The Company Of Longblades

Prologue - part 2

Age of Faith Online
Goblin Hills

Their banners fluttered against the wind. The Longblades began their charge with a walk on the grass field, moving as one and getting the feel of each other, trying to maintain their line. Quickly then, they began to trot, and then faster and faster until they were on a half-charge. The horses in this game does not have stamina, unlike the players. But that did not matter. This was the thrill. They want to savor this. 

They charged the last hundred meter and surged into the enemy ranks. The goblin flanks gave way, unable to stand up against the heavy armor of the Cataphracts. Chris was close behind with his unit, killing those that was left alive from the first charge.

''Not too deep, Kram,' he said over the chat to Mark. His friend had poor naming sense for his characters.

He had to glance at the battlefield to make sense of what was happening. He could not see much amidst the cloud of dust but he saw the center holding firm, its multiple banners dancing proudly as wave after wave of humanoid monsters crashed against it. They were a wall of mountain and corpses were stockpiling fast.

"Pull back and reform the line!" he yelled over to his troops. Kram was also doing the same with his troops. The goblins were beginning to get their bearing back and with snarling faces threatened forward. They reformed at a short distance, readying for another charge.

A throng of goblins were already climbing their dead and hurling themselves over the shieldwall.

They were angry and determined. This was their home and they were fighting ferociously.

The goblins arrayed against them were trying to organise as a bigger goblin yelled and whacked at his slow subordinates. They had a few spears ready and more and more goblins were filling the crumbled ranks.

No time to wait until they are done, Chris thought. He commanded another charge. This time they scattered for good, unable to reform a defense quick enough. A few thousand more goblins marched to meet them.

The Cataphracts pierced through their line like hot knife through butter. This was all too easy. Chris fell into a rhythm that he got too comfortable and lost focus, only to find out in alarm that a lot of their units were way too deep into the enemy.

"I should listen to my own advise." He chided himself. He reigned in and turned his team around.

"What?!" He gasped in surprise. "Where did these guys came from?" A wall of shrieking green monsters had cut them off and they were effectively surrounded.