Dimensional Reality: Oz (Chapter 18)

The supply room was a flurry of activity.  The ambush force had been recalled to be refitted to storm the keep.  More soliders had been called in for the mission.  Off in a corner Dorothy stood with Joseph.  He had finished his own preparations and was helping Dorothy with many of the complex buckles and straps of her weapon outfitting.  Dorothy was suprised at herself though.  She wasn’t nervous.  Once she was doing something, even just getting ready for nervousness ended.  Not too long after Joseph did his final checks and deemed her ready, Poly called for attention and started to go over the battle plan.  Everyone listened intently, a pin dropping would have sounded like a lead weight.  She talked about squad depolyment, building structure, strengths and weakness.  Finally she nodded to Jinjur.  Jinjur called the company to attention and gave officers their depolyment assignments. 

  Dorothy’s squad moved through the complex network of tunnels.  The various squads would come out a different points to surround the target.  The squad leader pressed the mechanism to move the boulder hiding their entry.  The moved silently through the forest toward their objective point.  Dorothy marveled at her own new skills.  It wasn’t long before they arrived at the rendeavous point.  A few moments later they could hear the approach of the supply caravan.  Dorothy had read about and seen pictures of the Great Witch’s minions, but it was nothing to seeing them in person.  It was like they radiated evil.  Twisted beings with wicked looking weapons.  They jabbered in a language she couldn’t understand.  Then she heard a soft rustle; it was the signal.  Dorothy quietly pulled an arrow out of her quiver and fitted it to the string.  She cocked back the arrow, picked a target and waited.  A low whistle sounded.  The dark beings only had time to turn toward the noise when everyone loosed their arrows.  Screams of pain and rage rose up from the dark beings.  Yet the barrage did not let up.  Dorothy reminded herself, even as she kept firing, to loose half her quiver before she stopped firing.  A few enemy crossbow bolts were fired, but wildly and without aim.  It wasn’t long before Dorothy stopped, her quiver at half full.  She glanced over and saw Joseph had already loosed his arrows and pulled out a pair of fighting knives.  He looked over at her,

   “Draw your weapons.  When we charge stay close to me.”

  Dorothy nodded as she grabbed her escrimas.  They were slightly longer than her practice ones and made of a material stronger than steel.  Her squad leader, Nick Chopper, the famous Tin Woodsman raised his huge battle ax and charged.  Everyone shouted and charged after them.  Dorothy could see Captain Fyter, the Tin Solider, and his squad charging from the opposite side of the ravine.  His long broadsword shone in the sun.  The two Tin men had changed alot.  Both had almost been destroyed in the battle of the Emerald City.  They had to be rebuilt once everyone regrouped.  The problem with this was that tin was not availible to be used as usual.  Many parts had to be remade using whatever scrap metal they could find.  They both resembled robots more than men.  The Tin Solider’s broadsword swept into the remaining lines of the opposing enemy.  Then Dorothy saw no more of the battle around her, engaging into her own personal battle.  She swung the escrimas in practiced arcs and curves, dropping enemies before her.  Joseph fought beside her, enemies falling before him like rain.  She could see the glimmer of the Tin Woodsman battle ax out of the corner of her eye.  The squads flew through the opposing lines like the wind.  Dorothy hit and kicked, pushed and smashed.  She felt weapons hit against her armor, but it did not stop her.  The feeling flowing through her was like red euphoria.  Fury, rage, strength, and courage; it flowed through her like fire.

  She turned, ready for the next enemy in a red haze, breathing hard.  Then strong hands grasped her shoulders.  A feeling like cool, refreshing water flowed through her, the red haze cleared and she could look around her.  Joseph stood in front of her.

  “It’s over Dorothy.  Just take a deep breath.  You did well.