[BF] Gero Badlands – Scaravus VS Leongarde

[Jacogos]

Gero Badlands
Scaravus VS Leongarde

Post Limit: 10 per participant - - - - - - Time Limit: Friday 04/01/2013
Maximum Time in Between Posts: 48 hours



Armies:
Scaravus
Commander: Koron, the Whirling Demise
Army: Swordsmen, Spearmen, Archers, Scarab Warriors

Leongarde
Commander: General Leonard “Gray Mane” Kilvas
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FQyiPMYiL4s/S7xMkrK3ZvI/AAAAAAAAAHA/hKiWo5RGzTQ/s1600/SigismundBlog.jpg
Army: Shieldguard, Footmen, Archers, Berserkers

Participants
Scaravus
/

Leongarde
Richard Soldegarde (Tolvo) (http://role-player.net/forum/showthread.php?t=32533&page=11&p=1137993&viewfull=1#post1137993)

GM:
Jacogos


Posting Order
Tolvo
|
Jacogos (GM)



Introductions:

The Gero Badlands had always been a standing buffer between Leongarde and the sands of Scaravus. It was a defensive position that the Scaravians cherished, and it was being invaded by the Leongardians. Marching in from the Ilean Mountains, the silver-armored legion was reportedly hell-bent on finding the Scaravus army and laying waste to it.

Koron had faced Leongarde before. The battle at the Ilean Mountains and his defeat there still burned hot in his mind as he surveyed the pass where the battle would be taking place. Knowing Leongarde’s outfit, he had picked men that would be able to match the armored warriors better than the subterfuge-based assassins and stingers. However, fighting them on even ground was still going to be absolute folly.

Therefore, the Scaravians had a plan. They could pick the place of engagement, being much more mobile than the Leongarde army. And Koron had found a battlefield that would allow them to thin the ranks of the silver juggernaught easily.

The Leongardians, one and all, were in a state of awe as they marched into the Gero Badlands. However, it wasn’t the ominous cliffs that towered to their sides nor the imposing sun that threatened to drain every ounce of sweat from their bodies that struck them into a state of silence as they marched. Instead, it was their own leader who commanded their attention.

General Leonard Kilvas. The Gray Mane of Valor. It was whispered that he had taken a group of fifty horsemen and led them in a charge that scattered an army of nearly a thousand strong… That he had slain an Aeregosian Wyrm singlehandedly, by taking it by the head while miles in the sky and directing it into the earth where it died on contact. He was a legend of heroism, the pinnacle of leadership. And, until recently, he was retired.

After the deaths of Mordus and Arduin, King Reinard saw it fit to call his most trusted general out of retirement for the good of Leongarde. Seeing the state of things, Leonard had accepted without hesitation. Now he led the forces that would seize the Gero Badlands from Scaravus. There was no one in the army who had any doubts about their success. With General Leonard at their front, no one could stop them.

Battle Start

Having my Knights with me would have been a godsend… In this blasted sand, though, there’s no way they would be able to stay upright. These were the thoughts of the lone rider amongst the shining army of Leongarde, the Gray Mane himself. His horse, Vigilance, was a fearsome stallion, taller than most men and more sure-footed than most of his kin.

At the head of the army, Leonard led the way into the Gero Badlands, entering a mountain pass that would take them to the heart of the territory in due time. With any luck, this was where the Scaravian army would be holed up. Their only problem was where to find-

“FOR SCARAVUS!!” came a roar that rivaled even the late Arduin. On cue, arrows began raining down from the Cliffside onto the Leongardians. With a rumble, rocks were pushed off the cliffs as well, raining down on the silver army with malice. In the first few moments, many warriors were crushed, but the others began to catch on and deftly began to dodge the rocks as they fell.

With that surprise attack complete, the Scaravian army revealed itself, leaping out at the Leongardian’s from the rocks. Scarab Warriors clashed with the legendary Shieldguard, swordsmen fought swordsmen, Berserkers tangled with the spearmen, and chaos ensued.

Without hesitation, the Gray Mane held aloft his blade, the Lion’s Fang and cried out, “For the Silver King!! For Ko’Rhas!! Roar, mighty Leongarde!!” and led the counterattack. The battle had begun.

