The Emperor Class

The centaur chieftain, flanked by Konstite and Eupoos, led the centaurs towards the Torpin Stronghold. The day of the assault had arrived and the centaurs were ready for a real battle. Their last decisive battle left many centaurs disappointed as the humans put up no resistance. Having traveled so far from home, they expected to be rewarded with battles that would one day be passed down the generations. The centaur shieldbreakers were several ranks deep behind the chieftain as they formed the main bodyguard unit. Behind them were the centaur spellcasters who were in the center of the centaur formation, protected from any enemies foolish enough to venture too close.

“Tolien and Ides, you two are up!”

The two centaur leaders broke rank at the order of Colet. The spear wielders and bow wielders were on the left and right flanks respectively. With their leaders heading out, the centaurs followed closely behind ready for the upcoming skirmish engagement with the humans on the walls.

“Igas, your unit is up!”

On command, the support spellcasters used multiple spells on the spear and bow wielders. A light aura surrounded those centaurs resulting in them moving faster. At this point, the spear wielders had their javelins out while the bow wielders had notched their arrows. As Colet agreed with the other coalition leaders, the centaurs would initiate the skirmishes to exploit any weakness of the stronghold defenses. Their mobility made it easier for them to avoid incoming ranged attacks and to withdraw if needed. Centaurs were also better at fighting during the day than the Uxlut and goblins while also excelling on flat terrain combat unlike the dwarves. The Sacnits were far too slow, making them easy targets for enemy spells and fire arrows, and the Oneans lacked any ranged weapons. Colet learned after meeting Dezzi that the Oneans specialized in close combat. In long range skirmishes, the Oneans would be at the mercy of the defenders if they were caught out.

“Konstite and Eupoos, we will wait here until we see a breach in the Torpin Fortress or the main gate fall under dwarven control.”

The centaur chieftain was unsure which of the scenarios would take place first. The dwarves argued that it would be wise for them to wait until the garrison was completely preoccupied with the assault from the front. That would leave the defenders vulnerable to the dwarven attack. Regardless of how the day would progress, Colet expected heavy casualties for the coalition. If those casualties meant they could meet up with the demons outside of Xante, then such was the price the coalition had to pay.

“Actolio, send out the ax wielders to form the vanguard of our allies advance.”

With the wave of a red flag from Actolio, ax wielders assigned to the vanguard role rode out to join ally forces. To the left of the centaur forces, Onean soldiers and dwarven soldiers marched in their square formations. The Oneans were all armed with daggers and small shields. The dwarves were mostly armed with bows and arrows. Centaur ax wielders served as their shields allowing the dwarves to support from range. The Oneans had to wait in the back and watch the other races besiege the stronghold.

“Chief,” said Konstite. “What are those strange contraptions wielded by the dwarves?”

“I believe they are called thundersticks,” said Colet once he figured out what Konstite was referring to. “Those strange staves are made of wood and iron. According to Skostaer, one had to see the weapon in action to believe what they were capable of. They are unlike any weapons we have seen.”

“Thundersticks,” muttered Konstite as he pondered the name.

To the right of the centaur forces, Uxlut and goblin forces marched at a leisurely pace. The Uxlut had spellcasters but they couldn’t get close until the human archer numbers were whittled down. Otherwise, the spellcasters would be wasting all of their mana stopping arrows. The goblins rode their wolves but they simply didn’t belong in a siege until there was an opening for them to get inside. For the time being, both races waited at a safe distance until the battle developed into a scenario they could thrive in. The two races could also afford to wait until nighttime when they would have an edge over the humans.

“Where are the Sacnits?” Konstite asked after looking to his left and right. “They seem to be missing and I don’t think they are so hard to spot.”

Moments after Konstite spoke, large boulders flew above their heads into the Torpin Stronghold walls and towers. Following the hits, Colet could see humans scrambling for cover atop the walls.

“Nath and the other Sacnits have rooted themselves in the forest back there. The dwarves are supplying them with large boulders and they lob those boulders into the stronghold.”

As another round of boulders flew over their heads, the coalition members were captivated by their flight into the stronghold. Once a third round of boulders hit their targets, Eupoos spoke up.

“How are they reliably hitting the same location every time?”

Hearing that, Colet watched and confirmed the boulders were consistently hitting the same location. Even from where he stood, he could see cracks forming from repeated hits.

“Nath spoke of trebuchet but I don't know what he was talking about.”

The centaurs looked down to see Dezzi with a big smile on her face.

“Trebuchet?” Colet asked Dezzi. “And why are you here?”

“We aren’t advancing anymore so I got bored.” Dezzi gestured at the flanks that were standing still. “Skostaer is in the mountains so I came here to chat with you centaurs.”

“Are you not worried about the battle, Onean leader?” asked Konstite.

“I’m tougher than I look!” said Dezzi with her cheeks puffed up.

“Don’t underestimate the Oneans, Konstite.” The Magus came to Dezzi’s defense. “Unlike you and the chieftain, I have seen them in combat. They aren't foes you want to face.”

“That’s right!” Dezzi had a big grin on her face. “Are we going to wait for the wall to come down?”

“Unlikely,” replied Colet.

The centaur chieftain might have noticed cracks on the walls but these walls were over forty meters tall. Even with sections of it destroyed, they still wouldn’t have a breach to work with.