[Chapter 17 - The Ambush at Dusk]

  They came in waves, preceded at first by the thundering of paws.

  “Wolf riders!” The shout of the centurion sounded out from the front, followed immediately by a command echoed through the signaling of cornua trumpets. “Murus! Repellere equites!”

  All at once the air was alive with the rustling of metal.

  Soldiers hurried into position, matching the thud of steel on earth with a resonating shout.

  “MU!”

  Shields smashed together to form a [Shield Wall], our packs discarded to the ground in our haste as we retained only the secondary pilum we carried over our shoulders.

  The first was dug into the ground, embedding the back point into the dirt so that the spear jutted out like a stake.

  The second I withdrew from my side, pressing my weight against the scutum with my javelin held forwards in anticipation.

  Another clash of iron, sounding from the legionaries of the inner column who [Braced] their shields atop ours with an accompanying chant.

  “RUS!”

  I could hear the scrambling of caligae behind them, worn by the archers who rushed into formation.

  Within the commotion I could still make out the winding of the scorpio ballista which Bj?rn had unslung from his back, a tightening tension of the rope I could just about hear as he fed a bolt down its notch.

  The wolves were now visible, a tide of teeth and fur flooding down the grass of the hill in the distance, their outlines growing larger and larger with every second that passed.

  Atop their backs rode pale-skinned riders, their mouths open with unbridled hostility whilst the blue of their bodies lay covered beneath crude metal and fur.

  Goblins.

  They rode with hunched torsos, holding aloft spears alongside the battered shields displaying motifs of aggression, carved into enraged faces which mimicked their own bearers.

  The sight instilled an unease amongst the guarded recruits, a nervousness which rippled through them in the form of restless agitation.

  Not that I could blame them though.

  Most had not faced real combat, engaging only in extensive training which wore us down but offered little in terms of practical experience.

  And I could not say that the sight did not affect me either.

  War as I knew was fought with lead and kevlar, won and lost through logistics and rapid incursions.

  In this world however, it was waged on a vastly different scale, employing muscle and steel in a butchery of its combatants.

  “Saggittarii Parate!”

  Bows bent back in accordance with the centurion’s command, the strings held taut by the archers who readied them to fire.

  “Iacite!”

  The order was given, and the whistling of arrows responded in turn.

  The orange of the dusk sky was soon shrouded behind a barrage of black, each shadow floating for a brief moment before raining down upon the approaching cavalry.

  Most thudded into shields, burying heads of iron into wooden planks.

  Some however found exposed flesh, indicated by the screeching from the riders they struck.

  The wolves dodged the majority with ease, scattering to the sides to avoid the bulk of the projectiles before clustering back into a group once more.

  The few arrows which struck caused little more than light cuts, barely breaking skin as the dense fur deterred them for the most part.

  Yet the same could not be said for the one struck by the ballista, its body thrown back as the projectile buried itself in its flank.

  “Sponte Iacite! Pila tollite!”

  Arrows were now fired without pause, a rhythmic sound of bowstring to which we paid no heed.

  Instead we pulled our pilum behind us, readying them for the command to be thrown.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The wolves were closer now; I could make out the fury in their eyes and the straining of their jaws as they pulled against the rudimentary leather straps functioning as their reins.

  “Saggittarii Desistite!”.

  The archers were stopped.

  All that could now be heard was the pulsing of blood through my veins, a sound which muffled even the rumbling of the wolf riders who drew closer.

  And closer.

  And then the order was given.

  “IACITE PILA!”

  The centurion’s voice held an edge of panic, one that was reflected in the hurried blaring of the trumpet which signaled his instruction.

  We answered nonetheless with the whooshing of pila, throwing our javelins forwards into the oncoming horde.

  They crashed into the cavalry, turning their velocity against them as the spears punctured wood and splintered shields, burying themselves deep into the goblins who held them.

  Their bodies soon tumbled to the ground, and the wolves whom the pila had also struck joined them in turn, crumpling beneath their weight along with the riders who were then crushed underneath.

  Still the majority surged forwards, unhindered by the blood and numbers exploding out beside them.

  I threw my now-empty hand to my side, fumbling for my gladius before my fingers found the handle.

  With a firm pull it was unsheathed, and I braced myself for the wave of fur bearing down upon me.

  I was glad at least that cavalry charges had been one of the few formations we had been trained against, the pila jutting out from the ground skewering wolves and goblins alike as they crashed into our shields.

