Finally we were moving again. The crater that had been Gothol'uin disappeared behind us. It might become a scenic piece of landscape again in some years but right now it, and the devastated land all around it, still were a depressing sight. I would return, eventually, but right how we had other things that needed to be taken care off. The headhunters' glade would be the next on my list. It wasn't just because they could pose a threat to our supply line either. No, this was personal as well. My encounter with the pale king had only served to drive home the need to deal with those corrupted elves once and for all.
Mopping up the last of the ghouls around Gothol'uin had given even the last of the wounded from our previous fight to properly recover. Moping up the ghouls had been easy work as well, once they had been without a king to guide them. The sky above our army belonged to my gryphon riders alone as well. Not a single wyvern had been sighted anywhere nearby ever since we scattered the city and the wyvern nests it had boasted to the winds. I was getting a little worried as we headed further north, towards the mountains of the Ringwall.
The mountains looked foreboding. That our final destination, the dwarven fortress city of Gothol'gathrak was built into these very mountains didn't exactly help either. I had thought about using magic again to take the town but I couldn't quite figure out how I would go about it. A meteor strike would be less effective against a city shielded by layers upon layers of rock. I just couldn't scale up the spell to destroy the shielded city. The spell would do more damage to us than them. To be honest it might even be bad enough to sunder the continent or worse.
My knowledge about other siege spells was rather spotty as well and so far neither Kaele nor Tero had been able to come up with anything, anything that wouldn't wipe us out as well anyway, either. We would have to do it the hard way. First though I would once again have to confront some headhunters. By now word was sure to have spread where we were heading. They would not let me destroy the place where they fell under the Devourers sway. Not without putting up a fight first at least.
It would be a mess, but it couldn't be helped. At least we were far enough north by now to run our supply line over the mountain pass instead of through the gap where some of the other human or dwarven kingdoms could pose a problem. Together with the fresh supplies came news that the destruction of the human city had not gone unnoticed back home either. Apparently the mushroom shaped cloud had towered high enough to be visible even there, despite the mountain range separating us from the lands we called home. The impact had been felt as well, but it had not been strong enough to ruffled anyone's' feathers, as Quu'za put it.
The glade lay pretty much dead ahead of us. We had come across and marched through grander forests on our way here, but I could already feel the presence of the place. It was nasty. The edge of the forest might have looked normal enough at a glance. If one were to look more closely or at the trees deeper in the forest though any notion of normalcy would quickly be dispelled. I could see the grand trees at the forest's heart from here. They stood tall for sure but they were very obviously dead as well. Not a single leave graced their pale, grayish white branches.
Whatever deal the pale elves had struck with the Devourer, it had not left the place untouched. Supposedly there was a similar place somewhere in the hills along the edge of the Ringwall on our side of the mountains as well, where the ogres had accepted their deal with the fallen goddess. No one knew for sure where it was though. Sure, explorers had tried to find it but none had returned so far. Well, that was a problem that could wait for another day. Or maybe someone else could take care of it. I didn't have to solve all the world's problems myself after all.
A group of Tortho's rangers awaited me and the rest of the army a little ways ahead. The master of scouts himself was absent for once though. The group was led by the sergeant I already knew. She greeted me and my guards with a nod as we pulled ahead of everyone else and approached. She didn't speak up though. Instead she used a series of hand signals to communicate.
I almost winced as I realized why she communicated like this. She had been closer to the great impact and her hearing had suffered. She wasn't exactly deaf but she had trouble controlling the volume of her own voice. Instead of making a fool of herself she fell back on another skill. I tried to keep up with her signs but in the end one of the harpies with the ranger squad translated for our benefit. “We see headhunters every once in a while but none of them stand their ground and fight. They always pull back and stay out of reach, retreating deeper into the glade.”
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The harpy paused briefly, looking at the sergeant while emitting a questioning chirp. The other woman repeated the last few hand signs, a little slower this time. That the harpy had picked up the sign language as quick as she had was already quite commendable but she was obviously still learning even if she was much better than me. Finally the harpy nodded and spoke up again. “Tortho wants to try and capture some anyway but his chances aren't really all that great.” At the end she shrugged in unison with the sergeant.
I pondered these news for a moment before inquiring further. “No other threats nearby?”
The sergeant shook her head. That gesture needed no translation.
I in turn addressed the other officers or their representatives with me. “We spread out here to encircle the glade. The rangers will guide you. No will not set up a camp tonight but fortify your guard posts around the forest anyway. I will venture deeper into it with my chosen companions. Tero will command our right wing and Kaele will command the left. Tortho and his company will provide communication and coordination while the cavalry will anchor our center.”
The cavalry units were least suited to fighting in the forest but they would be crucial for hunting down any headhunters that might try to escape. For that reason I wanted them where they could easily support either wing from the center instead of acting as a mobile reserve behind our lines. We simply didn't have enough men and women for that. I had to commit all the forces I had available. I expected to do the hardest fighting myself anyway.
Judging by the look on her face Kaele seemed to think so as well. She looked like she wanted to speak up and protest but as she was aware of my own determination she kept quiet. I wouldn't venture into the headhunters' glade alone at least. That was all I could do to ease her mind.
I clapped my hands. “You know your orders. Get to it. Tonight we take no prisoners. They wouldn't either.” There were grim nods. Everyone knew that headhunters didn't take prisoners. They only stocked up on provisions.
For a little while I stood there, watching as they got going. The marching column split up quickly with well practiced ease to form up new, mixed units, except for the cavalry.
At long last I turned towards Gash'zur, Leumina and Quu'za. The trio would be with me, together with a few more of Leumina's archers and Quu'za's harpies. A group of quick and nimble scouts and archers with the giantess and me serving as the heavy hitters. I was confident that we would be able to take on just about everything that might be lurking in this dead forest. I had briefly considered bringing either my brother or Kaele but decided against it in the end. My own spell casting abilities and whatever the others could provide would have to do.
I checked my armor, my shield and my glaive as well as my backup weapons one last time and the others made similar checks with their own gear. Finally I took a deep breath. “Lets go and light up that damned place!”