The Fires of Industry

[Viggy]

Grand Marshall Ovdwo Dlorilar sat at his desk in the Ur Naldann Barracks Cavern, smoking his pipe as always while he leafed through a book. He was just turning the page when a young Dwarf officer came running in. The officer looked like a messenger. He came right to the Grand Marshall’s desk, so Ovdwo marked his page and put down his book.

“Yes?” the Grand Marshall inquired simply.

“I bring urgent news from the High Black Court,” the young Dwarf said in a stern tone. “A motion was made for an invasion and annexation of the country to the west, and it got an approving vote. You are to mobilize the Armed Forces for a drive west, slaughtering all Ents and conquering the Erkzie Forest.”

Ovdwo’s bushy red eyebrows shot up in shock. “We are going to war against the Ents? Ents? Why? They’ve never caused us any trouble.”

“That’s how some of the representatives saw it. But the majority are more concerned with the benefits of such a war. The Erkzie Forest is vast, Grand Marshall. If we annex it, we can export more lumber then ever.”

“We have forests in our own country!”

“The hunter-dwarves live there. Besides, it’s harder to clear-cut trees on a mountainside.”

“Bah… How can we fight Ents, anyway? They’ll kick my troops around like rodents.”

The officer smiled. “No, they won’t. We’ll have a number of advantages. Just get a few battalions of heavy infantry ready to move at the western border. The Engineers and the messenger-boys will handle the rest…

-----------------------------------

Ovdwo did as he was told, and within a week there were over a thousand axe-wielding, heavily armoured Dwarves stationed throughout the Black Union’s western underground fortresses, on the border of the Erkzie Forest. Because they were underground, waiting to move out into the open through hidden tunnels, the Ents would have no way of knowing an attack was imminent.

Meanwhile, the Engineers were moving several special weapons up through the tunnels as well, which would be sent to the front along with the troops when the order to begin the invasion was issued. Some of the weapons the Engineers had brought were brand new pieces of technology, that the Black Union would be testing against the Ents.

But the key to the Union’s victory was the allies they had gathered for themselves. The Ents were politically isolated, having not let anyone in their forest for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. They were hermits, and now they would be friendless when a storm came to scorch their bark. But the Dwarves had friends.

A Gryphon Rider went swiftly south, to the capital city of the Coven. The Rider urged the Vampyres to send as much strength as they could muster to The Erkzie Forest, to aid the Dwarves.

Another Gryphon Rider went even further south, bearing the same message to the Hissikkids.

And finally, a third Gryphon Rider went southwest to Patria Elementum. There the Rider urged the sprites to send their forces, particularly fire sprites, to the Erkzie Forest.

-----------------------------------

The next day, with their allies presumably on the way to help, the Dwarves began the invasion at dawn.

There would be no warning for the Ents. All of a sudden tunnel-mouths would open at the roots of the mountain, as if appearing from nowhere in the rock. And then the Dwarves would be seen, their mail glinting red in the glow of sunrise, most of them bearing an axe and a shield. Some carried two-handed axes.

But the infantry were not the terrifying sight. They would be able to kill Ents with their heavy steel axes, but only when a whole lot of them could all chop at an Ent’s legs at once. That wasn’t a practical battle plan.

The real ace in the hole (if you’ll pardon the literalness), was the war machines that came rolling out of the tunnels after the troops. They were eleven iron “carriages”, but there were no horses pulling these “carriages”. For they were not carriages but tanks, moving with the power of coal engines, the latest invention of the Dwarves. Their engines roared horribly and their heavy steel treads grinded against the rocks as they rolled slowly down the mountainside, spewing plumes of thick black smoke into the air from the chimneys at their iron sterns. Each tank had a long, heavy, rotating cannon at the top. They also had smaller cannon turrets at each side. The mouths of the cannons were carved in the likeness of gryphons’ heads, with beaks open in an avian warcry.

“As soon as the bark-skinned bastards show themselves, these birds start squaking,” an Engineer said smugly from his seat atop a tank, patting the cannons lovingly as he packed gunpowder into them, trying not to spill any of the precious black powder as the armoured vehicle rumbled and rolled along.

