Author Note: The real fun kicks in at the end of Chapter Two. If you give it a chance, I think you'll be surprised. Thanks for reading. 

The sound of the battle horn echoed throughout the valley. My opponents threw their cards down on the table and jumped from their seats. Not wanting to look as reluctant as I felt about my first battle, I followed suit and tossed my winning hand on the table. Just my luck.

I pulled my sword from the ground nearby and picked up my shield. New recruits didn’t get the luxury of a sheath.

My eyes darted around the area, frantically searching for my helmet. Like my sword, it was made of metal and would offer some protection, unlike the ragged, used leather vest the benevolent Kurskin had given me.

My helmet was nowhere to be seen, most likely adorning someone else's head. It was foolish of me to let it out of my sight. I rolled my eyes, more mad at myself than the thief, and looked around for my fellow new recruits. Ellis and William were already a hundred paces away, sprinting toward the battlefield, the game of cards long forgotten.

I sighed and turned to run, helmetless. I’d just have to keep my head down, I guessed.

If I failed to reach my spot in the formation in time, I’d be whipped or worse. During my short time in training, I saw a Kurskin kill a man because he couldn’t march in step. If I missed this charge, Commander Kreech was going to gut me in front of the rest of the men. I’d rather not be made an example of today. Or any day, for that matter.

I charged after the only two men whose names I knew, pitching myself forward and down the hill as fast as my muddy boots would allow.

I was one of the last to arrive, but thankfully not the last. Commander Kreech eyed me as I approached, a snarl forming on his ugly green face.

“Fall in line, you useless welp,” he hissed at me. “To the front.”

Kreech was a Kurskin, a race more reptilian than human. They stood upright like humans but tended to be shorter. Their height meant little, as the average Kurskin was both stronger and faster than most humans. Not to mention, each and every one was capable of extraordinary feats.

Growing up, I’d heard tales of magic and wondrous abilities. Witches who could call forth storms. Shamans who could heal the sick. I’ve even heard tales of necromancers who could raise the dead. But I’d never seen any magic myself. Not until I met a Kurskin.

Some claimed the Kurskins were angels, sent to protect us from the Dalari, and that was why they had these powers. That’s what my uncle believed. He told me that the lizards came from the sky, which I guessed was where one would assume an angel would come from.

I believed him until I met one. They bled, just like me, and angels didn’t bleed. Also, they were assholes.

I didn’t say anything to Kreech and fell in line as quickly as possible. Kreech had more important things to worry about than one stupid human. Many of his own kind were joining us for this battle. Just like us, they followed Kreech because he was the strongest, and why shouldn’t the strongest be in charge?

Two days ago, after I arrived at the camp with a handful of my fellow new recruits, I overheard Kreech speaking with some of his scaly underlings. He was boasting about achieving level fifteen. I didn’t know anything about the Kurskin’s military structure or what the rankings meant, but his own kind seemed impressed.

Not understanding their ranks was one of the many things I didn’t know about my Kurskin leaders, but still, what little I knew of them paled in comparison to my ignorance of our true enemy.

The Dalari were taller than most humans, and unlike the scaly Kurskins, their skin was more human-like, smooth with a blue tinge. I’d never seen one up close (I was about to), but I’d been told they moved like dancers, lithe and graceful. People said the Dalari were beautiful. They were also deadly.

Kreech galloped before the formation on his huge, armored stallion. “The battle is upon us,” he shouted, his voice raspy and heavy, the words seemed to vibrate out of his throat. “Let’s send these blue demons back to the depths where they belong.”

The men cheered. So did I, but I wasn’t excited about potentially getting killed.

“This is your chance to turn the tide. Do not let it slip away. Fight for your Kurskin allies, and fight for your King Constance. Be brave. Be mighty. Be brutal.” Kreech’s stallion reared upward, and he held his heavy axe high above his head. “To battle!”

The horse brought its feet down, and Kreech pointed his gigantic axe to the field before us. We charged.

Across the distant field, the enemy began its advance. Like the Kurskins, the vast majority of the Dalari’s fighting force was human, but these humans had chosen to side with the enemy. I didn’t know if they did so willingly or if they had been compelled by the powerful Dalari. I didn’t understand the politics behind this war, but I knew that when the swords came out, it was either them or me.

I felt strangely calm as I marched forward like this was what I was meant to be doing. Perhaps those weeks spent at the training camp were more useful than I had thought. Or perhaps it was because in my heart I was fighting for my king, for the people of Vedra, not for the Kurskins. This war gave me a purpose, something I never knew I lacked when I had been working the farm day after day, year after year. It was a comforting feeling. I hoped the others marching beside me felt the same.

Arrows began to rain down upon us when we were two hundred meters out. My shield was wooden but strong. No arrow was going to bring me down. Still, a helmet would have been nice.