[Tolvo]

As the ambush was launched Richard was knocked from his horse causing him to land harshly on his knees. Slowly he rose removing Metzger from its sheath. While the Shieldguarde and Berzerkers went off in their respective directions the man of Soldegarde followed after those with large kite shields. Sand kicked up while he fought against it trying to catch up with his fellow warriors. Nearing to them he flipped the sword around in his hand holding it in a reverse grip with the pommel facing outwards. By the blade it was being held in his gloved hand. Wherever the Shieldgarde formed he would stand readily behind them to try and fill any hole in their wall. Beside him he forcefully planted his flag in the sand, deep enough so that it would not simply topple over. When it seemed as if he wasn't needed he would look over towards their commander to make sure the man was still in one piece.

[Jacogos]

The battle in the sandy valley was underway, with pockets of Leongardians fighting against the mass of Scaravian warriors that had only just stopped pouring out of the cliffs. Though the army had been in shambles from the surprise attack at first, it had taken only moments for the steel-clad warriors to form into groups. The largest group was near the entrance of the valley, separated from the rest of the army by rockfall. The men would be able to get over the rocks rather easily, but not with the Scaravians still engaging them.

Leonard Kilvas was lashing out with his blade from atop Vigilance, cutting down Swordsmen and Spearmen alike. The group of Shieldguard that accompanied him helped to keep the number of men in range of their leader was as little as possible, though they were too few in number to keep all enemies away from the General.

The line of Shieldguard that Richard accompanied allowed the man into their shield wall without hesitation, hardened gazes staring down the oncoming swarm of Scarab Warriors. There were at least 10 to 15 Shieldguard in that wall, positioned between two sand dunes that had been formed naturally in the valley. The Scarabs hissed and roared as they collided with the wall, some of them overpowering a single man easily to break through, while others impaled themselves onto lances, the combined weight of their forward charge and a Shieldguard's thrust allowing the steel tip to pierce that Scorpion hide.

However, it was the Shieldguards who were in trouble, as the Scarabs had broken the wall, some by simply leaping over it. A few Shieldguard dropped lances and drew their close combat weapons, a few better prepared ones wielding maces that caved in the Scarabs' skin. One Scarab Warrior, seeing him as just another enemy, was rushing towards Richard. He was not as heavily mutated as some other warriors, and thus only wielded two short swords. He cried his battle fury before lashing out at the man, a quick one-two chop.

Koron had yet to reveal himself completely, blending in with the Scaravian horde as he closed in on the pocket of warriors that housed General Gray Mane. Koron knew of the man, but had never had a chance to fight him on the battlefield before the elder warrior retired. Now was his chance to see if the legends were true...

[Tolvo]

Pleased with his opponent underneath his helm a smile formed on Richard's face. While the scarab warrior lashed out at him his sword arm pulled back and low. His shield rose up to block one of the chops while the other landed upon his shoulder. Thankfully the armor held up making it seem like nothing more than a punch from his perspective. Letting go of the handle to his shield forcing it to hang by its straps he grappled with the warrior trying to only hold on to the man's arm. Finally the counter was launched, his sword's pommel swung about quickly in a hammering motion into the scarab's left knee. The first strike landed slightly off center. He pulled back just as his opponent did, both landing their attacks at the same time. There was a loud crunch as the thick skin of the man's leg shattered along with the bone underneath. Both fell though as one of the flurries struck Richard right across the brow of his helm knocking him back. With their combined weight they hit the sand hard with the Knight on the bottom of this mess. Sand found its way into places he would not care to mention should he live to tell this tale. While the other was crippled somehow the Scarab held on while both fought over control. Using all the strength he could muster Richard did his best to hold down the other man's head while trying to force him into the sand. A bit of room was afforded causing them to half-switch positions. Now on even levels he let go of his sword and punched at the Scarab's skull eventually dazing the man. Though his opponent was not dead it was time to reassess the situation. Hoping that he had a moment to regain himself, Richard tried to rise upon his knees while reaching for his pistol. Flipping open the holster and removing it. Still letting his shield hang loosely he tried to open the brass container to pull out a tube to load in.

[Jacogos]

The Scarab Warrior sought to regain his composure for a moment, but lost the chance when a Shieldguard caved his head in with a mace from behind. The man nodded at Richard and rejoined the fray. Not even a few moments later, a few Beserkers and soldiers joined the group, finishing off the last of the Scarabs that had attacked the shield wall.

