Carved into the mountainside itself the fort was of sound construction. It was impressive that the Dradi were able to build it in the first place. They lacked the tools of the Jhatgar or the magic of the human lands. Adas Nan guessed it must have taken considerable manpower; Something they clearly lacked these days. The people were warriors, that he could respect, but they hadn’t been able to stop the march of Adas Nan’s far more advanced soldiers.
“The last of them are hunkered down in the fort, Commander,” Captain Therias Kal, reported. Adas Nan got up from his seat, which was a crate, and looked over his men. They were mostly accounted for, save for a handful of injured. He grinned savagely. “What of the other companies, Captain?” He asked.
“Seven reported minor injuries. No casualties. We still have plenty of ammunition and artillery is in place. Our dragoons are at the ready,” The captain finished. “Good. Let us put an end to this,” Adas Nan said before turning to his men, “Everyone take to your formations and await my orders.”
The commander surveyed the fort with his looking glass once more. Cannons stationed at various embrasures would pummel any long range targets, while the riflemen would pepper the closer infantry. The fort entrance was surrounded by several layered ditches with stakes spread out precariously. The defenses would be for naught against the Jhatgar, however.
“Captain, commence the barrage,” He ordered, putting his spy glass away. A moment later, the thunderous roar of the artillery guns broke though the air. The fort was hammered with volley after volley. Its walls, while sturdy, were shaken. Dust and smoke rose into the air. Adas Nan did not need to look through his glass to know the destruction that had been wreaked upon them.
Besides, he wanted to see it up close when he ends this campaign. To bomb them with artillery wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to crush them under his own foot. To feel his enemies bleed and realize that they are defeated. That was the best part. He waited until there were several new doors in the fort’s wall, then gave the signal for the real battle to begin. His troops surged forth and the ground quaked at their march.
*
Adas Nan sat atop one of the dragoons as it strode into battle. The vehicle was much like an upscaled machineplate. It was made of bloodsteel and hydraulics. The inner workings of it were something far beyond his expertise. He knew at least two things about the machine he rode upon. It was an unmatched war machine and it had a lot of gears.
The bladed, metal fist of the dragoon slammed into the wall of the fort, breaking apart even more of the venerable stone. Adas Nan shook some of the dust off of his head. Through the visor of his helmet he could see a few dradi soldiers still trying and failing to hold the entrance. They had dug into the hall with sandbags, crates, and metal barricades.
The defiant troops fired at the massive machine and it’s giant passenger. Several of their shots hit metal, but were unable to penetrate the armor. One even hit Adas Nan square in the chest, though his machineplate had deflected the blow. The dragoon underneath him let loose a hail of bullets from its quad barreled machine gun. A spray of blood and dust momentarily covered the hall. Adas Nan hopped off of the dragoon, his boots slamming hard enough to be heard, even through the sounds of battle that raged on around him.
He looked around at the fighting. His men were making short work of those who were left within the hall, just as he had expected. Many of them had retreated to the inner part of the mountain stronghold, where the artillery would not be of much use. While the Dradi were able to traverse the halls of the fort with ease, the Jhatgar were much larger than the green desert dwellers, meaning that they would need to crouch to get through.
There were four main tunnels their enemy had fled through, with two of them directly ahead and the other two on either side of the entrance hall. Adas Nan waved Therias Kal over, “Choose six men and pair them off.” The captain saluted, “Understood, Sir.”
With the eight of them split into pairs, each group went deeper into the fort. Adas Nan had brought Therias Kal with him and taken the tunnel on the ride side of the center. It was a cramped fit for both of them, since the halls were not built with Jhatgar in mind.
There was no room to swing his battleaxe in such a tight space, so Adas Nan drew his heavy revolver out of it’s holster. The weapon held only five rounds, but that was of no concern to the commander. With his best captain at his back and the only way to go being forward, He pressed on.
“No doubt, they’ve set a trap for us, Commander,” Therias Kal said. The eerie quiet of the moment was further interrupted when the unmistakable eruption of gunfire broke out. The sound echoed off the walls. With no where to go, the two jhatgar were right in the line of hundreds of bullets. Adas Nan raised his left gauntlet to shield himself and fired all five of his own rounds at the mounted machine gun.
Over one hundred rounds struck against his torso, meeting the machineplate. Most of them bounced off and began to fracture or jump around the corridor. Some of them were able to penetrate his armor, not deep enough to harm him much, but it was still enough to feel it. “CHARGE!” He shouted.
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The two jhatgar barreled forth as quickly as they could while crouched. The machine gunner did not let up on the crank of his weapon. Hundreds of rounds were pelting them as they neared the position. “Godsdamnit!” Therias Kal roared as the pair of them reached the end of the tunnel. This room was much more spacious and carved out. Here, they could stand.
“It will take more than that!” Adas Nan chuckled like a madman, bringing his heavy revolver down upon the dradi gunner’s skull. The weapon smashed through his helmet, killing him nearly instantly. The commander drew his battle axe and charged at the other soldiers who fired upon them with their single shot rifles.
