They said that the broken wall was originally built by an ancient race of giants that once ruled the jungles. Back then, the jungles had been an ancient city that spanned from one side to the other. And yet when I arrived all that remained of the giants were their ruined buildings. The Broken Wall was the only thing that stood as a reminder. One area of the wall had crumbled long ago and been replaced with thick wooden walls. That was the titular broken part of the wall. The rest of the wall stood tall, connecting from one side of a mountain wall to another. The city was lage, but the most impressive sight was the wall itself.

To start off, in front of the wall was a large ditch that surrounded the walls. At the opposite side of that ditch was a retaining wall that stood as tall as fifteen feet. Above that wall another wall made of thick mud and bricks that stood as tall as twenty six feet high. The very size of those two walls atop each other was enough to intimidate any invader, but even so, there were more defenses. If somehow we managed to get past those immense walls, then we would be in the lower city. The lower city rested atop a sloped earth embankment rose up to forty six feet. Despite a few buildings, the lower city was sparse and didn’t provide enough cover. At the end of that forty six feet gap and at the top of the ramp was another wall much like the previous one, standing high at twenty six feet, and six feet thick. At the top of that wall were ramparts where archers would be able to have total coverage of the lower city.

A straight on attack would be suicide. The combined height of the retaining wall and the thick wall made up to forty one feet would need a siege tower to climb those walls. However, that was where the problem with the ditch came in. If we made siege towers then they would have just rolled forward until they hit the ditch and the weight of the towers and the sudden drop would send it toppling down and turn it into a smoking ruin.

In short, the only way that we would be able to get through the walls would be either the main gate or to break the wooden reinforcement of the wall. We had enough time to create siege engines. We built three large ballistas, four catapults and one large siege ram. The ram was large enough that it required sixteen people to push and operate it. The ram was covered so that any arrows wouldn’t touch those inside. That ram was our best shot into the city, but the only one. I had a trump card ready. I had hoped that the Ophidian forces would have arrived at the point of the siege, but their journey still took longer than I hoped. Sylithra, our Ophidian scholar, had been our record keeper for some time up to that point. She would stay in the back while the battle was fought.

With my plans made, I climbed up to the top of the ram so that I could give my orders to my armies, and Sweetroll climbed up to cling next to me, her claws dug deep into the wood. I looked at all of the brave faces. The legionnaires and officers who hung upon my word. Brutus, Octavian and the others watching as I prepared to speak. The only one who wasn’t there was Kallista. She was my trump card, and she had her part to play, and it was not here. Her task was far more important.

I let the army stay silent and then let them hear their Kai’sar speak.

“Brothers. Sisters. Today is a historic day. Look upon the wall. See how magnificent their city stands. They say giants built it to last. The only damage that it has is that one spot on the outer wall. But upon this day, the walls will be completely shattered! There they stand, hiding behind their wall. They think that because rock and stone separates our swords from their throats, they will be safe from us. They will not remember this day because we will throw them off the tops of their own walls. They will cry out in sweet lamination when their walls shatter!”

“Our feet shall trample upon their broken bodies, and they shall be ill prepared for what awaits them. Fight well, for we are under the eyes of Ile’Sethak! With the great serpent on our side, we shall strike them down, and turn their mighty walls into gravel!”

The men cheered my name and I lifted my head high. Hadrian, the chanted. Kai’sar they yelled! Their cries resounded in my heart like music. It was then that one of my scouts arrived. He knelt down in supplication and kept his head low.

“Kai’Sar! The enemy chieftain has sent a message. He wishes to speak to you directly.”

I felt a small, sly smile come on my face. I leapt down from the siege ram. Sweetroll came to my side and licked my hand before I, Octavian and Brutus went to face the chieftain. We arrived at the battle line before entering the Broken Wall tribe’s territory. The massive gates to the city opened part way where three people rode in on one of the jungle's larger creatures. Two legged bird like creatures with the jaws of reptiles. Large and feathery with exotic colors fit for displaying to females. Mouths that were filled with razor sharp teeth, and two large sickle-like claws. The warriors of the Broken Wall rode them like horses, and their leader had the most colorful one.

The chieftain himself had many sharp piercings that adorned his hace. Like sharp blades they pierced through his brow and cheeks. He wore a necklace of bones around his neck; fingers, claws, and other smaller fossils. He wore an armor that was from antiquity. It was far older than anything his warriors were currently wearing. It looked regal and made of metal, yet ancient and forgotten. The man stared at me with his piercing gaze and spoke.

“You are the warlord who comes to my city?”

I spoke boldly and smiled while I pet Sweetroll’s head. “I am Hadrian Damoclesian. Behind me is my legion.”