Getting themselves organized about half a mile from the edge of the forest, the Dwarves set themselves up so that every battalion of heavy infantry (one hundred Dwarves per battalion) was covered by a tank on each side. The Grand Marshall himself was at the front line, drinking from a glass bottle of vodka.

The Dwarves waited for a sign of the Ents. Most of the infantry were worried. Normally Dwarves were very courageous, but Ents were tall and insanely strong. A kick or a punch from an Ent would probably crumple even the hardest Dwarven steel armour, and there just weren't enough of these ‘tank’ things around to ensure victory against such a foe. Hopefully some of the Black Union's allies would be arriving soon. Or maybe the Ents would just surrender… Not likely, but possible.

 

[Ares]

A single Hissikkid Domate buzzed down from the sky, having flown over the Ent Forest of Erkzie. The hideous, huge, winged insect, standing at seven feet in heighth, landed near the Dwarf he identified as the army's Grand Marshall. The obsidian-carapaced insect stalked over with its usual menacing gait to the stout dwarf.

It hissed and clicked in Hissikkid, and the little translator wasp translated, "We are responding to your request for reinforcements. The Queen of the Third Hive has sent us- three hundred airborn Hissikkid fighters. Having prepared for the circumstances, we have been equipped with torches for combat."

As if on cue, a droning hum began to be dimly heard... After about thirty seconds, it had escalated into a full-blown buzz that filled the air. After several more seconds, the sound permeated the area, drowning out most other noise. A vast array of dark shapes had filled the sky, each holding a blunt object in all four hands. Unlit torches. The three hundred winged insects buzzed overhead like a swarm of angry wasps, and then they dropped. With a vast array of thuds, the small swarm of Hissikkid avian forces had landed in a mass of dark exoskeletons behind the Domate.

"We are prepared for battle."

 

[Solus]

Under cover of darkness, a figure ran through the southern end of the Black Union. The figure, a female shapeshifting Vampyre, quickly approached her destination near the battle lines, meeting up with the dwarves. As soon as she reached the dwarves, she shifted back to her Humanoid appearance.

"Master Dwarf. Your allies to the south await your orders. We are prepared to swarm the Ents to divert their attention away from you - they cannot harm us. We only await your command or change of plan." She said, arms crossed.

The only thing was, after this was finished, the army would be hungry. They would most likely take their meals from the Lizardmen to the west. Oh, well, if that angered them that was their problem.

 

[Viggy]

Ovdwo bowed to the Hissikkid Domate, as well as the female Vampyre.
“I’m glad to see you both,” he said, stroking his beard a bit as his mind raced with strategies. “We don’t know much about the Ents, but… Hmm… I do have a plan. We’re going to sort of herd them, and get them out into this field. My troops can’t fight too well in the woods, and the tanks would surely be delayed in there. But on this field, we can slaughter them."

“So Miss Vampyre, if you would be so kind, please move your people into the south side of the forest. Try to find Ents - if they are hiding then doing some damage to their precious trees is likely to rouse them. Then do all you can to drive them northward, and eastward - out onto this field. Master Hissikkid, if your people could do the same from the north side (you will get there faster because you all can fly, of course), forcing the Ents south and then east to this battlefield, then we’ll have caught them in a trap. They will be surrounded by our forces, fire in their faces from my army’s tanks and the fire-wielding Hissikkid drones swarming all around them. Not to mention the Vampyres, and my axemen that will be cutting them into kindling. Hopefully some fire sprites will arrive soon, to give us that extra punch in the battle. For now, let’s get started without the little folk.”

He bowed again, but then remembered something else he wanted to say. “Oh! And if either of you run into any particularly strong resistance from the Ents at any spot, simply use these.” The Grand Marshall handed each of his allies a strange, metallic tube with a pin in the top.

“Remove the pin, and throw it at the enemy. Green smoke will go up, and when our Engineers see that… Well, let's just say you wouldn’t want to be standing under the green smoke. The Ents won't know what's coming to them, they'll probably think the stars are falling from the sky.” He grinned wickedly.

