World Of Midgard Lore Part 7
The BloodDrakes worked fast, but they were outmanned.
Some Elves could swiftly descend their lofty perches and engage the Drakes, while other archers above could rain death directly down upon them.
Moreover, these walkers of the plains were unaware of one thing.
The Great Wood had remained unbreached, as it were, for centuries in large part because the Elf inhabitants within were not its only defense.
You see, the Wood itself could withstand assault.
The trees of the Great Wood were invested with life by the four deities that shaped our realm.
And thence it was that the Assault of the Great Wood began.
Most BloodDrakes were swiped in twain by the limbs of Living Trees or instantly felled by the bolts from archers’ bows, many yet still managed either to topple or climb the tree homes of their adversaries.
The Assault would last years, with much of the Wood reduced to ash.
The Fury’s numbers were less than the Alliance’s, but its strength came from the simple fact that it was willing to spend them heedlessly in pursuit of its goal.
The BloodDrakes gained entrance to the Wood because the Orcs were dying to distract the archers.
When the BloodDrakes made their assault on the Elves, the Orcs gained passage to the shore.
Ofren knew that he could not, by sheer force, overtake the phalanx.
He needed more partisans on his side, and for this he turned to his ally Necatus.
8. The Third Arm of the Fury
As I have said before, heroes, the Dark Elves of Midgard had long been mercenaries, whose dark magic and sure aim were often put to use for the highest bidder.
Ofren and Necatus, meeting at the latter’s hovel in the plains, decided to make a bid to the Dark Elves that would retain their services for the Fury for time immemorial.
Understand, friends, that Helston was not necessarily predisposed to place his Dark Elves in the Fury camp as a matter of ideology.
True, the Fury’s philosophy was more conducive to full coffers, and Helston despised the line of Glastor enough to fight against him in the Wood for sport, but the Alliance, with its numbers and resources, seemed sure to defeat the Fury.
If the Dark Elves joined with Astrell, they, too, might enjoy the same benefits as Glastor’s clan, plentiful food and protection from the Humans of the Shore.
One night, however, the BloodDrake lord Necatus met Helston in the latter’s wooded dwelling.
The Drake and the Dark Elf had met many times before, whenever Necatus needed a bit of dirty work carried out quickly.
Helston had arranged many such assassinations and ambushes, but this meeting seemed far more …
