Chapter 18
Signs of Power
When everything was in place Luuk ordered the attack. He watched as the men near him attacked one of the positions. It took only moments until the position was overrun. Luuk closed his eyes and looked out over the battle.
Every where he looked his troops easily took the positions outside the main base. At the main base the humans were holding back the advancing force with fire and arrows. Luuk started to move the men from various positions around the base to attack the base proper.
As he did so he noticed that an unusually large number of men were in the main base. He sent up a few birds to look at the overall battle field. He saw that every position was taken his men had not lost a single man. He stepped over to where the men had taken the guard post. The men inside were dead, long dead. He quickly looked through the eyes of some of the other men and all the posts he saw were the same.
They were taken so easily because the men had been pulled out and replaced with corpses.
Luuk ordered his army to retreat from the main base. He went back to the birds he had sent aloft. The battle at the base was as he had seen it only moments before. He again sent out the message for the troops to retreat. He knew he had fallen into a trap but he was hoping to escape it before the trap sprung. As he watch the troops break away from the base he saw his troops thrown into the air as the ground around them exploded in massive balls of fire.
All along the walls of the base were blasters standing with the archers. Where they gestured his men were burned. They fell ten to twenty at a time. Great swaths were cut in the front ranks as the fire cut through his troops. The legion slowly retreated. Luuk had lost about a fifth of his men and had gained nothing. It was the first time in a very long time Luuk had been out maneuvered. He gathered his men and gathered his thoughts.
He allowed himself only a moment of self pity and he was ready to attack again. He was angry at himself for not seeing the trap. He got his men set up and ready to attack the base again. He got the men into three main attack groups plus a fourth reserve. Luuk knew that the weakest portion of the fortifications was the gate and that was were he was planning to get into the base. He would not be so easily rebuffed this time. He also got all the animals together. The smaller animals he sent in small groups into the base. He sent them by different paths hoping to get some of them into the base.
He waited just a few moments. Until things were set. The fires form the first assault were still burning brightly. Luuk was glad his sense of smell was greatly impaired. The men in the town could be heard cheering. They were celebrating in the town but they were soldiers they would be ready for another attack. Luuk watched as the guards walked their rounds on the walls.
Luuk closed his eyes and watched as the animals got into the base. They were almost ready. He sent the first two groups forward for the attack. The first was a diversion. The group hit the wall about a hundred paces from the gate. Men started to swarm towards the threat. Just a few moments later the second group hit the gate. As Luuks forces hit the gate He saw the blasters appear on the walls. That was when he had the animals strike. The birds dove from the sky to attack the blasters. The smaller animals attacked at several spots inside the town. The gatehouse was swarmed with dead rodents that bit, clawed, and crawled over the guards holding the gate closed.
The result was exactly what Luuk had hoped for, the blasters were not completely neutralized but they were not the effective attacker that had decimated the advanced lines of Luuk's original attack. The a few of the blasters were even killed as they fell off the wall under the constant attack from the birds.
The effect was even greater as the blasters were pulled off the walls to protect them from further loses. The men defending the gate were slowly being pushed back. Luuk was ready he just needed the right moment. The blasters had helped his attack. The blasters had again unleashed fire down on Luuk's attacking men. When the men were hit by the fire Luuk had them move immediately to the gate. The burning men through themselves at the gate quickly getting the gate burning as well. Luuk got the past part of the attack into motion. He got the biggest animals he had moving towards the gate.
The men on the walls were still raining arrows down on his attackers, but as they destroyed one with arrows his companions would hoist him over their heads and use the twice dead body as a shield. Luuk kept the pressure up forcing his men up to the gate. He knew that it would take days to burn through the gates, but he also knew that the fires were weakening the gate. The force at the gate had a canopy built from the bodies of those who had been killed by the defenders. A huge bear lumbered up to the gate and started to slam his body into door. His massive frame started to crack the door.
As the bear started to force the door open the other two groups moved to press the attack. The first group move to the side gate. This was a much smaller gate but Luuk didn't want a force allowed out of the base to rescue the main gate. The other group moved into place ready ti rush through the gate once it was down.
The bear keep slowly smashing the gate as the men inside the base left the walls. Luuk knew they were preparing for the assault. They would have the biggest force right behind the gate house. They would try to keep his main force from gaining access to the base.
Luuk knew that the battle was already won. Once the gate was down it was only a matter of time before the base was destroyed. Luuk felt excited. He relaxed and listened to the battle for a moment. The gates creaked under the attack of his bear. The few men left on the walls were yelling down descriptions of attacking forces arrangement.
Luuk heard the gate finally give way. As soon as the gate was opened Luuk heard the counter attack start. Just inside the gate a pair of blasters let loose the fire of their craft. The bear was incinerated but its sheer bulk blocked the attack from the majority of the men behind the bear. Luuk commanded the men to rush the gate. Luuks men started pushing past the bear and the broken gate but there was almost no resistance. The blasters were already gone and the force remaining consisted of a half dozen men. It looked like these were men that had already been injured. Luuk quickly swept this feeble resistance and the force was inside the base.
Luuk ordered his men into the base as soon as possible. He wanted to get the battel won as soon as he could. When he had committed half his troops he started getting updates from his men. The wall had been breached in two spots. The defending force had fled the town not through the guarded side gate but by scaling the wall in two other places.
Luuk was surprised again he had been out maneuvered. He kept a third of his force to clear the town, but got the rest of his legion to start pursuing the fleeing forces as fast as possible. Luuk cursed himself. He was not using all the resources available to him.
He sent the animals to start tracking the fleeing groups. He took a couple of the birds and looked at the situation from the air. If he had kept up the observation of the town he would have seen the groups preparing to scale the walls. He would not make that mistake again.
