Despite his wound, Jason decides to personally participate in the battle against the orcs.

"Dress me in armor. Bring my war horse. I personally, along with a detachment of my bodyguards, will participate in the battle ..." - the prince's orders shocked those present.

However, Jason simply ignored the objections of the court physicians.

Half an hour later, a small cavalry detachment, led by Jason, rode out to meet the fierce battle that had flared up.

The prince tried to provide assistance in the most dangerous areas.

First, his detachment attacked the orcish detachments that stormed the monastery of Saint Lothar.

A swift cavalry attack from the flank allowed him to chop off the heads of most of the orcish detachment, which guarded and loaded two catapults that destroyed the monastery walls with boulders.

Personally, the prince managed to stab (by a spear) one of the orcs in the throat, who almost managed to throw an axe at Jason's horse.

Unfortunately, there was already a breach in the walls and many orc warriors were using ladders to climb the walls and break into the monastery.

There were many bloody corpses at the bottom of the walls.

Pieces of bodies mixed together... At first glance, it is difficult for an observer to understand whether they are orcs or humans.

And also - many corpses of horses and knights, near the edge of the forest...

From small forest groves to the west of the monastery, orc archers are constantly shooting.

And also - orcs throw axes and small spears.

Thanks to the strength and skills of his bodyguards, Jason was able to break through the enemies to a large detachment of foot militia-warriors, who were fighting near the gates of the monastery.

Flames and black smoke rise above the monastery...

The sound of an orcish war horn is heard.

And the orc troops begin to gradually retreat into the forest, to the west...

Among the destroyed and burning buildings of the monastery, there are many corpses of monks and servants...

Almost every one of them held some kind of primitive weapon in their hands.

The corpses of the orcs are also numerous...

Only the defense of the central chapel was held.

A small detachment of humans comes out to meet the prince.

Among these persons, almost all are wounded.

Knights, monks, a few militia-warriors...

This detachment is led by a tall human monk, who holds a large staff in his hands, emitting a barely noticeable bluish glow.

A calm, wrinkled face, a large beard almost completely gray, an attentive look of black eyes...

For some reason, due to the proximity of this person, Prince Jason has some unpleasant feeling...

As if the very nature of the prince and powerful forces in his soul urge Jason to stay away from this monk...

Also among this detachment, the prince notices captain-commander Richard Einkirsh.

His steel cuirass is covered in blood.

His forehead is bandaged with a cloth, from under which a red stream of blood flows.

The captain-commander can hardly stand on his feet...

"Your Highness! You are alive!" - Richard Einkirsh clearly did not expect to see the prince here and now.

"Report the situation, sir Richard..." - the prince orders.

"Most of the monastery buildings were destroyed... The orcs, unfortunately, managed to burn the food granaries... But we were able to save the relics of Saint Lothar in the central chapel from desecration! Abbot Otefrid and his monks fought valiantly and my knights helped them..." - the captain-commander says.

"Go to our camp, you should treat your wounds, sir..." - before the captain-commander can object, the prince spurs his horse and leaves the monastery along with a small cavalry detachment of his bodyguards.

From the monastery, the orc troops have almost completely retreated into the forest and now Jason is moving towards the central sector of the battle.

And what the prince sees is some kind of cruel phantasmagoria of the bloody horror of war.

The ranks of foot human-warriors collide with the orc squads...

Spears and halberds pierce the flesh of the greenskin monsters.

In response, arrows, throwing axes and small throwing spears fly at the humans from the side of the madly screaming orcs.

Furious orcs with large two-handed axes and spiked maces break into the ranks of militia-warriors and mercilessly mutilate the bodies of humans, inflicting disgusting wounds.

A small group of mounted knights tries to turn around and again quickly attack a large group of orcs.

There are already many bodies on the ground, trampled by the hooves of horses and pierced by long knightly spears - so this is not the first such cavalry attack.

There are too many orcs, but the prince notices that their groups are poorly coordinated with each other.

Obviously, this is the result of the "magic trick" that the prince performed, deceiving the orcish warlord.

Those units that could have been effective reserves of the orcish army are now crowded and interfering with each other...

The whistle of an arrow flying past the ear distracts the prince from his observations.

Another arrow pierces the left palm of one of the mounted bodyguards...

"Your Highness! We cannot approach! It's a bloodbath here! We must ensure your safety!" - another bodyguard shouts.

Jason and his mounted unit ride around the epicenter of the battle in a wide arc, trying not to get hit by a large mass of enemies.

After all, in this case, the chances of survival will be minimal...

The last thing Jason saw while his horse was galloping south was the moment when a small detachment of mounted knights again "plowed" into a mass of greenskin scums, who "bristling" with various weapons.

Due to their small numbers, the knights were unable to divide the large mass of enemies into several parts.

The knights got stuck in the battle...

The orcs are killing the horses...

The knights are **** to dismount and fight the enemy at close range in melee combat.

It seems that in the thick of the battle, Jason noticed the gleam of a large two-handed sword made of a strange dark metal, whose blade emits a faint glow similar to dark green sparks.

So, the prince's small detachment moves south, attacking small groups of orcs and avoiding clashes with large groups of armed greenskin monsters.

Twenty minutes later, the prince sees Thicket's Road...

It looks like a madman's nightmare...

The road is strewn with severed heads and limbs...

Streams of blood stain the grass on the sides of the road...

Orc troops retreat towards the forest, periodically firing bows towards the ranks of human militia-warriors.

Some groups of eborvairian warriors have taken up defensive positions near several overturned carts, firing bows and crossbows in return.

To the south of the road, the prince's gaze notices a small detachment of mounted knights, who are trying to stay away from the forest.

To the east, along the road, Jason sees the retreating silhouettes of humans and carts pulled by oxen.

Obviously, some of the plebs refugees were able to escape from this bloody nightmare.

The prince's detachment approaches the mounted knights and Jason asks one of them: "Were you commanded by Sir Neil Kayburn? Where is he?"

A grim-looking elderly knight, whose armor is dented in many ways, leads the prince's detachment to one of the largest piles of bloody bodies.

Among these corpses dumped on the road, it is difficult to tell where the body of a human is, and where the body of an orc is.

The corpses are too mutilated, bloody and dirty.

But something immediately attracts attention.

A body wearing a silver-colored cuirass.

The armor of sir Neil Kayburn.

His body is decapitated.

"The crowds of refugees hindered the charge of the mounted knights. The orcs used the forest as cover from the onslaught of heavy cavalry. We were **** to maneuver. Those who did not have time were **** to dismount and engage the orcs at close range..." - the elderly knight utters the words abruptly, as if he is barely holding back a curse.

A powerful sound of several orcish war horns.

Jason looks around the area.

Apparently, all the orcs are now retreating into the forest.

"I order all our forces to retreat to rest and regroup... I forbid anyone to pursue the orc troops into the forested area..." - Jason says.

Several of his bodyguards, acting as messengers, are sent to separate units of the eborvairian army.