However, their troubles would not end there. Scaravian archers were now in position on the cliff sides, beginning to rain down arrows onto the Leongardian pockets. The group with Richard managed to get up their shields and such to defend themselves from the deadly rain, but otherwise occupied forces elsewhere were not so fortunate all of the time. Little by little, the Leongarde army this side of the rocks was beginning to shift into a losing position.

However, General Gray Mane was aware of this. "Leongarde!" he cried, his voice booming with command. "Fall back to the fallen rocks! Take up positions against it! We will face them as a wall!" Spurring Vigilance, the veteran warrior turned towards the mouth of the valley, where the bulk of the army was finally making its way over the rockfall. Seeing this, Leonard had another idea.

"Leongarde! Up shields!" another booming cry echoed on the cliff walls. All Leongarde soldiers obeyed immediately, crouching where the were to bring their shields up in cover. Koron peered at the retreating units in surprise, until he realized what was going to happen. Mere moments after the order came, arrows from the other side of the rocks rose and came down on where the Scaravian bulk was, littering the sandy valley with bodies. One and all, Leongarde came out unscathed by the arrows, though a few Scaravians had managed to cut down a man or two while they were busy gaining cover.

Koron escaped without injury, too, however, and was now in full blatant pursuit of General Kilvas. He would be nearly impossible to get to once he had set up the Leongarde wall, so Koron needed to catch the man's attention quickly. The rest of the Scaravians swarmed the retreating Leongardians, hoping to cull their numbers enough to make the wall useless.

[Tolvo]

With the call of the general sounded and their troops forming a solid enough defense, Richard found it to be time to rejoin their ranks. He had to leave behind his flag since it would take too long to reattach it to his armor. Instead he focused on placing his pistol in his left hand and retrieving his sword with the right. Now he held it in a typical grip before sheathing the blade. Again his main hand held the pistol after this odd juggle which he performed. Running as fast as he could his eyes were drawn to anything which would stand in his way. Just to be sure he faced the General and let out his challenge, a ferocious roar that would draw out any Scaravian warrior between him and the Shield Wall. Hoping to get a great target he charged forwards gun in hand ready to fire at the first thing to appear before him. One such target was a swordsman. He held two swords and did a sort of intricate flourish with them showing off his black garb and skills with a blade, he met an unfortunate fate as a bullet landed in his gut dropping the man. His death would come soon enough. Reaching behind himself Richard put away the gun and removed Tanzer from its sheath. Suddenly it dawned upon him that Koron had heard his challenge. Ready to tackle this mighty being the Knight pointed his flamberge forwards while hold his his shield just above his wrist, the outwards face aimed towards the sky nearly touching his weapon. Injured from battle and heading into another the man could feel adrenalin rushing about his system. Now hoping to merely alert the others Richard let out a yell, "For Soldegarde!"

[Jacogos]

Koron and a small group of Scaravian's around him halted in their pursuit as a loud voice issued them a challenge. The Whirling Demise found the challenge irresistible, and turned his gaze from the Gray Mane to this new target. A single Leongarde soldier, outfitted in armor befitting a noble. Koron could only smirk.

"Ya got guts. Let's hope ya got the balls to back it up!" he shouted in answer to Richard, hefting his axes. However, the three spearmen who also heard the challenge decided to rush forward ahead of their General, hoping to see the man dead so that Koron could get on with his chase. One leaped forward at Richard, thrusting his long spear towards the man's guts. The other two would've headed to circle around him on either side, but two Shieldguard ended their lives while they were focused on Richard. The duo of Shieldguard had heard Richard's challenge, and decided that he needed some back up.

Meanwhile, most of the Leongarde forces had made it to the fallen rocks, forming up to make lines from cliff wall to cliff wall. All the remaining Shieldguard were to be out front, with soldiers filling in the gaps. General Kilvas was behind the lines, making sure everything was getting into position. They only had seconds, though, before Scaravus's warriors fell upon their lines, causing even more confusion in the ranks. Leongarde would have to drive them back into order to complete the wall. This was been exacerbated by the fact that the Scaravus archers continued to fire down upon the Leongardians.

"Archers! Aim for the cliff walls! Covering fire!" Gray Mane's voice came. The archers had remained behind the fallen rocks, which gave them a natural cover for them to fire over. They heeded their General's orders, shooting now at the Scaravus archers, who now turned most of their fire on their Leongarde brethren. The battle was now in its peak of bloodshed.

