A day after Jack had set sail, Xena and the army had reached Hizz'rah City.
They had marched along the highway that Emperor Jack had erected from Eros.
It connected to the highway spanning between Hizz'rah City and Victory Hold further to the west.
At a certain point along the highway, they had encountered a large herd of Tri-horns, but as the human 'herd' was a large one, the Tri-horns had kept their distance and didn't approach them and only watched them pass.
At Hizz'rah City, Xena and Gunnar was excorted to the city in the mountains.
Many grass-filled hills led to yet many caveopenings.
These many caves connected into a network inside the Glimmering Mountains.
Smaller and larger caves appeared everywhere.
Reptilian huts, forges and everything else a functioning city needed, was located throughout the various caves.
Xena even noticed the glittering light in different colours as she went past a certain cave.
Many gemstones of different kinds and sizes were being mined inside.
Emeralds, sapphire, rubies, diamonds and many others that Xena didn't recognise.
It was beautiful and Xena lingered a moment before she continued to follow the reptilian leading them.
They ended at a very large and long hut at the center of the largest cave yet.
"Welcome your highness! We are pleased to receive the princess of the empire! We are at your service!"
A few reptilian females emerged from the large hut.
They were extravagantly decorated in expensive cloths and rare skins.
"I'm Hi'rac, the spokesperson of Hizz'rah City."
They all bowed before Xena.
"Thank you for the introduction. But I'm afraid I don't have a lot of time. I have come to let you make amends for your former lords crimes. I will take your troops, they will fight alongside the royal army beyond the peninsula. Let this be your chance to set things right."
Xena was very shortheaded. She knew the anniversary was approaching fast, and if the alliances couldn't come to terms, she needed the territory beyond the Icy Peaks to be ready for whatever might come.
The reptilian female 'counsil' simply acknowledge this as a chance for their race to tighten their bonds to the rest of the empire.
"The troops is yours to command! There is no question about this! However, please allow me to voice our concern. Who will keep the mountain safe from wild beasts and spawns if you take them all?"
'They are right to be worried, but I'm not here to punish them. Father already foresaw this'.
Xena replied simply;
"5000 human troops will stay here and guard the glimmering mountains. Make sure they are welcomed and treated properly!"
"Thank you, your highness! The troops will assemble immediately! We are pleased to have human troops amongst us! Maybe this will be a step for us to further join the empire more appropriately!"
Hi'rac made a courteous bow, and the other council females mirrored her.
"It will be a step in the right direction."
Xena simply turned and marched back out through the caves.
An hour later the 20.000 common reptilian troops joined the army and she resumed the march.
'They are a messy bunch... Poor armour and weapons... No proper ranks or formations...'
Xena snickered as she saw this. They truly needed the captains and majors full attention.
The human troops walked in the center of the formation, 70.000 highly equipped swordsmen and spearmen whereas 15.000 of them were proper archers with longbows.
40.000 trash centaurs formed the right flank and vanguard where Gunnar rode in the front.
The left rear was now filled with a large mob of reptilians.
They marched through the night in forced-march mode and reached High Pass town with it's 20.000 civilians and Rubens 50.000 troops strong army in the early morning.
High Pass was already properly worked and busy civilians could be seen everywhere.
A very dense traffic of wagons were also seen on the highway to Eros, through High Pass, and vanished in the forest in the direction of the path to Empharus and the giants who were building a town on top of the Icy Peaks.
Xana and the entire army made camp in and around the walls of High Pass.
They slept quickly after the forced march and allowed 6 hours sleep before Xena called them back to formations.
It was now midday, and Xena knew Jack was approaching Ramises City. He would lay anchor in the evening or early next day at the latest, Xena knew these facts.
That's why she quickly ordered the forces to march through the gates in High Pass, and enter the natural large path through the mountains.
The path was wide and even, if not counting the huge builders and smaller stones that littered here and there.
About 50 troops could march side by side, somewhere the path narrowed for a about 50 meters and only 20 troops could march side by side here.
In the next few hours, the large army became a snake who followed the path between the mountains.
Around 2.5-3 kilometres long tightly packed columns of marching troops.
It was already late in the day before they reached the end of the path and began to form up near and inside the edge of the forest that emerged there.
"Gunnar, how do you suggest we begin?"
