“When people persist in something that has been proven to fail, that is what we call folly.” - Old folk saying.

“Well, they certainly made changes, all right,” noted Griselda as she watched over the enemy formation across the battlefield using a spyglass.

The Imperial army arrayed before them adopted a diamond-shaped formation, in stark contrast to the wide line formation they used the previous day and the days prior to that. The enemy’s cavalry force were on the back of the diamond, while well-armed elite soldiers formed the other three points, likely with more elites in the center as reserves.

It was a more flexible formation compared to the line they used previously, but at the same time was also worse when it came to applying a numerical advantage over the enemy. It seemed that the enemy commanders had come to the conclusion that their numerical superiority was of little use against the current foe they faced and adjusted their strategy accordingly.

As for the Coalition army, their formation still formed a convex shape, with the dwarven elite infantry forming the “tip” of the crescent and their light cavalry at the sides. The reserves and dwarven cavalry lay in wait behind the main line, prepared to be deployed where needed. Reinhardt’s Free Lances were shifted closer to the center, just a little bit to the left of the dwarven infantry, as were other elites from various groups.

Nestor had originally planned to push hard through the enemy center this day, but he would have to make some adjustments based on how the enemy reacted now.

“Have our wings advance further, and inform the center to form a wedge. Heron Wing formation,” said Nestor calmly after some thought. Messengers rushed over to the soldiers in formation and delivered his command, and the Coalition army’s formation quickly started to shift as he ordered, while the reserves themselves moved to adjust their own position.

Within less than a quarter hour, the once crescent-shaped formation adopted by the Coalition army turned into one that looked more like the head of a trident with short tines, or if viewed from the other direction, like the silhouette of a bird in flight, hence its name.

The dwarven infantry formed a wedge at the center of the formation, forming the bird’s beak, while the infantry on the sides formed the wings, with the light cavalry on the outside of the formation. The reserves themselves formed the body of the bird, with the dwarven cavalry and chariots lined up at the back to give them more room to rush out whenever needed.

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As he saw no change from the enemy formation across the field, Nestor gave the command to march shortly afterwards. Drums were beaten and horns were blown as the Coalition army marched as one towards their foes, and the Imperial army did the same. Even as they approached each other the two armies competed with one another.

Both sides’ drummers and hornblowers tried to outdo the other in volume, while keeping to their respective cadences. Battle cries were yelled, sung, and screamed by the various soldiers, each trying to drown the others’ beneath their own, creating a riotous cacophony that assailed the eardrums of everybody present on the battlefield.

The first to meet each other was once again the spearheads of the respective formations. Imperial elite infantrymen in heavy armor clashed with dwarven elites once more. Unlike the previous day, however, the Imperial elites kept their heavy sabers sheathed behind their backs, and were instead wielding heavy metal truncheons not unlike what Erycea used, if of worse quality and make.

Clearly they were aware from the previous day’s battle that sabers were poor weapons to use against the heavily armored dwarven elites, whose armor made them pretty much impervious to slashes and cuts. Meanwhile, despite how the sabers used by the imperial elites were hefty and durable, enough that they could be swung against lighter armor and still cause meaningful damage to the opponent, they were still not designed to deal with heavy armor, much less what the dwarves wore.

In comparison, bludgeoning weapons like the truncheons were more effective against such armored opponents, as they tended to be heavier and more durable, allowing the user to deliver more force into their blows. Like with Erycea’s weapons, the tips of the truncheons were sharpened to a point as well, allowing them to be thrust into openings and gaps in an enemy’s protection.

With those truncheons they were also more capable of defending themselves against the heavy blows from the dwarves, so the Imperial elites managed to engage the dwarves at a somewhat more even footing, even if they remained at a disadvantage due to the natural capabilities of the different races.

While the elites fought each other at the front, the flanks engaged one another as the Imperials assumed a defensive formation against the harassment from the Coalition’s light cavalry. In return, the Imperials made use of their larger force of archers – many of their regular soldiers seemed to double as an archer, even – to rain down projectiles at the coalition force, causing no small amounts of casualties amongst them.

Before long most of the frontline on both sides had engaged each other, though both armies still kept their trump cards up their sleeves. The fighting was even, as the Imperials leveraged their greater numbers and archery skills to match up with the Coalition’s often superior individual prowess. Eventually, Siobhan looked towards Nestor, and he nodded.

Which was the signal to unleash the dwarven cavalry’s full might. The dwarves divided their cavalry into two equal halves, with the Grafin leading one detachment and her father leading the other. The ground seemed to rumble and shake beneath the hooves of the cavalry mounts, and while they took some time to pick up speed, the sight of the ferocious dwarven war chariots leading the charge was a whole other thing altogether.

Fifty chariots on each side formed a wedge ten chariots wide and five deep, while a thousand dwarven heavy cavalry on their rhinos followed closely behind each chariot spearhead. Six thousand dwarves mounted on their rams were spread out further behind, the dwarves forming two giant wedges that aimed for the sides and back of the Imperial formation.