[Tolvo]

Due to the sounds around him Richard could only muster this simple retort to the enemy VIP, "What did you say?" Before their mid battle conversation could continue three men came at the Knight at an alarming speed. While two were dispatched, the still living one tried to hit Richard with his spear. Thankfully it was headed for his gut which was covered in plating, allowing him to push forwards causing the spear to be deflected off underneath his shield arm. Some of the scales near to his belly were punctured and though no blood was drawn a crack in his armor was now presented. Angry with this turn of events his charge continued amplified by the enemies before him. The Kite Shield of his slammed into the throat the Scaravian crushing it and forcing him to fall to the ground gagging on his own blood. "One of you watch out backs, the other stand facing what archers you can and try to block any arrows heading our way. If one of you can spare the time reach for my gun and load it! Follow behind me." Now he slowed down to make sure the others could keep up with him if they intended to. His shield was again parallel to the sandy ground while his Flamberge was peaking out just below it pointed directly at Koron. "Say what you said again Scaravian, I couldn't hear you over the sound of death!"

[Jacogos]

Koron smirked slightly to himself as he watched the man dispatch of the soldier in front of him. This was to be an interesting fight. Peering around, the Whirling Demise took note of their surrounding. Mostly flat sandy-grass, there was a dune off to Koron's left, only a bit taller than a man at its peak. Otherwise, the four were alone, as the main focus of the battle had shifted towards the rockfall. The closest Scaravian soldier was about 40 to 50 yards away and still moving towards the valley's mouth. It was about as close to a duel as they could get, though the dead and dying littered the ground around them.

"I said you've got guts," Koron repeated, obviously irritated at having to do so. "I hope ya got the balls to back it up!" Meanwhile, the two Shieldguard blinked at Richard's orders. While under normal circumstances his orders would make all the sense, here there was no one to sneak up on them and the archers were not focused on them at all. However, the Shieldguard that was told to do that did so, as there was no telling when one might notice them and try getting a lucky shot in.

The other guard took up a stance to Richard's left. "Sir, our enemies are otherwise occupied, so I will help you here. I also regret to inform you that... well, to be frank, I have no idea how to load that device." Which was completely true.

With that, Koron began his attack. Smirking, he hurled his right axe straight at Richard, the weapon spinning vertical to the ground. He then charged after it, swinging his left axe toward's Richard's side.

Meanwhile, Leongarde had managed to get their shield wall up. "Now! Push forward!" came the General's mighty roar, which was followed by the rumble of near-unison footsteps pushing the Scaravus forces back. Men died in droves, some Leongardes getting impaled on spears, but mostly Scaravus forces being mowed down by the steel wall. Men fell by arrows, but there were still many to take their place. Scarab Warriors leaped the walls, causing chaos among the inner lines. General Gray Mane sat upon Vigilance like a statue of radiant command, grimacing slightly at the slaughter.

[Tolvo]

"Fine then, one day we better teach everyone to use one. They're deadly as all hell." The Knight regained his focus on the warrior ahead of them listening to the man's words and trying to muster a smart come back. "Oh! Well I've got-" The axe collided with his shield startling him and forcing Richard to stumble slightly. "Ko'Rhas!" As the attack came forth at his side Richard lowered his shield to try and block the coming attack while pushing his right leg forwards. Stabbing outwards with his sword he aimed for Koron's left breast. Angled slightly so that should it connect his sword would push towards the center of the man's body and wrench itself within his torso flicking it to pierce his lung then swing towards his heart. Loudly he barked an order to the man helping him in this fight, "Legs!" While he tried to put enough force into his thrust to make contact his strength focused more so on pushing his shield forwards to push away Koron's weapon and knock the man down.

[Jacogos]

Koron caught the rebounded axe in his right hand just as he was about to deliver the blow to Richard. However, his axe was met by the steel of the man's shield, and the Whirling Demise lived up to his name. As soon as his axe was stopped, Koron spun, Richard's rapier striking lightly across his arm. Finishing the spin, Koron now stood between Richard and the Shieldguard. His axe had come out during the spin, catching the soldier's lance and breaking it. The Shieldguard managed to recover, however, hopping back and now stabbing the broken haft at the Scaravian's legs. Koron saw this and moved, the shaft landing between his feet. He now swung his left-hand axe towards Richard's back.

