My planet is infested with Goblins

Colonel Alaric Veyne remained near the center of the Caldris line while the last infantry formations settled into position along the low rise. Eight hundred soldiers now faced an army nearly twice their size across the open fields, yet neither side had moved to begin the battle.

The silence was broken only by horses shifting on the northern flank, officers repeating final instructions, and the occasional clatter of shields being adjusted. Behind the ridge, supply wagons and healers had already been moved out of direct sight, while crossbowmen checked their strings and distributed spare bolts among the companies.

Alaric had expected the goblins to exploit the time it took his column to deploy, but they had done nothing.

The Viridian formations remained exactly where they had been when his scouts first discovered them, their banners moving gently above orderly ranks while messengers passed between officers.

Captain Joren Bale rode up from the center formation and stopped beside Alaric. "The infantry is ready. Crossbowmen have clear firing lanes, and the second line knows not to advance unless ordered."

Alaric nodded and looked toward the northern flank where most of the cavalry waited in the open field. He had deliberately concentrated them there because the southern stream restricted mounted movement.

If the goblins attempted to spread around his northern side, the cavalry would be his best answer. More importantly, the open ground gave the horses enough space to build speed if a vulnerable Viridian formation appeared.

Across the field, a horn sounded.

The goblin army moved.

Alaric felt the tension pass through the Caldris ranks before anyone said a word. The Viridian infantry did not charge. Their front formations stepped forward at a measured pace, maintaining the spaces between units as they crossed the field. Ranged formations followed behind them, while the reserve remained stationary farther back.

The movement was so controlled that Alaric could distinguish separate blocks advancing without colliding or bunching together.

"Hold position," he ordered.

The command passed along the line.

The goblins continued advancing.

Alaric had hoped the slight rise would force them to attack uphill, and the Viridian commander apparently had no intention of avoiding it.

That confidence bothered him, but the terrain remained useful. If Caldris stayed disciplined, the goblins would have to cross open ground under crossbow fire before reaching the human spears.

The first Viridian ranged formation stopped well before the infantry reached contact. Officers raised signaling flags, and several rows of goblins prepared their weapons almost simultaneously.

Alaric saw the movement.

"Shields!"

The front ranks lifted their heavy shields just before the first volley arrived.

Projectiles crossed the field in a dense wave.

Most struck wood or buried themselves in the ground, but enough found exposed shoulders, legs, and gaps between shields to cause immediate casualties. Several soldiers collapsed, and one crossbowman behind the front line fell backward with a projectile driven through his upper chest.

Alaric did not allow the sight to distract him.

"Return fire."

Caldris crossbowmen stepped into the prepared gaps between infantry blocks, raised their weapons, and released. Their volley was less uniform than the Viridian attack but carried heavier bolts.

Goblins fell throughout the advancing formations. One bolt struck through a shield and drove the soldier behind it backward. Another passed between two front-rank goblins and hit an officer farther behind.

The Caldris soldiers shouted at the sight.

The goblin formations did not stop.

A second Viridian volley followed, then another Caldris response. The field between the armies began filling with bolts, broken shafts, and bodies. Alaric quickly saw that remaining in a ranged exchange favored neither side enough to decide the battle.

His shields reduced the damage significantly, while Caldris crossbows had greater force and enough range to punish exposed goblins. The Viridian commander apparently reached the same conclusion.

Another horn sounded.

The goblin infantry accelerated.

"Spears forward," Alaric ordered.

The front human ranks tightened. Shields angled together while long spears extended through the spaces between them. Men in the second rank raised their weapons over the shoulders of those ahead. The physical difference between the two species became obvious as the distance disappeared.

Humans stood taller, their weapons reached farther, and their shields covered more of their bodies. The goblins approaching them were smaller and carried shorter weapons.

The first impact favored Caldris.

Human spears struck before the goblins could reach the shield wall. Several Viridian soldiers fell almost simultaneously, pierced through the chest or throat. Others raised shields and took the spearheads against reinforced surfaces, but the force of the thrusts stopped their advance. A second wave attempted to press forward and suffered again.

A cheer moved through the Caldris line.

One soldier shouted that the creatures could not reach them.

Alaric refused to share the confidence.

"Hold formation. Nobody advances."

The warning proved necessary almost immediately.

The goblins changed their approach.

Shield-bearing troops moved forward in tighter groups, crouching low enough that the human spears struck at steep angles. Instead of trying to force themselves directly onto the spear points, other goblins began striking the shafts. Blades and hooked weapons knocked spearheads aside while shield troops absorbed the thrusts. Behind them, Viridian ranged soldiers shifted their aim toward exposed human spearmen and officers.

A bolt struck a sergeant beside the front line.

Another buried itself in the thigh of a spearman who collapsed and nearly pulled two others out of formation.

Then the goblins reached the shields.

The fighting changed completely.

The first human soldier Alaric watched meet a goblin directly smashed his shield forward and knocked the smaller warrior off his feet. The next drove a spear downward and killed another before the goblin could close the distance. Human strength mattered. So did reach. A Caldris soldier who caught a goblin alone could overpower him brutally.

The goblins rarely remained alone.

Two moved against one shield while another attacked below the rim. One soldier blocked a spear thrust and immediately shifted aside so the goblin behind him could strike the exposed human arm. When a Viridian fighter fell, another moved into the gap before the humans could exploit it. They fought in groups small enough to react quickly but disciplined enough to remain connected to the larger formation.

Joren rode behind the center shouting orders.

