When Darius was a child, he had read fanciful tales of warfare. Sometimes they were battles on a grand scale; at other times, they were duels where two knights engaged in single combat.
All of these stories appeared to have one thing in common: time. Whether it was a marksman at a parapet, carefully and patiently aiming at the leader of the besieging, or a villain painstakingly describing his elaborate plan in the middle of a duel in an attempt to outwit his opponent.
Darius had since discovered that the reality was very different. A melee could be fast and confusing; it could happen at breakneck speed, with decisions driven by a combination of well-laid plans and combat instinct.
Time was a luxury that was often absent from a battlefield, just as it was on this one, as Darius had to adjust as a number of the thwarthides redirected their charge towards him and the archers.
There was a benefit to this dilemma, of course. A split force would be easier for Kisaik and the Green Knights to fight against. If they could overlap their forces, they might even be able to envelop the red thwarthide and its companions. But it also meant that Darius and the archers with him might find themselves in a melee that they hadn't hoped for.
Fortunately, Kisaik himself was adaptable, and within moments of the thwarthides changing their tactics, he was swooping over them and swinging his swords at them. Both of the smaller thwarthides squealed when the sharp blades struck their necks. The first one fell down, clutching at its neck as blood streamed out through its fat fingers. The second thwarthide stumbled, before regaining its balance and continuing to scramble over the rocks - albeit at a slower pace.
None of this appeared to bother their green-garbed leader, who merely grunted angrily at its two companions and carried on.
The archers, for their part, wasted no time in firing arrows at the three attackers. They let loose two more volleys of arrows as the thwarthides approached. They lacked the time - a young Darius would have been shocked - to aim properly, but their targets were closer and larger, which made them harder to miss.
The two smaller thwarthides were felled. The more seriously wounded one was almost prone already, and thus an easy target. The other collected three arrows as soon as it peered over the top of one of the boulders.
But the leader remained, and the archers scattered as it climbed the highest boulder. It stood tall, casting a fearsome silhouette as it thumped its sword against its shield. It let out a ferocious squeal, spittle flying from its mouth as it asserted its dominance over the retreating archers.
Darius looked up at the creature with wild eyes, his feet rooted to the ground, while Astra clung desperately to the bear's fur. Her mount, however, was not easily cowed. The bear raised itself onto its hind legs and roared back at the thwarthide.
With no saddle to keep her on its back, Astra lost her balance and let out a yell as she tumbled to the ground. She appeared to be unharmed, but her fall seemed to shake Darius out of his frozen state, and he rushed over to her, helping her to her feet. They moved away, but did not retreat like the archers had; they wanted to see what would become of the thwarthide and the bear.
As the thwarthide was soon to discover, however, they were not the only archers. On the other side of the road, Lars and Poi had been watching on. Their attention was now split between the thwarthides that were facing the Green Knights, and those that had pursued their fellow archers. Most of their group stuck with their original plan and attacked the flank of those still in the road.
But two - including Poi - switched targets. With their companions out of sight behind the boulders, and the large thwarthide standing atop one, the pair fired their arrows.
The first the thwarthide knew of this other group was when a sharp arrowhead pierced the back of its leg. Half a trill later, another struck it in the back where its shield could offer no protection.
Reeling, the beast turned to face its new threat, and that was when the bear struck. It swiped at the thwarthide's wounded leg, dark nails creating a gash and throwing the creature off balance. The creature dropped its sword and shield as it fell into the road, and the bear pursued it, climbing up onto the very boulder that its opponent had occupied mere moments earlier.
As the thwarthide attempted to climb back onto its feet, slowed by the pain in its leg, it made easy pickings. A third arrow pierced its side before the bear let out a roar and - with the assistance of gravity that a creature of its size clearly didn't need - leapt down onto the wounded creature and messily finished it off.
Darius and Astra could not see what was happening, but they could hear the squeals that were suddenly cut short, and the roar of the bear that remained. They began to make their way back to the road, Darius still brandishing his longsword and Astra her bow. The archers were no longer with them, but if the Green Knights needed any help, they were willing to return to the fray.
Arc 721, 39th of Ymiden: Saoire gifts Darius with a carving of a bear in Saoire's Heroes: The Earth Table.
Arc 721, 42nd of Ymiden: Upon his return to Hopetoun, Darius introduces the bear to Astra in The Bear Necessities.
Arc 722, 18th of Ymiden: Almost an era later, Darius suggests Astra could learn to ride the bear in The Bear Basics. They try to train it, with mixed results.
Arc 722, 22nd of Ymiden: Realising they are out of their depth, Darius and Astra take the bear to receive formal training from Professor Gubbins at Saoire's School in Bearly There.
