Alex's Point of View -
Time flew by faster than I expected—another two weeks had already passed.
Now, we stood at the outskirts of Canos, near the border between the Kingdom of Deogon and Eshmore.
All 200 of us foot soldiers recruited from the town were lined up on the front line, waiting for orders. The tension in the air was thick, heavy enough to feel in your chest.
Behind us stood the proper soldiers 1,000 men sent from the capital. Unlike us, they were trained, armored, and ready. Their presence alone made it clear where we stood in the hierarchy.
And even farther back, mounted and armored were the knight. Among them were Commander Willson and Lieutenant Cloe, watching from a distance as the rest of us prepared to be thrown into the fire.
From afar, I could see the Eshmore soldiers preparing for the invasion. Their formation stretched across the horizon at least 2,000 strong, maybe more.
They outnumbered us. Heavily.
I stood there with a sword in my right hand and shield on my left, gripped tightly. My body was wrapped in ill-fitting leather armor, barely enough to call protection. I was positioned close to Mr. Hex and Marci.
Marci was trembling. I could see it in the way his legs shifted, the way his finger clutches his weapon. His eyes were wide, filled with fear he couldn't hide.
Mr. Hex on the other hand, wore a tense expression, silent.
"Don't think too much. Just focus on killing the enemy," he said, his voice low but firm. "It's a do-or-die moment. Remember that."
He had noticed me looking at him. His eyes met mine, then shifted to Marci, and just like that, he gave us both the only advice we'd get before the battle began.
Suddenly, a mounted knight galloped toward our line, his armor stained with dust and urgency.
"Foot soldiers! Ready your weapons charge!"
With that single command, a thunderous war cry erupted from the 200 footmen around me.
Without hesitation, they surged forward like a crashing wave, rushing straight toward the enemy line.
As we closed the distance to the enemy line, a rain of arrows came falling from the sky.
"Shields up!" Mr. Hex shouted—his voice sharp and urgent, echoed by others down the line.
I raised my shield instinctively, heart pounding.
But it wasn't just arrows.
Flaming spheres came crashing down alongside them, exploding into bursts of fire and smoke. The ground shook beneath our feet.
I stared in disbelief.
I saw it with my own eyes—some of our men were struck directly by the flaming spheres.
They screamed as fire consumed them, their bodies writhing in pain. Some were blown apart by the blast, vanishing in a flash of flame and smoke.
The stench of burning flesh filled the air. Cries of agony echoed across the field.
Casualties were everywhere.
In an instant, the charge had turned into a massacre.
And we had no choice but to keep going.
Through the smoke, fire, and falling arrow we finally reached the enemy line.
The Eshmore soldiers stood ready, locked in a tight defensive formation, their shields raised and spears bristling like a wall of iron thorns.
They were prepared.
=========================
Back at the main formation –
"Commander Willson, it seems the Eshmore army has deployed battlefield mages," one of the knights reported as they observed the battle from afar. "Fortunately, we sent the footmen first. Now we have a clearer idea of their strategy."
He paused briefly before adding, "It also looks like the remaining footmen have reached the enemy line."
Commander Willson narrowed his eyes at the field, then turned to Cloe.
"Ready the soldiers," he ordered. "Continue the assault."
He paused for a moment, then gave Cloe a sharp nod.
"I'll lead the cavalry myself straight into their main formation."
=============================
Alex's Point of View -
As I closed in on their defensive line, I saw Mr. Hex leap onto one of their shields and bring his sword down in a swift, brutal arc.
Without hesitation, Marci and I followed right behind him.
The moment we breached their line, everything turned into a blur of movement and steel.
I barely managed to dodge a spear thrust aimed at my side. Instinct took over—I raised my sword and slashed hard at the soldier in front of me. The blade sliced clean through his neck, and blood sprayed across my face, hot and fresh.
There was no time to think. No time to breathe.
I shoved another attacker back with my shield, then lunged forward again, striking with everything I had.
The air was thick with tension, the stench of fresh blood, sweat, and fear hung in the air. All around me, soldiers screamed, steel clashed, and bodies fell.
The enemy's line had broken but so had ours.
Our footmen were starting to fall, one after another.
We were being pushed back, slowly but surely, as enemy reinforcements advanced with renewed force.
But then another war cry erupted from behind us.
I turned just in time to see the rest of the Deogon forces charging in. The main soldiers, finally moving. They rushed forward with precision, armor gleaming, weapons raised. The ground thundered beneath their march as they slammed into the enemy line and began to push them back.
Among them, Lieutenant Cloe appeared on horseback, flanked by two knights. He rode up to Mr. Hex, calm and composed despite the chaos around him.
"How's the situation, Mr. Hex?" he asked, his tone steady as he surveyed the battlefield from above.
Mr. Hex, his sword dripping with blood, didn't hesitate.
"The biggest problem is their battle mages and bowmen, they're hammering us from the backline."
Lieutenant Cloe turned to Mr. Hex with a sharp look.
