WIP. “Pch! Common, common, get moving!” Samatha yelled, sighing, wiping her horse in frustration, frustratedly looking up and down, watching the slow paceline of wagons that continually lay ahead of her, labouring the day that she had ever taken this damn job.

‘Damn this blasted swamp,’ Samantha thought, finally giving up and going as to put down her reins to Petro, her adjutant/aid, who with his pale dark skin and half-closed blank blue eyes looked incredibly tired at this particular moment in time.

“They're coming! they're coming!” A voice suddenly shouted.

‘What in the world’, Samantha thought looking up, suddenly spotting one of her scouts huffing and puffing over the horizon, running at such an extreme pace, screaming.

“They're coming! Ahh….!” The scout screamed only to stop, falling to the ground as an arrow suddenly appeared out of nowhere, hitting the scout dead on, killing him instantly.

“Enemy!To arm’s!” Samatha screamed, hastily pulling out her two-bladed shields, jumping to her feet, her men doing the same with their various swords, shields, and axes.

“Down!” The voice of the old man suddenly screamed, dozens or more arrows suddenly appearing, raining outwards from throughout the north’s sky and blocking out the sun from thousands or more miles away.

“Shields!” Samantha yelled, seeing the arrows, instinctively doing the same as all the rest, mercs and Non-mercs alike, pulling herself down to the ground, covering herself with the weight of her 2 shields just as the arrows hit.

“Bang, Bang, Bang” The shields went, forcing her back a step or two, as the arow’s hit.

“Mages! Create a Barrier! If” Samantha yelled, swiftly snapping out the order’s from inside her 2 shields, only to suddenly stop, Canta and rest seemingly already on the mark as a sudden dozen blue wisps of light suddenly appeared out from a dozen different directions away, hitting the arow-covered sky all at once, even as Samantha spoke the words.

Twang, Twang, Twang...The arrows went, Samantha looking up from her twin shields, watching as they hit, arrows hitting the mage barrier only to bounce off of the barrier, becoming but splinter’s on the ground.

“Fire!” The old man suddenly screamed in his loudest voice. The hissing started again as her archer’s started to fire back. Arow’s streaming overhead, this time aimed not at the barrier but to the north, towards the enemy, ‘whoever they may be.’.

“Commander You alright?” Canta's voice suddenly asked, a patch of Blue smoke appearing out from nowhere, dispersing only to reveal the thin yet otherwise Athletic beauty queen of a woman that some men knew Sandra was sure would have had a thousand words to describe her as.

“Yeah, Yeah, I’m alright” Samantha huffed out, waving her off.

“Realty commander? You're lucky to be alive. Hasha!Na!” Canta, never the one to let an opportunity slip, said, seemingly not believing her words as a wave of light animated outwards from her and into Samantha and all the others that stood there watching with an awaiting gaze.

‘Hah…’ Samantha sighed as the familiar warmth of a healing spell hit her, the various aches and pains of the day disappearing all at once.

“If those arrows hadn’t been fractured by my Mages barrier. You would be a dead woman.” The eerily annoying mage healer said, her ever pleasant smile seemingly out of place to Samantha at this particular moment in time.

“Ahh, and I didn’t realise you cared, mage Canta” Samantha half snarkily replied, already halfway through the process of putting her second larger shield away with her right hand and pulling out her sword in its place.

“That’s Archmage Canta to you!” The thinly layered healer scrawled out twice as hard, Giving Samatha a good reminder of all that was wrong with her, only to be puttered out over the wave of Sargent's William's voice.

“That’s it! Give em inferno boy’s!” The old man yelled, continuously yelling at the top of his voice with another dozen Tangs of arrows flying overhead.

“Oh don’t change the subject, what did you think you were doing?” The ‘Birtch’ archmage/healer said, making a twirling gesture with her hand, the various sound’s outside the barrier suddenly disappearing at once, as she did so.

