The night air provided a cool, soothing breeze after the hot, dry day that had preceded it. However, its calming effect was lost on the Ogre Kingdom. They stood prepared for battle, and nothing would distract them from what they needed to do.
"You there. Look alive and keep watching. We don't know who this enemy is or when he plans on attacking," Rellik said.
"Yes, General," replied a soldier.
The entire Ogre army stood outside the walls of their Kingdom, guarding the gate. They had been warned that one of the other Kingdoms of Ila would be attacking them within the week, and they'd immediately prepared for war.
The Ogres were no slouches when it came to physical build and brute strength. They were huge, muscular creatures that moved with surprising agility and struck with deadly accuracy. Ogres prided themselves on their strength and prowess when it came to fighting. The news of an attack came as a pleasant surprise to them.
"How long has it been since there's been any serious fighting on this Island?" Rellik thought as he surveyed the encampment. He picked up a sword and looked it over. "This is going to be a nice change of pace," he said and grinned.
"General. I have a report," said a commander.
"Go ahead, Commander."
"The enemy's approaching from the southeast," she said and smiled.
"Magic users?"
"It appears so, General," she said trying not to laugh.
Rellik scowled. "What is it Nissassa?" he asked.
"General. It's the Fairies."
Rellik's frown wavered.
"What?" he asked as he struggled to keep a straight face.
Nissassa simply smiled and nodded in response, knowing that if she tried to talk right then she would end up laughing instead.
Rellik composed himself and straightened. "Are you sure they are attacking?" Rellik asked.
"Yes, General. That has been confirmed. They sent us a formal declaration of war, and they march on us as we speak."
Rellik looked disappointed. He had been hoping for a challenging battle, one that would allow the Ogres to really test and show off their training.
"Alert the Ministry. I guess they will be the ones having all the fun this time," Rellik said.
"It's interesting that we have such differing points of view on the matter," the Ohpa said as he walked up behind Rellik.
"Never mind that last order Nissassa. It appears they've already been informed," Rellik said as he turned to face the Ohpa. "Lord of our church. What brings you outside of the Kingdom walls this evening?"
"As you know, we religious leaders must never leave our temple save in dire circumstances," the Ohpa began.
"Yeah. Yeah. Hurry up past the formalities and get to the point, you old goat," Rellik thought, impatiently.
"Those circumstances have arisen. The Fairies that come to face us now . . . are no longer those of our country. They have changed."
"What?"
"Their magic is much stronger than anything we've ever seen. The closest thing to what I'm feeling right now was documented over a hundred years ago."
"I'm not following."
"They have really strong magic. We can sense it from here, and they are still specks in the distance at this point."
"Okay?"
The Ohpa sighed. "We might not be magically equipped to repel this attack."
"Oh! You religious are always over-exaggerating. Where's your Ogre spirit? You know we are the strongest race on this island. What would we have to fear from magic? They've never been able to defeat us with it before."
"Rellik. We will be putting up a magic barrier over the Kingdom and your troops. This will prevent against illusions and enchantments that we know Fairies have been known to use. But that's all we can do . . . If there are magical beasts attacking, then you . . ."
"Say no more," Rellik said and grinned. He hadn't remembered about magic beasts. This could be an interesting workout after all. "You may return to your temple at ease. We would be happy to take care of any beasts they send up against us."
The Ohpa sighed. He'd known that Rellik and the other Ogres would be happy for a challenge, but he and his Ministry didn't understand why his people were so enthusiastic about battle. "Perhaps if more Ogres dedicated themselves to the discipline of religion and magic, there would be no need for physical battle at all," the Ohpa thought.
"Now that's true prowess," the Ohpa said out loud without realizing that he'd voiced his thought.
"Damn straight," Rellik replied, thinking that the Ohpa had been talking about Rellik's earlier statement.
Then, the Ohpa shook his head and walked toward the gate to the Kingdom. Rellik went to talk with the other generals. The fight was still on.
When the Fairies arrived, the moon (that had been shining full for six hours) suddenly went black. A terrible noise could be heard as a stampede of monsters ran at the Ogre Kingdom.
There were thousands of huge, deformed shadow monsters with razor claws and dagger teeth. They swarmed and shrieked. Moving fast as wind, they collided into the Ogre army.
When the Ogres struck at them they would disintegrate beneath the blows, but this was just a trick. They would fold around the Ogre weapons and slash at the Ogres with acid claws.
Most of the Ogres moved out of the way fast enough to avoid the slashes, but some fell writhing to the ground and convulsed to a slow agonizing death.
"This is some kind of trick," Rellik growled. "Why haven't our Ministry made these creatures solid?"
Inside the temple, the Ministry had their hands full. They were intercepting an incredible barrage of illusions and spells meant to weaken the Ogres. Some fell mad to the ground, screaming and clutching their heads. Others found themselves straining not to succumb to the intensity of the spells they countered.
Some spells were unrecognizable, and thus they could only be shielded against and not countered. However, it took a lot more power to keep up a shield than it did to cast a counter spell. The situation looked bleak at best.
"We need to strike up an offensive, or they'll destroy us completely before our soldiers have even had a chance to strike down the Fairies," the Ohpa said as he looked frantically around the temple meeting hall. "Are there any clerics presently not engaged?"
Only five Ogres came forward, and one immediately backed up and took the place of his friend, who'd passed out. Together, they struggled to cover the gap in the shield.