Общий файл / Does Force Bind to Responsibility?: Глава 16

Chapter 16

Camrad_RIP 29.10.21 в 11:57

The rider in black disappeared around the corner of one of the houses. Meanwhile, Gazef's men put on their helmets and climbed on their horses. They looked rather grim. A frantic gallop, hard, dirty work, and instead of rest, another battle lay ahead. No one complained. They all knew what war was all about.

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 18:17

Gazef, looking at the rapid preparations, gave instructions to the wounded. They would be of little use in a mounted battle now. A wounded fighter is a liability to a mobile group. Their reaction time is slow, their attention is distracted, and their body is less effective.

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 18:22

"You four stay in the village as cover. This is our rear, you'll cover it in case of an enemy attack. You sit here, on the second floor, and keep your eyes open."

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 18:23

"Yes, Commander," grinned one of the remaining fighters merrily, as he readjusted his shoulder-high cuirass. "You'll get all the glory again."

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 18:24

"And you've got all the booze and girls hungry for wounded heroes, so it's all fair."

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 18:27

With approving chuckles, the remaining men took their pouches of bolts, crossbows, and other weapons and went into the house. The rest of the men lined up behind Gazef and trotted toward the gate. He habitually glanced around, noting the tightly locked shutters and the deserted streets. While there was no sign of the enemy, he was, as always, shaken by anticipatory trepidation.

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 18:38

Talent is talent, but death is only one and can come from anywhere. No talent can save you from an unexpected blow. A sword strike from the dark, a crossbow bolt from a window, poison dust from a trap, a tricky spell. There are many ways to die when you cannot see your enemy.

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 18:39

They stopped briefly at the gate. The two at the head of the column dismounted and unlocked the gate, opening it inward. Through the passage, they could see the same spellcasters in helmets and staffs. He could see them bustling about as the gates began to open. They were making some sort of hand gesture that left a blurry, smoky trail in the air.

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 18:41

Gazef waved his hand and spurred his horse. The chain of riders behind him, one by one, also galloped forward. Those who opened the gate were the last to jump out.

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 18:55

Distance is always a decisive factor in any skirmish. The longer the distance, the better for all sides of the skirmish. The longer the approach time, the better one can assess the situation and prepare for it.

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 18:57

The riders at full gallop rearranged themselves into a wedge. It was a formation Gazef usually used in mounted engagements, a sure method of crushing cavalry ranks and engaging the enemy. Against the enemy on foot, he always drew a line to strike with as many men as possible at the same time.

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 19:10

Spellcasters have always been the most problematic enemy. Against such a thin formation, one man at twenty or twenty-five feet, it is generally undesirable to march in tight formation, regardless of formation. Any spellcaster, without thinking twice, would launch something massive at the crowd, and he'd be completely right. This is the most rational approach. And even if the attack is successful, a tight formation will knock over two or three people at most.

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 19:18

The spellcasters seemed to see the situation that way. While the Gazef riders covered a quarter of the distance and regrouped, the sorcerers had finished summoning the new phantoms. The new phantoms also resembled angels, but not in armor, but robes. Only the one standing directly in the path of the cavalry summoned a warrior phantom.

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 19:57

/It's good when the enemy is predictable, / Gazef noted as he saw the phantoms fold their arms and flame apeared between them. Moments later, the angel-like figures sent fireballs at the warriors. One of the most popular spells among wizards of any skill. Six buzzing clots of flame, leaving a blurred trail in the air, rushed toward the riders.

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 19:59

Gazef quickly assessed the trajectory. It was a preemptive shot. This was both bad and good. The bad thing was that the speed and the endpoint had been calculated very well, and without a major dump, it would not have been possible to stop and avoid the impact. Nor would it have been possible to accelerate sufficiently. The good thing... The good thing was that everything went like clockwork.

Camrad_RIP 30.10.21 в 20:05

"Split!" Gazef shouted, unhooking his bow from his saddle and pulling a few arrows from his pouch without looking.

