Many of the beast-men were carrying extensive lances, fitted with broad, elongated spear blades unmistakably suited for slashing as much as thrusting. Others bore a formidable-looking, sword-like weapon, which had a quite lengthy, heavy blade. It had no cross guard above the short hilt, or pommel beneath. The weapon’s broad, protracted blade had a gently curving, saber-like profile to it, singled-edged, and ending in a wickedly sharp point.
A few of the fliers bore a particularly fearsome-looking, long-hafted weapon. A two-handed weapon, its single-edged blade was both longer and heavier than that of the sword-like weapon, while being of a generally similar profile. It was not a spear, but rather a cutting weapon, able to be utilized like a great axe.
Several fliers pursuing the horsemen held short javelins in overhand grips, while a handful of others were clustering in a hovering pattern, bearing great longbows fashioned of a single stave of wood. Arrows fletched with large, black feathers were being set to the bowstrings as the archers searched out targets below.
Many of the airborne warriors bore rectangular shields, crafted of wooden planking faced with plain hide coverings. The shields were suspended by thick leather straps across their shoulders and backs, keeping their hands freed up. The warriors’ left hands held onto the reins of their sky steeds tightly, while they brandished their weapons in their right.
As Lee looked out upon the developing melee, the first of the sky riders swooped downward at a high speed that was a challenge to follow with the eye.
The iron-helmed flier at the lead of the attackers roared a furious battle cry, bringing its steed swiftly lower with a few others diving in its wake. Wielding one of the sword-like weapons, the lead warrior kept its arm forward of its steed’s wings, holding the blade angled back. The sky rider adroitly guided its steed to come up on the shield side of a horse rider that was racing just ahead.
The winged steed stretched its wings out and glided through the short remaining distance, closing quickly as it allowed its rider to bring the blade back farther for a powerful attack. The sky warrior did not strike at the horse rider, but rather slashed viciously at his mount, blood spraying in the aftermath.
Crumbling to the ground with a hideous scream and a mortal wound to its neck, the horse threw its rider off. The man flew forward, and cried out in pain as he slammed hard into the unyielding ground just a few strides ahead of his horse.
The rider had not even regained his feet when a second flier swooped in, bearing one of the long-hafted weapons with the extensive, heavy blades. With a frenzied battle cry, the sky rider whipped the great weapon through the air with both of its heavily muscled arms. The blade cleaved right through the man’s head, the headless body wavering for a moment before slumping to the ground. The flier shook the bloodied weapon vigorously, uttering another loud war cry as the winged steed carried them onward.
The horse riders were continuing to spray outward, into all directions, perhaps hoping to confuse the attackers that so greatly outnumbered them up above. If so, it soon became apparent that their efforts were in vain, as the fliers swarming the area were gradually singling out horse riders, honing in on them with lethal intent.
The fliers who had long bows were now loosing arrows from their hovering mounts, the missiles streaking towards their intended targets. The ones with javelins were jettisoning their own missiles, by robust throws from steeds kept to a slow, steady glide.
Outnumbered and confined to the ground, it soon became quite clear that the horse riders were at a great disadvantage.
Using their long lances, and in some cases resorting to javelins themselves, the horse riders did whatever they could to repel and frustrate the attacks, at least whenever their assailants came close enough.
Lee saw one horseman come to the aid of another whose assailant was closing in fast. Racing his horse up alongside the gliding enemy warrior, the human sent a javelin hurtling to lodge in the body of the attacker, just as its long blade was about to arc down towards the other human rider.
The victory was short lived, as the javelin-thrower did not see the thrust of the spear from another non-human warrior coming from behind him, impaling his own body scant moments after he had interceded for his comrade.
A bloody, furious struggle evolved, though the horse riders were steadily whittled down in the relentless, overwhelming assault by the aerial attackers.
Lee could not help but be impressed at the incredible skill of the non-human warriors. Even their winged steeds were living weapons, working in close harmony with their riders.
In a couple of instances, Lee saw the sky steeds utilize their powerful claws effectively, lowering their legs and viciously raking humans right off the backs of their galloping horses.
The sky riders continued to work in close concert with each other. Several endeavored to herd the beleaguered horse riders back in, while others rushed in immediately to finish off the dazed and injured riders that had been knocked from their mounts.
On occasion, such as when a horseman whirled to present lance and shield to the flying attacker, there was a firm attempt to continue the attack. Yet more often than not in such instances, the assailants from above merely banked their steeds away from their approach before the horseman could have any chance to inflict damage.
Lee did witness one horseman who was able to get in a lethal thrust against one of the attackers. The horseman’s spear rushed up from a strong, overhand grip to meet the forward momentum of the incoming sky rider, the force of both movements converging to spike the attacker. The horseman immediately had to let go of his deeply lodged weapon, as the beast-man’s body was blasted right from its low saddle.
The triumph was temporary, as another sky-borne warrior dove in to avenge its fallen comrade. Before the horseman could unsheathe his own sword and bring it up to fend off the assault, he was beheaded by the heavy blade of the attacker’s sword-like weapon.
