“Just because some things are similar, it is folly to think of them as the same.” - - Gregorian Aurelius Secundus, famed general and later Second Emperor of the Elmaiya Empire.

Soledad de Guzman almost whooped with excitement like a youngster when Reinhardt gave the command to ride out. Her riders had not done much the past few years. They mostly just trained the Levainian cavalry while keeping up their training themselves, other than the brief skirmishes they got to participate in when they were delaying the Podovnian army.

While it was nice to be paid while doing little to nothing, some part of her missed the excitement of going into battle after a couple years of easy training jobs. More than a few of the younger members of her platoon had the same issue, so they were all quite ecstatic that the captain finally had a role where they get to shine for once instead of just being part of another harassment strike where they stayed afar and safe from retaliation.

Unlike the commonly seen light cavalry in the former Clangeddin territory, which were mainly harassers and skirmishers whose primary weapons were their javelins, Soledad’s people were trained to fight in melees instead. Part of it was her half-orcish husband’s influence, who had modeled the unit partly like how his orcish parent’s tribe fought while mounted, which also led to the rather unusual composition of the unit.

Most cavalry units were either entirely light cavalry, or like the knight orders that still roamed the former Clangeddin lands, entirely heavy cavalry, with neither mixing the other type into their formation. In contrast, Soledad’s platoon was roughly three parts heavy cavalry – under her lead – to seven parts light cavalry – under her husband’s lead – that worked together as one.

They weren’t as focused on skirmishes like typical light cavalry – though they definitely could play such a role well, with many of their riders skilled horse archers, and the rest carrying javelins as well – nor as focused on charges like heavy cavalry usually was. Instead, their platoon worked best with repeated slashing attacks against infantry formations, breaking into a light cavalry formation and forcing them into melee, or harassing heavy cavalry.

What they lacked in specialization, they covered up with flexibility and skill, and now they had been unleashed upon the enemy at last.

The hundred or so riders galloped at best speed towards where the nearest battle was, the one between the second squadron of the Caroman cavalry against the eastern half of the remaining Podovnian cavalry. The Caromans had a slight upper hand at the moment, but the fight was a close one, one that would likely last a while if no additional forces intervened.

And that was exactly what Soledad and her people were about to do.

Since the Caromans and the Podovnians were entangled in a chaotic brawl, it was not really feasible to make use of ranged weapons while they closed out of fear for friendly fire. Even so, some of the most skilled archers in their group – Anatoli included – brought their bows out and loosed some arrows anyway. Those few had enough skill and confidence that they could hit their targets without accidentally hurting an ally instead.

A few Podovnian riders fell off their horses, while a few others had their steeds stumble and fall out from underneath them. It was not many, only a dozen or so during the short window of time when Soledad’s riders were close enough for their archers to shoot accurately and when they would hit the brawl, but it was something nonetheless.

Where the typical light cavalry in the former Clangeddin territory were armed with spears and shields, however, Soledad’s people mostly wielded polearms from horseback. They carried a shield to weather through arrows during their charge, but mostly kept the shields slung across their back otherwise. It was something not often seen in the human kingdoms, as that style of cavalry was more common amongst the orcs of the north.

While it had its drawbacks – like the lack of ready protection from ranged fire – it also had its advantages. Soledad’s people wore heavier armor on average to compensate, while their usage of two-handed polearms from horseback meant that they could get a lot more power behind their blows. It might not matter against infantry, as any blow from a rider would likely have enough force behind it to incapacitate them, but in a duel between riders, it was a notable advantage.

Soledad herself directly blew through a surprised Podovnian rider’s desperate attempt at defense with his spear, her heavy glaive directly snapping the spear’s shaft in twain before it cleaved the man right it half, his head flying off together with his right arm and shoulder as the rest of his dead body rode onwards on his steed.

Not far behind her, on the right flank of their platoon’s formation, Anatoli just directly shoved aside another enemy rider’s spear with the cleaver-like blade in his left hand as he decapitated the man with the blade in his right hand. As a half-orc he was a good bit stronger than a human, and the heavy blades he wielded made full use of that strength, the blows he dealt with one hand easily as heavy as the ones from her polearm despite her using both hands.

All around her, the other members of her platoon assaulted the Podovnians in melee and rapidly overpowered their surprised opponents, which in turn freed up some of the Caromans and allowed them to turn around and help their compatriots elsewhere. Just like that, the small advantage quickly grew larger and multiplied as those who they helped in turn went out and helped more of their people to overcome their foes, and before long the battle tilted fully in the favor of the Caromans.

It was then that the Podovnian commanders saw that their cavalry was greatly disadvantaged and finally committed the remnants of their heavy cavalry – not even four hundred strong – which they had kept close to them as bodyguards into the fray. Soledad’s riders rode out to meet part of the Podovnian heavy cavalry that went their way, while their Caroman allies intercepted more, but some of those still went towards where the first squadron fought the other half of the Podovnian cavalry despite their best efforts.