Eld'tide indeed did get us some more of that sweet treat. We made Khuzan as comfortable as we could with our limited means as well. After Kaele looked after his wounds once more he took the chance to rest up a little. I couldn't imagine that he did rest well though. I certainly was jumpy. It was damn hard to stay still, if every noise could be the enemy approaching our position. I was stuck behind the thick oak though. If I were to keep a lookout chances would have been to high that I would have ended up giving our ambush away. Instead our ranger, who had gone invisible again and my sister, who sat in the tree a good distance above me kept their eyes open.

For a little while I was afraid that I might have misjudged our situation, that we were not pursued at all and that I might have just cost us valuable time. In the end those fears were unwarranted though. When they finally caught up with us, I could hear our pursuers long before any of us caught a first glimpse of them. They were not going about this whole pursuit thing with much subtlety and of course they had brought dogs. Considering the racket they made I was pretty certain though, that these dogs were not actually hunting dogs. I winced as I thought of the most likely alternative. If they weren't hunting dogs, they were most likely dogs trained for war.

Damn, that did not exactly improve our prospects. We would have to take these beasts down before they had a chance to reach us. They would reach us much faster then their human masters as well. The slippery slope would probably not slow them down all that much, if at all. They were probably trained to go either for vulnerable spots like ankles and wrists or directly for the kill. If they got their teeth in our flesh we would be pretty much done for. I looked in Khuzan's direction. He would be especially vulnerable, down on the ground, propped up against the tree's trunk, in between its roots. He had no way to dodge and his options to defend himself were rather limited as well.

I cast my Cat's Grace spell silently to prepare myself but still held off on Blur. I didn't want to give myself away by accident. It sounded like there were a lot of them. My heart started to beat faster and not just due to the spell improving my speed and my reflexes. I pressed myself against the tree trunk in my back, looking to my right, to make sure we wouldn't get flanked from that direction and listening for the signal to open combat. I pulled back the string of my bow, silently thanking the Moon Maidens for still smiling upon us and my sister for all of her efforts that my collar bone held. Hopefully it would stay that way. Hopefully I would be able to kill enough enemies to make a difference.

No, screw that. I shouldn't even start with that kind of attitude. I had to kill enough of these bastards to keep all of my friends safe! There was no other way to go about it! Than I heard the signal. It was nothing fancy. No bird calls or something silly like that. It was a sound I had grown familiar with over the years and especially during the last days. It was the sound of an arrow flying from the string of Eld'tide's bow. By the time I came around the edge of my cover I could already hear a muffled scream of someone who had been hit and the sound of her next arrow flying from her bow. I wasn't her. I took a brief moment to adjust my sights. Then I let loose as well. My target had been one of the dogs at the very front of the group of warriors that were closing in on us.

I could hear the beast yelp at first and then whimper in pain, as it was hit, as I ducked into cover again. Only moments later the first crossbow bolts slammed into the tree at my back. It was a good thing the old oak was a pretty sturdy tree. I pulled the next arrow from my quiver. My supply of ammunition was rather limited. We had scavenged quite a few arrows from the headhunters yesterday and earlier today, but most of them stood ready in quivers in the spots Eld'tide had picked as her firing positions. I was left with barely a dozen arrows myself. Well, I would have to make them count. I could be certain that she would make the best use of her more ample supply for sure.

“Let the dogs off their chains!” That cry was my signal to shoot again, hopefully before their crossbowmen had a chance to reload their weapons. I took a step and came around the other edge of the tree this time. I set my sights on another dog, one already pulling on the chains that held it. My arrow hit just as the handler let go. The slobbering beast jumped forward, right into the projectile that sank deep into its chest, only to slump to the ground as if it were a puppet whose strings had been cut. I heard more cries from my far left. Eld'tide must be wreaking havoc upon the humans somewhere over there. She was probably keeping them from flanking us.

As I disappeared behind the tree again, more projectiles slammed into it. I could hear the last of the three dogs I had seen approach as well. It was a terrifying beast, tall, heavily muscled, with teeth that could give you nightmares and a spiked iron collar where the chain that had restrained it was attached. It was not terribly bright either. It would come around the tree where it had last seen me. Khuzan was already aiming that way, while I nocked the next arrow. I was tall. Taller than most other people from around here and certainly taller than any human I had seen so far. That dog's shoulders still almost reached up to my hips, as it came around the tree, dirt and leaves flying everywhere, as it scrambled for purchase.

At almost point blank range the crossbow bolt sent it back down the slippery slope. It whined and then fell silent. Would they expect me to come around the tree on the side I picked first for my next shot? Probably. Honestly, I could only pray that no crossbow bolt would end my struggle in the next few moments. Still it was better if I kept them guessing. I could hear men making their way up the slope now and Khuzan was still reloading his weapon. I couldn't wait any longer. I came around the side of the tree I had picked for my second shot again. A crossbow bolt slamming into its wood on the other side told me that it had been the right decision.

I let go of the bow's string, sending the arrow flying into the chest of a human that was already halfway up the incline. It went through his chain mail without any trouble and he fell over dead. I dove back into cover just in time. Wooden splinters scraped the side of my face and some got stuck in my hair as another quarrel hit much too close for comfort. I pulled another arrow from the quiver just as Khuzan put the next bolt into the second warrior to climb the slope. It turned the man's face in a bloody mess. Going by his gurgling screams he wasn't dead yet though. He probably was wishing he were though. Either way, I doubted that he would get back up to join the fight again. It was more likely that he would drown in his own blood before long.