Cries of agony were filling the air, coming from horses, humans, and a few of the inhuman assailants and their unusual, flying steeds. The end of the battle was approaching from what Lee could tell, and the result looked inevitable.
Several of the skyward warriors began to land their steeds upon the ground. The massive riders leaped off of their mounts with astonishing dexterity, especially given their considerable size. Readying their weapons and shields, they charged with a raging fury at the surviving human warriors that had been unhorsed. Their sharp, long teeth were bared in a feral mask of maddened frenzy as they brandished their weapons.
The dismounted human warriors responded with a fiery resolve of their own, several drawing swords out to meet the onslaught from their fearsome attackers. They showed no outward signs of fear, and now that the fighting field had been more leveled, proceeded to acquit themselves better.
They shouted out their own raucous battle cries, the words seeming to charge them with impetus and tenacity.
The sounds of clashing steel were added to the chorus of the fray, along with the thuds and cracks of heavy blows upon the thick wooden planking of both round and rectangular shields.
The awesome strength of the inhuman attackers was made very apparent, as round shields held by the defenders were broken asunder. Chunks of wood exploded out in showers of shards and splinters, fracturing under the heavy blades of the beast-men’s sword-like weapons, and the even more unique, long-hafted ones.
There was no give on either side. The attackers roared with a deep, wrathful vigor, and the men shouted angrily back in response, each side matching the other’s mettle.
Lee’s heart grew heavy as he watched the combat, knowing that the fates of the human defenders were almost certainly sealed. Gradually, a small remnant of the surviving horsemen was herded together by a encroaching circle of the bestial warriors. With no route of escape left, the humans were forced into a last stand against their relentless oppressors.
Weapons clashed fiercely, flesh and muscle was pierced and slashed, and bones were crushed. Casua
lties were incurred upon both sides during the last, frenzied moments of the fighting.
The last of the men to fall was the apparent leader of the horsemen, the one wearing the vambraces and greaves that Lee had witnessed riding close to the standard-bearer at the onset of the fight.
Lee was a little surprised that the beast-men took any risks with the lone remaining human, trapped as he was without hope of escape. The archers among the sky warriors could have taken him down with little difficulty, but those that still held their bows had lowered them, and held no arrows in their free hands.
The valiant human fighter undoubtedly understood his dire situation, but if he felt any fear, it did not show. His blade flashed in the sun as he wielded it adroitly, bringing down one of the beast-men after deftly avoiding the cleaving blow of a long-hafted weapon.
He did not hesitate as his mortally-stricken opponent stumbled and pitched over to lie still, already lunging towards another tall enemy warrior. Delivering a gash to the thigh of the enemy fighter, the man held his ground as his bleeding attacker gave way and backed up a step.
The man then straightened up and got into a balanced stance, as one particular sky rider shouldered past its comrades to confront the fierce human warrior. A terrible scowl was on the face of the new challenger, and the other sky warriors, including the one that had just been wounded, stepped back a couple of paces to give the two combatants a wider berth.
It was the sky rider that had led the attackers out over the plains, the first one of them to descend. Lee deemed that the warrior was the human’s counterpart among the airborne force.
The sky rider was a very mighty specimen amongst the inhuman warriors. Seen close to its comrades, it was quite evident that the warrior far surpassed the exceptional stature and mass inherent in its kind.
The human fighter staggered as the clang of the first blow echoed loudly across the grassland, having barely blocked the first strike of his towering opponent. With a loud cry, the human used his shield to barrel directly forward, driving his much larger opponent back a step as their shields collided.
Shuffling back quickly to create some space, the human fighter set himself again, taking up a balanced position and coldly eyeing the beast-man. With a roar, the sky rider stomped forward and raised its sword-like weapon up to strike again.
The human warrior acquitted himself well in the ensuing fight, but was finally hewn down after a rabid exchange of blows with the brawny, iron-helmed warrior.
Wielding the huge, sword-like weapon with amazing speed, the sky warrior finally found an opening in the human’s defenses after a few previous attempts had been capably blocked by the horseman’s own blade and shield. The sky warrior’s blade raced into a slim gap of space as the human’s sword was caught on the other’s large shield.
Lee felt a pang of sadness as the brave human warrior dropped to his knees in the wake of the devastating slash, before toppling over to the ground, dead at the feet of his slayer.
Curiously, after the human leader had been felled, and the field of battle had fallen eerily silent, the savage posture of the inhuman warriors dissipated rapidly. The fighting over, it was as if the blood-lust that they had exhibited suddenly released its grip upon them.
The huge sky warrior knelt down upon one knee at the side of the horsemen’s slain leader. With a massive hand, the sky rider picked up the fallen warrior’s sword, from where it had fallen from his grasp, and carefully returned it to the dead man’s grip. The sky warrior, who had only recently been a tempest of martial ardor, looked uncannily gentle in its movements.
There was a respectful aspect to the purposeful gesture, and Lee could not help but think that the hulking warrior was honoring the skill and fortitude of its fallen opponent.
