For the Glory of Rome: Chronicles of an Isekai'd Legion-Chapter 54B3 : Best Laid Plans

B3 Chapter 54: Best Laid Plans

Of all the novelties brought by this new world, the magic and the strange creatures that they constantly found themselves in the midst of were among the greatest. Yet Quintus found himself similarly fascinated by how readily his brethren seized upon their own newfound capabilities and incorporated them into their own fighting style.

He glanced at the spear in his hand. It had already become all but unrecognizable compared to the pilum he'd used for so many years before. The length, shape of the tip, and curling lines of enchantment along the shaft had taken some time to get used to. And they weren't even the last of the changes.

Shafts that sprouted spikes. Artillery that could punch through a stone wall as though it were parchment. Spears whose tips shattered into a thousand pieces in impact, like a clay pot onto cobblestone. Pieces traveling quickly enough to blast through chest cavities and heads for dozens of feet in every direction.

That last development had come with quite considerable issues, considering the possibility for collateral damage. But there were even men working on ensuring that such attacks would pass harmlessly through Legionnaires even as they ripped into their enemies, if such a thing were possible.

The ingenuity of their brightest men was matched only by the terror they could inspire. And right now, Quintus intended to make full use of both.

Quintus worked to organize the first cohort above the crest of the valley’s side as the sound of orcish battlecries grew nearer and nearer. Further down, a collection of Legionnaires shoved stone disks into various cracks, the engravings along their surfaces glowing an ominous purple.

In some ways, the engineers’ latest efforts weren't incredibly groundbreaking. Exploding weaponry was practically commonplace by this point. But the speed with which they'd managed to churn out a few of these newest variants, not to mention the power they packed? That was the incredible part. Yet another wonder of skills.

A few of the engineers directed the placements of the disks with furrowed brows, muttering about weight and the tensile weight of stone and other things that were completely outside of Quintus's expertise. But in this case, he didn't have to. He just had to trust that whatever calculations they'd done would prove correct.

The mass of orcs filed through the narrow pass below, trampling a few of their own as they squeezed through the bottleneck. Quintus watched them. Slowly, like grains of sand in an hourglass, the space filled and the encroaching army closed the distance to the ranks of Legionnaires standing ready at the valley’s exit.

Now.

It was less of an order than an impression, one that rippled out from Gaius like a shockwave. The men leapt into action. Then, the rest of the shockwaves hit.

A cacophony of explosions ripped through the cliffs as the engineers’ contraptions detonated one after another. The entrance to the valley collapsed in on itself as hundreds of tons of rocks tumbled onto the heads of the orcs gathered there, sealing the main mass off from those inside the pass. A few men stumbled along the slopes as the ground rumbled beneath them, the impact more violent than expected. Nevertheless, they continued with their part.

Quintus and his men hurled a wave of spears skyward to fall upon the heads of the now trapped orcs below. A hail of arrows joined them from behind as the elven members of their number added their own attacks, while a similar scene was mirrored across the valley. The dense cloud of projectiles turned the enemy into pincushions—though it did not halt their advance.

Collapsing the pass had pulverized a few hundred orcs at least, but it wasn’t anywhere near enough to be a decisive blow. What it did allow, however, was for the Legion to take on this more manageable fraction of the enemy’s forces while redirecting the rest to another chokepoint—at least, if the bard did his job. Otherwise, there was a very real possibility that the barbarians would cease taking the path of least resistance and simply flood haphazardly over the rocky terrain. That would complicate their ability to mount a defense and position themselves greatly.

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“Forward!” Quintus ordered. As one, his cohort locked shields and drew their blades as they began to advance down the slope. The elves followed behind, continuing to fire upon the orcs as the shield wall began to press in and meet their foes. Quintus longed to rush forward, leaping down the slopes as effortlessly as he knew he could. But not every man had [Sure Footing] like he did. And so, the line descended steadily, their compatriots pressing forward to crush the orcs against the rubble that had yet to entirely settle.

