A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor-Chapter 831: The Allied Move - Part 4
The bridge was slowly getting built, Oliver assured himself. It was frustrating going about battle in such an indirect way, building up the pieces that he had bit by bit, but it needed to be done. He was proceeding as cautiously as he could manage, as advised by Skullic and Hod.
Just before he turned around, he saw Cormrant out of the corner of his eye, making another lap at the bottom of the enemy fort on their horses. The same parade that they’d had going for a few days now.
The Skullic soldiers and the Patrick soldiers seemed to be about ready now. It was strange to think of them as Skullic’s soldiers, when Verdant and Blackthorn stood amongst them, but Oliver saw no other way of making the distinction.
The slaves were as riled up as before, if not more so. Each victory came to them like nutrition, slowly building up a withered spirit. In a matter of hours, they looked like healthier men.
They seemed to be waiting for Oliver’s signal, and so he cast his arm down, motioning for the battle to begin.
Once more, Judas and Firyr took to the same strategy. The slaves went barrelling forward. This time, Jorah, Karesh and Kaya went with them to the centre. Judas slammed into the left flank, Firyr into the right, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Jorah sent Karesh and Kaya forward towards the thinly defended centre, following a step behind them.
Already, even without the attack in the centre, this had historically been a losing position for Northman. It was hard to tell whether he would be able to turn those tides with only an extra two men.
Blackthorn started in the middle with Verdant, and Northman was a step behind them. They were clearly sharing some muttered murmurings in strategy. Northman had already given the initial command to fortify the flanks, but next it was Verdant who made the move.
Like an arrow from a bow, he sent Blackthorn flying forward towards the centre, where Karesh and Kaya had been attempting to rush. Already, they’d made it as far as the spears, slamming into them at the same time as Judas and Firyr had. With a massive sweep of Karesh’s blade, he forced the way open. Then Kaya stepped in, and carnage ensued.
With every motion that Kaya made, a man fell. He seemed to be the natural enemy of any spear wielder – once he made it into this kind of range. They could do nothing against his heavy gauntleted attacks. Even padded as they were, they made men buckle.
The youth was consciously aware of the damage they did, and was only sending attacks towards the body, but a single blow was still enough to block any man.
Reviewing the battlefield in a single glance, it was all over already. Both flanks had been breached, as had the centre.
But before total victory could be assured, Blackthorn made it to her destination. She was on Karesh immediately, surprising him with an attack from the side. Karesh raised up his great sword to defend the blow.
"A mistake," Oliver muttered. He’d sparred with Blackthorn often enough to know her habits. She hadn’t been intending to nail him with the first strike. It had been a mere feint.
Karesh realized that a moment too late. By that point, he had no leeway left. Blackthorn nailed his midsection with five harsh strikes, each enough to make Oliver wince. Karesh dropped, unable to withstand the blows. To Oliver, it seemed as if she’d put a bit too much bite on those swings.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
With Jorah’s warning, Kaya had made use of Karesh’s falling. He closed in on Blackthorn before she could re-establish her distance, knowing full well that he needed to get close if he wanted to beat her. He had a grimly determined look on her face. Whatever hesitation he might normally have felt about hitting a noble was nowhere to be seen. He was as absorbed in the battle as the rest of them.
He ducked his shoulder and the rapier went flying overhead. His step-in was quick, and he twisted his hips for a vicious blow to the body.
"Again…" Oliver murmured. He saw the stretch in Blackthorn’s calf. Her most fundamental movement, that counterattack that had felled so many goblins. She made it look as though she was retreating, but in truth, she’d only shifted her weight to make it appear so. Now, she was hurtling forward, at a distance that should have been too close for her, using the stretch reflex of her springy muscles.
Her crossguard collided with the side of Kaya’s head, and he dropped to the floor, groaning. Oliver winced, seeing the blood. This was meant to be a training battle, but some of these injuries were borderline dangerous…
Jorah wisely took a step back. Oliver gave his silent approval. He would gain nothing by confronting Blackthorn head-on. His direct combat abilities were lesser than Karesh and Kaya, and they’d been defeated easily. Blackthorn, it had to be said, was a phenom.
Even with Blackthorn’s victory, the state of affairs looked dire for Skullic’s men. The left and the right flanks had fallen once more, and the slaves were bullrushing their way towards Northman.
"Retreat to the centre!" Verdant said, giving his order. The soldiers had been informed of the new command structure, but even if they hadn’t been, a direct command from the heir to the Idris House was an order to be obeyed with haste.
Despite the carnage, the men managed to pull away, reforming back towards the centre, coalescing on the brief bit of safety that Blackthorn had managed to establish for them.
"Central line, attack the right rear!" Verdant said. He’d seen that Blackthorn was still charging – she wasn’t satisfied standing still, and was still chasing after Jorah, who’d fled towards the left.
The thin central line of ten men rushed after her.
"Judas!" Jorah shouted. "Don’t slow your charge! Rush past them!"
