The Devouring Knight

Six thousand Sengolio soldiers marched forward in perfect rhythm, armor gleaming, banners snapping in the wind. Their formation stretched wide, like a tide of iron rolling to swallow the land.

Under Liraeth's banner, her soldiers shifted uneasily. They knew the plan, hold the line until their allies struck. But knowing was one thing. Standing against a wall of steel that vast was another. Whispers spread through the ranks, doubt creeping into their voices.

Liraeth rode forward, her voice carrying across the lines. "Steady your hearts! This is our land, our homes, our families behind us. The enemy bleeds like we do, remember that! Stand with me, and we will not falter!"

Her words steadied them. Backs straightened, shields locked tighter, and fear gave way to resolve.

Lumberling on the other hand remained calm. No unease touched his face; instead, there was something else, an almost hidden anticipation. His gaze drifted to his own soldiers. Many of them stood at the peak of their strength, ready to break through.

'I wonder how many will evolve this time,' he thought, eyes gleaming faintly.

"Hey, hey," Skitz's lazy voice broke the moment. He rode Shade with a grin plastered on his face. "You're not even hiding your smile anymore, my Lord. Excited to hunt that much?"

Lumberling chuckled, not denying it. "Of course. But it's not just the hunt. I'm curious to see Heir Arden and his companions battle skills."

Skitz leaned forward on Shade, his grin widening. "Now that you said it, I'm itching too. I'd like to measure myself against them one day."

"Focus," Lumberling said, his tone snapping back into command. He raised his spear high, his voice booming across the lines. "No more chatter. Ready yourselves!"

…..

General Lafuente sat tall in his saddle, black cloak whipping in the wind, eyes hard as he watched the force lining up before him.

Why were they meeting him here? Why not hide on their walls? The thought nagged at him. 'A trap? Perhaps.' He spat to the side. 'Plans and traps are words for cowards. Strength settles everything.'

"All soldiers, charge!" he barked.

The trumpet screamed. A single, terrible heartbeat later, Sengolio surged forward as one. Spears rose, drums rolled, and men shouted themselves into motion.

Even as the line raced forward, one thought kept pushing Lafuente's thoughts, his Knight Dorne. The way that assassin had slipped through his camp and taken one of his best.

'I don't sense the assassin,' Lafuente told himself. His hand trembled on the rein for a moment as memory of Dorne's last breath flashed behind his eyes.

He turned his horse deeper into the mass and rode hard, voice low and furious. "I will find them all. I will skin the one who killed Anderson and Dorne alive." His vow was a blade in his mouth.

…..

The ground shook under the thunder of hooves and boots. Sengolio's front line rushed like a tidal wave, the roar of six thousand men crashing into the air.

Liraeth raised her voice above the pounding march. "Prepare for impact!"

Shields slammed into the earth as her soldiers braced, forming a wall of iron. Lumberling's troops moved in unison beside them, lines locking tight. The air thickened until the first crash came.

The Sengolio cavalry struck like a hammer. The shield line quivered, shields splintering under the sheer weight. Horses screamed, lances drove forward, and soldiers cried out as they staggered back. The infantry followed, pressing in with savage force.

"Hold the line! Shields up!" Sorrin's voice cut through the chaos. Gordon bellowed from the flank, "Don't falter! Focus on defending!"

But even with their commands, the line was bending. Shields crumbled under the weight of impact, men staggered and fell. Sengolio soldiers laughed cruelly as they drove forward, their momentum breaking through patches of the defense.

Steel clanged against steel, arrows whistled overhead, and dust mixed with blood in the air. The defenders strained, but their boots slid in the dirt as they were pushed back step by step.

Liraeth's breath came fast. Her two swords were drawn as she moved to the front. Every swing cut down a foe, but still the tide pressed closer.

'Heir Arden… when will you come?' she thought, teeth clenched as she met the enemy head-on, the weight of her people heavy on her shoulders.

The Sengolio laughed louder, smelling victory. The wall was breaking.

But their laughter was cut short.

After bracing the brutal impact of the charge, Lumberling suddenly broke away from the shield line, his voice booming. "Forward! We're not here to endure, draw your blades and attack!"

His group surged ahead, shields and lines left behind. From the very start, they hadn't planned to simply hold. They were hunters, and the enemy's flesh was their prey.

The battlefield erupted into chaos as each captain unleashed their forces.

Gobo1 and Gobo2 sprinted with the hunter squads, blades flashing. Their units darted between gaps, striking fast and hard, overwhelming any Sengolio who tried to form a line.

Aren's elite squads drove in behind them, spears locked in a deadly wedge, stabbing through the cracks their comrades opened. Their formation cut forward like the tip of a blade, driving deep into enemy flesh.

Behind them, Takkar bellowed, axes crossing as he shielded the sub-captains. His militia units held tight, weathering the counterblows that came crashing in from the sides. Steel rang, shields buckled, but Takkar's roar kept them steady.

Above them all, Krivex and his archer unit loosed arrow after arrow, each shot guided by his sharp eye. The enemy's cavalry cried out as horses fell, pierced through the gaps in their armor.

Then the ground itself seemed to quake. Lunira leapt forward with Jen astride her back, her pack following in a blur of fur and fangs.

Right behind them came Kaeldron and his lizardmen, scales glinting, their hissing war cries merging with wolf howls. The sight was unreal, beast and lizard charging as one, tearing through men like paper.

"Smoke bombs, now!" Kaeldron roared. His warriors obeyed at once, releasing thick clouds that swallowed the battlefield. Figures flickered in and out of the haze, enemies vanishing with screams as they were dragged into the smoke and torn apart.