“Now, good luck!” Once more the Dwarf bowed, ever courteous, and then began drilling his troops for the approaching battle.

 

[Galykia]

"Halt!" a strong, large voice yelled from the trees. "We don't wish war, or any harm to our people. Tell us what you want, and we will try our best to oblige to your demands." The ent was very close but hidden as he blended with the vast number of trees in the surrounding area. The Ent did not wish a battle, they would compromise some situation.

 

[Viggy]

The army of Dwarves bristled and began to murmur amongst themselves when they heard the booming voice of the Ent. They scanned the trees, every tank rotating its cannon, trying to spot the Ent. But he was well-hidden amongst the trees. The murmur grew louder until Grand Marshall Dlorilar raised his iron gauntlet for silence.

He looked long and hard at the trees before him, wondering if he had looked at the speaking Ent as he did so. He supposed it didn't matter. The last thing Ovdwo had wanted was to lead an invasion, and it was clear that the Ents also wanted to avoid war. But the High Black Court, for whatever reason, had ordered Ovdwo to annex this territory. And who was he to question them? He was the Grand Marshall, yes, but a vote from the Court was irrefutable.

"This forest is now the property of the Black Union," the Dwarf said slowly, but loudly. "Surrender yourselves to us, or depart from these lands. All who stand against us have chosen their doom, and will swiftly receive it."

Having answered the Ent, Ovdwo drank the last few shots left in his bottle of vodka. He could see many of his soldiers finishing the drinks in their flasks, too. There was little doubt that a battle would be happening now, and alcohol was liquid morale. They would need it, for though the Dwarves had many advantages, the gigantic size and majestic power of the Ents was always a force to reckon with.

 

[Galykia]

We have done nothing to you. But you show up in vast numbers and demand all our land for nothing in exchanged. This seems uncalled for. Perhaps a compromise? The Ent took a long pause. He talked to all the other Ents, not orally, but through the wind. Ents could spread their thoughts by the use of the breeze. that traveled through the forest.

"We are willing to give you 1/20 of our forest in exchange of zero bloodshed, and perhaps form an alliance to protect one another."

 

[Viggy]

"I am not a negotiator, I am the military commandant. I receive orders, and carry them out to the letter, using whatever I've got. I wasn't given an ambassador, I was given tanks - mighty machines that will blacken your bark with blasts of fire, and crush the trees beneath their heavy steel treads. The Ents must surrender unconditionally, or be slaughtered. You have no chance of victory in a battle, but there may be a home for you somewhere if you simply give in to our demands. The Erkzie Forest, in its entirety, is a territory of the Black Union now."

Ovdwo's voice was cold and grim, for it was his duty to sound so, regardless of his personal opinions or emotions. He disagreed with imperialism, especially when the objective was petty lumber yards. Not to mention that the timbers would most likely be sold to the Orcs, to be used as resources for the Orcs' unjust war on Kurema. Plus, the Ents were peaceful, it was dishonourable to suddenly assault them, so the Black Union's war was just as unjust. 'Power changes people powerfully,' the Dwarf silently mused.

But the Grand Marshall was bound by many oaths to serve solely the interests of his own people, and the High Black Court always knew what was best for the people. In any case, it was not Ovdwo's part to think on such things, so he shook such thoughts from his hard head and focused on the forest.

"Show yourself at least, if you wish to make pleas. I will not speak with a creature so cowardly it won't even step into the light."

 

[Ares]

The Hissikkid Domate ushered his insectoid forces away from the forest, just in case. Either way, the black-carapaced flying creatures would just get in the way of the demands. However, the Domate, his name being Irek'rikka'a, nearly went bug-eyed looking at the Grand Marshall. Was he... wavering? This did not bode well. The insect's almost-glare spoke plainly- Do not waver. You must take the bark-skins' land. It is yours now.

He didn't say it in Kittikkid, however. The huge, black-carapaced Domate scanned the forest with his four golwing eyes.... The crimson elipsoids shifted, and the hideous insect tried to see where the bark-skin was hiding.