“Why aren’t you in the tent with the rest of us? A woman of your stature shouldn’t have to be out here in the cold! You have” The 20-some-looking Mage turned, looking about in disgust as she looked over the various armed muscled men and several women whose various weapons and armour uniformed them as Samantha's own. “Have, others to do that”, the pampered mage said, leaning inwards, whispering her words, seemingly not stupid enough to announce her thoughts outright.

“I was thinking, I would do my job! So! If you would excuse me, Archmage Canta, It seems I have the battle to win.” Samantha replied, tuning sporting a massive grin on her face as she turned, ‘Haist’, activating her sprint skill, channelling stamina energy through her core and into her legs as she began to run.

Running, running, running, through the swamp-filled water, carefully navigating through the hill of horse carts and caravans, Samantha, ran and ran, and ran, quickly reaching the barrier’s edge in short order, using her faze ability to faze through it to the other side, the old sergeant's rowdy voice becoming open to her as she went through the barrier.

“Common! Put your back into it! You clancies! These Tiflings aren’t going to kill themselves!” The old Sergeant said, using one of his more favourite sayings, Samantha smiled, old memories filling her, as she heard the words. His voice growing ever louder even as she continued to run.

Running louder and louder, and louder, through the swampy water. Past tree after tree. Continually running towards his voice till finally, after who knows how long, she finally spotted him but only a few short blocks off from the main caravan, arrow’s waving into him and his 20 or so trenched in archers, hiding behind the dead, using the dozens or more dead laying on the floor around them for cover.

“Hhhh”, ‘Nearly there, just need to go, a bit, faster’ Samantha gritted, seeing the old man in sight, forcing even more stamina energy through her channels and into her legs, forcing herself to keep on going.

“Hmmm,” Samantha gritted her teeth, a sudden burning sensation hitting her legs. Drawing more and more energy from throughout her core. Pushing her body for all it was worth as she continued to run.

Running. Swifter and swifter. Louder and louder. Harder and harder. Than she ever had before. Samantha only just about finally stopping when she was but a few short feet away from him and the rest of her mud-filled bowmen.

“Commander!” One of the old man's archers suddenly turned, sprouting a salute as he suddenly spotted her. Sargent William, immediately doing the same, turning to face her,

, “Commander!” The old war-haired sergeant said, hand to his chest, saluting, Samantha feeling the same sudden sense of oddness as he did so just like every other time he had done so since she had first made captain.

“Sargent” Samantha happily smiled and nodded, just about filled to Bjorn to see him safe and sound, ‘Good to see you too old man’, replying with a quick salute of her own as a sign of respect using all her training and self-restraint to stop herself from running up to him in a hug.

“What you lot looking at, don’t you have bow arm’s to work, well!” The old sergeant scrawled, seeing that his bowmen as he called them had seemingly crawled to a stop at the sight of her, angrily shouted back at his men.

“Yes, Sargent!” They screamed.

“Agh, commander we in a real sprite spot a?”, Her old teacher and mentor said, turning to her, most if not all of his bow's people immediately returning to work.

“Ay, seems that way,” Samantha said, agreeing with him when suddenly she stopped as a blue wisp of smoke appeared, vanishing as quickly as it came, Archmage Canta's dark twiggy form taking its place. ‘Ahh, what now’.

“Commander, Seems we have a conversation to finish.” The mage said her endless glee that never seemed to leave her face a slight outputting to Samantha at this moment in time, ‘How, how can she be gleeful at a time like this? It's like she’s an automation but with only one setting’.

“What now? Don’t you see we have a battle to win?” ‘The nerve of this woman, Sandra thought, filled with such fury as she yelled out her words.

“Never mind that” The mage said as this whole ambush was of no consequence.

“Besides, speaking of said battle, shouldn’t you be with the other mages, and I don’t know, keeping the barrier in place!” Samatha glared. Another volley of arrows suddenly hitting the barrier in turn of the ones Old Willems and his men had sent out, making her point for her.

“Hugh,” Archmage Canta huffed. “Darling, I could hold this barrier for years with but half the amount of mages that I have at my disposal before I had to recast,” The archmage said. “But I can perhaps see that you're right, Yes perhaps we should shelve this conversation for a later date...” She said, abruptly disappearing in a wave of blue smoke.

