Uhhh... it's late here, and I spent too much time typing up another chapter. Comments in the morn- !yawns! -ing. Maybe. zzzzz...

Also, sorry adam, but you're just going to have to wait and see. It will not be long before many things are revealed... but what those things are shall remain a secret for now.

Oh yeah, an important warning: the next chapter is fairly dark and a bit more gory than the rest. This chapter should be fine, but I'm thinking the next one kind of borders on an "M" rating...


Bombardment

By the flashes of artillery light, no one gets to there heaven without a fight.

-Rush, Armour and Sword

Music: VG Music's (vgmusic:dot:com) OoT Windmill Hut (Remix) (2)

In the morning, some of the army began moving towards the location from which they would bombard the walls of Clocktown. The siege engines would be positioned about 300 metres away from the barricades they were intending to breach. Much of the army would remain behind that point and move forward to reinforce the artillery if required. This was to prevent the enemy from striking the entirety of their forces with any wall-mounted catapults etc. that they may have. Though the scouts hadn't reported any, they may have simply been hidden. Everybody was given a task and organized into shifts; the bombardment would have to be kept up for several days straight in order to breach Clocktown's thick, magically reinforced walls. Obviously the Gorons would man their cannon, while the soldiers of Ikana continuously fired their trebuchets. The human infantry and wizards would be the first line of defense against attacks on the siege engines. The Wolfos and cavalry would protect the others who moved back and forth between the artillery and the main camp, constantly bringing more of the 150kg stones used by the trebuchets. The battle began soon after the first projectiles were fired.


Many villains seem to have specific types of creatures that they prefer. True, they will use other monsters to suit the environment or protect especially important objects and locations, but they have one or two varieties of monster that they truly call their own. Ganon is a fan of Keese and Moblins, while the Nightmare of Kohilent preferred fake Stalkin. For Majora's Mask, this one type of monster was the humble Boe. A creature made of so little evil magic, it is naught but an easily dispatched ball of darkness. However, they are easy to make, and often appear in swarms. That is exactly what happened after the first stones and cannonballs struck Clocktown. The South Gate opened, and a veritable river darkness issued forth from it, headed straight for the artillery.

Soon thereafter, large bursts of flame were seen in the midst of the Black Boes. Many of them were instantly disintegrated by the mages' fire attacks, but the horde kept coming. They crossed the distance in about two minutes, and the tidal bore broke upon the shields of the human soldiers. The second rank thrust with their spears and waved their halberds around wildly, while the wizards struck the front lines of the enemy with as many area of effect spells as the could. After another thirty seconds, the shield wall began to break down under the shear number of the enemy. A number of the soldiers in the front rank received burns where the Boes came in contact with their unprotected skin. However, they held for another fifteen seconds, sufficient time for the magi to blast the remainder of the enemy into oblivion. The gate had been closed, and the artillery was safe for now. The wounded soldiers and exhausted magicians returned to the main encampment, and were relieved by the second watch. If Majora's Mask could continue with such assaults (and nothing indicated it couldn't), holding the position for the time necessary to breach the thick walls of Clocktown would be nigh impossible.

Music: Zelda Reorchestrated's (zreomusic:dot:com) MM Battle


A second attack came at noon, and a third at sunset. The enemy seemed to be trying to tire out and demoralize the allied troops. Fortunately, there was not a single break in the barrage. If Majora's Mask didn't try something new, the breach would be formed right on schedule.

Everything seemed quiet during the night. The artillery continued to fire in peace. It seemed as if nothing would disturb them. There had been no further assaults on their position, nor had there been any attempt to disrupt their supply of ammunition. Suddenly, a large number of glowing red beads appeared along the ammunition supply trail. Those beads were the eyes of more Black Boes, which immediately began to throw themselves at the people rolling boulders in the dark.

There was immediate chaos. People let out shouts of surprise as the monsters appeared out of nowhere and attacked. There were screams of pain as those rolling the stones were distracted and found that the massive rocks had fallen on them. The Wolfos howled and charged the attackers, cutting great swaths through them with every sweep of their claws. It took nearly five minutes to eradicate the lot, as the wizards who woke up couldn't risk striking their allies with their magic.


Far more casualties had been suffered during that ambush than in the other attacks combined. Between the limited healing available and the amount of time before the main attack, the burned soldiers would mostly be ready when the walls were breached. However, absolutely nothing could be done for those whose legs had been ground into paste under the boulders they were carrying. Even worse were the ones who would never even be able to receive a proper burial, such was the nature of the destruction of their last remains.

In the morning, speeches were made to rouse the troops. Though all were saddened by the losses of their friends and comrades, the fallen had all done their duty to preserve the peace, and were cheering the remainder on from the heavens. The war must be won at all costs, and standing together was their best hope. It was obvious that Majora's Mask had managed to deal significant damage to the morale of the army (with the exception of Ikana's forces), but they would continue to fight. Though there were more losses, the bombardment never stopped for long. After three days of siege, the commanders determined the hole in the wall was big enough. It was time to charge the breach.

Music: Zelda Reorchestrated's (zreomusic:dot:com) LttP Cave


Meanwhile, Majora's Mask was busy organizing its forces. It had known that simply swarming them with Black Boes wouldn't work, but it kept its stronger creatures in reserve for defending the breach. Boes were literally in endless supply; Armos Knights, not so much. Also, the Animus Furtificus, the purple beasts which had turned the people of Clocktown into masks, could not exit the city walls without losing their most important power. When a portion of the southern wall toppled, there were already monsters and traps waiting for anyone who would try to take over the city. The only way to do so would be from within, and there was no possible way that anybody could get inside. Yes, the enemy had taken the bait, and would soon be destroyed; and when that happened, Majora's Mask would truly be the ruler of Termina. More importantly, with an established base of operations, it would be free to continue to amass power until it was ready to become the master of the multiverse.


Separated from Termina by both seas of water and seas of time, the Lord of Chaos gazed at the proceedings through a crystal ball. Phase One had gone off without a hitch, and the end was nearing. Also, it wouldn't be long now before the trouble he had stirred up here would attract another hero, one who could bring him the other artifact his plan lacked. He moved several more pieces on the Monopoly board and continued to watch in silence.


Comment: Yeah, battering down walls takes awhile, and being squished under boulders sucks. As for how long it took them, I'm basing that on real world bambardments made with cannon against star forts, which were specifically designed to withstand cannon assault. I'm aware that Clocktown is not designed with cannon in mind, but maybe it's got walls reinforced with magic. Eeeevvvvill magic.

For now, beware of next chapter, which likely won't be up 'til Monday as I'm about to go camping.