 

[Hanshin]

The troupe of flame Sprites assigned to this assault arrived at the scene just in time to hear this last exchange of words, which darkened the troops' morale even more. The commander disliked what he heard, and disliked even more what it was doing to his troops. The only reason they were here was to maintain the treaty with the Dwarves, which was young and still in question. Much of the senate disagreed with Forma's decision, believing that allying their peaceful nation with a populace that will attack a country without provocation was foolish. However, they were also now afraid to break off the alliance, as they overestimated the warlike behavior of the Dwarves, and expected them to instantly retaliate. So, he had been sent in with a troupe of heavily opinionated soldiers that had already gotten past second thoughts onto about twenty-seconds. However, troops were troops, and they would do what he said because he said it, and desertion was a dangerous game, even for those with the speed of fire.

One of the strongest comforts was that Ents appeared to be the intelligent spawn of earth elementals, and Sprites had no mercy for those creatures if one confronted them, if only because the beasts gave no mercy back. However, this new exchange displayed that the Ents were even willing to give up part of their forest to the Dwarfs' industrial havoc to prevent war, much like what Forma had done with her prized possession for the Hissikkids. Ah, they were also a war-like species, but no contract or definitive end had come to those negotiations, so all they really had to do was appease the hive. The commander still didn't trust them. He flared an aura around himself to provide ambient light, making sure that the Dwarfs would notice his arrival.

 

[Galykia]

"I shall not show myself, we do not allow others to see us. After what we did many years ago. We attacked places we had no business attacking, much like you. It did not end well for us, so we remain silent. Our dishonor makes us unworthy to interact with others do to the war that killed and tortured so many.
I beg you to come back with an ambassador. Most certainly your people will take a percentage of our land if it means you lose zero men and use zero resources."

 

[Viggy]

As he stood awaiting the Ent’s reply, Ovdwo looked from side to side. The Dwarf could see the Hissikkid Domate giving a piercing glare, and Ovdwo knew that the doubts gnawing him inside had been noticed by the ugly Domate. He hardened his heart, looking on to the Sprites who had arrived and bowing to them before turning again to the trees. He could not embarrass his people, he had to act decisively. The irony of it was that he didn’t even have to make any important decisions to do that. His decision had been made for him, all he had to do was hold to his word.

“It may be a brutal deed, but Dwarves hold to their word,” he said to himself, so softly that not even the sharpest ears would hear him, all facing him would most likely think his bearded lips had merely moved in a sigh.

“I am not going back, I have my orders,” the Grand Marshall replied. The Dwarves behind him knew what that meant. The muscle of every soldier tensed, the Engineers’ fingers twitched, clutching flint and tinder and staring at the fuses... waiting for the command...

“All guns, fire!” Ovdwo suddenly roared in his booming voice.

The Engineers had only the sound of the Ent’s voice to go by for targeting, but there were eleven tanks, and each tank had three cannons - one big gun, and two smaller guns. You could almost hear the sizzle of burning rope as thirty-three fuses were lit at exactly the same time, and less then five seconds later there were thirty-three simultaneous, deafening booms. The area of the treeline the voice had come from was shelled heavily by the cannon fire, all the trees and underbrush in the spot where the blasts struck directly (the area was roughly twenty feet of treeline, and going roughly ten feet deep into the forest) were immediately flash-burned into scorched earth. The red-hot fragments of shrapnel the cannonballs exploded into shot out in a radius of about forty feet, piercing many trees, and hopefully the Ent (if he had not been caught in the initial blast), not to mention any friends he might have had with him at the treeline. The burning bits of bark and bramble were scattered by the enormous explosion, starting the embers of a forest fire.

Looking grimly at the scene before him, Ovdwo took the mithril vorpal-axe off his back, grasping it tightly in his gauntlets and raising it above his head. “All guns, aim thirty feet deeper in the woods - then fire at will! Bombard, bombard!" he roared. "Soldiers of the Black Union, on me! Vampyres and Sprites, cover our south flank! Hissikkid, take the north flank!”