When everything was in place Luuk ordered the attack. He watched as the men near him attacked one of the positions. It took only moments until the position was overrun. Luuk closed his eyes and looked out over the battle.
Every where he looked his troops easily took the positions outside the main base. At the main base the humans were holding back the advancing force with fire and arrows. Luuk started to move the men from various positions around the base to attack the base proper.
As he did so he noticed that an unusually large number of men were in the main base. He sent up a few birds to look at the overall battle field. He saw that every position was taken his men had not lost a single man. He stepped over to where the men had taken the guard post. The men inside were dead, long dead. He quickly looked through the eyes of some of the other men and all the posts he saw were the same.
They were taken so easily because the men had been pulled out and replaced with corpses.
Luuk ordered his army to retreat from the main base. He went back to the birds he had sent aloft. The battle at the base was as he had seen it only moments before. He again sent out the message for the troops to retreat. He knew he had fallen into a trap but he was hoping to escape it before the trap sprung. As he watch the troops break away from the base he saw his troops thrown into the air as the ground around them exploded in massive balls of fire.
All along the walls of the base were blasters standing with the archers. Where they gestured his men were burned. They fell ten to twenty at a time. Great swaths were cut in the front ranks as the fire cut through his troops. The legion slowly retreated. Luuk had lost about a fifth of his men and had gained nothing. It was the first time in a very long time Luuk had been out maneuvered. He gathered his men and gathered his thoughts.
He allowed himself only a moment of self pity and he was ready to attack again. He was angry at himself for not seeing the trap. He got his men set up and ready to attack the base again. He got the men into three main attack groups plus a fourth reserve. Luuk knew that the weakest portion of the fortifications was the gate and that was were he was planning to get into the base. He would not be so easily rebuffed this time. He also got all the animals together. The smaller animals he sent in small groups into the base. He sent them by different paths hoping to get some of them into the base.
He waited just a few moments. Until things were set. The fires form the first assault were still burning brightly. Luuk was glad his sense of smell was greatly impaired. The men in the town could be heard cheering. They were celebrating in the town but they were soldiers they would be ready for another attack. Luuk watched as the guards walked their rounds on the walls.
Luuk closed his eyes and watched as the animals got into the base. They were almost ready. He sent the first two groups forward for the attack. The first was a diversion. The group hit the wall about a hundred paces from the gate. Men started to swarm towards the threat. Just a few moments later the second group hit the gate. As Luuks forces hit the gate He saw the blasters appear on the walls. That was when he had the animals strike. The birds dove from the sky to attack the blasters. The smaller animals attacked at several spots inside the town. The gatehouse was swarmed with dead rodents that bit, clawed, and crawled over the guards holding the gate closed.
The result was exactly what Luuk had hoped for, the blasters were not completely neutralized but they were not the effective attacker that had decimated the advanced lines of Luuk's original attack. The a few of the blasters were even killed as they fell off the wall under the constant attack from the birds.
The effect was even greater as the blasters were pulled off the walls to protect them from further loses. The men defending the gate were slowly being pushed back. Luuk was ready he just needed the right moment. The blasters had helped his attack. The blasters had again unleashed fire down on Luuk's attacking men. When the men were hit by the fire Luuk had them move immediately to the gate. The burning men through themselves at the gate quickly getting the gate burning as well. Luuk got the past part of the attack into motion. He got the biggest animals he had moving towards the gate.
The men on the walls were still raining arrows down on his attackers, but as they destroyed one with arrows his companions would hoist him over their heads and use the twice dead body as a shield. Luuk kept the pressure up forcing his men up to the gate. He knew that it would take days to burn through the gates, but he also knew that the fires were weakening the gate. The force at the gate had a canopy built from the bodies of those who had been killed by the defenders. A huge bear lumbered up to the gate and started to slam his body into door. His massive frame started to crack the door.
As the bear started to force the door open the other two groups moved to press the attack. The first group move to the side gate. This was a much smaller gate but Luuk didn't want a force allowed out of the base to rescue the main gate. The other group moved into place ready ti rush through the gate once it was down.
The bear keep slowly smashing the gate as the men inside the base left the walls. Luuk knew they were preparing for the assault. They would have the biggest force right behind the gate house. They would try to keep his main force from gaining access to the base.
Luuk knew that the battle was already won. Once the gate was down it was only a matter of time before the base was destroyed. Luuk felt excited. He relaxed and listened to the battle for a moment. The gates creaked under the attack of his bear. The few men left on the walls were yelling down descriptions of attacking forces arrangement.
Luuk heard the gate finally give way. As soon as the gate was opened Luuk heard the counter attack start. Just inside the gate a pair of blasters let loose the fire of their craft. The bear was incinerated but its sheer bulk blocked the attack from the majority of the men behind the bear. Luuk commanded the men to rush the gate. Luuks men started pushing past the bear and the broken gate but there was almost no resistance. The blasters were already gone and the force remaining consisted of a half dozen men. It looked like these were men that had already been injured. Luuk quickly swept this feeble resistance and the force was inside the base.
Luuk ordered his men into the base as soon as possible. He wanted to get the battel won as soon as he could. When he had committed half his troops he started getting updates from his men. The wall had been breached in two spots. The defending force had fled the town not through the guarded side gate but by scaling the wall in two other places.
Luuk was surprised again he had been out maneuvered. He kept a third of his force to clear the town, but got the rest of his legion to start pursuing the fleeing forces as fast as possible. Luuk cursed himself. He was not using all the resources available to him.
He sent the animals to start tracking the fleeing groups. He took a couple of the birds and looked at the situation from the air. If he had kept up the observation of the town he would have seen the groups preparing to scale the walls. He would not make that mistake again.
posted by shaneknysh at 22:15
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