Xena was mounted on her high horse, falling star, next to Gunnar as they watched the army come out of the path and form up around the forest edge.
"Highnesss! As the centaurs were the first ones to come through, I suggest taking lead and scout the forest for the hobgoblin boss. You can then follow with the main army behind us."
Gunnar was an educated general now. He knew the value of the centaurs. Not only were they a mobile force to be reckoned with on the plains. But even in forests they were fast and agile. Fighting in the forest was surely no obstacle for them, and they could reposition fast.
Also Gunnar secretly took ekstreme pride in the fact that the Emperor had chosen him to accompany the Highness Princess. He would not let anything happen to her, and wanted her to stay back from the front lines.
"Sounds good Gunnar, let's do it that way." Xena replied with a simply smile and gesture with her hand.
Gunnar took it as the sign to advance and joined the 40.000 centaurs.
This forest area was vast, spanning from both the north side of the Icy peaks and to the beaches and sea there. All the way to the south Icy Peaks and likewise ended at the beach and sea in that direction.
The forests encompassed a vast semi circle all around the mountains.
Yet despite this vast area of forest, Gunnar and the centaurs advanced fast.
The forest was not thick and dense with twisted branches and the blackwood on the other side of the mountains.
Instead the trees were extremely high, straight-formed and very wide.
The treetops with large red and yellow leaves, spanned for hundreds of meters.
On the ground, many bushes with colourful berries were everywhere.
There were also many wild and normal animals here.
Animals that, unlike wild beasts and monsters, we're rather harmless and fled on sight.
Xena received the first report as the last troops had emerged from between the mountains, and formed up into the lines with the rest.
A vast army was now assembled all around her, controlled by the majors and many captains.
"Your Highness princess Xena!" A centaur quickly called.
"General Gunnar has engaged multiple villages of hobgoblins and set up small stations of centaurs throughout the forest. He calls for assistance."
'I won't fail you father.' Xena briefly thought.
"Majors and captains. Lead your troops, find the centaurs and let them guide you to your targets!"
Xena yelled this and slightly shivered by her own small voice.
However she quickly pulled herself together and took the lead of her personal unit.
It consisted of 5000 human mixed troops and 1000 reptilians.
Marching through the forest as one of the last units, she quickly found the first village, already in the midst of a bloody battle.
'One of the captain's and his unit is already engaged' Xena marched on, as she didn't get any call for assistance.
It wasn't until the sun began to set, before a centaur post guided her to a small village of hobgoblins.
The village had wooden huts concentrated around many large stone boulders at the feet of the giant trees.
Like the goblins, the larger and fiercer hobgoblins were like wild beasts.
They had very limited intelligence, yet still slightly higher than their weaker goblin brethren. They could at least make messy wooden huts to live in.
'Okay, it's now or never! I had many skirmishes in my old town with the centaurs. But this time it's different! I have a properly outfitted and trained army at my command, ready to die at a single gesture of my hand!'
Xena slowly settled into her role as a leader. She knew her words would send the men around her to die.
Yet, thinking about her father and how he bravely fought and didn't hesitate to send me to their deaths, she became steadfast and began the assault.
She ordered the 1000 archers to spread out amongst the trees. The 1000 swordsmen would be forming up and protecting them.
She made the 3000 spearmen form up in a half circle and approach the village.
At the same time she sent the 1000 reptilians to circle around the village and cut-off the hobgoblins escape route.
She was satisfied with her plans and soon saw the 400 hobgoblins arm themselves with petty weapons and rush towards the spearmen that had reached the edge of the huts.
A rain of continuous free-fire arrows streamed into the hobgoblins as a thousand archers let loose in the cover of trees.
Barely half of the hobgoblins even reached the line of spearmen, only to be met by a shieldwall with spears that trusted out at them.
Not a single spearman troop died, yet not even a hundred hobgoblins could turn around to flee.
But even they were met with a quick death.
As the hobgoblins had already lost their morale and simply ran to save their lives, a wave of reptilians met them in the middle of the huts.
The reptilians quickly and savagely ended them all, eager to contribute and earn favor with the princess on behalf of their race.
It didn't take long for Xena to meet up with Gunnar who announced that the boss was dead.
By morning, the forest was cleansed from hobgoblins and the territory was firmly in the empires hands.