No more than seven or eight of the attacking war band had been killed in the fighting, with a few more wounded, in comparison with every last one of the horse riders being slain.
A few horses had died as well, though a great majority had made it through the battle without serious injury. Several of the rider-less horses were wandering aimlessly nearby, or cantering farther off in continued fright, with nobody left to guide them.
The victorious attackers proceeded to systematically check the corpses littering the area, and to Lee’s eyes they appeared to be making sure that the humans were indeed dead. No human survivors were discovered, but there were a few critically injured horses in the vicinity that still had breath in them. Without hesitation, and without any sign of pleasure, the inhuman warriors quickly put the beasts out of their misery with focused, singular blows.
The bestial faces of the warriors, and their absolute ferocity in battle, were quite unsettling, in a primeval way. Yet Lee observed that these warriors were not simply animalistic barbarians. Their complex nature was acutely reflected in the way in which they went around the fallen humans, and attended to the mortally wounded steeds.
A couple of sideways glances revealed that Lee’s companions were similarly spellbound by the sights and frozen in place, with nary a breath to disturb the air and invite discovery.
As Lee continued to observe them, the creatures spoke to each other from time to time in a guttural language. Though rough in manner, it was very clear that the warriors were highly disciplined and well-organized. Watching their exchanges, Lee was left with no doubts that the huge one that had felled the human leader did indeed hold the primary authority over the entire group.
The extraordinary winged steeds that the beast-men rode lingered in patience for their masters, a few emitting low whines or barks. A couple of the ones situated closer together nipped and snarled at each other.
When the riders were completely finished with their inspection of the battlefield, the huge leader shouted to all of them. At the leader’s call, there was a little spark of hesitance, which flared suddenly into reticence among the others. The leader seemed to be expecting the reaction, speaking sharply as the others cast glances about at the fallen humans and those of their own race.
At first, Lee had been sure that the taciturn response had something to do with the fallen non-human warriors, but the more that he watched their deliberate glances include the human warriors, he was not quite so sure.
The leader shook its great head emphatically from side to side, in an unmistakable negation to the unvoiced objection that the others were clearly referencing.
The leader then spoke again, its tone changing and lowering in volume, as its next words came out slower. Lee was positive that the leader was addressing the unspoken desire within the others in a more sympathetic fashion.
The leader glanced around at the corpses, shook its head again, and finished its address with a few words that took on a more authoritative timbre. The other warriors seemed to be largely assuaged from whatever issue had initially troubled them. A few of them hurriedly went over to their fallen brethren, carefully removing amulets and other small objects from the bodies of the dead beast-men.
Before standing back up, the living warriors bowed their heads, some laying their massive hands upon the shoulders of the prone bodies. Lee could see their lips moving as they uttered last words at the sides of their comrades.
The few sky steeds that had carried the fallen among the beast-men were then wrangled and brought together with the others. Lee took note that these had not strayed far from the vicinity of the rest of the steeds. All of the warriors eventually proceeded to stride back to their winged steeds and mount them.
The huge leader was the last one into the saddle. A few moments later, after a loud cry from the prominent warrior, the riders spurred their exotic steeds into motion. The creatures spread their wings, lurched into a short, bounding run, and leaped towards the sky. With powerful, snapping flaps, the mounts carried their riders up into the air. The steeds with empty saddles followed the cue of their brethren, as if trained, pursuing the others off of the ground and up towards the sky.
Lee watched the steeds beat their wings vigorously as
they climbed towards the heavens, gaining height steadily on a sharp incline. In a loose formation, the great steeds finally leveled out, as they carried the throng of menacing sky riders across the rolling plains, heading into the distance towards the west and the setting sun.
Lee and the others remained motionless long after the riders were just mere specks on the far horizon. Nobody so much as moved or spoke, until those specks had completely disappeared from view.
“Don’t ask me,” Lee commented at last, his eyes slowly lowering to gaze upon the garish collection of corpses strewn all about the grounds ahead of them.
His heart sank.
A predatory, bird-like creature, like that faced by Erin and Lynn upon their entrance into the new world, was one type of danger. Bands of well-armed fighters, fully equipped with iron weapons and riding upon incredible winged steeds, was another level of threat entirely.
“Maybe we could use some weapons, from out there,” Ryan then suggested, pointing out towards the dead warriors. “These stakes aren’t going to do us much good, especially if we run into either of those who were in the fight.”
Lee was impressed by Ryan’s proposition, especially the fact that he had not assumed that the humans would automatically be receptive to their group. It reminded Lee to maintain a better wariness himself, and to presume nothing about the things of this new world, no matter how familiar they might look at first.
“I think that’s an excellent idea. We should take advantage of it while we know that the area is clear right now,” Lee concurred.
“I’m not going out there,” Erin stated flatly. “No way. If those things come back, there is no way we are going to get away. If a couple dozen armed fighters on horses can’t survive, then how the hell will four of us?”
Without saying a word, Lynn got up with a somber expression and started forward. Just a few strides carried her out of the shelter of the forest, and out under the open sky.
She paused for a moment, and turned back to the others. Her eyes fixed solidly upon Erin.
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