Even now, there had to be thousands of orcs before them, not to mention those howling beyond the collapsed pass. Defeating them all would take a long time. But this wasn’t like the last battle, Quintus knew. This time, he had an entire Legion with him. Thousands of men to match, to form an impenetrable wall alongside. And what’s more, they had planned for this.

Above the melee, as the Legionnaires began to engage the green tide, defensive emplacements began to emerge from their cover. Heavy ballistae roared to life, firing twin streams of arrows into the throng so quickly that it almost looked like a singular impossible shaft. The arrows disappeared from their marks shortly after landing, only to appear back in a new quarrel as fast as the Legionnaires manning the weapons could load them.

Quintus smiled grimly. The orcs hadn’t succeeded in destroying all of their siege weapons. Just their largest ones. A few men wielding smaller, more portable versions of the ballistae joined the fray soon after, firing from behind the line and sending red sprays skyward wherever they pointed. They fired more slowly than their stationary counterparts, but in exchange were able to utilize the full range of explosive, piercing, and homing enchantments their specialists had taken to inscribing on the arm-sized arrows. Effects empowered further by their skills.

The battlefield became a mess of red and green hemmed in by the sharp lines of the shield wall. Quintus felt himself melding with the men beside him, their strikes and steps coming as though from a singular entity. As he noted particularly strong or problematic opponents, the artillery would focus on them, filling them with enough holes to let the sunlight through or sending chunks of heads and torsos flying before he could so much as say a word. He felt as one with the Legion. And the efficiency with which their well-oiled machine churned away at the orcs made it clear he wasn’t the only one.

Swords slipped between shields to stab at the wall of rabid orcs. Clubs bounced off of the [Coordinated Bulwark] before they were able to strike their shields directly, reducing the hail of impacts to a soft, constant pressure. Men rotated away from the front frequently, conscious of the need to conserve their own strength. This encounter would be a long one.

Quintus looked around, scanning the battlefield even as he continued stabbing. Tempting as it was to fall into the familiar rhythm, he couldn’t allow himself to become complacent. If trouble were to arise, it would be when their guard was lowest, when they’d been lulled into a false sense of security. That was when men made mistakes.

That vigilance was how he spotted the lone figure climbing atop the rubble of the collapsed valley entrance. A indistinct figure, distant enough that he could make out little more than its green hue, though he would have said that it was smaller than most of the ones screaming before him.

“On top of the rubble!” Quintus shouted in warning. Instantly, his head whirled with alternative plans and ways to mitigate the threat.

“We have eyes past the collapse. He’s the only one who’s split off, sir!” The messenger stationed near his position shouted.

That was even more strange. And also gave him a terrible feeling. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Quintus moved to call attention to the orc, designating it as a primary target, when it began to raise its arm into the air. Something small sparkled in its grip.

Yet another shockwave split the air.

[Tactician’s Awareness] screamed. Quintus braced, shouting a warning to the others as the blast raced across the battlefield. It washed over human, orc, and elf alike. Quintus prepared himself, gripping his shield more tightly. Yet when the wave finally reached his position, he felt… nothing. No pain, no impact. Even [Tactician’s Awareness] fell eerily silent. As did the rest of the battlefield.

He looked out alongside his brethren. The orcs were no longer frothing and roaring before them. They stared at each other with similar confusion, blinking as though awakened from a long slumber. And their eyes…

An orc looked back toward Quintus, scowling darkly. Its gaze was clear, sharper, no longer tinged with red. Not intelligent by any means, but no longer that of a rabid beast.

The orc raised its club and swung it hard against his shield. Quintus nearly stumbled. The impact set his arm tingling as it made contact, not with the [Coordinated Bulwark], but the shield itself.

The orc sneered as Quintus's eyes widened. Then, it bellowed.

“To me, brothers! We fight on!”

Then they fell upon the Legionnaires like an avalanche.