by Jamie Davis
“I do,” Hal said. “I can’t tell you how I know we’ll be successful. I can only tell you that in my experience, the person who takes the boldest risks, has the biggest opportunity for a big win in the end.”
“I hate to say it, Otto,” Kay said. “Hal does have a way of making the worst, most hopeless situation turn into a victory. His luck is uncanny. I’ve seen it work in his favor on more than one occasion.”
“Why Kay, you do believe,” Hal laughed.
His laughter became infectious and soon the whole command tent was filled with chuckles. Hal decided this was a good place to break up the meeting.
“Good luck everyone. The strike force leaves in the morning at first light. Get your troops organized and prepared for a march then encourage them to get some rest. We’re not going to get much while we’re on the road.”
The group dispersed to their duties and Hal looked at the map on the camp table once more. The time for doubts about his plan was over. Now was the time for action.
28
The raiding force left camp the next morning at first light as planned. Eighty-five men and women; humans, goblins and orcs, all determined to prove themselves against the imperial forces arrayed against them.
Hal rode a horse for a change, leading the column of regular troops with the rest of the command team. Kay rode at his side with Otto, Rune and Junica riding just behind him. Churg and his scouts had already fanned out to the front and sides of the small column of troops to clear the way and provide warning if they ran into any trouble.
Their force consisted of twenty crossbowmen and archers, twenty spearmen, and forty soldiers armed with sword and shield. Churg led another contingent of twenty goblins and orcs who acted as the column’s eyes and ears while on the march.
They weren’t expecting any trouble on the first day. It would take that long to march from the remote area where the slave army had hidden for over a month. After that first day, though, each step would take them closer to the imperial forces and the risk for discovery was greater.
During one of the breaks along the trail, Hal commented about his place and station in the march.
“I feel strange riding a horse when the troops must march on their own two feet.”
“There are two reasons why it is imperative for you to ride,” Rune offered. “First, it is important that the rank and file see you as special. Riding a horse sets you apart and will make it easier for you to command when important orders must be obeyed. Second, riding keeps your mind fresh so you’re ready to take command even when the rest of the column is fatigued.”
“Besides,” Kay interjected. “After you’ve spent a few days in the saddle, especially when you’re not used to it, you’ll see it’s not all as easy as you think.”
Otto laughed. “In two days, all our butts will be whining about riding.”
The others laughed then, too. Each of them knew they were likely to feel more than a little sore after a few days spent in the saddle.
“Your butt whines enough all by itself, Otto,” Kay quipped. “That’s enough for all of us.”
Hal listened to the back and forth between his friends and smiled to himself. They were a good group to have at your back when things got tough. He considered why they decided to continue following him after they made their escape from the coliseum and Hyroth.
He had been sure the people freed from the slave pits and gladiator pens would scatter back to their homes and villages after they made it to safety. A few of the slaves they freed from the city during their escape did leave as soon as they got through the gates, but the vast majority of them stayed with Hal and the others as they made their way to the western hills.
Some didn’t have anywhere to go. Their villages and homes were destroyed by those who rounded them up and enslaved them. Others wanted revenge against the Empire. Whatever their reasons for staying, Hal was glad to have them. Now, what they needed most was his leadership and a victory, even a small one on which they could build the belief in their army.
Hal was making so much of this up as he went. Making plans based on limited information and trying to figure out what Norak was doing. He had to stay one step ahead of the baron if they were to succeed. This raid was a step in that direction.
Once they reached their planned campsite for that evening, Hal pulled Churg aside.
“Have you heard back from all your scouts?”
“Yes, so far there is no sign of the enemy,” Churg replied. “A few old tracks were found. but nothing to suggest they are anywhere close by. We will rise early tomorrow so we may range farther ahead and ensure your route is clear.”
“Good,” Hal said. “Make sure all your people get hot food and some rest. The others will take sentry duty so you can be ready to go in the morning.”
Churg nodded and left. Kay waited for the goblin chieftain to get out of earshot and walked over.
“You sounded like you are expecting trouble.”
“I can’t say exactly what I’m expecting, Kay. I just have a nagging feeling in the back of my mind. It’s not enough to tell the others about. No sense worrying everyone else when it could be a figment of my imagination.”
“You don’t know what it is you’re feeling?” Kay asked.
“No.” Hal shook his head. “It could be nothing, but it’s bothering me that we’re missing something.”
“If I’ve learned anything over our time together, Hal. It’s that you have to trust your instincts.”
Hal scanned the small campfires dotted about the field where they were camped. The shadowed outlines of the troops moved about as they finished their evening meals and settled in to get some sleep after a long day’s march. Others moved to the camp’s outskirts, taking their turn at guard duty to watch for trouble in the night.
“Do me a favor, Kay?”
“Sure.”
