I hear a branch break and open my eyes. It's dark, really dark, at nights like these no living soul should be outside their homes. The moon is waning crescent, its light barely making the trees around faint silhouettes.

My lungs jump to my throat and I start breathing rapidly. Where am I? How did I get here? On me I have a white linen shirt and pants and my dagger tucked in them. As I looked down and saw my attire my heart started pounding like a drum, my body felt numb. In the dead of night, the white shirt might as well be a lit torch.

The leaves rustled.

I looked up and saw it.

Among faint shapes that should be bushes and trees I saw nothing. Or rather I saw something so black that I couldn't see what it was, what I could see was that it was large, as tall as me and as wide as it was tall.

As it continued moving towards me it didn't bother to hide itself, because even if its prey ran it would not matter. It started growling with a growl that sounded like it reverberated from a cave.

It started to run towards me.

I knew I would die, but let me be cast into the depths of Khora if I don't at least wound it.

The earth beneath me quaked from the rumbling of the creature's charge, when raised its front legs to pounce on me I rolled to the side. Thankfully its weight couldn't be shifted in time to catch me. As I turned I could finally see what it was.

It was a black bear, the cursed creature living only in the deepest woods. Such is my luck, if it was anything else in this damned forest I would have had a sliver of hope. Steeling my resolve and with my life forfeit, I grabbed my dagger and charged it as it tried to turn. My only chance was to grab to its side, avoid its jagged claws and hope my dagger can pierce its hide, unlikely as it is not made of silver.

Its speed was preternatural, unhindered by its monstrous weight it turned its open maw as I got an arm's length from it. I couldn't stop, in a split second, it will close and take my head with it.

Without thinking I punched my arm down its throat. It bit down and my whole body screamed in pain, inside its mouth my arm spasmed as it was nearly severed at the elbow. It was now or never, my other arm thrust the dagger in its eye. It went halfway in before stopping. The beast roared and released my mangled arm that was hanging by a few threads of muscle, my bone crushed. I tried to push the dagger in with all the weight I could leverage but it wouldn't budge.

The beasts remaining eye looked into my own with the savage fury. Its maw opened again and bit down on the left side of my neck, I felt pain for only a moment before I felt nothing.

Actually, I felt like I was laying on something, and it was quite comfortable.

"Yar get up, it's not the time to sleep the scouts are reporting the enemy is already breaking camp!".

It took me a moment to realize what happened.

I groan as I push my upper body up, I feel quite uneasy because of that horrible dream and I didn't get that much sleep, they say that seeing a black bear is an omen of death, I hope it's just an old wives tale.

As I managed to half open my left eye I saw my friend standing at the entrance of the tent.He is already ready to depart, his helmet under his armpit, his other arm carrying a bowl.

He is a tall man, well taller than most, he is still two fingers shorter than me. His dark brown hair and light brown eyes complementing his fine youthful features. His armor hiding his lean body gotten by hunting back at home.The girls were always bickering which one of us is better looking, the last time I heard they settled that he is more pretty but I am more handsome. My auburn hair and dark brown eyes helped greatly, but it was probably due to the fact that unlike him my body is burly and hairy, but for the hairy part girls said that it is great because they are not messy and who am I to argue with that!

I focused my eyes on the bowl in his hand.

"Premisyl did I miss breakfast?"

My friend grinned.

"Yar you look like horse crap that was frosted with pigeons yesterday's dinner. And yes, you barely missed it but I brought leftovers, there is always meat the morning before the battle."

"Ah, so today is the day, I thought Lesztko was gonna wait a little longer."

Premisyl sighed.

"So did everyone, the imperials were in a hurry but yesterday they started forced marching, they didn't even stop for lunch."

I frowned.

"Emperor Paleilos is smart, he is forcing our hand , and time is on his side as we need time to gather more men and if they are really forced marching they will reach Brljin and raze it to the ground in 2 days. If Knez Lesztko doesn't stop him the army will desert him, many of them have families in Brljin or the dozens of villages that were razed on the Emperor's path already."

"The men are worried because we have to answer Emperors 70.000 men with 50.000 of our own. There are even rumors that Paleilos even brought the imperial tagmata from the eastern themes."

"If that is true we will probably need to face them so they don't rampage through our front line, be sure to bring something to deal with them, I heard all of them are wearing scale armor crafted in Thebas itself."

"If that is true may the gods help us."

I tried to get rid of the depressing atmosphere.

"We can come out on top because they have been forced marching, they are probably tired and hungry, they will need more time to assemble and we can rout them if we make a quick and decisive attack so make sure the horses are well fed and watered."

"Yar I will be sure to tell that to our men. I should get going, you better eat quickly because we are to assemble at noon."

After Premisyl exited the tent I made haste with my breakfast and donned my armor. Maybe it wasn't as good as that of imperial tagmata but I loved it. I got it as a reward for my first battle when I managed to pull the enemy chiefs son from his horse. I heard similar armors cost as much as 3 gold ducats! It was made of chainmail with scales on the front and back of the torso, the collar protected by hardened leather skinned from the back of a bauk should a weapon strike it it will be difficult to pull back, disarming my oponent, and outer forearms and shins were adorned fitting metal plates.

The helmet is decorated and conical with chainmail to protect the neck and a noseguard,I took it from a lesser noble in my second battle, as the enemy routed he jumped into river Vyasta and hoped the current would take him away, I saw him because of his fine garment and jumped after him with my dagger, he was defenseless as he was struggling to swim and I stabbed him in the heart, as he started to sink I only managed to take his helmet off, I already had my armor so it was not that much of a waste and I would probably have had to give up that suit anyway.

They say number three is lucky, who knows what can I get this time, I hope its a sword, a nice sword, not like the regular ones that love to break or bend sideways.

As I exited the tent I remembered to heed my own advice and went to the Quartermaster.

After looking around I picked up a boar spear and a kite shield along with a fine heavy mace.

I hope i won't need it but in case I meet the tagmata and my spear can't pierce their armor, my mace won't have to.