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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dirigible" data-source="post: 1195456" data-attributes="member: 12631">Urlandt burst from the treeline, his war-maul held low and ready to swing up, ready to take bone and metal with it. The human soldiers rallied almost magically as the giantblooded man arrived, halting their flight and turning to face the goblins that pursued them. The oruk pointed it's vardatch at the approaching man and snarled a challange.Coel sized up the remaining forces. The humans were still outnumbered and outflanked, but at least now they had someone of equal size to the enemy commander. The wildlander saw that, should his charge continue, Urlandt would be cut to pieces before even reached the oruk. Quickly, he drew another arrow, flexed his fingers, and set to his bloody craft.*THWANG*One of the goblins holding the line fell.*THWANG*Another.*THWANG*Another.Urlandt met the the oruk face to face, the mountain striking the earth.With deadly precision, the backwards-facing spike of the vardatch swung around, the air, time itself seeming to slow. The spike gouged a line across Urlandt's chest, tearing his armour. The giant man slowed, his charge almost halted, but the momentum of his maul was unstoppable, arcing up to splinter the oruk commander like stone beneath the hammer - The backslash of the oruk's swing shredded his throat. The hammer did not slow, and Urlandt's final blow landed home even as he was cast down.Urlandt fell, fountaining blood and gurgling his death rattle. Coel's next shaft left the string within a half-heartbeat, and buried itself fletching deep in the oruk's ribs. Still reeling from the Dorn's blow, the Shadow soldier raised one meaty paw to the fresh wound, puzzled, and crumpled to the earth.By the time Coel reached the battlefield, the only sounds were the buzzing of flies and the creak of old branches in the cold wind. The few remaining refugee humans had quit the field as soon as they were able. Ellionwy was kneeling by Urlandt's slumped corpse, her face slightly bowed and hair falling in a pale curtain around her."He... was too far beyond my skill." she said softly, gently closing his fiercly defiant eyes with her fingers.Coel said nothing, but held a hand out to help her to her feet. Urlandt had been a fool and paid the price, as far as Coel was concerned, but he did not put voice to those words. He had trusted to much in his own size and strength, and had not had proper fear and respect for his foes. He had commited the sin of bravery; synonymous with death in the Last Age.Coel cast his eye over the carnage. Too many bodies to administer the proper precautions. Speed-kissed boots would be their only hope here."We must move" her said flatly, scooping the diminutive woman up over his shoulder, ignoring her shrieks. He broke into a run. - - - Long after the echoes of Coel's swiftness had faded into the laughter of uncaring leaves, there was the sound of bone and flesh being ground into oblivion by heavy, slow strokes. - - - They set the smallest fire they could, many hours later. Coel had carried the healer as far as he could manage, then they had run on foot until darkness was deep. Ellionwy sat, her arms wrapped around her knees, staring into the fire with a melancholy expression. Coel methodically groomed the fletchings of his arrows, keeping one eye on the forest.The sound he had been, not dreading, but expecting with grim certainty. Heavy, dragging footsteps. Coel glided to his feet like a big cat, squeezing his bowstring taut. Ellionwy looked up sharply, her eyes glittering in the dim firelight. Coel took aim, and the branches parted at head height.Stepping into the circle of illumination, his face pale and bloodless, bruised and caked with dirt, Urlandt stared down with dead eyes.</blockquote>

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