The muzzle of Webber's Flintlock Rifle was still trailing bluish smoke, and the scalding metal barrel gave off a wisp of white vapor in the frigid air.
He had just shot down the fierce Sauron soldier who had burst in from the flank and nearly split the skull of Tom, the young Musketeer under his command, with a Battle Axe. The lead ball entered through the man's left eye, bursting the back of his head into a spray of red and white. His corpse crashed heavily into the muddy, blood-soaked ground.
"Thanks, Chief!" Tom shouted, his face deathly pale and his nerves still rattled. Blood continued to drip from the bayonet in his hand.
"Less talk! Watch the right!" Webber growled, his gaze sweeping across the smoke-shrouded, shadow-filled chaos of the battlefield.
The earthen-wall line where he stood had become like a lone boat in a storm, with more and more Sauron soldiers pouring in through multiple breaches.
War cries, clashing steel, dying screams, and the thunder of explosions blended into a single roar that nearly burst their eardrums.
Another Sauron soldier spotted their small group. Letting out a beastlike howl, he charged forward with a hide-covered round shield and a heavy-backed chopping blade, targeting another soldier who was reloading his musket.
"Courting death!" A cold glint flashed in Webber's eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced, meeting the man head-on with his bayoneted Flintlock Rifle.
His steps were steady and swift. The instant his opponent swung down his blade, Webber sharply flicked the barrel upward, striking precisely against the inside of the man's wrist!
Clang! The Sauron soldier cried out in pain, and his chopping blade flew from his hand.
Webber did not pause. Turning sideways, he slammed the rifle stock savagely into the enemy's shield-bearing left arm. The tremendous