Behind the Wolf Tooth Mace wielding Warrior, more than two hundred Bandits followed as he headed directly for the disorganised newly joined Riverside Bandits who had been watching the Archery Competition.
Song Jiang was quickly pulled away by his twenty guards who all drew their weapons in anticipation, whilst Song Jiang looked shocked at the sudden situation change.
"Get in to formation!" Lu Fang yelled at the Red and White Bandits who quickly prepared to defend themselves on the flat at the bottom of the Valley, frustrated that they couldn't use the terrain to their advantage.
"Calm down, it's a misunderstanding!" Song Jiang yelled at both sides as he was dragged by his riders towards the charging Wolf Tooth Mace Wielding Warrior. As this happened, Hua Rong was accidently abandoned within the Riverside Bandits ranks.
"Kill!" The Wolf Tooth Mace Wielding Warrior yelled as he drew closer and closer to the Riverside Bandits.
"Can I fire?" Subutai asked Dom, who was also surprised by the sudden turn of events.
"Go for it." Dom replied, just wanting to get this short recruitment mission completed swiftly, ideally with his new Heroes and Bandits along side him. Dom turned to one of the Bandits that was near him and ordered, "Tell Guo Sheng to prepare a fighting retreat out of the Reflections Peaks, we just need to get to the other side and our escape will appear to us."
The Bandit looked at Dom confused, before nodding and running towards the front of the formation where Guo Sheng had been left. Tomoe who was beside Dom flexed her Naginata and prepared to charge along side Lu Fang whose red painted Halberd was also ready to strike.
"I feel like we have been played." Subutai commented, "I wasn't expecting this."
"Nor I." Dom replied, "It feels like we were delayed so their forces could catch up to us."
"Things have gone to well for us so far." Tomoe agreed, "We aren't being careful enough."
"At least this was the mistake and not an ambush at Tongpai Town." Subutai replied in thought, "I am confident in those plans, but I'll double the scouts just in case. If this gets rough, we split up and all charge to the valley exit. That includes you Lu Fang."
"I'll be right behind you." Lu Fang smiled, a bit of bloodlust in his eyes.
Subutai raised his bow and pulled back his draw string, loosing an arrow that flew in the air and curved down towards the retreating Song Jiang that was almost at the charging line of the Wolf Tooth Mace wielding Warrior. The Riders slightly altered their course to avoid the Wolf Tooth Mace wielding Warrior's charge and the Arrow hit one of the twenty riders in the back of the neck, rather than it's intended target of Song Jiang.
....
Subutai tutted in frustration as he raised his bow again, ready to take another shot, but Hua Rong had pushed loose from his captors and had reached the Riverside Heroes.
"Please don't shoot, it is a misunderstanding!" Hua Rong pleaded, "Qin Ming is charging as he has a short temper and doesn't understand the situation!"
"Can you speak with them?" Dom asked, as Subutai ignored Hua Rong's plea and shot his second arrow, this time hitting another rider that was near Song Jiang, who looked back and panicked as Qin Ming over took him.
"Get ready!" Tomoe shouted the order to the Bandits that were beside her and Lu Fang.
"I can speak with them!" Hua Rong pleaded again, as Subutai released another arrow, this time hitting a bandit that was beside Qin Ming. A warning to him to stop charging, however it was ignored as he continued on with his Wolf Tooth Mace.
Now, behind the two hundred or so bandits behind Qin Mind and the Sword Wielding Warrior, another group appeared on the horizon, slightly larger with three men at the front. From a distance they could see that one was slightly overweight with red hair, the second was good looking with broad shoulders, and the third was short and his facial hair was like tiger whiskers.
"It's too late unfortunately." Subutai replied, "He needs beating until he calms down. I give you a choice Hua Rong, join us and I will take you as an apprentice, you are skilled and have a good heart, I can make a fine general out of you. Or join your comrades, but you will lose this chance, and you may lose your life."
Dom was surprised at Subutai's offer, realising that he must have been overly impressed with Hua Rong's archery. Dom did agree with his description of the Archer though, he was kind hearted trying to stop the battle, as Dom's forces were outnumbered, he had also been pleasant and displeased at Song Jiang's comments to Tomoe.
"Do you want to be a Bandit or an Outlaw?" Dom questioned. "Or do you want a real purpose in your life?"
Subutai released another Arrow, this one was parried by Qin Ming's mace as he got closer and closer.
"Last chance." Subutai ordered Hua Rong as he went to fire again.
"Prepare to charge!" Tomoe yelled to the Bandits, her armour shinning in the sun. There was excitement on Lu Fang's face beside her, who felt bad for Guo Sheng who was leading the carts away to the valley edge as ordered.
"I'll join you." Hua Rong declared, as Subutai threw him his spare bow.
"Prove it." Subutai replied.
Hua Rong pulled an arrow from his quiver that was still on his back and placed the arrow on the bow. He breathed slowly and took aim at the charging mass. In the distance Song Jiang had now turned as he met up with the second group of reinforcements and was heading back this way. Hua Rong released his arrow at it flew towards Qin Ming, as Subutai also released an arrow at the same target.
Qin Ming parried the first, where as the second struck him in the forearm. He grunted as the arrow struck him and then suddenly Tomoe released the Riverside Bandits and they charged towards the Song Jiang Bandits.
