need no assistance."
"With the cat, we're certain to get them all. I will not risk the life of thedwarf because of your discomfort." Drizzt knew that it would take many hours forWulfgar to accept Guenhwyvar as an ally, if it ever happened at all, but fornow, all that he needed was Wulfgar's cooperation in the attack.The giants had been marching for several hours. Drizzt watched patiently astheir formation began to loosen, with one or two of the monsters occasionallylagging behind the others. Things were falling into place exactly as the drowhad hoped.
The path took one last twist between two gigantic boulders, then widenedconsiderably and sloped more steeply up the final expanse to the chasm rim. Itturned sharply then, and continued along the ledge, a solid rock wall on oneside, and a rocky drop on the other. Drizzt motioned to Wulfgar to stand ready,then sent the great cat into action.
* * * * *
The war party, a score of verbeeg with three ogres and a dozen orcs besidethem, moved at an easy pace, reaching Daledrop well after the night had fallen.There were more monsters than the dwarves had originally expected, but theyweren't overly concerned by the orcs and knew how to deal with ogres. The giantswere the key to this battle.
The long wait did nothing to temper the raw edge of the dwarves' nerves. Noneof the clan had slept in nearly a day, and they remained tense and eager toavenge their kin.
The first of the verbeeg tramped onto the sloping field without incident, butwhen the last of the invading party reached the limits of the ambush zone, thedwarves of Mithril Hall attacked. Bruenor's group struck first, springing fromtheir holes, often right beside a giant or orc and hacking at the nearesttarget. They aimed their blows to cripple, using the basic [domain] of dwarvengiant-fighting philosophy: the sharp edge of an axe cuts the tendon and muscleson the back of a knee, the flat head of a hammer crushes the kneecap in thefront.
Bruenor felled a giant with one swing, then turned to flee, but he foundhimself facing the readied sword of an orc. Having no time to trade blows,Bruenor tossed his weapon into the air, shouting, "Catch!" The orc's eyesstupidly followed the axe's diversionary flight. Bruenor decked the creature byslamming his helmeted forehead on its chin, caught his axe as it fell, andscampered off into the night, pausing only for a second to kick the orc as hepassed.
The monsters had been taken absolutely by surprise, and many of them alreadylay screaming on the ground. Then the ballistae opened up. Spear-size missilesblasted into the front ranks, knocking giants aside and into each other. Thecrossbowmen sprang from their concealment and launched a deadly barrage, thendropped their bows and charged down the mountainside. Bruenor's group, now intheir fighting "v" formation, rushed back into the fray.The monsters never had the chance to regroup, and by the time they were evenable to raise their weapons in response, their ranks had been decimated.The Battle of Daledrop was over in three minutes.Not a dwarf was even seriously injured, and of the invading monsters, onlythe orc that Bruenor had knocked out remained alive.* * * * *
