Lord of the Rings: Warriors

"Gather the knights and heavy cavalry! Have all the Battanian Archers who can ride horses mount up as well!" Rynar's eyes flashed with a cold light. 

No matter what had happened, if someone dared to harm his people, he would demand an explanation.

"We can arm at most 200 Battanian Archers. Our warhorses are running low," Caslow calculated before reporting.

"Fine, assemble the troops! Reynard will manage the city in my absence. Oh, and bring a priest along! The wounded need immediate care!" Rynar ordered firmly.

"As you command, my lord!" Caslow nodded.

---

With a thunderous rumble, 100 heavy cavalry and 200 Battanian Archers galloped toward the forest where the centaurs were said to roam.

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"Let's catch up with the knights first!" Rynar urged as they left Riverguard. 

Although the arrows lodged in their shoulders weren't fatal, excessive blood loss could still deliver them to the dragon god's embrace.

"Understood! Speed up!" Caslow spurred his horse, galloping from the front to the rear of the column, shouting for everyone to hasten their pace.

At Caslow's urging, the army picked up speed. The crisp sound of hooves shattered the stillness of the plains, sending small creatures in the snowy underbrush scattering in all directions.

"Something's up!" A sharp-eyed Battanian Archer scouting several hundred meters ahead spotted an unusual sight in the distance.

"What is it?" Caslow quickly rode up.

"It's our people!" The Battanian Archer squinted and made out knights escorting civilians. The knights' fluttering capes were a clear identifier.

"Go meet them!" Rynar exclaimed with relief.

The massive cavalry formation immediately transformed into a pincer, encircling the distant group that was trudging forward.

---

"Be alert! I hear hooves—at least 300 warhorses!" A veteran knight captain leaped off his horse, pressed his ear to the ground, and shouted after a quick listen.

"Mount up! Quickly! Abandon all non-essentials! Young men, grab your weapons! Surround the wounded!" 

The battle-hardened knights moved swiftly, pulling their reins to form a rotating circle around the civilians. 

This maneuver allowed them to shield against incoming arrows while remaining poised to charge into melee combat when necessary.

"His Majesty has come to reinforce us!" The sight of the dragon banner of Zaltarion filled many eyes with tears of joy. In their darkest hour, their king had personally come to their aid.

"Praise His Majesty!"

"Long live the King!"

The people of Zaltarion knelt on the ground, expressing heartfelt gratitude to their lord.

"What happened?" Rynar rode up to the lead knight.

"Your Majesty, we were escorting these villagers who were foraging for wild vegetables in the forest when we came under attack by arrows! 

Here are the ones used by the assailants. They only aimed to injure, not kill," the lead knight reported, bowing deeply.

"Any injuries among the knights?" Rynar scanned the area.

"None, thankfully. Their shoddy arrows couldn't pierce our plate armor, and the shoulder guards are particularly well-reinforced," the knight replied, pointing to the white dents on his armor.

Rynar closely examined the arrow in his hand. 

The finely crafted shaft rivaled that of elven arrows, and the feathers for stabilization were meticulously attached.

Yet the arrowhead, crucial for lethality, was made of flint, carefully polished to a sharp edge.

"What good is this? It might work against unarmored targets, but that's about it," Rynar muttered, testing the arrowhead's sharpness. 

It was absurd that his people had been attacked with such primitive weapons. At least now, it was clear the attackers were centaurs.

"Why would centaurs come south from the northern plains?" Rynar wondered aloud. In his memory, centaurs were a peaceful race inhabiting forests and plains, fiercely territorial but rarely hostile unless provoked.

"Uncertain. Centaurs prefer peace and are known for their strong territorial instincts. They must have claimed this forest as their domain," Caslow observed, glancing at the bare woods ahead.

"Strange indeed! Let's go find out. Regardless, they owe me an explanation," Rynar said, his eyes flashing with a brief, murderous glint. 

Harming Zaltarion's citizens was akin to declaring war. While Rynar had yet to restore the Empire's full glory, its banner would not be trampled.

---

"How are the wounded?" Rynar asked the accompanying priest with concern.

"They're stable for now, Your Majesty. The blood loss was severe, but it's not life-threatening," the priest replied, casting healing spells on the injured as he spoke.

"Good. Heavy cavalry, escort the priest and villagers back! The rest, follow me to deal with these centaurs. Let's see if their bones are tougher than those of orcs!" Rynar commanded coldly.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" came the unanimous reply. The heavy cavalry swiftly departed, surrounding the large group of villagers, while the rest of the soldiers and adventurers rallied around Rynar.

"Let's move out!" Rynar spurred his horse and advanced into the forest.

---

Clang! 

A sudden gust of wind brought an arrow hurtling toward Rynar. He instinctively raised his left arm, blocking the attack with Aerial, his enchanted shield.

The force of the impact made Rynar tremble, but the arrow shattered against the shield.

"How dare they!" Caslow roared in fury. 

An attack on his lord was a personal affront and a failure of his duty. With a dragonbone longbow in hand, he drew a powerful energy arrow formed from his combat aura.

Boom! The terrifying sonic boom from the shot tore through the forest, shredding trees in its path before vanishing into the distance.

"Humans! You've crossed the line!" a furious roar echoed from the forest. Moments later, centaurs began emerging from the shadows, their figures towering and intimidating.

"Crossed the line?" Rynar sneered.

"This doesn't look like centaur territory to me," he said, gripping his sword tightly.

"Humans! Why have you harmed my kin?" the leading centaur accused instead of answering.

"Harmed your kin? Who shot my people first?" Rynar retorted, incredulous.

"They trespassed on our territory!" the centaur leader declared defensively.

"Your territory? That's absurd! This forest is less than 20 miles from our city. Since when did it become yours?" Rynar asked icily.

"We've settled here! Since no one else lived here, it's now ours!" the centaurs shouted in unison.

Rynar laughed—a cold, ruthless laugh. "So, because it was unoccupied, you think you can claim it? Then, by the same logic, I can consider this an invasion of my lands!"

"You!" Rynar pointed at a Battanian Archer. "Go back and tell Reynard to assemble the army. Let's see if I can't wipe out these invaders!"

The shamelessness of the centaurs infuriated him. Declaring empty land as theirs and attacking his citizens? It was time to teach them a lesson.

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