The Elf emanated a surprising ruthlessness. The edges of his Elven Longsword ran with blood as his opponents ran for their very lives. Erica watched with amazement as the Elf slew six of her fellow soldiers. A wiry rogue approached the Elf from behind, moving stealthily through the fog. His grip tightened around the hilt of his long, serrated dagger.

Erica watched as the rogue raised his dagger for the killing blow. Without warning, the rogue's neck was sliced open and his weapon flew haphazardly. A shining, fist-sized orb returned to the Elf of its own accord. He stood as still as a statue, except for his eyes, which were scanning for a new target. His expressionless gaze fell on Erica, who was mostly enshrouded in fog.

"Come here."

With sword outstretched, a faint aura flowed from the Elf's body. The soldiers raised their weapons and approached the Elf. The mercenaries, once possessed by bloodlust, were suddenly satiated. The sight of their fallen allies, scattered and broken across the battlefield, did nothing to deter them as they approached their own demise.

"Be careful!"

Even as these words left her lips, Erica became aware that she was no longer hidden by the fog. She too walked toward the Elf, carrying nothing but her pitiful dagger.

One after another, the mercenaries died on the Elf's sword. Erica strained to restore her own will, managing to stop the movement of her feet. It was all she could do just to remain still as the Elf engaged her Dwarven ally. As the killing stroke was about to fall, she saw the Destroyer Shakdun appear from the mist. He swung a hammer at the dwarf, knocking him into the lake and out of harm's way.

Shakdun took out his two-handed Jamadhr as the Elf recoiled. A strange battle cry, half yell, half song, burst from deep within the Orc. The two-edged sword slashed toward Shakdun's neck, but he crossed his metal claws, catching the blade. The small shape that hovered about the Elf emitted a light as it dove towards the Orc's chest. Stepping back, the Orc seized the offensive. The six claws of the Jamadhr flashed time and again. The Elf evaded and parried the attacks.

The Elf's face seemed made of clay and the Orc's forearms seemed like dragon leather. Each was marred with countless cuts, and with each clash, fresh blood flowed, spattering the ground.

"This is not going to work," Erica thought.

Erica picked up a dead archer's bow, and found a stray arrow in the mud. She drew her shot and aimed for the Elf. But the Orc and the Elf moved so quickly that she could not track her target. Knowing she could not seriously injure the Orc, she released the arrow.

The arrow sliced between the warriors, breaking the flow of Shakdun's onslaught. The Elf paid no attention to her as he attacked with a single-bladed sword. Shakdun stood his ground, lashing out with the Jamadhr. The blades collided in an eruption of unnatural flame. Metal slid across metal as the combatants maneuvered their interlocked weapons. With a deft twist of his hilt, the Elf broke the guard of his own sword against the durable claws of the Jamadhr. The Elf withdrew his blade, cutting the Jamadahr's leather bindings, and gouging flesh beneath it.

Blood flowed between the claws of Shakdun's Jamadhr. The straps unraveled, slick with blood. The weapon slipped from the Orc's hand, falling to the ground, heavy and useless.

Erica let out a scream and ran toward the Elf. The single edged blade arced toward her with stunning precision. Erica felt the tip of the blade whip through the loose strands of her hair as she ducked and rolled to the ground. Shakdun lunged, thrusting the remaining Jamadhr forward. The Elf parried with one sword, plunging the remaining blade into the Orc's flank. He howled ferociously. Erica rose to one knee, then pounced.

"Die!"

She threw her entire weight into the dagger, penetrating the Mithril armor, cutting flesh and breaking bone, finally touching the very life of the Elf.

The Elf slowly collapsed. As he dropped to his knees, a strange sadness came over his face. His eyes fluttered and he fell to the ground.

Looking at Shakdun, she saw that he was gazing down at the corpse of his enemy in silence. Blood flowed from the spot the Elf had stabbed him, but it was not a mortal wound. The Orc unfastened the remaining Jamadhr and threw it into the lake.

Erica wondered if the Orc was angry at her for having intercepted his opponent. She stood for a moment and decided to approach him. Touching his shoulder, she spoke with purpose.

"He would not have killed you."

Shakdun looked at her with a severe gaze. His eyes bespoke his uncertainty. Erica turned her face without knowing why.

"I am sorry."

Shakdun walked toward the edge of the lake, where the Dwarf he had saved was nursing a wound. The Dwarf was holding a huge weapon that was twice as tall as his own height. Shakdun took the weapon, waved it around in the air and then looked directly at Erica.

"Victory."

He spoke as if it was a declaration written in stone and then laughed. Erica let out a smile. Then she turned her thoughts back to the battle.

"It looks as though there was more resistance in the castle than we expected. Many foes still remain."

A Dwarf sat in a tree near the encampment, a pipe clenched between his teeth. He held a cylindrical item to his eye and looked out toward the lake.

"The operator seems to still be alive," said a voice somewhere near the base of the tree.

The Dwarf removed the device from his eye and looked down at the source of his interruption. A Human stood next to the tree trunk.

"What did you say?" the Dwarf asked.

"The golem operator seems to have survived."

The Dwarf let out a hearty laugh and put more tobacco into the pipe with his thumb. His fingertips, long-since calloused from doing a Blacksmith's work, could not feel the heat from the burning ash.

"That is a stupid thing to say."

"What? Why?" The man standing under the tree spoke.

"What possible reason could there be for shaking a lantern while operating a golem?"

The Dwarf took a deep puff from the pipe and spoke slowly and deliberately. "And why did the Orc take the device from the Dwarf? Because it was too heavy?"

The Human under the tree opened his eyes wide and looked out over the lake as if in disbelief.

"Then… why did Sieghardt use the lantern?"

"Because he is a fox. With nothing more than a lick of flame, he lured the enemy's finest soldiers to their death."

"But to risk the life of the golem operator…"

The Dwarf sighed. "It was the enemy who assumed that the lantern's light came from the golem operator's hiding place - an assumption that Sieghardt predicted and intended. The enemy has paid the price for their folly."

The Dwarf jumped down from the tree. The Human hurriedly reached out to him, but the Dwarf pushed him away as if to say he did not need the help.

"Quite a successful field test."

The Human nodded in agreement.

"I trust you will speak well of it to those who have invested." The blacksmith of the Black Anvil Guild smiled with satisfaction.