holes are being smashed into the walls defenders, killing many Humans, and destroying the wall. At the same time the Gargoyles were returning, easily flying over the wall and to the trebuchets who have so far been useless, they were too close to the battlefield, let alone aim at the attacking beasts with a while blocking their site of the battlefield. The Gargoyles start another scuffle behind the wall so some archers must turn to face the grounds on the other side to start firing on the Gargoyles, diverting even more arrows from Doomenheim. Elis wants this finished as it was giving the defender in Livonia more time to prepare as surely riders have been sent to warn the kingdoms of Elis’s attack.
Elis launches a full-on assault on the wall. He spearheads this, leading his troops out of the darkness and into the view of the archers on the wall. He was heavily armoured and so were his warriors, this was no beast army and up till now it had sustained very few causalities. They were coming fast; all this time having had to do nothing as the Humans got tired from stringing back their arrows and releasing them. Scorpions were brought up to engage the firing archers on the wall, covering the beasts that are carrying their ladders. Before the Humans can even organise a second comeback ladders are touching the wall and the beasts are securing them. Capurnicus shouts “set the ladders on fire! Topple them over!” The troops across this part of the wall frantically and viciously harass the ladders, setting many on fire, and continuously toppling them over. But they kept on coming. One ladder suddenly propped up in front of Capurnicus, his men had run out of oil, so they tried to topple it over, they couldn’t, it was being held in place by strong Orcs and the Goblin emerged from the ladder, Capurnicus speared its face and sends the dead beast plummeting. The Humans were fighting hard so Elis took matters into his hands, he and his three companions start to climb up a ladder. They are bent on securing a space for the beasts to start climbing up into to establish a foothold on the wall. Elis goes first and climbs up the ladder. He could feel his heart racing, this was his life and his destiny, so be it if the dead are countless. Every step felt like a mile to him. The roaring of soldiers and beasts, made his heart beat faster and faster. His grin is of a man who is sinister and ambitious; he reaches the top and leaps onto the clutch of Human soldiers defending that section. His eyes were of an animal and they he drove his sword into the neck of Human soldier. He divides a group into two just by forcing them with a push, he slices at them in the closely packed space as his companion just enter the scene. Soon beasts come in and the start tearing through the ranks of the Human defenders like butter. The Human soldiers are terrified but still press on in the fight.
An hour passes and the Humans are being slaughtered, they are in complete panic and so many of their brothers in arms are now dead. Capurnicus decides to lead whatever men he has left on escape, also taking with him whatever men he can bring along the way. Capurnicus darts through the battlefield and frantically stabs beasts whenever he can, freeing up soldiers in their fights. He brings the men to the ends of the wall section, down the staircase and out of the wall. He watches the men he could not have saved, die on his way. Other soldiers from other sections of the wall also make a break for it. Soon what is left of the Human forces retreat, funnelling into the small exits while being cut down by Elis and his warriors. Fleeing was all they could do. That battle had been terribly executed and played right into Elis’s hands. At least Capurnicus and some other Human defenders could fight another day. This was all too familiar to him. This was no war like Paradon had ever seen before. Elis has the means to accomplish everything he views is his destiny. His plan for that battle was brilliant and he overcame the defender’s numbers and vantage point with the perfect strategy. The Human soldiers were astounded at the audacity of that attack. To Elis this was his beginning, now for many Humans it was the first stage of failure.
Elis would proceed to eradicate whatever soldiers remain in the wall, sweeping from the west to the east before preparing for his next battle which he knows Allan will be present at. He wants little more than to see Allan at the tip of his blade.
