Chapter 213: The Third Assault

Chapter 213: The Third Assault

The next Astragoth assault began with large formations moving toward all four goblin sectors at the same time. Northern observers reported several groups advancing toward the damaged center and western approach, with more Astragoths following behind them.

East reported movement toward the northern slope, center, and southern side. West had groups approaching both ends of the stone shelf, while south faced a much larger force across the open ground than during the previous attacks.

Stone throwers advanced with the front formations. They began lifting stones while the other Astragoths continued forward, then released their first volleys before the leading groups reached machine-gun range. Stones crossed over the northern defenses first. More followed from the east, west, and south.

Several projectiles landed around the damaged northern center. One struck behind the front and killed goblins carrying ammunition toward a machine-gun position. Another hit the western side and tore away part of the cover protecting the soldiers there. The eastern slope, western shelf, and southern defenses started taking impacts soon afterward.

Goblin artillery answered immediately. Northern shells landed among the groups approaching the center and west. Eastern artillery targeted formations moving toward the slope, while the western and southern batteries fired at the largest groups approaching their sectors. The first salvos killed several Astragoths in each direction, but the formations behind them continued forward.

In the north, the leading groups entered the machine-gun lanes. The center gun fired into the force approaching the damaged fortifications, while the western gun engaged another group moving toward the lower ground. Tanks fired at the larger concentrations behind them. The soldiers stayed focused on the nearer approaches instead of wasting ammunition on targets the heavy weapons were already engaging.

The first attackers fell before reaching the lower ground, but more Astragoths kept entering the same approaches. The northern commander saw soldiers at part of the center firing too early and contacted the officer there.

"Pull your men off the distant targets," he said. "The machine guns and tanks already have them. Save your ammunition for anything that gets through."

The center officer looked over the damaged wall before answering. "I have one group entering the lower ground now and another behind it. If my men keep shooting at both, the first group is going to reach us before we put enough rounds into it."

"Then stop splitting your fire. Your soldiers take the first group. Keep the center machine gun on the second. If one reaches the broken wall, bring the RPG team forward."

"I’ll keep the launcher behind the center until I need to cover that lane. My soldiers still have clear shots at the ones below us."

The center soldiers shifted their fire onto the closest Astragoths. One creature fell before reaching the wall. Another continued into the damaged approach and drew fire from several positions at once, while the machine gun kept firing beyond it at the next group.

East came under heavy fighting soon afterward. The Astragoths were not concentrating on one part of the slope. One formation moved toward the northern side, another toward the center, and a third remained farther south. The eastern commander could no longer reinforce one position heavily without leaving another exposed.

The northern machine gun engaged the first group, while the center gun fired at the formation moving toward the middle. Tanks fired into the larger formations behind them, but some Astragoths still made it to the lower slope.

Reports from the north and center reached the eastern commander almost together. He checked the troops still behind his line before contacting the field commander.

"I have Astragoths on the northern slope and another group closing on the center. Both officers want more men. I can reinforce one properly, or I can split what I have left."

"Split them," the field commander replied. "Both positions are already under attack. If you reinforce one and leave the other thin, you’ll just move the problem."

"That leaves me with one small group behind the sector. If the south gets hit harder, I won’t have much left to send."

"Keep that last group behind the middle. They can reach either side from there. North and center need help now. If the southern side worsens, then you move them."

The eastern commander divided his reserve. One group moved toward the northern slope, another reinforced the center, and the last remained behind the middle.

West faced the same kind of pressure. Astragoths moved toward the center of the stone shelf and the southern end at the same time. The tank covering the south fired into the first formation and killed several creatures, but the survivors spread out and kept moving. Another group followed behind them.

A thrown stone landed near the southern firing positions and killed several goblins. The officer holding that part of the shelf contacted the western commander while the surviving Astragoths continued toward the lower edge.

"I’ve lost men along the southern position. The machine gun can keep the main group pinned, but several have broken away and are coming toward the edge. I need more soldiers here."

"I can send one group," the western commander said. "That’s all I can spare while the center is still being attacked."

"One group is enough if the tank keeps working on the formation behind them. I need the extra soldiers for the ones already spreading out."

"I’ll send them behind the shelf. Put them into the damaged position first. Keep the machine gun on the larger group unless the soldiers there can’t hold the edge."

The reinforcements moved south while the tank continued firing at the next Astragoth formation. The additional soldiers took positions beside the surviving defenders and began targeting the creatures approaching the lower edge.

South was also fully engaged. A broad Astragoth formation crossed the open ground while another followed behind it. Artillery struck the first group, and the center tank fired into the survivors, but several creatures continued forward. Machine guns on the eastern and western sides opened fire as the formation spread across the approach. The soldiers joined once the leading Astragoths entered effective range.

Unlike the earlier attacks, the southern commander had active enemy groups in front of the center and both sides at the same time. He could no longer keep most of his troops waiting behind the line. More positions had to be manned, and the reserve began shrinking as casualties appeared.

The fighting around the perimeter settled into the same pattern. Artillery struck formations farther from the defenses. Tanks engaged large groups that survived the shelling. Machine guns covered the main approaches. Soldiers and RPG teams handled the Astragoths that reached the fortifications or slopes.

The heavy weapons killed large numbers, but the Astragoths had committed enough soldiers that some continued reaching the front.

North was the first sector forced into repeated close fighting. Several creatures reached the damaged center within a short period. One RPG team fired at the Astragoth nearest the broken wall, while soldiers on the right concentrated on another climbing from the lower ground. A second RPG team moved forward when another creature reached the left side before the first group had been cleared.

One Astragoth reached the upper part of the damaged wall before repeated gunfire brought it down. The soldiers stayed behind the fortification and immediately shifted their fire onto another creature entering the same approach.