“Good, Ok” Samantha huffed. Turning to the old man, furry filling her face as she turned, looking to the old wise Sargent for advice and support like she had always had.

‘You know what to do girl,’ his face said, giving her the same small scowly smile that she had seen so many times before.

“Sargent, report?” Samantha Lorded out, doing as he had trained her to do, filled with hope that he at least would know more than she currently did.

He smiled.’Good job girl’ The old man warily smiled at her, a curled grin on his face only to snipe away itself a second later, his same natural scrawly scowly look returning in its place.

“20 bowmen and 5 bowwomen, all that remains of today's training troop commander, we’ve been hit hard by the elves but we’re ready to carry out your order’s commander!” Old Willems said, returning to sergeant mode.

“Elves!”‘elves,’ Samantha thought, shocked by his words, stopping him before he could go further.

“Elves, you're sure?” Sandra asked, shocked. ‘But this is the borderlands, why would they attack us, we're just a simple merchant caravan?’, She thought confused, listening in as the old man gave his report.

“Yes, commander, Here, have a look….” The old Sergeant said, passing her his Starscope, pointing to the far north.

“Oh, all lords, '' Samantha muttered. ‘He’s right’ She thought, solemnly looking through the Starscape for herself, immediately spotting half a dozen or so elves in a single tree top as she did so, with every one of them seemingly armed to the teeth with bows and arrows both.

‘Wait, what’s that…’ Samantha turned, suddenly spotting something, tuning the skyscape over a setting or 2 to get a better vantage point, spotting a strange growth bridging two of the larger trees together as she did so.

‘That must be their command post’, Samantha concluded. Spotting numerous elves coming in and out of strange green buildings/tents that appeared to her to be made out of the same green vines that made up the bridge itself.

‘But how did they make such a thing? only a druid could have done such complex work unless the rumours are true, but no, if the elves had such power surely they would have used it on us already,’.

“So that means what. They have a druid but he’s sick. Wait that must be it, There waiting for their druid to recover” Samantha muttered, turning to the Old man, “Sargent,”

“Yes, commander?” The old man smiled, Samtha smiling, recognizing the look on him as one of recognition. Like he knew what she was planning and was just going along for the ride.

‘Hmph, He always did seem to know what I was planning, sometimes even before I did’ Something that had creeped her out as a child, and even now as an adult, she found herself weary of it.

“Send some of your men to find lance and the others, gather them here, Oh and send for the mages as well, I need a chat with our dear lady Canta,” Samantha ordered, smiling back, the mid strokes of an idea coming to her.

“Oh, and here, I noticed you were looking a bit tired, old man”, Samantha jokingly added, taking out a large red oak pill from her dimensional pocket and passing it to him.

“Yes, commander, Josho, Mino, Lilo, Miler”, The sergeant said, seemingly too tired to argue as he took the golden-red pill off her hands, and, gulping it in one, randomly pointed to a good dozen or so of his men.

“You heard the commander. Go find our lost lambs!” Old Williams yelled, yelling like he had taught her any good Sargent should.

“Yes, Sargent, Commander” The men nodded, snapping a quick salute off their own and quickly turning heading in opposite directions of each other.

“I’m here!” Lance called out, rolling in his usual fashion, pulling in with his full shiny sword, shield, steal-filled amour routine. Propping off his red royal horse like he owned the place. His men, the shinies as Samantha called them, did the same, Tapping off behind their horses.

“Yes, I am here too, though I do wish to know why?” Canta said suddenly appearing as she tended to do.

“Lady Canta, how nice to see you, may I say you look dashing today”, Lance said spotting the mage, his dementia changing ideally. “It is a good day is it not?”

‘Men, they never change’ Samantha disgustedly thought, disgustedly watching as all the men, lewdly turned to face the archmage disturbing her even more than she already was.

“Yes, yes, it is nice,” The mage said, sassily smiling at the handsome, young knight, looking at him as a predator would its prey.

“Do you perhaps wish to go for a walk?” The young knight captain said, having seemingly forgotten the rest of them.

