The battle of the Manling fields part 1.

After a several months fighting the rat men had not broken through the underways to Lord Brouhaha’s hold, Hullabaloo. Now reports were coming in of an over land force heading into the human farmland essential for the holds existence. The threat was serious, by all accounts the humans had already run and Hullabaloo, used to being supplied from above in times of underway war had not stock piled food. That the vile, cunning ratmen may be playing a rouse was also a possibility.

Lord Brouhaha had resolved to take a small force of doughty warriors, crossbow men and Agnetha and Anni-Frid his two dwarf-packed bolt throwers. The girls were well known for a succession of popular killer hits. He would then meet up with the Dragon Clan, obsessed with fire and black powder these dwarven gun nuts guarded the main route from the low lands to the upper passes of Hullabaloo. Brouhaha could rely on Fred Martini to bring along at least a unit of his red coated clans men, some armed with hand guns and of course his cannon.

To ensure no ambush was being set Bruhaha would send one of his gyrocopters ahead, any thing suspicious and the pilot Raoul Halfner would report back.

Lore master Daniels approached; Bruhaha liked him but not a lot. It was hard to like the smug ginger midget particularly after he had taken to spending most of his time locked away with that odd looking succubus he found so alluring, the lovely D’bee he called her. The very thought sent shivers down Lord Brouhahas spine. “Hoo, hoo”, Daniels intoned in his chirpy little voice. “you can rely on me my lord, and the lovely D’bee, hoo hoo.”  

“No”, replied Brouhaha, ”I command you to come but that devil of yours stays here, I’ll need your mind on the job”

“Oh” moped small Daniels, “now that’s tragic.”

Within hours the expeditionary force was ready to leave, the march would last but two days if no manling like rests were taken. Outside the gates of Hullabaloo a band of oath breakers waited. With their red hair, lack of armour and blue tattoos the oath breaking troll slayers were a welcome if ill disciplined addition to the force.

“We, the Ginger Nuts will company you.” Shouted the apparent leader of the band.

Lord Brouhaha nodded his consent.

“Hoho what a peculiar name”, chirped Small Daniels

“Not really,” Said the head slayer. “We are all ginger and we are all nuts.”

“Very good.” Replied Brouhaha.

“That is not all my Lord. We also all enjoy the round flat twice backed cakes containing ginger that the lowland farmers bake so well.”

“Very good.” Replied Brouhaha.

“And you will also find that each and every one of us has an enormous pair of….”

“I said, very good.” Brouhaha loudly and hastily replied.

Halfner flew his steam powered gyrocopterover the lowlands scanning the horizon for any sign of the ratmen. “One more mile”, he thought to himself just as he spotted on the horizon the thin line that clearly showed the presence of a vermin army they were moving fast. There was no time to go back, it had already been decided that “no news is good news”, but to be sure Lord Brouhaha was clear Halfner dropped one of his lit bombs over the side. The resulting explosion could surely be heard for miles.

The rat men extended in large blocks across the human lands enclosed by the spurs of the mountain. To the left most flank warriors marched accompanied by loathsome rat ogres. An enormous unit containing several banners held the centre of the line with yet more rat ogres. Various ratman machines of destruction milled about what must be the generals unit. 

 

A wood broke the ratmens line but a further unit of warriors advanced on the far side of it accompanied by a skirmishing unit of ratman scouts and a trailing unit of reluctant slaves. The sneaky rat warlord had advance marched his whole army over night! 

On a hill to the rear the skaven set up their loathsome two man cannon. Halfner would need to fly clear of them.

Lord Brouhaha was at least able to view the ratman dispositions before committing his own forces. A refused flank would serve well he concluded. Martini’s thunderers and the gyrocopter would hold the refused flank.

On his own left Agnetha and Anni-Frid would set up to launch their spite into the advancing Murine swarm. To protect them, and keep them away from his own ordered lines he placed the Ginger Nuts.

The center was held by his own warriors and missile troops along with the ever annoying butu hopefully useful Small Daniels. Martini’s clansmen would also be in the center but able to redeploy to the right flank in case it proved not to hold. The center was also steadied by the presence of Roaring Mug Mzartini’s Cannon. The troops were well deployed. In the coming hours they would show their worth.