While this was happening, the Shieldguard drew his sword, hoping to combine his attack with Richard's to catch Koron off guard. The guard watching for arrows kept glancing back at the two, ready to aid if it seemed that Koron would get the better of them. While he was distracted, a couple of Scaravian archers noticed their general caught in a battle with some Leongardians. Hopping down from the cliff onto the sandy grass below, the duo made their way across the valley towards the fight.

[Tolvo]

As the axe went towards his left side to hook around towards his back Richard took the opportunity to push forwards raising his shield. As the weapon came to strike him causing some pain in his back from the force, he brought his arm trying to catch the man's arm just past his elbow underneath his own. If possible he would try to hook his gloved hand around and up into Koron's pit giving him an extremely firm hold should it manage. While extending his right leg the Knight bent his left trying to connect his knee with Koron's right leg. Along with this he went for another stab at the man this time with a lowered blow, trying to stab upwards at gut height hoping to go underneath the Scaravian's rib cage and land an extremely fatal puncture of his lungs. Hoping to at the least flatten the man in the sand on his back or land a violent and deadly blow underneath his helm Richard smiled. If he managed to get control over the throw entirely he would attempt to cause him to land just in front of the Shieldguard's feet then kneel down continuing the stab with his flamberge.

[Jacogos]

Koron grunted in surprise as the man's arm came up under his, nearly managing to get Koron in a death-grip. However, Koron managed to twist enough to avoid Richard's knee, and thus fatal damage. Richard's flamberge cut along his right side, Koron's armor saving him from a deeper cut. It was still a clean hit.

Cursing, Koron tried to untangle himself from the Leongardian, but the man seemed intent on keeping ahold. However, Koron managed to keep his footing. The Whirling Demise brought his right axe down, intent on knocking the flamberge away from his wounded side. It was then that the Shieldguard moved in, thrusting his sword for Koron's breast. Snarling, Koron leaned, letting the Shieldguard's sword bang off of Richard's shield. Swearing, the guard pulled back, stumbling slightly. Koron righted himself, trying to twist away from Richard. If the man let him go, Koron would start trying to distance himself the two, going the opposite way that he had come from mere moments ago. If not, Koron would attempt to slam his axe into the man's back again.

Meanwhile, the two Scaravian archers had come near the top of a nearby dune. One nocked an arrow and took aim at the man grappling their General. Luckily, the Shieldguard heard the twang, jumping in the way of Richard. The arrow thudded against the man's shield, denting it slightly. "Sir! Archers!" the soldier yelped, holding his shield at the ready. The archer cursed, turning to his partner. The two muttered amongst each other, then the second began to backtrack, keeping low to the ground. After a few yards, he would turn and begin to move to the side, slowly coming around to the side that Koron was trying to break away to (the Shieldguard's right side).

Every so often, the archer that remained behind would fire another shot, aiming for the Shieldguard outright, now. He managed to keep his shield in the way of the bolts, earning a new dent every time the arrow hit. The steel was sturdy, but so man hits would weaken it eventually.

This was all going on during a slaughter, Scaravians dying in droves in an attempt to break the Leongarde wall. Without their General's advice, the Scaravians were having little luck. For every Leongardian that fell, nearly 5 Scaravians fell to kill him. Scaravian morale was plummeting. This was truly the work of the legendary General Gray Mane. Scaravus was slipping into a losing position.

[Tolvo]

Richard realized his grip was failing and as a last ditch effort with the hold he tried to push Koron harshly in the side of his ribs before the man could get away. His hope was to knock him off balance for a split second to remove any chance of a counter attack right away. He noticed the Shieldguarde defending them from the archers and held his shield up while pointing towards the Leongarde General with his sword. "Rejoin the line! Be wary of incoming fire and head fight alongside our brothers! This one will lead us to our deaths. We'll get another chance at him later!" Richard started inching his way towards the rest of their forces hoping to rejoin with the General, though he took his time keeping his shield raised towards Koron hoping the men with him would be covered by him as they head back. When they passed behind him he would turn to block what he could coming from the archers before springing back towards the others. As he falls back his adrenalin would fade and he'd feel himself growing slightly weaker from all of the fighting. His legs were completely dusted in sand as he kept up his run sheathing Tanzer. Now he pulled out his pistol and started to load one of the tubes.