“Ahuh” Samantha coughed.’Ugh, Shut up before you make it worst’, she thought hoping he’d get the hint.

“Of course after this glorious battle is finished and the enemy lay at my feet,” The knight said with an abrupt comeback.

“Ofcourse'' The mage who was clearly not dressed for battled said, smiling ever so tighter as she turned to face Samantha.

“Ok, I've summoned you here,” Samantha said, clapping her hands together, getting the attention of them all.

“Summoned, No you are mistaken! You do not summon me, Atchmage Canta, Huh” The yough-filled mage whom Samantha knew must be nearing her 7’th century by now to have reached the rank that she had said.

“Ok, I’ve asked you here” Samtha gritted her teeth, pushing her irittshion to the side for the sake of the mission just as she had been taught.

“No! No! I only came as a courtesy, now that I have done so, goodby, oh and Samantha we’ll be playing a game of house in a moment if you wish to join” The ‘britch’ Archmage said, abruptly disappearing in the blue smoke that she had arrived in, not letting Samantha get even a word in.

“Good, you go then, enjoy your games, we never needed your help anyway!” Samantha yelled, filled with rage and anger both,knowing she was fooling no one but herself with her words.

. “Hhh'' Samantha sighed, turning, looking up and around at the others, bows wheezing in the background, “So, Here’s the plan, You all know the enemy are in those trees?” Samatha asked, pointing to the treetops from where dozens of arrow's continued to be fired from relative covers.

“Yes””Yes”They all nodded in one.

“Yes, Commander, what’s the plan though?” Lance asked, his voice echoing with a conference that it always seemed to hold.

“We’re going to charge it.” She said, Looks of pure madness filling their faces as they heard the plan.

“Charge it?” Lance asked, swaying his head side to side, seemingly not as comfortable with himself as he usually was, upon hearing the plan.

“Yes. Sargent Williams and his arches will cover us. You on the other hand will be with the infantry, screening them as they match,You won’t be able to go too fast so you better be careful”

“An all-out assault, commander!” Jenkins said, commander of her Infelfrey corps. Seemingly shocked as all the others.

“Yes, an all-out assault. It’s the only path forward I’m afraid. Many men will die from this. And I won’t blame you for backing out.” She said daring him to do so.

“Huh,” Lance the all-blooded white knight having never heard of a battle that he could not win bluntched, butchering out air. “So where will you be Boss?”

“I will be in the thick of it of course, did you bring her,” She said looking to one of her many men, turning, searching amongst the many horses for her girl.

“She’s all here commander,” One of Lance's men said. Clambering up on his horse with another gold yellow-brown silver-plated horse in tow.

“Chestnut!” Samantha wailed so happy to see her old friend that she nearly screamed, chestnut almost wailing against her bounds at the sound of her voice. Imedaitially rushing up to her old friend and skriking the unicorn's mane with care as she did so.

“Weeee” ‘Did you miss me’ Her old friend wailed, looking her in the eyes, not actually saying a word and yet seeming to all the same.

‘No, that would just be plain silly, I’m no beastmaster after all,’ Samantha thought, shaking her head off sutch silly thoughts, Chestnut snipping around at Samantha's offered hand, hazard looking around for apples to eat. "Haha" Samtha laghed. "Off course I missed you" Replying just in case.

“Sorry, girl” Samantha carefully stroked Chestnut’s fur. “Sorry, No apples this time,” Samantha said, showing off her hands, and began to stroke her fur even harder in apologies.

“No,I have something better though,” Samantha said looking downwards at her Beautiful

girl's whisky yellow fur. “I was thinking we could go on a little trip”

‘Trip’ The unicorn excitedly whined, humping her head up in slight interest at Samantha's words.

“Yes, a trip, a little adventure, just the 2 of us.” Samantha stroked her beloved friend's mane. ‘High in the sky, just the two us, oh and a dozen arrows to our name, nothing we haven't faced before, right girl’.

“Alright, you have assignments, get to it” Samantha yelled, looking them each in the eyes once, and suddenly, nodding once, they began to leave, readying themselves for the upcoming battle.