The Greeks halted their pursuit and began regrouping, their lines tightening with deliberate precision as they advanced steadily forward.
Opposite them, the Lucanian allied forces were a cumbersome mass of over 9,000 warriors. Excluding the wounded from Picossis, Vig, and other cities, this assembly stretched for miles from south to north. Under the banners of Grumentum, Nerulum, and Laos, the warriors scrambled to form their ranks, their sheer numbers creating disorder and delay.
In stark contrast, the Greek mercenaries, numbering a mere 2,000, appeared insignificant. Yet as they drew within a hundred meters of the Lucanian lines, their movements transformed. Suddenly, like a predator seizing an opening, they accelerated, veering sharply to the left.
