Summer, 1428

&Move up!& The call went down the line. Abruptly the reserve battalion straightened at the order.

&Is this it?& Agrrec asked.

&We're going on the attack!& Jesgocw announced. &Fight hard, keep alive and may the Good Mother Earth protect you!&

The reserve battalion advanced up from the little gully they had been sheltering in, to see the horrors before them: friends and neighbors fighting and friends and neighbors being slaughtered by the enemy in their nightmarish armor atop their monstrous horses. The unit involuntarily shuddered.

Oevcn set his jaw. He had gone through this already during the Arcadian Revolution. There was no point in dwelling upon the losses. There was no point in worrying about death. There was only a belief in the justness of the cause and the hope for victory. He gripped his spear tightly. Beside him, his friends Myrewecs, Beimcu, Rewrkerw and Agrrec looked among themselves and together they all collectively took a deep breath.

&Go!& Came the order.

After a brief hesitation, the battalion set off on a run, heading into the nightmare of blades, blood, guts and bolts. The veterans took the lead, obeying orders, following their duty. Those less experienced followed, shamed at the thought of abandoning their comrades.

Agrrec quickly found the range of the enemy and began unleashing a hail of stones. Many bounced off the thick armor of the enemy, but a few hit home, one shot embedding itself in an enemy's eye, causing the human to tumble from his horse. Soon Myrewecs found his range as well; the gray and brown furred cyno fired an arrow at an enemy horsemen, only to have the projectile bounce off the Legionary's gorget. Myrewecs cursed and next aimed at the horse, toppling the mount and crushing the rider beneath his steed.

Soon the fighters began approaching the scrum ahead.

&Release your spears at the enemy!& Came the call.

Beimcu lunged forward, hurling her javelin at a legionary. The spear struck the enemy in the helm, bouncing off, but nevertheless the stunned rider toppled from his horse and was immediately trampled by the riders behind him. A hail of missiles thrown by other warriors also struck home, killing and wounding dozens of Legionaries. The enemy forces reeled from the blow.

Jesgocw was appeased by the results. He raised his Caldern pike into the air.

&Charge!&

With a howl the reserve troops rushed into the melee.

Immediately the five friends entered in the thick of the fighting.

Joining the fight was like entering a torrential downpour; all was chaos, muddled senses, confusion, horror, and death. Ovecn stabbed a human Legionary through the armpit, precisely targeting the exposed spots in his opponent's armor. A goblin fighter was next dispatched by a jab under the chin, before the dark cyno was steadily driven back by the naginata blows of a Trasgu warrior.

Meanwhile Beimcu dueled with a Sabine swordsman, her shield barely evening the match against a rider and his horse. Still, fighting an evasive bitch stubbornly continuing to attack, the legionary had been stopped in his tracks, awkwardly wheeling around hacking at and trying to trample the tan, brown and gray agouti cyno underfoot. Eventually Beimcu managed to plunge her sword into the horse's stomach. With a scream the horse toppled, carrying the rider with it. Trapped beneath his fallen horse, the legionary could barely utter a cry in pain before the tan, brown and gray agouti cyno was upon him, plunging her blade into his throat.

Nearby, Rewrkerw violently swung her club, knocking a human Legionary right off his mount. A horseman charged at her but she managed to evade the attack, sending the burl smashing down upon the enemy warrior's head.

Finally, having expended his arrows, Myrewecs pulled out his gladius and joined the fight. With Agrrec using a battle axe and shield picked up from the field to cover the gray and brown furred cyno against his opponents, Myrewecs was able to hold back against three separate riders. They were soon joined by Rewrkerw, who snuck up on the enemy horsemen and quickly smashed bones and caved in skulls. Dispatching them the trio fought their way to Beimcu clashing with another Legionary. Agrrec’s axe took off one of the enemy human’s arms, and the tan, brown and gray agouti followed with a thrust through his neck. Finally the group reached Oevcn, ganging up on and dispatching the enemy Trasgu.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack of the reserves, the Calaveras forces ahead faltered and began to retire. Wiping the sweat from his brow, the dark cyno laughed at the arrival of his comrades.

&We're doing it, we're pushing them back!& He exclaimed. The group gave a small cheer, joined by the rest of the victorious battalion.

Then Beimcu looked to their left.

&They're also driving us back.& She stated.

Oevcn also looked, seeing the Quiviran and Qgerecn’s lines crumble before the pressure of the Legionary horsemen on their flank. Cynos were turning to flee, and victorious horsemen were riding them down, stabbing and trampling the retreating warriors by the score. The collapse was quickly approaching Jesgocw's forces.

&Fuck.&

---

Peter Gabriel - Signal to Noise

From  Chickenzaur! (Colored by myself)