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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziiLiy3cf3
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XB2pQPiIw
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CTHNy5izP
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYKRMgmsba
'Blood and Thunder, do you see the chance?' I looked a Lord Arval for confirmation.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYwn9fFJGZ
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROSPTooeKu
His face was grim. 'Order us on sire and we'll go to hell or glory.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVxPVE3nQa
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WOhAHvxfX
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!'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjJpjvrEd5
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsNyOE7dsz
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGBTuaScxD
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqU8hRaXhV
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaZx2uGlrL
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTb703Al84
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNF5eBEuNC
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ718ZBViRse
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0unrGtkxo
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKz3ninCQDy
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpjJHNSqJp
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8OhWVKvGB
Twenty yards. Splashes either side of the bridge as men dived out of the way of the coming hell: me.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQzU9G9VOD
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WVTsvFo9R
Ten and I was the tip of an avalanche. From the scent of fear, they knew they were going to be engulfed.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtEp5SUcP6
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdl3VV6415
Impact!474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZeh32oz76
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78irMnZDQt
There was a green box flash and I took it, of course.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGBnoKtaQb
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8x6bhXmHcH
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSapE6y102
You have hit an axeman for 147 hit points.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiezSX2pIA
You have killed an axeman!474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mSTY4WtT5
You have gained 60 Experience.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCsf6ZhHPU
You have unlocked the Impale proficiency.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lr5GyUVFn
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLI9VCl5A8
You have bashed an axeman for 31 hit points.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhaMjOOH4C
You have killed an axeman!474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6B2lp51YS
You have gained 60 Experience.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡul628OPxqx
You have become better at Bash: 2474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPrr27dlXKg
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpu5aEEzhN
You have bashed an axeman for 34 hit points.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVQMMNTfLa
You have killed an axeman!474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5eU2L2PjU
You have gained 60 Experience.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1oGXhLS0I
You have become better at Bash: 3474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbA8ddgK3AS
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQttJsTUK2
You have bashed a spearman for 26 hit points.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbB7WXPzSf
You have killed a spearman!474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKm3akPDiy
You have gained 40 Experience.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbe9Pluvat
You have become better at Bash: 4474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjoQIQwZX2
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACoAYNJol6
You have bashed a spearman for 22 hit points.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2u2ijdBfx
You have killed a spearman!474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsboJM59W7
You have gained 40 Experience.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sOjUUZ8tT
You have become better at Bash: 5474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzJ5vikdoo
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6U7TpiEyI
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXESNDdeB2
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyrV7pqK1N
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!'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0byyPvBdi
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWD2Ubc8aR
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0obZusuqWx
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUmHUiyvHO
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoqXmAU1uL
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13YjhBgzPS
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8p2w01tvQ
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyi24fxVtqX
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgQTvEyp2M
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJnks58Vso
'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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMqVL7e1du
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wZReosYzB
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZGqxLynbT
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4EbXcPcLo
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9EUvG2Og0
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGDSbJ10AK
'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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRfXF3spJU
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡou7Ht1KWv4
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzAfWdnfLc
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmB5kcMd47C
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYZAJUt5qR
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMylPDXusk
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!474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7akvaNH3Yt
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRg2KYqHdHn
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCY4Oh1Mq2n
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLlRa19Ps8
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJI8ykm3Jz2
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0kRQ035wP
'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.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rpr1KTq8b
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MQk7F2YAv
'Archers!' I called, but we only had a few men around us with bows.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzhEql8t3L
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XQtDLc3WP
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHLsl0Kj0y
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oUvgRSYhm
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqA6iN4o8bl
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWP0Zw4ao6Z
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFYOdltap7
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfOfSVdlDB
'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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgy8yluloze
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZuahIAvCd
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5esrdB5Cn
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6iHTV5J0m
'Freeze!' The animal was checked and Parrin scrambled clear.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEuyAyBQja
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0fm1vnGRk
'You! You!' I got the attention of two of our archers with an urgent shout. 'Kill that tiger.'474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDX7cRgF6A4
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXKFplMe3u
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.474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92vdHMlpIL
474Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIl8W5LjB0
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.
