[center][h3][color=DC143C]Sanguin, Westroad Village[/color][/h3][/center]

In surprisingly short order, the scouts returned.  They reported few to no anomalies in the terrain that might derail the general plan.  Around these parts, what wasn't riverside delta was smooth, rolling, forested hills.  No large rocks had been spotted, and if there were any happenstance crevices or bolt holes in the area around where the enemy was gathered,  they were both small and well-hidden beneath the trees.  As Hugh sounded the five-minute watch, soldiers raced here and there to secure their gear and prepare to fight.  Sanguin studied her scimitar, shield, and armor, poring over each for deficiencies that would require a last-minute preparation.  Finding nothing she could fix in the allotted time, the myrmidon made her way to the front of the Bravuran camp, from where the Reclaimers would ride to war.

“Ready...” Sanguin heard the knight captain's voice.  “Go!”

She took off running, racing across the grass, not at her top speed but at a sustainable one.  Her first objective was to get to the nearest copse; after that, she'd move with her allies to the second one and wait for Taene, Kel, and Dylan to flush the enemy from the top of their hill.  Around Sanguin were some of the other lightly-armored soldiers, including the mages.  More encumbered warriors, those lacking horses at least, brought up the rear.  Regardless, the whole army crossed the open grass, navigating past corpses from the recent battle and avoiding patches of mud.  The river skirting the base of the hill, when approached, proved to be significantly less wide than it had appeared from afar—likely the sun reflecting off its liquid surface that had made it look bigger.  Just as Sanguin was hopping over it, a mere fifty feet from the small patch of trees that was her second target, there was a cacophonous noise from the top of the hill.  It was a mixture of neighing, crackling ice, roaring fire, and the panicked yells of men and women.  Over the top of the hill, the enemy appeared: about fifteen assorted people appeared, garbed in brown clothing and dark gray armor.  They rushed down the hill, fleeing from lance point, sheer cold, and searing heat.  One of the archers, however, turned and loosed an arrow at the manakete.

The foes were immediately aware of the Reclaimers' presence, however, as not all were lying in wait in an ambush.  From the back, Hugh roared an order: attack, but try to capture some alive.  The battle had begun with the Reclaimers at a slight disadvantage due to their lower elevation.