The Orc Wolf Rider Archers all blanched in horror. They were armored from head to toe, of course, but unlike the other Orc Wolf Riders, they wore only chainmail.
Chainmail was lighter than ordinary plate armor, making it ideal for archers. It met their needs for both mobility and protection, but its defensive strength was considerably inferior to that of ordinary plate armor.
That was because chainmail was relatively effective against ordinary slashing attacks, but offered decidedly poor protection against piercing attacks and blunt weapons.
The hundred Orc Wolf Rider Archers began to despair when they saw the rain of arrows coming. They were archer cavalry, experts with bows themselves, and understood better than any other orcs what a volley on this scale meant.
Such a massive rain of arrows meant the enemy had at least six hundred to a thousand archers. Moreover, the arrows' speed, their straight trajectories, and the terrifying sound of their flight proved that they had been fired from powerful bows. This was certainly no arcing volley from the weak bows of raw recruits.
Their ordinary chainmail could not withstand close-range shots from bows of such power. Outnumbered six to one, or even twelve to one, the Orcs Wolf Rider Archers groaned inwardly. These High Elf Rangers thought far too highly of them!
In despair, the hundred Orcs Wolf Rider Archers watched helplessly as countless arrows descended. There was nowhere to duck, nowhere to dodge.
One volley! Just one rain of arrows!
Under the blanket of more than a thousand arrows fired from powerful bows at close range, at least two-thirds of the hundred Orcs Wolf Rider Archers tumbled from their worgs at once. The few who remained mounted bristled like hedgehogs, arrows embedded all over their bodies as they swayed on the verge of falling.