The Accidental Archmage by Edmund Batara (read out loud books .TXT) 📕

can you please have connecting ditches deployed like this,” Tyler drew on the

ground, along the edges of the burned forest, “but maintain the depth at chest height.

Is that possible?

“That? Child’s play. If you want, I can even have a ditch connecting it to the edge of

the stream and some distance beyond that, within the cover of the forest. To cover

you, I can have a fog in the area and extend it for some distance. It’s normal in this

part of the forest but sometimes fog doesn’t happen so we better make sure. To cover

your smell, you get to choose an enchantment or roll around on the ground and wipe

yourselves with those leaves. The enchantment doesn’t last long, you should know.”

Tyler looked at his two companions.

“Thanks for the ditches. Please extend it as you see fit. Uhmm, about the enchantment

and the natural cover, can we have both?”

Rumpr laughed. A lot.

“Oh, you humans. You never change. I’ll cast the enchantment when we’re there. In

the meantime, rest and eat. Then follow up to the stream near your former camp. I will

go ahead and do my work. Don’t worry, I will find you when it’s done. But don’t take

too long.”

With that, Rumpr walked out of the defile. Probably didn’t want us to see any more of

his tricks. He could have left the way he came. The three ate their meal in silence. Each

one thinking about what may happen. Three against a couple of thousand. Even when the attack was going to be done at night, under cover of a short-lived enchantment, the

odds looked daunting. Tyler, for his part, was wracking his brain on what to do. The

general idea was there. But as the saying goes, the devil is in the details. Meal over, he

looked at the two.

“Here’s the plan. We have no intention of directly tangling with two thousand jotnar

and dokkalfr. What we want to do is hit their siege equipment and then the wagons. If

we can do that, the pressure on Scarburg will lessen. A lot. Your job is to watch my

back. Jorund, an extra task. If you see me falling into that magical exhaustion again.

Tell me. Then we all withdraw and find another opportunity. But find targets of

opportunity. No flame arrows. They will be seen in the dark.”

“Sire, once things start being exciting, they will suspect the woods on both sides. It will only be a matter of time before they find us.” That was Jorund. Habrok nodded in

agreement.

“If that happens, we withdraw immediately. We use the ditch to get out. You heard

what I told Rumpr. We have up to the forest past the stream. That way we wouldn’t be

silhouetted while getting away. When withdrawing, keep close. We won’t have the time

to look for anybody missing.”

The three moved out, confident that their movements will be cloaked by

the landvaetter. Tyler had his staff in his right hand. The fog was already starting to

rise but he could still see where they were going. Reaching the trees just before the

stream, they paused and waited for Rumpr. They could see the thick fog that covered

the desolate forest battleground in front of them. While waiting, they rubbed exposed

skin and their gear with the leaves pointed out to them. After a while, Rumpr’s voice

sounded behind them.

“Hello, my human friends. Who are as crazy as a svartalfar on a grog-less diet for a

week! I would have said a vargyr with its tail on fire but it didn't seem right!”

“Everything ready?” asked Tyler as he turned to look at the being.

“Except the ditch on this side. The channel on this side will be directly in front of the

trench on the other side of the stream. Can you see it? It’s right in front of you. Did the digging while you were waiting.”

Tyler tried looking at the ground in front of him. But excellent his enhanced eyesight

may be, the lack of forest tracking skills betrayed him. He couldn’t see anything. Habrok

spoke up.

“There it is, Sire. See that tree in front of us? With a big rock beside it? The trench opening is between the two.”

He finally saw it. It really was difficult. It merged with the darkness and shadows cast

by the trees. He gave the signal to cross the stream. Habrok took the lead and Jorund

took the tail end position. They moved fast, trusting in magical concealment. As they

passed through the ditches, they made sure dirt spread along their bodies, grabbing

fistfuls at times to rub into their armor and faces. Tyler trusted Habrok could find their

way back. The man has changed since the discussion at the inn and strangely, Tyler

hasn’t decided yet if he missed the old garrulous Habrok. Most probably not.

The crooked way the channel ran confused Tyler. He doubted he could find his way

back by himself. By the time they reached their so-called front line, the trio were

unbelievably dirty. Their fording of the stream contributed to dirt turning into mud in

their bodies. Front line for Rumplr was several feet away from the edge of the scorched

forest and true to his word, the fog was heavy. It extended to the encamped enemy.

Tyler was guided by Habrok to a part of the trench which was directly in front of the

wagons and siege equipment. Not that it was difficult to find. The belfries of the tall

siege towers were visible even with the dim moonlight. Thankfully, the moons had shed

their full glory and moved to the next phase. Ground visibility was nil. The problem was

the wagons and the catapults could not be seen. He based their locations from the

drawing Habrok made, using the breaching towers as his reference point.

I can’t use the ground level fireball spells. Can’t see for shit. Distance must be around

three-fourths of a mile? Difficult to assess under these conditions. What to do? How to

do it? A bombardment of empty spheres and fill with energy before impact? That would

limit the number of spheres. I don’t think I can infuse all of them before they hit. Not to mention difficult. An outright volley will definitely lead them right to our exact