>>5917424Somehow, you got the feeling shooting at Bennett was exactly what he wanted. The way he was willing to show himself, even in the face of an enemy army full of spellcasters and archers, seemed almost too inviting. You wouldn’t rise to the bait. Besides, if you’d killed him with a Bolting, you wouldn’t be able to wipe the smugness off his face up close. You give the order for the rest of the Blackwings to mobilize and take the Tower’s bridge. The door looked sturdy, but you knew that it was nothing that a bit of blasting powder couldn’t fix.
>“Caleb, stay here and be ready to fire the ballista when needed.”“Fire on what exactly?” Caleb asks. “I’m afraid one of Eulalia’s bolts would rip right through that tower and send the entire thing collapsing down. It would crush everyone below.”
>“Then don’t fire on the tower. I trust your judgment. Use those bolts as you see fit.”Moving quickly, the Blackwings maneuver towards the tower bridge. The terrain is rocky and difficult to traverse. Those mounted on horses have a difficult time navigating, and many are forced to dismount. There would be no calvary charge here like there was in Rusalka. Only those in your company who were situated on flying mounts would enjoy any degree of freedom of movement. You and your unit of pegasus knights fly above the charging Blackwings. Down below in the canyon, several pilgrims appear to be clambering up from the canyon, looking to attack your men. It would be a suicidal attack on their part, but you would still seek to limit as many casualties as feasibly possible.
“I can hear the Goddess!” Bennett screeches, his voice still amplified by magic so that it may reach his loyal followers. “She’s coming! She will soon be upon us, to take us into her bosom! In just a few short minutes, we will reach paradise, together! These foul villains must not be allowed near her place of worship! Drive them from the desert and back into the abyss from whence they came!”
“Blowhard bastard!” Corrine seethes. “He needs to be shut up for good! Hurry up and get that damn door down! Even if those idiots down below try to fight us, we can hold them off at the bridge.”
You watch as the company arrives at their target, and several Blackwings rush towards the tower door. The bridge is narrow, you note. At best, only four people might stand upon it shoulder to shoulder, limiting your movement somewhat. That was fine though. You could knock the door down and storm the tower with your elite, while the rest of the company held off those madmen. The squad holding the blasting powder almost reaches the tower door when something jumps down from one of the tower’s higher levels.
In an instant, five Blackwings are crushed to death, flattened across the bridge in a scattering of gore. Another three are enveloped in several flashes. They stand there momentarily, before collapsing to the floor in pieces.
