The orderly formations that we had started with had slowly devolved into a more chaotic version of themselves. Lines became blurred between different battle groups as people pushed together and split apart based on what the enemy was doing. Attacks from the defenders were steadily increasing even as the spectral amalgam continued its longwinded shriek. It was still having an effect on those upon the walls as I noticed that sometimes an individual form would stagger or drop down for a moment with no apparent cause. This was certainly assisting in more ways than one as it both stopped some attacks and probably made it very difficult to give orders to people who couldn’t hear anything.
Our army tore down the barriers and started to push the ladders up to the walls. They were of course targeted by the defenders, but we had so many of them being brought forth that there was no way they could stop them all, especially without the ability to give accurate orders or directions. The ladders arced their way up to the top of the wall where they found rest on the rampart.
The ladders looked so unstable sitting high against the wall, but the base was supported by a few soldiers who braced it from being thrown about by the enemies. As the men tried to climb up, someone with a talisman made an appearance to attempt to shine their magical light upon those on the ladder. The moment they showed their face, two arrows suddenly sprouted from their chest which sent them careening backwards and out of sight. We had learned our lesson during the last siege and were ready for those priests who could do the most damage. A few of them along the wall did manage to get their spells off, but many attempts were thwarted.
Despite our success where it did occur, it was not going to be easy to mount the walls. Just before the first wave reached the top of the ramparts, a number of soldiers with large shields stepped in front to block their advance. What little ranged support that could be provided for the climbers was minimal and ineffective as arrows simply bounced off the shield. At that point the push on all fronts became more or less a duel between two soldiers, though we were on significantly less favorable ground.
My goal became to change this situation and tip the scales in our favor. The bones of my armor started to glow as I drove the monsters to climb the walls. Insectoid monsters and those with claws sharp enough to gain leverage started to scale the vertical surface, using the holes and damage on the face of the wall to aid their ascent. Meanwhile what few flying undead animals that I still had under my command were harassing the ones trying to block the ladders.
This was mildly successful in distracting the defenders and turning their focus away from the ladders if only for a few seconds. Our push gained momentum, allowing brief moments where one or two of the soldiers on the ladders could make it up and over the walls. Of course, even in that position there were problems, namely the number of soldiers in the city. For every one person to climb the walls there were ten soldiers to meet them.
Bodies started to pile up. Undead soldiers lasted longer against such odds than living ones, but even they would be brought low by a swift blow to the skull that was strong enough to shatter it. Even with everything we were throwing at them, we still weren’t making any progress. There needed to be a change somewhere, else this attack would end in failure.
I scanned up and down the walls for anything that could give me a hint at what to do. All I saw was a sea of bodies being directed by a dozen officers in charge of their different sections. The wall had no obvious weaknesses that could be exploited, and it already seemed that we were doing everything we could to bring them down.
Instead of focusing on the solidity that was the defenses of the city, I turned to the soldiers themselves as people were often much easier to bring down than solid stone. The elven soldiers, and what few members of the other races that were mistakenly throwing their lot in with them, were staggering about, though they retained enough organization to defend their posts. One thing that I did see was that everyone on the wall was being affected the same way by the amalgam specter regardless of where they were, which prompted an idea to start forming in my head.
What if the effect of the shriek was being diluted due to the number of targets? That was something which could change the flow of combat if it were to become more focused. Looking over at the amalgam, each of the faces was looking at a different part of the wall as they continuously screamed, which was probably them directing the magic behind their voices.
I quickly weighed the risks of leaving the other parts of the walls free to do what they will. It was a quick decision, as if we continued as was our losses would make further pushes futile. If we could just break through one area and get a hold, then we could wedge that breach wide enough for the rest of the army to flow through. Looking at the wall, I found the spot with the most ladders still standing
Yelling over the noise created by the amalgam, I gave the order. “I need you to focus on that part of the wall.” I pointed at the general area I was referencing.
After so much noise for so long, the silence that followed almost seemed out of place. All the heads on the side of the amalgam facing me looked in my direction and then followed my finger to the target I wanted them to hit. Every head turned in unison, and even the spectral flesh started to shift as the faces beneath the surface began to move in a manner that made my skin crawl just looking at it. A benefit of not having a physical form would be flexibility as the bodies could twist and turn in ways that no person could replicate. Soon every head or face was pointed at that specific area on the wall, and once more they acted as one mind while their jaws dropped open to release another scream.
The sound traveled across the expanse of the battlefield, and I swore that I could see the moment it hit the wall. It looked like the dust of battle was knocked into the air like a wave against a cliffside. What little I could see of the defending soldiers disappeared entirely as their bodies dropped like puppets with their strings cut. There was only a moment’s hesitation by our army, probably because they didn’t expect their opponents to simply fall to the ground in a paralyzed heap before they moved with the purpose of establishing control over that section of the wall.
