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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZgPs8gjIE
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhN0QRz04c5
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXr5wPSSacR
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPBB1mBdJi
'Blood and Thunder, do you see the chance?' I looked a Lord Arval for confirmation.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFbkKVlSjZ
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQUpHMF6mn
His face was grim. 'Order us on sire and we'll go to hell or glory.'546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwIc06HbOB
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZiyTu1kWH
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!'546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxOUMgxOcN
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgJRUktoIJ
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfGY8QlGpr
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTTESpGgCw
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0MY7b2kkU
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSSo9RGS0e
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73CpcpbWnI
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzsX9nIjDeb
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYjQMu9rOV
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3KCXMgorT
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XOBGJV3u5
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjVYXPzPQD
Twenty yards. Splashes either side of the bridge as men dived out of the way of the coming hell: me.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXReC0pBbd
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dHKy0DelS
Ten and I was the tip of an avalanche. From the scent of fear, they knew they were going to be engulfed.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPif3MCDvu0
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMQzkQeWzj
Impact!546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5G8naHTLo
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrKHEmOOzX
There was a green box flash and I took it, of course.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFO21CObVsJ
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODOTAByR4a
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVk7Dy0C8v2
You have hit an axeman for 147 hit points.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cka6XMAfG
You have killed an axeman!546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuKLT4Bf1F
You have gained 60 Experience.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6cTd1dUJs
You have unlocked the Impale proficiency.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZqDqdHLZ3
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxr6MqjOmL
You have bashed an axeman for 31 hit points.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRPQbtSSQK
You have killed an axeman!546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlN9cVxm6Go
You have gained 60 Experience.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMZ2ztZuG7
You have become better at Bash: 2546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaow7BIVzBv
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡow2J6CmJhm
You have bashed an axeman for 34 hit points.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunf8Dy7rzn
You have killed an axeman!546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKZtvJHxtb
You have gained 60 Experience.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbPtuRn2t1
You have become better at Bash: 3546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIawTBeGG0
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSNYqgEiLL
You have bashed a spearman for 26 hit points.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPf5bfk0tQV
You have killed a spearman!546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRWxh95sMC
You have gained 40 Experience.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfsiF9eZ3Go
You have become better at Bash: 4546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtYfnDIMKN
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MuWtpUYis
You have bashed a spearman for 22 hit points.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJUs234Ka4
You have killed a spearman!546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdL7twlD6Z
You have gained 40 Experience.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhEu9PSViW
You have become better at Bash: 5546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9elencY5H
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpn3NWosCQ1
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHDGBXbvVk
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKr7YO6lIhN
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!'546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwYeTVAMdd
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBTxUZedVm
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrbASHzf5Z
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mCaFsNYkV
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20aB3HxFKe
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEo0f9qize
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFpDMzCttA
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6jAeqjg3q
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2JxMIOaC9
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokcAmkgDQG
'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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkPDQ0DiZO
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNC0nRvBnU
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcX1lNr3jz9
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwrsOw3tPK
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHp37yBKqF
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLf2cF3U4PK
'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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqVh4od1M5
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDBmPBFFQU
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhnYp7OYZn
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpD6PbiGXBQ
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeK7C4FQojx
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvx9CHjxR8r
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!546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgjgu7THIU
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhMmTmuRn2
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPqnQgWtHd
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQJXTu04wr
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lwZdIVRey
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujICGaPK5g
'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.'546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnS76uogxM
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIvPNtTk0x
'Archers!' I called, but we only had a few men around us with bows.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcS8mKKPXuF
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmc88O4WvI
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Gf9ATxLr8
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZjGvreq5F
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIzeZYWcYm
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6XMq1NLMh
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNXmQJC8rL
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTDYzJvOut
'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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAny40lIBo
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0FCIYu889
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xix5jPTQ4
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡElytHlLtu7
'Freeze!' The animal was checked and Parrin scrambled clear.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMEKbPmqhC
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGspebKhdYf
'You! You!' I got the attention of two of our archers with an urgent shout. 'Kill that tiger.'546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1rMGKVp45
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnbjdHtk6N
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.546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZQYbubjQb
546Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcUWj5TZw1
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.
