The gunfire at the front became continuous, yet chaotic and disordered, losing the overwhelming, blood-stirring impact and rhythm of a volley.
Though the road had long since been carpeted with corpses piled like mountains, the Sauron soldiers seemed endless. Driven and butchered even more frantically by the Supervisory teams behind them, they surged ceaselessly out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, roaring as they rushed forward. The battle had entered its most brutal, exhausting stage: close-range exchanges of fire and desperate resistance.
At the same time, figures of Sauron Scouts and archers began appearing along the edges of the dense forests on both flanks.
They had clearly received orders. No longer did they attempt to make large-scale detours through the woods; instead, using trees and rocks for cover, they flickered between the forest growth like phantoms. Armed with heavy bows, they would suddenly dart out from the treeline, firing powerful heavy arrows at the soldiers on both wings of Carnford's position before swiftly retreating behind the trees.
"Thunk! Thunk!" Arrows lodged in Wooden Shields and breastworks, or, if fortunate, buried themselves in the earth with dull thuds. From time to time, Carnford soldiers were struck by stray arrows and cried out in pain.
"Archers! Suppress the treeline! Fire at will!" the officers in charge of the flanks immediately ordered.
Carnford's archers, who had been waiting in strict formation, instantly returned fire. They used relatively lighter Hunting Bows or captured Sauron bows. Their range and power could not match the Sauron heavy bows, but they held the advantage in numbers and relied on the fortifications to unleash covering volleys.
For a time, arrows flew back and forth along the forest edges on both flanks, their whistles tearing endlessly through the air. People constantly fell after being hit, but