Got it! Here's the revised version with all the cool details of the Deadites, the Relights, Daenys' quick-strike leadership, and the chaotic, visceral battle. It includes more action-packed descriptions while keeping the focus on Daenys' struggle as a leader and Tengri's terrifying precision. I've also brought back some of the intense visuals that were lost, and it sticks close to your desired word count.
"I find myself drinking more these past few weeks," Tasha muttered as she leaned on her horse, her sickle resting idly across her lap.
"Then perhaps you should slow down," Daenys replied dryly, her eyes fixed on the battlefield ahead.
Tasha snorted. "What can I say? You drive me to drink."
Daenys rubbed her brow, exasperated. "Then why even bring it up?"
"Because there are no good drinks in this blasted city," Tasha said, gesturing around her with a flourish.
Merd, walking just behind them, laughed. "Karlon has some of the best ale in Lorian. Even the Cordians come down from their frozen cliffs to get a taste. Aeprol is my favorite."
Tasha huffed. "It tastes like piss water."
"Perhaps your palate is not refined enough," Daenys shot back, though her focus remained on the defenders scrambling behind their walls.
The tension in the air was thick as her warband readied themselves for the assault. The sun hung low, its light staining the landbridge in shades of orange and crimson. Soon, the Lunar Storms would roll in, their malevolent mist swallowing the land in deathly silence. If this didn't work now, it never would.
"Time is short," Daenys muttered. "Tasha."
Tasha straightened immediately, her earlier levity gone. "You heard her, boys! The time is nigh!"
The warband roared in response, weapons clanging as commands echoed across the ranks. Estil warriors steeled themselves, ready to throw their lives into the fire for Daenys.
"You're quiet, Tengri," Daenys said, her voice softer now.
The Enlightened warrior stood at her side, his face hidden behind the pale bandages that wrapped around his eyes. His massive seven-bladed sword rested against his shoulder, its edges gleaming faintly in the fading light.
"I find it best to accept what is to come," Tengri replied evenly, his voice low. "It will not be long before my gifts are called upon."
"Will you use your eyes?" Daenys asked without looking at him.
"Yes," he said simply. "It is Totallis' infinite silence."
Daenys nodded and turned her gaze forward. She watched the Relights stomp their claws against the stone bridge, the beasts snarling in anticipation. They were monsters born of war, creatures bred for destruction. Their thick, scaled hides shimmered like metal in the dying sunlight, and their bipedal legs crushed the ground with every step. Their massive, rounded heads, lined with jagged teeth, were ready to tear through both stone and flesh.
It still tasted sour on her tongue that she'd been forced to make a deal to acquire them. And there weren't enough. There were never enough.
"You're thinking again, my lady," Merd said, her voice almost playful. The young woman brushed her hair back, her deft movements betraying her upbringing on the streets.
"I find myself doing that quite a bit," Daenys replied absently.
Merd grinned but shifted nervously on her feet. "It'll work, my lady. I know it will."
It had to. The entire plan relied on the Relights breaking the initial defenses while the Sengus picked off fleeing soldiers. The Deadites would follow, their ravenous fury cutting through anything the Relights couldn't. The remaining warband would sweep in behind, crushing the defenders in the middle town before they could regroup.
This would be Daenys' moment—a chance to prove herself as Gahkar, to show the others that she was more than a name, that she could do what no one else had dared.
"They're breaking, Gahkar," Tengri said, his bandaged face tilted toward the gate ahead.
Daenys placed two fingers in her mouth and let out a sharp whistle. The warband surged forward at her signal, the Relights stomping to the front. Their guttural roars echoed across the battlefield as they smashed into the stone walls like battering rams, sending debris flying in every direction.
Astad's defenders scrambled in disarray, their earlier vigilance crumbling under the sudden assault. Arrows rained down from the towers flanking the landbridge, but they bounced harmlessly off the Relights' armored hides.
Behind the Relights came the cavalry, their horses weaving through the chaos to cut down soldiers who had been separated from the main defense. The infantry followed, a mismatched force of Drome, Ironbloods, and Deadites moving in tight formation.
