Steven Burke - The Fallen Guardian

“I think that it would be wise to mobilize the army now and prepare them for battle. I do not recommend sending the troops into the field, but I do believe that we could lure them into our tunnels which would make it easier to deal with those berserkers.”

“I agree whole heartedly with the general on this Your Majesty. While he is preparing the army, I will position my troops for the defense of Brazen Urben against external and internal attacks. General, what exactly do you think we should do to trick the berserkers?”

“I believe that all we need to do is to position some of our archers behind their rear guard where they can take some well-aimed shots to get their attention. We will use the tunnels that lead to plains to do that part of the plan. The second part of my idea would be to have a larger group of soldiers appear along the edge of the forest. After they had been irritated by our archers, they will want to do whatever it takes to capture and kill our irksome soldiers. They would not be able to resist charging a significant group and would be more likely to pursue them into the tunnels. Once inside, we will spring our trap.” General Magnar gave the other a confident look that made it clear that his plan could not fail.

“In all my years of working with you general, I have never known you to be wrong. I will back your plan. What do you think commander?”

“I am humbled that you ask my opinion Your Majesty” replied Commander Giles with a bow. “I believe that General Magnar and I are on the same page in this matter. Not that we have never had any major differences before. The question I have is what you would have me do in order to ensure the tunnels are secure.”

“Have your troops ready to kill anything that is not a dwarf at the entrance within our walls” replied Magnar simply. He gave his old friends a wry smile as he said this.

“So be it. I trust you to carry out your separate tasks. Please keep me informed of your progress. I have a feeling they will attack during the night, so you have today to prepare. Good luck to us all” said the king with a look of supreme confidence. There was a slight bounce in his step as he strolled away.

The stars began to appear overhead in the cloudless sky as the small giants moved about the open plains diffusing or destroying any traps they encountered. There were several well placed traps that would not have been noticed by an untrained eye. After about an hour of scouring the open land around the entire mountain, the berserkers began to place their explosives to clear the fields of any unseen dangers. The demolition would get the attention of their bearded friends and hopefully cause them to fear. After another hour of laboring, they had completed their preparations. They were waiting for Commander Gar’Dak’s order to unleash their surprise.

“Now!” barked the massive dark figure who stood on a rock positioned a few feet from the eaves of the Black Forest.

Explosions erupted suddenly with such terrific ferocity that even the orcs jumped in spite of themselves. The sky was filled with bright red and white flashes along with rolling booms that shook the entire region. Even after the dust settled, the ground still shook violently as though they had caused an earthquake. Cheers and vile chants filled the air as the orcs celebrated the success of the berserkers. As the ground continued to shake, however, the orc armies began to retreat back into the forest. Even the berserkers turned about and took off toward the woods. Something had gone terribly wrong.

The ground where the explosions had occurred caved in and sent even more violent shock waves rumbling through the earth. It felt like a volcano was about to erupt from under the ground, which seemed rather absurd to the orcs. The generals grabbed Commander Gar’Dak as he ran for the cover of the trees. It took their combined strength to restrain him long enough to get his attention. He was clearly shocked at the destruction he had created inadvertently with his demolition. He tried to steady himself as the ground underneath him shook with increasing ferocity. The two generals tried to balance the much larger berserker as the earth heaved to and fro.

“What…have…you…done?” blasted General Maurizio. He voice shook as he tried to force out his question.

The commander did not reply because the answer became very apparent behind him. The mile wide patch of ground they had set off explosives in was now filling with liquid magma. The heat was so intense that they all ran into the eaves of the forest to escape it. As they turned around, the giant berserker began to laugh uproariously. The generals soon joined in the revelry as they realized that this was a good thing. The dwarves no longer had any underground escape routes. They had their bearded friends completely surrounded with no hope of escape. The other orcs inched toward the edge of the forest to see what their leaders were on about. At the sight of the lava completely surrounding the mountain, they began a loud war chant in their native tongue in celebration of their success.

***

After the rumbling subsided, the king looked out at the mile-wide lava moat that the orcs had created…for him. I may have lost my underground escape routes, but that is of no consequence. Those passages had not been used in centuries, so who knows if they were even safe. He laughed out loud as he continued to think upon his good fortune. His unusual display of jovialness caught his guards’ attention. They thought something was wrong because his laugh sounded more like a violent coughing fit. They rushed into the room to see tears of laughter running down the cheeks of their king.

“My lord, is everything all right?” asked one of the guards tentatively.

“Come over here and look at what the orcs gave us.” The king gestured at the lava moat that now existed a good distance from Mount Adem.

“We have no escape route now; at least they cannot get in,” replied the guard nervously. He did not know how the king really felt about this turn of events.

“You are right, my good fellow. We no longer have tunnels for escape, but if the need should arise, I have another way out. Do not worry yourself about that. Spread this joyous news. The orcs just bought us a great deal of time so that we can be better prepared when they do cross their moat of magma.” The king slapped the guard who had been speaking on the shoulder genuinely and then put his arms around both the guards as he walked them to the door. “Remember, this is a good thing. Announce this good news, and tell the cooks to prepare a feast!”

King Leroy Ishrafle sat on his throne taking in the only peace and quiet he had had for several weeks. His country now played host to General Yukio’s army, General Sanjay’s army, and an army of giants. Giants have never set foot on our lands before, and now they are one of our strongest allies. How did this precarious situation come about? His question was rhetorical, but it caused him a great deal of anxiety whenever he had time to think. His people had plenty of food to sustain their army for an indefinite siege, but they simply could not support three additional armies-especially when one of those armies is full of resource-depleting behemoths. In their short stay, they have completely used up the reserves of two of the northern villages.

He was not worried about his people complaining about the supply situation because the giants definitely provided a level of security that even exceeded the natural defenses of Landen. If the king wanted to create a problem, he would point out the negative impact their large defenders were having upon the people of Landen and their livelihoods. It had gotten to the point that many of the farmers merely produced food to sustain King Angus’s soldiers. They could not spare anything for themselves. How am I supposed to feed the armies and my people at the same time? I do not see a way of balancing the two.