[Congratulations Warrior Hero Hua Rong Recruited]
[Hua Rong
Hero Grade - C
Hero Strength - Expert Archer and Excellent Spearman
Hua Rong was a Liangshan General and known as the Hero Star and was ranked 9th out of the 108 Liangshan Bandit Leaders. He was known for his pleasant looks and his impressive Archery skills Originally he was a Garrison Commander, but due to helping his new friend Song Jiang, fell fowl of his commander. He was known as the Little Li Guang, a famous hero from the Han Dynasty who was also an excellent Archer. In history, he died from suicide at Song Jiang's grave.]
....
The two lines suddenly crashed in to each other, as Lu Fang attacked the Sword Wielding Warrior and Tomoe attacked Qin Ming. The two lines of bandits also clashed, with swords and spears stabbing at each other. Dom also joined and stabbed his Slaying Spear from beside Tomoe in to a sword Bandit that was trying to take her by the flank. The spear quickly pierced his throat, releasing a spray of blood as the Bandit dropped his sword and grabbed his throat as he fell to the ground.
Tomoe and Qin Ming clashed, his Wolf Tooth Mace swinging wildly against Tomoe's Naginata. She deflected and caught him in the chest with the base of her Naginata, as she then spun the blade around. She then caught Qin Ming on the head with the side of her Naginata, knocking the fierce Warrior unconscious as she charged to the next target, leaving him unconscious on the floor.
Lu Fang however was struggling against the Sword Wielding Warrior and Dom pressed his Red Hare Forwards so to attack his foe from above, as Lu Fang parried away the sword with the tip of his halberd, Dom raised his spear and stabbed it down in to the Sword Wielding Warriors Shoulder. The Warrior dropped his sword and fell to the floor in shock, staring at Lu Fang who went to finish him off.
"Capture them both!" Dom ordered as he went forwards to cover Tomoe's flank.
Subutai also appeared, his bow resting in his saddle as he grabbed his sword and slashed down at the badly organised Bandits who had lost both of their leaders in the first exchange. Hua Rong was beside him on foot, a spear in his hand he had taken from one of the Bandits, also stabbing away at the Song Jiang Bandits.
"Run!" One of the Song Jiang Bandits shouted at the sight of their leaders being captured or worse, whilst the Riverside Bandits had the momentum and were pushing them back.
There was a few heads that raised, before weapons were dropped and over one hundred and fifty bandit warriors quickly ran back towards their reinforcements. Lu Fang quickly tied the Sword Wielding Warrior up and placed him on the back of his horse, whilst he also collected Qin Ming and placed him on the back of Tomoe's.
"Pull back!" Dom ordered, as the Riverside Bandits were pushing forwards to chase their unarmed foe. Dom was surprised to see that they had listened and pulled back in a disorganised formation to create the line that they had before the small skirmish had happened.
.....
"Numbers?" Subutai shouted as he pulled up further down the line.
"Slain forty, captured two." Lu Fang replied.
"Lost fifteen, twenty two injured!" Tomoe continued as she quickly looked at the Red and White armours on the ground.
"Get the wounded gathered quickly and take them to Guo Sheng, we will make a slow retreat through the Valley now!" Dom ordered, not wanting to wait for the enemies to regroup. The enemy forces had lost Hua Rong who had joined Riverside, had Qin Ming and the Sword Wielding Warrior captured and lost over forty Warriors. Once they regrouped with the new force, they would be massively outnumbered. "How are the prisoners looking?"
"One is unconscious but should live. The other is in a bad way and needs medical attention." Tomoe replied. "I'll head up towards Guo Sheng and take these with us."
"That would be good, Subutai, Hua Rong and myself will take up the rear." Dom replied, "Lu Fang, please get the wounded up front."
"I will, that was a fun battle." He replied, "It is a shame we lost men, but they would have been happy to have gone during a battle and not a wasted death."
Dom thought that all of the death on this battlefield was wasted, but didn't say that out loud. The enemy forces had now merged together and the four leaders were at the front as they slowly caught up to the now retreating Riverside forces.
"Which of them is the Stumpy Tiger Wang Ying?" Tomoe asked Hua Rong before she left.
"The shorter one in the middle." Hua Rong replied, "He isn't a good man, Brother Song Jiang promised him a wife, as the last one he took a liking to caused most of us to become Outlaws against our choice."
Subutai turned to Tomoe and gave her a wink, which she smiled at in response as she headed through the lines towards the front. They were now most of the way through and Dom suspected they would leave the valley in the next couple of minutes. The Bandits on Riverside's side seemed keen to leave as the earlier bloodlust was gone as the enemy forces seemed to dwarf theirs.
"How many are there?" Dom asked Hua Rong.
"Around five hundred." He replied, "Most are bandits, but there are some who are trained soldiers. You have captured Qin Ming and Huang Xin who are the best of them, but I would still watch out for the three chieftains."
"Who are they?" Dom asked, trying to calculate when they would clash with the following forces and when they would leave the Valley. It was close.
"Zheng Tianshou the Fair Skinned Gentleman, Yan Shun the Multicoloured Tiger and Wang Ying the Stumpy Tiger."
Subutai listened to the conversation and put his sword back in his sheath, he then repicked up his bow from the horses saddle and placed an arrow, preparing to take a shot.
"Is everyone ready to run?" Subutai asked cheekily as he let the arrow loose.
Dom and Hua Rong turned and watched it as it arced high in the air, before falling almost in slow motion. It suddenly sped up on its downward turn, as gravity took it. The arrow quickly reached its target, hitting Wang Ying the Stumpy Tiger in the chest and knocking him back of his horse.