You Want A War? You've Got One! 60.

Falnic. Belinswae. Winter...

"Come on Dorc, hurry up" says Riley Hait the mercenary ranger "Fuck up cunt" says Dorc da Orc who then adds in a loud mutter "Me trying" as he whacks the door again with his hammer, once more, to no avail.
The large ork growls as he looks at the door to the tower on the right, the tower on the left has been entered. But unfortunately the mechanism to control the main gates in the north wall of Falnic isn't in that watchtower. It's in the one on the right, that was locked shut when they approached it.
"Out of the way cunts" says the ork warleader to the elven soldiers and mercenaries on the street behind him, the son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks returns the hammer to his weapon harness as he starts walking back across the street.
Dorkindle suddenly yelps and puts a hand to his right ear, the ranger Hait winces as he sees that a crossbow bolt is stuck in the right ear lobe of the ork weaponsmith.
One of the elven archers draws back his longbow, and sends the arrow in it flying. Feathering the Justifier's guard up on top of the wall with the crossbow, in the gut as he kneels there, trying to reload his weapon.
Dorc da Orc hisses as he pulls the bolt all the way through the fleshy part at the bottom of his right ear lobe.
The large ork who has been shot countless times over the years, always finds getting shot in the ears particularly painful. He'd rather get hit in the face by a bolt or arrow, than get shot in the ear.
"Cunt" growls the warleader of the ork race once he's pulled the bolt out of his ear lobe. He sticks the crossbow bolt in his mouth, and bites the steel bolt in two as he gets to the otherside of the street, more than a little angry at getting shot, and not to mention he's been unable to get into locked tower.
"Well that's definitely pissed him off more than he already was" quietly says Riley Hait in the elven language to the officer in lord Walashàele's army beside him, who nods in agreement with the mercenary ranger as they watch the large ork.
With the night sky to the east over the city alight with a bright white light, the ork weaponsmith eyes up the door to the tower opposite him. Dorkindle waves a few of the elven soldiers out of his path, then once it's clear, he runs back across the street, heading for the tower door, jutting his head forward, and lowering it.
There's more than a few winces from the watching elves when the large ork smashes into the door head first. The mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen in the Southlands winces too, then he rolls his eyes as the ork warleader staggers sideways as if drunk. The door to the tower is still intact, though there was a definite cracking sound that came from it. Though that might of been from the ork weaponsmith's head.
"One more go and it will break Dorc" says Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman as the large ork staggers by him, for a moment the human ranger who was raised and trained by the elven warders of Envadarlen thinks the ork warleader is going to fall over and pass out, as his eyes roll back up into his head.
But Dorkindle, who briefly slumps to a knee, whacks the side of his head with an open palm, shakes his head, and gets up "Fucken cunt" growls Dorc da Orc who glares at the offending door that refuses to break.
Then the big, burly ork lets out a deep breath, that comes out like a snort as an enraged bull would do. Then marches back across the street, muttering to himself in the totally incomprehensible language that the orks speak.
As he does, the ranger Hait looks up at the top of the wall along this part of it. It's clear here now after that last crossbowman was killed.
He glances to the left down the street, there's a bit of fighting that way. Where the elves from the south of the principality of Maladimbáh are engaged with a small number of Justifiers guards.
And there's the sound of fighting coming from within the towerhouse to the left of the main gates. But apart from that, the street, and near the gates, are clear of guards in the service of the Justifiers of Belinswae.
Having been killed or wounded by the surprise attack of the elven soldiers and mercenaries from Maladimbáh who are lead by Riley Hait and Dorc da Orc.
The Southlander looks back at the large ork, who has got himself inline with the tower door again as he stands on the opposite side of the street, with his back right up against the building there.
Dorkindle scowls, then he starts running, lowering his head as he does so, growling all the time. Growls that get louder and louder, finally he roars, then shouts "Get some!" just before he smacks head first in the door at the base of the watchtower.
There's a loud crack, and the door smashes apart, and Dorc da Orc falls in through the doorway, into the tower.
Bolts and arrows come flying out of the now open doorway, then elven archers step into view, and shoot into the tower through the doorway. Arrows and bolts pass over the head of the large ork who is lying there amongst the debris of what was an extremely thick door, that was nearly a foot thick, and was barred, before the ork warleader smashed through it head first.
As the ork weaponsmith lies there shaking his head trying to get up, Riley Hait the mercenary ranger yells "Charge!" in the elven language.
He doesn't really have to, as elven soldiers and mercenaries after the archers shot a volley into the tower, are already rushing in through the now open doorway. Before the Justifiers guards inside can reload their crossbows, and notch arrows to their bows.
"Oi cunts, don't run over Dorc!" growls the large ork as a few of the elves run over the top of him as they enter the tower. The warleader of the ork race, who would never admit it, is more than a little fuzzy headed at the moment, as that was a particular stubborn door in his opinion.
Rolls to one side as he tries to get to a knee to get up, he fails miserably, and instead rolls into the legs of a Justifier's guard who is trying to reload his crossbow with nervous hands as he wonders what the large green creature is, that's just smashed in through the barred tower door.
The guard goes down screaming as his legs and ankles break from the more than seven hundred and fifty pound ork rolling into him. Dorkindle swings an arm, that connects with the face of the Justifier's guard he's just rolled into and knocked down.