“Gah! Traps! Watch out!” A scream from my right drew my attention. Someone must have stepped into one of the spiked pit traps I had prepared there. They weren't much, but then, they didn't need to be. I poured Mana into Blur at last leaving my cover to go in that direction. I fired my arrow at another man climbing the hill along the way. He didn't drop dead, but the arrow in his shoulder would keep him out of the fight for a little while at least. Crossbow bolts whizzed through the air all around me. Some even passed through my blurry after images. Then I finally reached the cover of the next tree. It wasn't nearly as solid as the oak I had just left behind though.

From here I could see the group that had climbed the slope to our far right, out of our sight. One of them was on his knees, helping another pull his foot free from the wooden spike that had gone through it as he stepped into one of the traps. Another two were carefully probing the ground with their spears, uncovering the rest of the pits. A crossbowman stood at their back, watching over them. He wasn't watching hard enough and more importantly he was looking in the wrong direction. He hadn't noticed me yet. I launched two arrows at him in quick succession to make sure he wouldn't get a chance to correct his errors. They silenced him forever before he even got a chance to scream.

Him dropping dead got me the attention of the others for sure though. They left the wounded man behind and charged my way. I fired my remaining arrows as fast as I could. Their colorful, thick, padded cloth armor provided them with better protection that the chain mail the others had worn. It was quite a surprise to be honest. It took me three arrows to drop the first of them and the second kept coming at me although an arrow was stuck in his chest. It probably hadn't penetrated deep enough. Was it only due to their armor? Or was I at fault for not pulling the string back any further? Never mind. I threw my bow at the wounded man, staggering him for a moment.

The next moment I was already in between him and his comrade, with the sword I had looted after the fight at our camp yesterday in hand. That was the correct weapon to us in this case, even if it was not my favorite one. The steel blade cut through their cloth armor as if it were a light summer dress. Blood sprayed everywhere as the spear of the one dropped to the ground, his hand, with much of his arm still attached, clutching it tightly. He stared at it dumbfounded. Then he screamed and ran. I didn't bother going after him. He would be dead before long anyway. I ran the sword through the other one before he could realized what was going on. I twisted it in the wound for good measure, making him scream as well.

As I pulled it free again, to face the wounded man they had left behind it shattered into a countless pieces, as a crossbow bolt hit it. I could feel blood running down my face. I stared at the wounded man, who had picked up the weapon of the crossbowman. He stared at me in return, before scrambling to reload. I blinked. None of the splinters had gone into my eyes. I had gotten lucky once more. I threw what remained of the sword at the asshole and picked up the spear at my feet, pulling it from the grip of the severed arm. I didn't bother getting any closer. The weapon wasn't designed for throwing. I threw it anyway. The heavy spear sunk deep into his flesh, knocked him to the ground and the crossbow from his hands in the process.

As far as I was concerned he wasn't a threat anymore either. I was breathing hard. I could hear magic missiles flying through the air. They made rather distinctive sound, almost like the keening of a banshee, as they flew. Khuzan and Kaele. I turned back in the direction I had come from, pulling my Darkelf friend's sword from its scabbard now. I would be running out of weapons before long if I kept at it like this. I could see a handful of men trying to get back to their feet along the slope. The magical projectiles hadn't killed them. It didn't matter. Another lay dead much too close to Khuzan, who had run out of quarrels. He had drawn his remaining sword, but it in his state he wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight if any of the humans git close enough.

At least the crossbowmen weren't shooting at me anymore. They were focused on something else. Their projectiles flew into the woods somewhere further along the hillside. Eld'tide was keeping them busy. The men that had gotten back to their feet eyed the old oak warily. They knew Kaele was somewhere up there, but they couldn't see where exactly as she was still invisible. I threw Khuzan's sword at one of them like an over sized throwing dagger. It punched through his helmet just find, sending him spinning back to the ground. Then I grabbed my glaive. I had left it leaning against the oak's trunk. Its familiar weight reassured me.

I ignored the two remaining human warriors close to me. They looked on in surprise as I charged past them. The next moment they screamed as Kaele lit them on fire from above. Unlike those dunces I had seen the branches bend a little as she had climbed along them to reach the position directly above them. The inferno she unleashed shook the remaining humans as well. Someone burning alive wasn't a pretty sight after all. Their screams weren't easy on the ears either. For a moment they just stared at me as I charged them as if they couldn't believe what was happening. Some of them threw their weapons away to run before I could reach them. One of Eld'tide's arrows took down one of the men brave or foolish enough to stand their ground. Then I was among them.

My glaive was a heavy weapon. It was a sturdy weapon. It improved my superior reach even more. It gave me leverage as well. I swung it wide and sent the head of the first opponent flying. Then I smashed the butt of the weapon into the face of the next. I shoved the remains of his broken nose all the way up into his brain and kicked him into another man before he could drop dead, sending both of them to the ground instead. Only two remained standing. Both wore better armor than the rest. Knee long chain mail over padded cloth. Their visored helmets hid most of their faces. One of them turned an ran, leaving the other to stare flabbergasted first at his fleeing comrade, then at me.

I brought my glaive around again in a wide arc. Not a sensible move in an even fight, as it left me wide open for a moment, but this fight was anything but even. To his credit he brought his shield up to block the blow. Afterwards it hung limply together with his shield arm though. My blow had certainly had enough momentum to break it. I smashed his sword from his other hand next. I pondered if I should send his head flying like that other man's, but he was actually wearing a chain collar of sorts. Instead I brought my weapon down upon his head, putting a deep dent into his helmet and his skull as well.

I dropped the polearm and drew my hunting knife. With a single step I was next to him. I pulled his head back, exposing the top of his throat above the chain collar for my knife. As he dropped dead, his heart pumping his blood from his body through the gash I had opened in his throat, I looked around with wide eyes. I was still alive. I almost couldn't believe it. “Kaels? Khuzan? Eld'tide?” I called out for my sister and our friends, but I couldn't even hear my own voice over my own thundering heartbeat.