To their credit, the defenders noticed what was happening, and now that they all weren’t being deafened by the amalgam, they tried to come to the aid of the section of the wall that was being focused. Unfortunately for them, the effects of the scream were area based, and any who entered it suffered the same as all those currently laying prone on the ramparts. Their goal shifted soon after that discovery, and instead they tried to contain the section of wall that was being flooded with bodies.
Living soldiers did their best to cover their more vulnerable allies from the light magic of the priests and paladins as they tried to push along the wall. Now that they were able to hold solid ground, the odds became much more even. Still, it was never easy watching it all happen from relative safety. I could only dissuade some of that feeling by actively controlling the monsters to attack from the side of the wall.
Beasts clawed and hooked the elven soldiers who were busy trying to keep the infantry at bay. Sometimes a body would come flying off the side of the wall as one of the monsters managed to sink their teeth into them and drag them screaming all the way down. Everywhere a monster managed to get over the wall that didn't have a mage there to immediately hit it with a spell that would shove it back down or reduce it to ash turned into a bloody mess. Limbs were ripped and shredded to pieces by larger creatures, and the smaller ones simply opened many wounds in an effort to bleed them dry.
Most of the efforts by those currently on the walls were to make their way towards the main gate of the city. It was heavily defended, but if we could gain control over it, then the doors could be thrown open and our forces outside practically invited in. Our initial breach of the wall's security was held at this point with more people climbing up by the second, so I decided to direct the attention of the amalgam elsewhere.
“Focus more on the gates.” I spoke loud enough for them to hear me. They barely even paused for a second before shifting their bodies so they were pointed more at the gate.
The shriek knocked out the soldiers on the wall that were formerly keeping the breach contained. There was a cheer from our soldiers who started to finish off the unconscious enemies as they moved forward. Some of the elves tried to put up a last-ditch effort at resistance to stop the advance, but with the amalgam knocking them out every time they got close, someone must have figured out that it was a losing fight and decided to cut their losses and reform their ranks inside the cover of the city walls.
I noticed that as my army got closer to the gate, ranged attacks started to fall on them from inside the walls. The reversal of situations was not lost on me, but the ability to attack the walls from inside their confinement was easier than the other way around. With some effort, the houses could be used to level the height advantage somewhat, and that wasn’t even considering the cover they provided at street level.
There was no point lingering and trying to fight them like that, and the officers in charge of the assault thought the same thing as they pressed the men forward at a steady rate. The gatehouse was reached and many of the soldiers descended into it and out of sight. At first nothing happened, but then a flash of light that could be seen from the arrow slits showed that there was indeed resistance inside the structure. I had a feeling before, but this confirmed it. The amalgam specter could not affect what it could not see as even with it still screeching at the gatehouse’s general area, there were still enemy soldiers that fought on inside.
It was only ever going to be a delaying action though, as they couldn’t have had more than a small roomful of people. Soon enough, all signs of fighting disappeared as the situation on the wall started to settle down somewhat. After a few minutes, the large gates slowly started to creak open as whatever mechanism that was used to control them was activated by our troops. A wave of celebration went out amongst our forces as we had finally managed to get past the first major hurdle, but another now lay before us in the form street combat.
The narrow roads that snaked throughout the city would limit our movement. This was a primary concern of many of the officers that were planning the siege and one of the few things that I understood completely. We could have the largest number advantage in the world, but it wouldn’t mean anything if we couldn’t move.
My army was slowly shuffling their way through the gates, monsters included. I needed to join them soon, both for practical reasons and personal ones. I was tired of sitting back, watching everything like an uninvolved observer. There was also one person I wanted, no, needed to look in the eyes as the city falls around them.
Before I made my way to the gate, I looked over at the amalgam that had at this point stopped screaming at the walls now that they were ours. There was a brief consideration given to taking them with me into the city, but I quickly pushed that aside as unwise. Not only would their effectiveness be minimal due to all the obstructions made by the buildings, but all it would take was a single hidden priest or paladin to effectively destroy them all, damaging hundreds of minds in one fell swoop. I wasn’t willing to risk that no matter how much help they might provide.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Stay out here, and if you see any enemies trying to sneak out, or try to flank us, take them down.” While no verbal confirmation was given, many of the heads that were still capable of the movements did nod in response.
Just as I started to move, another voice that I almost forgot was even there spoke up. “Sir, I'm not sure how wise it is to enter the city right now.”
I turned and looked at the commander of my newly dubbed personal guard who was standing a respectful distance behind me with the rest of the guard waiting vigilantly. “I am aware of the risks, commander, but I cannot control the monsters effectively if I can’t see what is going on inside walls. Without me being present, our forces are effectively cut in half.”
