Chapter 185: Withdrawal

Chapter 185: Withdrawal

The younger Tigran hit the ground before he understood how far the explosion had thrown him. Heat rolled across his back, broken wood struck his arms, and the force of the blast emptied his lungs as pieces of the shattered wagon scattered across the road.

For several seconds, a loud ringing drowned out the fighting around him. When his hearing began to return, the wagon beside him had been reduced to a broken frame surrounded by burning boards, scattered supplies, and thick smoke.

He pushed himself onto one elbow and immediately felt pain spread through his ribs. Nature energy still covered parts of his body, but the protective layer had weakened enough for several splinters to cut through his clothes and leave bleeding lines across his arms.

The older Tigran lay several paces away behind one of the wagon’s remaining wheels. He rolled onto his side, coughed through the smoke, and shouted toward the fighters still close enough to hear him.

"Spread out! Stop using the wagons as one big shelter. Those tubes are aimed at groups, so stop giving them groups to hit."

The younger soldier forced himself upright and looked toward the southern road. "That blast hit everyone behind the wagon at the same time. Our energy can soften the smaller projectiles, but that explosion is different."

"That is why we are moving. Get behind separate trees and stay several paces apart."

Another Tigran shouted a warning before either of them could move farther. One of the small soldiers near the unfamiliar vehicles had already raised another long tube onto his shoulder.

The Tigrans scattered in different directions.

Smoke and flame burst from the back of the tube.

The projectile crossed the road and struck the ground where three Tigrans had been sheltering only moments earlier. The explosion tore a shallow crater into the roadside and threw dirt, stones, and broken branches outward.

One Tigran was lifted from his feet and slammed into a tree. Another rolled across the ground with blood covering one side of his face, while the third managed to crawl behind a trunk.

The younger soldier reached a nearby tree and pressed his back against it.

"They brought more than one of those weapons."

The older Tigran reached another tree several paces away. "Then stop counting them and watch for anyone raising a tube. The moment you see one, move before he fires."

A third explosion struck the remains of another wagon. The blast opened the cargo compartment and sent supplies across the road while the force pushed smoke through the trees.

The younger Tigran felt the pressure even from behind the trunk. His nature energy tightened around his body automatically, but the impact still forced him to brace himself with one hand.

Another unfamiliar vehicle came around the southern bend.

It stopped behind the growing line of small soldiers, and more troops jumped down carrying the same long weapons the Tigrans had already faced. Several carried boxes toward the heavier rapid-firing weapons, while another pair unloaded one of the shoulder-fired tubes.

The younger soldier watched them spread into the positions left open by the dead.

"We kill one group and the road simply fills again."

The older Tigran followed his gaze. "That is why we stop trying to kill all of them. We need a path into the forest, nothing more."

A Tigran farther ahead pointed toward the southern side of the road. There was still a gap between two groups of the unfamiliar soldiers, though fresh troops were already moving toward it.

The older Tigran raised his sword.

"Archers, hit the men around the heavier weapons. Swordsmen, stay apart until we reach the road. We force that gap open before they close it."

The surviving fighters moved into position.

The younger soldier drew nature energy into his legs again. The response came slower than it had at the start of the ambush, but warmth spread through his muscles and gave him enough strength to move quickly.

Three archers rose from different positions and fired.

One arrow struck a small soldier in the chest and knocked him backward. Another buried itself in an arm, while the third struck the ground beside the heavier weapon and forced its crew lower.

The rapid-firing weapon answered almost immediately.

A continuous stream of projectiles tore through the forest edge. Bark exploded from several trunks, and one archer was struck twice before falling backward into the brush.

"Move now!" the older Tigran shouted.

The swordsmen rushed toward the opening.

The younger Tigran crossed the road with four others. He changed direction whenever one of the long weapons turned toward him, forcing the soldiers to keep adjusting their aim.

Several sharp cracks sounded from the enemy line.

A projectile struck his shoulder and another hit his thigh. Nature energy absorbed enough of the force for him to stay upright, though pain spread through both wounds.

He reached the first small soldier before the man could attack again.

The younger Tigran’s sword cut through the long weapon and continued into the soldier’s chest. He pulled the blade free and immediately turned toward another enemy only a few steps away.

The second soldier raised his weapon too slowly.

The Tigran crossed the distance, struck the weapon aside, and cut across the man’s neck.

Two more Tigrans reached the same section from the left. One killed a soldier beside a vehicle, while the other struck down a second man who had been trying to retreat toward the fresh reinforcements.

For several seconds, the southern path began to open.

The younger soldier looked toward the trees beyond the road.

"There! If the others reach us now, we can get through."

The older Tigran was already waving the wounded fighters toward the opening.

Then another group of small soldiers appeared behind the first line.

They had come from the newest vehicle and were moving directly toward the gap. Several raised their long weapons as soon as they saw the Tigrans.

The younger soldier stared at them.

"We just cleared that path."

"And they are closing it again," the older Tigran said. "Fall back before they trap us between both groups."

"We can kill this group too."

"And the next one? Then the one after that?"

The younger soldier looked around before answering.

Three Tigrans from their group were lying motionless near the road. Another sat against a tree with both hands pressed against his stomach, while two fighters were supporting a man whose injured leg could barely hold his weight.

Nearly everyone still standing had been struck at least once.

Nature energy continued glowing around several bodies, but the light was noticeably weaker. Every projectile they endured and every burst of speed consumed more of the strength they had started the battle with.

The older Tigran lowered his voice.

"They can replace the soldiers we kill. We cannot replace anyone here."

