Unodos to rekindle lost ties. He finds no trouble in rallying Hetheil and Diamonheim together but the lesser kingdoms of Koros and Unodos proved to be challenges. Koros and Unodos have prioritised more on the militarisation of their kingdoms in recent years. On top of their skilled medics and smiths, respectively, their soldiers, manpower and whatever resources were discovered. Allan managed to win them back, through fear and promises coupled by his oratorical and diplomatic skills. Allan ensures that all the people in every kingdom knew about what was to come. Wilmot falls ill himself and this slows the construction of the fleet of warships. Nevertheless, progress is being made as the Human kingdoms have banded together once again to face a common threat.
Allan returns from his diplomatic journey in the early morning to the palace. He sends a soldier to fetch Capurnicus from the army barracks. Capurnicus arrives in short time and Allan says to Capurnicus “I believe we need to move. Elis should be attacking, he is not going to let us prepare for a longer time and strike us now when we are only just regaining our unity and bearings once in Livonia”. “I am fairly certain of that but it is not we that should go, just myself and what men I can bring” Capurnicus says. “No, I a coming. I have to be present” Allan says in protest. “Your father and Wilmot would disagree with you going to the wall. You must remain here with the people and in the battles, that follow the one at the wall, you may yourself be present” Capurnicus says. Allan leans back as he always does and nods. “I will leave right away and link up with the soldiers marching from the other kingdoms to reinforce the wall” Capurnicus says. “I can trust you, I know it. You will lead those men well. I hope I see you again” Allan says with misty eyes for fear of losing a friend he has grown so close too. “I may not return to the kingdom but I must say, the things that you stand for and have in mind for Paradon, I commend and respect” Capurnicus says. The two say their goodbyes and the last thig Allan says to him is “you have a family and a kingdom to protect, do not sacrifice yourself. Fall back with as many men as possible once the army at the wall is in no position to fight. “I will try” Capurnicus says as he makes his way to the gate with his horse. Allan would then travel to the coastal port of Hitha in western Hetheil to inspect the building of Hetheil’s new fleet of warships, made with resources abundantly provided by the kingdom of Diamonheim and many skilled labourers from Unodos and Koros. The Hetheilian army was already at work on a navy, training them for sea warfare.
Capurnicus reaches the wall within a month with many fresh troops from all the kingdoms to reinforce the wall and prepare for the first assault from Elis’s forces.
In Doomenheim Elis waits patiently with his army or the right moment. His plan is to directly attack the wall head on when the soldiers manning it least expect. He would then proceed to storm it, killing all the soldiers stationed at the wall to protect his rear from a Human counter attack as he advances on Livonia itself. He would then secure the front on the centre of the mainland before crossing into Unodos, the gateway to the Human kingdoms in Livonia. The second front would be far more ambitious, Elis is going to directly assault Hetheil from Stunt Sea with his fleet of warships. If this amphibious assault works, his mainland front would march into Unodos, just as the troops that have seized the coast advance on Ohith, the capital of Hetheil. Elis knows he will be outnumbered at nearly every step of the way. But the Humans he’ll be fighting will not be up against the traditional beast warriors, this time they are armoured to the hilt just as the Humans have been all this while. Tactics and weapons have all been revolutionised for this fortunate army of beasts that Elis has somehow managed to weld together. He wanted Paradon for himself and wanted to show all the people he had encountered throughout his life how formidable he was and why he should have been just as deserving as his brother was. He knew his brother and how hard he was going to fight. Allan is just as unpredictable as Elis is, things may not go as planned for Elis because of Allan’s wit and determination. Elis once loved his brother that’s for sure but that love withered away once Elis realised that his future would be forever side-lined because of Allan. Elis has seen his destiny and the means he wishes to achieve it by supersede what feelings and likings he has for his kingdom or the Humans of Livonia.
Finally, Elis sets off with his refined army of beasts from western Doomenheim towards the western part of the wall. On his horse, Silver, he leads the beasts out of the camps he had built and straight for the western wall. Elis and his companion led from the front, the Orcs and Goblins at their backs and the Gargoyles are flying high in the sky. The stage was set and Elis is not turning back from what he is about to do.
