The bleak land toiled by at restless pace, a military pace. The dark and looming mountains in the distance, upon which the city of Naggarond was built, got closer and closer, yet not fast enough to comfort Isaac. The distant battle had been draining, and had it naught been for the fact that the Asuryian army had marched literally to his city's doorstep Isaac would be sitting in his nice, comfortable leather couch reading over some of his historic books. This made him a dour and grumpy man for the moment, and the encroaching forest did not help his mood.
He sat astride a nauglir, a massive reptile that is distantly related to dragons. The nauglir had substantial hind legs that gave it a powerful charge; they generally used their claws and immense jaws to crush the opponent. Sensing his master's severe mood, Snare snapped his maw in the air.
Isaac shrugged, trying to get into a more comfortable position in his high cantle saddle and his chain mail armour. He glanced behind to make sure the nine other nauglir knights were keeping up with his exacting pace. Catching his glance one knight came forward.
"Hail Dreadlord" Cassandra called out. She spurred her nauglir beside Isaac and pulled her gorget off from over her mouth. Then she reached behind her saddle, pulled out a canteen and tossed it casually over to Isaac.
He drank greedily from the canteen; it's contents flavourless in his mouth.
"Thank you lieutenant, what bothers you?" Isaac tossed back the container and awaited her response. Her sharp facial features seemed to match those of her plate armour and even though her helmet was off, she kept her dark hair in a bun to stop it from getting in the way should they be ambushed. She was always a very military woman who seems to have a knack for battle.
"It's just a short way from home, Dreadlord, and the men were wondering if we could slow the pace so they may catch their breath?" her eyebrow raised minutely and she smiled knowing exactly what Isaac would say.
"Indeed, home is just through the forest ahead. After that we will be within eyesight of Naggarond. So, the men will just have to toughen up and keep going." And my couch is there Isaac thought lustfully.
"Very good and all Dreadlord, but before we left the main army in hopes of being home earlier rumours were circulating that a single division of Asuryian's had fled towards Naggarond before battle was joined. We should move more cautiously less we blunder into them. Which would be quite a misfortunate thing to do."
"Rumours are rumours, but none the less I suppose you are right Lieutenant. After we are through the forest there will be a small river. When we are passed the river, Mirth'e'Don I believe it is called, I will slow down the pace to accommodate these risks."
"Thank you Dreadlord" with a smile upon her red lips Cassandra slid back to the main group trailing behind Isaac.
"Thank you Dreadlord" Isaac mocked her, "Now I'm just going to have to hope we run into those Asuryians so I can kill someone. Damnable couch, if only it were more portable." Isaac patted Snare's scaled neck affectionately.
The forest strolled by, the tall oaks and maple trees blurring past. No wildlife was spotted or even heard, but that was only natural for a nauglir knight. Any animal to even sense the nauglir went fleeing, knowing on instinct how dangerous the creatures were in a pack. The forest was an old one, so much so that anyone could tell by the large oaks and many fallen trees. But none the less the trail was found easily enough and it went quite smoothly. When the end of the forest could be seen, or at least some of the field which came after the forest through spaces in-between the trees, Isaac raised his fist and slowed his company to a gentle walk. He could hear mutters of appreciation from many of his men.
With the noises of the running nauglir now gone a faint gurgle of water could be heard. From memory of his homeland Isaac knew that once they left this forest there would be a steep down slope to a ford of the river Mirth'e'Don. From atop the slope Naggarond could be seen in the distance. Its high spires and towers would pierce the horizon.
Slowly Isaac's company reached the edge of the forest and approached the crest of a small hill. Suddenly a sound echoed inside Isaac's head that made him raise his fist and call the company to a halt. The sound could know be heard. It was the creak of armour and the splashing of many men crossing the ford. Cassandra came alongside him.
"Dreadlord? Perhaps some of our troops reached the ford before us?" her hands wrapped around the two sword hilts that hung at her waist.
"I doubt it, maybe we ran into those Asuryians you mentioned earlier" Isaac dismounted and handed Spites reins over to Cassandra then proceeded to crest the hill. The land stretched out into the distance and Isaac could see the shadow of Naggarond in the distance. But even closer were the soldiers that now crossed the wide ford of Mirth'e'Don. They wore the colours of Asuryia, purple, and seemed to be the regular swordsmen; Isaac could discern no special honours that would normally adorn their Standard. His trained eyes numbered the men around fifty, with twenty on either side of the ford and ten now crossing. A surmountable number, even such poorly trained troops could wreak havoc when Naggarond's army returned. These troops formed a difficult wall to get through to get to his couch. Damn it. Among the crowd now crossing, Isaac picked out who their leader must be. He seemed a bear of a man, even from this distance. He seemed to have a two handed sword, but that was difficult to judge, though he did stand a good two feet above the other men in his force.
Returning silently to his men he retrieved his reins from Cassandra who had an expectant look on her face. Isaac quickly told her what he saw then turned to his men.
"Alright, listen up. When we cress the hill I want crossbows at the ready, three volleys then we charge in spearhead formation with me in the lead. It seems were going to have to fight to get through to home. Do not engage, we plough through them, understood?" resounding nods echoed his words.
