[2020] Story of the failed tactic

If you like to read stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading a different story. In this story, not only is there no happy ending, there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle. This is because not very many happy things happened. It began when alone legionnaire set out on an idea some thought unthinkable, an idea that forever haunts the creator to this day. While some thought the idea would be revolutionary others were sceptical and discredited the notion of it coming to pass. Alas, this was true.

A sad decrepit bride lost to the world to haunt the lives of the living, left only to consume everyone she held dear to her before being forced into the ranks of legions over the a millennia stumbled across an epic battle, she could hear the screams of the dead passing through into her realm by the hundreds. The curiosity of the bride led the legionnaire to their discovery…

This particular legionnaire was a siegemaster and enjoyed being cooped inside their walled fortress raining fire down upon their enemies. The catapult was good at this. Wave after wave of troops would try to breach the walls and only a select few could break the will of the siegemaster and they're legion within. The bride was used to this."Nothing special, " she whispered, passing the walls and the archers within to avoid detection. The sound of the catapult was immense as it crashed down onto the battlefield, the sound alone striking fear into the hearts of all that faced the siegemaster. It was this that really caught the bride's attention, she had seen the walled tactics of other legions many a time but to have the catapult on the outside of the walls? "Peculiar" she thought. That's when it happened.

The Legionnaire shouting orders to their battle hardened catapult crew "Release!" They shouted. The sound of the pulleys and ropes creaking and crunching as the boulder was loaded into the bucket and launched through the air. Never going where the Legionnaire commanded but a sight to behold nonetheless. The catapult starts to take damage as the bride glazes passed if only for a second but this was all it took for the siegemaster to notice.

A day passes. Already the plan is ready. 'I will use this bride to create the Berserker catapult" cackled the Legionnaire. Equipping the stones to the catapult and shackling the bride to the mindless undead plague in their ranks the Legionnaire thought they could not fail. Twice the amount of damage on their mythic construct could not fail!

Or so they thought…

"It just isn't enough!" Pleaded the legion. "We're defenceless!" Begged the catapult crew.

The Legionnaire. With a stare of disbelief. shell-shocked from the embarrassment knew that there plan had failed. Without the usual stones there legion is now hopeless, What looked foolproof on paper was useless in practice. The walls came crashing down around them time and time again and it was clear that the legionnaires vision of a berserk catapult would never come to fruition.

Not many will know this story but I share it with you all today. The siegemaster was no more, banished and forgotten. To never be seen again. Under a new name they may rise, but for now let us remember the name of the Legionnaire the siegemaster Zilyana this time there was no prize.

END