The Battle at Felt

Somewhere, high above the mountain region of Felt, a group of knights is gathered to discuss their next move. They look at each other in silence, looking who will break the silence. No one did. They looked again, but this time the things were different. The oldest of the knights decided it was time speak.

"Gentlemen, it is an honor to have you all here. It evens a greater honor to sit amongst you, the greatest of knights in the empire," he said.

"The same," they replied.

"As you all know, we need to decide what will be doing from now on."

"What are our options?" one of them asked.

"We have two options."

"And, they are?"

"The first one is to sit here and do nothing."

"That isn't our style."

"I know that you will say that."

"And the second one…"

"We kill those foul orcs in their caves, once and for all."

"I'm with you."

"Count me too, my lords!"

"We all are with you."

"It's settled then, we march in the morning. Get a good night's rest. You will need it."

At dawn break, they marched. Their heads were held high. The road across the mountains was a cruel. They have never seen such mountains; they were seasoned warrior, a tuff nut to crack. To them, a battle was a year in combat and every scar a new victory. The knights continued onward, without rest for weeks. For weeks they have traveled.

On their trip they haven't seen anyone of the living, that didn't mean that they weren't seen.

In the lair of the orcs and the goblins, the leader enters; his face had a strange smile. He was pleased. His robes moved silently across the hall.

"I saw them, the humans, they are near!" he said, not even trying to hide the excitement in his voice.

One of the goblins that was sharpening his daggers, moved forward.

"Is it true, o, great leader? Did you see the human?" he asked while jumping up and down with excitement.

"I did," the leader answered.

"We must catch them!" said the half-dressed orc.

"I'm with him," the full-armored orc stepped forward.

"It won't be easy. These humans have sharp swords; they wear golden armors that have the symbols of their kings on them. They aren't your usual humans. If we get a fight with them, we won't survive," the leader explained to his group.

"If we can't do it alone, maybe, we should call the vampires for aid."

"I don't like it. If there isn't a way, then, so be it!" the leader said.

From the darkness an orc-sorcerer appeared. His eyes looked at them, each of them. He turned to the leader.

"It's a wise decision," he said. "We don't have the numbers to defeat them. I hate to say this, but we need help."

"I need volunteers to inform the vampires of our plan."

Two of them stood up. The leader was pleased.

"Ride like the wind."

"Ride like the wind, my friend!" the first orc said.

"It's easy, for you to say, you're the one ridding," the second one said not far behind him.

"Why, are you complaining? You're the fastest one of us."

"True, but that doesn't change a thing."

"Look."

"What's so important now? I see."

The knights marched without a stop, they were a single unit. Their legs moved in harmony.

"I didn't think, it would be that many of them."

"There is no time for a stop. We must continue."

A scouting party stopped, waited for the orcs to leave.

"You saw them?" the old knight asked.

"I did," the younger knight replied.

"They will attack soon."

"Time for a rest, I'd say."

"Everybody on your guard, they will attack soon."

"How soon?" the knight asked laughing.

"What's funny?"

"We are in the Shadow Lands."

"Yeah, I know, so, what about it?"

"We are fighting in the shade."

"There, they are!"

A group of vampires rushed down the hill. They stopped, formed rows.

The leader charged forward. His sword flashes in the darkness.

"Charge!" he yells.

The knights were surrounded from all sides. There was only one option, to fight. And, fight they did.

"Look, they are light armored."

"There is still a chance! Fight men!" the old knight yells.

The knights cut, they slashed. One by one the goblins were falling. Vampires advanced forward.

"Who are they?" the knight asked, while he was wiping the blood from his face.

"I don't know. They don't look friendly!" said the other knight while he was whipping one of the orcs.

"True."

The army of vampires moved forward. The knights look at them with disgust.

Blood flows in streams. One of the orcs moves forward, lunges at a knight. The knight swiftly turns, cuts the orc across the neck. A fountain of blood sprays him.

"Not a bad start."

"You think?"

"Yes."

The knights reformed. The formation took the form of wedge.

