Epic Unearthed

by Thomas Turner

  Chapter XXV

  The Tightus

  Ryeland orders the newest weapon of the Ladonean Empire, a secret until now, to be introduced to the battlefield. He has waited to use this until the Atlantean artillery munitions began depleting. Ladonean engineers have worked for a decade on a weapon to breach the walls of Atlantean fortifications.

  The Eastern Empire has thousands of mammoths at their deposal, and Ladoneans are very good craftsmen. The military introduced the idea of the tightus, an enormous siege tower. The military moving fortress is one-hundred feet high and seventy-five feet wide, with fourteen wheels, each of which is twelve feet high.

  The eight-level tightus is powered by eight mammoths. The Ladonean beasts are protected beneath the first story of their war machine. The second story has a powerful crossbow, from which projectiles can be shot to inflict serious damage on Atlantean defenses. On the third level is a ram that can damage the Atlantean massive gate. The fourth level holds forty archers. The upper levels carry hundreds of warriors. When the warriors disembark from the top level of the tightus, they are even with the top of the Atlantean wall. This is the most powerful machine of its day. The Ladoneans are about to use seventy-five tightuses in an attempt to take the Great East Wall, and more are being built to capture the city-states.

  Within the tightuses, Ladonean crossbow technology has been copied from the Atlanteans. Eastern spies seized upon the idea ten years prior, and the weapon went into production. The tightuses’ projectiles blaze with fire upon impact.

  Horns blow from the Ladonean military, and the tightuses move forward toward the Atlanteans’ Great East Wall. Aten’s artillery fires their krample projectiles, covering the battlefield with thousands of spikes. The ground is cleared of metal by Ladonean warriors before the mammoths can be hindered as they run and power the siege towers. Although the tightuses are one of the largest wooden structures in the world, they can move almost three miles an hour on the battlefield.

  The horns blow a second time from the Atlantean enemy, and the Sabathean and Ladonean infantry charge at full speed.

  One-hundred-thousand Atlantean infantrymen are outside the gate, bracing for what is about the come. Aten’s archers and artillery wait for orders to fire on the charging enemy. When the enemy is within firing range, Aten holds for the most opportune time. Then the Atlantean Emperor orders, “Fire!”

  Aten’s giant crossbows fire and hit the siege towers, but most of their projectiles glide off. Because the curved sides and metal plating of the tightus, most of the Atlantean projectiles skip off the giant war machines, like a stone skipping across a pond.

  On the first wave of Atlantean artillery fire, one tightus is disabled and the others move at slower speeds. Aten’s giant crossbows focus their fire on the moving fortresses, and ignore the Sabathean and Ladonean light and heavy cavalry coming toward the right of the Atlantean gate.

  Aten commands all his depleted light and heavy cavalry to counter and engage the Sabatheans’ cavalry to protect his outside infantry. Atlantean archers rain arrows on the enemy. Tens of thousands of Sabathean warriors are cut down where they stand.

  The siege towers move rapidly toward the Great East Wall. Because of their speed, the giant Atlantean crossbows are having difficulty hitting their targets.

  Aten orders another wave of crossbow artillery to be fired, after adjusting their firing to aim at the base of the tightuses, twelve moving fortresses are destroyed and six more disabled. Atlantean artillery commanders order their men to fire at will. Atlanteans’ giant crossbows hit and destroy more on their third wave of firing, but forty-seven tightuses are still heading toward the Atlantean Great East Wall. For the first time, Aten is afraid for his people. The Atlantean Emperor will not reveal his fear to his men, but his warriors notice the hesitancy in his eyes as he gives orders to regroup.

  Havoc reigns on the battlefield since the Atlantean archers have killed or wounded forty-five-thousand enemy warriors. Aten orders his infantry outside the gate to regroup and push back the invaders.

  In response, Ryeland orders the Sabathean warriors to use ropes and scale the mountain on both sides of the gate. The main purpose for trying to climb the mountain side is to draw the Atlantean archers’ attention, so the moving fortresses can reach the walls. Twenty-thousand Sabathean warriors climbing the mountain cede their lives for their cause, empire, and gods.

  Thirty-eight tightuses advance the gate and fire their projectiles at the Atlantean fortifications. The siege tower’s projectiles hit their targets and inflict damage on the Atlantean defenses. Aten’s wooden gate is on fire. In some areas outside the wall, Aten’s men have to fall back. Atlantean catapults fire, but have little effect on the Ladonean tightuses.

  Due to the proximity of the moving fortresses, Atlantean archers begin accurately hitting the holes of the tightuses, killing hundreds of enemy archers inside. As the enemy draws nearer, the Atlantean archers hit every area of the siege towers, causing them the appearance of giant porcupines crossing the battlefield.

  The second wave of tightuses reaches the gates, firing their projectiles, and ramming the gate. The Atlantean barrier is weakening amid the onslaught. A tightus reverses to build speed and ram the Atlantean gate once again, and it finally gives way. Sabathean warriors hurry to overrun the interior of the first Atlantean barrier. All surviving Atlantean men outside the gate have to retreat.

