Chapter 321: Beachhead Landing (Part 2)
Even though Clan an Craite's forces were retreating while still being hounded by the Nilfgaardians, they managed to maintain a tight formation. But that was as far as their luck went. There was no more room to maneuver the spearmen to counter a heavy cavalry charge. Even just twenty lancers would be enough to break the formation the an Craite clan had so painstakingly maintained.
The Clan Drummond forces opposite them clearly understood this. They would have to break formation to rush forward and support them. But judging by the distance and the speed of the forces, it was clear that Clan Drummond wouldn't be able to get there in time.
But just then, Crach heard a familiar, reassuring voice.
"Lord Crach, continue your retreat. Leave the cavalry to me."
From within the ranks, Lynn killed a nearby Nilfgaardian with a single sword stroke, then made the Sign for Axii with his gloved left hand.
"Axii."
The three warhorses at the front of the charging Brandenburg Dragoons suddenly staggered and fell. Because the an Craite forces were being attacked on their front and both flanks by Nilfgaardian infantry, the Dragoons had not used a wall formation for their charge. They had used a wedge formation.
The result was that when the three leading riders went down, it triggered a chain reaction. The riders behind them tripped and tumbled, and their formation was instantly broken. Even if the few remaining riders on the sides of the wedge were not caught up, they could no longer charge.
The morale of the an Craite forces and the Clan Drummond reinforcements soared, while the Nilfgaardians' morale plummeted.
"It's magic!"
"Is there a sorcerer among the enemy?"
Cries of surprise echoed across the battlefield. The Nilfgaardians attacking the an Craite forces hesitated. Their momentum, once a relentless wave, had been broken.
From the deck of the flagship, Count Tullius's eyes narrowed sharply. "A druid has intervened?"
Count Tullius had seen much of the world, and his experience was different from that of an ordinary soldier. He knew that the clans of the Isles had no sorcerers, but they did have druids. And the druids of the Isles were different from the sorcerers of the Northern Kingdoms.
While the sorcerers of the North held important positions in the royal courts, they were not the kings' subordinates and would not obey all of their commands. In fact, they would refuse to participate in war. The druids, on the other hand, would intervene in a war between the Isles and a foreign enemy if necessary. That was the key difference.
Count Tullius hadn't considered that a witcher was responsible. Most witchers operated in the North, and the only school with its headquarters in the South, the Viper School, was made up of magic-less witchers. Even the Usurper had only sent soldiers to wipe out the Viper School's headquarters because he thought witchers were only good at assassination.
He had no way of knowing that witchers had the ability to cast Signs. Besides, even if he knew, he wouldn't believe that a witcher was capable of casting a Sign on three targets at once. That was a feat beyond most witchers' capabilities.
Lynn's intervention had stalled the cavalry, and the an Craite forces successfully joined up with the Clan Drummond forces. The Drummond forces split into two groups, bypassing the an Craite forces on both flanks and taking their place to continue the fight against the Nilfgaardians. The exhausted an Craite forces, meanwhile, passed through the middle of the Drummond forces and retreated behind the fence.
The archers, who had retreated earlier, climbed the arrow towers behind the fence, showering death upon the Nilfgaardian ranks.
Lynn, who had retreated with the an Craite forces, also climbed an arrow tower. He pulled a Koviri longbow from his runed leather pouch and let loose a torrent of arrows. His rate of fire was much faster than a normal archer's. By the time others had fired one arrow, he had fired several, and their accuracy was terrifying. He was always able to find a gap in a shield or armor, maximizing the damage he inflicted on the Nilfgaardians.
However, he didn't deliberately go for a kill shot. He wouldn't finish off those he only wounded. It wasn't because he was soft-hearted or couldn't bear to, but because the cries of the enemy's wounded could weaken the morale of the enemy army. If the enemy sent men to drag the wounded away, all the better. One wounded soldier would tie up at least a few of the enemy's men.
"Tenassy!"
Burge was startled. He looked at his comrade, who lay on the ground, an arrow in his neck, his eyes empty. He was clearly dead. Although only those from the capital, the City of the Golden Tower, could hold important positions in the army, the Empire never forgot to give some preference to those from the provinces.
For example, when they needed cannon fodder, they would prioritize those from the provinces. However, to prevent mutiny, they would usually mix the conscripts together. Burge and Tenassy, who had grown up together, were lucky enough to be assigned to the same unit.
But now, his childhood friend lay on the ground like a ragdoll. Burge's mind went blank. He couldn't believe his friend had died in a foreign land.
"Burge, you filthy, low-born provincial! Don't embarrass the Nilfgaardian army! Forward!"
The shouts of others nearby snapped Burge back to reality. Having gone through basic training, he knew how strict the Nilfgaardian army was. If he remained frozen in place or showed the slightest hint of desertion, not only would he be executed, but his family in the South would also be punished. With that thought, Burge let out a roar and charged forward with the others toward the enemy.
With the support of the Clan Drummond forces, Clan an Craite's forces finally retreated behind the fence to rest and regroup. Then, Clan Drummond's forces also began to fall back.
Lugos the Mad personally led a dozen elite soldiers to cover their retreat, allowing most of the Clan Drummond soldiers to cross the planks over the trench in front of the fence first.
They then removed all but one of the wooden planks.
Gerd took two bombs from his belt—an Enhanced Dancing Star and an Enhanced Dragon's Dream, which Lynn had given him beforehand. Dragon's Dream released a gas, and the flames from a Dancing Star could ignite the gas while the gas also fueled the flames.
Gerd killed the closest Nilfgaardian with his sword, then heaved the two bombs at the densest cluster of enemies.
The next moment, a burst of fire instantly engulfed a dozen Nilfgaardian soldiers. The screams and horrific sight chilled the blood of those who witnessed it. Gerd killed several more enemies with a few mighty blows, and while the nearby enemies were stunned, he shouted to Lugos the Mad.
"Now, Lord Lugos! Go!"
Lugos the Mad didn't dare to delay and hurried across the last remaining plank with the rest of his men.
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