The chronicles of Mittland Part 03 Time of the wolves

[Vauban]

The mountain people' fear was not unfounded. Meanwhile big catapults came up outside of the best bowman's range. The defenders had to see inactivly, how the dangerous weapons had been aligned. The volonteers were shifted in alert stand-by, and they removed the covers of the large water buckets. The dragon soldiers kindled fires in front of the fortress. Containers filled with pitch were unloaded from the carts.

[Vauban]

But the expected attack was still missing. The dragon soldiers wanted to wear down their opponents. The mountain people looked fearfully to the catapults all day long. The humans became more nervous and more nervous, but ARTRAC's men waited up to the late evening. Then the captains gave the instruction to lot fires. The incendiary bombs rose into the evening sky like comets. A deadly shining illuminated the breaking night. 

[Vauban]

ARTRAC's soldiers had aligned their catapults well. The bombs met the walls and roofs of the fortresses. Humans strove quickly to delete the small fire sources. Chains with one bucket after the other were formed. Countless buckets were filled with water. They passed through the many hands of humans, until the last fire were deleted also. Then the fire rain ebbed, and the nerve-racking waiting started again from the beginnig.

[Vauban]

But the defenders had not to wait for a long time. The bombardment did not stop the whole night over. The dragon soldiers inserted breaks in irregular times. The besieged ones hoped hardly that the fire rain was past, then it began again. While the mountain people did not come to the peace, the majority of the dragon soldiers slept in their tents, only the crews at the catapults were shooting projectile after projectile. 

[Vauban]

ARTRAC's captains stopped the fire against morning. The fortress had not been damaged seriously, but many of the defenders had been killed. Exhausted of the nonstop fight against the fire and in the fear of the advancing soldiers the people hid themselves in corners and tried to find some sleep.

[Vauban]

The knight SELVIC, once a celebrated bow-man at the large tournament before the dragon wars, now likewise a defender of the mountain fortresses, was walking between the exhausted ones. He awarded to them courage. Also the years had not passed him without traces, but he still radiated the force of the experienced knight. Only by his presence the men and women got new hope again.

[Vauban]

In the meantime the dragon soldiers had begun to unload further munition. The attentive observers on the towers of the fortress saw, how heavy pipes, which were installed on wood racks, were positioned. Their openings aimed at the mountain fortress. Against noon the preparations seemed to be final. The anxious guardians reported to queen SELLINAS about the happening.

[Vauban]

Also from an other place the dragon soldiers' acting at the old ruin was observed. BE'TAK and his scouts had reached a small hill. There they were looking at the preparations. „That must be the dragon's breath“, BE'TAK whispered more to himself than to his companions. He got a very bad feeling.

[Vauban]

Then the slow matches were ignited. The pipes spat fire and smoke. A thundering like thousand thunderstorms let tremble the earth. Enormous iron balls were hurled from the pipes against the walls of the fortress, and the walls collapsed. Humans were hurled by the air. The inconceivable became true. The dragon's breath began to destroy the walls of the fortress. 

[Vauban]

While the dragon soldiers loaded the pipes untiringly, BE'TAK reacted immediately. He sent back some of his people. „Tell JURAS and the others, what we saw here! They must hurry. The fortress will not withstand for a long time this force of destruction.“