“Before you turn in, double check on the sentries and make sure they’re set up in the best positions. I don’t think trouble’s coming tonight. The feeling I have is too vague for that, but we’d better get the recruits in the habit of expecting the unexpected. It’s going to pay off for us in the long run I think.”
“I’ll do that, Hal,” Kay answered. “Do me a favor, though. Don’t keep these little feelings to yourself. At least tell the leaders around you about your concerns. They deserve to know if there’s trouble coming and we’ll all be better off the more prepared we are.”
“Fair enough. See you in the morning, Kay. We need to be moving at dawn.”
Hal moved over to his bedroll on the ground near one of the campfires and tried to get settled and comfortable on the hard-packed ground. No matter which way he turned, a stone or a root dug into his back. He was tired, though, and eventually settled off to sleep, his dreams troubled by visions of his family in peril back home on earth outside of the game world.
A sentry woke Hal just before dawn and he rolled over and sat up, groaning at the stiffness in the early morning chill.
“Thank you, trooper. Make sure the other leaders are awake and moving then get yourself ready to march.”
“Yes, sir, commander.”
Hal felt strange being addressed so formally. The ex-slave turned soldier who’d awakened him was twenty years his senior. Bilham had insisted they start using titles like commander for Hal, and captain for the other leaders. The grizzled old soldier said it was important for the men and women in the army to know who their leaders were and to treat them with deference.
Taking a moment to step off to relieve himself against a nearby tree, Hal returned to find his bedroll had been packed up for him and loaded on one of the packhorses brought along for the journey back east. The individual troopers carried their bedrolls tied with leather straps and worn across the shoulders above their packs.
As the commander, Hal was lucky enough to have his packed with the supplies and food they carried on the packhorses. He could have packed it up himself, though, and would have if he’d known someo
ne was going to come along and do it for him.
A trooper walked his horse over, saddled and ready to go. Hal took a moment to check the girth for tightness and then smiled at the soldier, taking the reins and mounting. The glow on the eastern horizon hinted at the pending sunrise. It was time to get on the road.
Kay rode over, accompanied by Otto, Rune, and Junica.
“Everyone is ready to go, Hal,” Kay announced.
“What about Churg?”
“He and the other scouts left about an hour ago to get a head start on us,” Otto said. “He told me to tell you to watch for any one coming up behind you following our trail. He and his scouts are going to focus on clearing the way in front of us so we can make the best time getting to the location of the ambush on the imperial supply train.”
“Rune, why don’t you detail a small force to follow a few hundred yards to the rear and watch for anyone following us. Sound good?”
“It is a prudent action. I’ll see to it,” the monk inclined his bald head before setting his helmet over it and heading off to see to his new assignment.
“Let’s get going,” Hal said. “We’ve got at least one more day of travel to go and I want to be in position and prepared well before the caravan passes by. There’s a lot riding on this raid.”
The troops were lined up and waiting as Hal and his captains rode to the front of the column and set off at a walk eastward. Soon, it would be time to see if this plan of his was going to work or not.
29
Hal crouched amidst the thick brush and trees lining the caravan track. He waited in the thick, summer air feeling the close stickiness of the humidity pressing in on him in his heavy armor. An itch between his shoulder blades indicated another rivulet of sweat was running down his spine as his body tried to offload heat.
Even in the relative shade under the forest canopy, it was as hot and muggy as any summer day back home in Maryland. Hal shifted position a bit, trying to stretch his arms and legs even while he hid and waited for the approaching imperial supply caravan to reach the position of their ambush.
Kay knelt next to him, her black painted scale armor absorbing as much heat from their surroundings as his was. She pushed her helmet back from her head and swiped the back of her leather gauntlet across her forehead to clear the sweat from her brows.
“Make sure your people all drink from their canteens, Kay,” Hal warned. “Once we attack, I don’t want anyone dropping out from heat stroke because they didn’t drink enough.”
“I already passed the word, Hal. Though we’re going to have to send runners back to that stream to refill our supply if we have to wait here any longer.”
“I know. It’s been what, two hours? Three?” Hal asked.
“About that, I think,” Kay answered. “Do you think they diverted around this portion of the trail for some reason?”
“I’m not sure. Hopefully, Churg returns with word from his scouts soon.”
As if on cue, the goblin chieftain in his brown leather armor and moccasins emerged from the forest behind Hal without a sound. The movement startled Hal and Kay but they held still in their hiding places and waited for the goblin’s report.
“They’re coming, Hal,” Churg assured them. “The lead wagon should clear the bend in the trail any minute now.”
“How many wagons again?” Hal asked.
“It looks like a small caravan, only ten wagons. It must be important though. There’s a full company of thirty imperial guards accompanying them.”
That seems like a lot for just ten wagons. It must be special supplies or something like that.”
“We’ll know soon enough.” Kay pointed down the track through the woods to the wagons turning the corner and continuing their way at a plodding pace.
