Legends of Arkn

Ch. 11 - Sharp Edges

"Form a line, form a line, make ready for contact with the enemy," shouted the General.

Men dashed to take their positions. Chaos swirled around Phan as he retreated behind the line. He found a small outcropping of rock set slightly above the battle formation and hauled himself up, setting his rifle against the stone to steady it.

"Chaz, stay behind Phan and don't leave his side," shouted the General. "Joh, we may need some more of that stuff you pulled out at the Crossing before this is over."

Joh didn't reply. He was focusing his power, arms outstretched, hands bent at strange angles as he manipulated the air in front of his body, hands flashing out in circular motions. Arcane energy crackled around him like lighting. A chill ran down Phan's spine, but it was a good one.

Chaz slid into a spot behind Phan, watching over his shoulder. "The General really earns his loyalty, huh?"

"He is the best," said Phan. "The mercenaries coming for us have traveled far and tried so hard to catch us. In the end, it doesn't even matter."

"Soldiers of Arkn," shouted the General to the assembled soldiers. "The enemies of our homes ride here now. They will test our will, test our heart. They outnumber us three-to-one, but let me tell you how those odds will stack up. They fight for money, you fight for your homes, your families, the very freedom of the lands of Arkn. Watch each other, and we will see this through to victory."

The soldiers cheered. The front rank shouted a battle cry and leveled spears, pointing out a foot from the wall of shields they held in their off hands. Behind them, a second rank drew rifles, the riflemen staggered to shoot between the phalanx wall. It was an unorthodox formation.

"The thing about the General," Phan said to Chaz. "He's a pretty smart tactician. You have to learn to respect him, because you really can't stop him. The pikes will hold the horses, the shields will hold the men, and the guns will silence both."

As if to illustrate the point, the first contingent of enemy cavalry crested the rise. The horse-bound soldiers were ragged and didn't bear the mark of Xero company on their breastplates. Their gear was mismatched and poorly maintained. They barely paused before charging, a haphazard formation spreading them out. Maybe they didn't see the formation, or expected the soldiers to break.

The soldiers didn't break.

The line of riders died to the man, cut down by rifle fire. The two who made it to the wall of shields fell as their horses were impaled on the phalanx's spears.

"Like that?" asked Chaz.

"Like that," said Phan. "But those weren't really Xeros. Some low-rent mercenaries they're using to test us out. Poor bastards."

They watched as the rest of Xero Company arrived. The General was right. There were hundreds of soldiers. A core of a few dozen cavalry were joined shortly by ranks of footmen, bristling with blades and carrying a wide assortment of rifles, bows, and crossbows. Phan even thought he saw a few hatchets and throwing knives on some of the enemy soldiers' belts. A motley group, but no less deadly for it.

One of the horsemen rode out aheads of the others. He wore no helm or even hat. He was unremarkable, a face you might see anywhere and remember nowhere. The kind of man who could blend into any crowd.

Those kinds of men were dangerous.

The General rode out beyond the lines. The two stopped a dozen yards from one another in the no-man's-land.

"Kyul," said the General.

"Kenji," grunted leader of Xero Company. "We've got you outmatched. We can trail you for days, until you run out of food or bullets, or both. Surrender and I'll let your men leave. You, Lords Delson and Bordon, the Magician, your little protege."