Chapter 9 Part I: Battle of the Great Wall
Dusk fell upon the north. Capurnicus and his men are staring out into the gloomy lands of western Doomenheim, perched from the wall. They are tired but are psychologically ready for whatever is to come. Unodos has provided these soldiers with the best armour and equipment. Mounted on the walls are standard catapults and behind the wall on the Human’s side are a few trebuchets lined up and ready to fire. They have no clue when Elis’s forces are going to strike. All they know is that he is coming. The evening fog is making it hard to see what is in the horizon let alone detect a stealthy army approaching their positions. Most of the men are sitting down on the wall, some are even about to fall asleep as the sunshine is rapidly fading away. Capurnicus leans forward on a brick railing as he tries to pierce the fog with his eyes. Carefully monitoring everything he could possibly see. The entire army is soon shocked to hear something approaching from the skies in the distance. Capurnicus stands up and pulls is sword out of its sheath and shouts “archers! Stand ready!” The battle was about to commence. Gargoyles began emerging out of the fog, carrying vast amounts of deadly debris and rock. Capurnicus immediately orders “fire at will!” The Hetheilian soldiers under his command immediately start drawing back their loaded bowstrings. Like a wave across the wall, archers from all the four kingdoms were doing as their commanders ordered and responding as the Hetheilians were. The Gargoyles have rock like skin, very hard to pierce. The archers are relying on the sheer number of arrows, hoping that one or two would hit the mouth, eyes or belly of these powerful flying. The archers release a massive round of metal tipped arrows into the sky at the incoming beasts. It blots out the sky, further dimming whatever light that still made the grounds below the wall somewhat visible.
Gargoyles are being killed and falling, being pelted by so many arrows but they kept on coming. Some of the Gargoyles in the second wave of air born attacks were carrying flaming clumps of wood. Many Gargoyles perish but they were successful in their goal. They had dropped these flaming clumps of wood into the densely-packed ranks of the soldiers on the wall. Capurnicus could see some of his men set on fire further down the wall. It was a horrible site to see. They are crying, shouting, and screaming frantically, many are falling off the walls and plummeting to their deaths. In the distance as the Humans try to scramble back into battle ready positions and trying to save their men, Elis can see through the fog in the dark a lot of movement and fire. He now knows exactly where two strike with a weapon he has managed to equip his army with. He instructs the Goblins that man his siege engines to position the engines correctly. A sinister grin is on his face and he orders “fire!” Then terrifying flaming balls of rock flew across the grounds and straight for the wall. These were catapults and they were firing at a rapid-fire pace. The Beasts have mastered such a weapon. The hearts of the soldiers sink as they watch these hurling rocks of fire come towards them. Some soldiers are jumping off the walls to avoid being burned and many others are trying to escape. Capurnicus knew he had to put up more of a fight. Noticing the catapults had revealed their position after firing. He commands “fire! Into the valley below! Every arrow you have!” His archers begin firing arrows into the valley. Finally, being on the wall was proving to be an advantage. It was a high vantage point, making it easier for the archers to fire at whatever movement they could sp
ot. But the problem is nearly complete lack of visibility of the land beyond the wall, due to the fog and darkness that is shrouding it. The archers unleash a vengeful second hail of arrows into the valley.
Elis sees the incoming arrows and orders his army to cover themselves with their shields and unman the siege engines. The arrows came in; many miss their mark and were stopped by the revised armours of the beast. Not much damage had been done but this prevented the continued use of the siege engines. Elis the orders his warriors to bring the ladders they had built, forward. They move at a snail’s pace towards the wall, all the while seeing arrows hit the mud on their sides. Capurnicus knows why the firing from Doomenheim has stopped and what Elis is resorting too. He orders his archers to lower their arrows for the next round of rapid-firing. The archers across the wall follow as their commanders to realise what is happening. As they direct their fire, the fire balls return. As the arrows kill few and glance off the armours of the swarming beasts, bloody