Reincarnated Prince just wants a quiet life

Part 10: Fight to Survive

I looked out into the open field where thousands of men were now streaming out of the forest line. More flaming balls shot out from deep within the forest arching towards the city walls but never reaching them thanks to the invisible barrier that surrounded the city. Hundreds of mages worked tirelessly to erect the magical dome that encompassed the whole of the city. We were safe for now but the dome wouldn't last forever, eventually the dome would break from the strain. We needed to silence the catapults before that could happen.

From deep within the city trebuchets started launching projectiles that soared over the wall and crashing into the oncoming tide of men. Holes formed in the enemy's ranks momentarily but were soon filled by the men in the rear. Onward they came, slowly closing the distance like a slow moving tidal wave.

Snapping out of my daze I turned to see the teams of mages looking to me waiting for my command. I raised my hand high up into the air and, like a well oiled machine the mages immediately went about loading the cannons. Once loaded they once more looked at me waiting once more for my order. Dropping my hand I screamed "Fire!" and in the next instant fifty cannons fired.

The noise of fifty cannons deafened the battlefield and sent my ears ringing. Explosions erupted all along the advancing line sending men and other debris flying. The magics casted onto the cannonballs caused even more destruction then I had thought they would. Cannonballs with ice magic cast on them sent hundreds of ice shards flying in every direction with enough force to pierce the heavy armor that the soldiers wore. The cannonballs with lighting magic sent bolts of electricity arcing through the ranks electrocuting all that it touched. Lines of flames started to spread out where the cannonballs with fire magic landed scorching ground and man alike.

For a moment everything stood still, the enemy force looking around in confusion and fear. Before they could recover I ordered another round to be fired and once more fifty cannons rang out and fifty sets of explosions erupted through the enemy line killing hundreds. Screams and cries of men dying could be heard in the silence that fell after the cannon shots.

Seemingly snapping out of their daze the enemy broke out into a sprint running towards the city walls in a desperate charge. More and more men streamed out of the forest and along with them came teams of men carrying large siege ladders.

"Aim for the siege ladders" I screamed at the nearest cannon team. Pulling two soldiers to the side I repeated the order and told them to run and tell each team to focus the ladders. Nodding and running in either direction the cannons soon shifted their focus to the siege ladder teams, which soon found themselves being barraged by cannon fire. As the enemy neared the walls all of the soldiers started raising bows or staves to fire volleys of arrows and magic at the enemies in range.

The enemy found themselves stuck as they came to the treacherous moat that they had no way of crossing. The troops that made it that close, chose to make a shield wall to deflect some of the arrows and magic while they waited for the siege ladders to arrive. Only they never would, the cannons were decimating the ladder teams that streamed out of the forest before they could make it anywhere near the wall. Desperately they slowly started to shuffle towards the small strip of land that led to the main gate where a handful of troops were now trying to bring the door down. They used their shields as battering rams as they ran at the door, jumping at the door to add every last bit of force they could. As more and more men joined them they created a larger shield wall that extended above their heads creating a dome of sorts. The inside of which was now glowing a dull green color.

I realized what was going on a second too late as a large earthen spike shot forward and embedded itself into the gate sending large chunks of wood flying in every direction. The wood groaned under pressure as spike after spike thudded against the heavy wood creating small holes throughout the whole of the door. I rushed to the nearest cannon team and bellowed the order, "Defend the gate at all costs! Don't cast any magics on the cannonballs; they might cause more damage to the gate than those spikes!" Nodding their head they slowly turned the cannon before firing a round into the center of the wall of shields. The resulting force tore a large hole in the formation sending some of the enemies flying into the trench to be impaled by the hundreds of spikes positioned there.