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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGN4k87g4rQ
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQI1bF6D16
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQasMecRFI
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwe7ctAHVG3
'Blood and Thunder, do you see the chance?' I looked a Lord Arval for confirmation.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXCR75JFGY
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6KzlA6PtO
His face was grim. 'Order us on sire and we'll go to hell or glory.'468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIzh0GHTYX
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRmlf5LdLR
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!'468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3boYQakTm
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvm3A4l5wGF
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOS36aQLmB
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKpjPijKy5
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5nRnd99ZR
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYhMCoIvAs
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTf1S2hDEvT
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsuGDyQhhO
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22UaP7qFWq
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkMaRhvGpo
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrVpgSMjGk
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLzaA2c13O
Twenty yards. Splashes either side of the bridge as men dived out of the way of the coming hell: me.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTP9d3LU3Pr
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8rcq6aGGO
Ten and I was the tip of an avalanche. From the scent of fear, they knew they were going to be engulfed.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiDDMuM7be
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLGAkPHcD3
Impact!468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj06iUc6CRs
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTHIg5Jwiy
There was a green box flash and I took it, of course.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yXq7QJbpA
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNxcslh8Bm
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiT518KG6EX
You have hit an axeman for 147 hit points.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTJIfDE0f4
You have killed an axeman!468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsU85FYWjZ
You have gained 60 Experience.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwWX9JTPhD
You have unlocked the Impale proficiency.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhr2HOJZuD
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡja6nk8y0xg
You have bashed an axeman for 31 hit points.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MGdD6MZDu
You have killed an axeman!468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK14QnaAFO2
You have gained 60 Experience.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA300utp2gA
You have become better at Bash: 2468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZYjP9GYRg
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJc2GVKVrbM
You have bashed an axeman for 34 hit points.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KcwaExbtO
You have killed an axeman!468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFwwROhBOG
You have gained 60 Experience.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRqLiHWKrl
You have become better at Bash: 3468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3e10H3u4sZ
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfRnzKYfMT
You have bashed a spearman for 26 hit points.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGVN40FrP7
You have killed a spearman!468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxjwCxMbTy
You have gained 40 Experience.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy16AvgpVad
You have become better at Bash: 4468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNBY0EwhHr
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64hffiG38D
You have bashed a spearman for 22 hit points.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDQOhXMI93
You have killed a spearman!468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHj3d9fLBe
You have gained 40 Experience.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjqa15cfCA
You have become better at Bash: 5468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWHTEfXHf8
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHrkI6J3vt
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWeauzrqNc
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz454qtBse5
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!'468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDlJIcuUi6
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbILXZuywsT
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYGowk0gRw3
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8jivyRyaP
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBzrnTJIoq
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDYrzEDo6Yt
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkxATOKdSH
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWUyzgDEiY
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxPFuLLSZd
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptPN0l37Qj
'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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRO12V6SqF1
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7R5h5oy59
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9MMii7vFs
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡroWrE8p05J
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78zFtM0hyI
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPgnglEsVk
'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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQE99YtYN8s
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHk8yIbHsuY
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMm8jRntMk
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRp2YQdrbq
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UnY7JGRxW
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfkLVmmoNt
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!468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2ckouaWML
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN34sDxhiUs
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9noeyAkFl7
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKII63y2z4
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZa8ud2lq1
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJeO6StLU1k
'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.'468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9h4DZn91W
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ825OH0hUCY
'Archers!' I called, but we only had a few men around us with bows.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLDSHPiAkS
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZZj9UCxV6
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ClIJQz9NJ
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0iChzhQG3
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YAeD7lKIN
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFfshneauTW
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIGWO6uCmU
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwae1ppyLmS
'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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHKkpFDppr
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFQIz7BuVs
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ441jMaPhKO
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpucI5wXAR0
'Freeze!' The animal was checked and Parrin scrambled clear.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6k4XvF4LKe
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2hM3hGq7p
'You! You!' I got the attention of two of our archers with an urgent shout. 'Kill that tiger.'468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaKR6jUwkM
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75Ik97us43
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.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbqesAB2fx
468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ04DYkEckpD
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.