Arc 722, 27th of Ymiden: Having created a bond with the bear, Astra tries to ride it in battle, but falls off. Oops!
All of these stories appeared to have one thing in common: time. Whether it was a marksman at a parapet, carefully and patiently aiming at the leader of the besieging, or a villain painstakingly describing his elaborate plan in the middle of a duel in an attempt to outwit his opponent.
Darius had since discovered that the reality was very different. A melee could be fast and confusing; it could happen at breakneck speed, with decisions driven by a combination of well-laid plans and combat instinct.
Time was a luxury that was often absent from a battlefield, just as it was on this one, as Darius had to adjust as a number of the thwarthides redirected their charge towards him and the archers.
There was a benefit to this dilemma, of course. A split force would be easier for Kisaik and the Green Knights to fight against. If they could overlap their forces, they might even be able to envelop the red thwarthide and its companions. But it also meant that Darius and the archers with him might find themselves in a melee that they hadn't hoped for.
Fortunately, Kisaik himself was adaptable, and within moments of the thwarthides changing their tactics, he was swooping over them and swinging his swords at them. Both of the smaller thwarthides squealed when the sharp blades struck their necks. The first one fell down, clutching at its neck as blood streamed out through its fat fingers. The second thwarthide stumbled, before regaining its balance and continuing to scramble over the rocks - albeit at a slower pace.
None of this appeared to bother their green-garbed leader, who merely grunted angrily at its two companions and carried on.
The archers, for their part, wasted no time in firing arrows at the three attackers. They let loose two more volleys of arrows as the thwarthides approached. They lacked the time - a young Darius would have been shocked - to aim properly, but their targets were closer and larger, which made them harder to miss.
The two smaller thwarthides were felled. The more seriously wounded one was almost prone already, and thus an easy target. The other collected three arrows as soon as it peered over the top of one of the boulders.
But the leader remained, and the archers scattered as it climbed the highest boulder. It stood tall, casting a fearsome silhouette as it thumped its sword against its shield. It let out a ferocious squeal, spittle flying from its mouth as it asserted its dominance over the retreating archers.
Darius looked up at the creature with wild eyes, his feet rooted to the ground, while Astra clung desperately to the bear's fur. Her mount, however, was not easily cowed. The bear raised itself onto its hind legs and roared back at the thwarthide.
With no saddle to keep her on its back, Astra lost her balance and let out a yell as she tumbled to the ground. She appeared to be unharmed, but her fall seemed to shake Darius out of his frozen state, and he rushed over to her, helping her to her feet. They moved away, but did not retreat like the archers had; they wanted to see what would become of the thwarthide and the bear.
As the thwarthide was soon to discover, however, they were not the only archers. On the other side of the road, Lars and Poi had been watching on. Their attention was now split between the thwarthides that were facing the Green Knights, and those that had pursued their fellow archers. Most of their group stuck with their original plan and attacked the flank of those still in the road.
But two - including Poi - switched targets. With their companions out of sight behind the boulders, and the large thwarthide standing atop one, the pair fired their arrows.
The first the thwarthide knew of this other group was when a sharp arrowhead pierced the back of its leg. Half a trill later, another struck it in the back where its shield could offer no protection.
Reeling, the beast turned to face its new threat, and that was when the bear struck. It swiped at the thwarthide's wounded leg, dark nails creating a gash and throwing the creature off balance. The creature dropped its sword and shield as it fell into the road, and the bear pursued it, climbing up onto the very boulder that its opponent had occupied mere moments earlier.
As the thwarthide attempted to climb back onto its feet, slowed by the pain in its leg, it made easy pickings. A third arrow pierced its side before the bear let out a roar and - with the assistance of gravity that a creature of its size clearly didn't need - leapt down onto the wounded creature and messily finished it off.
Darius and Astra could not see what was happening, but they could hear the squeals that were suddenly cut short, and the roar of the bear that remained. They began to make their way back to the road, Darius still brandishing his longsword and Astra her bow. The archers were no longer with them, but if the Green Knights needed any help, they were willing to return to the fray.
Baer's Bear
Arc 721, 39th of Ymiden: Saoire gifts Darius with a carving of a bear in Saoire's Heroes: The Earth Table.
Arc 721, 42nd of Ymiden: Upon his return to Hopetoun, Darius introduces the bear to Astra in The Bear Necessities.
Arc 722, 18th of Ymiden: Almost an era later, Darius suggests Astra could learn to ride the bear in The Bear Basics. They try to train it, with mixed results.
Arc 722, 22nd of Ymiden: Realising they are out of their depth, Darius and Astra take the bear to receive formal training from Professor Gubbins at Saoire's School in Bearly There.
Arc 722, 27th of Ymiden: Having created a bond with the bear, Astra tries to ride it in battle, but falls off. Oops!
