As the single combats were going on and the Pan Mortal army was secretly withdrawing and positioning exactly as Eptih had ordered. Every possible measure was taken to ensure the secrecy of these movements, various Velidian wanderers were killed so that they might not find out the actual situation and reveal the information to Ebrel.
After nine days had passed and nine single combats had been fought the Pan Mortal Army was in position awaiting the final contest before commencing the attack. This was a tough time for the army, it was extremely cold and they could not light event the smallest fire to stay warm in fear of revealing their position. Many Mortals who did not take care froze to death and every man prayed for the final single combat to be decided so that they might attack and relieve themselves from the horrific cold.
The Last contest was fought and the Pan Mortal soldier was victorious, killing his opponent and the moment the victim’s body hit the ground the attack began. The Velidians dejected from the loss where completely caught off guard, they had no idea that so many soldiers had flanked them and being disorganized where easy prey especially for Mortals who were so intent on escaping the cold and finding any warmth, even the warmth brought on by battle.
With that full hostilities resumed only now the Pan Mortal Army and Eptih had the upper hand. Whatever advantage the Velidians had in number was now working against them creating more confusion and disorder then could be managed. Although pockets of resistence where everywhere there was no way the Velidians could rally enough of an unified effort to face the Pan Mortal Army.
Ebrel managed to get word to Velid of the turn of events and requesting he send an additional force but there was no force to send, only a steady flow of new Queid could be sent, there was no way to gather a force of Queid quickly. Velid did however do two things with the hopes of changing the fortunes of his faltering army. One was to increase the search that he had begun earlier to find the Spiritform of Queid General who Rhosrc had destroyed. The other was to send word to the Siradyt that they gather a force as quickly as possible. The Siradyt however where unable to gather a sizable force, most of their men being integrated into the Velidian Army already. The unwillingness to send what men remained angered Velid and he promised them he would make them regret their decision. For their part the Siradyt wanted to use the few men they had to protect their homeland from a possible invasion.
Rhosrc requested that he be allowed to return to the army and take control but Velid denied him his request believing that Ebrel would be capable of handling the command. Rhosrc could not believe his father’s overabundance of faith in Ebrel and wondered if it was more a lack of faith in him rather then his faith in Ebrel. Rhosrc knew that he was a more capable and experienced commander then Ebrel. Rhosrc told Velid that his decision would destroy the army and this caused Velid to denounce Rhosrc and as such he ordered him imprisoned.
Velid’s faith in Ebrel may have been justified but it no longer mattered, the Velidian army was no longer a unified armed force, it was beyond the grasp of any leader now being dragged in every directino by its leadership on the ground. Being attacked from the rear and the front at nearly the exact same spot by the Pan Mortal soldiers that had remained there as cover for the withdrawing majority caused the Velidian army to be cut in half and of those two halves each was fleeing. Eptih, ordered that two divisions of the Pan Mortal Army pursue the Velidians fleeing East and the other three divisions pursue the half that was headed South. Eptih remained with the part of the Army that was headed South, he had the belief which turned out to be correct that the Velidian’s fleeing South would turn and try to fly West back to the Great Chasm Fortress.