Isaac mounted Spite and unhooked his repeater crossbow from his saddle. He and his troops all checked the mechanics of the complex weapon, and then loaded a full clip onto the bottom of the spring loaded crossbow. Signalling to his men they fell in line on either side of him. The ten nauglir knights then walked their mounts until they crested the hill. Below them the Asuryian's were crossing the river in calm order. All that was about to change. Following his lead his men raised their crossbows to their shoulders and sighted their targets.
"Sa'an'ishar; Fire!" Isaac shouted and pulled the trigger. The crossbow jumped forward in his hands and the bolt went whistling through the air, quickly followed by nine more. Immediately Isaac pulled back the small lever that reloaded the crossbow. Screams of the wounded and surprised reached his deaf ears.
"Second volley Fire!" ten more bolts went hissing into the air and fell in amongst the scramble of the troops below. Blood began to seep into the river and the shouts of the Bear that lead them could be heard, trying to set his men into order.
"Third volley Fire!" Isaac watched his bolt fly through the air and sink deeply into the soldier standing next to the Bear. How disappointing. Isaac hung his crossbow onto his saddle and hooked his gorget over his mouth.
Drawing his sword and curved shield Isaac let out a cry, "Sa'an'ishar; Charge!"
Isaac spurred Snare into a sprint. The nauglir leapt forwards and let loose a howl which echoed across the field for miles. The other knights quickly followed suit and charged in the formation. The Asuryian troops had put up a double line of men, but the sight of charging giant lizards had worried them. Their once smooth and crisp battle line in practice fields became a squiggly line of individual men with shields and swords drawn.
Snare rammed into the first soldier, crushing him underfoot. Isaac's sword swung down and cut through a helm like it was hot butter. The other knights crashed through the soldiers' pathetic lines and were now following Isaac through the river. The water slowed the momentum of the nauglir's charge into a gentle trot. The water was up to Isaac's armoured foot in its stirrup.
Isaac struck out at all the men around him, severing arms and heads from their bodies. One soldier ducked around Snare and struck out at Isaac's foot. His sword met the chain mail armour and a sharp pain echoed up Isaac's leg. He stuck out and swung his hooked shield. The sharp bottom edge caught the man's throat and ripped it out. Another soldier rounded on Isaac but forgot about Snare. The soldier quickly met the nauglir's teeth.
Up ahead the bear had formed his men into three ranks and was now marching towards the snapping nauglir. He had a smile on his lips and Isaac now saw that it was a two handed sword in his hands. It's long blade four and half feet long.
Another soldier's sword found past Isaac's defences and hit him in the stomach, stealing Isaac's breath. Snare quickly snapped at the grinning soldier but he sidestepped gracefully back. Right into one of Cassandra's spinning blades. His head fell into the water still grinning.
Catching his breath Isaac let loose a single order "Kaal' Ardur!" as soon as the order was given the knights rammed their spurs into the nauglir's sides and charged forward, the nauglir sprinted two legged out of the river and up the slope into the swordsmen's waiting blades. The rang of metal on metal ran down the river as the two forces met. Isaac watched as one knight fell exhausted from his mount and was lost. The nauglir continued to fight until a sword exploded through its head.
Isaac watched all this from the corners of his eye's as he was a bit preoccupied. Men had surrounded Snare and were trying to cut the saddle straps. Isaac stabbed again and again. Distracted, he did not see the fist come until it was too late. The Bear had hit Snare in the face with such force that the massive nauglir jerked back, tossing Isaac around. Then the Bear struck out with his sword. The metal cut through the chain on his thighs and blood flowed freely down Isaac's leg. Isaac blocked the Bear's next attack with his sword, his arm numbed from the shock. Dropping his blade Isaac watched as the Bear raised his sword for the final blow.
"I will not die by the likes of you!" Isaac's hands wrapped around his crossbow and came up. Pulling the trigger Isaac watched as the bolt sprang out from the weapon and cut right through the Bear's head, sinking into another soldier's shoulder. The Bear fell dead to the ground oozing blood from the hole in his head. Isaac urged Spite forward and burst out of the melee. To either side followed eight knights, all covered in blood and suffering from cuts themselves. Behind the company of swordsmen broke, fleeing into the woods.
Slowly Isaac led his troops back to the awaiting couch.
The trip through Naggarond had proven to be less festive than expected. The people simply walked along their daily lives, though many did goggle at the nauglir knights in full armour and still soaked in blood. Once Isaac had found his way back to his palace the men dismounted and were probably right now still attending to the nauglir, but Isaac had a stable master for that, and had a more important task.
Before him was the locked solid oak door leading into his personal chambers. And in there his new leather couch, which had lost much sitting time in the past few weeks. Isaac fished around his pocket and pulled out the key. It was forged of gold and cost a hefty sum. Three prongs jutted from the key to open the latch, instead of the regular two. The key went in with a gentle click. Suddenly bells rang throughout the city, the warning bells.
Cassandra came bolting around the corner and stopped a sword length away from Isaac. Breathless, she explained the bells.
"Its our troops, the army wasn't that far behind us and seems to have ran into the swordsmen. The engagement is just outside the city walls. The swordsmen seemed to have gotten reinforcements; they number two hundred."
Isaac looked longingly beyond the oak door to his couch. "Rally the troops, we march out. But dam it! I'm going to kill every single one of those Asuryian bastards for doing this to me!" Drawing his good blade from his waste Isaac ran down the hall followed by Cassandra into yet another bloody battle.