THREE: THE SIEGE

  “Hold you bastards!” Antonius roared, his voice a boom that rolled over everyone stuck on the wall as legionnaires cursed and spat vile oaths. Spears plunged up and down, pecking like a bird upon troubled waters, blood flowed and burned as the imps fell to the ground in heaps.

  Only to be eaten by the largest of their number, who stood waiting. Cassius cursed and stabbed again, his spear pierced an imp’s eye and popped free of its skull to send it flailing back in a screech of rage. That the bastards didn’t die when steel pierced their skulls had been a nasty surprise. Cassius didn’t know how he’d easily killed his, but these monsters were much stronger as they worked their way up the wall.

  “Level five!” A voice called out, maybe it was Cornelius, but the next set of teeth and hunger came over the side of the wall, only to meet hardened wood. Claws ran and pulled chunks out of Cassius’ shield, strips of the toughened wood torn apart like papyrus.

  He slammed it back, wood met leathery skin and the creature squealed like a dying pig as it was thrown off the wall and toward the milling mass of fangs below. Its scream ended nearly as fast as it began, the wet tearing sounds of flesh being consumed nearly overwhelmed the beast’s last gargled breaths.

  Another of the monsters came up and Cassius stabbed at it only for his eyes to wide in horror as the steel speartip snapped like rotten wood. Impetus kept the blow going, pushing the imp to the edge of the wall, but not throwing it free. Cassius began to step forward, but Marcus snapped at him, venom in his voice.

  “Hold the line, bastard!” The legionnaire emphasized the words with a vicious stab at his own section of the wall and crippled one of the monsters.

  “FLANKING!” A woman’s shrill voice cut over the din of battle and Cassius turned to see that the thinned horde had started to sprint around the side of the granary and toward the outer edges of the walls to get around the fighting line.

  “[Thrust] on my command. Retreat to the stone!” Antonius roared, and the entire line tensed as they were finally able to use the skills of their profession. Long seconds stretched out as Cassius held his breath, feeling the power of the skill swirling in his body, ready to be released as more of the imps climbed to the top. Their file leader was waiting for the wall to fill, Cassius realized. Claws were tearing into shields, and the weight of the monsters threatened to throw them free and to the ground below.

  “NOW!” Antonius ordered, and Cassius whooped with rage as he stabbed forward with the remnants of his spear. Red power wreathed the tip of the spear, coated the slivers of steel in magic as muscle propelled the wooden haft forward. Ten blows hit the walls of monsters, light bloomed harsh and furious. Cassius felt the notifications of the kill in his head.

  “DOWN, DOWN, DOWN!” Antonius yelled, taken up by the rest of the line as they moved toward the stairs that led them to the ground. Gracchus pivoted and held the staircase, allowing the others to sprint down while he watched their backs. It was smoothly done. Cassius floated along with the veterans as they raced across the granary in two rows of five, Antonius and Marcus in the lead while Gracchus and Pius protected their backs.

  “Over the corner. It's massive!” Cornelius said, not breaking stride as they all turned to see the lumbering form of one of the imps. Cassius felt his throat tighten at the size of the beast. The first one he had killed had been the size of a dog; the bigger ones along the wall had hardly eclipsed that of a pig. This one was the size of a horse, all muscle, talons, and teeth. Crimson eyes glowed with intelligence as it loped across the ground.

  “Form line. [Reinforce] and [Thrust] on my command!” Antonius barked. Cassius knew they wouldn’t make it to the strong walls without killing the creature that had cut across the road in two long strides.

  “We do not bend!” Marcus said, voice loud and proud as the file slammed shoulder to shoulder, shields locked. Cassius could hardly feel the mana in his body, worn thin by using [Thrust] above. It was still there as he reinforced the shield in his hand, all ten of their shields growing red as Antonius used his own skill, [Meld]. Cassius knew what it would feel like, the power running over his body as it gathered his strength and blended it along the length of the small shield wall. They’d trained for it, but it still felt invasive. Part of Cassius rebelled against it, wished to buck it away, but he quelled those instincts.

  The monster wailed, high-pitched and alien, as it lowered its shoulder and barreled forward. Cassius shifted his weight as the moment approached, the beast a runaway wagon.

  “HOLD!” The cry of defiance rose from all of their throats as the beast hit the center of the line, right where Antonius stood shoulder to shoulder with Scipio and Marcella. Power rushed out of Cassius, a stream that flowed instantly into the thickened center of the line as the greater imp hung suspended for a moment, shoulder a hair’s breadth from touching the shields. Wild hatred flared in its small, crimson eyes, and then the red light of mana exploding turned the street as bright as day.

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  The imp flew through the air, strength stolen and redirected as it slammed through a building, turning planks of wood into splinters. Lethargy stole upon Cassius, his feet leaden as the sudden dearth of strength left him bereft of energy.

  “Forward!’ Antonius sounded winded, but the line moved as one, shoulder to shoulder as they approached the beast. Its broad head shook as it looked up towards them, long hands grasping at bits of wall to use as leverage to pull itself up.