The chieftain scoffed at me and looked around at my legion. He laughed, as did his men soon after. He shook his head and returned his gaze to mine.

“Is this all you managed to bring before me?”

“They are all I need.”

“Madness. Simple Madness. You are no different from any other warlord who has come face the wall. The men in the jungle are nothing compared to the wall. That is the real test. Go home. Be satisfied with what you have. Leave my lands now and you may yet live.”

“All your people seem to love hiding. You hide in the jungles and now you hide behind your wall.”

“My men hide in the jungle and kill intruders because we grew tired of always having to clean up after a siege. Your kind has always come here seeking to take what doesn’t belong to them. Warlords who wish to take the whole of the jungle. In the end, it's always the same. You break upon the wall and never make it past the first gates. All that will happen here is that you will slaughter yourselves on the walls, and the animals will feed on your corpses.”

“You forget. I have Ile’Sethak, the great serpent god at my back. It is by his divine will that I am here today, and it is through his will that I shall crush your walls.”

“Oh please. You think you are special because you summoned a few snakes? Nothing more than cheap tricks. I see no great serpent here to fight your battle.” He sighed and shook his head with a confident smile and taunted us like a parent moments before educating their child with a hard spanking. “Do you truly wish to test the walls?”

With a confident smile I spoke boldly to the chieftain.

“I will not test the walls, no. I don’t need to. Your gates will simply open for me, and I shall be welcomed into your city as I should be. As your king.”

Another chuckle came from the chieftain and a disappointed smile and shake of his head followed.

“Oh my~. You truly are the confident one, aren’t you? It is always the most confident who breaks the most on the wall. But have it your way. If you truly wish to die then at least have the decency to die with honor. Fare well…king Hadrian~.” He chuckled loudly as he said my name in a mocking tone. He went back to the safety of his walls. However, I knew that his walls weren’t safe.

You see, there was one problem with the Broken Wall’s defenses. Had the city been completely surrounded by the wall then it would be a fool’s errand, yet the Broken Wall’s city was not. Half of the city was protected by the wall, but the other half was inside of the large rock formation. Most of the city had the rocks on top of them. It made sense of course. The broken wall on my side meant that the only way to enter the city was through the walls and gates, and they would have no enemies come to their rear unless the enemy army decided to tunnel into the mountain which would ultimately end in failure.

However, the thing the ancient architects of the Broken Wall never imagined was that there would be an attack from above. That was where Kallista was. She and her small force slowly climbed down the mountain side to hover over upper walls. We had —correctly— deduced that the enemy would focus on the first wall. Afterall, it was just as the chieftain had said. No army ever managed to get past the first wall. I looked above the city to the mountain range knowing that Kallista was up there, climbing down slowly as she and her forces could. They were my key to the city.

After rejoining my fellows, It was time to begin the siege. I strode across the field with my sword and shield in hand. Once I got to a point, I took my sword high into the air and slashed downward. At that moment, the catapults fired their payloads at the city. The large boulders flew like swift birds in the air before crashing against the wall. Even after untold lengths of time, the walls held as if they had just been freshly made. The wall itself would not easily crumble, so our catapults aimed higher.

Meanwhile I had several lines of archers aim high and launch a flurry of arrows. Most of the arrows couldn’t reach over the sheer height of the wall, but several did find their mark. Though their archers had better elevation than us. Their arrows found their purchase in our shields just as much as they did in our soldiers. A legionnaire next to me received an arrow in his neck after he failed to raise his shield in time. He was dead almost instantly. We pressed forward as our catapults launched the large rocks at our enemies. Those that hit the wall were as effective as throwing an acorn against a mountain. Those that went over the wall had more success, finding their marks in the homes of the tribes and taking several archers out at once, swatting them as effectively as one would swat flies.

The ballistas gave us some much needed covering fire as they targeted the archers. One such bolt flew over us and rammed into an archer and sent him flying into the upper wall and pinned him there like a proclamation. We continued to march along with the siege ram. The men inside pushing the engine of war were among the strongest within the legion. They grunted and huffed as they pushed, rolling the contraption along the path. To counter its approach, the enemy had the bright idea to throw some rubble down at our siege engine. Some missed their mark and others hit my men and left the ram untouched. The worst part however was when the large rocks were thrown in front of the wheels, and we had to stop and move it out of the way just to continue the path.

