181 Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-One – Bound to a Banner (1/2)
-Sage Sama! We've got a problem here!-
Dwarves came across much more clearly in Marktell than in person. The quarter of my brain devoted to communication /responded instantly, -Go ahead, Captain!-
The Rockborn officer gave me a full eyeview of the fight going on. As he was in the middle of it, that was a bit frantic, but since my brain worked several times faster then normal folks, I had no problem.
The Warped were actually forcing themselves through the packed spear line of the dwarves, enduring cuts and thrusts that should have killed them, had them bleeding out, and yet they just kept coming. The front ranks were having to short their Spears or grab their katars to defend themselves in close combat, which only made it easier for the Warped soldiers to draw in closer.
My eyes narrowed. -Stab that one's shoulder!- I /ordered the Captain, one Guerock by name.
His Spear flicked out, burning with Banefire, driving deep into the thick shoulder of the one she had indicated. It should have immediately rendered the arm useless, but as he pulled back, the wound slowly began to seal up, and in six seconds was nothing more then a small bloody hole.
A small bloody hole reflected on the undamaged Warped behind him.
-Do they have a Banner up?-Captain Guerock looked around sharply, found the thing, adorned with carved horns, skulls, and symbols that made his eyes water. -They're Bannerbound! They're sharing wounds among themselves if they aren't killed instantly! It's a way of keeping more of them alive right up until the end!-
-How do we counter it?- the gratified Rockborn /demanded grimly.
-Shattering or Suppressing the Banner would do it. If not, concentrate on finishing them, and leaving spears in the wounds so they can't be shunted away. Impale the heart or brain, or chop the head off. Or, you can boarstop one of them, and while he's pinned and helpless, keep attacking him repeatedly while using him to block those behind him. Deep wounds, but not instant kills, so he can deliver them to those behind who still can't reach you!-
The Rockborn roared mirthless laughter, giving out a series of clipped orders in Rockborn Battle Cant, cycled through the /Marktell room being used. Spears thrust out and held up the Warped in non-lethal thrusts into arms and legs... and then others began to drive repeatedly into torsos, staying away from the hearts.
The Warped kicked and thrashed, trying to get out of the way, but couldn't do so. The men behind tried to get them out of the way, dragging them back, but the dwarves just pressed in and gave them no room to work with.
A few Warped chopped into the heads of their own pinned men to get them out of the way, and then promptly volunteered themselves for the same treatment.
Wounds flashed into existence on the Warped, including the ones who weren't in combat, weakening all of them even as very few of them were killed. The dwarves pinned them in walls of spears, even drawing them in so an additional rank could join the fun of thrusting into those that were pinned.
Wounded, healed, wounded, healed. The accumulated damage spread across all of the Warped, until they were all staggering with bloody injuries, despite never having been struck.
A volley of crossbow fire buzzed over the heads of the dwarves, and dozens of Warped men went down instantly, the bolts uncannily managing to find throats, skulls, and hearts. The Captain roared an order, and the spear line surged, precise thrusts killing the hapless tools in the front, and then rapidly pressing forward to plunge into the wounded men behind.
The entire line of Warped folded with incredible speed, not quite running away in time as the dwarven spears rolled right over them. That magical Banner fell as half a dozen bolts found the man who was holding it high, and the Rockborn let out a low roar as they watched it drop.
The dwarves were not idle, calls going out as other lines found the strategy, and all of the units of this Warpband were so equipped. The only way to kill someone was basically a lucky hit or focused attacks to quickly bring individuals down, instead of wearing them down with successive shots. Anything less then instant death would be shared away within six seconds, giving the men in the unit unprecedented staying power.
It wasn't enough to give the Warped the victory, as the ranks of dwarven spears were murderously hard to get past, and their unit coordination and responsiveness was much better. However, they lasted longer, and inflicted more casualties on the Rockborn then any previous fight had.
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The conference was virtual in Markspace, taking place in real time, but several times faster and more clearly then any form of briefing. All the Warlords and Champions at work were brought in even as the Rockborn were fighting, watching the action and analyzing everything.
-The Warp Gods are using a technique called Bannerbound. It introduces a shared healing concept, similar to, but not the same as hivemind units like Legion Devils, if you are familiar with those,- I /told them. -It's a powerful tool, combining an effective Health buff with de facto curing by sharing injuries. This is how it works...