The wagons had high wooden walls and were covered with white canvas tarps. An imperial officer rode beside the leading wagon and the guard company spread back along the column on either side with a group of ten marching with a sergeant at the back to act as a rear guard.
Hal drew his sword and laid it across he knees waiting for the lead wagon to come even with his position.
The plan was simple enough.
Junica and her archers and crossbowmen would engage the officer and the leading group of imperial soldiers.
Once the enemy responded to the attack on the front of their column, Hal and Kay would attack with their contingent from one side of the column while Otto and Rune’s force attacked from the opposite side.
Churg’s scouts would come up from the rear and help mop up any resistance and make sure none of the imperials escaped to give warning to nearby units.
There was no reason it shouldn’t work exactly as planned.
As the lead wagon passed by Hal’s position, he tensed and tried to judge the right moment to signal the attack.
Deciding that delaying any longer would serve no purpose, Hal stood and waved his sword forward with a shout.
“For fallen comrades old and new, up and at them!”
As soon as he stood up, Junica stepped out into the trail ahead with her twenty archers and crossbowmen. In a single motion, she knocked an arrow and let fly.
Before the first arrow landed in the throat of the imperial officer, two others were in the air right behind it, each taking an imperial soldier in the chest. Her other troops weren’t as effective as she was but they still managed to drop a significant number of the remaining imperial guards near the front of the column.
Hal and Kay had already started running towards the wagons, now stalled by the attack to the front. They were barely fifty yards away from the forest’s edge and Hal expected to cover the ground to them quickly.
What he didn’t expect was the tarps over the wagons to roll back and crossbow armed imperial troopers to stand up and level their weapons at him and his charging recruits all along the line on both sides of the wagon column.
Hal barely noticed the sudden spinning of his lucky slot machine wheels as the shock wore off and it registered they were charging into a trap.
“Get down,” Hal shouted. He dove to one side, knocking Kay aside just in time as a crossbow bolt passed right where she’d been standing.
The speeding bolt passed through the spot and slammed into the startled recruit who’d been running right behind her. He dropped to the ground as if his knees had been cut from under him.
All along the line of attack, Hal’s recruits were dropping from the sudden counter attack from the back of the wagons.
Assessing the situation, Hal realized there was only one thing to do. He climbed to his feet and pointed to the wagons where the crossbowmen were frantically reloading.
“Keep moving forward! If we stop now, we’ll be cut down where we stand. Charge at them.”
Quest accepted — Break the imperial surprise attack.
Hal ran forward, his sword held overhead, his shield in front to ward off any crossbow bolts coming from the wagons.
The other recruits still standing on his side of the wagon column saw their leader charging the wagons alone and a ragged cheer went up as the remaining members of his band ran after him.
Hal didn’t have time to notice, though. With Kay right behind him, Hal reached the side of the first wagon just as the first of the crossbowmen had reloaded and stood to take aim at the attackers.
He never got off his shot.
Hal reached up and pulled at the man’s arm, yanking him forward over the wooden side of the wagon to pitch forward to the ground.
Not waiting for the guard to rise, Hal stomped a booted foot down on the back of the guard’s exposed neck and was rewarded with a snapping sound.
The imperial soldier spasmed once and then lay still.
1,000 experience points awarded.
Hal reached up and grabbed the side of the wagon, pulling himself up and into the back of the wagon with the five remaining guards. His sudden appearance in their midst startled them.
It was the only break he was g
oing to get but he’d take it.
Lunging forward with his sword, Hal slid his blade between the ribs of the nearest imperial, twisting the grip as he pulled the sword free to slice upward as he removed the blade.
The man’s scream of pain ended in a gurgling froth as blood bubbled up into this mouth from his slashed lungs.
1,000 experience points awarded.
A piercing pain from his side caused Hal to jerk his blade free and swing is wildly to the right, batting away the short sword blade that had scored a deep gash along his side, cutting right through his armor in the close quarters.
Health damage: Health -12
The next few seconds turned desperate as Hal fought alone in the back of the wagon against four determined attackers. Three more glancing attacks broke past his guard before he was able to strike down another of the imperial guardsmen.
Health damage: Health -8
Health damage: Health -6
Health damage: Health -10
1,000 experience points awarded.
The remaining three guards pressed forward with their attacks and Hal took more damage before Kay appeared from behind the guards and took two down before they were aware she was there.
Health damage: Health -8
Health damage: Health -6
Hal caught the final guard in that wagon with a slash to his neck just below the edge of his helmet. The man fell backward, his hands clutching his throat as blood fountained from the freshly severed arteries.
1,000 experience points awarded.
“You’re hurt, Hal.”
“No time to worry about that, we have to finish off the rest these imperials. They knew we were going to attack here and I have to believe they have help nearby that somehow eluded Churg’s scouts. We have to finish them and gather our survivors before the next attack comes.”
The attack on the other wagons hadn’t gone as well as his had and the other imperials were able to fire several more volleys against the charging rebel recruits.