[Jacogos]

Grunting, Koron managed to mostly keep his balance, rolling forward in the sand and righting himself in one smooth motion. Without thinking, Koron tossed his axe toward Richard, which was promptly deflected off of his shield. Cursing in frustration, Koron tossed both of his axes in a curved path. One around to the right of Richard, around the shield hopefully. The other one was aimed towards the Shieldguard who had been attacking him. It struck him in the back, causing him to cry out and fall forward, nearly falling under Richard's feet.

Meanwhile, the archer who had been moving cursed when the three Leongardians began moving away. Nocking an arrow quickly, he took aim, loosing after a split second. The projectile would hit near Richard's head if he kept the way he went, mere seconds after Koron's axe hit. The other archer continued firing towards the retreating men, still being blocked by the same Leongardian.

The three moved toward the battle, the Shieldguard taking the front as Richard focused on reloading his pistol. There was a large amount of Scaravians in between them and the Leongarde wall, though the wall was beginning to curve inward, the outer part of the wall moving faster than the center. With that in mind, the two suggested to Richard that they should move to their left, where the number of Scaravians between them and the wall was the least.

Koron had now realized what state his army was in, swearing profusely at his folly. Roaring at the archers to leave the three alone, Koron ran headfirst towards the center of the Scaravian horde. He had to get his men back in line. "To the Sand!" he roared. "To the Sand!"

[Tolvo]

Richard aimed his pistol directly at Koron lining up the perfect shot when an axe slammed into him knocking the knight over due to his focus on aim. Toppling over a great amount of sand kicked up as he laid on the ground trying to set up his shot again. Hoping it would land he fired a round at Koron then grew angry as sand landed in his gun afterwards rendering it useless until it could be cleaned. He pressed it harshly into the holster then rose while trying to help up the soldier that fell beside him. Watching Koron run away he noticed that even he did not intend to stay around. He looked to the Leongarde line noticing they seemed to be doing well and the utter chaos present on the side of Scaravius. Richard pointed towards the General hoping the two with him would continue falling back. Removing Metzger from its sheath the man planned to reengage Koron now, letting out a powerful roar of anger towards the man in a taunting manner. "Reinard's Might Slays!" Hoping the man would again give Richard his attention he ran shield raised towards the Whirling Demise concerned about the vailidity of his name. Trying to hide it behind his shield he kept the short sword aimed for the man's lower belly or back depending on the direction he was facing, ready to push his shield aside to go right for a kill on him.

[Jacogos]

The Scaravians, heeding their General's command, were beginning to pull back, rushing out of the slowly shrinking gap between the ends of the Leongarde wall. A few continued to tangle with the wall, though they were quickly cut down without aid of their allies. The Scaravians outran the Leongardians easily over the sand and all of them would be out of death zone before the wall closed completely.

The Gray Mane noticed this retreat, thinking over the possibilities for a moment. Either the Scaravians were completely retreating or they were simply regrouping. Considering how many still yet survived and the words of their General, he was willing to bet on the latter. He held up a fist, his voice roaring out. "Form up, Leongarde! Ignore them for now, keep shields up! Archers, over the rocks!" The wall dispersed, allowing the remaining Shieldguard to create their own wall while the soldiers and Berserkers form a square behind the Shield wall, Berserkers outside and soldiers inside. The Gray Mane would sit at the head of the square, still seated on his horse, though this process would take a few minutes.

Meanwhile, though, the Scaravians were retreating in the direction that Richard was charging, quite a few men slipping between the Leongardian and his target. One in particular noticed what Richard was doing, brandishing his spear at Richard. If the noble didn't change anything, he could easily knock aside the spear and stab the man without much fight. However, this would leave Koron time to disappear into the crowd.

[Tolvo]

Richard angled his shield to be almost parallel with the spear while hugging it closely to his side. He then brought his right arm up to cover his neck, the entire action protecting throat and left side of his torso which he directed towards the spear-man continuing. The weapon made contact then merely slipped off of his armor leaving nothing more than a small scratch barely noticeable at first glance. After the deflection Richard aimed his shield straight forwards to help in blocking incoming arrows that may come his way. The short sword was again placed hidden behind his shield ready to thrust it as soon as Koron neared, though if any other did he would merely try to knock them aside and continue to pursue the man. His eyes were keen on Koron as he continued his charge unfortunately slowed by the Scaravian's back.

