Mighty Hammer Down

by David J Guyton

Chapter 35

  The roar of the men fighting almost overpowered the sounds of the steel blades clashing. Nearly all of them were screaming; either in rage or in pain. For as far as the eye could see there were Bhoors stretched in front of them, filling the enormous valley with a flowing mass of violence incarnate. Many among them had no armor at all, and some only had weapons when they pried them from the clenched fists of their dead companions. But no matter how poorly they were equipped, there was no doubt that the Bhoors were determined and fearless. He didn't admit it to anyone, but Tannis felt like this might be his last battle.

  The Medorans had rushed in to the plains at the south side of Burnhamheade, only to find the Bhoors waiting on the other side of the River Aeden. The bridges had been destroyed, and the Bhoors had placed traps in the water. When the soldiers tried to cross, many men were impaled on sharp sticks placed underwater. Eventually the traps were cleared and the men could move across the river. That was when the war began.

  Even under the bright sun there was a heavy feeling of doom that filled Tannis's heart. The Bhoors covered the land for as far as the eye could see, even to the blurry horizon. He watched his men struggling to advance, only to be cut down mercilessly at the enemy line. The bodies had piled up from both sides, and soldiers from both armies eventually realized that they could not fight well standing on the dead. The front line was constantly shifting so that the men could avoid trampling the dead and dying.

  Tannis saw that the regular infantry who had crossed the river first was not prepared to meet the enemy. They had rushed in without orders, and death at the hands of the Bhoors was their punishment. After raining down endless arrows on the Bhoors, he decided to try something more aggressive. He had ordered the remaining infantry back and called for the phalanxes, which were groups of tightly-packed soldiers carrying no swords, but instead long spears and tall shields. The men at the edges had armor that was painted to look like flesh, tempting the enemy to attack from the sides. When the enemy realized that attack from the front was nearly impossible, they swarmed into the gaps intentionally left between the phalanxes. They were met by the savage Medoran infantry.

  Even though he watched his men do all the right things, they did not gain any ground. The Bhoors did not have any sort of structured plan, but their numbers were just too great. It did not matter if the men were not skilled warriors, because another man was always directly behind him, ready to swing his sword for his cause. Tannis shook his head as he stared.

  "Sun Legion! Star Legion! All phalanxes to the front line!" he shouted as his horse reared in excitement for battle.

  The command was called down the line and the soldiers began to move. The men at the front saw what was happening and retreated when they saw the long lines of spears coming to the front line. The Bhoors seemed to hesitate when they saw them, and were clearly struck by fear; even if it was only temporary. The phalanxes pushed into the Bhoors and drove them back. The line got longer as more spearmen reached the front, and soon the Medorans were overpowering the Bhoors.

  The sun shone down and caught the armor of the Medorans; the dazzling points of light looking like a great ocean moving before him. He watched the Bhoors stumble in a panic, fearing the sharp tips of those Medoran spears and swords. Although the majority of the Bhoor army was unaware of what was happening at the front line, the fear would soon spread among them. He could see his men jump at the opportunity to strike at the Bhoors, and at the same time the Bhoors recoiled and began to break away from the battle, relying on the men behind them to fight in their stead.

  Suddenly, out in the distance he saw a man in silver satin robes. He saw some kind of light or fire near the man, and then a terrible explosion in the ranks of the Bhoors, killing hundreds of men in an instant. A few seconds after the blast, a loud boom shook the ground. Shortly after that, the ghastly smell of cooked flesh met his nostrils. His eyebrows came down as he considered who this man might be and how he had accomplished such a feat, but before he could take a moment to think on the matter, another explosion decimated the Bhoors on the other side of the battle. His eyes narrowed as he searched the field, and he was amazed to see that there were in fact many of these men in silver robes spread throughout the Medoran army. None of the Medorans seemed to be bothered by their presence, and the fighting went on as usual, but still he could not understand who these men were. As he watched the Bhoors panic even more, he thought that perhaps these men were the last of the Vindyri army, uniting with the Medorans and fighting their common enemy.

  He started moving towards the front line, and as he looked around him for more surprises, he was amazed to find one. Off to his left were three riders coming at the army at full speed. They were partly hidden by the shadows thrown from the buildings in Burnhamheade, but something about them was strange. He couldn't make out who they were or even how they were dressed, but he felt something in his stomach when he looked at them. There was something important about these riders, and he could not tell what it was.

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