The Call of Crows

Chapter 42: Ultimatum

Najeem shaded his vision with his hand as he stared down the hill he was standing atop, along with his comrades and the Legions of Koini.

A black wave of lamellar and leather capped enemies stood waiting at the bottom, waving the banners of the Gongsun Dynasty.

This was the first time he'd seen a field battle in a long time. While normally trained for stealth, Asasiyun were more than adept in field combat as well.

Still, the small Targe shield strapped to his left arm didn't feel right. But if he relied solely on dodging, he'd throw himself into the spear of some unseen enemy.

Seang stood near him, armed with a Jambudvipi halberd. On the other side of him was Vai, who held a stylized, almost sword-like cudgel.

They were considered in the same class as the army's cataphracts, who were led by Gustave and Orhan. They disrupted the enemy ranks and allow the legions to penetrate their formations.

From the position the army was in, the enemy should've only been able to see him and his allies.

A young prince stood at the head of the enemy. The Westerners had told him the prince's name: Gongsun Guanyu. They all thought it odd that the 17th prince would lead this army seemingly alone, with minimal Bane Knights. The Twelve were noticeably missing.

It didn't matter, though. That was a problem for the tacticians to puzzle out. His primary worry should be on the fight at hand.

Then the horns blared.

It was time.

According to Ruhak, the enemy had positioned their anti-cavalry spearmen up front. It was him and the other Companies who had to soften them for the cataphracts.

Najeem drew his scimitar from his hip and sprinted down the hill alongside his allies. Arrow fire provided cover from crossbowmen on the enemy's side.

Lokapele, a ways off, was the first to attack with a giant chunk of magma.

Seang unleashed blasts of golden energy while Vai created four extra limbs made of water that each drew their own clubs and shark-tooth-lined blades from his back.

Najeem sank into the shadows.

After uttering the first of his mantras, Najeem had gained supernatural speed while in the shadow world, allowing him to almost teleport between shadows if the distance wasn't too long.

His focus intensified like never before as he meticulously planned every move, every entry into and exit from the shadows. He was practically blind to the attacks he was dealing, so long as they hit flesh.

He solely occupied his mind with causing chaos with his sudden appearances.

Sink in, jump out, strike twice, sink in, reappear, cut to the nape.

As the battle went on, Najeem started pulling enemy soldiers into the shadows with him, killing them there rather than in the real world.

When Najeem rose from the shadows for what had to be the thousandth time, another horn sounded. The cataphracts were charging.

Najeem backed away as armored horses galloped past and smashed into the broken ranks of spearmen.

The moment he thought he'd gotten a break, Ruhak rode past him on horseback. "Bane Knights on the left flank! Let's move!"

That's right. This was a war. There was no silence after a kill. Just more work to be done.

Najeem followed Ricco, Sila, and Shahla as they ran to the left.