[Jacogos]

The spearman was knocked aside, cursing as he hit the sand while Richard ran past undeterred. Now all that stood between him and the enemy commander was a short stretch of sand. Turning to his opponent, Koron swore quietly and readied himself. When the man suddenly began to run faster, Koron backstepped and tossed his right-hand axe vertically at Richard, aiming for his head. The left axe he kept to help him fend off the man's attack, should that axe not work.

However, mere moments away, a Scarab Warrior was running with the army. He caught sight of Koron being charged by a shining knight, obviously Leongarde. Hissing, the Scarab charged, bent on saving his General whilst brandishing a wicked looking one-handed sword and mutated scorpion tail. He would arrive not even ten seconds after Richard got into melee range with Koron.

With Scaravus still in full retreat, the Leongarde army had managed their wall and square, now marching forward hell-bent on routing the rest of the fleeing army. General Kilvas saw Koron then, engaged with a lone Leongarde warrior. This surprised the General, as most men tended to follow his orders to the letter, not run off alone. Still, to be taking on Koron after wading through a sea of enemies spoke something of the man. Raising his sword, Gray Mane shouted his encouragement, bidding Leongarde to pick up the pace. He would not let this man's bravery go to waste and lose their chance at the Scaravian General.

[Tolvo]

Richard tilted his head to the left planning to let the axe go by, unfortunately it scored a very lucky hit and clipped the side of his visor breaking it off. With his right eye and cheek fully exposed blood dripped down his face due to the armor cutting him as it broke away. He charge went on while the man roared in a manner which did not draw people towards him as if they were compelled to. His shield went outwards and to the left while his sword swung for Koron's hand trying to get his guard as close to the man's hand hoping to block and push away the weapon. Next with his shield pulled back the man thrust it forwards aiming for the Scaravian's throat hoping to at least cripple the man using the very edge of his shield rather than bashing with it flatly. He put all of his strength behind this attack along with his weight. Should it succeed after hitting Koron he would follow up and push the man down with his shield then stab downwards, assuming the shield strike didn't outright kill him. Whatever the Scarab was planning didn't even come into consideration for Richard as he hadn't even noticed the warrior.

[Jacogos]

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[Jacogos]

Koron lost his left axe as Richard's sword cut across his forearm, causing the Scaravian to cry out in pain, his fingers no longer willing to grasp the axe that resultantly dropped to the sand. However, Koron managed to catch the man's shield, having predicted Richard would go for such a maneuver when the shield came back.

By this time, Koron was one of the few Scaravians left near Richard, with Leongarde in hot pursuit of the fleeing army. At that moment, the Scarab Warrior flung himself at Richard, tearing the warrior away from Koron. The mutated Scaravian raised his blade to attack the fallen Leongardian, but a sword cut the man's hand clean off, blood spurting from the wound as the Scarab cried out in pain. Turning to try and defend himself with his tail, his face was greeted by shining steel that plunged itself into his head, ending the man's life instantly. General Kilvas shoved the scorpion-man off of Richard and offered a hand to help Richard up.

Koron had managed to flee in that brief moment. Bleeding badly and sporting a fresh arrow wound in his back, the Scaravian hadn't even bothered to retrieve his axes, hurrying off to blend with his troops. It became clear that Scaravus was in no position to try a counter-attack at the moment. Gero Badlands now lay firmly in Leongarde's hands.

"Hold, mighty Leongarde!" the Gray Mane shouted, his men almost immediately falling back into line. "Allow them their retreat. We will fall back to a more defensible spot and collect our dead and allow them the same." There was a cheer from the Leongardians that reverberated on the valley walls. Kilvas echoed their cries with one of his own.

"Victory to Ko'Rhas! Glory to Leongarde! This day is ours!"


<You are allowed a closing post, Tolvo, followed by E1Alpha placing the victory tag.>

[Tolvo]

Richard gladly took the hand of his general and was lifted up. He slowly dusted himself off before joining in the cheering. "Victory to Ko'Rhas! Glory to Leongarde! Praise the Gray Mane!" Now that the battle was over Richard slumped forwards and began to stretch a bit and walked over to his sword that fell when he did. Slowly he picked it up and could feel the pain in his back which caused a grimace. Next he began his long trek over to his banner which was fairly torn from the battle around it and being left to the elements. Along with the others he headed towards the defensive position where he would again plant it and stand staring towards the heart of Scaravius, waiting just in case a counter came unexpected.

[E1Alpha]

http://i46.tinypic.com/2utks39.png