The air was filled with smoke giving the morning light a murky tint. Few areas were so dominated by the choking plumes that you couldn't see through them, but every breath had the char of a campfire scraping at your throat.
And every dozen breaths, you would get a powerful blast blown in your face, filling your nose with the scents of charred wood and burning flesh. What more could you expect of a battle inside a fort?
You would expect there not to be any burning wood inside a proper legion fort, that's what. But the beastkin's — or the Kin — didn't have the same standards.
The assault on the Western Fort of the Triad had gone off without a hitch. Really, it was a textbook example of how to assault a fortified position.
Legionaries marched up to the walls stopping a mile out, and they got into formation. Four cohorts of the 4th Senatorial Guard spread their centuries out around the rest of the legions, forming a perimeter to prevent a flanking attack and start work on earthworks. Then five cohorts of the 5th Senatorial Guard formed up into blocks and started marching towards the walls, with the rest of the legions standing in reserve.
At the same time, the 3rd Senatorial Guard started their advance down the causeway of the middle fort, going to both the Northern and Western Forts.
Those sent to assault the Northern fort were quickly beaten back, as a literal wall of fire sprang to life and washed down the bridge. The assault on the Western Fort went much better, as the defenders didn't realize an attack had started until the leading century was nearly knocking on the gate with their battering ram. And even when they did start fighting back, it was little more than a few rocks and a spattering of arrows. Attacks that were blocked with little difficulty.
On the outer wall of the Western Fort, the situation was much the same, if for different reasons. While the legions were noticed well before reaching the base of the wall and defenders were on the battlements waiting, they could do nothing.
Any large bolder that was thrown was guided away from the approaching cohorts to impact the soil in a spray. The arrows and boiling liquid — once they got to the base of the wall — were blocked by the compressed earthen shield hovering above the century, thanks to the Knight's Terra in their midst.
Without another knight to resist their castings, half the centuries started reshaping the walls to make tunnels, and the others reshaped the walls to make stairs and an overhang to shelter under.
It took an hour for the five cohorts to break through the outer walls and half that for the gatehouse leading to the Middle Fort. Within another hour, they had driven out or killed the beastkin within the walls, but not before what seemed like every wooden structure the beastkins built inside the Western Fort was set ablaze. There were a lot of wood structures.
Panta was somewhat amazed at how much was burning. Very few wooden structures were placed inside the standard legion fort for this exact reason. Once a fire started, it did what it wanted, and the beastkin supplied plenty of fuel for the fire to jump to in the month of occupation.
With a smug and self-important air, Legatus Numok Hellieous watched the battle play out from an observation post on top of one of the towers of the Middle Fort. Panta was next to him, so he knew the man was smug. He didn't even try hiding his emotions.
Panta's new Tribune Latic, though that position was never really under the command of a Legatus, was even worse. She was over on another tower, and the words along the vein of a 'party' were the only things that came to mind when looking at them.
A tent had been put up, and tables were placed at the edge of the battlements to 'observe the festivities' when they weren't snacking or sipping on wine. Most of those there were the hangers-on that came with the girl, but some of the more affluent merchants and local nobles had somehow managed to worm into the gathering.
But a meeting of social flies meant little to Panta. The battle was moving into a new stage, and things were about to get a whole lot more challenging.
While there was nothing Panta could say regarding the Senatorial Guards' actions, there was much he could comment on regarding the beastkin's.
No spells — I am fairly certain that is the proper word — were used. From the reports Panta had received, that was to be expected. While the Kin Faction in the Western Fort had used spells, they were nowhere near as effective as the spells spotted in the Northern Fort.
What they did have were plenty of the beastkin who were analogous to the Knights. But if there were any of those in the fort, no one had reported it yet.
Panta highly doubted anyone would. No, the Western Fort was nothing more than a stalling tactic.
The birds in the sky made it clear that the beastkin were watching, yet not a single warrior came over their bridge or tried to flank the Senatorial Guard while they were deploying in the field.
Even the newest tactician could tell that the beastkin had the advantage in the open while the legionaries ruled narrow corridors.
But while the Guard slashed, hacked, and stabbed their way through the streets of the fort, all the beastkin did was throw themselves against the legion shields and onto their spears. There was no leadership.
These Kin were watching them. Learning how the legion operated while assaulting a fort while using a fortress they never intended to hold. It was a brutal but effective tactic. One Panta could appreciate.
