Chapter 212: Meat Grinder

Chapter 212: Meat Grinder

The Astragoths attacked again before the goblins had finished replacing the wounded or repairing the damaged positions. New groups advanced from the north and east first, followed by smaller forces in the west and south.

Their stone throwers moved with the front groups this time and began throwing while the rest of the Astragoths continued toward the defenses. The goblins had only a short period to reorganize before the second assault reached them.

North received the heaviest pressure. Several stones landed around the damaged center, where the earlier fighting had already weakened the fortifications. One struck the edge of a firing position and collapsed part of the remaining cover.

Two soldiers were killed beneath the falling earth and stone. The soldiers beside them pulled the bodies away from the firing road, then moved into the empty positions before the approaching Astragoths reached the lower ground.

Another stone landed behind the front and struck a group carrying ammunition toward the center. One goblin died immediately, while two others were wounded. Nearby soldiers carried the wounded toward the rear and moved the remaining ammunition away from the impact area. The front line kept firing while the supply route was cleared.

The Astragoths continued advancing through the artillery fire. Their front groups were spread farther apart than during the previous attack, so fewer creatures were caught by each shell. Several still died when rounds landed close enough, but the survivors continued through the gaps between impacts.

Once the leading groups entered the prepared roads, the northern machine guns opened fire and soldiers began targeting the creatures that separated from the larger formations.

The center started losing soldiers faster than the soldiers already there could cover the gaps. The officer responsible for the position checked the damaged wall and counted the men still holding the left side before contacting the northern commander.

"I’ve lost too many soldiers on the left," he reported. "I can still cover the broken wall, but I can’t cover the wall and the ground beside it at the same strength. I can move a group from the right, but that will leave the right approach thin."

"Don’t take anyone from the right," the commander replied. "Pull the left groups closer to the damaged wall. You’ll cover less ground, but the men you still have will be close enough to support each other."

"That leaves the far-left approach with only a few soldiers watching it. If the Astragoths move around the damaged section instead of coming straight at us, they’ll have more room to get close."

"Keep an observer there and move an RPG team behind that side. If they shift left, I want the report before they reach the wall. For now, keep enough soldiers around the damaged center to stop the main group coming directly at you."

The officer followed the order. Soldiers moved closer together around the damaged section, reducing the width of the position they covered but increasing the amount of fire available along the main approach. The far-left edge remained thinner, but the soldiers there were no longer spread so widely that they could not support one another.

East began reporting casualties soon afterward. Several stones landed near the northern side of the slope while Astragoths advanced from below. One projectile struck beside a front position and killed two soldiers. Another soldier was badly wounded and had to be carried away. The eastern commander moved part of his remaining reserve forward to fill the gaps, but doing so left fewer troops behind the center if the attack shifted.

West remained more stable, although the southern side of the stone shelf also began losing men. A stone landed behind one position and killed several goblins before the survivors could move. The remaining soldiers stayed at the front because Astragoths were already approaching the lower edge of the shelf. South faced the smallest force, but its defenders were still fully occupied and had no chance to rest between attacks.

Noah received reports from all four sectors. This time, the messages included more than enemy movement and damaged positions. Officers were reporting how many soldiers had been killed, which groups were below strength, and how much of each reserve had already been committed.

He stood beside the map while the field commander reviewed the latest reports. "How many groups in the north are low on relative strength now?" Noah asked.

"Several in the center and west," the field commander replied. "They can still hold their assigned ground, but some of them can’t take many more losses before the commanders have to shorten the line again. East is beginning to have the same problem on the northern side of the slope."

"How much does north still have behind the front?"

"Enough to reinforce one position properly. They might manage a second if the losses are light, but after that the commander will have almost nothing left to move."

"And east?"

"They’re in slightly better condition, but not by much. One reserve group has already gone forward to replace the men lost on the northern slope."

Noah looked toward the routes leading away from the sectors. Wounded goblins were being carried toward the rear in small groups. Some could walk with another soldier supporting them. Others were carried on stretchers.

"We’re still holding every sector," Noah said, "but north and east are losing trained soldiers every time the Astragoths reach the defenses. If the attacks keep coming at this rate, the local reserves will run out."

The field commander nodded. "The artillery and tanks are doing most of the killing before the enemy reaches the line. The problem is the creatures that survive. Once they get below the walls or onto the slope, the soldiers have to stay exposed until they put them down. That’s where most of these casualties are happening."

Before Noah could answer, another officer approached from the rear. "Fresh troops have crossed through the portal. The first formations are organized and ready to move. More are coming through behind them with ammunition and replacement crews."

Noah turned toward him. "How many formations can we move now without waiting for the rest?"

"Several full formations are ready. I can send them immediately and organize the next groups as they finish crossing."

"North gets the largest share. East gets the next largest. West gets enough men to replace its losses and rebuild part of its reserve. South gets fewer for now because its line is still in better condition."

The field commander looked at the map before asking, "Do you want all of the first arrivals sent straight to the sectors?"

"No. Keep one formation near the portal," Noah said. "I want troops available who aren’t already tied to a specific direction. If a sector suddenly loses a position, I need to reinforce it without pulling men away from another front."