Camrad_RIP 31.10.21 в 04:08

The warriors behind him immediately split into two lines, each riding in a different direction, at an angle from their previous course. Gazef turned the horse sharply to the side a moment later. The horse roared, nearly falling over on its side, lumps of earth flying from under his hooves. Gazeа raised on his stirrups, drew his bow, and fired an arrow. Without looking at the result, he fired another. Barely had the arrow fallen from its bowstring, the fireballs ahead finally collided. There was a cascade of powerful pops, and a wave of heat pummeled the warrior.

Camrad_RIP 31.10.21 в 06:45

/Gazef, grow a beard, they said. Your usual stubble doesn't look decent, they said. Fucking bastards! Gazef swore to himself, brushing his burnt hair off his face.

Camrad_RIP 31.10.21 в 06:47

A glance at the battlefield showed that everything was going as planned. The left and right wings were almost on target. A volley of crossbows didn't seem to find their targets, which was no surprise. It's hard to hit a target at full gallop. That was to be expected. But the spellcasters, who hadn't expected such a maneuver, were baffled. Which in combat almost always means death.

Camrad_RIP 31.10.21 в 15:02

The left wing's fighters buried the faltering caster under their hooves, and his phantom melted into thin air. It was a little worse on the right side. A fighter who'd almost struck with his spear was thrown back by a brutal blow from some cunning spell. The other two crashed into the phantom, which had started a new fireball moments before.

Camrad_RIP 31.10.21 в 15:03

The caster distracted himself by turning to his phantom, and immediately a well-aimed spear was plunged into his back. The air around the warlock shimmered, and the spear slowed sensibly at the last moment. The armor was not pierced, but the caster lost his balance. A moment more, and the other rider was beside him. The warrior stood for a moment on the stirrups and brought his sword down powerfully on the sorcerer's neck. The head did not roll away, magic weakened this blow as well, but even so, the damage to the neck was fatal. Another phantom fluttered away.

Camrad_RIP 31.10.21 в 15:06

Everything happened in a few moments. After taking out two opponents, the fighters dived at full gallop into the woods. Gazef stayed alone in the enemy's field of vision.

Camrad_RIP 31.10.21 в 15:07

The other spellcasters had refocused. More fireballs flew toward Gazef, but the phantoms that had launched them were already dispersing. The melee fighters began to appear in their place.

Camrad_RIP 31.10.21 в 15:24

/Just what I need.

Camrad_RIP 31.10.21 в 15:25

Gazef was not very fond of ranged weapons, preferring good old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat. He especially disliked crossbows. It wasn't even that these weapons were slightly dishonorable. Death in combat is always fair. The problem with the crossbow is that while it has excellent piercing power, it is a very inaccurate weapon. It's impossible to understand, impossible to feel the weapon when you're operating it just by pulling the trigger. What to say about range - a crossbow arrow, while penetrating a warrior in armor in ten paces, will get stuck in a sheaf of wheat in forty.

Camrad_RIP 31.10.21 в 15:38

A bow is another matter. It takes a long time to learn, but a good archer will give any head start to a good crossbowman. Faced with this fact, Gazef took a very thorough approach to the gap in his skills. Several dozen elves were bought through an intermediary. Among them was a seasoned hunter, skilled even by the standards of his people. Gazef promised to grant him and the rest of his compatriots their freedom, in exchange for training in the art of archery.

Camrad_RIP 31.10.21 в 15:52

The old elf really wanted freedom. And he knew his craft very well.

Camrad_RIP 03.11.21 в 07:47

Gazef habitually yanked the horse by the bridle, putting down the animal that had begun to frighten. He took up his bow again. The closest opponent, unfortunately, no longer exposed himself to the arrows, trying to keep the phantom on the line of fire. But he slightly overestimated the reliability of his protector. One by one, three arrows shot into the summoned creature's belly, piercing the joints of its armor. As the phantom began to melt, a fourth ricocheted off the warlock's helmet. He, realizing it was no good, tried to get down on the ground, and didn't have time. The fifth arrow pierced his chain mail and sank into his belly. The sorcerer howled thinly and curled up on the ground.