They obviously had some knowledge of Olimapns and might even have books or prisoners that described legion siege doctrine. However, there was a significant difference between reading about a phalanx in a book and seeing it in action.
They have seen us defend and now seen us attack, while we have never seen what their proper defenses look like. Panta thought before coming to a conclusion. The Kin have the advantage, and we are walking into a trap.
"I advise you to proceed with caution," Panta said again, breaking the silence that had settled over their tower for the last hour. The other Legatus had barely listened to a word of caution since the attack started.
Panta would admit the way they sliced right through the beastkin wasn't helping his credibility. So he was ignored while they waited and only not asked to leave because it was, after all, his fortress.
Even with their near-instant communication, it took time for the centuries to organize into cohorts and gather with their legion, especially with the fire raging. Some places required Knight's Terra to smother the flames and clear a proper path.
Hours had passed since the start of the attack, and now the 5th Senatorial Guard was reinforcing the walls of the West Fort. The 3rd and 4th were going to launch simultaneous assaults across the bridges — the one from the Middle Fort and the one the beastkin made — while Knights tried to sneak up to the walls and undermine them. An action Hellieous grudgingly acquiesced to when Panta suggested it.
Though Panta got the feeling it was more so he could blame Panta for unnecessary damage to the fort with his 'easy victory.'
"We should cross the Twins to the east before sweeping west to envelop the Norther Fort in a siege." Panta continued suggesting caution after his first comment was ignored.
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"I know you lack the metal for a real battle," said Hellious, "But if were are ever going to win glory, a legion must never shy away from a frontal assault."
Panta processed the idiocy for a moment, then moved past it. That route only led to discord. "You must see there is more to this beastkin" — it wasn't the time for the semantics of their name to be brought up — "than you have seen. Look at the Northern Fort. We cannot see over the walls due to the haze."
Hellieous waved dismissively and spoke like he was explaining war to a child, "My tribunes assure me that it is a simple trick. Create a hot enough pocket of air, and the air will start to warp. The same will happen if you heat the ground. If one guides it properly, it is possible to create such an effect. As soon as a Knight Ventus gets close, they will dissipate the casting."
Moving past the argument of the absurd levels of psy that would take, Panta decided to go right for the heart. "So you admit they have mental powers, and caution is advised?"
Hellieous paused briefly, caught off guard, "I will admit there is something different about these beasts. Perhaps they are the result of some abominable interbreeding of Olimpians and beasts, as they do appear more human than expected. I commend their ingenuity, but they will have a far lesser understanding of psy and its nuances. Accordingly, the beasts should pose little threat with their abilities."
"What about the new bridge?"
"Nothing but simple earth crafting," Legatus Hellieous said, sounding annoyed that Panta was still pressing the topic, "Now, if you excuse me, I have a battle to oversee."
With that, he turned and moved to the northern side of the tower, motioning to his telepaths to themselves arrange around him.
Panta heard light footsteps to his left but didn't look over, "It's going to be a slaughter," Prefect Quineeta stated. There was absolute certainty in her voice. "At least we won't be the ones taking the brunt of the damage."
Sighing, Panta slowly shook his head forlornly, "That's the problem."
"What?"
"Us and them. We are supposed to be united, but if we aren't fighting with each other, no one knows how to act. This is only the beginning of this war, and while the Senatorial Guard is a political tool used by the high nobles to score political points, they are also a legion of veterans that will be needed."
“…I agree, but there is no way around this." Quineeta stated after a moment of thought, "They will not listen without the proof of a mountain of bodies."
"More's the pity," Panta whispered in regret, then walked to the side to watch the battle. "Make sure our people are prepared for a counter-attack. Worst case, we sever the bridges."
"It's already done."
"Good." With all the talking that was required done, they stood together and watched the battle unfold.
Sun overhead, the First Cohort of the 3rd Senatorial Guard charged down the bridge to the Northern Fort, and the First Cohort of the 5th charged up the Lightning Bridge, as it came to be known.
At first, nothing happened. But once the Cohort was halfway down the bridge, the constant blurring of colors above the middle of the gateway rippled.
For an instant, a line of beastkin holding shields could be seen manning the battlements. From one second to the next, it was like Panta was standing next to a raging bonfire, and all he could hear was the sound of air crackling. It was like the snaps one heard as a tree in the center of a fire broke.
Dozens of balls of fire shot from the battlements and crashed into the approaching Cohort. The compressed earth over them took the first few impacts, but it became evident as the cracks spread that the shield would break.