"Gather the remaining footmen," he ordered. "Circle around and hit their backline with a surprise assault. Take out their archers and mages. When Commander Willson began his assault"
With that Mr. Hex nodded as he knew well about the strategy.
Without hesitation, Cloe and his knights charged ahead, cutting through the enemy ranks and opening a gap in the middle of the formation, a path for Willson's cavalry to break through.
I didn't know anything about military tactics.
I didn't understand formations, positioning, or strategy.
All I could do was follow orders.
Mr. Hex began gathering the scattered survivors—what was left of us footmen. We were bloodied, exhausted, but still breathing.
"Rest for now," he said, his voice low but steady. "We moved the moment Commander Willson arrived."
After a short break, the ground beneath us began to tremble.
Dust filled the air. The sound of galloping hooves grew louder as the cavalry was coming.
Charging at full speed, Commander Willson led the mounted unit straight into the gap that Cloe and his knights had cleared in the enemy line.
"Everyone, ready your weapons and follow Commander Willson!"
Mr. Hex's voice rang out as he tightened his grip on his sword, his eyes fixed forward.
Around fifty of us remained—battered, bruised, but still standing.
We didn't hesitate.
Flaming spheres and arrows rained down every minute, tearing through our ranks. Soldiers were falling all around us—screaming, burning, dying.
We couldn't let it continue.
We had to stop their backline assault—or none of us would make it out alive.
Without hesitation, we rallied behind Mr. Hex.
As Commander Willson's cavalry clashed with the enemy's main force, we followed Mr. Hex and circled around toward their rear unit.
Our timing was perfect.
We struck fast and hard, catching them completely off guard. I charged straight at the bowmen, cutting them down one by one with my sword.
Up close, they were weak, clearly not trained for melee combat.
I could see it in their faces, the shock, the fear, the moment they realized we weren't supposed to be there.
And we didn't give them time to recover.
"Ahhh! I'm burning! I'm burning!!"
One of the footmen screamed as -a flame sphere exploded near him, fire consuming his armor and flesh. The battle mages had noticed us—and they began launching their attacks.
But they were slow.
Some were already exhausted, their robes drenched in sweat. Others were still chanting their spells, their voices shaky and unfocused under the pressure.
That was our chance.
I rushed toward their position alongside Mr. Hex, cutting down the mages one by one.
Up close, they were nothing.
Most of them froze the moment we reached them, panic in their eyes, hands trembling mid-spell. They didn't even know what to do. No barriers, no defense... just fear.
They were dangerous from afar but in close combat, they were helpless.
And we took full advantage of it.
There had been around fifty bowmen and thirty battle mages stationed in the rear.
The bowmen were the first to fall we wiped them out completely before they could even regroup.
Now, only the mages remained falling one after another under our blades.
While we tore through their backline, Commander Willson had already shattered their main force. The enemy was collapsing, and yet… no reinforcements came to protect their mages.
Then, it happened.
A deep, thunderous horn echoed across the battlefield a sound that cut through the chaos like a blade.
I heard it, but I didn't understand what it meant.
So I kept going.
Kept killing.
The mages began to panic. One by one, they started to turn and flee.
I wasn't about to let them escape.
I chased after one who had broken away from the group. Their black cloak fluttered behind them as they ran. I caught up, leapt forward, and tackled them to the ground.
They hit the dirt with a grunt, hood still covering their face.
I didn't hesitate. I raised my sword ready to finish it in one clean strike.
But then the hood fell back.
And I froze.
It was a young woman, maybe even close to my age. Her face was scratched and bruised, her lips trembling. She looked up at me with wide, tear-filled eyes.
Her lips parted, but no words came out. Just a silent plea.
My sword hovered at her neck, the blade trembling in my grip.
Then I felt a hand rest gently on my shoulder.
It was Mr. Hex.
"That's enough, Alex," he said quietly. "They've already surrendered. They're retreating."
He glanced down at the terrified girl beneath me, her chest rising and falling with panicked breaths, eyes still locked on mine.
"…I think you should let her go," he added, voice calm but serious. "Before someone else sees her"
I didn't fully understand what he meant.
She was the enemy. A battle mage. Her kind had burned our comrades alive, slaughtered our people.
But I didn't argue.
I just followed his lead.
With my sword still trembling in my hand, I stepped back and let her go.
The girl scrambled to her feet and ran tearing through the forest with fear in her eyes, disappearing into the trees without looking back.
And just like that, the Kingdom of Eshmore's invasion ended in failure.
We had defended the town.
"Mr. Hex! Alex!"
A soft, familiar voice called out one I hadn't expected to hear again.
It was Marci.
He rushed toward us, dirt-smudged and bruised, but smiling like a kid who just found something he thought he'd lost forever.
Without warning, he threw his arms around me in a tight hug.
"Hey!"
I blinked, stunned for a second… then awkwardly pushed him away.
"Don't just jump on people like that," I muttered, trying to sound annoyed but the relief in my chest said otherwise.