"I’ll keep one formation in reserve and distribute the rest according to the casualty reports."

Fresh goblin troops began moving away from the portal soon afterward. The largest group took the northern route, another moved east, and smaller groups headed west. Supply vehicles followed with ammunition, machine-gun belts, and RPG rounds. The new soldiers had full ammunition loads and had not fought in either of the previous assaults.

The northern reinforcements reached the rear of the sector while the center was still under attack. Local officers stopped them before they entered the firing positions and divided them between the damaged center and the western side.

The center officer met the first formation behind the line. "I need replacements around the broken wall first. Half your men go to the left side of the damage. Keep the rest behind the intact cover until I know where the next group is coming."

The officer leading the reinforcements looked toward the front. "Do you want my men kept together, or should I split them into the groups already holding the wall?"

"Put most of them into the existing groups. The soldiers already there know which parts of the wall are still usable and where the RPG teams need clear roads. Keep one group together behind the center so I still have men I can move quickly."

"I’ll place the others with the front officers and keep one group under me. If you need that group moved, send the position through me first so we don’t have two officers trying to pull them in different directions."

"That works. Keep them off the ammunition route while they wait. We’re still moving supplies through there."

The replacements moved forward. Wounded soldiers who had remained in their positions because no one was available to take over were finally pulled back. Fresh soldiers filled the gaps beside the survivors and restored the number of soldiers covering the damaged center.

Another Astragoth group reached the lower ground soon afterward. This time, the center had enough soldiers to engage several targets at once. The first creature fell before reaching the broken wall. A second continued forward until an RPG team fired from behind the center and stopped it below the fortification. The remaining Astragoths came under fire from both sides of the damaged position and failed to reach the top.

More reinforcements reached the western part of the northern sector. Their arrival meant the commander no longer had to move the same reduced groups between threatened positions. The soldiers who had already fought through both assaults stayed in their positions, while the new troops filled the gaps around them.

East received fresh troops at nearly the same time. Most went to the northern side of the slope because that area had taken the greatest losses. Wounded soldiers were pulled out as replacements took their places. Another group remained behind the center, giving the eastern commander a reserve again if the attack shifted.

West received replacements next. The southern side of the shelf was reinforced first because it had suffered the most casualties.

The remaining soldiers stayed behind the center instead of being sent directly to positions that were still adequately staffed. South received the smallest group because its original defenders were still holding their positions without suffering serious losses.

Noah kept the rest of the fresh formation near the portal.

The added troops began changing the fighting. In the north, the restored groups stopped more Astragoths before they reached the damaged wall. RPG teams still engaged creatures that came too close, but they no longer had to move forward as often because the soldiers could concentrate enough fire on several targets at once.

Artillery continued striking enemy groups farther from the defenses, while tanks fired on concentrations trying to reinforce the attack. East also stabilized after the northern side of the slope returned to full coverage. Several Astragoths survived the machine-gun fire and reached the lower slope, but the reinforced groups stopped them before they reached the front positions.

West stopped the next attacking group before it reached the lower edge of the shelf. The tank covering the southern approach broke up the formation, and soldiers and machine guns killed the creatures that continued forward. South stopped another smaller advance without committing its reserve.

North remained under pressure longer than the other sectors. Another Astragoth group moved toward the damaged center after the previous attackers had been killed, but this formation was smaller and more spread out. Soldiers hit the leading creatures before they reached the lower ground, while the machine guns kept firing at those behind them.

The northern commander watched the approach before contacting the field commander. "The center is stable again. The replacements filled the losses, and I have enough men behind the line to reinforce one of the other positions if I need to. I still see Astragoths farther out, but the groups coming toward us are getting smaller."

"Keep your troops inside the fortifications," the field commander replied. "If those groups stop or turn back, don’t send anyone after them. You’ve already taken too many casualties to gain anything by fighting in the open."

"I agree. We’ll keep firing at anything still moving toward us. If they withdraw, my men stay where they are."

East reported the same change soon afterward. The groups approaching the slope were getting smaller, and several Astragoths farther back began moving away from the areas under artillery fire. West reported that no new organized formation was approaching the shelf. South stopped receiving fresh attackers.

The remaining Astragoths near the goblin defenses began withdrawing. Some turned away individually, while others moved back in small groups. The goblins continued firing at creatures still advancing but stopped once the retreating enemies moved beyond effective range. No sector ordered a pursuit.

By the time the firing decreased, all four sectors remained under goblin control. North had suffered the highest number of casualties, followed by east. West had taken losses around the southern side of the shelf, while south had suffered fewer casualties. Fresh soldiers now occupied positions beside goblins who had fought through both assaults, while the wounded were moved toward the rear and officers counted the soldiers still able to fight.

Noah reviewed the latest casualty reports after the main fighting stopped. The reinforcements from Eldrath had restored the weakened sectors and prevented the Astragoths from taking advantage of the losses in the north and east. The defenders had repelled another assault without losing any of the four sectors, but the number of dead and wounded had continued to rise before the fresh troops reached the front. If the Astragoths maintained the same pressure, Noah would have to keep moving replacements from Eldrath to X-317 to maintain the defensive line.