From out of a haze of dust, at the point where the descending valley turned rightwards, out of view, came the first ranks of enemy soldiers, chainmail clad axemen, leaning their weapons against their shoulders. They had a slow, steady pace, set by the beating of the distant drums. The effect was ominous and I felt my stomach tighten. Behind them came a large body of lightly-armed spearmen, the silver points of their upright weapons flickering in the sunlight.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6yXiFsPBjf
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEntCko0e5
Then came their light cavalry, thirty of them, taking a long while to file into view; next the ten heavy cavalry. Their archers were not yet in sight, nor the drummers, nor their commanders or the Shaman, yet the axemen were coming straight on to the bridge without pausing. Whether it was complacency or stupidity, they were going about this all wrong.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJB7Tohhpt
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSEsECTV65
'Blood and Thunder, do you see the chance?' I looked a Lord Arval for confirmation.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcj0r6jpr9x
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6z7SV9W3xk
His face was grim. 'Order us on sire and we'll go to hell or glory.'557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GKGmH4cqB
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0PlVoEY5O
I laughed. 'I can do better than that. Follow me. Open the gate!' I shouted. Then I took the potion bottle, uncorked it and gulped down the contents. 'Rhino!'557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbVwBqx90p
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaT0h5tzJQ
For once my great bulk was valuable, I felt it stretch and stiffen as I fell forward onto all fours. Probably I was not a full adult rhino, but the weight and sharpness of the horn in front of my eyes was up to the job at hand.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmK8fMpb2o
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5bn0RFMQX
I set off, a lumber at first that was a trot, once through the gate I stepped up to a canter and finally hit my stride at a gallop. Being a rhino was intense. Although my vision was blurry, I could smell the sweat of my enemies and heard the loud thuds of their marching steps on the wooden bridge.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8wFs21h83
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgyJSIzUEo
Fifty yards and their shouts of alarm rang through the air. The axemen needed the spears in front of them, grounded. But my calculation was that we would get there first. It was intuition and it was the kind of decision that you make in an instant and have to commit to.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmwjnKmxTG
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL45VDtwwhr
Forty yards and I was throwing mud up from my hooves as I urged my heavy body to its upmost. This was living! No longer trapped in a body that couldn't walk up ten steps without having to pause for a rest, I was a raging storm; an unstoppable torrent; a tsunami about to crash on the shore. And I loved it.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBXtWVUDIL
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnfKgaOWaq
Thirty yards, some of the axemen were trying to run back through the spearman, who were massed too tight on the bridge to bring their weapons to bear.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRSB2VDwjU
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMZDrYFLsO
Twenty yards. Splashes either side of the bridge as men dived out of the way of the coming hell: me.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WlmqcIMeY
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKWWILwAKx
Ten and I was the tip of an avalanche. From the scent of fear, they knew they were going to be engulfed.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Nd87iZ9hR
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbefZ6g2QtZ
Impact!557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56eCh8Fm3N
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwScby8KYnD
There was a green box flash and I took it, of course.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgm67xiUP7
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv72ttLJqDS
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5U7F0A2VJ
You have hit an axeman for 147 hit points.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPklPBEOIj
You have killed an axeman!557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwj4f44bofm
You have gained 60 Experience.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmlsU10SD3
You have unlocked the Impale proficiency.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKav0z95hS
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzgvRFTA1g
You have bashed an axeman for 31 hit points.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPid0Y7b6v
You have killed an axeman!557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVXqSNPPNh
You have gained 60 Experience.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVPObndzsE
You have become better at Bash: 2557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudkQB5qmeZ
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDivquW1mF1
You have bashed an axeman for 34 hit points.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKtvgz8sZG
You have killed an axeman!557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR904pJelnb
You have gained 60 Experience.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wW6JYGSxb
You have become better at Bash: 3557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fCmZWF3AF
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZEjmPypDD
