The druid general had placed a magical barrier between their defensive positions and the approaching orcs and high elves. Lord Marcello had reinforced this shield and was posturing himself for a massive attack on their pursuers. He was waiting for the command from General Verandos and General Lang to begin the offensive. The army of elves had made it to the river by this point, and the elven citizens had already crossed the blustering Blaine River. They were heading for the southeastern entrance to Landen surrounded by the entire elven army. The giants that were left to aid the crossing of the elves took complete control of the defenses. The elves that had been helping them joined their army on their trek to the southern gate. The bridge that had been used was no more because the giants could wade across the river with little difficulty, so the giants had destroyed it as they waded across the Blaine. This would make it slow going for the orcs and high elves in the attempt to cross the river.
“Lord Marcello, please welcome our uninvited guests,” ordered General Lang sardonically.
“Be sure to give the high elves the warmest of greetings,” added General Verandos snidely.
Lord Marcello raised the massive oak tree staff high into the air and began to twirl it around over his head. He muttered under his breath, and the staff began to glow an icy blue color with a hint of green color to it. A mist of the same colors appeared as he continued to twirl the staff faster and faster. Finally Marcello pointed his staff at his foes, and the bluish green mist shot like a bolt of lightning at the orcs and high elves. The mist froze everything in its path, and the greenish mist poisoned the troops affected by the freezing spell. About one-third of their front lines were affected by this ingenious attack. The poison killed about half of those that were infected. Those who did not die from the attack ended up making slow, painful recoveries. This surprise attack stopped the axis armies in their tracks and gave the giants the chance to retreat back to the other side of the river before the orcs and high elves resumed their march.
Once on the other side of the Blaine River the giants entrenched themselves into even stronger defensive positions. They rummaged for all sorts of projectiles while they waited for the massive armies to approach. Lord Marcello took a position in the back to regain his strength. He knew that if he kept on using magic at such a powerful level that there would be a hefty price to pay. Like any magic wielder, there was a cost associated with any use of magic. It felt like losing blood with each use and would prove much more severe the greater the prolonged usage. However, Marcello was also a giant, so his own blood fought the effects of his magic. This drained the venerable wizard to deadly levels and required much longer recovery times. He had killed several thousand orcs and high elves in his attack, so he felt the sacrifice was worth the pain.
The armies of the orcs and high elves did not approach the river for several hours, which allowed Lord Marcello time to fully recover. Once the armies finally came into view through the trees, the giant wizard sprang into action again. He began to twirl his staff all around his body in fluid motions that caught everyone’s attention. The axis armies stopped in their tracks to watch what the enormous giant was doing. They thought that they were comfortably out of range, so they stood there casually waiting for something to happen. As the motions of the staff intensified, a dense silver mist appeared above the waters and over the ruined bridge. Within a few minutes, the river was covered in the thick fog for miles in either direction. The cost for this bit of magic was not that high because of the simplicity of the spell. The silvery mist transformed anything that came in contact with it into stone. The giants were encouraged by this ingenious use of magic by their leader. They left their posts and marched at top speed toward the southeastern gate to Landen.
The elves reached the southeastern gate without incident or any signs of their enemies giving chase. As they entered Landen, they received a warm welcome from the sentries that were stationed there. They had orders from King Leroy to welcome the armies of the giants and elves as if they were expected. The soldiers did not know how the king knew about their arrival, but they did not question his insight. They could tell that the elves had experienced some pretty difficult times just from their attire and the looks on their faces. The elven army was shown the defensive positions at once so that they could ready themselves to use them. The elves explained that it was likely that the giant army would be closely followed by an innumerable orc army and a high elven army. They had to explain what high elves were at first because that information had not been explained to the ranks of the Landen home guard.
The general population of elves went to designated homesteads that had been vacated for their occupation while the threat of war lasted. As the non-military people made their way to their new homes, the elven army prepared the defenses for immediate use. The entire southern cliff’s defenses were filled by their soldiers. This enabled the knights of Landen to bolster their cavalry ranks. This brought the number of horse riders to one hundred fifty thousand strong. The size alone would enable them to take on the entire orc armies by themselves, especially after Lord Marcello’s magical attacks that had seriously reduced their ranks. A few hours after arriving at their new posts, the elven army spotted the giants retreating along the base of the cliff at top speed. It appeared to the defenders that they were being chased. After a few minutes, it was clear that no one was giving pursuit just yet.
It did not take long for the giants to traverse the desolate plain below the southern cliffs. They barely stopped at the gate to give a greeting and explanation of where they were going. They wanted to take up their posts along the western cliff. They were still running because they felt that they might be able to catch the orcs and high elves at the crossing. They thought they might be able to take advantage of the stone mist by throwing projectiles through the magical haze. Their missiles would turn into stone and bludgeon their unsuspecting foes. The giants were almost giddy at this thought and picked up the pace even more so because they believed they would be able to catch their quarry unawares. General Lang was outpacing everyone as his mind raced over the possibilities. If we could get to that bluff in time to find those fools still trapped behind the wall of Marcello’s mist, we could give them several reasons to turn back!
As the giant army reached the bluff of the western cliff and began to take their defensive positions, there was a collective intake of breath. The armies below were no longer shrouded in the silvery mist, and they were not nursing wounds. They were building siege works. There was one figure who was standing at the edge of the water who appeared to be staring right back at them. General Lang began to shout orders and encouraged them to stick to their plan. After a few more minutes of preparation, the giants were ready for the assault. The soldiers waited patiently to begin the aerial attack on the little orcs and wicked elves. After a few more tense moments, General Lang barked, “Fire!” Missiles of every kind flew through the air toward the defenseless armies below. When the deadly objects reached the river, they literally stopped in midair. It was as though they had hit an invisible barrier. The giants’ missiles smashed into nothing as they continued to hit this apparent magical wall.
“Lord Marcello!” boomed General Lang’s voice. “Come here at once!”