As more and more of the Orc Wolf Riders' mounts died of poison, the number of poisoned orcs within the dense fog created by the smoke bombs also began to rise.
But the High Elf Rangers hiding in the jungle on either side of the road knew nothing of the Orc Wolf Riders' troubles within the thick smoke screen the riders themselves had created. The heavy smoke blocked the Rangers' sight and prevented them from accurately assessing the situation.
"We can't see anything. What do we do, Leader?" one of the High Elf Mountain Lion Nightstalkers in the woods asked the Mountain Lion Nightstalker Leader beside him. "The orcs aren't following our script. They deployed smoke bombs first..."
In their original battle plan, the High Elf Rangers had never anticipated that the Orc Wolf Riders would deploy smoke bombs.
The primary purpose of the first wave of Explosive Bombs dropped by the High Elf Gryphon Riders had been to drive the Orc Wolf Riders off the main road, forcing them into the poison needle traps the High Elf Nightstalkers had laid in the grass and jungle on either side.
Then, while the Orc Wolf Riders panicked at the sudden attack, the High Elf Rangers would ambush their mounts with poisoned arrows, turning the cavalry into foot soldiers.
When the second wave of High Elf Gryphon Riders arrived, they would scatter caltrops over the main road. This would prevent the Orc Wolf Riders whose startled Worgs had carried them into the Nightstalkers' poison needle traps from returning to the road. Finally, the High Elf Rangers lying in ambush on both sides would surround and wipe out the riders trapped there.
The High Elf Rangers had considered all sorts of unexpected developments, but no one had imagined that the Orc Wolf Riders