"Listen you, whoever you are? You're attacking the knights of Emperor Zhaoxiang. So, return from where you came!" the knight shouts.

"I think that they don't care."

"Well, we will continue to kill them. Maybe, then they will listen."

The vampire commander rolled, in the process, he avoids the lethal blow. He cuts deeply into the knight's side. The knight falls on the ground with his blood gushing on the burned ground. The battle continues. The orcs use a counter-attack to destroy the formation. They fail. The knights impaled them on spears. A goblin moves slowly from the behind of a knight, the knight turned and with one blow cuts the head of the goblin. The goblins tried to retreat, there is no way out. They are trapped like the rest of them. The knights cut. Blood soaks the ground. The vampires stop, they look at the situation. It's not looking good for them. The commander steps forward. His two swords are covered in blood.

"I challenge anyone of you to a duel!" he points at them, laughing in their faces.

The knights look at each other.

"I can wait, as long as you want!" he said, mocking them.

A knight dressed in blue armor, stepped forward from the group.

"I will do it," he said.

"This will be fun. Prepare to die."

The knight went under the vampire. The vampire avoided with easy and lunges a counter-attack. The force of the impact throws the knight to the ground. Blood rushes to his mouth.

"Did it hurt?" the vampire mocked him. "There is more, where that came from."

"And I thought, it was your best," the knight replied.

"You little…"

The vampire rushed forward in a blinded rage. The knight went under, he cut him to his throat. The severed vampire turned to dust. The knight got up, dizzy from the blow.

"Who's next?" he said after returning to normal.

"They're running! We need to stop them!" the knights shout behind him.

"Burn the forest!" he commands. "It will stop them."

The sorcerer summoned a fire-storm. The fire spreads, burning everything in her way.

"The way is blocked!" the goblins shout. Now, they were truly trapped.

"What's with you?" the leader asked his group. "We fight!"

The orcs lowered their bodies, trying to go through the forest. There was no use. The knights couldn't last for much longer. They were getting tired. One last effort is all they need.

The vampires' morale was high. The odds were in their favor. This is turning to be an easy fight. The vampire sorcerers conjured spells of old. The dead were rising from the graves. With each moment the army of the dead was getting bigger and bigger, the knights' need a miracle to save them, now. The fires and all commotion attracted unwanted guest, creatures that were vampires and orcs once long ago. Now, over centuries of evolution, they evolved into mutants. They were more like daemons. The flames did nothing more than to annoy them. The chances for their victory were slowly disappearing, and the knights know this. The vampire appeared out of nowhere, he cut, he stab, and he slashed. Knights were falling like sacks in front of his might blade. A knight attacked from behind. The vampire's concentration was broken. One of the older knights charged forward and cut the vampire's throat. Blood gushed in streams.

"I have fought against all types of foes. But, vampires…" the knight said.

"…is something new?" the other one finished his sentence.

"Yes."

"Then, make it count!"

"I will!"

They badly needed a miracle.

In the distance, elves smelled the smell of a burning forest. It was strange for them. Two of them went to scout the area. They didn't return. A group went to search for them.

"Do you smell that?" a ranger asked, lifting his bow.

"I do. A smell of a forest burning!" the warrior replied.

"Someone is fighting nearby," the paladin said.

"Fighting on our land? Are you sure? Never in a million years!"

"Kill them!"

"I don't care, who they are."

"This ends, now!"

One of the vampires tried to run, an arrow ended his run.

"Cursed vampires! On our land! What nerves!"

"Loose! Fire at will, men! Don't save arrows!"

A rain of arrows falls on the vampires. Every tenth one was alive. A group of vampires got through the fire and started flying to safety. The orcs seeing that there is no way out, made a stand near the forest's edge. The elves moved ten steps forward. Bows were ready to fire any second; the elves waited.

The goblins make one final charge, arrows fly. Their bodies made only a wall. It was over in a heartbeat. The orcs fell like leaves of a dead tree.

"Leave our land, at once!" the elves said.

The knights turned and left the elven lands never to return.