You have bashed a spearman for 26 hit points.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsDvTVTCB3
You have killed a spearman!557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8WaDaYjMo
You have gained 40 Experience.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5u4siDGLF
You have become better at Bash: 4557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHteWy9gfG
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVMEt2ArVt
You have bashed a spearman for 22 hit points.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVuggTSSPV
You have killed a spearman!557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbslrpDFytV
You have gained 40 Experience.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fmtzU1mlG
You have become better at Bash: 5557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcbleXfJbB
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnjD4d9yjr
The notifications flew by and I ignored them as I pushed on, crushing soldiers under my hooves, impaling them and throwing their dead bodies to the side. Several axe blows struck home on my front shoulders, flanks and chest but twice I experienced the sweetness and glow of a level increase, each time completely healing my wounds.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEQXn2TldV
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DR0Wt7wxa
Screams of wounded and panicked men rang out all around. But through the cries, I could hear a voice like a howling wolf, it was Lord Arval, screaming, 'come on! Come on! For Greyland!'557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQavNTeCOn
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0kvXpoZki
The crush on the bridge was intense, which favoured our side. While their axes and spears could not be brought into play, I could still smash my powerful head into faces ahead and either side, as well as break legs with stamps and kicks of my feet. Our horsemen, too, were nearly immobile, but they could still cut down with sword or stab with lance.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspFADdheRV
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwVZRvVKxc
Step by step, we pushed on, nearly clearing the bridge. My only concern now was the timing of the potion. How long had it been since I drank it? Surely only a few minutes, despite the massive carnage we'd inflicted on their army.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDipgtpnDcz
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBI8J72aYl
Then, with a sudden release, we were through, the remnants of the unit of spearmen running back down the narrow path in panic, which instantly disrupted the formation incoming light cavalry. Did I have time to keep going into them? I had to try.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9DjHvchebO
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PW3XYoarL
The fact that I'd levelled up twice meant I experienced no fatigue and a quick check told me my hit points were at 32. Filled with confidence and energy, I used the room ahead of me to build up momentum again.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDu9raCUPDx
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOJ112uUtV
'Follow the king! For Carlos!' Behind me, Lord Arval was still going strong it seemed and the answering roar of our soldiers had a clear note of triumph. Again, I could smell the fear of men and horses even before I crashed among them, showing no mercy to the animals whom I gutted and whose delicate legs I crushed.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSODNuAWRT
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSiBLIb9XV
Far louder than the cries of men and the clash of metal on metal were the high-pitched equine screams of injured horses. Unlike the heavy destriers behind me, these horses had not been trained for the press of the melee and they were frightened, some of them rearing up and throwing their riders to the ground. Even so, one or two lances managed to stab down and cut through my thick hide. My hit points dropped quickly from 32 to 19 following a third hit. But then I levelled up again, soaring up to 40 hit points.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VrvnY1pte
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkGjrK5hz1
Their light cavalry unit was in full retreat. I was just preparing to launch myself again, with the intention of smashing right through the heavy cavalry and into their archers when I found myself staggering, once more in human form, completely without armour. Fortunately, there was no immediate threat.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxprMRtKQM
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzGLVSr9a4d
'Get back sire!' Lord Arval urged his mount past me and ceased his own charge, guarding me by interposing his large destrier between me and the enemy. Our four other knights did the same. Either side of our little defensive knot, our light cavalry came past, cheering that they were scattering their foes. Even so, the tide of the battle was turning. The ten enemy heavy cavalry were drawn across the road and were not budging, even for their own fleeing infantry and light horsemen, some of whom risked going over the broken terrain of the rising hillside, others trying to squeeze past on the river bank, falling in as often as escaping.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8C819yGa1
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxIwIDru07
Beyond the line of horsemen, their officers must have gotten some order among the archers because arrows flited overhead with increasing frequency, some struck striking the plates of Lord Arval and his armoured horse.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6arswohfP
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKco6CBvxnK
