"Incoming!"
"Testudo!"
Titus grabbed a shield as he assimilated into one of his groups and raised his shield.
He heard heavy thuds as something impacted on their shields. He looked down and saw a decapitated head of a Gondorian Soldier. Unbridled rage flowed through him as he realized what the orcs have done. He heard the screams of the other Gondorians as they saw their fellow soldiers heads.
"Shieldwall!" He ordered.
He saw the next round of artillery was boulders this time. One boulder got a lucky hit and smashed into a trebuchet tower, destroying it.
"Daitaar, the signal!"
A Gondorian Archer nodded and fired a single, flaming arrow to the sky.
Thern, who was on a trebuchet tower, saw this and ordered "Boulders first, Fire!"
The trebuchets let out a barrage of boulders and managed to hit the enemy ranks. It hit one of the siege towers and destroyed it. Despite having some of their ranks squished, the orcs still stood in attention and awaiting for their orders.
"ABANDON YOUR POSTS!" Denethor's scream was heard throughout the city "FLEE! FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES!"
Titus saw his men waiver and growled "Get back to your posts! I will not have you men cower like some child! Archers, volley!"
The archers let loose their fire arrows in a volley, hitting orcs and penetrating some of their armor.
"Centurion! The siege towers are moving!" Elmas pointed out.
"Daitaar, send the second signal!"
A second flame arrow shot upwards to the sky.
Thern helped the soldiers ready the trebuchet for another round and saw the signal. He turned to the others and ordered "Ignite the pots! The siege towers are moving! Ignite!"
A chorus of 'Ignite!' followed after.
Thern turned to look at Pelennor Fields and saw the advancing towers "Fire!"
The trebuchets fired their flaming pots, some missed their target but ended up burning through the orc lines.
"Keep firing! Adjust your aim!"
The barrage of incendiary rounds seemed to affect the armies of Mordor.
Titus let out a satisfied hum but frowned when he saw some of the siege towers breakthrough and attach to the wall.
One siege tower docked in front if them. He raised his Gladius and said "Swords! Ready your swords! Centuria Formation! Do not let them through!"
His group of soldiers formed Centuria and prepared to stop the orcs from setting one foot into the wall.
The siege tower's ramp dropped and made a small bridge for the orcs to cross.
"Testudo!" Titus ordered as the his soldiers raised their shields.
"Archers, volley!" He ordered as soon as he saw the first line of orcs.
The archers fired and killed the first wave, the second wave was more ferocious than the previous one. They jumped and smashed their weapons on the Testudo, trying to find a way to break the formation
"Fire arrows, volley!"
The fire arrows sent the orcs back, just in time for the siege tower's opening to be hit with a flaming pot and burn the orcs inside.
"Centurion Valerius! One of the siege towers gotten through! The orcs are on the wall.
Titus grimaced " Archers, kill the trolls! Shieldmen, with m-"
He was cut off as an earsplitting shriek sounded throughout the city.
"Nazgûl!"
"They took out a trebuchet!"
"Look out!"
"AAAAGGHHH!"
Titus saw a man get grabbed by a Fellbeast and dropped to the orcs advancing ranks. He looked over the wall and saw the orcs attempts at breaking the gate.
"Look out!"
The Centurion was thrown away by the boulder's impact. He shook his head to get his bearings straight.
Elmas crouched beside him and helped him to his feet.
Nodding in thanks, Titus tightened the grip on his Gladius and rallied his men
"On me! Push the filthy bastards back! Form!"
Grabbing a discarded shield, he raised it just in time to block an orc's strike. He sliced the orc on the back of it's leg, causing the orc to drop to it's knees in pain and buried his Gladius on the back of it's neck.
He kicked off the body and rushed to aid the Gondorians. He turned to Elmas and said "I'll help Gandalf on his section of the wall. Stay here and keep this area free of orcs. If they're numbers are too great, retreat before you are overrun, understand?"
"Understood, sir!" Elmas turned to his men "Form on me! Keep them off the walls!"
Titus turned and ran to aid the wizard. He saw Gandalf cut down orc after orc but the wizard failed to see his attacker from behind.
Acting quickly, Titus grabbed a fallen spear and threw it at the orc. The spear lodged itself on the orc's back, emitting a scream of pain from the orc. It was silenced when Pippin stabbed his blade on the orc's midsection and the orc fell to the ground, dead.
