Dux Canus sat on a horse atop a hill. He was overlooking the road, which was packed to the brim with people. Limitanei walked in bunches, vaguely formed into platoons. All around them were evacuating civilians: noncombatants, children, elderly, and wagons filled to the brim with whatever they could carry.

More people joined them every minute, streaming in from towns and villages in the countryside.

And, of course, it was raining.

Canus heaved a sigh. These add-ons had disrupted the orderly columns of his men. He had tried to keep order as best he could but these were not the immaculately drilled, constantly trained soldiers of the comitatenses. These were limitanei, the farmers who trained maybe two weeks a year and who were currently surrounded by their friends and family on an evacuation march. He considered it to his soldiers’ credit that they were still in their units and that the column was still moving, albeit at a snail’s pace.

And he frowned.

He had faced dire odds in the past…but always with the comitatenses at his side. Real, trained soldiers he could maneuver with and use to make plays. The limitanei couldn’t do much more than hold the line, they just didn’t have the experience, skills, or gear for it. They had no initiative, and so Canus had no tools to work with. All he could do was arrange the formation as best he could and hope that they held. His fate was no longer in his own hands.

If it were him…he would have sent his family as far away as possible. Even with Castra Turannia’s defenses, the chances of actually winning this war were miniscule. They could probably hold Castra Turannia for a surprisingly long time, but they would lose the entire province in the meantime. Anyone remaining was not going back to their homes or their lives for a long, long time, if ever.

So his men either didn’t know how dire the situation was…or knew but could do nothing about it anyways. Either scenario would shake their morale, but what could he do about that? He hadn’t even evacuated his own descendants for fear of sparking a panic, just dropped some hints and hoped they would make their own inferences and choices.

Just then, he heard screaming far down the column. A soldier rushed up the hill towards him. Canus rode his horse down to meet him.

“What’s going on?”

The soldier trembled.

“Dux, we’re under attack! They’ve…they’ve caught up to us!”

“Steady man! The horde is still a ways off. This is probably a scouting party.”

He nodded at his tribune, who took the panicking man aside and then rushed to keep the line calm and moving. He then turned to the one piece he did have to play.

“Miallói, can I count on you?”

Miallói just nodded silently and motioned to her group. The Selkie had heeded the call as well, and a small hunting party had joined up with Canus’s column. They were probably the most effective and experienced fighters here.

Limitanei could probably hold against a Dobhar scouting party…but a scouting party wasn’t intended to win. The Dobhar were harassing them, trying to slow them down so their main force could catch up. And with all the non-combatants and refugees around, they had a very good chance of doing just that. So this party needed to be handled more swiftly and efficiently than limitanei could manage.

Canus raised an eyebrow as two young teens moved to go with Miallói.

“You’re taking them too?”

Miallói just nodded.

“Are you sure? They seem a bit fresh for Exploratores.”

“Not Exploratores. Warriors.”

And with that, Miallói headed out, Ateia Niraemia following after her.

Canus gripped his fist.

But his hands were tied. He technically couldn’t order an Exploratore directly, and as cadets those two fell under Miallói’s authority until she approved them for duty. They were glued to Miallói for the foreseeable future and he definitely needed Miallói in the fight. So, instead of being kept safely away, the girl was now headed directly into danger.

Canus heaved a sigh.

Unfortunately, this was still the right choice. This scouting party needed to be dealt with or the column would devolve into a panic and he’d lose all control. Miallói was the only one who could deal with it right now, and he couldn’t send her alone. And screening the main force was technically the job of the Exploratores to begin with. Once his column was away, they could make their own way to Castra Turannia.This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

It was just that Miallói had no idea who she had at her side. And probably wouldn’t have cared.

But…

Miallói had called them warriors.

That was a huge sign of respect from the Selkie. They had apparently impressed her in this short amount of time.

She believed in them, and so Canus would too. Not that he had a choice.

So the best thing he could do was get this column moving. The faster they reached Castra Turannia, the safer the girl would be.

He looked around at his officers.

“Let’s go, people. These boys and girls might be farmers but they’re still Legion, and I expect a showing worthy of the Empire. Let’s whip them into shape!”

Ateia and Taog followed after Miallói, a group of Selkie warriors gathering around them. They rushed to the end of the column, where a group of farmers were trying to push a wagon out of the mud. Behind them, a century of limitanei stood at the ready with shields and spears, shouting and crying.

And behind the limitaenei were the Dobhar.

The Dobhar appeared as humanoid otters just barely shorter than a human. And they held wicked, barbed harpoons crafted from bone. They tossed these at the limitanei who struggled to hold their shields up. One of the harpoons found purchase and the Dobhar pulled on the rope tied to it. A limitanei fell to the ground with a cry and shot forward as the Dobhar pulled him from the line, where the Dobhar immediately set upon him. The surrounding limitanei gasped and cried, their centurion trying to keep them steady. Miallói motioned to Ateia and Taog.

“You two, help.”

Ateia and Taog nodded and leapt into action.

Ateia drew her bow and let an arrow loose, barely pausing in time to wrap it in mana. The arrow glowed with her power shot skill and struck one of the Dobhar, barely sinking into its solid hide. Then Ateia and Taog grabbed the mana chain connected to the arrow and pulled.

The Dobhar yelped in surprise as it was pulled to the ground and into the line of limitanei.

They treated it much as it had treated their comrade, and stabbed into it with a dozen spears at once.

The skill Harpoon Shot is now level 5!

You have slain Dobhar (level 13)!

Gained 10 XP!