also, my novel is fucking badass
Getting in quickly before the maintenence:
His face changed into an old man's determination and resolve and he stood defiantly at the edge of the iron walls and looked through the smoke. There were no ships through the smoke that he could see. Perhaps they were farther off, beyond the screen, with long range catapults. He looked up to the sky and could only see the obscured sun. Have you learned to fly, he asked the Enemy as if they resided in his thoughts, Or tamed some wild beasts to drop you upon us?
"Gentlemen!" he barked. The men nearest him stopped what they were doing, even those tending to the wounded. His voice compelled and they froze, as always.
"Every available rifleman needs to be firing on the debris, no questions. I want the top of this wall to be covered in your shell casings! Every man without a rifle, take the wounded below and once they are safe with physicians, come right back. Right god-damn back! You will be taking the place of the fallen and in charge of preparing ammunition. When your partners fall dead, you will take their rifles and continue their work of firing into the debris. Anyone who runs down those stairs will be shot in the back, by myself if I see you, or your friends and brothers. The only men to die today will either be cowards or heroes."
The faces of the young men and even older soldiers were suddenly very pale and watched with slacked mouths. Bullfench was handed a rifle by one of the few less intimidated, an older private with a hard face.
"They are here," Bullfench said through gritted teeth, the words he dread for so long, "and damn you, I will not let them breach this city while the iron still holds to stone. Go."
His face changed into an old man's determination and resolve and he stood defiantly at the edge of the iron walls and looked through the smoke. There were no ships through the smoke that he could see. Perhaps they were farther off, beyond the screen, with long range catapults. He looked up to the sky and could only see the obscured sun. Have you learned to fly, he asked the Enemy as if they resided in his thoughts, Or tamed some wild beasts to drop you upon us?
"Gentlemen!" he barked. The men nearest him stopped what they were doing, even those tending to the wounded. His voice compelled and they froze, as always.
"Every available rifleman needs to be firing on the debris, no questions. I want the top of this wall to be covered in your shell casings! Every man without a rifle, take the wounded below and once they are safe with physicians, come right back. Right god-damn back! You will be taking the place of the fallen and in charge of preparing ammunition. When your partners fall dead, you will take their rifles and continue their work of firing into the debris. Anyone who runs down those stairs will be shot in the back, by myself if I see you, or your friends and brothers. The only men to die today will either be cowards or heroes."
The faces of the young men and even older soldiers were suddenly very pale and watched with slacked mouths. Bullfench was handed a rifle by one of the few less intimidated, an older private with a hard face.
"They are here," Bullfench said through gritted teeth, the words he dread for so long, "and damn you, I will not let them breach this city while the iron still holds to stone. Go."