I spared a glance behind me. A sea of men, five hundred strong, flowed down the valley and into battle. I spotted at least a dozen mounted Kurskins on the flanks. No doubt, there were even more scattered among the footmen. They treated humans as inferiors, but at least they fought alongside us, even if it wasn’t always on the front line.

The arrow volleys had done little to weaken our advance thus far, just as our archers’ attempts had failed to halt the opposing side.

The enemy was closing in fast now, and my previous sense of calm began to recede, replaced by the fear that had been hiding underneath all along. It wasn’t a bad thing. Fear shouldn’t be ignored; it should be embraced. I wanted to live, and the only way to do that was to be better and to fight harder than my opponents. Fear would give me the motivation I needed.

They were twenty yards away now, and I could feel them approaching. My teeth were chattering, and I was puffing for air after running for so long. It would have been more sensible to walk the first few hundred yards, even with the hail of arrows. Those without a shield would probably disagree, though.

Metal clashed, and screams rang out as the two sides collided. I brought my shield up and slammed into the enemy before me. Someone behind me reached over with a spear, jabbing forward multiple times into the mass of enemies. When they pulled it back, the tip was red with blood. As I was taught, I pushed forward again with the vanguard, and the spearmen followed behind with precise thrusts.

We did this thrice more. On the next shield push, we would bare our swords and go on the offensive.

I put my shoulder into my shield and pushed forward with all my strength, then took a step back and raised my sword. Without hesitating, I followed through with an overhanded swing. My shit sword failed to cut through his chainmail, but he still let out a cry of pain.

I wrenched my sword back and followed through with a thrust. My sword tip pierced his chainmail and the flesh underneath. I slipped it out of his gut as he crumpled to the ground.

He was quickly replaced by more enemy soldiers. I brought my shield back up, blocking two attacks. I was forced to take a few steps back and collided with one of my fellow soldiers. The onslaught continued, and my guard began to weaken.

A boom rocked the battlefield, and I saw enemy soldiers tumble through the air. The explosion distracted my opponents and gave me the opening I needed. I rammed my shield into one of my attackers, knocking them off their feet. I tried to do the same with the other, but he was already swinging his sword. I brought my shield around just in time to deflect. I went for a stab, but he blocked the attack with his own shield.

There was another explosion, closer this time. Some of the enemy soldiers tried to flee from the danger, causing more chaos in their line and opening a gap for my army to maneuver. I saw a flash of green in my peripherals and realized what was about to happen. Kreech was coming. I smiled.

“I’d run if I were you,” I said to the enemy soldier before me. We were both on the defense, making cautious attacks to test for an opening.

He snarled at me. “I’m no coward. Not like you Kurskin lap dogs.”

I shrugged and pointed down our line. The idiot actually turned to look. I would have stabbed him in the neck for it, but there was no need. Kreech was there on his mount, ax already in motion. My poor enemy’s head sailed through the air.

Kreech pulled back on the reins and looked down at me. “You’re welcome.” He actually smiled at me.

“I had that handled,” I said, unable to help myself as I smiled back at the horrible lizard.

He did the lizard-person equivalent of a ‘harumph’ and galloped back into the battle. I probably should have got on my knees and thanked him, but I really did have the situation handled.

As he charged deeper into the enemy’s midst on his armored stallion, he tossed something bright and round. It erupted in a wave of concussive force. A few unfortunate souls were thrown from the blast, flying helplessly in the air while their fellow soldiers scattered in fear.

I wanted one of those.

The battle raged on, but our side was winning. We continued to advance as the enemy was slowly pushed back.

The momentum was with us until I saw the man to my left pull his sword out of the belly of the enemy. The next moment, he drove it into one of his fellow soldiers. And then another.

He didn’t see me as I approached from the flank and cut him down before he could do more damage. It was then I noticed the chaos growing around me. It wasn’t just him. More of our own soldiers had turned against us.

I’d heard rumors, but I didn’t actually believe them until now. One of the Dalari was near, and it was invading the minds of my peers.

A nearby Kurskin, this one part of the infantry, moved to assist in our battle against our own men. He moved shockingly fast, unnaturally so. Holding a short sword in each hand, he utilized them to great effect, making quick work of the turned soldiers.

He turned back toward the enemy. I followed his gaze and saw the Dalari soldier. Its eyes were closed, and even from a distance, I could tell it was concentrating.

I looked back to the Kurskin and blinked. Had it just disappeared? No, it was there. It was just blending into its surroundings, like a camouflage. But I could see it moving if I looked closely. It was moving directly toward the Dalari.

The Dalari’s eyes snapped open, and without hesitating, it turned and ran. I laughed. Maybe the Dalari weren’t so tough.

By the time we regained our ground, I was breathing hard, and my brown hair was caked with blood and muck, but the tide of the battle continued to shift in our favor despite the Dalari’s influence. We fought on, letting our momentum carry us forward.