Chapter 394
Lyra watched the one-sided exchange with grim recognition.
"Cease long-range attacks. Pull back archers from exposed positions. We’ve lost this phase."
"But the purification—" Kelvin protested.
"Is going to complete regardless of what we do. We’ve wounded three mages and disrupted the ritual twice. That’s all we could achieve. Continuing costs us more casualties than it’s worth."
"Acknowledged. Pulling back."
The settlement’s long-range attacks ceased.
Elric noted the change immediately.
"They’ve recognized the losing exchange and withdrawn. Smart tactical decision by their commander." He showed no satisfaction, just professional acknowledgment. "The purification will complete successfully in approximately eight more minutes."
The holy mages continued their ritual uninterrupted now, golden light spreading across the entire battlefield approach. Where corruption had lingered yesterday, divine purification now reigned.
The ground itself seemed cleaner, holier, sanctified.
After twenty-eight total minutes, Father Aldric completed the final prayer.
"It is done. The battlefield is cleansed. No demonic contamination remains. Holy ground now extends two hundred yards from Third Line walls in all directions."
The golden light faded, but its effect remained. The ground was purified.
Elric received the confirmation and nodded with satisfaction.
Purification Phase Results:
Duration: 28 minutesSettlement casualties: 41 total (10 killed, 31 wounded)Human casualties: 6 total (6 holy mages wounded, all still functional)Strategic result: Battlefield purified, contamination magic neutralized as tactical option
"Phase One complete," Elric announced. "Holy mages, withdraw to protected positions. All forces, prepare Phase Two—artillery bombardment. We break Third Line’s walls, then advance with main assault."
He looked at the Four Heroes.
"Your deployment timing will be based on enemy response to the main assault. Observe. Learn their tactics. Then strike when you can achieve maximum impact."
Gattychan’s blessed sword glowed brighter. "We’re ready."
"Good. Because today we end this siege."
At Third Line, Lyra assessed the situation with tactical honesty.
Forty-one casualties to stop purification that completed anyway. They’d gained some intelligence on human defensive capabilities and confirmed that Elric protected his vulnerable assets competently.
But they’d also confirmed what she already knew—they were outnumbered, outgunned, and facing an opponent who understood siege warfare as well as she did.
"Artillery bombardment next," she said aloud. "Then the main assault. And then..." she looked at Seraphina, "...then we see if our preparations are enough."
"They’ll deploy the heroes," Seraphina said quietly. "Once they commit to the main assault and we reveal our defensive capabilities, Gattychan and the others will enter the battle."
"I know." Said Lyra’s. "Which is why our corruption specialists are hidden three hundred yards behind Third Line, concealed in buildings and underground passages. When the heroes deploy, they’ll expect to find them near the walls. They won’t expect us to have positioned them for ambush."
"That’s a dangerous gamble."
"Everything about today is a dangerous gamble." Lyra squared her shoulders. "But we don’t need to win. We just need to survive until Loki arrives tomorrow. One day. Just one more day."
Twenty-four hours between survival and annihilation.
The artillery bombardment was about to begin.
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Hour Two:
Commander Elric raised his hand, signaling the artillery commander.
"Phase Two begins. Artillery bombardment. Thirty minutes. Target Third Line fortifications—focus on wall sections, archer platforms, and gate structures. Suppress their defenders and create breaches for infantry assault."
The artillery commander—a grizzled veteran named Sergeant Borun—saluted and turned to his crews.
"All batteries, prepare to fire! Load standard shot! Target eastern wall sections first, then rotate to central and western positions!"
Twenty massive siege catapults had been positioned during the purification ritual. Each stood fifteen feet tall, built from reinforced timber and iron fittings. The counterweight systems could hurl stones weighing two hundred pounds across four hundred yards with devastating accuracy.
Each catapult had a crew of six soldiers—loaders, aimers, and a crew chief who coordinated firing.
At Battery One, a young soldier named Marcus (different from Captain Marcus—this was Private Marcus, nineteen years old, third campaign) helped load a two-hundred-pound stone into the catapult’s basket.
"Heave!" the crew chief ordered.
Six soldiers lifted the massive stone, muscles straining, and settled it into position.
"Check the counterweight! Make sure the release mechanism is clean!"
Another soldier inspected the mechanism that would release the throwing arm.
"Counterweight secure! Release mechanism clear!"
"Aim for eastern wall, section three! Target the archer platform we saw movement on earlier!"
The crew adjusted the catapult’s angle, using practiced experience to calculate trajectory. Artillery warfare was part mathematics, part intuition built from hundreds of shots.
"Range four hundred twenty yards! Angle twenty-three degrees! Windage minimal!"
The crew chief made final adjustments, then stepped back.
"Battery One ready!"
Across the artillery line, twenty crews completed similar preparations.
"All batteries report ready!" Sergeant Borun called out.
Elric watched from his elevated position, then gave the command.
"FIRE!"
Twenty catapults released simultaneously.
The sound was like thunder—massive wooden arms slamming forward, stones launching into the air with tremendous force. The ground shook from the recoil.
Twenty two-hundred-pound stones arced through the morning sky, trailing smoke and the whistle of displaced air. They reached the apex of their flight at two hundred feet, hung for a heartbeat, then plummeted toward Third Line’s fortifications.
At Third Line, Lyra saw the artillery launch and had perhaps three seconds before impact.
"ARTILLERY! TAKE COVER!"
Defenders who’d been manning wall positions dove for protected areas. Behind crenellations, inside towers, anywhere with overhead cover.
The first volley hit with catastrophic force.
Stone One struck the eastern wall directly, punching a crater three feet deep into the fortification. The impact sent wooden splinters and stone fragments flying like shrapnel. Two goblin defenders who’d been too slow reaching cover were hit by flying debris—one killed instantly, one wounded with a broken leg.
Stone Two hit an archer platform on the central wall, collapsing the entire structure. Three serpentfolk archers fell with the platform, crashing twenty feet to the ground below. Two died on impact, one survived with severe injuries.
Stone Three missed the walls entirely, impacting the ground fifty yards short and creating a crater but causing no casualties.