Back in coastal Unodos Allan receives the news while he is in the port, a messenger from the wall tells him of the fate that has befallen the many men at the wall. “My king I am sorry; the defenders were not able to defeat Elis and his forces. They were greater than we had originally supposed. The wall is lost and a large portion of our allied armies” says the messenger. “They were all brave men, who fought to the death. There will be survivors, we will learn from them, what tactics Elis has employed. I will not let such an incredible loss of life happen again” Allan says, his eyes seething with fury. The soldier then rides off to spread the word. Allan has underestimated Elis but is confident that Elis hasn’t been given a chance to underestimate him. He has worked with Wilmot, his father, the army, the other kingdoms to construct a strong and well-built fleet of ships. But the highlight of their plan which Allan had thought of was an extremely long chain made of large and enforced chain links which straddle a great distance of the stunt sea. The greatest feat of this however is a small plot of artificial land out at sea that was constructed over a reef to secure the other side of the chain. The chain would remain submerged until a mechanism on the side of coastal Unodos would be turned to wheel in a length of chain, tensioning it forming a dangerous wall of metal that can tear through the wooden hulls of ships like butter. To get Elis’s ships to sail straight into the path of the deadly, Allan plans to fake a retreat and being an army of beasts, they will charge straight after them and right into the chain.
This is Allan’s plan. He had spent a long time on this with the engineers of all the kingdoms to put this together. Allan wants to stop Elis at this battle, wanting it to be a decisive victory for his men and not a close victory which at this point is something the kingdoms cannot afford to have after the disastrous conclusion to the battle at the great wall.
Capurnicus and the men that he helped rescue arrive on horseback. Thankfully they had horses behind the wall otherwise they would not have arrived in time. These men describe how Elis and his army operated, it was more than a rag tag army of beasts, it was uniformed, heavily armoured and heavily armed.
By this time, Elis’s army has already set sail, making his way past the Granicus region and should be arriving at dawn. Livonia is now facing a threat that is to be in its waters that if not dealt with will spell disaster for Unodos and all coastal Livonia. What Allan and the Humans do not know is the second-strike force that will be attacking Unodos itself. It is Elis’s tactical reserve, complete with captured trebuchets, catapults, scorpions, and large numbers of fierce warriors. Should the main assault of Elis fail at the battle of the Stunt Sea, he will be forced to commit these warriors and move right into Livonia, it is a risky plan but Elis is confident he can win in the sea battle, even with a divided army.
Chapter 9 Part II: Battle for the Stunt Sea
Allan is laying in his bed in a camp in western Unodos. His war boots, armour and weapons have been polished, refined and prepared for him. A soldier rushes into his tent, dispensing with the formalities he says “sire a fleet of ships has been spotted! Elis and his army are coming”. Allan was jolted awake, he looks at the soldier and says “thank you, go back and join your ranks. Today we war”. The soldier nods and leaves Allan to prepare himself. Allan gets up and begins strapping on his leather armour, with a thick layer of silk underneath, a combination that could stop an arrow from piercing his core. As he puts his armour on, he psyches himself up, this was a battle that came down to a war between him and his brother. Today he faces his brother in battle. Allan walks out of his tent, the soldiers were all eating vigorously on the beach, their boats stretched out in front of them. Allan and the me have their breakfast and they get into their boats. Now out at sea and in battle formation they start sailing up the coast of Unodos to just behind where the chain was stretched out across. Now all they could do was wait for Elis’s fleet to come to view.
Less than an
hour later before the sun even appears, there Elis is, with a massive fleet of boats. He is positioned in the centre of the mass just as Allan is. “There they are Allan” Capurnicus says to Allan. “I can see them. I see them” Allan says quietly in a state of focus. “See those beasts out there? They are being led by a man who believes he ca n defeat us. Your life and mine has come to this point. Let us avenge our brothers, fathers, and cousins today! Let us give them the war they want. May we stop them and ensure that justice is served! You and I will bleed together this day! So be it, for the defence of Livonia!” shouted Allan at the top of his lungs. The Human soldiers in their boats start to chant and make war cries as well, taunting and cursing the beasts across from them. The Humans are angered and ready to kill, to avenge their comrades who were befallen by Elis and his army of beasts at the wall. The oarsmen, archers and infantrymen were not alone, on the coast were catapults of the Humans that would fire on command at Elis’s army.
Elis ordered more speed and his beasts did just that.