ExhilaratedRosewood/Perspective
Karal Lorigan stared out through the visor of his armor, its technomagical enhancements piercing the darkness to reveal the inhuman forms attempting to sneak through the light woods toward the troops he stood with. His thoughts issued the term "sneak" with a note of derision. That many beastmen, however sly they were, could not sneak. Not as a group certainly. Even the unenhanced humans around him could pick out traces of that large a group. They were badly outnumbered. Even worse, they were probably outmatched. They would have the upper hand in terms of training and discipline, but the strength of the bear-warriors coming toward them would cause serious problems. From what he had seen in the village they had passed through on the way here, even with his Gunzosha armor he would not be a match for them in sheer strength. His cousins Karal Eritol and Karal Siphilo would make a large difference as would the sorcerer-technician preparing to invoke his power, but the presence of three dragon blooded would not be enough to turn the tide unless the numbers coming out of the forest abated soon. Their talon was too small, and not well enough prepared to deal with a threat of this size. They had expected a small raiding party, not an army. Their wing was still at least two days behind them.
The men of his scale began murmuring behind him. With a glance he silenced them. The Ashigaru at his side gave him a flat look, and began to speak in a whisper. "We don't stand a chance against them. This is sheer folly. We should be regrouping."
He turned his eyes forward again. After a slight pause, he whispered back, "That isn't our place to decide. We will follow orders, and as they stand now that means we hold this hill."
She snorted quietly and turned forward, her armor allowing her to see the approaching creatures as well as his did. Despite her comment, he knew that she would hold her ground to the end. It was the sort of person she was. She wouldn't be wearing that armor otherwise.
The beastmen grew closer.
At a signal from the banner-men to his right, he gestured for his mean to draw swords, and pulled the expensive Chiaroscuro-glass sword from his scabbard. It had been a present from his father, after it was clear he would not exalt. The daiklaive that had been waiting for him had been traded to a distant relative in exchange for some favor he had never actually found out the details of. He had been a large disappointment to his father, but he had remedied it as best he could. He would have a short life he knew, but in exchange he had a glimmer the power that had not been granted to him by the Elemental Dragons. He could only hope that his newly born son, waiting back in Lookshy, would one day receive the embrace of the dragon that he never had.
As the beastmen ceased their pretense of stealth and began to charge up the hill, another signal from the banner-men signaled the end of his thinking. A shower of arrows shot out from the archers behind his scale, along with a scattering of discharges from firelances and shockpikes from those who had them. He felt a brief flash of envy, but pushed it down under the anticipation of the oncoming charge. With a whirring sound, spinning obsidian butterflies flew out of nowhere, cutting into the ranks of beastmen. As they grew closer, the front line was slowed by the sudden materialization of four demons the sorcerer had ordered to break the charge. As the beastmen surged over them, the flags waved again.
With a cry he leaped forward, men following on all sides. They met the charging bear warriors and began to fend for their lives. For their lives, and the integrity of all creation.