A deep roar interrupted them.

The heavier weapon opened fire again and swept the side of the damaged transport. Repeated impacts struck the vehicle, forcing both Tigrans lower behind its remaining metal frame.

The younger soldier looked beneath the transport toward the southern line.

Another shoulder-fired tube was being raised.

"Move away from the vehicle!"

They ran just before the projectile struck.

The explosion lifted the rear of the transport and threw it sideways. Fire spread beneath the wreck while pieces of metal, wood, and cargo scattered across the road.

The younger Tigran landed hard behind a tree and rolled onto his back. His nature energy flared around him, then faded until only a thin layer remained over his skin.

The older soldier reached him and pulled him into a sitting position.

"Can you keep running?"

The younger Tigran tested his injured leg before answering. "It hurts, but I can put weight on it. I will not slow the others yet."

"Then we leave now."

The younger soldier looked back toward the road. "We can still reach them. Once we get close, they cannot stand against us."

"They have started bringing fresh soldiers faster than we could kill them."

"They killed too many of ours."

"And staying here will give them more."

The older Tigran grabbed the front of his clothing and forced him to look south.

"Another vehicle is coming. One heavy weapon is already firing, another is being moved into place, and I can see two men carrying those explosive tubes. If we stay because you are angry, everyone left in this group dies beside the convoy."

The younger Tigran clenched his jaw and looked toward the wounded fighters.

The older soldier released him.

"You can hate them after we survive this situation."

Another explosion struck farther north and sent smoke above the trees. Neither of them needed to argue after that.

The older Tigran raised his voice.

"Everyone who can move, withdraw into the forest! Archers cover the first group. Keep several paces between each other so those explosive weapons cannot hit half of us at once."

The most badly wounded fighters began moving first. Swordsmen followed behind them while the remaining archers fired toward the roadside to make the small soldiers keep their heads down.

The younger Tigran stayed near the rear with the older soldier.

They waited until the first wounded group disappeared between the trees before following.

Projectiles struck trunks around them as the unfamiliar soldiers fired at the retreating Tigrans. The younger soldier forced more nature energy into his legs and increased his speed, though each step sent pain through his thigh and ribs.

Another explosive projectile struck the forest edge behind them.

The blast snapped branches and threw dirt through the trees, but the Tigrans had spread far enough apart that none of them stood directly in the center of the explosion.

The older soldier looked over his shoulder.

"Keep moving. Once the trees are thick enough, they will have fewer clear shots."

The younger soldier followed him down a narrow slope. "The ogres usually stop at the road after we withdraw. They check the convoy first and only start searching afterward."

"Do not expect these soldiers to behave like ogres. They have already reached us faster than the patrols ever did."

The forest grew denser as they moved away from the convoy.

Branches caught against their clothes, roots crossed the ground, and the wounded members of the group began losing speed. The younger Tigran could no longer see the road when he looked back.

The sharp cracks from the unfamiliar weapons also became less frequent.

For several moments, he heard only the movement of his own group through the undergrowth.

Then another crack sounded behind them.

A projectile struck a tree only a few paces from his shoulder.

The younger Tigran turned and saw small figures moving between the trunks.

"They followed us into the forest."

The older soldier stopped just long enough to look back. Several of the unfamiliar soldiers had left the road and were moving through the trees in loose groups.

"They did not even wait until the convoy was fully secured."

Another shot passed between two trunks.

The younger Tigran turned and increased his pace. "Then we need to lose them before the wounded slow us down any further."

Two fighters ahead were supporting an injured Tigran between them. The arrangement forced all three to move at the same slow pace.

The older soldier ran toward them.

"Stop carrying him between both of you. One person supports him at a time while the other watches behind us. If all three of you are tied together, one attack catches everyone."

The wounded Tigran pushed away from one of his companions. "I can still use the leg. Let me walk until I cannot."

"You tell us before you fall. We are not turning around because you decided to be proud."

"If I fall, you will hear me."

The group continued downhill until they reached a shallow stream.

The younger soldier stepped into the water and immediately recognized an opportunity. Following the stream had allowed them to confuse ogre trackers during earlier operations because the water removed most signs of which direction they had taken.

"Follow the water upstream," he said. "If they reach the stream after us, they will have to search for the place where we leave it."

The older Tigran nodded. "Stay in the water until I tell you otherwise. Do not climb onto the bank just because the footing is easier."

They moved upstream for several dozen paces.

Cold water reached their ankles and slowed the wounded fighters, but nobody left the stream. The younger Tigran glanced back several times without seeing movement between the trees.

Then distant voices carried from downstream.

The pursuers had reached the water.

The younger soldier listened carefully.

Instead of hearing one group following the stream, he heard voices separating in both directions along the bank.

"They are splitting up."

The older soldier stopped and listened.

One group moved upstream along the left bank. Another spread downstream, while more voices remained near the place where the Tigrans had entered the water.

"They are searching both banks for our exit point," the older soldier said. "They are not following one trail."

The younger Tigran looked farther upstream. "Then we stay in the water longer and leave where the bank becomes thicker."

A sharp crack came from somewhere downstream.

The projectile struck a branch above the stream.

The older soldier motioned everyone forward.

"Another hundred paces, then we leave the water on the northern side. Once we reach thicker ground, we change direction again."

The Tigrans continued upstream.

Behind them, the unfamiliar soldiers kept spreading through the forest instead of returning to the convoy.

The ambush had ended when the Tigrans left the road, but the fighting had not ended with it. For the first time since they began attacking the supply line, reaching the forest had not been enough to escape the soldiers sent after them.