Chapter 183: First Contact

Chapter 183: First Contact

The Tigrans were already in position when the first ogre convoy appeared between the trees. From a low ridge above the road, the younger soldier could see the lead transport followed by several cargo wagons and ogres walking beside the column.

He crouched behind a fallen trunk with his bow resting across one knee. The rest of the sabotage group remained hidden among the brush, rocks, and tree roots while they waited for more of the convoy to enter the narrow stretch below.

The older Tigran lay several paces to his right and watched the road carefully. He waited until the lead transport passed the first bend and three more wagons followed before turning toward the others.

"Not yet. Let the rear of the convoy come farther in. If we attack now, the last wagons can turn around before we reach them."

The younger soldier smiled while pulling an arrow from his quiver. "You give the same warning every time. None of us are going to start early."

The older Tigran glanced at him. "Last time you nearly stayed behind because you wanted to open a crate. I stopped assuming you would make sensible decisions after that."

A few of the nearby fighters laughed quietly, but nobody moved from cover. The younger soldier shook his head and nocked the arrow.

When the fourth wagon entered the ambush zone, the older Tigran raised two fingers. Every archer along the ridge drew at the same time, and his hand dropped.

The first volley struck before the ogres could turn toward the trees. Arrows hit the wagons, one driver fell from his seat, and an ogre staggered backward with two shafts lodged beneath the edge of his shoulder armor.

The younger soldier already had another arrow ready. He fired at the driver of the second transport, forcing the wounded ogre to pull the vehicle toward the side of the road and block the wagon behind him.

"That’s enough. Move!" the older Tigran shouted as he rose from cover.

The sabotage group split into smaller teams and rushed down from the ridge. The younger soldier felt the familiar warmth of nature energy spread through his arms, chest, and legs as he ran.

The energy tightened around his body like a second layer of protection. His muscles responded faster, his steps became lighter, and the trees beside him blurred as he accelerated toward the road.

An ogre turned toward him with a heavy weapon raised in both hands. The younger Tigran drew his sword without slowing and pushed nature energy into the blade.

A faint green sheen appeared along the edge. He struck the ogre’s weapon, cut deeply into the metal, then twisted away before the larger soldier could bring his strength to bear.

The Tigran circled behind him and slashed across the back of his knee. The ogre dropped to one leg, and the younger soldier continued toward the nearest cargo wagon instead of staying to finish the fight.

The ambush spread across the road. Archers kept firing from the ridge while swordsmen moved between the stopped wagons and attacked exposed ogres before withdrawing again.

The ogres were far stronger in a direct struggle, so the Tigrans avoided prolonged exchanges. They used their speed to strike once or twice, change direction, and force the larger soldiers to keep turning toward new threats.

"Rear wagon is blocked!" someone shouted from the trees. "They won’t be able to back out!"

The older Tigran answered from near the center of the convoy. "Leave the wagons where they are. Damage the cargo and wheels, then move before the patrol arrives."

The younger soldier ducked behind a transport and laughed. "That order was for me again, wasn’t it?"

"Yes, because I remember the hammers. If you start opening crates while everyone else is leaving, I’m not coming back for you."

"That still feels unnecessarily personal."

"You made it personal when you went shopping during an ambush."

The younger soldier grinned and brought his sword down against the wheel assembly. Nature energy sharpened the strike enough to split part of the wooden structure, leaving the wagon tilted and unable to move properly.

An ogre rushed him before he could attack the wheel again. The Tigran tried to sidestep, but the ogre changed direction and slammed one shoulder into him.

The impact threw him across the road and into the shallow ditch. Pain spread through his ribs, but the nature energy around his body absorbed enough of the force to keep several bones from breaking.

He rolled onto one knee as the ogre charged again. Two arrows struck the ogre in the upper body and forced him to slow long enough for the younger Tigran to rise.

The Tigran stepped inside the ogre’s reach and slashed across the side of his neck. He immediately moved behind the damaged wagon instead of waiting to see the ogre collapse.

"Still alive?" another Tigran called from the trees. "That hit looked painful."

The younger soldier pressed one hand against his ribs. "Ask me tomorrow. Right now I’m pretending it didn’t hurt."

"You should try moving next time."

"I did move. He was faster than I expected."

The fighting continued around the convoy, and the Tigrans began damaging the cargo they could reach. One group cut harnesses and overturned crates while another attacked the wheels of a second wagon.

Several minutes into the ambush, the younger soldier heard engines approaching from the southern end of the road. At first, he assumed an ogre patrol had finally responded.

The sound was different from the heavy transports he had heard before. It was faster, and several engines were approaching together.

He moved behind the damaged wagon and looked south. A group of unfamiliar vehicles came around the bend, lower and narrower than the transports used by the ogres.

The figures riding inside them were also much smaller.

"Those aren’t the usual patrol vehicles," the younger soldier said.

A Tigran beside him followed his gaze. "Maybe the ogres brought in new transports."

"Look at the soldiers. Those aren’t ogres."

The vehicles came closer, and the first one slowed sharply near the fighting. Small soldiers jumped down carrying long weapons and immediately spread toward both sides of the road.

The younger Tigran watched them take positions behind trees, wheels, and the edges of the road. "Who are they?"

"I have no idea," the fighter beside him replied. "But they came armed and drove straight into the ambush, so assume they’re enemies."

The first shots cracked across the road.

The younger soldier dropped behind the wagon as chunks of wood burst from its side. Another projectile punched through the boards above his head and struck the ground behind him.

"Get down! Their weapons are going through the wagon!"

