the pounding horse hooves. Spears flew from the Eagle People, some taking riders, while others hit the big barreled chests of the horses, and down they went. The Dark Mountain warriors were in confusion.
With over half of his fighting force now gone, the leader of the Dark Mountain People attempted to retreat, but Mongoose cried, “Attack!”
As Amon moved forward at a dead run, he glanced at a movement to his right and saw about thirty Dark Mountain warriors riding over a small summit for the center of the village. He knew Mongoose had close to fifty warriors there, so all should be safe.
A huge bulk of a man ran for Amon, but the Eagle warrior lunged with his spear and saw the point go through the man's stomach. He let the spear fall and pulled his war ax. The next man was still mounted and attempted to stick him with the point of a spear, but Amon stepped aside, brought his ax down hard and the man's right hand fell to the grasses. Feeling a light sting to his back, he turned and saw a young warrior holding what Amon recognized as a sword. The young man tried to backup, except he tripped over a body and fell flat on his back. The big ax swung hard downward, the man-child screamed, and a split second later his head rolled from his body. With each beat of the young man's heart, blood would spurt from the severed neck, splattering on the grasses near his neck.
Amon saw one horse take a spear to the center of his chest and the animal fell immediately, landed in a cloud of dust, with the rider's left leg trapped under the heavy animal. As Amon smiled he moved for the trapped man, his big ax swung twice more, dropping Dark Mountain warriors screaming to the grass. Soon standing beside the fallen horse, Amon lifted his ax, but before it descended, Mongoose grabbed his hand and said, “Take him as a prisoner.”
“So be it.” he replied, and then smiled.
The Mountain People were now withdrawing, taking their many wounded with them, but arrows from the Eagle Clan archers were still being released into the air. Amon reached for a fallen sword in the grass and smiled when he held it in his hand. It is so beautiful and heavy, he thought, it is an excellent weapon. Then he yelled, “Pick up the metal swords! Some of the dead and injured have swords with steel blades!”
His people could work some copper and some bronze, but steel they'd not mastered. A good steel blade was valuable and hard to find.
Mongoose neared, her left arm bleeding slightly, and she said, “Check our wounded and dead. I want them taken to the center of the village now. Some of these warriors have spear points and swords of steel, collect all of them. Georgia, once the dust clears, take a few men and gather all the arrows you can from both sides. I suspect the arrowheads used by this clan are also steel. Any stray horses and gear must be collected.”
“I will do so.”
Ella returned and said, “The Dark Mountain People attempted to enter the village center, but were beaten back and they've suffered heavy losses.” In her hand, she held a strange looking weapon, of the likes Amon had never seen before except in pictures in their library.
“What do you have there?” he asked.
“I don't know the name of it, but it shoots short arrows and with much force. When I killed the man with an arrow, he released one arrow by accident and it went completely through a horse and what looked to be two enemies on the other-side. I know our long bows are strong, but I've never seen this weapon before.”
“It is called a crossbow and we've known about them for years. But our images in the library only show the completed weapon, not how to make one. By taking this one apart, we may soon be able to reproduce these in large numbers.”
One warrior neared and said, “We found a few shields of metal, but they're not heavy. They are of better quality than our wooden shields and are strong.”
“Weight is the main reason we only have shields made of wood,
With over half of his fighting force now gone, the leader of the Dark Mountain People attempted to retreat, but Mongoose cried, “Attack!”
As Amon moved forward at a dead run, he glanced at a movement to his right and saw about thirty Dark Mountain warriors riding over a small summit for the center of the village. He knew Mongoose had close to fifty warriors there, so all should be safe.
A huge bulk of a man ran for Amon, but the Eagle warrior lunged with his spear and saw the point go through the man's stomach. He let the spear fall and pulled his war ax. The next man was still mounted and attempted to stick him with the point of a spear, but Amon stepped aside, brought his ax down hard and the man's right hand fell to the grasses. Feeling a light sting to his back, he turned and saw a young warrior holding what Amon recognized as a sword. The young man tried to backup, except he tripped over a body and fell flat on his back. The big ax swung hard downward, the man-child screamed, and a split second later his head rolled from his body. With each beat of the young man's heart, blood would spurt from the severed neck, splattering on the grasses near his neck.
Amon saw one horse take a spear to the center of his chest and the animal fell immediately, landed in a cloud of dust, with the rider's left leg trapped under the heavy animal. As Amon smiled he moved for the trapped man, his big ax swung twice more, dropping Dark Mountain warriors screaming to the grass. Soon standing beside the fallen horse, Amon lifted his ax, but before it descended, Mongoose grabbed his hand and said, “Take him as a prisoner.”
“So be it.” he replied, and then smiled.
The Mountain People were now withdrawing, taking their many wounded with them, but arrows from the Eagle Clan archers were still being released into the air. Amon reached for a fallen sword in the grass and smiled when he held it in his hand. It is so beautiful and heavy, he thought, it is an excellent weapon. Then he yelled, “Pick up the metal swords! Some of the dead and injured have swords with steel blades!”
His people could work some copper and some bronze, but steel they'd not mastered. A good steel blade was valuable and hard to find.
Mongoose neared, her left arm bleeding slightly, and she said, “Check our wounded and dead. I want them taken to the center of the village now. Some of these warriors have spear points and swords of steel, collect all of them. Georgia, once the dust clears, take a few men and gather all the arrows you can from both sides. I suspect the arrowheads used by this clan are also steel. Any stray horses and gear must be collected.”
“I will do so.”
Ella returned and said, “The Dark Mountain People attempted to enter the village center, but were beaten back and they've suffered heavy losses.” In her hand, she held a strange looking weapon, of the likes Amon had never seen before except in pictures in their library.
“What do you have there?” he asked.
“I don't know the name of it, but it shoots short arrows and with much force. When I killed the man with an arrow, he released one arrow by accident and it went completely through a horse and what looked to be two enemies on the other-side. I know our long bows are strong, but I've never seen this weapon before.”
“It is called a crossbow and we've known about them for years. But our images in the library only show the completed weapon, not how to make one. By taking this one apart, we may soon be able to reproduce these in large numbers.”
One warrior neared and said, “We found a few shields of metal, but they're not heavy. They are of better quality than our wooden shields and are strong.”
“Weight is the main reason we only have shields made of wood,
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