Advancing with his heavily-armoured axemen about him, the Grand Marshall entered the treeline. The Dwarves hacked at every tree’s limb in sight, and if the tree grunted or gave any other sign of being more “alive” then the other trees were, they would surround it and chop it to pieces. The cannonballs were falling, exploding and starting new fires only a few yards ahead of the infantry's position. This would prevent any Ent from joining the battle against them, and also destroy any Ents trying to retreat into the woods. It was a bit unsettling for some of the less experienced axemen, but most of the Dwarves were uneffected by the nearby explosions and kept on swinging their axes, testing the reactions of trees.

'I hope that speaker wasn't the only Ent in the whole treeline. Progress needs to be swift, the Court expects that. Damn the tree-folk, they fight like cowards!' Ovdwo thought to himself fiercely. Letting himself hate the Ents was his way to overcome his reluctance and carry out his orders.

He took care to make his men halt before going deeper then twenty feet into the woods. After all, it would have been a mighty embarrassment for the Grand Marshall, if he led his army into their own cannonfire.

----------------------

Scouts in the hills saw the bombardment begin and the charge that followed, and swiftly went underground to report that the attack had begun. Just in case the Grand Marshall should call for any reinforcements, the officers stationed at the Black Union western border - or rather, in the fortresses beneath it - wanted to be ready to oblige.

They ordered for three more battalions of axemen, accompanied by Engineers with mortars (smaller, portable versions of the tank's guns) to be made ready to go up to the surface at a moment's notice.

 

[Lavi]

A man watched as fire began to escalate in the Erkzie Forest a great distance away, to the west of the gathered forces of what the Kuremans have began recognizing as the Eastern Alliance. For a few seconds, he watched as smoke rose in the air, then turned away and disappeared. The Kureman Intelligence Network's reach precedes that of Kurema itself.

 

[Solus]

"Yes..." The She-Vampyre said with a grin as the order to fight had at last been given. Immediately she used her race's telepathic powers to communicate to the nearest Vampyre within range, which communicated with the one nearest him down the line until within minutes the Vampyre army was alerted and began its assault. The night was still young - they had a few hours yet before they would have to fall back and take shelter - either that or fall back to don cloaks before rejoining, though that was much more risky - cloaks and masks and gloves could always be pulled off, though she doubted the large Ents were that coordinated. She would see what the generals in charge would do.

In the meanwhile, the Vampyres - about 3-4000 of them, began running through the Erkzie forest from the south and southeast, using their powers to help them discern the trees from the Ents - after all, this whole thing was for the lumber, it would do no good to burn it all, though torching the forest had come to mind. However, the Vampyres could not perfectly detect something so foreign to them as the Ents, though their senses were a help.

The Ents being able to be unhurt by the Ents, they worked; not only to use their own axes to chop through the southern Ents, but also to divert the giant race away from the dwarves. The nearest battalions to the Dwarven frontline didn't mind running through the wall of fire created by the Dwarves'...contraption...to attack and give the Dwarves some cover while they attacked and cut. After all, just because they were Vampyres didn't mean they didn't have some brawn who could handle some axes. Some people had their hobbies. The Vampyres just had bloodlust - any way it proved convenient or fun.

The only worry for the Dwarves concerning them was whether they could hold their own when the sunrise. From the looks of it, they seemed capable.

 

[Ares]

The Hissikkid Domate was pleased. The insectoid creature shrieked in a hideous battle cry that hit a note so high that no human, dwarf, or sprite mouth could match, and actually held the hideous noise for about five seconds. As he ended his battle cry, the three hundred- now four hundred due to the arrival of an extra dispatch- screeched their own savage battle screech, all incredibly high in pitch and harsh in sound. Then, they took to the skies, adding a flourish by banging all four torches on their leg-plates, igniting the torches.


The black-carapaced insect horde swarmed into the air, zipping upward, and whizzing towards the northern area of Erkzie Forest, their wings making a horrendous, primitive buzzing sound that was comparable to the noise of cannonfire. The swarm of hellish bugs arrived the the northern area of the forest, and zipped around in zig-zaggin patterns, their bluish wings, black bodies, and red eyes thrashing and glowing in an attempt at intimidation. To help this terrifying display, every member of the swarm hurled one of their four torches into the woods to scare the Ents.

