Chapter 5

"Movement in the trees lads, best make ready, softly now," Stefan spoke in low tones to the men marching around him.

Trying his best to appear nonchalant he slowed his pace and allowed the column to overtake him until he came to the first of the wagons. Idly pretending to check the tack of the dray horses as they passed by, he spoke quietly to the two troopers mounted on the driver's box.

"Let them know, be ready, it won't be long now."

A slight nod of the head from the driver and Stefan continued down the column subtly spreading the message amongst the other two wagons as they passed by. Pausing then Stefan made a show of inspecting the marching rear-guard. Barking at a trooper here and there, to liven up or fix their uniform, Stefan acted as he was on a routine parade before turning on his heel and striding back up the column. Reaching the men in the vanguard Stefan noted that each man was tense, ready and waiting to spring into action when the moment came. Satisfied with what he saw Stefan's mind raced trying to think of anything he had missed. The fate of these men rested on his shoulders for the first time and while he could not control everything, he was acutely aware of his inexperience in command.

The light of the day had begun to fade and as the sun set the branches of the trees broke up the light to throw haphazard shadows across the road. Stefan had to fight the urge to stare into the gathering dark beneath the boughs as the hair on his neck began to stand on end. As they marched the road rose to a gentle incline and at its crest there appeared a slight clearing in the forest ahead. While not a meadow per se the trees did thin out and grass could be seen extending out from the verges of the road for several hundred yards in both directions. After the tight confines of the road as it wound through the forest the feeling of space came as a slight relief as the dying rays of the sun cast it all in a golden glow. Quickly though the light faded as the sun sank lower below the canopy of the western tree line as the column marched on through the clearing. As the gloom increased so too did the sense of foreboding grow in Stefan. The feeling of being watched increased and from behind Stefan could hear the whinnies from the dray animals as their animal instincts alerted them to a danger that their human masters had yet to detect. Stefan was about to order the column to halt when a shout went up.

"Ware the left flank!"

Turning to see where the shout had indicated Stefan saw an arrow fly through the air catching a marching spearman in the arm. More arrows began to arc through the air to land amongst the column, but the gloomy light made judging the distance a hard task and many arrows fell short to thud into the loamy ground like new plant shoots. Spurred into action Stefan felt the tension release as the enemy finally made their move.

"Defensive formation, wagons up, shields front!", he ordered, and his orders were taken up by the sergeants down the column.

With an ease born of practice the column collapsed in on itself. The three wagons formed up in a triangular shape in the centre and the soldiers formed up in a defensive circle around them. The shield men making up the front rank with spearmen behind. Arrows continued to fly, some thudding into the thick side planks of the wagons, but few found their mark among the defenders. As if the enemy had noticed this a great blaring note of a war horn rang out from the trees and a noise akin to a herd of animals could be heard moving through the trees.

"Steady men," Stefan called from his position in the centre of the defensive shape.

The sounds of braying and snorting began to get louder and shapes began to appear in the murk beneath the dark boughs. The forest seemed to come alive as more and more figures began to appear between the trees around the clearing's edges. The animalistic noises grew louder and the movements in the treeline grew more frenzied.

"Any minute now, you all know what to do. Crossbows prepare, aim low."

Stefan called out his orders as he paced inside the circle. Inside his heart thudded in his chest and his mouth felt dry but on the outside he made sure to keep his voice calm and his face stern knowing the men looked to him to see them through. The sounds of the enemy seemed to reach a fever pitch and suddenly the shapes burst from the treeline like water let loose from a dam. From the gloom beneath the canopy a ragged mass came charging into the clearing howling as they sprinted towards the humans. In the fading light of the day the bestial nature of their assailants became plain to see. Twisted parodies of human and animal form the sight of rabid beastmen could send fear into the hearts of most men. Stefan however merely grunted to himself in affirmation. Through a mixture of intelligence gathering and deduction beastmen had seemed the most likely adversary and Stefan had made sure that his men were properly prepared prior to setting off. Judging the distance of the onrushing beasts and their speed Stefan called out,

"Crossbows take aim...fire".

The black bolts sped outwards and Stefan saw creatures fall as the bolts hit home. The crossbowmen had aimed low as ordered and as those beasts fell they brought down others rushing on headlong behind them. Howls of pain and anger bellowed as beasts fell thrashing to the ground, but the crossbowmen were few and the beastmen were many. Before a second volley could be fired the first of the beasts charged into the defenders. The smaller lighter beasts had been faster than their larger brethren and had reached the humans first allowing the shieldwall to mainly stand up to the charge. Stefan watched as the shield men took the brunt of the charge, using their shields to blunt the force of the momentum. These smaller beasts now tried desperately to break through hacking and slashing down on the shields. With the beasts entangled fighting the shield bearers the spearmen in the second rank had free rein to step forward and engage. More and more of the beasts hurled themselves against the circle but the humans were confident in their formation and fought back with grim efficiency hacking and stabbing at the unarmoured beasts who fell in droves further impeding the next wave of attackers. The plan was working, and the circle was holding. While the beastmen still fought on the ferocity of their earlier charge was spent and already Stefan could see some of the beasts hesitating before the line of spears that had taken so many of their kind already. It looked as though the Imperials were on the cusp of victory. As if the fates had chosen to punish him for his hubris a bestial roar rent the air seeming to shake the very ground. Stefan stared as a massive shape materialised from beneath the gloom of the trees. Whereas all beastmen were a chaos twisted mockery of the human form this newcomer was a champion among its kind. Standing seven feet tall on hooves as large as cannonballs its massive bull shaped snout twitched from side to side as if tasting the air. Atop his head rose two wickedly curved horns ending in razor sharp points and it's muscled torso was covered in dirty matted black fur. In it's hands it held two massive double headed axes their blades a dirty rust red in colour.

