The Orc War: A Summoner Fiction

Outmatched

Folcan and the two elves were sprinting towards the roar of an orc. The thick underbrush of the jungle slowing their progression until they reached the path carved into the dense greenery by animals. James had intended on going in alone, to scout out the orcs, maybe more. He began to whisper harshly over his shoulder towards the elves, "Turn back! I'll handle this." 

"Not a chance." The prince replied, completely unnerved by the possible threats he was now rushing into, blind. 

The three were being trailed by Will, bringing only a few more with him. "Great just what I need... more lives at risk." James whispered to himself. He had always been sent on his assignments alone, the only lives at risk were those of his target and his own. Now the weight of the rank of Commander brought more lives that he was responsible for, he never liked open battle... no matter how good he was at it. The stomping of marching orcs was now nearly audible. James signaled for everyone to stop, each taking cover behind their own trees. 

Will took cover next to James, nodding his head into the tree canopy, looking for confirmation in his action to scout from the tree tops. Folcan nodded, signaling for the boy to proceed. Within moments he was in the canopy, gone from their sight. He was high above the orcs, the large grey-ish green beasts were in the clearing where their previous skirmish had occurred. "Curses. They were scouts!" There was an entire battalion of orcs beneath him now. Nearly eighty orcs. One stood out, a larger orc, it's skin was as white as the Beartooth Mountains peaks. He was barking orders at them, though what they were he had no idea. 

James felt a tug on his pant leg, he was watching the canopy, awaiting his lieutenant to return. The tug occurred again, he looked down, it was his demon, Umbrane. He felt an urging in his mind, she wanted to go, how did he know that? He simply nodded at the creature. Nearly immediately the beast was off, through the dense thicket towards the enemy, she was invisible, her scales altered color to fit the dark environment. 

Katrina witnessed the interaction... she immediately rummaged in her pack, searching for a scrying crystal.  She found it, tossing it to James. He caught it, with a confused look upon his face. She smirked motioning with her hand to her eye. He did as instructed.  

He could see somewhere else, it looked to be the clearing they had stayed the night before. Though there were many more orcs than before. The one shouting orders seemed furious, the white of his face being tinted with pink. 'Gods I wish I could understand these monsters!' he thought to himself. Seemingly instant, what sounded like roars of anger came to him as angry orders. 

"Here recently! Spread out, find them!" The orders did not match his mouth but Folcan believed them to be true, tossing the crystal back to Katrina. 

James carefully moved from his cover, closer to Katrina and Ariant so that he could want them. "There is a large number out there, the two of you need to go back, get as many soldiers back here as possible. Stay out of the fight."

"No, I'm staying alongside my men."

"Your men are back in the encampment!" He whispered harshly, "The few that are here are not enough to make a dent. The elven fighting style is too... orderly. They'll be crushed without the numbers to back them. Now go get them!"

Ariant motioned another elf over, he moved swiftly through the jungle and was but their side in a moment, "Get the others, bring them here, tell them a battle is about to break!" Ariant ordered the elf, who responded with a solid downward nod. He began sprinting back to the camp, at appeared to be faster than he had come. 

Will now descended the tree, panic and fear striking his face. He rushed to his commander, ignoring Zeus and Horace.  "There is at least eighty of them, Sir, we can't fight this, we shouldn't. Even if we had our full force and the force of that elven encampment we would barely hold our own."

"We have to buy them time, the elven encampment is on its way." Horace and Zeus now joined the small conversation, leaving only a few elves outside the circle. "Horace, you and the elven swordsmen take the front, Zeus behind them pick them off, use their weapons against them. Ranstor, trim their edges, stay out of sight! I'll try my best to cause panic in their ranks. Move."

"We're in this fight one way or another!" Ariant said, Katrina tried to hold her arm across him, to stop him but it was too late. 

"You're responsible for him, not me!" He was speaking to Katrina, "Keep him safe." He was pulling out his bow. The line was set, eight soldiers wide,  Zeus directly behind them. Ranstor was on the otherside of the clearing. 'Time to test my limit... once again' James was now at the edge of the clearing, he could see the entire clearing. He notched an arrow, charging the lightning strike rune, he took aim at the White Orc, 'cut the head off the snake' a thought that had crossed his mind many times during the dwarf revolt now took residence in his head once more. He loosed the arrow. The soft twang of the bowstring and the harsh hiss of an arrow followed. 

The White Orc leaned back dodging the arrow, but allowing it to strike his comrade. Lightning burst from the green orc's violent shaking body. The White Orc was knocked to the ground. Barking orders and pointing in James' direction. He could easily guess what the orders were, and they had played exactly as he wanted them to. He notched another arrow, charging the transporting rune, the deep purple ornate rune glowed binding with the arrow. He let the orcs reach him.  

Four reached him, raising their obsidian ridden clubs to crush him. He loosed the arrow, and before the first could strike him. Disappearing to the other side of the clearing. The four orcs stumbled, all of them confused as to where their enemy had gone. One of them seemed terrified. 

James landed across the clearing in the tree he had perched himself in only nights before. He had to be careful to count his shots. Twenty-three arrows, including the one he has just pulled from the tree.  The powdered white orc was quick, too quick for an arrow. He looked back to the line of soldiers they were exposed they were already surrounded by the orcs. "Damn," he cursed to himself, "where are those reinforcements?" They were but a few against nearly one hundred orcs even he wouldn't take those odds. He notched the arrow again, charging the rune once more. He landed in front of the line. 

"James!" Horace stepped back, in shock, "where did you-"

"No time! Move the line back, get to the camp they're surrounding you lot now go!" As he finished his sentence the orcs closed on their ranks. Their obsidian studded weaponry swinging through the air. Folcan rolled, dodging a club narrowly, as he landed he drew back an arrow. Loosing it at the orc who attempted to crush his back, encasing the orc in ice. The small squad broke ranks, the chaos of battle had ensued.

Ariant quickly drew up runes, causing fiery explosions, and meaty chunks of orc to fly. Suddenly he was launched into the air. Katrina panicked, scanning the surrounding jungle for the cause. He was cast up within the next moments. As she reached the peak of her height she felt a sharp sting, and a sticky substance apply to her back. She was spinning, rapidly, like something was trying to wrap her up. She caught a leg one one of the turns, the prick had introduced something into her body. "Arian-" She saw him hanging next to her, on him a large spiderling demon, one unknown to her. She couldn't see anymore.

Will saw the elves disappear, from the center of the group. He climbed up into the canopy, attempting to track the two. Nearly as soon as he reached their level he was stung, he couldn't move, his arms stiffened and he lost his grip. As he fell he caught a glimpse of a small beetle. 

"Where are the reinforcements?" Horace shouted slamming his hammer into the leg of an orc then crushing its skull, the third to fall at his feet. He ripped the hammer from the skull ramming the spike into a charging orc's abdomen.

"I don't know! Just work your way back to the camp." Folcan shouted back. Taking a fallen elf's sword from the ground and slinging his bow. "Where did our casters go?" Ducking under a makeshift blade, and cutting the tendons in the ankles of the orc. Jumping up to ram the blade through the back of the neck. "Where's Will?"

A horn blew a short distance behind the two remaining soldiers. The elves came sprinting, driving back the orc force. Seemingly too easily. James knelt down, exhausted as the elves drove past them. "Search... area..." He fell over on his back, he felt more exhausted than he ever had before. Two elves grabbed grabbed him lifting him up to his feet and dragging him back to the camp.