcs marched the heavy cavalry, orcs from across the mountains who mingled upon the great steppe of the far Eastern Amazon and lived their whole lives upon the saddle. Though orcs from the mountains themselves favored other creatures - hardier great boars or more rarely the difficult to tame wind drakes - the horsemen rode some of the fastest, hardiest, and largest mounts on Donevrion, and each was armed with sword, shield, lance, and most irksomely the short bow and quiver that allowed them to pick off foes before they could ever reach the riders and their mounts. They would undoubtedly be a problem if ever they dipped too low to the ground. Behind them, finally, came another column of soldiers who were mostly on foot, and though such were rarely so distinct on orcish warbands it was plain that this was the command contingent. While most orcish leaders simply walked with their men, the palanquin of the shaman was hard to miss, and just before it rode an orc in bright green atop a great boar, flanked by several others in varying colors. Individual knights, the honored, each of them a threat in their own right and quite possibly able to augment themselves to join the battle in the sky should it seem like the dragons were in danger. They numbered about a score from Alex' counting, and if they didn't take to the air Ria would have to deal with them most directly. Other orcs fanned out around them, the details of their countenance difficult to ascertain as they were obscured by the trees cling to the cliff face and rocks through which they weaved.
Just barely, Alex could spot the Red Crows waiting for the ambush to begin, preparing to stall the advance once the clanless were past and they could hit the more valuable targets behind them, their positions well hidden. Akorvick hovered below - she could heard his great wings flapping - and Aes flitted about beside her, moving with consummate grace in the air and scarcely making a sound. Ria was nowhere to be seen. They hovered behind a section of clouds, the sun too low for them to use it to conceal themselves properly, and now... Now they could only wait for the orcs to take their bait and send the dragons to meet them.
It didn't take long. Distant roars of challenge rose, without apparent warning, and on her next glimpse through the puffy gray in which she hid Alex saw two of her full blooded kinsmen rising, still taking their full forms. One was a huge beast, built along the same mold as Karthus himself with a massive horned head so large that it could have swallowed a warhorse whole, red-brown scales like a shifting wave of dried blood, massive wings that bowed the nearest trees and sent flurries of snow flying, and a column of jagged spikes along its short, stocky neck and spine all the way to the bony club at the end of its tail. The other was of an entirely different breed, lithe and narrow as it weaved through the air like a serpent, the fading golden glow reflecting off of its bright blue scales without diminishing their luster and an elongated almost crocodilian snout puffing smoke as it rose towards them.
"Karthus!"
The name cracked across the sky like a bolt of thunder, a beseeching command, and Alex both heard and felt the tremendous roar the followed. Though he blessedly would not appear in his full glory, Karthus had permitted an aspect of himself - an imitation of the elder dragon's immense power - to join the battle, and on the next glimpse through the clouds Alex saw it shimmering into existence between the other two. Aescila was shimmering softly beside Alex, her magics wreathing her in a rare expression of power. Alex would know that the expenditure of magic would cost her greatly, would require that she feed or begin to fade in a more permanent sense and risk madness to the hunger she still bore from her days as a demon, but there was little for it now. She needed to use her power to its full extent if they were to have a chance here, and so she did.
Ria and the Crows were waiting for the signal to strike, and no signal would ever be clearer than the battle that would soon rage in the skies above. Akorvick hovered for a moment and then turned as if to flee, but Alex could feel his own power washing over him for the strike that was to come when he turned... But that would happen only when Alex and Aes dove to make it a fair contest, and all too soon their prey would be just within reach. Aescila drifted towards the blue, which was rising faster than the red in an undulating wave, whiskers and smoke weaving along behind it, and between them the form of Karthus solidified and roared deafeningly up at Akorvick and, hopefully unnoticed, Alex and her Mate who were waiting to dive down upon them...