  Due to their overwhelming manpower, Continental Alliance archers shoot enough cover-fire for Ryeland’s mammoths to advance. The Atlanteans hit the enemy beasts with arrows and artillery. Nothing on the battlefield catches fire since the soil is comprised of blood and earth, making the projectiles less effective.

  Aten orders a full retreat to the second defensive gate, where he commands a division to remain at the first line of defense and protect his men as they withdraw. The Sabatheans’ and Ladoneans’ mammoths start to tear away the damaged first gate for better access. Ryeland gives orders to immediately destroy the statues of God and the burning pillars. What took the Atlanteans decades to create is being destroyed in hours. The enemy mammoths pull with their ropes, and eventually decimate everything at the front entrance to the Atlantean Empire.

  The enemy stops at the first gate, staying out of range of the Atlanteans’ firing from the second Atlantean fortification. The Continental Alliance knows they have to regroup, and are hesitant to push forward.

  At the secondary gate, Atlantean artillery personnel are realizing they do not have enough ammunition. The remaining four walls running through the mountain region have only forty giant crossbows and forty catapults at each station. There is a width of one-half mile to protect on each Atlantean defensive position. Most of the remaining projectiles were in the first gate’s munitions depot and destroyed by them in their retreat. The Atlanteans have to rush to the third gate to retrieve more military supplies. Fewer men are available to transport artillery to the battlefront, so the second gate is not as well defended. Aten is down to one-hundred-forty-five-thousand men.

  The Sabatheans and Ladoneans attack. Aten struggles to evacuate as many warriors as possible before his first line of defense is completely destroyed. Atlantean men battle to save their fellow warriors. Aten orders the second gate to be closed. Twelve-thousand Atlanteans are trapped between the first and second defensive barriers. The Atlantean Emperor cannot open the gate without losing his new fortified position.

  Aten looks at his trapped warriors as they fight the enemy. For thirty minutes, the Atlanteans hold them off: twelve-thousand Atlantean warriors fight valiantly. After the archers between the first and second gates run out of arrows, they pick up swords and daggers from fallen comrades and fight to the death.

  Aten looks toward the battlefield, and witnesses the last two-thousand Atlanteans outside the second gate regrouping in one final formation. Although Atlantean archers from the walls of the second fortification give protection, the Continental Alliance pushes forward.

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nbsp; The last Atlantean commanding officer from the first wall stands between his men and his enemy. He yells, “They want to take our God from our children and our culture. We are dead already. This is the time to fight for God!”

  The Atlantean infantry outside the second gate rush to meet the enemy, knowing these are their last moments on earth. Aten watches from the second defensive position, and has never been more proud and devastated at the same time, witnessing his men die for honor and God. The Atlantean Emperor feels his civilization will never surrender as long as one man is standing.

  The Atlanteans swells with national pride and vengeance, and believes this is now a Holy War. Aten’s archers and artillery fire as the enemy marches closer. Using God as their source of strength, the fearful and exhausted Atlanteans fight as if they have had the best sleep of their lives. Though the Atlanteans have killed hundreds of thousands of men, there are still millions of enemy warriors to repel. Aten has lost over half of his warriors.

  The day before, a ship from the retreating Maktarians sent by Laptos docks in Vasic, and a messenger was sent directly to the Great East Wall. Aten is viewing the battlefield and directing resources to the battlefield with his generals. The messenger runs up to Aten and salutes. He says, “Laptos is on his way to the Great West Wall in full retreat. The Kyrenians and Mantineians have united. Laptos told me that the Valteareans and a handful of our men will engage the enemy at Bardia, and Persephone is in charge at the stronghold. The last message from your son was three days ago. We don’t know what has happened. All communication to the continent has been broken. Four divisions of Maktar and Hamma are to meet what is left of Persephone’s men at Akco.”

  A general says, “The Great West Wall is under attack. We cannot move outside our gates because over five-hundred-thousand men are attacking there. Laptos is trapped. We must use our navy and land near Akco to assist.”

  Aten says, “No. I appreciate your concerns for my son, but he is a warrior of the Atlantean Empire. We cannot go on any offensive. If we do, Atlantis will falter.”

  Another general says, “We have three empires beating on our gates. Is Ladonea also involved in this conflict?”

  Aten looks at his generals, “If so, we cannot hold off four empires.”

  Hours later, the Ladoneans bring out tightuses to attack the Atlanteans’ second defensive fortification. Since the first gate is a half-mile from Aten’s second defense, the tightuses regroup and form a wall, staying out of range of Atlantean artillery.

  Aten knows he will die here, and blames himself for this attack. He feels as if he betrayed his fatherland. When he was twenty years old, he became Atlantean Emperor. He remembers the Great War. His father was very imperialistic, and the rest of the world hated Atlantis because of its greed and world domination. Aten feels he has disappointed his people, wishing he had not attempted to conquer Mantineia.

  Aten turns to General Playtarous, and says, “Go to my son and protect our capital. Tell him exactly what is transpiring here. Make sure Edicus’ tablets get to their destination. I will not let you die with me today. Ride to my son, and serve him. I need good generals to help protect the empire when the enemy takes the last gate. You have seen how our enemies fight. Your knowledge and expertise here will be vital in the battles to come.”