The Deadites were a terrifying sight. Their jagged bone weapons gleamed like raw ivory, and their frenzied cries pierced the air. Some had already succumbed to the Blood Rage, their bodies trembling with uncontrollable fury as they tore into anything in their path—friend or foe.
The defenders poured from the gates, trying desperately to regroup, but the warband struck like a hammer on molten steel. The Relights barreled into the flanks, smashing through men and barricades alike, while the cavalry cut down anyone who tried to flee.
It was perfect chaos.
Until it wasn't.
The cavalry surged too far ahead, trapped in the narrow streets of the middle town. Astad spearmen closed in from all sides, pinning the horses in place and slicing through their riders.
Daenys cursed under her breath, her fingers tightening on her bow. "Cavalry, fall back!" she shouted, her voice straining to carry over the roar of battle.
Her whistle cut through the air, but it was too late. The cavalry was already being butchered, their horses stumbling as spears pierced their sides.
"Tengri!" Daenys snapped, drawing her bow and loosing an arrow into the fray.
The Enlightened warrior turned toward her, his presence unnervingly calm amid the chaos.
"We need to reach the cavalry," Daenys said, notching another arrow. "They're being cut down!"
"I will see it done," Tengri said, stepping forward without hesitation. "Focus on your survival."
Daenys loosed another arrow, striking an Astad soldier through the throat, but her focus was pulled by a shadow in the corner of her vision. She spun just in time to see a sword swinging toward her neck.
Instinct took over. She raised her bow to block, the blade scraping down its wooden shaft before the pommel slammed into her temple.
The world tilted violently, her vision swimming as pain exploded behind her eyes. She stumbled back, her knees threatening to give out.
The Astad soldier advanced, his sword raised for another strike. Daenys fumbled for an arrow, her fingers trembling.
Before she could act, Tasha darted in like a shadow, her sickle hooking into the man's knee. She yanked him off balance and, with a swift motion, drove her blade into his exposed neck.
"Take the Enlightened's advice," Tasha said, her voice sharp as she wiped her sickle clean. "You look dreadful."
Daenys spat blood onto the ground, her head pounding with every movement. "I feel it too," she muttered, notching another arrow despite the shaking in her hands.
Tasha didn't wait for further orders. She was already moving, weaving through the defenders with lethal precision. A mounted Astad officer tried to rally his men, but Tasha was on him in seconds. Her sickle slashed through the horse's legs, sending both mount and rider crashing to the ground.
Meanwhile, Tengri moved like a storm. His seven-bladed sword swept through the battlefield with terrifying ease, cutting down soldiers who dared to stand in his path. Each strike was calculated, precise, and devastating.
Astad's defenders hesitated as he approached, their fear palpable. Tengri didn't slow. He stepped into their ranks, his sword arcing upward to sever a spear in two before slicing through the man who wielded it. Another lunged at him with an axe, but Tengri ducked low, his blade spinning as it tore through armor and bone.
He reached the cavalry within moments, his presence shifting the tide of battle. The Astad soldiers faltered, their formation breaking as Tengri advanced. He bought the cavalry precious seconds to regroup and retreat, their horses fleeing to the safety of the infantry line.
Daenys staggered, her vision speckled with dark spots. The pounding in her head felt like a needle burrowing into her skull, and her legs threatened to give out beneath her.
Tengri returned to her side, his hand steadying her as the battlefield spun around her. "The cavalry has fallen back and waits for command," he said, his voice steady.
Daenys blinked hard, forcing herself to focus. "Thank you, Tengri," she rasped, her breath ragged.
The Enlightened warrior pulled away the bandages covering his face, revealing his six glowing eyes. The air around him seemed to shift, growing heavier with his presence.
"I will make sure you are safe," he said simply, turning back to the fray.
Daenys gritted her teeth, the pain in her head threatening to overwhelm her. But she couldn't falter. Not now.
"Relights," she bit out, her voice strained. "Crush the towers. Stop the archers."
The massive creatures roared in response, their claws tearing through stone as they charged the towers flanking the landbridge.
Daenys staggered back, her bow trembling in her hand. The battle raged around her, the warband pushing deeper into the middle town, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was losing control.
Her warband needed her. And she would not let them fail.
Not here. Not now.