Splendidly

The idiot Elves were always so unprepared for surprise attacks on their own home, owing to their arrogance of never being invaded for the past few centuries.

The Horde's time in Prosperio, however, allowed the Shamans and other magic-casters to study the intricate workings of Elven magic and thusly devise methods to undo said workings and bypass them, and so when the monster hordes struck, the Elves found their traps either not working or turning against them, and Elven spells, while powerful, took too long to cast and left their magi **** to picking off by sharpshooters armed with rifles.

The city of Inyalrinus, famed as the centre of Elven learning for arcane magic, was aflame for the first time since the last siege it endured five centuries ago, when a coalition of Orcs, Goblins and Beastmen invaded it in a misguided attempt to claim plunder and slaves for themselves. Though it was repelled in the end, the Elves did not take lessons to heart, and instead let themselves return to their slothful lives of peace whilst exiling the reform-minded Elves who did take the war seriously.

And now, they were reaping the consequences of their ancestors' actions.

"Bwahaha! Burn them out of their hiding places!" Shouted Diepkutter, smiling with savage glee.

As Elven ambushers and patrols burned alive in their hiding places, the Elves were **** to fight in savage melee for their lives, and among the Goblins, the best tree-climbers picked off Elven archers one by one, whether by tripping their footing or using blowdarts and daggers.

On the ground, Elven troops found themselves helpless against modern firearms, rifles reducing soldiers to corpses and cannons blowing holes in troop formations, walls and towers. It was a repeat of the massacre at Prosperio, bloodshed of unimagined proportions claiming tens of thousands of Elven lives.

"It's a good day to see Elves burning to a crisp," Said Ferdinand, "Fancy roasted Elf meat?"

"Blegh, too lean, not enough fat to make it juicy," Said Diepkutter, "And their women are always the best sex slaves to have."

"Heh, at least they can be useful if made to be," Said Ferdinand, "Wonder why we've tolerated these leeches for so long."

"Heh, but honestly, I don't really get why you're so vengeful," Said Diepkutter, "I don't know about you, but I think Human politics are what they've exploited to their benefit, creating the Hundred Years War."

"Yes, it was due to politics, but the Elves exploited us for their own benefit," Said Ferdinand, his smile fading.

"Honestly, it wasn't just due to the Elves, you know that as well as I do," Said Diepkutter, "I think the Kingdoms brought this upon themselves. The Elves came at a time when they were just too tired from all the fighting, and they just took what came their way to put an end to it all."

"...I still cannot forgive the Elves for this," Said Ferdinand, "They interfered after we made so many sacrifices, all in the name of the cause we believed in. They made our Kings discard all that for peace. What of my friends who were drafted? Are they just going to casually spit on their graves in the name of peace?"

Diepkutter looked ready to argue back, but then one of the Orcs returned and said, "Boss, we've killed their leaders and captured the city. We've also got some guys you'd like to interrogate."

"Oh? Lead the way," Said Ferdinand, whose face quickly morphed into a mask of satisfaction.

Diepkutter followed behind, silent and contemplative.

Iozunk and Kassandra were in charge of besieging Caenanor, the sister-city of Inyalrinus and the more fortified of the two, with resplendent ramparts of stone and artillery engines ready to rain hell on the invaders. Guarding its ramparts were tens of thousands of Elven troops, masters of their trade and veterans of several raids on marauding monster bands and traitor Human nobles who dared trespass on their territory.

Of the two sister-cities, Caenanor was the more militarised - a rarity among Elven City-States - due to its rich mines of gold, silver, steel and many rare metals that drew the eyes of hundreds of greedy warmongers and merchants. Compared to Inyalrinus which preferred a more civilian lifestyle centered around learning and commerce, Caenanor did not hesitate to adopt a great standing army out of necessity.

Considered an impregnable fortress, Caenanor has come close to being conquered only three times in history, a feat that is both factual and fictitious.

No one, however, ever thought that a few Elves looking to enrich themselves at their kinsmens' expense would open the gates for them at night, leaving one of the city gates unguarded to let Elves disguised in Caenanor's colours enter unopposed.

With a few fat purses of gold, Caenanor fell in a single night, its defenders slain and its people held captive. Its walls were demolished, its gates thrown down, and all its stores of weaponry, metal, gold and jewelry plundered for the taking.

"It's a good day, Iozunk," Said Kassandra, "Never thought I'd see the day two Elf cities would fall to us."

"Heh, just goes to show even the most formidable of cities will fall to a few imbeciles," Said Iozunk, "Not that I'd stand them either."

The traitors who sold out their brethren had their heads lined up on spikes outside what remained of the city walls, a grim reminder to those who would betray their kind.

"But... it is not enough, it never is," Said Kassandra, "Not until all Elfkind is under our heel."

Iozunk merely shrugged, saying, "Eh, imbeciles will be imbeciles. You hate them, you hate them. No biggie."

"...You're being awfully chipper about this," Said Kassandra.

"I admit I'm not a big fan of all these causes and such," Said Iozunk, "I joined 'cause I wanna profit and be the biggest, baddest Goblin chieftain there is. I do hate the Elves and their stuck-up attitudes, but I also wanna make my mark in history. And what better way to do that than humble some stupid Elves?"

"...At least you're truthful to your desires," Said Kassandra.

"And also, when you live as a Goblin or any 'monster' long enough, you see that the strong always devour the weak," Said Iozunk, "People who were strong can become weak, and the reverse is also true. The Elves became weak, and so our horde defeated them. For me, I think it was just a matter of time. Though for others, they probably are very shocked that the Elves were so easily defeated too."

"I can imagine," Said Kassandra, "History shows that no attempt at attacking the Elves ever went well, so the Kingdoms let them be. And now that we have three cities' worth of resources at our disposal - Elven resources at that - and hundreds of thousands of breeding stock, there's no telling how powerful we can become. Heck, we could conquer all of Aclia at that."

"Hah, and that's what I like to hear!" Said Iozunk, "You, Kassandra, are a smart woman! And because you and Ferdinand are smart people who know what you want, you'll go to any lengths to obtain it! People like you are what make these chaotic times so interesting!"

"If you say so..." Said Kassandra.

"Come on, no need to be so serious!" Said Iozunk, "Drink up and celebrate; the next month, we'll be putting two imbecile princes in their place."

Kassandra smiled ever so slightly, holding up her own tankard of ale.

"I'll drink to that," She said.

And their tankards clinked together.