An orc launched itself on the Centurion's back and tried to strangle him. Titus slammed his head back and smashed his assailant's nose. He turned around and grabbed the orc before throwing it over the wall.
He looked around and saw the orcs flooding this part of the wall. He saw Elmas and his men hold steady and kept a siege tower from planting on their section of the wall.
"Grond! Grond! Grond!"
Titus kicked an orc over the wall and saw the massive battering ram being pulled by three large beasts. The siege engine was shaped in the likeness of a wolf and he could see fire illuminate from the eyes and mouth of the head.
'Fucking bastards.' He thought grimly as he cut off an orc's head and threw it's body over the wall.
~Line Break~
"Form ranks! Form ranks, all of you!"
Titus bellowed as the banging on the gate continued. He left Elmas to tend to the wall while he helped the forces on the ground. Night had fallen and the gate would be broken soon. Titus hoped that they can last the night 'til the forces of Rohan gets here.
"Shieldwall! Level your spears! Let the filthy bastards impale themselves!"
The soldiers followed his command to a fault.
"Archers, ignite! On my command, fire a volley!"
The archers ignited their arrows and aimed their bows at the gate.
"Scorpios, ready yourselves!"
The soldiers manning the scorpios loaded their machines with arrows.
Everyone waited in bated breath for what was to come.
A moment of silence fell before the Wolf's head finally broke through the gate. Fire billowing from it's mouth.
'Well, guess they have a flare for the dramatic.' The Centurion thought as he stared at the menacing Wolf's head.
The gates opened and revealed three, armored trolls. The trolls roared as they charged.
"Volley!"
Flaming arrows flew over Titus's head and managed to kill one, lightly, armored troll.
The orcs flooded in through the gate. The first wave impaling themselves on the spears.
"Use your swords! Stay in formation! For Gondor!"
"For Gondor!"
The soldiers cried out and used their swords to cut down the advancing orcs. Gandalf managed to kill one of the trolls but the last one crushed a section of the shieldwall. The orcs seized the opportunity and swarmed the breach.
"Scorpios, kill the big bastard!"
The scorpios fired away, filling the troll with arrows before focusing on the orcs.
The orcs prepared a volley of their own and the Centurion saw this.
"Testudo!"
The soldiers raised their shields just in time to block the arrows. The archers weren't so lucky. Half of them were killed while the rest managed to hide behind cover.
The next volley of arrows were aimed for the scorpios.
Without any cover, the soldiers manning the scorpios were forced to retreat. But not before destroying the small artillery as per Titus's orders.
Overhead, Titus saw the orc's fire incendiaries of their own against the city. Destroying the city's structures and ranks of Gondorians.
Another armored troll barged in and pushed the defenders back. The orcs swarmed the Men of Gondor, killing anyone they could get their filthy hands on.
"The city is breached! Fall back! To the second level!" Gandalf ordered.
"You heard the old man. Fall back! This area is lost! Fall back!"
Titus roared to his men before kicking an orc off of one of the soldiers. He helped the man up his feet only for the soldier to get an arrow to the neck.
The Centurion cursed as he dropped the dead body and retreated.
'This is going to be one, fucking, long night.' He thought as he helped a soldier with an arrow to the knee retreat and narrowly dodge an arrow meant for his head.
~Line Break~
"That is where we're gonna find our reinforcments? Are you touched in the head or something?"
Rin asked as she looked at the doorway that was adorned with skulls.
The others ignored her as they listen to Legolas read the hieroglyphs on the doorway.
"The way is shut. It was made by those who were dead... And the dead keep it... The way is shut."
A strong gust of wind and an odd noise blew out the entryway, scaring off their mounts.
"Brego!" Aragorn called out to his horse. He turned back to the Doors of Dimholt.
"I do not fear death." He declared before entering the cave, darkness consuming his form. Legolas wordlessly followed after.
Gimli, however, looked uncertain "Well this is something unheard of! An elf will go underground where a dwarf dare not! Ah, I'd never hear the end of it!"
The dwarf hastily ran to his companions.
Rin stared at the cave's entrance and let out a breath "It had to be another cave. Well... Here goes nothing."
She walked in and plunge her world into darkness.