Chapter 413 Turn Tables

By the time Kael turned his attention toward the remaining chariots, most of the infantry had already lost the fight. The young gladiators had done better than he expected once he broke through the center of the formation. Without an intact battle line, the soldiers were struggling to use their training effectively.

Their shields no longer formed a wall, and their short swords lacked the protection of men standing shoulder to shoulder. Small groups had been isolated, surrounded, and forced backward by gladiators who quickly discovered how much easier a fight became after Kael had scattered their opponents. Several soldiers had dropped their weapons, while others were being pinned to the dirt.

A few continued fighting hard enough that the young gladiators answered with lethal force. Kael did not interfere. He had given them an opening, and what they did with it was their decision. His attention was needed elsewhere.

Hooves thundered across the arena as the last two functioning chariots turned toward the melee. Their drivers appeared unconcerned by the soldiers still fighting among Kael’s underlings. He stepped away from the group, raising one hand when a young gladiator shouted after him.

"Handle this."

Kael ran toward the nearest chariot, drawing its driver’s attention almost immediately. The horses turned toward him, and he smiled beneath the Spartan helmet. Getting the vehicle away from the melee was the first part of the problem solved.

Neither man aboard looked particularly concerned about his approach. Two enormous warhorses were charging toward a single person, both trained for battle and protected by armor. Anyone foolish enough to meet them head-on would ordinarily end up beneath their hooves.

Kael could probably stop them. Stone and Heft would allow him to plant his feet and turn himself into something the horses could not move. The chariot would likely collapse around him, but the animals would almost certainly be injured in the process.

"No."

They had done nothing wrong beyond pulling what someone had strapped behind them. Kael kept running as the driver urged them onward and the rider shouted something from the back. He probably assumed the man charging toward two armored horses had finally lost his mind.

The distance closed from ten meters to five. Kael could see the movement of the harnesses and the armor shifting over the animals’ shoulders when he activated Darkness. His coat dissolved into shadow, and blackness spread across his body until his outline became difficult to distinguish.

The horses reached him and passed through. Kael felt the strange pull of the physical world crossing something that was no longer entirely physical. Armor, muscle, harnesses, and wood moved through his shadowed form while he continued forward between them.

He passed through the horses, the yoke, and the front of the chariot before releasing Darkness. His body became solid in the space between its occupants, and he caught the side before the vehicle’s momentum could throw him backward. Both boots struck the floor as the rider screamed.

The man reached for a weapon, but Kael drove an elbow into his chest before he could draw it. He went over the side, struck the dirt, and rolled out of sight behind the speeding chariot. The driver turned with a short blade half drawn from his belt.

Kael caught him by the back of his armor and lifted him off the floor. The man’s eyes widened as his feet left the boards, his knife temporarily forgotten. Kael pulled him closer.

"Piss off."

Their helmets met with a ringing clang, and the driver went limp. Kael caught the reins before they could fall, then threw the unconscious man over the side. He landed somewhat less violently than the javelin thrower had, though that was a relative improvement.

Kael was suddenly alone aboard a moving chariot. The horses continued at the same speed, apparently satisfied that changing drivers was no reason to stop. He looked down at the reins in his hands.

"This shouldn’t be that hard right?"

He had driven cars and, technically, motorcycles. Horse-drawn war chariots covered in blades had not featured prominently in his life in New York. This presented a problem he probably should have considered before removing the man who knew what he was doing.

Kael pulled one rein too hard. The left horse turned while the right continued forward, dragging the chariot into a sudden lurch. He braced against the side and nearly lost his footing as one wheel bounced through a rut.

"Easy."

He loosened his grip, allowing the horses to correct themselves before trying again. Smaller movements produced a much better response. Another careful pull brought both animals around together, carrying the chariot into a wider circle.

"Okay. You two are smarter than me."

Neither horse appeared interested in the compliment. They continued running while Kael adjusted his course around the scattered wreckage. Within seconds, he realized that he was gaining on the final chariot.

The crowd noticed as well. Its cheering rose as the remaining driver glanced over his shoulder, followed by his passenger. Kael smiled until the rider reached for a javelin and turned toward the horses.

The man had recognized the obvious weakness. Crippling either animal could throw the pursuing chariot off balance, and at this speed, Kael doubted he would enjoy the result. He looked toward the javelins stored beside him as the rider drew his arm back.

"No, not the cuties!"

Kael grabbed four javelins at once. Internal Energy flowed through his body while Heft increased the weapons’ weight, making the shafts strain against his grip. The enemy rider released his weapon just before Kael threw.

The javelins crossed the distance with enough force to turn the exchange into something closer to siege warfare. The first struck the incoming projectile, scattering broken wood between the two vehicles. The second continued toward the rider, who began ducking far too late.

It punched through his upper torso, tore through the rear of the chariot, and carried on beyond it. The man disappeared from view as the remaining two javelins struck lower. One pierced the wooden frame, while the other drove through the axle housing before both buried themselves in the arena floor.

For a brief instant, the chariot continued trying to move with its rear structure pinned in place. Then the wood split, a wheel twisted, and the axle snapped beneath the strain. The back of the vehicle came apart in a burst of splinters.

The horses kept running as the harness tore free of the collapsing frame. Released from the wreckage, they surged forward without the chariot behind them. Kael watched them clear the broken wood before turning his attention to the driver.

He was less fortunate. The ruined vehicle spun sideways and threw him into the dirt before its remaining pieces collapsed behind him. Kael guided his own horses around the wreckage, ignoring the spectators rising to their feet.

Ahead, the infantry’s defeat had become a retreat. Soldiers were dropping shields and trying to reach the gate through which they had entered, while the young gladiators pursued them across the arena. A few attempted to regroup, but nobody seemed willing to remain long enough to form a proper line.

The Arena’s scenario had flipped.