Theurgy: The Journey's Dawn (Book One)

Chapter 65 The Assault on Silondras

Silondras. Named after the mountain range in which it sits. Surviving millennia of progress and wars, desolation, and having been rebuilt twice in its history, this site is essential to the heritage of the Liontarian people. The clan's first emperor was said to have been born on the peak of Mount Silondras, Valoria, his kin being the first royals of each line. Even in his demise, the whole of Thiria clung to their idea of being an empire, despite no man ever reclaiming that sacred throne. The throne of Silondras. It was a beacon, never folding to any threat that had ever come to it, surviving every single siege attempt. And when James came into possession of this treasure, he vowed to allow it to stand for another ten thousand years. That was his promise, his duty as the last Colton. And over the centuries, they ensured that any attack would be easy to defend against. The position was highly defensible. Not only were they surrounded by natural barriers, but with the impossibly high walls, the open plains between them and the meadow, and the countless men who watched fort threats vigilantly, there was no way for a massive army ever to approach the front gate unimpeded. They were an indestructible fortress that had stood against the test of time and continues to prove victorious. The people's trust in their walls, the crown, the knights and Paladins has always been uncompromised.

Amond was tasked to break that trust.

It was late in the evening. As the sun began to dip below the horizon, the plains were entrenched, with the large shadows extending out to reach the city. The city was still moving; it may take a few hours before movement would slow down. Because of the increased presence of knights on patrol, the wall's security doubling its efforts, and so on; while the people were worried, they trusted that the king was right. That this was all to protect them from something. Something. A golem threw the first rock from the treetops. Approximately a kilometer away, yet it crossed the such distance in an impressive arc. If it wasn't for the breaking of the tree line that alerted a disturbance, the wall's garrison most likely would not have noticed right away and managed to get alarm bells warning the occasion. As large as a house, a boulder was moving across the twilight directly over the walls, aiming for the city. What could they do? It was moving too fast. They could only watch as the boulder passed them overhead and crushed whatever was in their way. Then, there was a sudden flash of light, and the boulder disappeared into a cloud of dust. The thunderous explosion of its disintegration echoed into the town, which immediately stopped every single mind in their daily lives to see what had caused the disturbance. And the alarm bells ranged once more, calling for evacuation. A siege was commencing. The streets now erupted into sudden panic as people began running for shelter within the main fortress at the city's center. Many more of their large boulders were seen exiting the Forest of Silence and rapidly moving toward the city.

Lupren landed on the wall, startling some of his men who had just destroyed the first boulder, and staring as more made their way to him, black bullets against the twilight.

Is this it? He questioned himself. Was this the threat that James foresaw for the city? Who is this, and why are they attacking now? How did he know."

"Make sure there are no breaches in the wall," he shouted to all who could hear. "Raise alarms to a total siege, and prepare for a potential assault on the walls. Get a move on now!"

He barely had breath to spare, and he immediately launched himself into the sky again. Aura to enhance his physical capabilities and lighten his weight to impact one of these boulders midflight precisely. He didn't dare to destroy them, instead of lightening them as well on impact and allowing it to float gently down while he kicked off to intercept the next one. He did this with several massive boulders that could cause a lot of damage. Some of them even set ablaze. But there were so many, too many. He watched as one quickly zipped past him, heading directly to a busy town center that had not yet been evacuated. He kicked off the boulder he had landed on, making it under the boulder to grab it before it impacted the crowd. Some people got pushed aside, but very few were injured. He immediately lightened it and threw it to collide with another not too far away. Another volley was coming. Buildings exploded into shards. He watched as these attacks came one after another. No matter how many he would stop, some would get past him. He was not at his strongest as he looked to the retreating sun as it dipped below the horizon, his power dwindling by the second. He watched as a boulder he failed to catch slipped from his grasp and landed against a large tower, severing it in half and falling into eh crowds below.