From the sky, the Domate watched, his expression on his hideous face one of battle lust and a ravenous hunger... He had never tried eating an Ent before, and he wondered how well the Bark-skins would taste. If the Hissikkids must, they would eat as termites...

 

[Galykia]

The Ent was fairly deep within the forest when the initial fire began. He out ran it with ease, but the aerial shots that landed deep in hi home trapped him. He was doomed, but his "negotiation" atempts with his neighbors was not in vein. It alerted his fellow Ents to head west, toward the land controlled by the lizard men.

On their migration, the large tree people placed large holes (atleast large to dwarves) covered with leaves. It would trap and slow down their vehicles. Along with traps, huge boulders were placed in the varios open paths that the dwarves will likly use to advance the thick forest.

 

[Hanshin]

After the Sprites had taken their places and moved along, the gunfire began. The commander didn't understand why they couldn't just set fire to the forest, but there was most likely a good reason. Or the dwarves just wanted to demonstrate the power of their machinery. The commander drew a small box out of his pocket, a new device recently invented by the Sprites. It had two buttons on it, one labeled with a dot, one with a circle. He flipped a switch, and stored wind magic began to flow out of the device as he continuously tapped the buttons very fast, as those back home had made sure that he was good at this. Using binary, he conveyed two pitches of beeps for zeroes and ones, signaling that the offensive had essentially begun, even if it was just a barrage on one Ent. He then flipped the switch off, the flow of wind magic was cut off, and the beeps passed high into the air towards his country.

A notoriously insubordinate Sprite noticed movement in the trees, and zipped into the Dwarve's line of fire. He had saw something! Who cared about the commander's orders, he was too lenient on enemies anyway. Enemies were enemies, and he was going to get the first kill. He began dodging cannon fire, and moving to where he had seen the disturbance. That was when he noticed an Ent, trapped by the cannons. He zipped towards the tree-man eagerly, intent on getting the 'first kill'.

Oh, that idiot. The commander had a feeling war-loving idiots like that would be the downfall of the Sprites. At least they weren't too common yet, so for now he could set the fool's shirt on white fire and watch it slowly start to give him a burn, eventually showing a Flame sprite what it felt like to be burned alive before extinguishing it. That'd quench the rascal's thirst for blood. Or... sap, or whatever Ents bled.

 

[Viggy]

The infantry went on hacking and chopping, the tanks kept shelling the forest, and yet nothing seemed to be happening. These were just trees, the only Ent in this area had been the one they had spoken to. Ovdwo wondered if that Ent was dead yet. He had seen a Sprite run into the cannon fire and die a little earlier - he had taken it for mere battle madness, but now he suspected that Sprite might have seen the Ent.

“Troops, halt and stamp out fires! Tanks, cease fire! And move up to the treeline! Find a path, we need to go deeper!” the Grand Marshall bellowed.

About five minutes later, the orders had been carried out. The fires in the central area of the Erkzie Forest’s treeline were put out by the stomping of iron-shod Dwarf-boots, and the soldiers then formed up into their battalions on either side of the nearest path. Two tanks rolled up, and moved down the path, Dwarves marching among the trees on either side. The path was so narrow that the tanks’ cannons had to be swivelled inward, so as not to get caught on tree trunks.

Straight ahead and to the south, the Vampyres surged forward. The Sprites stayed in the center of the front, with the Dwarves. Up in the north, Ovdwo could see smoke rising as the Hissikkid cast torches into the trees. A lot of good lumber would probably be lost that way, but it was a necessary evil. Besides, charcoal could be used as fuel for forges or vehicles.

Ovdwo made a quick remark to a passing Vampyre. “Have your people scout the area ahead thoroughly, my swift friend. Traps would be deadly against the kind of force I have here, and this forest is perfect for traps.”

