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Authors: James Tallett
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flame would appear, but the carnage and chaos of battle had stolen the mage’s concentration, and Rhocas fell back on his sword, standing in the shield wall and delivering blow for blow, his face pale with sweat. The young man had seen too little of life to die, and he fought with the strength of the desperate, fear lending power to his strikes, and speed to his counters.
The Lianese line began to slacken and turn back on itself on one side, and Rhyfelwyr tried to see what could steal their resolve, but nothing was visible. The scene resolved itself moments later as several Lianese soldiers collapsed with daggers piercing their throats, revealing a blood-soaked Llofruddiwr standing with two of his long-knives in hand, slashing into his Lianese foes. Caught between a suddenly surging shield wall on one side and a dervish on the other, the Lianese turned back to back, fighting desperately as two of them tried to slay the assassin. He dismissed their pitiful attempts, catching each strike on his knives before batting one Lianese weapon aside and kicking the soldier in the groin. One foe incapacitated, Llofruddiwr turned his full attention on the other, and in a whirlwind of cuts and slices, hacked away at the wrist on the sword hand, wounding it until it could no longer hold a weapon. Both foes rendered incapable, he stabbed each, cutting arteries and letting them bleed out.
The Lianese forces on that side of the barricade were finished, but two more Veryan troops had fallen, rending their total to nine, now that Llofruddiwr had returned. That left those nine against fifteen Lianese, and the Veryan forces were exhausted. Locsyn could barely stand, having been cut along his thigh, unable to lower the shield to defend himself. Rhocas had gained a wound across the back of his sword hand, and his arm trembled each time he tried to lift the blade. Gwyth stood like a rock, but this rock bled from cut after cut, and even his prodigious strength had weakened. Only Taflen stood unwounded, for even the sergeant and Llofruddiwr had been struck. Knowing what must be done, Rhyfelwyr called out “Charge!” and leapt over the barricade, followed by Llofruddiwr on his left and Taflen on his right, the other soldiers a step behind.
Rhyfelwyr could feel the energy draining from his body as he pushed it beyond all limits, and he staggered on his third step, nearly falling to the ground as he struggled with the enemy in front of him. Only a Llofruddiwr knife-thrust stopped that stumble from being the end.
In a moment the sergeant was on his feet, his sword sweeping in a low arc to cut the ankle of an enemy, shield held to protect the head. Gwyth summoned his massive strength for one last blow, and slammed his battleaxe into a Lianese shield, cutting through the wood and metal to drive the edge of his weapon into his foe’s neck. Axe caught in the shield, he let it go and grasped his shield with two hands, laying about him as if it were a club.
The far end of the line was anchored by Rhocas and Locsyn, and they fought as a team, one blocking strikes, the other leaping forward to thrust through the openings created. The style of combat was alien to the Lianese troops, and two fell before they began to understand the rhythm of blows, and drive the two Veryan soldiers backwards. Stumbling, Locsyn was only just able to turn his body to catch the attack on his shield, and he saw Rhocas take a further step back, leaving Locsyn fighting two on his own. Locsysn did all he could to defend himself, not trying to counter, only to deflect the strikes as they came. He was rewarded for his skill a few moments later when a lance of blue flame flew over his shoulder and played upon the nearest Lianese troops, incinerating the two he had been fighting, and then turning down the line to catch two more.
The burst of flame from Rhocas left the young mage in a near faint, kneeling on the ground and retching, but it had shattered the Lianese soldiers entirely.
The Lianese line began to slacken and turn back on itself on one side, and Rhyfelwyr tried to see what could steal their resolve, but nothing was visible. The scene resolved itself moments later as several Lianese soldiers collapsed with daggers piercing their throats, revealing a blood-soaked Llofruddiwr standing with two of his long-knives in hand, slashing into his Lianese foes. Caught between a suddenly surging shield wall on one side and a dervish on the other, the Lianese turned back to back, fighting desperately as two of them tried to slay the assassin. He dismissed their pitiful attempts, catching each strike on his knives before batting one Lianese weapon aside and kicking the soldier in the groin. One foe incapacitated, Llofruddiwr turned his full attention on the other, and in a whirlwind of cuts and slices, hacked away at the wrist on the sword hand, wounding it until it could no longer hold a weapon. Both foes rendered incapable, he stabbed each, cutting arteries and letting them bleed out.
The Lianese forces on that side of the barricade were finished, but two more Veryan troops had fallen, rending their total to nine, now that Llofruddiwr had returned. That left those nine against fifteen Lianese, and the Veryan forces were exhausted. Locsyn could barely stand, having been cut along his thigh, unable to lower the shield to defend himself. Rhocas had gained a wound across the back of his sword hand, and his arm trembled each time he tried to lift the blade. Gwyth stood like a rock, but this rock bled from cut after cut, and even his prodigious strength had weakened. Only Taflen stood unwounded, for even the sergeant and Llofruddiwr had been struck. Knowing what must be done, Rhyfelwyr called out “Charge!” and leapt over the barricade, followed by Llofruddiwr on his left and Taflen on his right, the other soldiers a step behind.
Rhyfelwyr could feel the energy draining from his body as he pushed it beyond all limits, and he staggered on his third step, nearly falling to the ground as he struggled with the enemy in front of him. Only a Llofruddiwr knife-thrust stopped that stumble from being the end.
In a moment the sergeant was on his feet, his sword sweeping in a low arc to cut the ankle of an enemy, shield held to protect the head. Gwyth summoned his massive strength for one last blow, and slammed his battleaxe into a Lianese shield, cutting through the wood and metal to drive the edge of his weapon into his foe’s neck. Axe caught in the shield, he let it go and grasped his shield with two hands, laying about him as if it were a club.
The far end of the line was anchored by Rhocas and Locsyn, and they fought as a team, one blocking strikes, the other leaping forward to thrust through the openings created. The style of combat was alien to the Lianese troops, and two fell before they began to understand the rhythm of blows, and drive the two Veryan soldiers backwards. Stumbling, Locsyn was only just able to turn his body to catch the attack on his shield, and he saw Rhocas take a further step back, leaving Locsyn fighting two on his own. Locsysn did all he could to defend himself, not trying to counter, only to deflect the strikes as they came. He was rewarded for his skill a few moments later when a lance of blue flame flew over his shoulder and played upon the nearest Lianese troops, incinerating the two he had been fighting, and then turning down the line to catch two more.
The burst of flame from Rhocas left the young mage in a near faint, kneeling on the ground and retching, but it had shattered the Lianese soldiers entirely.
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