already too late.
Hydrus stepped around the tree and impaled the first soldier who was startled to see him there, his blade a foot out the soldier’s back. Pushing the body away he started running toward the command group, the need to silence the officers his top priority.
The adrenalin pumped around his body as he reached the standard bearer, battered away his feeble attempt to defend himself, sending his sword flying and hammering a blow down across his face. The man fell in agony as the captain charged, trampling over the fallen company flag.
Steel clashed and sparks flew around the blades as they slid along each other. The two opponents sprung apart as the bishop started hollering blasphemies and cursing Hydrus and his barbaric ways. They circled briefly, eyed each other off before they launched at each other. The combatants shifted between wards, blade parried blade, moving in and out of distance.
He couldn’t look around, but Hydrus hoped no one else would join this fight. This was between them. The bishop was screaming off in the corner, some incoherent chanting that was starting to get annoying as it got louder and louder, faster and faster.
The captain surged forward, pressing his luck as Hydrus parried the first and second blow and stepped around to avoid the third. Striking out at the exposed side, Hydrus covered quickly as the man snapped his blade around and countered as if he was expecting it. Cursing under his breath, Hydrus’ blade whirled around him in a blur of movement, defending and striking, inching closer and closer to his target.
An arrow flew through the space between himself and the captain, took the Kyzantine sneaking up on him in the throat. Gurgled blood sprayed from the dying man’s mouth over the combatants. Temporarily blind, the captain brought his blade up which Hydrus parried with a low cross, kept the blade low, snapped his left arm around with a hook that sent the captain reeling back. The man charged back with a low thrust that would have impaled him if he hadn’t had the foresight to spin away to the right, letting the man ran slightly past him before he cut him down.
Exhausted, Hydrus turned to the bishop, his lips still moving fervently in his high pitched preaching. Moving with deadly purpose, he tightened his grip on the blade as he went to finally silence the holy man.
‘The One God will not permit you to strike me down barbarian,’ he screamed, staring at Hydrus’ advance.
Hydrus didn’t flinch, didn’t stop, this man and his words did not faze him. The energy that shot out of the amulet hanging from his neck did. The yellow energy sizzled through the air and Hydrus raised his sword in a feeble attempt to defend himself. The blade took the brunt of the force, shattering in his two handed grip and sending him flying back through the forest.
The archers fired instantly. All the soldiers fighting in the nearby forest felt the energy, felt the magic. The Nails turned their attention to the bishop, the missiles falling harmlessly off the yellow shield that had surrounded the older man’s body. Hydrus got to his knees, dazed, and wondered when the Kyzantines had started condoning the use of magic, as the bishop started sending crackling beams of yellow light through the forest aimed at his men.
The light punched through the chest of one, he screamed as his insides were ripped from his chest and fell to the blood-soaked ground. The Nails dove behind any cover they could find as the pulsing light shattered trees around them, branches and splinters exploding everywhere. The surviving Kyzantines ducked as well, edging their way closer to the bishop and behind his field of vision.
Men died from both sides as Hydrus wondered about this new turn of events. He couldn’t really believe this was happening.
‘Archers keep firing,’ he screamed. ‘The rest of you, close the gap and kill that fucking bishop!’
Sensing the charge, the remaining Kyzantines formed into thin
Hydrus stepped around the tree and impaled the first soldier who was startled to see him there, his blade a foot out the soldier’s back. Pushing the body away he started running toward the command group, the need to silence the officers his top priority.
The adrenalin pumped around his body as he reached the standard bearer, battered away his feeble attempt to defend himself, sending his sword flying and hammering a blow down across his face. The man fell in agony as the captain charged, trampling over the fallen company flag.
Steel clashed and sparks flew around the blades as they slid along each other. The two opponents sprung apart as the bishop started hollering blasphemies and cursing Hydrus and his barbaric ways. They circled briefly, eyed each other off before they launched at each other. The combatants shifted between wards, blade parried blade, moving in and out of distance.
He couldn’t look around, but Hydrus hoped no one else would join this fight. This was between them. The bishop was screaming off in the corner, some incoherent chanting that was starting to get annoying as it got louder and louder, faster and faster.
The captain surged forward, pressing his luck as Hydrus parried the first and second blow and stepped around to avoid the third. Striking out at the exposed side, Hydrus covered quickly as the man snapped his blade around and countered as if he was expecting it. Cursing under his breath, Hydrus’ blade whirled around him in a blur of movement, defending and striking, inching closer and closer to his target.
An arrow flew through the space between himself and the captain, took the Kyzantine sneaking up on him in the throat. Gurgled blood sprayed from the dying man’s mouth over the combatants. Temporarily blind, the captain brought his blade up which Hydrus parried with a low cross, kept the blade low, snapped his left arm around with a hook that sent the captain reeling back. The man charged back with a low thrust that would have impaled him if he hadn’t had the foresight to spin away to the right, letting the man ran slightly past him before he cut him down.
Exhausted, Hydrus turned to the bishop, his lips still moving fervently in his high pitched preaching. Moving with deadly purpose, he tightened his grip on the blade as he went to finally silence the holy man.
‘The One God will not permit you to strike me down barbarian,’ he screamed, staring at Hydrus’ advance.
Hydrus didn’t flinch, didn’t stop, this man and his words did not faze him. The energy that shot out of the amulet hanging from his neck did. The yellow energy sizzled through the air and Hydrus raised his sword in a feeble attempt to defend himself. The blade took the brunt of the force, shattering in his two handed grip and sending him flying back through the forest.
The archers fired instantly. All the soldiers fighting in the nearby forest felt the energy, felt the magic. The Nails turned their attention to the bishop, the missiles falling harmlessly off the yellow shield that had surrounded the older man’s body. Hydrus got to his knees, dazed, and wondered when the Kyzantines had started condoning the use of magic, as the bishop started sending crackling beams of yellow light through the forest aimed at his men.
The light punched through the chest of one, he screamed as his insides were ripped from his chest and fell to the blood-soaked ground. The Nails dove behind any cover they could find as the pulsing light shattered trees around them, branches and splinters exploding everywhere. The surviving Kyzantines ducked as well, edging their way closer to the bishop and behind his field of vision.
Men died from both sides as Hydrus wondered about this new turn of events. He couldn’t really believe this was happening.
‘Archers keep firing,’ he screamed. ‘The rest of you, close the gap and kill that fucking bishop!’
Sensing the charge, the remaining Kyzantines formed into thin
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