Our problem was that we couldn't easily reach their archers. Our light cavalry lunged ineffectually at the enemy knights but couldn't break their ranks. There was room for our archers on the other side of the river, but if I ordered them to go there, we would be outnumbered and lose in the exchanges with enemy fire. The ballista was far too slow to bring up. This could really hurt us. Our riders and horses were beginning to suffer.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYFR8xPFqJ
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡob6X2F2CjV
Another rousing cheer from behind me. It was the arrival of our twelve heavy infantry and a large body of light infantry with Carlena at their head. There were a good mix of spears, axes and swords among them. This was exactly what we needed!557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7HAkba4om
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcXm4mYfaL
There was a fierce look on Carlena's face as she ran past me, pausing to raise her hands and then, with a flash, half a dozen fire darts splashed onto an enemy horse. The animal collapsed. Cheered by the success of this magic our newly arrived soldiers ran past and also cut and struck at the horses in front of them. We were winning again, a huge press of our soldiers climbing over the dead animals and past enemy knights who were still fighting, so as to get among the archers.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZUvjCLu1N
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uocnW1Jtc
I felt that we were on the brink of victory, when cries of consternation from our men made my heart sink. The very land was working against them: bushes and grasses reaching out to entwine their feet and immobilise everyone. The enemy archers, on the cusp of routing, took heart and through the chaos, I could hear an officer of theirs urging them to hold and fire at the immobilised targets.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60uLnYZ68M
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eSZXsrbB2
'There,' screamed Carlena, pointing to a man in a bearskin, whose sabre-tooth tiger pet was walking in a circle around him, protecting him while he cast spells. It was their shaman, who had climbed up the hillside and come close enough to cast what to me seemed like an Entangle-type spell. 'He's out of my range.'557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLB8ML44cS1
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lAz7LWINp
'Archers!' I called, but we only had a few men around us with bows.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDh5d3XtoAf
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDRFpIfaQ9
Carlena ran towards the enemy spell caster and I admired her, because that tiger was fierce looking. The enemy Shaman had spotted her run too, and was clearly aiming a spell at her, his arms gesturing swiftly.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Z0Uiy6ndG
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqxr2wIkcn
Caster battles could be short and violent. I found myself clenching my fists anxiously as I watched, oblivious to arrows and screams and the movement of the people around me. Was Carlena going to be taken out by a powerful spell? It would be a disaster for us if this went wrong.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8VZz4fGoN
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNIsN3fNyY
Then the Shaman was down and behind him was the chancellor. Parrin had backstabbed their caster and taken him out! Our men were free again, the enchantment of the plants dissolving with the death of its creator.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKizzZSlPgo
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiVel82ay7
'On, on! We have them!' Lord Arval set off again, the other four knights moving with him. It left me unprotected, but it was right. Even though a few enemy archers saw me as their target and I did get hit twice, we had them. Archers were no match for heavy cavalry and they knew it. Soon bows were abandoned as most of their army fled for their lives, while dozens of men huddled in groups, hands in the air, trying to surrender.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0VfqseIOP
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90XWoJUFZd
Up on the slope, our elderly scout was being savaged by the dead Shaman's pet sabre-toothed tiger and was clearly wounded. Carlena, however, had not stopped running and was in range for a spell.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnKfHhePLL
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65nd7HhPnW
'Freeze!' The animal was checked and Parrin scrambled clear.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTn1XXb3Ph
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmBcOpyLWf
'You! You!' I got the attention of two of our archers with an urgent shout. 'Kill that tiger.'557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChvKiqRsCJ
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2f4qk9t49p
It took several hits, but Carlena had enough mana for a second Freeze and was able to keep the animal locked in place while the arrows thudded home.557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAhBsQWOzX
557Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WzYVPQYDK
All at once, it was relatively quiet. Yes, there were still groans and the clank of weapons and armour but the sounds of fighting were in the distance now, down the road. All around me Greyland soldiers were smiling and laughing. Some looked at me with frank delight, as if in this moment rank did not matter, that we had shared an experience that transcended the barrier between king and foot soldier. And we had. This was a victory to savour.
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