Before the Knight could save the shield, a half dozen more fireballs hit the shield with roaring explosions, shattering it. Some of the balls of fire exploded in the air, blocked by legionary or Knight, but most crashed into the legionaries hiding below.
Well seasoned as they were, the veterans were prepared for the earth shield to break, and the balls of fire struck their raised shields, reinforced with psy, and expanded along their length.
Panta could see the fire licking along the raised legion shields and the telekinetic wall behind them. And he saw the moment that the wall collapsed, and the fire consumed them.
Screams of agony filled the air as people were roasted alive. The balls of fire looked no bigger than a pumpkin, but they expanded to ten feet in diameter.
As the smoke cleared from the bridge, the front Century of the Cohort was annihilated. If there were more than ten men living in that charred mess, Panta would be surprised and horrified. No one should have to live like that.
Then another volley of fireballs came flying from the battlements, but this one was different. The color of the balls were blue, and there was less than half of the number of the last volley, and they were no larger than a fist. If that wasn't ominous enough, they were also corkscrewing through the air.
None of these ones were intercepted, and when they hit along the length of the bridge, there was a rapid series of deep thumps as the air was pushed back.
Panta felt the blistering heat wave and shielded his face with his hands. When he finally removed them, the entire Cohort, over six hundred men, were gone.
Only piles of ash remained along most of the bridge next to sections of rapidly cooling molten stone. Closest to the Middle Fort, there were at least a few twisted forms of skeletons with half-melted armor.
*Crack boom~*
The continuous sound of thunder made Panta's head snap to the side, half expecting to see the maw of the lighting creature bearing down on them.
But it was just the Lighting Bridge — aptly named — writhed in azure power, roasting those on it alive.
"What in the Void was that!" Shouted Hellious, but no one around him could answer.
Instead of seeking out an explanation from the ones who fought them before, he ordered more of his men forward. He's a butcher.
The losses this time weren't as severe as before. Because only a couple centuries were put forward, and instead of fire, massive figures leaped over the sides of the bridge as the century passed.
Driving into the side, the thirty or so burly forms swung massive clubs, knocking the legionaries to the sides like toys. Some of the flailing figures even went over the edges of the bridge.
A squad of Knights tried to stop the beastkin, but their stone projectiles shattered against the beastkin's flesh, and their fire had the same effect as it would when enveloping a stone.
The next assault from the Middle Fort was met by stone spears. And living shadows the one after that.
What was happening on the Lightning Bridge was too far away for Panta to make out, but it seemed as if they were having an even worse time from all the noise.
And of the knights trying to sneak in? They suddenly vanished without a message. One moment, the telepaths were in contact. The next, the Knights were gone.
One attack after another failed, and it had become evening, with them being no closer to capturing the Northern Fort than when they first started. The argument could be made that they were worse off, as the bridge now had chunks blown out of it and was pitted.
When Panta was silently looking at the Northern Fort, and the latest assault was gathering their will to charge, the haze over the fortress dropped. An empty wall greeted them, and off in the distance, he could see streams of beastkin leaving the fort from its northern gate.
Before anyone could react, a city that could hold tens of thousands appeared at the border of the Northern Forest. Then six fortresses, walls as tall as the Triad's, appeared one after hemming in the Northern Fort of the Triad. In between the fortresses were roads and earthworks.
Panta could not be sure, as his vision wasn't the best, but he thought he saw figures moving on every fortification.
Then the Lightning Bridge started sliding upriver like it was a wooden toy bridge a child could slide along a trickle of water at will.
The absurdity of what just happened caused the Senatorial Guards to freeze up, only able to stare in horrified awe, leaving the perfect opening for Panta. Such events weren't affecting him anymore, as they were getting old.
"Now that we have regained control of the Triad, all thanks to your efforts," Panta said, "Your authority is over. As the Guardian of the Northern Line, I invite the Senatorial Guard to remain stationed at the Triad until relief legions arrive."
No one said a word.
"This was my operation! You held no authority here!" Spluttered the bedraggled Hellieous.
"You are right," Answered Panta calmly, causing Hellieous to smile in victory before Panta kept talking and smashed his flaring arrogance. "but the restoration of the Triad grants me my full authority again. And during the time of a beastwave, I have full control over every legion within the Northern Center Province. I will hold a staff meeting in the Control Center in an hour. You will be there."
With that, Panta turned and started walking away.