Chapter 62: A Wave (2)

Chapter 62: A Wave (2)

Sergeant Stratos outranked Arda, so he had command of the rearguard. Unit One, go into an inverted Arrowhead formation with a weak center. Two men in the middle, then three and two on either side.

The road was wide enough for two carts to pass going in different directions. That wasnt even enough for an entire unit to stand shoulder to shoulder. Instead, the Unit One heavy infantry created a formation intended to funnel the enemy toward two weaker looking troops in the middle, allowing the rest of the soldiers to attack the enemies from either side.

Sergeant, what about us? Xerxes asked, quietly so that it didnt sound like he was questioning the officers decision.

Save your melam, the sergeant replied. But be ready to jump in if needed.

Meanwhile, the drums had changed, and the column had stopped marching.

There wasnt much sound other than the wind in the trees, the creak of armor and weapons, and a bit of noise from the animals.

Xerxes inhaled deeply through his nose, but didnt detect any odd odors that might indicate monsters were secretly approaching.

A minute passed. Two minutes.

Three.

False alarm? Kashtiliash said.

I see one of them! a soldier shouted.

Xerxes craned his neck to try to see through the infantry formation, but couldnt make out anything.

Small fucker, another soldier said. Like a rat with big legs.

That aint gonna

Suddenly, several soldiers shouted. One of them swung his bronze sword out, and Xerxes made out a brownish shape flying through the air. The sword hit the thing and sliced it in half. Black blood splashed.

Hah! the soldier yelled.

Fill the line, Stratos said.

Two Unit Two soldiers helped rip the thing away, although it took part of the soldiers nose with it. He wailed and shoved his hand over his nose, but that didnt stop the blood from flowing.

Get him back for healing! Arda shouted.

Fill the line! Stratos yelled.

The things kept coming. It didnt take long before they went around the line. That was when Xerxes and Kashtiliash jumped into the fray.

Xerxes didnt see the need for spellcasting, so he focused on his sword. The little furry Abhorrent were quick, but were easy to kill. He chopped one in half. Stabbed another. Stomped a third.

He realized some of the Unit Two soldiers were helping.

Its a fucking pest invasion, one of them said. Another soldier laughed.

Seen worse in my grandmas basement, Kashtiliash said.

More soldiers laughed.

For a few minutes, they destroyed the rat-like Abhorrent. Then they heard some screeching, and the surviving rats turned and skittered away.

Then, just as quickly as it started, the fight was over. Unit One and Two soldiers stood there panting a bit, shields up and weapons out.

Is that it? Stratos asked.

Road looks clear but for the dead, a soldier said back.

Wounded soldiers were taken back to see the surgeons or Balatu mages. At the same time, they pushed the Abhorrent corpses into fetid piles.

Then they heard a commotion in the trees. The scout from earlier was scrambling through bushes and underbrush, panting as she half-ran down the hillside toward them.

Theres a big one coming, she said. Makes those tiny fuckers look like babies.