  I could just about manage to catch the -68 caused by my own before my vision was filled with the snapping of teeth and claws.

  My entire weight was pressed against my shield, pushing back with as much force as I could muster, but the shock of the impact still reverberated through my body as I was driven several inches back, the nails of my caligae tearing dirt in my wake.

  Snarling mouths tore at the space between us, grasping at my face while spears of warped steel jabbed in accompaniment.

  A pila was quickly thrust into the open maw, showering me with blood as Felix drove it into the wolf.

  I did not realise it in the spur of the moment, but I would later again be glad for my previous military experience.

  It rendered my mind with a slight calm even in the panic of this frantic situation, retaining some degree of coherent thought in my mind before I thrust my sword forwards.

  My eyes darted around as I waited for a second, looking desperately for any opportunity to rid myself of the predator from which my entire body screamed at me to flee.

  And soon I found it, the wolf tilting its jaws to the side to avoid the retracted pilum which Felix now pushed again forth.

  I drove my gladius in an [Upwards Thrust], burying it into the exposed jaw before me.

  Blood erupted out, a torrent of red flooding down as -53 appeared next to it, but my attention was focused solely upon the beast embedded at the end of my sword.

  Its resistance only made the wound worse, the wolf swinging its head to and fro in a desperate attempt to pull its face back instead tearing the blade further and further through its flesh.

  -38, -42, -26

  And then it fell to the ground, its rider screeching as it too collapsed to the floor.

  Screams sounded around me, both from goblins and soldiers alike.

  Although many of the cavalry had been killed by shieldwall, impaled either by the pila buried into the ground or cut down by the soldiers with their swords, most had instead used the raised shields as a ramp, leaping over the soldiers as their goblin riders leered down from above.

  Some dove for the Saggittari, the archers staggering nervously back as they drew their swords from their side.

  Others turned as they landed, crouching to bare rows of jagged teeth against the now rear-side of the shieldwall.

  Fortunately this had not been unexpected, and the legionaries of the second row turned to meet them.

  It was a formation reiterated to us time and time again, a pivot which the trained soldiers of Felix’s line conducted almost as soon as the wolves had vaulted over them.

  But theoretical instruction was never the same as actual practice.

  Many of the recruits panicked at the sight, breaking formation to try to face the wolves above, only to meet their end as a frenzy of teeth and claw ripped through their backs.

  Some of the Saggittari too could not retreat quick enough, tossed into the air or otherwise thrown to the side by force of the wolves who caught them.

  Soon the area was a bloodbath of swords and fur as the goblins smashed into Atreian lines.

  But my attention was directed forwards, to the rider who raised himself up from the body of the fallen wolf.

  His spear had been discarded to the side, and in his hands now brandished a sword of rough iron which he had slowly unsheathed out from his back.

  The goblin was short, about the size of a large child, but the malice in his eyes was clear.

  He rested his gaze upon me as he drew his tongue across his blade, and for a second all was still as we both stared at each other, waiting for the other to act.

  And then he threw himself forwards with surprising speed, lunging forwards as he thrust his sword towards my side.

  I just about managed to block it, saved by an impulsive jolting of my shield which threw aside his blade from my body.

  That did little to deter him, and he returned with reckless abandon, a [Flurry] of swings which demonstrated no technique nor thought save for an unbridled anger which drove each strike.

  For the first time I was thankful that the shield was so damn large.

  Despite the impact of each strike vibrating through my arm, they did little else but dent the chunk of metal and wood I held out in front.

  This assurance bought me time, allowing me to concentrate first on blocking the goblin’s blows before I scanned for an opening to retaliate.

  And his next strike was heavy, falling down from above and piercing the leather skin, only to embed itself within the wood beneath.

  And I reacted instantly, driving the spike of the umbo into the goblin’s face.

  [Shield bash]

  -60 appeared, but I did not stop.

  I cast him to the ground before falling upon him with my sword.

  [Cleave]

  In one blow it struck cleanly through his neck, brought down by its weight which drove it forward without mercy.

  -18 popped up, and then his body moved no more.

  I stood there.

  Panting.

  My body reacting to an exhaustion I could not feel, subdued from my senses by the adrenaline which ran rampant through my veins.

  I readied myself once again, turning to clear the goblin riders who had beset the column behind me.

  Only to be met by the slavering jaws of a wolf which lept towards my face.

  lot more research and rewrites than I had expected before I was finally happy with it.