Second Lieutenant Michael had a favourite battlefield saying. 'The best way to deal with an opponent's charge is to order a counter charge,' which is exactly what he did. Looking around at his Thuringian brothers, they certainly looked ready to prevail. Fire in their eyes, flames dancing on their swords, moving like dervishes, and covered in magical wolverine fur, courtesy of the magic user at his side, Eagleclaw Wolverine. The swordsmen responded immediately to Michael's "Charge!!!!" order, and yelled. "Hurraaahh!!!!!!!!! running headlong towards the oncoming hobgoblin crushers. The impact was audible, and resulted in the instant deaths of several crushers, and unfortunately, two of the Thuringians also fell.
Lieutenant Michael vowed to avenge the deaths of his fallen comrades, hacking downwards on the first hobgoblin crusher available. Two battle lines of steel weapons collided forcefully, resulting in fountains of green and red blood. This would be a fight to the death, for both sides. The magically enhanced Thuringians swung faster and more forcefully, but the crushers were huge, truly representing the elite of the hobgoblin army. Michael could certainly sense the magical enhancements provided by Eagleclaw's magic but did not detect any weakness in the hobgoblin crushers, something that he had hoped to see. This engagement was escalating quickly with many killing blows being landed by both sides.
Presently, the Lieutenant's attention was captured by a glint of gemstone on an ornate necklace, slung around the neck of the hobgoblin in front of him. Michael parried a blow from his battle axe, and took a swing on the backhand, with his own sword. But, just when the blade should have pierced the exposed skin of the hobgoblin's weapon arm, an unseen force deflected the strike. Definitely, this was a hobgoblin wizard. Lieutenant Michael shared a knowing glance with mage Wolverine, then stepped forward, intent on neutralising this magic using threat. Slicing, hacking, stabbing, Lieutenant Michael broke down the defences of the hobgoblin mage, finally succeeding in landing a blow through his defences. One wound, then another, and finally a third penetrated the invisible shields. The hobgoblin wizard stumbled and dropped his weapon, seemingly confused and unsure of what to do next, but then started to mumble the guttural words of an incantation. Lieutenant Michael stepped forward to deliver a death blow, in an attempt to preempt the spell cast. It almost worked, but as the sword cut into the neck of the caster, he successfully uttered the last syllable of the "Revenge" spell.
Fractured fragments of the hobgoblin wizard's dead body erupted towards his killer, spraying Lieutenant Michael with magical shrapnel. The projectiles penetrated his armour and wolverine pelt in several locations, resulting in an almost instant fatal outcome.
Eagleclaw Wolverine cursed loudly and blamed himself for the death of his commander. "How could I have been so foolish? I should have recognised that magic using bastard!" yelled Eagleclaw. However, if the Lieutenant's death was not going to be wasted, the Animalia wizard was going to have to finish the job of defeating the crushers. Eagleclaw Wolverine fought with renewed vigour, tearing apart crusher after crusher. Many Thuringian swordsmen also fell, but at last the elite hobgoblins broke, and the few who survived, fled the battlefield. It was a costly victory.
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Major Schwarzkopf spurred Gunther the moose in his sides, and urged him forward. This was the moment to strike. Maximilian could feel it in his bones. The entire unit of Wolf Knights galloped towards the Siberian brown bear cavalry, gathering momentum down the gently sloped ground. The sound of twenty four charging bull moose was deafening and the impact immense as one after the other, the moose collided with the bears. Some of the brown bears legs remained rooted to the ground, and for these bears the effect was devastating. Loud cracks of breaking and dislocating leg bones added a sickening tone to the maelstrom. The Knights of the Wolf hacked downwards with powerful strokes of their two handed blades, wounding and killing both hobgoblins and their mounts. Schwarzkopf did his best to contribute and lead these attacks, swinging wildly with Nagalring. The sword was incredible to wield, correcting small errors in the trajectory and adding penetrating power to each stroke. Here, a lopped bear limb! There, a decapitated hobgoblin! Another stab landed home, and another! With each successful attack the sword grew in power, and some of that power flowed back into Schwarzkopf.
