nowhere and the troops were caught in a dilemma as there was nowhere to seek shelter from the rain on flat grassland. The rain quickly turned the soil into a difficult to manage mud pulp. Men on horses had to dismount including the princes and the advisor. Conditions were worsening and all the soldiers could do was push on through the harsh weather. The horses and men were trotting through the mud and endured hails of rain. “We need to get the troops out of this” said Allan to his advisor as they struggled with the others to continue. “Absolutely sir! But there is nowhere we can go. Nowhere, unfortunately” said the advisor in his anger against his ability to not advise for a course of action. “I hope this doesn’t get any worse, then” said Allan. “I regret to inform you Prince Allan, this is Unodos, the south is prone to flooding, this rain isn’t going anywhere at its not going to be mud below us, we may soon be beneath water” said the advisor as he tried to calm his horse down which was struggling under the rain. “Please don’t tell me that” said Allan, trying to cheer himself up. Once again to their horror they heard a massive movement of water in the distance, they knew exactly what it was. They just kept going braving the weather in their heavy armours, under a darkening sky. After more marching further south Allan looked up and saw an on rush of water coming straight for the troops. It was a wave, one that had come from and flooding sea not far from their position.
“Ready yourselves and brace for impact!” shouted Allan at the top of his lungs. Soldiers bent their knees covered themselves with debris and shields to absorb the impact. “Here it comes!” shouted Elis as the waves came in. It hit the troops and pushed horses and men back on impact, no severe damage was done but soldiers were starting to get battered and bruised. They were densely packed to together, the water and screaming horses caused even more chaos. “Keep going, we shall soon see light, faster!” commanded Elis who was easily out stripping the other soldiers, who he continuously spurred on at the back whilst Allan continued at the front to maintain the course and led his men forward. Allan had no solution to this, he had never experienced this before but constantly ensured himself he will get him and his men to safety. “Do not leave anyone behind, bring your brothers no matter what!” yelled Allan once again. The soldiers were now chest deep in thick muddy water and rushed and rushed. No one fell or drowned as the troops were packed tightly together, there was simply no room, however soldiers and horses collided and here was a lot of competition between individual soldiers to move faster through the ranks by pushing and shoving. Allan then noticed that his advisor had fallen behind and was no longer in sight, the kings guard was behind him, their job was to ensure the safety of the princes. He feels a hand on his shoulder, it was Elis. “Brother, let us not waste any more time, we need to divide our forces now and head different directions, we can’t all be stuck going in one direction, we must divide now” said Elis. “Come on, Allan!” said Elis again. Allan continued panting, having had no idea what to do and being extremely exhausted. “All right, let’s do it now, Elis leave immediately, lead all those from the middle onwards out of here and towards the southeast while we continue towards the southwest” said Allan. “Yes! But I have no clue what troops there are beyond the middle, there are a lot of infantrymen but I don’t know how many Unodite soldiers are amongst our troops” said Elis. “Take three quarters of the king’s guard and go with an equal number of Unodite and Hetheilian archers and infantry. Do it now” said Allan.
Elis ran as fast as he could to the middle of the line. Soldiers were in disarray and constantly pushing and shoving each other. Elis terribly wanted to break away from the army and did not care for the equality of the two separate armies even if it meant his half would be weaker. One fortunate thing was that the water that had come in from the flood had greatly reduced and the soldiers were only ankle high in water but the rain was still pouring and drenching them. He brought his horse forward and he and it stood in the centre of the line to completely dissect it in two. One soldier slipped and fell towards Elis, who swatted the poor soldier onto the ground. “Stop! Stop! Stay where you are! Maintain your strength and maintain your discipline! You aren’t men if cannot such simple instructions!” shouted Elis in sheer anger at the soldiers.