"Shut up ya cunt" mutters the large ork who has just caved in the face of the screaming guard he's knocked down, the warleader of the ork race gets to a knee, and stumbles to his feet, shaking his head, trying to clear it.
He looks around, grabbing one of his throwing axes, and one of his throwing hammers from his weapon harness, as the fighting here in the tower will be close. Dorc da Orc looks around for someone to kill, then he roars, and rushes across the room here at the base of the tower, to where the fighting is the thickest near the mechanism and giant chain that opens the main gates in the north wall of the city of Falnic.
Riley Hait the mercenary ranger waits outside with some of the elves from Maladimbáh. He has no intention of going into the watchtower, and getting involved in the close quarter combat, where Dorc da Orc is. The large ork is pretty indiscriminate when it comes to fighting like that, and it's safer to be away from him when the fighting is in cramped surrounds.
A little while later, as the light in the night sky over the east of the city starts to fade, and the sounds of a couple of explosions can be heard from that quarter of the city.
The fighting within the watchtower dies down, as it has within the tower on the left. The ranger Hait steps forward and glances in through the open doorway, and sees Dorc da Orc at the plinth and wheel on the ground. Holding one of the thick spokes, pushing the wheel.
The elven soldiers and mercenaries have stepped back out of his way, as they'll just get in the way as he turns the wheel, that's pulling the massive chain up through the tower above.
The mercenary ranger who in actuality is a hordes outrider from the southern tundra, steps back outside, and sees that the main gates are starting to open. He looks back inside the watchtower then says "Wreck that once you've got in completely open Dorc" the large ork at the wheel turning it, just grunts in reply.
The ranger Hait turns to the elven officer in lord Walashàele's army who says to him in elven "Your friend is coming back". Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson looks to where he points, and spots Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy coming back up the street
The elf from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands joins the mercenary ranger at the doorway to the watchtower. And as elven soldiers who have been waiting outside to the north of the city, start to slip in through the opening gates.
Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy says to his fellow Southlander "You're about to have some company".
"Oh?" says the human ranger who was raised and trained in the elven principality of Envadarlen "Guards from one of the nearby barracks are heading this way" says the elven spy from south of the equator, who gestures to the opening gates, and adds "Probably to make sure these are secure and shut".
The ranger Hait nods, and turns to the elven officer, who tells him "I'm already on it" and he moves away, calling out orders, once the spy Tanith tells him from what direction the Justifier's guards are approaching from.
Riley Hait looks back through the doorway to the tower and calls out "Hurry up Dorc, more of them are about to show up!". "Yeah cunt, me hurrying" says the large ork who grunts in effort as he continues to walk around in a circle, turning the wheel that lifts the massive chain up through the ceiling, and further up into the tower, which opens the main gates.
The gates are opening up quicker, as the ork warleader opens it far faster than the regular crew of Justifiers guards who are on gate duty are able to do it.
"I guess those guards in barracks throughout the city who weren't on duty tonight are being called out now" says the ranger Hait "More than likely" says the spy Tanith who looks around as more and more soldiers in lord Walashàele's army enter the city through the opening gates in the north wall of Falnic.
"Even with all the soldiers coming in, we'll still be outnumbered by a fair margin, and that's with those we've already taken out on the walls and at the gates" says the elf from Alínlae, who once served in one of the noble houses of that principality.
"Can't be helped" says Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, as Dorc da Orc's plan calls for the army of lord Walashàele and the elven mercenaries from southern Maladimbáh, to enter the city of Falnic as quickly as possible.
And stay within the city, fighting the guards of the Justifiers defending the city over the next day or so until the army of tribal nomads from the plains show up.
Elven archers on the street, and a handful who have got up onto the top of the north wall of the city, draw their longbows back, and shoot up into the sky at a low flying wyvern that has a number of Justifier's guards on it's back.
The large winged creature squawks and veers away when it's thick hide is pierced by a few of the yard long shafts shot from the elven longbows.
"That's one good thing about fighting in the city" says Dalinvardél Tanith, who is often referred to as Dalin by those who know him "Those wyverns are pretty useless at attacking those on the ground, as they need open spaces for that" continues the elven spy from south of the equator.
Riley Hait nods in agreement, then as Dorkindle who has got the main gates in the north wall of the city fully open, is now taking an axe to the large wheel and spokes of the mechanism that opens and closes the gates.
He says to the elven spy from Alínlae in the Southlands "They'll have their hands full with others soon enough" the ranger Hait looks in the distance at the wyvern flying away as the light in the night sky over the east of the city continues to die out, adds in quiet tone "Wouldn't want to be in the air if i was them".
Then some of the elven soldiers from the principality of Maladimbáh up on top of the wall call down in the elven language "Here they come!".
The two Southlanders look down the street, to the west, and spot the Justifier's guards start to come into view around the corner of a building from another street.
They're taken by surprise by the elven soldiers and mercenaries who were in position and waiting for them. The Justifier's guards in the front go down when they're struck by yard long shafts shot from the longbows of the elven archers, as they hurry forward to engage the elves from southern Maladimbáh.
Riley Hait draws his sword, while Dalinvardél Tanith stands there with loaded crossbow in hand, and as Dorc da Orc continues to destroy the mechanism that opens and shuts the main gates in the north wall of the city,
A lightning bolt streaks down out of the sky this breezy, but clear and cool winter's night. And strikes somewhere within the east of the city. As the battle for the city of Falnic rages on . . . . . .