The freezing wind tore through the northern pass as High Mage Kelvin and Second Vice Commander Elara crested the snowy ridge. They froze. Down in the valley, a contingent of armed men was already standing in the biting cold, waiting.
Kelvin raised a hand. Behind him, the massive infantry column ground to a halt, silent save for the muffled crunch of snow.
"The traitor's men?" Elara whispered, his gloved hand resting on his sword hilt.
"No. Look at the mismatched armor," Kelvin murmured, his ancient eyes narrowing. "Hired swords. They're a blind to keep the true employer hidden. They're waiting for a handover."
Kelvin turned to the young Vice Commander, mind already working through the tactical geometry. "Take two thousand men and flank the ridge, Elara. When those mercenaries leave, ambush them. Leave no survivors, or they will be a thorn in our side later."
"Understood." Elara nodded sharply. "What is the tactical plan for the ambush?"
Kelvin gave a low, serene laugh. "I leave that entirely in your capable hands."
Elara's jaw dropped, the color draining from his face. "Huh?!"
But the High Mage had already turned away. Leaving the young commander to his sudden panic, Kelvin stepped to the cliff's edge and breathed a soft, ancient cadence into the frigid air.
A spectral bird, woven from sheer mana, materialized and perched on his shoulder. Kelvin blew gently over its glowing wings. His eyes glazed over with a flat, white light as his consciousness slipped into the familiar.
Through the bird's eyes, Kelvin soared high above the valley floor.
Miles down the mountain road, he spotted the target: the Dwarven army. They marched in a dense, heavily armored stack. The vanguard was composed of the feared Dwarven Hammers, followed tightly by rows of riflemen. Curiously, they had left their deep-earth mortars behind, opting only for their devastating cannons and Hellfire volley-guns.
With a mental command, Kelvin ordered his remaining eight thousand infantrymen deep into the snow-heavy woods, melting into the shadows.
From the sky, Kelvin continued his scouting. The powder wagons were kept safely at the rear. But in the dead center of the formation sat a reinforced iron-banded wagon, guarded with a ferocity that bordered on paranoia.
Kelvin watched as the Dwarven column finally reached the valley floor. They unhitched the iron-banded wagon and pushed it toward the mercenaries. Without a word exchanged, the hired swords secured the mystery cargo and rode off—straight toward the pass where Elara was waiting.
Perfect, Kelvin thought. Trial by fire, Elara.
Now, for the Dwarves. Kelvin's avian eyes scanned the surrounding forest. Deep beneath the snowdrifts, he spotted them: four massive, dormant Stone Golems. To an untrained eye, they were just snow-covered boulders. To a master mage, they hummed with latent earth magic.
A small smile touched Kelvin's lips.
Leaving his horse behind, he waded out into the deep snow alone. Channeling his mana, he drifted silently up into the canopy of a towering pine. He raised his staff and pulled the surrounding moisture from the air, summoning a sudden, blinding blizzard directly over the Dwarven route.
Down below, the Dwarven Captain spat a curse into the howling wind. "A blizzard? Now?! Hammers, brace and hold your ground!"
From his perch, Kelvin fired a concentrated, invisible needle of mana deep into the woods, striking the four Golems. Instantly, he wove a shimmering illusion of a fleeing Dwarf just ahead of them.
The earth groaned. The enraged Golems tore themselves from the frozen ground and hurled boulders at the illusion. The phantom easily dodged the massive rocks, sprinting straight into the main Dwarven vanguard and pulling the furious titans right along with it.
Trees snapped like twigs in the whiteout. Suddenly, four towering masses of stone and earth burst from the treeline.
"Defensive formations!" the Captain bellowed. "Fire!"
The riflemen unleashed a deafening volley, but without mana-infused lead, the heavy bullets merely chipped the Golems' rocky hides. The constructs roared, ripping chunks of earth free and hurling them into the ranks. Several Dwarven Hammers were sent flying, but the Dwarves did not break. Roaring their own battle cries, the heavy infantry charged the titans head-on, their war-hammers glowing with kinetic force.
While the vanguard threw themselves into the chaotic, brutal melee, Kelvin gave the final signal.
Eight thousand human infantrymen slipped silently from the trees at the rear of the convoy. They swiftly dispatched the rear guards. Knowing horses would panic and wagons wouldn't clear the trees, the soldiers fell upon the supply crates like locusts. They hoisted the heavy kegs of black powder onto their shoulders and vanished back into the blizzard, leaving nothing but empty wagons behind.
A cannon without powder is just an expensive tube, Kelvin mused, watching the flawless heist from above.
The Dwarves had no idea their artillery was now useless. They were too busy systematically shattering the Golems into gravel. Kelvin smiled from the treetops. His end of the board was clear.
Now, on the other side of the ridge, Vice Commander Elara waited in the freezing snow, about to fight his very first battle.