"Do not chase them. Keep the line."

Several Caldris soldiers had already begun stepping forward after killing opponents, instinctively trying to exploit local success. Officers pulled them back before openings could form.

Alaric saw why almost immediately.

A gap appeared briefly in one company when three soldiers advanced too far. Goblins rushed toward it, forcing the second line to step forward and restore the formation. Had the opening lasted several seconds longer, Viridian troops might have reached the crossbowmen behind the infantry.

"They are waiting for us to separate," Alaric said.

Joren heard him.

"Then we do not give them the opportunity."

The battle spread along the entire center. Human spears repeatedly forced goblins back, while Viridian shield troops reduced the advantage by pressing close enough to turn long weapons into awkward tools. Some Caldris soldiers abandoned spears once the fighting became too tight and drew swords or axes instead. In those direct exchanges, the humans usually possessed the physical advantage, but Viridian numbers made every local success temporary.

A horn sounded from the goblin rear.

Light infantry began moving toward both Caldris flanks.

Alaric immediately recognized the intention.

"They are stretching us."

Joren looked south.

The stream protected that side partially, but not completely. Goblins could still cross in several shallow places. On the northern side, the open field offered no natural barrier at all.

"Extend the second line," Alaric ordered. "Do not thin the center more than necessary."

Reserve companies shifted outward. The Caldris formation widened enough to prevent easy encirclement, but the movement cost them depth. Alaric could feel the problem developing exactly as he had feared. Fifteen hundred goblins did not need to break one point immediately. They could simply force eight hundred humans to defend more ground than they wanted.

He looked toward the cavalry.

Now was the time to use the advantage the open field had given him.

Alaric raised his arm and signaled the northern cavalry commander.

Forty riders began moving forward.

They did not charge immediately. The formation advanced at a controlled pace while officers studied the goblin light infantry pressing toward the northern flank.

The Viridian soldiers noticed the cavalry and began adjusting, but the movement created exactly the reaction Alaric wanted. Several goblin formations shifted toward the threat, reducing pressure elsewhere.

"Make them commit," Alaric said.

The cavalry captain understood.

The riders increased speed.

The goblin light infantry attempted to pull back toward supporting formations, but the horses accelerated faster than the smaller soldiers could withdraw. Caldris cavalry lowered spears and crossed the remaining distance in moments.

The impact tore through the Viridian flank.

Horses crashed into smaller bodies. Spears punched through shields. Several goblins were thrown aside before they could escape the charge. One horse trampled a soldier directly beneath its hooves while another rider struck downward with a sword after losing his spear.

Caldris infantry shouted in approval.

For the first time, a portion of the Viridian line bent visibly backward.

Alaric felt the opportunity immediately.

"Do not let the cavalry go too deep."

The warning came just in time.

Viridian reserves were already moving.

Longer polearms appeared among the formations approaching the threatened flank. Ranged troops turned away from the center and began firing toward the mounted soldiers. The first horse screamed and collapsed after several projectiles struck its chest. Another rider was thrown when his mount was hit in the neck.

The cavalry captain recognized the danger and sounded the withdrawal.

The riders pulled away before the goblin infantry could close around them.

They had inflicted heavy casualties, but the Viridian flank had not collapsed.

Joren watched the cavalry retreat toward its original position.

"They were ready for our horsemen."

"They were ready for something," Alaric replied.

The cavalry had forced the goblins to use reserves, which was useful, but it had also proven that repeating the charge carelessly would become expensive. The enemy had enough organized depth to respond when one part of the line suffered.

The fighting in the center continued without pause.

Alaric noticed the next problem only because he had been watching the goblin formations rather than individual duels.

A Viridian infantry block that had been fighting heavily since the initial contact began withdrawing several ranks. Fresh goblins moved through prepared gaps and replaced them almost immediately.

The goblins are rotating their tired soldiers.

Alaric looked along his own line.

Caldris soldiers had been fighting continuously. Men were breathing heavily behind their shields. Spearmen struggled to keep weapons raised. Crossbowmen had already consumed a significant portion of their prepared ammunition. The reserves he possessed were too limited to replace entire formations without creating dangerous weaknesses elsewhere.

The goblins could.

That was the real strength of fifteen hundred disciplined soldiers.

Not simply more bodies.

Another fresh Viridian formation began advancing from the rear.

Joren saw it as well.

"They are replacing the center."

"Yes."

"Our men can hold."

"For how long?"

Joren did not answer.

Alaric looked across the field. The humans had killed many goblins. Their spears had proven effective. Their cavalry had smashed a portion of the flank. Caldris soldiers were stronger individually, and the line remained intact.

None of that changed what was happening.

Viridian was using its numbers intelligently.

The goblin commander was not trying to destroy the Caldris army with one charge. He was maintaining pressure, rotating exhausted formations, stretching the human line, and forcing Alaric to spend reserves simply to keep every section connected.

Alaric turned toward the officers behind him.

"Bring the remaining infantry reserve forward. Reinforce the center and northern line. Keep one company behind the southern flank."

A messenger immediately rode away.

Joren looked toward him.

"That leaves with almost nothing in reserve."

"I know."

Across the field, the fresh Viridian formation finished replacing the battered troops at the center and began moving forward.

Alaric tightened his grip on the reins as his remaining reserves advanced to meet them. The first clash had answered the question Caldris carried east with it. The goblins could fight openly. They could bleed, they could be pushed back, and human soldiers could kill them in numbers.

The more dangerous answer was that none of those facts meant Viridian would break first.

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