Therias Kal opened fire with his bolt action rifle, taking two of them down before the commander had reached them. Adas Nan’s battleaxe tore cleaved through three of them at a time. The others tried to spread out, but Therias Kal continued to lay down fire upon them. The rounds were so large that they tore the dradi in half as they hit.
“This the best you can manage? It’s pathetic!” Adas Nan laughed. The remaining soldiers, who were able, fled into what looked to be an interior castle. It was build around a massive pillar that connected the ground of the cave to the ceiling. It was surrounded by a moat filled with water. The massive room they were in was a city of buildings carved into the stone. It was how the Dradi survived in the desert.
“Looks like we have one more siege to go,” The commander scoffed. “I’ll round up the men,” Therias Kal said. Adas Nan nodded. The other pairs had arrived just then. From the looks of their armor, they were also accosted by similar traps. Adas Nan cracked his neck and dragged the bodies of the enemy into a pile, which he used as a seat.
*
Therias Kal had returned with the rest of the machineplate infantry. Including the captain, there were forty two of them, which was more than enough. Adas Nan gave a signal that his men knew well. They approached the gate of the stronghold. It was a thick iron slab, pulled shut by several large chains. A drawbridge made completely of metal.
The jhatgar soldiers readied their weapons at either side of the gate. Adas Nan strode up to it, as if to inspect it. He stepped into the moat surrounding it. The water was of no hindrance, only coming up to his thighs. He grabbed hold of two of the chains, pulling them hard. The metal groaned against the winch holding it in place. The contraption squealed, the chains rattled fiercely, then they snapped.
Adas Nan stepped aside and the drawbridge fell to the other side of the gate. His men had taken up positions, their weapons aimed at the door. The wooden gate behind the drawbridge was no match for the commander, as he rammed his armored fist through it. Splinters exploded out from the impact and he tore the door from its place. He threw it to the side.
Nothing awaited them inside the gate, but another gate. Adas Nan motioned his troops to his side. “Ready your bayonets,” He ordered. The men fixed the blades to their rifles. “Follow me!” He shouted as they charged forth to the inner gate. He used the heel of his right boot to smash the entrance open. The doors flew inwards with enough force to crush several of the soldiers that waited on the other side.
The dradi commander began shouting orders and the defenders opened fire on the giant invaders. The machine plate infantry were upon them quickly, cutting through them with gunfire and blades. Adas Nan slaughtered them with his axe, one after another. He chopped limbs, cleaved heads from shoulders, and smashed men into the dirt.
He came face to face with the dradi commander. The smaller man wore a tall hat, decorated with golden eagle wings. His pristine black and orange uniform was about to get bloody. Adas Nan’s laughter shook the air around them and the dradi commander began to make a retreat.
“Come back here, little man!” Adas Nan growled like a beast as he gave chase. The commander ran up to the ramparts. He was quick, taking turns and twists with ease. He rounded a corner and his pursuer lost sight of him for a moment. When he had reached the corner, an unexpected sight awaited him.
A cannon stared the jhatgar down, behind it, the enemy commander. The artillery let loose a deafening roar as the cannon ball hurled forth. Adas Nan could not get out of the way in time. The large projectile struck him in the body. His air left his lungs and he slammed against the wall with a shout of pain. The jhatgar commander slumped and was losing consciousness.
His ears were ringing and his vision shaky. It pained him to breathe. He looked up at the cannon and its operator. The mustached commander was hurriedly loading another shot. Adas Nan fought to stand on unstable legs. He had dropped his axe with a thud.
The dradi noticed him getting back to his feet. “ERAGH!” Adas Nan gave a battle cry and charged. With each step he took, his body screamed out in agony. It felt as if his bones would buckle at any moment and his insides would burst. He shut off his thoughts and focused on the task at hand.
The dradi commander cursed at him in his foreign language and fired the cannon, but Adas Nan kicked it just as he did so. The barrel had pointed off just enough to instead hit a wall. The ball had smashed through and out into the courtyard battle below. He closed the last distance with the dradi. Having left his axe behind, he used his hands.
His enemy unsheathed a beautifully crafted blade, accented with gold, and attempted to defend himself. Adas Nan caught the blade in his bloodsteel encased fist, pulling the dradi to him. Their heads collided and green flesh met hard metal. The dradi cried out in pain as his teeth went flying. Blood ran down his face.
Adas Nan lifted him up by the face and throat with his other hand. The creature only squirmed for a moment. He crushed its skull. Adas Nan tossed the body aside and haggardly walked over to the hole made from the cannon earlier. He looked out at the scene below. His men had won the battle. The fort and city was theirs now. The troops rounded up the survivors and noncombatants. They would be enslaved and put to work.
“Are you still alive in that armor, Commander?” Therias Kal joked. “I’m still kicking, Captain,” He rasped. The captain walked over and gave him a pat on the shoulder. Just then a messenger arrived. “What is it soldier?” Therias Kal asked. The soldier took his helmet off and gave a salute. “The Emperor has joined the Ancestor Gods. You are requested at court, Lord Adas Nan,” The soldier said sternly. The captain and commander looked at each other. “Well, this will be interesting. Looks like you may be second in command to the next emperor, Therias Kal!” Adas Nan coughed, laughing.