544 The Battle Begins

"Hey!" the morlock war leader shouted. "You should be following! You are too far off to the right."

I pointed at what, to us, was clearly Tainted. "The ground is wrong. Gone to rot. Sour." <1 >

He shook his head, and with much chagrin, got his soldiers onto land that we the mystically active could abide.

"This is not what was agreed." he complained.

"Because this was not agreed." I said. "Magic is dangerous. On sour ground, it is worse."

"A meal before battle increases morale." he replied.

Well, the state of equipment clearly wasn't going to fill that role. It wasn't scraps, but most of his "warriors" wore only patches of armor. Mail was fitted loosely, flapping and chinking as they moved. Most of the spears had incomplete hafts, shortening their range considerably. <2 >