“I see. Forgive me my lord, I was simply thinking about your safety.”
“No need to apologize, you were doing your job. I would expect nothing less from you and I am going to be counting on you all to watch my back while we are in the city. Are you up for that?”
A could see the smile spread across his spectral face. “Well sir, we’ve all had several decades of rest, so we have some energy to work off.”
I grinned at his eagerness. “Good. Now, I wouldn’t want to deprive you all of an opportunity to stretch your limbs, so let’s get moving before the rest of the army cleans up without us.” That was wishful thinking on my part, but the banter was a little bit of lightheartedness to dispel the bit of tension that had taken root.
Now that we were all on the same page, me and my escort started moving towards the gate. We arrived just as the last of the army was marching through, so we took up the rear and made our way inside. This was the first time I had set foot in this city in a long while, and this was not the best of circumstances.
In previous sieges there had been minimal buildings that weren’t being used for military purposes. Now, seeing these homes, businesses, and beautiful buildings in ruins created a heavy feeling of responsibility. The streets felt so desolate with the shattered walls or burned-out husks lying empty and devoid of the life and warmth that it once had. This was what war did to the people caught between the two sides.
I tried my best to ignore it all and focus on leading the monsters through the narrow streets that felt all too enclosing. What buildings around the wall that were still standing I eyed warily. There was always a chance that there were enemies hiding inside or one top of them. I think that many others felt the same way as I noticed the soldiers ahead of us checking each of the houses they passed with weapons drawn.
Our troops were spread out along three different major streets that progressed further into the city. This was to help us avoid clumping and to force the enemy to split their own forces to stop our advance. Even without the walls, the defenders' advantage was still a thing that needed to be overcome. Due to the way the city was constructed, those nearest the center had an advantage over any pushing army due to both the steady incline of the road and the fact that the buildings were made of more sturdy material that could hold up in an attack for a little while.
These both came into effect when I noticed a commotion near the front of the formation we were following. Contact had been made once again with the enemy forces and the soldiers formed up into a firm block to push against the wall of spears that had been formed in our path. As we closed the distance, what we feared did come to pass and the roofs of the buildings around us came to life with the forms of enemy archers and mages raining attacks down on us from all sides.
Suddenly I found myself boxed in by my escort as they raised their tall shields to cover as much or me as possible from attacks. This was not the end of their ambush. Soon after the rooftop attacks there were doors opened on either side of the street, allowing more soldiers to pour out and attack our formation. They weren’t large in number, but there were enough of them to throw the whole situation into chaos.
The most important thing in my mind was to lift the pressure caused by the rooftop soldiers. The glow of the runes that covered the bones hanging from my armor betrayed the commands that I was giving. All the monsters capable of it immediately snapped to attention and started to climb the sides of the buildings. Priest used their talismans to ward off their advance up the side of the building in some places, but they didn’t have enough of them to cover every point of access.
Insectoid monsters swarmed up on to the roofs to be met with arrows, fire, and magically thrown rocks traveling at high speeds. What damage these things did was little more than a means of slowing them down or reducing the effectiveness of their many limbs. Once the melee began, the uncertain terrain of the roof proved to be disadvantageous for both sides.
Where there was a buildup of weight the roofs collapsed, sending everything in the area tumbling down in a confused and tangled mess if they weren’t outright crushed under the weight of it all. The slick shingles of the roof were poor footing, leading to man and monster sliding off and falling to the street below, sometimes landing on another soldier who was busy fighting and not paying attention to what was above them.
Despite our armies being thoroughly engaged with one another, there were those few that found their way to my position either by luck, or by noticing that I was glowing and being protected. Whatever the case, a dozen or so enemies moved with killing intent towards me. I readied my blade in preparation for a fight but was stopped by the words of the commander.
“Sir don’t pay the rabble any mind. You just focus on commanding, and we’ll handle them.”
I watched them move in well trained formations that centered around defending me. When the aggressing soldiers made contact with them, there was an explosion of violence that shocked me. Each of my personal guards chose that moment to demonstrate exactly what they were trained to do.
With brutal effectiveness the attacks from the elves were swept aside as their shields parried the blows. Accurately targeting the gaps in the armor that existed on these less equipped opponents, swords and spears slipped through and quickly plunged into the soft flesh underneath which resulted in most of the foes meeting a swift end right then and there. What few that still stood didn’t last much longer than their fellows and they were grappled into submission before being dispatched with a quick thrust into something vital.
All told, the brief fight lasted maybe a handful of seconds and was a brilliant display of skills that were cultivated in the service of the last champion of the Earth Mother some centuries ago. It seemed that time had not dulled their skills, nor had their condition of being wights. Malery had yet to fail in the creation of an undead, which was an impressive feat considering she had to do everything the long way. Her intuitive skill when it came to the aspects of human magic were something that I didn’t doubt were a rarity. My meeting her was fortuitous indeed.