The tip of the ram was capped in a metal figurehead. The figurehead was axe shaped that had been sharpened and ready to break down the wooden gates. On each side of the blade was the etchings of a snake’s head ready to strike. We marched forward to the sound of drums. They beat in rhythm with our marching. To stop meant death, so any obstacle they threw at us needed to be removed post haste. A whooshing noise past my left ear was all the warning I got. I raised my shield too late, but I was thankfully not the one to be dealt with the fatal blow. A decanus behind me had been struck in the eye. The arrow hit the metal of his helmet on the other side of his head. The decanus was dead before he even fell down.

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A lucky shot on the part of the tribals. Had the arrow hit his helmet he might have survived. Though an arrow glancing down my helmet soon after reminded me of the shock and pain that even an armored strike caused. We pushed further and further into the enemy lines. Each passing second we drew closer to their gates. The tribals continued to throw rocks at us, Some were fortunate enough to keep their shields up and deflect most of the damage, while others simply weren’t lucky at all and were crushed under their weight. Several boulders hit the sloped roof of the siege ram with a loud thud. The defenses held and we pressed on. Then, at long last, we arrived at the gates.

There was no time to lose. The men inside planted themselves down and put blocks behind the wheels of the ram so it wouldn’t roll away. Then they pulled the mighty ram back further and further. As they did, I raised my sword in the air and yelled loudly at the top of my lungs. “Heave!” The men inside the ram struggled to pull the heavy log. Dirt kicked up from their feet and the sound of rope tightening like a thick cord. The ropes were taut and the ram was pulled as far back as it could go. With one quick motion, I slashed downward and yelled again. “Ho!!!”

The men let go and the weight of the ram came crashing down with full force. It slammed into the gate and slammed into it, the sound ringing out like the clap of thunder, followed by the cheers of the men in the ram. I raised my sword again and gave the command to pull the ropes. Try as they might, the broken wall tribe’s rocks were almost ineffective against the design of the ram and its roof.

Cao Tzu meanwhile was outside of the battle with our reserve troops. She and a handful of other officers were keeping an eye on the battle. It was Cao Tzu who climbed as high as she could to scout the area. Upon the horizon she saw something that would have spelt doom for our forces. Underground passageways under the walls had opened up! Tribals spewed forth from them like a swarm of ants. They meant to surround us and put our backs against the wall. Cao Tzu quickly climbed down from her perch as fast as humanly possible, letting herself fall after a point. Her knees nearly buckled from the fall, but she had her mission. She rushed to a horn and blew on it hard.

We heard the call amid the claps of the ram against the gate. I assigned several legionnaires to guard the ram at all costs. We couldn’t let them box us in. The rest of us moved to defend the ram. The ballistas gave us some covering fire while our archers and infantrymen attempted to block the enemy. Their numbers were great, but our training would serve us well. A few broke through the infantry lines and made it to us, charging with spears and shields. One of the spears was thrust towards my head. I dodged the strikes twice before I swung my blade. If it were only an ordinary blade then I might not have cut through it. Yet I wielded a weapon blessed by Ile’Sethak himself, and the spear head was cut off like pruning a tree limb.

I then thrust my blade at the warrior, but he managed to raise his shield up just in time. We defended the ram as we locked into a shield wall, keeping our enemies from breaching. It was a stalemate on the field. We weren’t breaking them and they wouldn’t break us. They beat against our shield like the ocean against stone, chipping our defenses layer by layer. We began to grow weaker and more tired as the day went out. However, we would not budge. We refused to give an inch. Our foundations were as hard as the base of mountains. They tired us out and we wore them down. Then, the first break appeared. One of the legionnaires was stabbed in the leg, and an opening in our defenses appeared. Another spear and the soldier was dead.

We had to fight harder and with more determination than before. With a second wind we pushed them back, all the while the battering ram slammed against the wall. Rocks were ineffective against our siege engine, so instead they decided to use boiling oil. They poured it over the ram. The roof once again saved the Ram, but the men inside could feel the heat licking at the backs of their necks. Blessedly, the fires went out. We simply needed to give the ram time.

***

Meanwhile, Kallista and her people scaled down the mountain side until they reached the jumping off point. They needed to be many things; brutal, efficient, but above all things they needed to be quiet. If they set an alarm before we were ready, then her forces would be slaughtered. It was a dangerous mission. A gamble. If anyone caught them before they could carry out the mission, they were dead. If the gates were not sabotaged in time, we would be dead. Kallista’s efforts were the difference between months of siege warfare and a single victory that would end the struggle before it would become a drain on our resources.