As he turned his gaze forward again, Ovdwo spotted the Ent at last. The tall bark-skinned creature was hiding among some trees that still miraculously stood among the bombarded areas. The Grand Marshall silently pointed at the Ent.

The Engineers grinned as they too spotted him, and the tanks swivelled their cannons around quickly. Each tank fired a shot from their larger cannon at the little group of trees. The Ent flailed wildly for just a moment as he and the trees around burst up in flames. And then he fell, completely incinerated. The fire died down to embers quickly, but the troops stamped it out nonetheless.

“Keep moving…” Ovdwo said, and his tanks started rolling again, heavy infantry marching on either side. They went at a slow pace, letting their allies make sure all was well ahead of them.

When told about the boulder blockades on the path (which the Vampyres obviously saw), the Dwarves merely laughed - their tanks would be able to blast away those stones easily, once they reached the blockades. But the Vampyres had also found more worrying things, as Ovdwo got reports of great pits that were hidden using leaves. He asked the Vampyres to mark these traps out very clearly for then. A tank that slid into a pit would probably never get out again, so it was imperative that the Dwarves avoided such traps.

In the meantime, Ovdwo moved to the rear. He sent up three more tanks, as back-up to the two he already had sent down the path. Then he looked around for a Hissikkid. Spotting one buzzing around the treeline about a hundred yards north, he called out to the insectoid. When he (or she, there was really no way to tell) came over, the Grand Marshall politely asked the Hissikkid to send a message to the Domates. The message was:

"From the sky, your drones should be able to see at least some of the Ents' movements. Try to give me some report of what those big barky bastards are up to."

Thanks to the Hissikkid hive-mind, the drone had only to reach out with its thoughts for a moment, and then it had an answer from the Domates. They reported that the drones had seen the Ents moving westward - the enemy was on the retreat. Ovdwo cursed to himself. This would be a long and frustrating battle...

In the back of his mind, the Dwarf also had to swallow his pride and admit something to himself: the Black Union's allies were what was making victory in this campaign a possibility. He and his army could never have dealt with the Ents on their own, Dwarves just weren’t suited to forest warfare.

((I took some liberties with your soldiers, Sol and Ares. Hope everything was agreeable, if not, please tell me and I'll edit. :) ))

 

[Ares]

OOC/ That's okay. It was just a Drone, anyway. :P))


The Domate hadn't even needed to contact the drone. The drone knew what the Domate knew- and what every single Hissikkid on the globe knew. The Ents were milling around, but a large number were going westward. This wouldn't do. The hideous black Domate swooped down to the forest, followed by the hordes of his fellows. They swarmed through the trees, encountering a group of ents on the way. The Drones landed on them, and, in passing, ripped the bark from their bodies, and the huge horde behind buzzed past, virtually shredding the unfortunate Ents. The swarm of 400 Hissikkid, puny by most army's standards, but incredibly deadly, swarmed through the forest, their wings a horrendous noise. They left the trees and woodland creatures intact, but the Ents unfortunate enough to come upon them were ripped apart by the sharp-clawed, mandibled, and chintinously-armored Hissikkid.

Eventually, the Domate zipped up and away from the battle, hovering high above. He saw that from the North, his swarm was ripping through the forest at high speeds, the Dwarves were bombarding a single Ent with their tanks, the Vampyres were sweeping in and attacking from the South. The Sprites were also assaulting, fire torching Ents and and blasting them down with bursts of wind.

The Domate located the dwarf commander below, and sped down, landing at a high speed right next to him. The hellish insect hissed and clicked in Kittikid to the stout humanoid, and the translator waspo on his shoulder translated.

"The ents are, as we suspected, cowards. They must believe that if they run, we'll leave them alone. Our Hissikkid drones will keep pressing from the North, and also aid the Vampyres in trapping them. The Sprites should help you crush them from the East."

The Hissikkid Domate paused before speaking, and having it translated.

"Oh, and please, if at all possible, could you try and keep some Ents intact. It's possible that they could be a good food source."

 

[Galykia]

((Ares please change the part about my guys attack the vampyres. I am not fighting, all are moving west.))