"A minotaur", breathed Stefan.

Stefan watched as the Minotaur threw back its head and roared again clashing the axes together. The beastmen began to clear a path as the brute lowered it's head and lumbered into a charge towards the puny humans who dared to stand in it's way. The turf flew up behind the beast as the hooves tore into the earth and spittle streamed from it's bared teeth to be snatched away in the wind of the charge. Stefan knew the defensive circle could not stop this monster and that when it broke through the Imperials would be scattered and divided, easy prey for the hungering beastmen. The brute loomed large as it came on, frothing at the mouth in it's bloodlust to get at it's prey. The lesser beasts had all moved aside and brayed and roared for their champion as it came. The shield men braced their feet and reset their arms many knowing that they would not survive the impact. It seemed as though nothing could stop the juggernaut. Acting quickly Stefan stepped up to a wagon and banged hard on its side.

"Wagon party make ready."

With this command the heavy tarps covering the three wagons were thrown back. From within each wagon rose two lines of hand gunners, the first rank kneeling and bracing their weapons on the sideboard. Quickly all those with a line of sight on the charging monster levelled their weapons and aimed down the sights.

"On my command, focus on the minotaur, take aim."

A small part of Stefan's mind wondered at how calm and measured his voice sounded even as their potential death thundered towards him. Not so long ago he was a panicked boy closing his eyes as an orc jumped towards him. Yet now he stood counting in his head as he timed the monsters charge versus the optimum range for the gunners. Raising his hand Stefan called,

"Fire by rank, front rank, FIRE".

The weapons let loose as one, their explosive discharge loud enough for a moment to overcome the noise of the braying masses around them. Before the echoes of the first volley had faded a familiar second voice called from the wagon behind Stefan.

"Rear rank, FIRE".

Again, the guns spoke and the powder smoke cloud rose into the night air. Stefan had timed the volleys perfectly and at such close range the gunners could hardly miss. The effects were devastating. The minotaur seemed to shudder mid charge as if suddenly buffeted by a strong gale. Its roar cut short as bullets tore through its face and throat. An axe dropped uselessly to the ground as the arm holding it was almost severed. Remarkably the beast still stood but now it swayed drunkenly as if it's primitive brain struggled to grasp what had occurred. It's chaos bolstered constitution may have allowed it to survive the first set of volleys maybe even recover in time but Stefan didn't intend to give it that chance.

"Front rank, FIRE".

"Rear rank, FIRE".

The minotaur no longer stood, its once fearsome visage now reduced to shredded offal lying broken on the forest floor. The lesser beasts stood and gaped unable to comprehend the sudden violence that had destroyed their champion. The Imperials took full advantage of their hesitation.

"Fire at will. Shield wall advance," Stefan called out his orders.

The Imperials advanced in step careful to stay in formation as the gunners fired over their heads into the milling beastmen. The beastmen turned back into the fight but Stefan could see that their already wavering morale was now destroyed with the death of the minotaur and within minutes what was left of the beasts broke and tried to flee back to the safety of the forest. Very few made it that far as the gunners and crossbowmen took a toll on those that turned to flee and, in the end, only a handful escaped back to the dark.

"Sir"

Stefan turned and found himself confronted by the grinning face of his old friend.

"Always a good battle when you don't even have to get your sword dirty!" Kurt quipped, nodding to Stefan's unused sword.

Making sure no other troops were too close by Stefan replied,

"If only it was that simple Kurt. And I'm still not sure I can get used to you calling me Sir."

"Well, it's only proper now, what with you being groomed and all…", Kurt's grin faded and he became more serious as the other sergeants walked towards them to report.

"Last of them have disappeared Sir. Your orders?", a bearded sergeant by the name of Brandt reported saluting as he did so.

"Very good sergeant. Post pickets at the tree line and have the rest of the men pile and burn these bodies. No point carrying on through the woods in the dark we'll camp here by the light of the pyres and let the men rest. First sergeant, with me."

Saluting Brandt and the other sergeants turned away to carry out their orders. Slinging his handgun over his shoulder Kurt followed Stefan who was walking towards where the minotaur had fallen. Prodding him with boot Stefan remarked,

"It appears the mercenary told the truth".

"Aye it does poor buggers never stood a chance against that".

Two weeks earlier a mauled and cleaved mercenary had shown up at a nearby village claiming to be the sole survivor of a merchants caravan that had been attacked as it travelled through this part of the forest. The mercenary had died two days later but before he passed on, he had described a monstrous beast that had torn his fellows limb from limb and fed on their corpses. Only by hiding beneath the dead had he survived long enough to crawl to the nearest settlement. The Reikwald forest, while not as wild as some of it's counterparts in the Empire, was not without its dangers and so the town masters had passed on the information to the authorities in Altdorf. What they could not have known was that theirs was just one of a number of similar reports all received over the last three months. Stories of lost trade caravans, travellers disappearing, and missing livestock all hinted that something malevolent was stirring in the woods. The appearance of the survivor, brief though it was, had finally given them a focal point and Stefan had been despatched with his company to find and destroy this "monster".

"Beastmen on the move in the Reikwald forest. The Captain is going to want to hear about this".

"Aye that he will. We best be making haste back to Altdorf in the morning, no doubt he will be sending us out again soon". Seeing Stefan's pensive gaze Kurt added, "Not to fear lad you did well here today".

Nodding slowly Stefan answered, "We'll see Kurt, we'll see".