Isake’s ferocity was evident in his voice and his masculinity was prominent. “The army will now be divided into two, one under me and the other under my brother! All of you shall follow me southeast! Let everyone know, pass it down quickly we begin moving now!” yelled Elis. The troops from middle to back began to reorganise and inform one another of the change in course on their part. “We move now, all start moving to the southeast! Bring the carts, mules and whatever supplies you can carry!” shouted Elis. He now observed the troops tidying the ranks and switching direction. He ran up and down the ranks to ensure the troops were ready to follow him. Everyone in the army knew Elis was a strict leader, he was strong and bold but hardly ever took pity. At times, he could be ruthless and violent towards others in order to establish himself as the dominant figure in the army.
The troops have now fully divided and in two different columns. They were still struggling in the weather and mud but the situation had improved and there was a lot more space to manoeuvre. “May success follow from the battles we will soon face brother!” shouted Allan to his brother who began moving faster and further away from him and his army. “Yes brother! And may glory welcome us home at the gates of Ohith” said Elis with a mysterious grin on his drenched face before slowly turning his head forward. Allan’s arm slowly came down, which he had used to gesture a friendly good bye to his brother.
He too looked forward and was joined by the advisor who brought back to him his horse, copper. “Thank you” said Allan to his advisor. “No problem, I have possibly good news, there is a border Unodite village called Zanten which is a seven hours’ march from where we are in the southwest” said the advisor. “Seven hours? We’d reach there at nightfall” said Allan. “Unfortunately, yes, my prince, but it is the closest settlement from where we are other than Maredos” said the advisor. “And what of Elis’s course? What is the nearest settlement in his direction” said Allan after a short pause. “For him there are no settlements where he is going, it is miles of trackless desert, no water and no trees, the desert of Calfus is a forbidding place but it is flat area and thus armies can travel fast however the Trolls may use it to get into the bountiful areas of Unodos” said the advisor, wearily. “So, my brother and his army are in deep trouble?” asked Allan worriedly. “Yes, Prince Allan, I informed him once but he didn’t listen, I was worried you would agree to let him go” said the advisor. “What have I done?” said Allan as his voice began to soften and his face once again turned to worrying. “Look on the bright side, if he were to come across a Troll army, he would surely win, the Trolls have left their lands with little to no supplies and they would be in bad shape if they were to fight. Plus, the desert of Calfus is a strategic area it would be good for an army to secure it” said the advisor, trying to lift Allan’s spirit. “I just hope he and his army will be safe on this campaign and the same for us” said Allan.
Chapter 4: Eradicant
The sun was beginning to return and the mud was starting to dry, making the conditions more favourable for Allan and his army. The prince mounted his horse and ordered the men to increase their speed. At the same time his brother, Elis was speeding hurriedly across terrain and after two hours of separating from his brother’s army, his army reaches the desert of Calfus. He is aware that there are no settlements in his path until he reaches the wall so he and his army will just have to make due with whatever supplies they have in their possession. The weather was far different from what they had experienced earlier. It was raining heavily and they had to march across flat grassland and endure flooding. Now they were going to have to face a harsh and forbidding desert with a limited supply of water that if possible could be replenished with natural sources along the way. Elis was joined at the front of the co
lumn with his four companions, who were just excited as he was to do battle. Elis didn’t take any troops from the king’s guard along with him as he felt only these guys could provide better security for him. The army he controlled was solely operated by him now, he could go fast and act out as he wishes and have the backing of his four companions. Lumbre had given them skills of war that were far more superior to those thought to his brother by his mentor. He had never used these techniques and could not wait to use them in the battles to come.
Suddenly on the horizon Elis saw movement near some cactuses. He strained and squinted his eyes to figure what he was seeing. He knew it was a fair distance away but could not identify it. He had initially believed it was some animal. But as he watched for a longer period, he knew it was no animal. It was wearing something, stood on two legs, and looked extremely powerful. “It’s a Troll, I have no doubt about it” said one of his companions. “So, it is” said Elis. He watched the creature disappear, it was very far