The Battle Of Ashen Snow

"Ready your shields!"

Evelon looked up from the ground as he heard the order, and yelled the echo to his men.

"Ready your shields!" He roared.

The entire northern border army of the Enkrean Empire was standing in unison around him.

His 10 men behind him held up their shields as they shook with fear and had sweat falling down their skin like melting snow. It was a cold winter day and yet they were sweating in this frost out of fear.

Evelon stared at the back of the person in from of him. They were all wearing tattered leather armor. Rough and scarred from overuse. The lack of war provisions these years were due to the Empire's neglect in military finances.

-What peace and no war for a hundred years?- Evelon mocked and cursed in his mind.

He looked toward the sky where he could hear the cawing of crows and the flapping of wings. The white snow was falling down on his face as he looked toward the 7 gods above.

Pitch black birds with red beady eyes flew overhead in large packs. Evelon knew why. He could tell that there was going to be a slaughter soon, and they could tell too.

"Swords Up!" The general in the far distance called.

"Swords Up!" Evelon Echoed the order, as he and his men readied themselves for battle, and lifted their swords to the right side of their wooden heater shields.

-That coward of a general wants us all to die as cannon fodder...- Evelon damned in his thoughts.

The general stood at the very back of the formation. Not to mention with the best and elite troops they had at this crucial time. He stood with the troops who wore gleaming metal armor and had weapons that shone like newly fallen stars. The elites numbered in the few hundreds, while Evelon and his men were forced to stand in front with all of the other low ranks that were enlisted into the army. The human soldiers of the lower ranks in leather armor, wooden shields, and old iron swords numbered in the two thousands on the frontlines.

Evelon held his shield and sword up for countless seconds. What seemed like a moment to others felt like an eternity to him. His sweat slowly crept down his back like tens of small spiders seeking prey in their web. The men around him were shivering not from the cold, but from the fear of what was to come. They all knew that it was going to be their last breath soon.

After the first wave, they knew how strong their foes were. They knew that they had nothing that they could use to stand against those monsters.

Just as he thought about the first wave, thousands of foul black skinned demons with warts on their skin and eyes red as the god of hell began to exit from the forest of pine trees in front of them. Those monsters stood 7 feet tall each, and even the smallest of them weighed 200 pounds of pure muscle. They wore rugged iron armor which looked as if it were an ancient tome rather than armor. The soldiers around him quivered and some nearly fell to the cold ice floor. Their knees were bent lower than a dog's height, and were shaking like a bee quivering from flight.

"Stand Firm Men!" Evelon roared like a lion commanding his kin. he knew that if they faltered now, they would just die like lambs to the slaughter. They needed to brace their muscles and have them ready for a fight. Not ready for a beating. "Y-Yes Sir!" They shouted in unison, and began to stand upright behind him.

"Listen up!" Evelon shouted to grab their attention once again.

"This is an order! None of you are to die without killing two or more of those demons first!" Evelon roared to his men.

"We take twice of them as they take one! Think of your families! Your children! Your parents! Your lovers!" Evelon stood in front of his men and pushed the man in front of him to the side, so he could see the enemy with his face.

"Think of them when you battle today!" Evelon howled like the god of war as he stared at the sea of pitch black humanoid giants approaching him.

"FOR IF WE FALL...!!!"

"THEY WILL SUFFER!!!" Evelon let out one last burst of air, as he bent his knees to brace himself for impact, and leaned his head forward behind his shield.

"Yes Sir!" His men shouted in unison, as they formed a miniature arrow formation behind him in the wall of human soldiers, and were renewed with the courage and will to battle unto death.

"RAAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHH" The shouting of thousands upon millions of giant black orcs were bellowing across the battlefield as they smashed into the human ranks.

"FLANK SUPPORT!" Evelon bellowed, as his men lined up behind him, and supported his back.

"ARAGH!!!" Evelon scowled, as his shield was struck with the force of a giant boulder. A pitch black shoulder was dented into his shield, and a warted black face with red glowing eyes was spitting scum into his face. An orcan captain standing 11 feet tall, and weighing over 700 pounds with full rusty iron armor, and a giant club was hammering into his shield.

*Crackle!* Evelon could feel his shield breaking, as it almost snapped the leather strap on his arm, and a crack could be seen going down the middle.

"GO BACK TO HELL!!!" Evelon roared, as he headbutted the menacing face. His head hit what felt like a rock wall, and it was scraping his skin like sandpaper.

"Guraaaggh!" The beast screeched, as it yanked it's head back in pain.

"DIE!!!" Evelon bellowed with a burst of air, as he stabbed with every last bit of strength he could muster.

*CLANG*

"Damn!" Evelon cursed as his sword flicked off of the shoddy iron armor that the orc in from of him wore.

"Eeerorggh!" The beast howled, as it lifted his massive club over head and swung it down with enough force to create a blast of air around them.

"MOVE BACK FOUR STEPS, AND GIVE FLANK SUPPORT!!!" Evelon Roared, as he rolled back to dodge the attack, and held up his shield to block the next one from his left.

