"Behind the trees, everyone!" Damra aided Ludwig in 'herding' his army.
Damra's voice carried over the retreat like a whip crack, rough with urgency and loud enough to cut through panic.
He wasn't trying to sound like a commander; he was one now, whether he liked it or not. He shoved shoulders, yanked arms, and physically turned bodies in the right direction when words weren't enough. Ludwig let him.
Damra knew the mountain paths better than anyone here, and Ludwig needed his hands doing something useful besides swinging axes.
While Ludwig was the last to withdraw, he noticed that several stragglers, goblins mainly, had decided that they would be better off not falling back and shoot down some of the orcs with their darts.
They'd picked their spot like rats with experience, low brush, a slight rise, enough cover to vanish if someone looked their way too long.
