While Micky was trapped and being picked off, the battle raged on for the legate. With the numbers advantage it was easy for the enemy to surround and pick off the divisions of the legion. This was a basic tactic to deal with rankers, surround, and conquer or capture. This meant that the enemy had surrounded several divisions and was currently picking them off and dealing with their rankers. The commanders were simply hemmed in with nothing to do but defend until help arrived, or hope a ranker would be nice enough to literally carry them to safety.

But the legate pushed on. His target was visible on the other side of the field. It was a small veritable fort. It was never enough to house their entire army, but it was plenty to protect their siege equipment. So the legate continued his mad charge. Nothing would stop him or slow him from his goal.

Karmin screamed a [Battlecry] at the top of his lungs. His squad heard his shout and followed him in the charge, emitting a [Battlecry] of their own. The more allies joining into the [Battlecry] the more it would cause [Fear] in the hearts of his enemies and [Bloodlust] in the minds of his allies. This was why commanders tended to launch [Battlecry]s after making [Speech]s. Karmin was not that well placed, but he was a [Valiant Warrior]. It was rare for a conscript and meant that he was highly evaluated, landing him a cushy squad leader position. It was always good to have minions. And minions they were. They did everything he said, and had too. The last one that ignored his order to pillage that village was tried for treason and put into the slave corp. It was good to be the king leader.

Unfortunately, Karmin was now surrounded by enemy combatants. Not to worry, [Whirling Slash] and he was rejoined by his squad. The enemy's copper gear was ripped to shreds by Karmin's own [Superior] bronze equipment. He was on a special mission. Well ‘special’ mission as the entire army was on the same mission. He was going to charge through the enemy and take their base. It was simple, it was elegant, Karmin liked it.

The enemy was endless though. Karmin didn’t know how many enemies he had faced but he was sure to tier up any time now. Karmin couldn’t even dream of all this experience and fighting working as a ‘mercenary’ in the small baronett that he was used to. At the time he had traveled from his dinky no name village he had thought that that place was a massive city that could rival even the largest. Now he knew better.

But that was then this is now. Now he was not a thug warrior gaining protection money from his clients for protecting them… violently if they refused. He forced his way through, literally, another civilian. She was some woodcutter with an ax. He stomped on her a little extra on his way to his next challenge. Karmin was a match for a real [Soldier] so these peasants were cheesecloth before him.

He engaged with a giant of a man using what looked like a tree stump to fight with. His muscles strained against the stump as the man bashed down. His knee bent but did not touch down as the weight of the stump lessoned. His best friend Martin had buried his knife into the man's kidney and took his cleaver to the man's throat. Karmin smiled and nodded at his friend who then returned behind him. Their pairing made battling easier as anyone who could engage the warrior would be immediately dispatched by the ‘not rogue’. Karmin remembered him putting down his occupation as farmer, or was it cobbler? Didn’t matter, the ‘not rogue’ changed his tags like he changed his clothes. He still remembered that time that he saved Karmin from jail by changing his tag to prostitute… and then disappearing with the guard as they dragged him away into that ally. He would never forget what his friend does for him.

Karmin saw more battle and more levies battling with each other, but he was not interested. He rushed towards the front lines to rejoin the engagement. He jumped into the shield wall and released a [Whirling Slash] to break up the formation. Once that was over with it was only a matter of time before more levies came together in order to push back his momentum. Karmin had used this tactic several times now, and as the casualties mounted the distance dwindled.

Now that Karmin had open space he [Charged] the furthest enemies. His momentum built until he [Shoulder Check]ed the enemy furthest back in what was a formation. Now he just needed an [Upwards Slash] to finish them off. It didn’t matter how high the vitality was if they bleed out like the rest of us mortals.

Clearing through the enemies brought it into sight. It was now clean and clear, just a few hundred more feet until the enemy's gate was in sight. His squad was shortly joined by several others and a mage brought them all together. Karmin loved this part. They had brought a battering ram with them, more a giant tree trunk. They also had several ladders and other basic siege equipment as well. But that was not what Karmin would be using. No, he was using a mage to get up there. And that meant…

“Prepare and bunker. Hold, hold, launching, launched!!!” Screamed the mage. He had used a one time use [Ank] sacrificial item to cast a prepared siege spell on the fly. It had only been charge five minutes ago and the charge was already decaying but it would be enough to send them all up onto the ramparts… well not that guy, or those guys that just fell off while they were in midair. Good luck surviving that fall!

But none of that really mattered. Karmin also didn’t care that it cost an exorbitant amount more than the already costly siege spells either. Karmin was thinking of getting a mage and using them to raid liberate more villages just like this though, that would be awesome. But Karmin didn’t have time to finish his dreams future plans. He was already on the wall and he wasn’t going to be receiving backup that way. No, he needed to secure the landing so that the ladders would be able to be placed and climb up. Karmin didn’t like defense but you gotta do what you gotta do, yeah dig? Speaking of digging, Karmin released a [Quaking Stomp]. That should loosen up the fortifications to allow the ladder spikes to get a better grip… when they eventually get here.

Man, it’s taking a long time to get those stupid ladders here, maybe he should have escorted more allies, but then he wouldn’t have had the honor of being the first ones up? Well, that’s the past and Karmin was more of a big future kind of guy.

Karmin launched a [Lion’s Roar] into the most pompous looking chick's face. She was probably the commander of this formation. He needed to get her off these walls… so he [Shoulder Check]ed her off the enemy's backside of the wall. Ooh, that was going to hurt.

The allies were still not doing so hot though. Karmin was going to fix it though. Nobody ever said Karmin wasn’t good at killing. So he released a [Whirling Slash] right in the middle of the thick of it. His allies collapsed as much as his enemies… perhaps more. This didn’t matter to Karmin though. He got what he wanted, or well needed. Enough space to release another [Quaking Stomp] followed by a [Stunning Bash]. Now that he had some more room to work with he released another [Whirling Slash] to finish off anybody that was near him. His allies seemed to abandon this area and reform up behind him. But Karmin really didn’t care. He stepped over his allies who were screaming at him, and if any grabbed at him he made sure to give them a slice or two. If he didn’t Martin did.

Another crash and another mage had landed on the wall. The mage jumped off safely like the first, it wasn’t his job to stay there. He landed on a pillar that launched up to meet him then deposit him back on the allied lines.

But that wasn’t the best part. The best part was that the ladders were now hooked in and ready to bring up reinforcements. This meant that Karmin could get back to charging through the enemy. So that is what he did, he activated [Charge] and bashed aside anybody that got in his way, ally or enemy. He charged down the stairs and started to get moving through the little slice of heaven that the enemy had built up. Oh, he was so raiding this place once he captured the flag. The man that took the enemies flag would receive a promotion, fortune, and favor from the legate. It didn’t matter if they were already a centurion or anyone below the legate himself.

Karmin saw that there were others with the same idea, but he was assured he would be the first, he just needed to make sure that the other guy in front of him didn’t quite make it...