  “THRUST!” Antonius barked, and ten spears flashed. There was no more mana for Cassius to draw forth, his stores depleted, but he stabbed anyway. The thin tendrils of metal left on his spear failed to pierce the beast’s thick hide, but the weight of the strike on its knee caused something to crack. Six red speartips tore through flesh, sending gouts of blood out of the imp’s body.

  “Finish it,” Marcus gasped, his own spear wedged halfway into the beast’s chest. It spasmed beneath the blows, but every eye was on Cassius as he let his broken spear fall to the ground and drew his sword.

  Wood shifted under his feet as he walked beneath the haphazardly standing roof; a clay-fired tile fell to break apart in a spray of shards. Cassius couldn’t reach the monster’s chest from the ground and leapt upward, landing on its pelvis, striking in one swift movement.

  Blade downward, he shoved with all his strength, driving the length of the sword through the monster's chest and then ripped up, dragging the sharp blade across its flesh. It yielded reluctantly, Cassius forced to throw the entirety of his body weight behind the blade, thighs burned as he forced it further, caustic blood flowed out to tear at his boots. Beneath his soles, it bucked and writhed, but its strength had failed it. Broken and dying, Cassius finished it with a grunt and fully disemboweled it.

  Summoned Imp

  Level Seven

  Information: Restricted

  “Level seven, sir,” Cassius said as he leapt off the body, grabbing at his canteen and pouring water over his blade and the soles of his boots. The higher-level monster’s blood had eaten through the leather faster than the first imp’s had.

  “Blood is also stronger. Eats through it faster,” Cassius said with a frown as he stared at his sword. It was, without a doubt, ruined—the pitting on it too deep to be worked out.

  “Keep moving. We need to get to the stone,” Antonius said without acknowledging Cassius’s words aside from a brief nod.

  With the death of the large imp, the attack slowed, and the monsters circled as if summoning the courage to keep testing their mettle against the file. Cassius wouldn’t complain; his mana was gone, weapons ready to fail, his throat burned with need, but Antonius was serious as they all piled into the sacrificial room.

  “Cassius, go and use the stone. Take the levels and refresh yourself,” Antonius said as they shut the door. The stench of the dead combined with the fumes of the ichor of the imps, an acrid smell that threatened to turn Cassius’ stomach as he staggered to the stone.

  Many of the bodies no longer had glowing runes around them. He couldn’t count, not while holding his gorge in, but there couldn’t be more than a handful left with the still burning runes. Which meant the room was darker, the shadows thick and hard to pierce. The imp came at him with a snarl, and Cassius cursed as he threw the shield between him and the monster. All around the room, snarls as imps pulled themselves out of the corners of the room and launched themselves at the legionnaires.

  A man screamed, followed by a woman, both of them ending with crunching wet squelches. Curses of rage and despair in equal measure quickly drowned out the monsters. Cassius focused on the one that clung to the rim of the shield, trying to climb over it. Talons tightened, and the metal rim dented and cracked under the dirty nails, and Cassius committed the cardinal sin of the legionnaire. He dropped his shield.

  His sword hissed as it flew free of the scabbard. Cassius planted his foot on the shield and leaned down on it. The head of the pinned imp was exposed, its eyes filled with unnatural rage as Cassius punched the tip of the blade between its eyes. He twisted and wiggled the blade back and forth until the monster stopped moving.

  Heavy weight slammed into his side, tore him from his feet, and he crashed to the ground as hot fire ran up his face. Humid breath ran across his face, then the world exploded in pain as pressure crushed his collarbone and chest.

  An imp was perched on his chest, face buried into his lorica, pushing into the plates and driving the metal into his chest. Cassius punched at the thing as half his vision was drowned red, his fist broke on the monster’s side, but Cassius didn’t stop punching as his sword hand searched for his blade.

  His fingers scrabbled and found familiar wrappings, stained by hours of his touch and dedication, more familiar than any lover he’d taken. Cassius grabbed the blade and stabbed, the angle awkward and lacking power, hardly tickling the monster. It growled and shifted, talons raked across his gut and peeled armor apart, flicks of pain added to his growing sea of agony.

  Cassius shifted and found a better angle, driving the blade upright and through its ribs as he threw his hips and rolled his shoulders to drive the monster further into the blade. Its fangs released their death grip on his shoulder, and the majority of the pain faded as the imp screamed at him from inches away as the blade dug deep and spilled its lifeblood across the stained floor.

  “ON YOUR FEET DAMNIT!” Marcus screamed at him, and Cassius hurried to obey, rising to stagger as he looked over the room. The light had faded to blackness, all of the runes extinguished, a single torch in the corner of the room the only light. Bodies lay in ruin on the ground, imp and legionnaire rested together now that their fight was over.

  “Grab a spear and pick up your damned shield!” Marcus continued to yell as he lifted his own shield and faced the door just as it burst open.