For the Glory of Rome: Chronicles of an Isekai'd Legion-Chapter 15B3 : Eye on the Prize

B3 Chapter 15: Eye on the Prize

It wasn't long before Rome's forces were on the move once more. The very next day after their battle with Marquis Morozov’s forces, their newly reinforced army crossed the invisible threshold into the center of Novara. The day after, its capital came into view.

Tiberius stood on a hill a couple of miles from the shining city. Its tall spires glimmered in the sunlight, drawing the eye up and away from whatever lesser constructions doubtless clustered around their feet like common beggars around a rich man.

Of course, such things were hidden from sight by the city’s wall. But it was no stretch to imagine.

But it was not the impressive sight of the spires or even the wall itself that held Tiberius's interest. No, they honor beloved to the swarm of green humanoids flooding in from the west.

Tiberius focused to get a better look. An army of monstrous men decked out in furs, bones, and hides rushed forth, yellowed tusks protruding from prominent jaws. They howled and shouted as they moved, the cacophony loud enough to even reach his ears as a dull roar.

“So these are orcs…” Tiberius mused.

“Indeed, emperor!” Marcus stepped forward. He still wore his usual political smile, but Tiberius could sense a difference. The expression seemed a bit more forced than usual. “And that is Novara, the country’s eponymous capital.”

“Does it trouble you, to see the city in such danger?”

Marcus was silent for a moment, then shrugged. “Is it any surprise? I’ve no stomach for seeing the innocent be threatened so.”

Tiberius raised an eyebrow. “You speak as though this city holds no special meaning to you.”

“Well… while it is true that I spent much time there before my more, well, nomadic phase, some of those memories are more fond than others.” Marcus’s smile was a mix of nostalgia and bitterness. “Of course, even the lowest of my lows don’t mean I wish ill upon the people here. Well, not most of them, at least. But an attack like this… I’ve heard enough stories of corrupt kings and the falls of empires to know that it was only a matter of time.”

They both fell silent as they watched the assault before them. Despite the sheer numbers of orcs on display, their discipline and coordination left much to be desired. In fact, Tiberius hesitated to even call them an army. It was more like a rabid mass held together by a general intention rather than any real battle plans.

Yet despite that, Tiberius was surprised to see glimmers of tactical thinking make themselves apparent. The green barbarians laid what could generously be called crude ladders against the wall and hurled themselves upward, spreading up its surface like an infection.

Of course, the defenders atop the wall were sending them back down almost as fast as they came. Arrows, gouts of flame, ephemeral blades of wind and everything else besides rained down upon the invaders’ heads. Between that and the occasional tumble of bodies as ladder rungs broke, Novara’s capital was managing to hold its own. For now.

For his part, Tiberius couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. Even though the scouts had reported such a development, and the duke had suggested the orcs might rush the capital like this… He found himself no less astonished.

Never in his life had Tiberius been this lucky.

He saw a bolt of lightning arc between a dozen orcs, frying them. Another took an arrow in the shoulder that sent him tumbling down the ladder, taking a half dozen of his comrades with him. Yet the whole lot of them simply merged back into the innumerable whole and rushed back up with shocking speed.

Reports indicated that they averaged around level fifteen or twenty, yet they were far stronger and faster than the average human they’d seen of a similar level. Combined with their apparent lack of regard for their own safety and their size? It was no wonder that they were seeing some success, even despite their “tactics”.

But it was clear that whatever preparations they’d made still left much to be desired. They had less than half as many ladders as would be optimal. Not because they needed more on the wall necessarily. But because the ladders they had were taking damage.

The Novaran defenders had identified them as a weak spot and were trying to destroy them. The orcs were doing a good job of getting in the way of those efforts, largely by throwing themselves between the attacks and their intended targets, but a couple were already on the verge of collapse. And it didn't seem as the orcs had enough replacements to continue this strategy indefinitely.

Additionally, their forces had focused their attention at a singular point, rather than attempting to split the defenders on the wall by hitting two or three points at once as he might. With their numbers, such an approach would be difficult to counter.

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Still, the strategy was not a bad one. It was surprisingly good compared to what he’d expected. It was enough to surprise the Novarans, by the looks of things.

Tiberius turned to where his commanders stood watching alongside him. The duke joined them as well. Though Tiberius had stripped the man of command, he still wanted him nearby in case he needed him. Perhaps he would be knowledgeable about the capital itself or circumstances surrounding the current conflict.

He locked eyes with Devin Redcliffe. “Is this behavior in line with what you experienced while fighting these barbarians?”

The man’s armor clanked as he crossed his arms and sighed. “Somewhat. Depends on the day. The bum rushing is nothing new. Most days they’d just run up the pass or climb up to the walls and beat at it until we got rid of them. But sometimes they’d switch it up and surprise us.”