More shots followed in quick succession. Wood splinters fell around him while the Tigran beside him flattened himself against the ditch.

The younger soldier looked through a gap between the boards. The unfamiliar soldiers were not clustering together around the vehicles.

Some knelt beside the road while others spread toward the trees. Several fired while the rest moved, allowing each group to change position without leaving the others exposed.

The archers on the ridge responded with another volley. One arrow struck the metal edge of a vehicle, while another hit a small soldier in the upper arm and knocked him backward.

The soldiers nearest the wounded one did not break formation. Two pulled him behind cover while the others immediately turned their weapons toward the ridge and fired at the archers.

The younger Tigran watched the response. "They don’t lose their formation when someone gets hit."

The fighter beside him drew another arrow. "Then don’t expect them to panic. They know what they’re doing."

That warning changed how the younger soldier viewed the newcomers. Their bodies were smaller than the ogres, but they did not rely on individual strength.

They stayed separated enough that one attack could not reach all of them. When one position came under pressure, another position immediately fired toward the attacker.

Another burst of gunfire struck the wagon.

The younger soldier pulled nature energy across his body until the protective layer around his skin became stronger. "I’m moving to the trees on the left. This wagon won’t stop those weapons much longer."

The other Tigran looked toward the open ground between them and the tree line. "They’ll shoot the moment you leave cover."

"Then make them look at you for a few seconds."

The archer leaned around the wagon and fired twice toward the nearest goblin position. The younger soldier sprinted as soon as the second arrow left the bow.

Gunfire followed him immediately.

His speed carried him across most of the open ground before a bullet struck his upper arm. Another hit his side a moment later.

The nature energy absorbed much of the impact, but neither hit was harmless. Blood ran from his arm, and a deep ache spread through his ribs where the second bullet had struck.

He reached the nearest tree and pressed his back against the trunk. "Their projectiles can get through the energy, but not easily. I can still fight."

The archer reached another tree several meters away. "Then don’t stand in front of ten of those weapons and test how long the energy lasts."

Three Tigrans broke from cover together. They moved in different directions while the archers behind them fired toward the goblin positions.

The younger soldier drew his sword and pushed more nature energy into the blade. A goblin saw him approaching and raised his rifle.

The first shot missed.

The second struck the Tigran’s shoulder.

The third hit the energy around his chest and slowed enough that it failed to penetrate deeply.

The younger soldier reached the goblin before he could fire again. His sword cut through the wooden stock of the rifle and continued into the soldier’s shoulder.

Gunfire immediately came from the right.

The Tigran abandoned the wounded goblin and threw himself behind one of the unfamiliar vehicles. Bullets struck the metal side only a moment after he reached cover.

That response made the difference between the goblins and ogres obvious.

An ogre usually fought whoever stood directly in front of him. The smaller soldiers protected one another from different angles, so reaching one of them did not mean the Tigran was safe from the rest.

"Stop rushing them alone!" the older Tigran shouted from farther up the road. "Every position is covering another one. If you charge one group by yourself, the others will shoot you from the side."

Two fighters near the ditch immediately changed direction. The younger soldier looked toward the archers and raised his sword.

"Keep their heads down! We move together this time."

Four Tigrans rushed forward at once.

Arrows struck around the nearest goblin positions while the swordsmen crossed the open road. Nature energy covered their bodies as rifle fire met them.

Bullets struck arms, legs, and torsos. The energy reduced the force of several hits, but one Tigran fell when a round entered his thigh and another stumbled after being struck twice in the chest.

The remaining fighters reached the first goblin position.

A goblin fired from only a few steps away and hit one Tigran in the shoulder. Another Tigran crossed the remaining distance and cut through the rifle with an energy-coated sword.

The younger soldier attacked a second goblin and slashed across his chest. Before he could strike again, gunfire came from another position farther down the road.

The Tigrans scattered immediately.

The younger soldier sprinted toward the ditch and dropped behind the raised earth beside the road. His breathing had become heavier, and maintaining the protective layer of nature energy required more concentration than it had at the beginning of the ambush.

Another unfamiliar vehicle appeared from the south.

A second followed only a few seconds later.

The older Tigran dropped into the ditch beside him with blood running from one forearm. He looked toward the new vehicles, then back toward the goblins already fighting around the convoy.

"These small soldiers reached us quickly enough the first time. Now more are arriving before we’ve even finished dealing with the first group."

The younger soldier kept watching the southern road. "The old ogre patrol shouldn’t have been close enough to respond this fast."

"Then where are these soldiers coming from?"

"They were already stationed somewhere nearby. They didn’t travel from a distant garrison after the ambush started."

The older Tigran looked toward the approaching vehicles again. His expression changed as the meaning became clear.

Gunfire struck the ground above the ditch before either of them could continue speaking. Both Tigrans lowered themselves as dirt sprayed across their shoulders.

Around them, the battle continued between the damaged convoy, the Tigran fighters, and the unfamiliar soldiers spreading along the road. The ogres were still defending the wagons, while more goblin vehicles approached from the south.

The younger soldier tightened his grip on his sword and forced nature energy back over his wounded body. He could still move, but the pain in his arm and ribs was growing each time he drew more energy.

The Tigrans had planned the ambush around the response time of the ogre patrols they already understood. Now unfamiliar soldiers were reaching the battlefield within minutes, and additional vehicles were arriving before the Tigrans had begun their withdrawal.

Whatever had changed along the supply corridor, the change had already reached this section of road. The Tigrans were still in the middle of the fight when they realized that the old pattern they relied on no longer applied.