Camrad_RIP 20.11.21 в 08:44

The rate of fire, the second arrow coming off the bowstring as soon as the first one had traveled thirty paces, was making the arms very tired. When he had put the warlock down, Gazeph threw the bow aside - far away, so as not to break it under his hooves in the fight - and took the sword from its back sheath.

Camrad_RIP 30.12.21 в 18:20

It was a mistake to think that the phantoms moved slowly. In fact, they weren't. While Gazef was busy firing, he was already surrounded by winged lancers. It was hard to count how many.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:02

Gazef swung his two-handed blade.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:02

"Are you after me? What are you waiting for?!"

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:03

The phantoms seemed to be waiting for it - they swooped down from all sides.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:03

Gazef smiled grimly - close combat was his true element. The deceptively slow swing of the sword culminated in his famous move - [quadruple strike]. The sword instantly drew four figure-eights around him. The pinnacle of his skill, a move that another man would have torn every tendon in the arm.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:04

The spears that rushed toward his body shattered, and the two phantoms lost their arms. Without distracting himself with an assessment of the results, Gazef spun on his stirrups and stabbed the nearest phantom in the shoulder. The winged creature lost its balance and swam sideways, knocking its comrade off course. Turned, jerked, hit again, and then another. The next phantom lost a wing, and then its head.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:06

My muscles hummed pleasantly, the handle of the two-handed weapon was as obedient as a woman in love.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:07

Strike at the tip, parry, turn in the saddle, strike from above, dodge, strike from below. The phantoms weren't that good, especially in such a heap. They fell and melted down one by one.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:07

But more came to replace the fallen. One, at last, guessed to kill a horse - the faithful horse wheezed with a spear pierced his neck and, twitching, began to fall. Gazef deftly stepped out of the saddle, preventing himself from being crushed by the carcass.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:08

/Oh, there are so many of them, where are my assholes?

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:08

The armor was already damaged in many places, and slowly but steadily, the weary Gazef stopped parrying the least dangerous attacks to conserve his strength. The long-worn armor was sticking to his body from sweat and biting unpleasantly.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:09

Another [quadruple strike] gave a moment's respite - the phantoms recoiled.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:09

/'Got it quick, too bad,' Gazef thought, and made a deterrent feint, winning a few more seconds of rest. " Hard... But not quite what I was expecting. Where's their trump card, they couldn't be relying on that scum alone, could they? Or did that lady in black really get them?"

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:10

As soon as he thought about it, he was blinded by an incredibly bright flash. Although there was a fenced-off village between the source of the light and Gazef, he was unable to see for a few moments.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:11

/What was that...?" - Gazef missed a nasty blow to the side. The phantom who delivered it immediately received an answer.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:11

The next moment there was a terrifying roar from the side of the flash.

Camrad_RIP 05.01.22 в 14:38

A couple of years ago, foreign artists came to the royal capital to perform. They put on amazing shows, and also exhibited strange things and unseen animals. Gazef remembers very well one animal, the "desert lion". It looked something like a short-haired yellow cat, but it was monstrous in size, the size of a bull, perhaps. Calm, relaxed, and frightening at the same time. Once this beast growled at the food handler. His ears rang for the rest of the evening.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:13

The roar he heard could have been that of the beast. If you make it angry.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:13

/What kind of monster did they bring? It was foolish to agree and send her there.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:14

The phantoms came at him with renewed vigor, and Gazef quickly became unconcerned with the events. The battle dragged on, becoming more and more exhausting. One or two blows were no longer always enough to defeat the enemy. More and more dents appeared on the armor, and a couple of deep scratches appeared on his head. His eyes, still reeling from the flash, were drenched with blood from his forehead; he was fighting almost blindly. His body ached more and more, no longer an obedient instrument. At the last [quadruple strike], the sword almost flew out of his numb hands.

Camrad_RIP 08.02.22 в 18:15