She and her fellows crept quietly, as silent as the grave, and reached the top of the upper walls. Fortunately for us, our hopes were true. The majority of the broken wall tribe’s forces were either defending the first wall or engaged with us on the field. They were properly distracted. They had armored their front with impenetrable armor, but left their backsides exposed to the world. Kallista silently stalked a guard stationed on the wall. His attention was focused on the destruction that my legion caused. The catapults sent not only boulders into the city but also balled up plants that were drenched in the oil we had made. The lower city caught fire after a few of the fiery balls slammed against the houses. The stone foundation was strong and wouldn’t buckle, but the wood inside the homes and the supports were baptized in the flame.

Kallista moved behind him, matching his steps exactly so he wouldn’t suspect that she was even there. When she was close enough, she took her sword and thrusted it into the nape of his neck. He gurgled and spat out a few bits of blood, but any scream was muffled by her hand that gripped his face tightly. Within moments he fell limp, and Kallista gently laid his body down. She looked up to her comrades that were still climbing down and gave a whistle. It was a signal that they were safe to land and begin the operation. Then the plan was set into motion.

With weapons drawn they silently stalked the ramparts as they made their way through to the upper gates. Silently and expertly, they killed what few guards there were unaware of just how much danger they were in. They killed them and hid their bodies as best as they could until they finally reached the gate house. There were only a few men inside. They stood guard over the wenches that locked and opened the gate. Kallista slowly snuck inside. She grabbed one of the guards and slit his throat and threw him to the ground. He gurgled just as the other soldiers could witness before her warriors silenced them. A sixth soldier from upstairs heard the carnage. He quickly lunged upstairs so he could warn everyone. He quickly lunged and grabbed the loud war horn at the top of the watchtower and pressed his lips against it, but instead felt Kallista’s blade pierce through the back of his neck and out of his throat. She pulled him back and sent him tumbling down the steps.

Kallista stood and watched the battle from afar. Now all that they had to do was wait.

***

Cao Tzu saw a torch light from the gate tower blink three times. That was the signal we had been waiting for. In response, Cao Tzu pulled a mirror out and raised it high towards the sun so she could move it up and down. As I defended our position at the main gate, I caught a small glimpse of the light and a smile came across my face. Kallista did it! Just a bit longer and we would win the day. Then, another baptism of flaming oil came down on the ram. This time, the fire bit into wood and the roof roared. Some of it fell through the cracks caused by the rocks and injured one of the men. He screamed loudly in agony as burning oil drenched him.

I couldn’t lose. Not at the moment of victory. I refused to be defeated! I broke formation to head back to the ram and I took the injured man’s place. It took every ounce of strength I had to pull back the ram. I could feel my feet dragging in the dirt. Every muscle in my body was on fire until the ram head couldn’t be pulled anymore. And then I let go. Time froze for a moment as I waited with bated breath. I could hear them up above getting ready to pour more oil and hurl more rocks at the roof. The ram wouldn’t be able to survive another dip of oil and rock. The heat licked at me as if I had stepped into my own funeral pyre. I was trapped with my men, waiting.

CRASH!!!

The gate tore open violently with all the rapturous sounds of a mighty tree being felled! A great silence filled the battlefield for a fraction of a second before I yelled!

“Charge!” I cried out with righteous fury and a hunger for glory! The enemy had become demoralized! For the first time in thousands of years since the walls were erected and the miserable wastrels claimed the city as theirs, the walls meant nothing! I smashed through the gates! I broke through their defenses. That momentary distraction allowed my legion to have a second wind, and we pushed ourselves into the walls. We killed the defenders that tried to block us and sent them retreating to the second wall. We poured into the city like a great crimson flood, our red banners blazed through the buildings with flame at our backs. The shock and awe from our entrance was glorious, and yet they still had the second wall.

But Oh, my friend… the look of absolute horror when they saw their own gates opening up without their consent. Their fall back position was ruined when Kallista’s forces launched arrows into the crowd, firing madly. The Siege engines stopped and a full charge was set in motion. It was a slaughter. The tribe's homes were ransacked and we showed them without mercy. When we finally arrived at the main fortress, all morale had faltered. All but the chieftain and his personal guard.

***

After several hours into the raid, I and my legionnaires bashed through the door to the keep. Their army laid broken and scattered. Those that were smart enough to survive did so by fleeing into the jungle while the rest died amid the ruins of their adopted home. Some that had not yet fled surrendered, begging for their lives. I left that judgment to Octavian. The makeshift throne room had been turned into a battlefield where the great chieftain knelt down. Before him was his lizard mount that had its side pierced with a spear and laid lifeless on the ground. He himself had broken heads of spears dotted around his back. He was weak, yet his fire still burned brightly.