East was struggling at the same time. Astragoths reached two parts of the lower slope, forcing the northern and central positions to handle separate attacks. West reported creatures directly below the southern end of the stone shelf, where the tank could no longer fire without risking the threat of goblins. South also had Astragoths reaching its outer defenses and was committing more troops to the center and western side.

Noah received reports from all four sectors within minutes. The field commander marked each active position on the map as the messages arrived.

"North has close fighting at the center and west," the field commander said. "East has Astragoths on the northern slope and near the center. West has creatures below the southern shelf. South has several at the outer positions. Every sector is using most of what it kept behind the line."

"Can anyone spare troops without weakening their own front?" Noah asked.

"Not right now. North still needs men around the damaged center. East has already split its reserve. West is covering two approaches, and south has committed most of its reserve."

"Then nobody moves between sectors. Every commander holds his own front until one direction actually clears."

"I agree. Pulling troops from any sector now would solve one problem and create another."

Wounded goblins were being carried toward the rear from all four directions. Fresh formations from Eldrath were still reaching X-317, but most were being sent straight toward positions that had already taken losses. The reinforcements were keeping the defensive line from shrinking, but they were not increasing the number of troops available behind it.

The northern center came under another close attack. Four Astragoths reached the lower ground within a short period. Two moved toward the damaged wall while the others approached farther west. The northern commander sent the nearest available troops toward the center before the officer there requested them.

The center officer contacted him after the reinforcements arrived. "I have enough men at the wall again, but they’re moving too much between targets. A creature reaches the left and half the position shifts left. Then another reaches the center and they all have to move back."

"Stop moving whole groups," the commander said. "Give each group one part of the approach. If an Astragoth crosses from one area into another, the group covering the new area takes it."

"That will keep the men from crossing behind each other every time a target changes direction. I’ll keep the RPG teams tied to the same areas unless one side is actually breached."

"Do that. I need the soldiers firing from positions they already know, not changing places while the enemy is below them."

The center officer divided the damaged front into separate areas. Each soldier group remained responsible for the ground directly ahead, while the RPG teams stayed behind fixed positions. The change reduced movement behind the fortifications and kept more soldiers firing toward the approaches.

East reported another stone impact near its center shortly afterward. West lost more soldiers along the southern shelf. South also began taking enough casualties that the commander shortened part of the center instead of leaving small groups spread across damaged cover.

The southern commander contacted the field commander. "I’ve pulled the center groups closer together. We still cover the main approach, but I don’t have enough men to keep small groups in every damaged position."

"That’s fine if the approaches stay covered," the field commander replied. "Keep the soldiers where they can support each other. Don’t leave isolated groups in weak positions just to fill space."

"The center can hold like this, but I have almost no reserve left. If another large group reaches us, I’ll have to pull men from one of the sides."

"Don’t move them yet. Keep what remains behind the center. If either side actually starts failing, then you commit them."

The fighting continued without a clear pause. Astragoth groups kept advancing toward all four sectors, and the goblins kept using artillery, tanks, machine guns, small-arms fire, and RPGs to stop them at different distances from the defensive line. The front still held, but every sector was using more ammunition and losing more soldiers than before.

Noah remained beside the map when an officer from the rear arrived.

"A heavy weapons group has finished crossing from Eldrath," the officer reported. "They brought rocket artillery. The launchers are being set up behind the perimeter."

Noah turned toward him. "How soon can they fire?"

"They’re finishing the setup now. They need confirmed target positions before they launch. The crews want the observers to mark the largest groups well beyond our own lines."

The field commander checked the newest reports. "North still has several large formations feeding the center and western attacks. East has another concentration behind the groups on the slope. West and south both have formations farther back that haven’t reached the front yet."

Noah pointed to the northern and eastern markings. "Send those positions first. Start with the largest concentrations. Keep every target well beyond our own soldiers. Anything already close to the defenses stays with the weapons at the front."

"I’ll have the observers confirm each target before the crews fire," the field commander said. "North and east can send the first positions now. West and south can follow as soon as their observers mark the groups behind them."

The northern observers sent the first target positions. The rocket crews adjusted their launchers behind the perimeter, loaded the first salvo, and waited for confirmation. Once the reported positions matched the marked targets, the order to fire went through.

Multiple rockets launched within seconds and crossed above the northern sector. Goblins fighting around the damaged center saw them pass overhead before they continued toward the Astragoth formations farther from the defenses.

The first rockets landed behind the northern assault. Several explosions struck across the groups still feeding soldiers toward the center and western approaches. Multiple Astragoths were killed before they reached normal artillery and machine-gun range. Survivors spread away from the impact areas, breaking up the formations that had been moving toward the front.

The field commander received the first observer report. "The northern concentrations were hit. The groups behind the center are scattering, and fewer are still moving toward the front."

"Send the next salvo east," Noah said. "If another large group forms in the north, mark it and hit it again."

The launchers fired toward the eastern sector. Rockets crossed above the defensive perimeter and descended beyond the slope, where several formations were still moving toward the active fighting. Repeated explosions struck those groups before they reached the closer goblin weapons. Some Astragoths were killed where they stood, while others scattered away from the impact areas.

Western and southern observers sent their own targets next. Another salvo left the rear positions and crossed toward the concentrations behind those attacks. Explosions struck Astragoths that had not yet reached the main defensive lines, reducing the number of fresh creatures available to replace the groups already fighting at the front.

The goblins continued fighting the Astragoths already close to their positions, but fewer fresh groups were arriving behind them. Rocket crews began preparing another salvo while forward observers searched for the next large concentrations still moving toward the four sectors.