With my security ensured I could once more focus on commanding the monsters to help clean up this mess that had sprung up around me. I commanded some of the animals that were good at creating a stampede to lead a charge through the enemy ranks. Deer and oxen rushed forward, and despite their half-rotted bodies, they still had their considerable size and antlers to throw around.
No individual man could stop them even if it was just a single animal, push those numbers up into the hundreds and anything in front of them short of a solid wall won’t be standing for much longer. The animals crashed through the formation of soldiers, throwing their horns and antlers around as they went. Sometimes a bull would hook a soldier and toss them into the air for a moment before they came crashing down again.
Following close behind were the smaller but arguably just as dangerous animals and monsters. Wolves, bears, razor fiends, and a plethora of venomous serpents or insects tore apart those that were knocked aside by the charge. That wasn’t even to mention our soldiers who found dealing with the enemies much easier now that their formation was disrupted.
We hit a blockade later down the road, and it seemed that most of the magic power was being consolidated here. They chose a major road that had no other way around as it divided the districts between mercantile and noble. With a surplus of magic to counter my own, the charge was halted, and now it was up to the skills of the individual troops to decide the outcome.
The standard shoving match between the two sides of this conflict that would normally take place was changed in form. In order to preserve the minds of the undead soldiers the front line consisted mostly of some rather large shields that formed a wall to block the light from the priest’s talismans. They were sturdy yet simple in design, mostly being large rectangular slabs of wood and leather reinforced with iron bands. These shields were held by the living who were not as experienced in fighting but could defend those who held more skill in armed combat.
Arrows were fired between the small gaps in the shield wall as they approached. The enemy retaliated, trying to find something to slow down the tide of soldiers approaching them. Sometimes fire or boulders would knock people down which would result in the gap in the formation being exploited to the great detriment of the unlucky few therein who were reduced to ashes, but the gap was filled in quickly by another shield bearer as the sides continued to close in.
Once the distance was brought to a point where the more physically destructive magics of the enemy were not able to be used without it hurting their own forces. Things progressed into a melee at that point. The close-knit formation of our troops limited the offensive capabilities of our push to quick thrusts of spears or jabs of swords between the raised shields.
We were playing safe to preserve what forces we had remaining. Over the course of this siege there were more casualties than anything else that had happened previously. There was no way to know the specific number, but I would guess that we had lost about a thousand soldiers, and more than that in terms of monsters.
The fight started slowly, minor injuries being exchanged between each side, but after a few minutes, things started to change. Stamina was the deciding factor that tipped the scales in our favor. It was difficult to fight a prolonged battle in full armor, and since most of my experienced soldiers were not constrained by that limitation of the flesh, they were able to keep the same consistent aggression. This was a compounding effect that only got more severe with time.
Eventually they started to make mistakes, and even one could be fatal. The push continued, displacing them from their position as their front line started to flag from exhaustion. Their magical support would soon become vulnerable at this rate. For the most part, mages weren’t great in a fight when it came to clashing swords, so if we got to them, they would fall quickly.
As the panic in the elves' ranks started to grow, their attention became more narrowly focused on stopping the soldiers, allowing me a chance to direct a few monsters to position themselves around the rooftops as silently as possible. The dangerous light that was keeping their formation secured was being redirected towards the active threat.
Once I was sure they wouldn’t notice anything, I gave the order and dozens of monsters leapt off the edge of the buildings to fall to the ground below. Even if they didn’t survive long in the light once they reached the ground, so long as their bodies landed on someone it would cause damage and throw them into chaos.
True to plan, the monsters crashed down upon the heads of the soldiers and mages much to their startled surprise. Many of the monsters were reduced to ash within the first few seconds, but the few that lasted longer than that were able to thrash about, clawing at anything in reach which broke the concentration of the priests and mages.
Seeing the opportunity, our soldiers charged into the fray, dropping their mostly defensive advance, and attacking with an almost reckless abandon. Perhaps they simply did not want to give them an opportunity to recover. Whatever the case, the enemies did not know how to properly handle the limitless stamina and unorthodox tactics being deployed against them.
They were crumbling. What remained of their command structure was falling apart as the individual soldiers’ morale was shaken. They started running, first in small groups but then they all broke into a full retreat. Our soldiers cheered and gave chase as the enemy fled into the various streets and alleyways of the city. I, on the other hand, had a different goal in mind.
There was still one person in this city that I had yet to see during all this. If there was any place that the bastard would choose to hide it would probably be his damn church. Taking my personal guard with me, I made a straight line for the large building that was further up the road from us. It was time to put an end to this, at long last.