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. . . But then again, rumour has they're serving extra march cake tonight. Maybe some of that Kalcmiri spice to go with? Feasibly there's always the opportunity to rout and run away some other time. Maybe tomorrow. Might as well plant your feet and stick it out and find out what the next five minutes brings.
As it happens, the next five minutes brings the short, sharp sound of a horn and Legion troops appearing, rather briskly, from a wide assortment of hiding holes. The 123rd Steelcrows align their crossbows on the walls of the suddenly manned camp just north of the cross-roads. There's Luperni strikers on either side of the bridge, and five more coming out from under it. The 272th Porcupine Winds shake off grass, leaves, dirt, dust and rocks and grab quivers and drop out of the six or so trees.
Which is about a minute before the gates of the camp are thrown open, suddenly a lot more manned than the empty, ramshackle appearance would suggest, and the few outriders not otherwise busy being shot, stabbed, slashed or shocked, might turn to see the rest of the Light Mist coming down the way.
Well, if they can see them past the heavy lancers.
--
There are Scholastic military theoretical terms for the next fifteen minutes.
A double envelopment. The Vanadian Circle. Reikan Seven Fist. Regulation Maneveur 27-B, Light Front Element Lead, Lobster Style, with a creative inclusion of the 13-A Variant of the Spoiling heavy Thrust.
Though what the Sparkhooves are likely to report to their distant commander is the more prosaic term of a patently unfair onesided slaughter.