*CLANG*

The massive club struck his shield on the second swing, and he would have been thrown to the side if he didn't have his men supporting his back.

"Sir!" They shouted in unison, as they looked at his cracked wooden shield.

"Don't Falter! Continue the support!" he bellowed as he stabbed towards the leg of the beast.

*Splash!*

Purple blood sprayed onto the floor and coated Evelon's sword, as he cut an inch deep into the beast's shin.

"Iiigraaaahhhh!!!" The beast screeched like a dying rat, as it held its shin with its free hand, and bent over revealing a jagged opening in its rusted chest plate.

"Goroooggghh!" The orc swung its club down angrily and once again created an intimidating wind pressure.

-Damn! Too shallow!- Evelon Cursed, as he stepped right to avoid the blow and then stepped forward to deliver an attack.

"FLANK PUSH!" Evelon Roared, as he Swung his sword toward the heart of the orc under the gap in it's rusted armor.

"YES SIR!!!" The men behind him shouted in unison, as they each pushed his back and his sword plunged into the depths of the orc's heart.

"GRARRGGH!" The beast coughed up purple blood, as Evelon's blade pierced it's heart and yanked it out.

"Humph!" Evelon yanked out the beast's heart and swung his sword to rid it of blood, as the heart was flung onto the ground.

*SPLASH*

Evelon stepped onto the heart on the floor and crushed it into waste as it slowly oozed from the sides of his shoe.

The beast was clutching it's chest in pain, while Evelon stepped forward once more and lunged.

"THEY HAVE 3 HEARTS!!! DON'T REST YET!!! FLANK SUPPORT!!!" He roared, as his men pushed his back, and he plunged his blade into the neck of the orc who was too busy caring for it's wound.

*SHANK*

Evelon felt his blade sliding into what felt like a sponge of sandpaper, as his blade screeched and scraped before he cut through the neck of the beast.

*THUD*

The head of the orc fell to the ground, and Evelon let out heavy gasps of air, as he ordered his men to fall back.

"Fall back! Were too far ahead!" he roared, as he noticed the soldiers around his men were going through worse situations then them. The whole army was pushed back by a meter, and there were gaps and openings everywhere. Even the elites in the back were having trouble fighting from the occasional orc who managed to break through the front lines.

"LOOK AT THEM!!!" Evelon roared to his men as they stopped and pondered what he meant.

"Those nobles and elites in their shining armor and gleaming weapons!" He roared once more.

"They have trouble fighting normal orcs, while we..." He continued, as he held up his sword and stabbed an orc in the eye, before shield bashing it to the side, and yanking out his sword which had brain matter on it's bloodied blade.

"WE HAVE SLAIN A CAPTAIN!" Evelon bellowed, and threw the head of the orcan captain spinning into the air.

"RAAAAGGHH!!!" He and his men bellowed throughout the battlefield while advancing, as the surrounding soldiers looked towards them and gained the courage to continue fighting as well.

"FORWARD! GIVE THEM NO REST!!!" Evelon roared, as he picked up a shield from a dead soldier, and latched it onto his arm while advancing.

"YES SIR!!!" They all yelled in unison, as they advanced behind their captain with a gleam of bright light in their eyes.

*BASH*

Evelon slammed his shield into an orc in front of him, and headbutted it to the ground before he proceeded to slide his blade between it's throat.

"FORWARD!!!" He roared with the voice of thunder crashing down upon their ears.

"RAAAAAAGGGHH!!!" They all yelled behind their captain with shining eyes, as they followed his lead and took down the orcs in pairs of men against a single orc.

Many human soldiers behind him began to follow their lead as well, as they all rallied behind Evelon's lead and they began to force the orcs back one step at a time.

The clamoring of metal and wood was heard across the battlefield, as humans and orcs alike fell down with brain matter and bloody organs flying through the air. The air was filled with shouting and screeching as the voices of fear, anger, terror, and triumph could be heard everywhere one's ears were on the field.

"RAAGGHH!!" Evelon shouted, as he headbutted an orc to his right and shield bashed one to his left.

"PUT EM BACK TO HELL!!!" He thundered, as his men stabbed their blades into the orcs on the floor.

"Sir! The left side of the army is being overtaken!" One of his men shouted to him, as he looked to the left. Thousands upon thousands of black orcs with bloody red eyes were crushing humans under their clubs, and intestines and brain matter were splattered all over the field as far as one could see.

The human ranks on the left side were slowly diminishing, and the nobles at the back were beginning to panic as more and more orcs broke through.

The right side orcan captain was already slain by Evelon and his men, so it made sense that the left side was now under pressure. No man could stand against those monsters if they didn't keep it together and organized. Orcan captains were a whole other level compared to normal orcs.

"FLANK SUPPORT!!!" Evelon bellowed and they each lined up behind him with newfound respect for their captain.

"CHARGE!!!" Evelon Ran forward with their shields on his back, as he raised his shield over his head, and bent over for a full force push to the left side of the battlefield.