But the impact of the charge only accomplished so much. There were thirty Siberian bears and many avoided damage from the initial wave of attacks. Their response was vicious in nature, with many of the bears reacting as if they were cornered. Their claws and jaws slashed out into the spent moose cavalry, seeking to tear limbs and flesh from the mounts. Equally vicious were the hobgoblin counter attacks, slashing their war axes into the Wolf Knight riders. The heavy blades impacted the Knights steel armour.
Yet, few wounds were registered. The majority of the strikes deflected away in showers of green sparks. The closer a Knight was to Lady Echinachea, the greater the safety offered by the Standard of Goddess Protection. Knights fell, but for each Knight of the Wolf casualty, 3 bear cavalry were destroyed. Never had Major Schwarzkopf seen such energetic fighting in close combat. The blows from the hobgoblins were innumerable and incredibly powerful, but his proud knights withstood the onslaught. At one point Schwarzkopf himself was blindsided by a full swing from a hobgoblin battle axe, and yet somehow he was shielded from the worst of the impact. Quickly shaking off the effects of the blow, Schwarzkopf replied with a strike of his own and was rewarded with another dead hobgoblin. No ground was given and no quarter taken. The hobgoblins fought to the last rider, although two bears saved themselves by galloping away into the surrounding forest.
The moose cavalry regained their equine forms, as their transformation spell wore off. As the last few wounded bears were dealt merciful death blows, Schwarzkopf inspected the results. The Siberian bear cavalry was destroyed, but the cost had been severe. Eight Wolf Knights dead, and several more grievously wounded. There were eleven dead warhorses and four more that would have to be put down. Gunther was injured, but looked as if he would survive. Oxheart Mooseantlers was also wounded, appearing to have broken his arm, and stood next to his mount. Goldenrod Echinacea had been successfully protected throughout the battle and she began tending and healing the wounded knights.
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Schwarzkopf took a close look at the Thuringians. They too had been involved in an extremely difficult combat situation. Dozens of hobgoblin crushers lay dead on the field, with a similar number of Holy Prussian Empire casualties. It had been a near run thing but the crushers were destroyed as a fighting force, with the few injured survivors having retreated back into the cover of the forest. Soldiers were assembling makeshift stretchers and crutches in order to transport their injured colleagues back to the safety of Kaunas. As Schwarzkopf strode over to inspect the scene, Eagleclaw Wolverine noticed him and stepped forward to make a report. "She was as tough a battle as I have ever seen, Sir. The boys fought magnificently and prevailed over the hobgoblin scum! A total victory, but we have been stung by the experience. Many a song will be sung to commemorate the heroics performed on this day!" explained mage Eagleclaw.
"I can see that, Herr Wolverine! What of Lieutenant Michael? I cannot seem to see him," asked Schwarzkopf.
"Alas, the Thuringian commander did not survive the battle. He gave his own life to save mine. I shall never forget his heroism," explained the Animalia wizard.
"That is ill news indeed, Eagleclaw Wolverine. I would order you to take over temporary command of the unit and insure an orderly withdrawal of the injured and passed. However, hold this position as well as you are able, until we can confirm there are no more hobgoblin assault units left to concern us."
"I will do that, Sir!" replied Eagleclaw Wolverine.
But what of the rest of the battle? On the left flank, towards the north end of their battle line, Major Schwarzkopf could see some trouble brewing. Several hobgoblin war chariots had been wrecked, but two had survived and advanced to overrun the horse drawn artillery. Fortunately, a unit of reserve White Swan light infantry had been dispatched to hold the left flank, no doubt saving the Wolf Knights from some considerable grief. The White Swans had formed an impenetrable triple line of spearmen blocking any further progress by the surviving war chariots.