“Explain.”

The man looked at Tiberius, then Quintus. The man was understandably still unaccustomed to taking orders from his new leadership. However, he was adapting quickly. Doubtless Quintus had something to do with that. Tales of the two men’s “sparring bouts” between their forces had reached Tiberius’s desk rather quickly. Not that he objected to the centurion’s approach.

Slowly, Devin nodded. “There were times they’d get clever. Set ambushes when we’d reset our traps. Try and set up some big war ritual nearby, just far enough away that we had to come off the wall to deal with it. When we did…” Devin’s look turned distant. “We learned not to take the battle down to their level real quick. Not without plenty of backup.”

The younger Redcliffe seemed to snap out of it. Shaking his head slightly, he returned his attention to Tiberius. “At least, that’s how it’s been the last year or so. Before that they were as dumb as you’d expect. I’ve never seen them use ladders, though.”

Tiberius frowned. The implications of that were a bit troubling. Still, whatever force had herded these orcs certainly hadn’t seen complete success. That much was obvious, given how the ones unable to reach a ladder did, in fact, try and beat at the walls with clubs. An effort that Tiberius would have called fruitless if not for the small cracks that slowly began to spiderweb across its surface.

It was nearly sixty feet high and must have been several feet thick. There was no possible way they were going to batter it down anytime soon. But the fact that they were making progress at all was honestly impressive.

Well, perhaps impressive was the wrong word. Although it did make him wonder. Considering the power of a mage like Claude, was he witnessing the other end of the spectrum? The result of someone who specialized in strength, and strength alone? Would someone like that actually be able to break through such a wall? Perhaps. It was a sobering thought.

Tiberus once more took in the fortifications before him. This city was the first that actually impressed him. Although even that reaction was only true in the context of original Rome. Given what he knew now, as well as his Legionnaires’ skills, he was fairly certain that they could build a wall ten times the strength of this one. Perhaps even ten times the size as well.

Would it take time and resources? Of course. But it was certainly within the realm of possibility. And that was only with their current capabilities.

But something bothered Tiberius. “The orcish forces… How are they so numerous? Have they been biding their time and gathering for this assault?”

Devin barked a laugh. “Hardly. If that was the case, Corwyn pass really would’ve been a cakewalk.”

“Orcs have… different biology than humans, emperor,” the duke began to explain. “They grow, mature, and level far, far more quickly than humans. They also live far shorter lifespans, a couple of years at most. They also seem to reproduce more quickly in times of war. I’m no expert on the, erm, mechanisms, but… It is one of the reasons why their culture is the way it is.”

“I see.” Tiberius frowned at the green mass. “Then even if they were to lose this entire force…”

“They’ll be back in a week,” Devin grunted. “Though this many? It might take them two.”

“They are a race born and bred for battle in more ways than one.” The duke nodded. “Though there are tradeoffs. As I’m sure you can see. The near-constant wars Novara has had with their people certainly haven’t worked to quell their populations, either.”

“As numerous as they are, why do they not starve to death?” Tiberius asked. The orcs clearly weren’t intelligent. And feeding an army of this size, even for a week, would take logistics that he rather doubted they’d be capable of.

The duke’s face turned a color green similar to that of the orcs. His son merely scowled. “They don’t have to worry about that.”

Tiberius didn’t ask for an explanation on that one.

Of course, his own men weren't idle during this time. Already the first Legion were approaching the city from the opposite direction of the current assault. He could just make them out from his current position, a hill orthogonal to both forces for optimal viewing.

The defenders were so engaged with the orcs’ attack that they had barely reacted to the Legion's approach. Not that the Legion was anywhere close to the walls yet. But he had yet to observe a single scout or harrying force emerge and head their way. The gates remained firmly closed.

He wouldn't have been surprised if they hadn't even registered it yet. After all, the orcs were a straightforward sort. Who would expect them to attempt something sneaky like this? Much less a second army arriving at the worst possible moment for Novara. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

After a long moment, Gaius spoke up. The young man had remained strangely silent up until this point. “Emperor. What precisely is the plan?”

“Indeed!” Marcus chimed in. His tone was light and full of cheer. “Are we to swoop in and crush the orcs against the wall like a hammer strikes down a nail? I'm certain that aiding the city in its time of crisis would position you quite well in the eyes of the populace, emperor. Even if you should decide against diplomacy, I may be able to spin the tale such that Rome is regarded as the saviors of a besieged and downtrodden people…”

Tiberius turned to stare at the man, but saw no guile in his expression. Well, no more than usual. Instead there was a shocking amount of hope, as though saving the Novarans was obviously Tiberius's chief concern.

He truly seemed to misunderstand the situation.

“Now why would I do that?”