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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUIABX4eWf
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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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEPyViNqIZ
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'Blood and Thunder, do you see the chance?' I looked a Lord Arval for confirmation.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdrvNBOuIg
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His face was grim. 'Order us on sire and we'll go to hell or glory.'518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVnkNs3kBm
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVl3Rv1x6GM
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!'518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkUwn7whPs
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGuR9ho08E
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaf3oBJVLUi
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquRK2zX0HC
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRp3tB2N3s
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qHaLHJECb
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TVxukUPnl
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8CmVGcRZQ
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpz5omXMkh
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTDNlUavze
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoVXsvKjsP
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Twenty yards. Splashes either side of the bridge as men dived out of the way of the coming hell: me.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjCZ6SwkdT
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2GZQNZFUl
Ten and I was the tip of an avalanche. From the scent of fear, they knew they were going to be engulfed.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINUvkCeIEt
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Impact!518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd09j8CR2Hk
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There was a green box flash and I took it, of course.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4xFaVIWUf
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbO1BxX6VO7
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgmrZSBSi2
You have hit an axeman for 147 hit points.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9g1bxaxbg
You have killed an axeman!518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKCXfpBAHo
You have gained 60 Experience.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoikKt2Lepm
You have unlocked the Impale proficiency.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YlyWqCPkD
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNcN0PtS5y
You have bashed an axeman for 31 hit points.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvSgAvF7Wa
You have killed an axeman!518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN87PgtI2CW
You have gained 60 Experience.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFr5z4oXZoW
You have become better at Bash: 2518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sDADhNfvI
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTVkoECjkR
You have bashed an axeman for 34 hit points.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwTsHlIear
You have killed an axeman!518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfCNuZCVUt
You have gained 60 Experience.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXn1GGcD4c
You have become better at Bash: 3518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAJ5mvudSi
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vi18QyOcO
You have bashed a spearman for 26 hit points.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeTLgp6m5y
You have killed a spearman!518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGO04fNmZ7
You have gained 40 Experience.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmd6sjKs41
You have become better at Bash: 4518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipS963DxUT
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkDIyYooI7
You have bashed a spearman for 22 hit points.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGhvPvh23M
You have killed a spearman!518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1JXLYn8jl
You have gained 40 Experience.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CFcOZCkKr
You have become better at Bash: 5518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBZTGgJ4Ku
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfL9fKuBC9v
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJzH4PkglR
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMfpVO7t27
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!'518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmcLhnT5wAf
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsC2gJzjG3t
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVM6PIIw0xK
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyX8ZZLuy5
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7KObsMRQr
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiLei9et8l
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgtV2q9sTK
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UANXNQIKg
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeN9gc8IA3p
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepwH3xrRyr
'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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvrudsbWfq
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71W2u6Y9K2
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1wmVo8yak
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTkWVcmaOi
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4mx0GyEgW
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'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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTkZAQMThu
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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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYzqbsbOmy
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkFMA6y3Ii
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgp5Huycg91
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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!518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcpCUugFbd
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZf8Vu2oBX
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0o7jojJilg
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0RtrzuwLV
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fE1rGkrPN
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'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.'518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKsKndD6Wz
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBdd7Gh1Dq
'Archers!' I called, but we only had a few men around us with bows.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAssVOEvsz7
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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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsqfVddTDI
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbnoccULYQ
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqN2xxJIz5
518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzt5ogHO7M
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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUPrds7p9P
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'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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35zHT1tqgr
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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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69HuwF48vu
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'Freeze!' The animal was checked and Parrin scrambled clear.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaz6vlgJ3IU
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'You! You!' I got the attention of two of our archers with an urgent shout. 'Kill that tiger.'518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UAemrQ9uz
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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.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0EYCpbMDE
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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.