Towards the south, the situation was more complex. Dire wolves had broken through and surrounded the outriders and compromised the right flank. But, once again the White Swan reserves had been committed, shoring up the flank and preventing any sort of breakthrough behind the Flying Eagles. Schwarzkopf guessed that General Paulus was responsible for these moves and the results were significant, allowing the Wolf Knights and Thuringian swordsmen to concentrate their efforts against the most dangerous units in the hobgoblin army. The day had been won, albeit barely. Surely there were almost no White Swan units left in reserve. Looking back into the town of Kaunas all Schwarzkopf could see was two depleted ranks of weak looking scout cavalry. No more than a screening force, really. It was a good thing that the hobgoblin assault force was spent, or so Schwarzkopf hoped. After all, the Knights of the Wolf and Thuringians were in no state to fight another serious adversary.
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Countess Fedorina stepped out of her carriage onto the chosen viewpoint, overlooking the fields on the north east side of the town of Kaunas. Surely she was obeying the letter of her promise, and respecting Major Schwarzkopf's suggestions. She was not 'attending' the battle. In fact she was keeping herself on the opposite side of the River Blau, well away from any part of the battlefield. Her most trusted advisor, Deputy Hess, was in attendance, as well as several armed and mounted staff members. Countess Fedorina vowed to leave, in her carriage, at the first sign of any danger, which she doubted would be necessary. Maximilian Schwarzkopf will defeat those hobgoblin ruffians! She was sure of it.
The thing was, Fedorina was becoming quite attached to the Holy Prussian Empire officer. His tales of daring do on the battlefield were intoxicating, and she felt that she just had to see him perform with her own eyes. The trouble was, as she gazed out over the plains towards the northeast, there just wasn't much to see. There was dust, and smoke, but not much else was visible. "What do you think is going on, Lieutenant Hess?" asked the Countess Fedorina. It was the middle of the afternoon.
""I can't be sure, Countess," replied the Lieutenant. "There is definitely fighting going on. The smoke is thick, along the entire line of battle, but there is no sign of who might be winning. We can try using these spyglasses." Deputy Hess handed the Countess a brass spyglass and raised another one to improve his own vision. Both scanned the fields to look for any evidence of Prussian victory, but to no avail.
The Countess invited her two attendants, Amber and Melissa, to exit the carriage and join her on the pleasant viewpoint, overlooking the Blau river. It was a sunny day, and Countess Fedorina did not want to waste it. The men could watch the battle and inform her of any changes, and so she and her attendants began to spread out cloth covers and food baskets to make arrangements for the outdoor meal. The estate chef had outdone himself, and sent enough food for a gathering twice as large as the one they had. Lovely food too, including Fedorina's favourite croissants. Everyone had something to eat, except for Lieutenant Hess, who responsibly refused to leave his observation post. The Countess prepared a lunch for him, and brought the meal over to her loyal Deputy.
"Lieutenant Hess! I have some food for you. Have you observed any change on the battlefield?" inquired the Countess.
"The smoke and dust seems to be settling, and there is a bit of a breeze developing. I might see something soon," said Hess, as he scanned the valley floor with his spyglass. "Oh! There! Off to the right. There are some wolves, I think. Large ones, being chased by our cavalry! Use your glass!"
Fedorina set down the plate of food and raised her spyglass. Yes! It was true. Even though the distance was significant, the Countess could make out the charging black horses of the Prussian outriders hot on the tails of the wolves. "I see! I see them," exclaimed Fedorina.
Deputy Hess continued to scan the field noticing that the visibility was rapidly improving. "There, off to the left, Madam. There are more of our troops. They have been involved in significant combat, but I believe that they have carried the day. The Flying Eagles remain in possession of the battlefield."
"I see what you are talking about, Hess," replied Countess Fedorina. "I can see our men, and yes! I am sure of it! Major Schwarzkopf himself! I can recognise him, even at this distance! I see him standing alone, just there, towards the forest." Sure enough, it had to be him, standing just on the other side of a large group of soldiers. Many of them were lying on the ground. Hess was right. They did look to have been involved in some significant trouble. But Major Schwarzkopf seemed to be fine. Her heart soared, and she started to have ideas of heroism, victory and valour swimming through her head.
"But look what is coming towards them, Countess," replied Deputy Hess.
The Countess scanned upwards, looking at a roadway entering the plain about 200 metres from Major Schwarzkopf. Was that a group of moving trees? "Oh my God!" shouted Countess Fedorina. "It's a mammoth!"
