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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpoe4EoQ9nV
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3e51RYm5hH
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYrKHfk3Zx
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1Uce2Z9v7
'Blood and Thunder, do you see the chance?' I looked a Lord Arval for confirmation.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Z63PNmk3y
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnHduo6JtS
His face was grim. 'Order us on sire and we'll go to hell or glory.'550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Xtg7EPtzZ
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbXQbM00Cb
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!'550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpxeHSFxwQ
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlXEieZlS8
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamVRJ2AyLk
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuveOFPsSd
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KEaVUSqal
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnm2ER2QFpQ
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNnUGEoJP7
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbvFYH02kf
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FqdwbnYd2
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcH0yOB61Mh
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6F21iDu6i2
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefNF1fQCM2
Twenty yards. Splashes either side of the bridge as men dived out of the way of the coming hell: me.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWc5H7Lidap
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUpCnXK3Hp
Ten and I was the tip of an avalanche. From the scent of fear, they knew they were going to be engulfed.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVyZvtlHPR
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgo1Rx0UBW3
Impact!550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaD9qBSApqT
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There was a green box flash and I took it, of course.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMSuXIBHBT
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HVF3Wipx6
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDZdBz4ydk
You have hit an axeman for 147 hit points.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJlT74xd2hT
You have killed an axeman!550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUXLTs6tqK
You have gained 60 Experience.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHpJB34pGU
You have unlocked the Impale proficiency.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13AgDP5RF3
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0A8SOBIPX2
You have bashed an axeman for 31 hit points.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnonqZR0G7
You have killed an axeman!550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjTNoXPD4e
You have gained 60 Experience.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGjlsAQIEQ
You have become better at Bash: 2550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKKwVUQjRB
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSeTWiqRR6
You have bashed an axeman for 34 hit points.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3paAhGbim
You have killed an axeman!550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bxQU4tuvk
You have gained 60 Experience.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKag6pJt0ij
You have become better at Bash: 3550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6NdxkL73V
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cQlHHBqG9
You have bashed a spearman for 26 hit points.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGAoNfVZFO
You have killed a spearman!550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFXnucnimbv
You have gained 40 Experience.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZsWE7KqHB
You have become better at Bash: 4550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvjBQgOS2w
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuLf41DNkI
You have bashed a spearman for 22 hit points.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZsTyAq56g
You have killed a spearman!550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNm8x2ohJz
You have gained 40 Experience.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVy9ZAFeL1Q
You have become better at Bash: 5550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsncUsqoG65
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0F63PyHnw
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdtosizqn9
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8tLARKF9B
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!'550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWPrc1BeCx
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4yfj4cWLr
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvT6Lcf7Sey
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJSgGOLGKK
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPI9U1Q1mi
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNf2NcFkmc6
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHynrYtLrD
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCZ6A6V2Gs
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5Qfd4PQY8
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwIS0pubQO
'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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaQlkgUCle
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5zf4eI6W4
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CVENsZblo
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2KyXleSR8
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJ6dBYrr2Z
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ04ABKqQYk
'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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXN0eOzsh74
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OrLgHmeFE
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qSo6nEDWi
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPD13CEbL9
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNdAgSfDTt
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdPxdVVMzE
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!550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83hRA6Rvq8
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWPfl7NHb1
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nEX3JOJ0F
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51kfFuTNQ4
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3omPT3gneL
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgeaRstrhB
'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.'550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbqn9lYicg
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pDrD0Zi6Y
'Archers!' I called, but we only had a few men around us with bows.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktemhn0nkr
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzG5Us05yiz
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSMg4czT8U
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Yf9zJpz3M
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqQG7LW1cE
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36KVCEN9Ss
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHF9gD00JiH
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRWpUYfsbL
'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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiAbtBOKoQ
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEM33l5195
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3rORIHf0X
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfb5L0iZOv
'Freeze!' The animal was checked and Parrin scrambled clear.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PrA2GbaGj
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72YKILxuAE
'You! You!' I got the attention of two of our archers with an urgent shout. 'Kill that tiger.'550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SGOhiOj52
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBg30sNs4Z9
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjie1jsxNd
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2ZS89lpPa
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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