And so, the adventurers’ forces were divided. Of course, even when split, each group of them had more than enough strength to crush the entirety of the kobolds’ forces on their own. In fact, considering the ground they were now covering, it might have been even more efficient to split them up. Their foes were few and weak, so there was no need to come at them with overwhelming numbers.
In which case, their foe’s only strategy was to surprise them again and lead their forces away. Either that, or attack them with arrows like last time. The adventurers kept their focus on the forest around them. They were on guard for surprise attacks from their blind spots.
Which was why when a man nonchalantly stepped into view in front of the main forces entrusted to Seligman and Humphreys on their march down the riverbed, they were more than a little surprised to see him. The man was a ways away along the winding path of the river, but they could see him through the trees that lined the sides of the dry bed. The newcomer was a frighteningly large man resting an axe on each shoulder. The way he ambled towards them with a horse at his side carrying his things seemed almost like a lumberjack on his way to work. But this man was carrying battleaxes, not woodcutters’ axes—huge blades the likes of which would take a normal person both hands to lift. He, however, wielded one in each hand like some kind of barbarian warrior from a long-ago tale. This was no woodcutter.
“S-Seligman! It’s him! He’s here! Beldarus!” The knight Humphreys turned from his position at the front of the line and shouted. Like the currently recuperating McArdle, Humphreys had been present when Gaius had handed some bandits over to Wyatt, so he knew the man’s face.
“Archers! Crossbowmen! Sorcerers! Get ready!” Humphreys bellowed to the adventurers under his command.
In the face of the Black Rose of Igris’s physical strength, taking him out from a distance was a wiser course of action than engaging the man in close combat. Wyatt had instructed each of the knights to do so. If this had been the beginning of a battle with an enemy army, it would have been a certainty that arrow-deflection spells would have been cast by enemy mages, but there didn’t appear to be any such magic users present here. Not to mention how the man was simply walking toward them, along an open path, with clear visibility; there was no better target for a ranged attack.
“Why is he walking straight toward us when we outnumber him so badly...?” Humphreys had plenty of questions, but could see no reason not to start shooting. “Wait until he’s in range!”
Bows, crossbows, and sorcery all required time to prepare a second shot, though the time varied between them. That was why, when shooting straight-on, it was standard practice to wait until you were sure to hit your target before launching your first projectile. Humphreys raised his right hand, signaling his ranged fighters to prepare to fire. He glanced behind him to check the status of his troops.
They’re not ready yet?!
Well, since they were currently in a marching formation, there wasn’t much they could do about that. The adventurers were in a long line behind him, without much room to spread out due to the narrow riverbed they were traversing. The men were crowding together as the column came to a stop, preventing any bowmen or sorcerers from having the room they needed to use their weapons. Gaius was rapidly coming closer, too close to target with blind, arcing shots that would have been effective against an army. The only ones who were prepared to fire on the man were those at or near the very front of the marching order who had direct lines of sight on him.
Gaius was now running ferociously, sprinting headlong towards them, almost like a little kid in a race. The sight might have looked comical to those who didn’t know what was going on. But for those at the end of his sprint, it was nothing short of terrifying.
“Sh-Shoot! Shooooot! Don’t let him get close!” Humphreys yelled, panicked. He couldn’t wait for those behind them to get ready. All he could do was let individuals fire whenever they were able to.
Those archers who had their bows drawn fired arrows, and the sorcerers who had mustered up the elemental energy within them fired magic bolts. Whoosh. Fwoom. Projectiles cut through the air on their way to their rapidly approaching target.
But none of them hit Gaius’s body. His horse leapt in front of the man, shielding him with its body. An arrow pierced the horse’s shoulder, a bolt gouging into its neck. Magic burst into it, blowing away the left side of its face. But the horse didn’t stop; it continued running, protecting its master, even with a third of its head missing.
“It’s a golem?!” Some nobles or royals imported these golem horses from other regions to show off their wealth and power. Humphreys had once seen a bronze golem horse on display at Lady Keighley’s manor, and he’d heard from Wyatt about his commander once facing an enemy noble on an iron horse on the battlefield. However...he’d never heard of one being used as a shield in battle. Humphreys regretted even for a second underestimating the enemy who’d appeared so carelessly before them. Of course the former general would have a plan; appearing to be without one was his plan. Gaius Beldarus had approached the formation where it would be most difficult for them to counterattack him, bringing with him a shield to protect him from arrows and spells, and now he was close enough to begin cutting into them.
“P-Prepare your next shots!”
The crossbows were the slowest to reload, so they had no chance. The sorcerers snapped out of their stupefaction and began calling up elemental power. The archers were faster than them, but by the time they could aim, that man would be right on top of them.
Who would he target first?
Fuck! Fuck! I practically just raised my fucking hand and went, “I’m commanding here!” Humphreys put his hand on his sword hilt. He was too late. “Too slow,” the eyes of the beast barreling toward him seemed to say.
There he is. He’s coming. He’s right in front of me.