[WIP/Novel] Roman Era Story

[thewrongvine]

Ok, as you can tell from the thread name it's wierd. It's currently a short story, but I might work on it more to make it a novel, which is why it's also a WIP because I'm not 100% done with it.

Just a little thing I wrote for a mini-contest between my friends... on another website.

Prologue, The Epic Battle Has Begun…

It was just an hour before the first assault began. Fear gripped the Roman soldiers’ hearts as they waited in silence. Their battalion of about 100 was lined up across the forest-like terrain. Deodatus tightly grasped his spear and pulled his shield closer to his chest. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, calming himself down as he listened to the environment, which was quiet. The knights’ horses trotted back and forth slowly as they waited for the call.
For another 10 minutes or so, the soldiers did nothing. The anxiety was already killing them, and the heat that was passed on from the desert began to rise up. The sun was setting down – the time was near. Deodatus’ eyes were still shut, when a voice whispered 1 word to them, “…attack.”
The soldiers charged, and war cries were heard all around. Hundreds of battalions from other areas came into sight as they entered the desert clearing. Their movement and voices were like thunder from the gods, cheering them on. Egypt, Marc Antony, and Cleopatra would pay for their betrayal. They would pay dearly…

Chapter One, The First Assault

The desert seemed endless, but soon, the river was in sight. However, the Egyptians weren’t. About 10 meters away from the river, the soldiers slowed their pace down. Hushes were passed along to the soldiers and silence once again took over. Night had arrived, and the first assault was now going to be a silent and quick one.
“Stop!” the captain hissed. A slight wooshing sound was heard ahead of them. Deodatus looked up as many others did. The bright night sky suddenly flared into an enveloping darkness, and thousands of wooshes were heard – arrows.
“Shield-lock formation!” the captains of the many battalions cried out. The soldiers were expertly trained for this, and their shields were made strategically for defense against almost everything. The first line kneeled down and spiked their shields down into the ground, and a loud thud was heard from a mile away. The second line filled the empty spaces from the first line and mightily held their shields up above at a diagonal angle. The third line filled in the vertical space with their shields.
It was an almost 100% block – almost. The arrows hailed down.
Deodatus crouched down and hid under the shields, praying for his life. The volley lasted literally for about 10 seconds. One by one, soldiers began to fall through the cracks. The last arrow came and found its target on an unlucky soldier, and the silence of death, war, and shock came again. “Unlock!” came the bellowing voice of Deodatus’ captain. Instantly, the Romans unlocked their shields and swung them back forward. Spears sliced through the air forward. “For Augustus!”
Thousands of voices yelled out, “For Augustus!” They attacked.
The second volley of arrows came, and this time, it had its toll. With no lock this time, soldiers fell by the tens. Quick deaths were spread out across their army. They were now thinly formationed – a weak target for cavalry, Deodatus thought. His thoughts were answered. Roaring chariots appeared from the left and right flanks of the Roman armies. Doom was seen surely by all. “Regroup! Spear-head formation!”
Their moral was recovered, and the remaining soldiers instantly ran to their positions. Spears along the sides in an arrow formation; archers in the center, and swordsman in between the lines. Hundreds of arrows seemed to point at the Egyptian base’s heart from a bird’s eyes. Finally, the chariots hit.
Soldiers were crushed by the devastating force of them, but it wasn’t all lost. The spears swiftly spiked through hundreds of the Egyptians. They slowly paced themselves forward, taking out the chariots one at a time. In a matter of minutes, both sides had great losses. The Romans had lost more than 400 soldiers and the Egyptians had lost all of their chariots. Archers were finally in sight – this was the breaking point.
The spearmen suddenly dashed to the left and right, breaking the line that held the swordsman, like a wall jailing in hungry beasts. It was all done in one swift motion – as the spearmen cleared the way for the charging swordsmen, they threw their spears like javelins at the archers. Not many archers were slain, but it served its purpose to distract them. Like water, the swordsmen reigned in, slaying all in their path.
This battle was as good as over – Roman cavalry entered from the center flank and dispersed to the left and right sides, balancing the battle. The Egyptian hold was taken in a day – a great victory for Rome. And as for Deodatus, he was still alive. The Romans took this fort as their own base, and their real army came.
Augustus stood in his balcony at the fort, and gazed at the far capital city of Egypt, where his old friend Marc Antony and Cleopatra dwelled. “My friend…” he quietly said, “…you will come to know death very soon.” He went back to his generals and began to discuss their next assault.
Deodatus slept in his own barracks tent, and thought, perhaps I could get a little more action next time. He smiled slightly to himself at the thought of him taking on 4 Egyptians at a time. The whole Roman army seemed to smile in pride. Little did they know that the work of the gods and titans would soon intervene with their war.

Hope you like it... feel free to CnC if you want.