204 Phalanx (1/2)

A little less than nine-hundred Foolhardies against the remaining four-thousand soldiers of the center army's reserves — we'd faced worse odds.

From my vantage point in the sky, I could see how it was all arrayed.

Our position in the back of the center army's line was so far away from the central battlefield that I doubt Garm — who was currently leading his soldiers at the front — could know what was happening apart from reports sent to him by his subordinates in the reserves.

If nothing else, I would make him pay for looking down on us and not handling us himself. That would be his fatal mistake.

East of us, I saw activity on the hill fort covering Verania's Oasis. The troops there were mobilizing as well, but since I knew they couldn't leave that spot unattended, I doubt they'd send more than a hundred or three as reinforcements for our current enemies.

”Just how deep does your betrayal go, Garm,” I wondered aloud.

Directly below me, our right and left wings had successfully separated from our center, creating a much larger line that could theoretically hold back the enemy attack that would have encircled us and cut off our escape.

”Aura, can you get Jensen to send word to Luca… Use the flags to move his troops down and away from the enemy while maintaining his phalanx formation,” I ordered.

”That would put our line at an angle, wouldn't it?” Aura asked.

”Yeah,” I answered. ”That'll make the enemy overextend on the left… which is what we need them to do.”

”And why do we need them to do that?” she pressed.

”Because whoever's in charge is currently located on their east wing,” I explained. ”You know what that means…”

”Another round of commander hunting,” Aura said, and I could just about feel her rolling her eyes at me.

”Best way to disperse this crowd,” I answered. ”Let Xanthor's guys know where to go too… I want them to harass the enemy right wing's flank as soon as they overextend themselves.”

”Roger that, Commander,” Aura answered. ”And what will you be doing?”

”I'm heading to the right wing with Varda's warriors,” I said.

The right wing, which I could see now was just beginning to clash with the enemy's left wing, was the key. If Edo could keep the enemy occupied long enough for me and Varda's soldiers to assault their side, we might just win this battle.

That sounds a little too easy, I know. But the enemy, like us, had adopted a standard phalanx formation. Now, here's the thing about the phalanx. It is extremely strong at the front where all the momentum is located, but the sides are a little less defensible on account of all the shields being aimed forward.

This made a crack troop of heavily-armored dwarven warriors who were experienced at breaking walls the ideal hammer for such a task.

”Roger, Commander,” Varda answered. ”Happy hunting!”

”Send a runner to Ashley,” I added. ”Tell her to switch to phalanx now.”

”We've got this, Commander,” Varda finished. ”Go do what you do best already!”

With that vote of confidence, I zoomed out of tactical view and back to solid ground although I kept Fool's Insight activated in combat mode as I was pretty sure I'd need it later.

”Aura, you and half your squad are with me. Leave the other half with Donar here in the center to support the center,” I commanded.

---

I and a hundred and fifty soldiers arrived at Edo's right wing just in time as the battle intensified.

The enemy commander seemed hell-bent on obliterating our right wing with his left wing which had about one-thousand-and-one-hundred soldiers more than we did. To me, this just meant challenging but doable.

”How's it going?” I asked Edo who was busy decapitating a few satyr heads with his glaive.

”Did you just come here to be annoying?” Edo asked

He'd just stabbed a heavily armored satyr in the stomach with his glaive with such strength that the shadowblade punched right into the enemy's gut and out the back. It was the very definition of impalement.

”And here I thought you'd be happy with the reinforcements I brought along!” I swung my falchion into the side of the satyr who had just appeared in front of me. ”They're a very… sturdy group.”

My falchion's shadowblade cut deep into the enemy, causing him to shriek in pain just long enough for Edo to decapitate him too.

”Nice assist,” I said.