He could fight if his body did not betray him. He knelt there, weakened and battered. The spirit was willing but the flesh failed his every command. At the start of the day, he mocked me when I proclaimed myself to be his king. When the sun began to set, there he was kneeling before me just as I had envisioned. I must admit, I was drunk on the glory.

“Woe to the conquered, chieftain.”

The chieftain groaned and looked into my eyes. His glare was full of disgust and hatred towards me. Yet all I could feel was the kind joy one gets when misery befalls someone else. An indescribable feeling that was sweeter to me than any wine I had tasted.

“More trickery. You won through dishonor.”

“You lost through hubris.” I shot back. Sweetroll hissed as she stood by my side, flicking her tail and licking the air with her forked tongue.”

“It doesn't matter. One day, you will find yourself in my position. Kneeling down, half dead and unable to stop the destruction of your people. When that day comes… when the walls you built crumble, I will look back at you from the pits of hell, and you will hear nothing but my endless laughter.”

I simply leaned forward and whispered to the chieftain. “That day will never come. And no one will even remember your name~.”

I stepped aside and snapped my fingers. Sweetroll charged at the chieftain and attacked. She clamped down on his head and his muffled screams were audible through her jaws. I breathed in deeply. When Sweetroll continued to bite the chieftain, a scream was heard from upstairs. My guards quickly ran up and caught the source. A young woman dressed in fine jewelry and clothes, no doubt captured from many raids. They brought her down and forced her to the ground.

“Well, what have we here? One of the chieftain’s concubines? His chieftess?” I reached down to hold her chin up so she could look at me. Her eyes were full of hate and running with tears. She gritted her teeth like a wolf ready to strike, yet her eyes cut over to Sweetroll devouring the chieftain. Her gaze lingered on the now chieftain of corpses. She looked back up at me and tried to bite my hand. I pulled my hand back just in time. My arm shot forward and I grabbed her by the throat. A strong will on her. I didn’t choke her, but she felt my iron grip. I let go of her and looked at my guards.

“Take her prisoner. I will find a use for her.”

I gestured for Kallista to follow me. Alone, we climbed up the steps.

“You did well. You followed my orders to the letter without even the slightest hesitation. You are to be commended.”

“I simply did as you instructed, Kai’Sar.” The greatest emotion on her face was not joy nor pride, but fulfillment. Her mission had been completed and a great victory had been won that day thanks to her.

“Nevertheless,” I said. “You performed beyond my wildest hopes. You are skilled in combat, you led your team without fault. You deserve the highest commendation. If it is in my power to give you, what would you desire?”

She thought for a moment as we walked up the steps to the second floor of the keep. When we reached the top of the stairs, she finally gave me her answer.

“To better serve you, my lord, I would prefer if I were to lead the Praetorian Guard.”

I simply bowed my head as I reached the balcony.

“Then you shall have it. Sweep around the city more. I want to make sure that Ile’Sethak’s will is done.”

Kallista bowed her head and left. It was then that I took a good look at the broken wall. My banners were raised high. The standard of Ile’Sethak soared overhead and cast a long shadow over the city.

My greatest victory to date was achieved. After over a year in the jungle, I have united it under my banner. The smaller tribes were conquered. It was an easy enough feat, but that was only the first step of my journey. The next step would be to expand. I would turn the jungle into my capital. As for the city of the broken wall, it will be left as a ruin. I’d much rather not have to deal with my own strategies used against me.

“Hadrian…”

I heard a whisper in my ear. A hiss. I turned to see the carving of a serpent. It spoke to me and I felt its gaze. Ile’Sethak was speaking to me. I bowed my head low before the great serpent.

“Great Ile’Sethak. I have taken the city.”

“You have indeed, but your task is not yet complete.” The serpent engraving hissed. I swear, I could see its tongue flicking.

“I remember, lord. The foe ‘unlike any other.’ I am to kill him. Where is he? Why does he hide from me?”

“He isn’t hiding from you, Hadrian. He’s waiting for you. Go down the hall on your left. Walk until you face the final door. Your foe waits in there. Kill him, and you will save yourself from future destruction. Obey.”

I drew my blade and marched forward. I did as Ile’Sethak instructed. I opened the final door…and to my horror I saw the foe that I was meant to slay. Suddenly, all of my hubris flew out the window when I saw and understood what Ile’Sethak demanded of me. ‘A foe like no other…’ That was what he said it would be. A foe like no other. I never expected to see it.

In front of me was no great warrior, no mighty prince waiting for me with enchanted weapons and invincible armor. I saw, to my horror, a crib. A crib with a small, insignificant child. A baby. Even now, the noise that haunted me most…was the child's giggling. How in the Hell could Ile’Sethak expect me to carry out that task? What was I to do?