The mountain roared. Stones tumbled from the smelter ridge in waves, cracking against shields and spraying shards across the ranks. Jars of oil shattered, spreading slick fire that hissed and spat in the cold air. The defenders shouted above, their voices echoing like war drums.
Leonidas stood at the front of the Cohort, shield high, the heat painting sweat across his brow. His overlay pulsed as the battle shifted:
Enemy Cohesion: 60% (holding)
Enemy Morale: 78% (bolstered by fire)
Spartan Cohort Cohesion: 97%
Lakonia Recruits Cohesion: 77% (tested by fear)
The recruits flinched as flames licked close, shields shuddering under falling stone. But Leonidas's voice cut through the chaos like iron through cloth.
"Shields high! Breathe for the man beside you! The fire burns loud but dies quick—iron does not!"
The veterans anchored the line, their steadiness bleeding into the recruits. Slowly, the wall steadied again.
---
The slope was cruel. Every step upward felt heavier than the last, as if the mountain itself leaned down to crush them. Defenders lined the ridges, throwing javelins, hurling torches, rolling barrels set aflame.
One barrel smashed against the Cohort's roof of shields, splashing fire across bronze. A young Lakonian cried out as his cloak caught, thrashing. Doros tackled him to the ground, smothering the flames with his own cloak. He rose blackened but grinning, shoving the recruit back into formation.
"Up, boy! The wall doesn't wait for smoke!"
The overlay shimmered: [Lakonia Loyalty +5%].
---
Theron slipped through the line, directing small groups to cut side paths, flanking up goat tracks invisible to most eyes. "They'll expect the wall to come straight," he murmured to Leonidas. "We'll show them iron climbs crooked."
Kyros darted forward with a small file, slipping between rocks, spears stabbing at guards startled to see Spartans among them. His laughter rang over the clash. "Didn't expect us here, did you?"
The defenders wavered, cohesion faltering as their certainty of ground crumbled.
Enemy Cohesion: 55%
---
The furnace smoke grew thicker as the Cohort closed the distance. Heat shimmered, stealing breath. Men coughed, lungs seared. Damon's water bearers moved behind the line, clay jugs lifted to mouths, hands pouring water into throats that tried to refuse.
"Drink, damn you!" Damon barked. "Crops don't grow without rain!"
The recruits steadied again, pride sparking through exhaustion.
Above, defenders shouted louder, desperate now. One flung a jar of boiling pitch, screaming prayers as it arced. Leonidas raised his shield and braced. The jar struck, fire splashing in a sheet across his bronze. Heat roared. Pain clawed at his arm.
But he held.
The men saw, and their loyalty bars flared bright.
[Iron Cohort Loyalty: 99%.]
---
At last, they reached the first walkway leading up to the furnaces. Defenders braced, spears leveled, their eyes wide behind the glow of the flames.
Leonidas raised his spear. "Now—press!"
The wall surged forward, shields smashing into timber, spears stabbing through gaps. The walkway groaned under weight, men falling as iron and wood screamed together. Doros roared, dragging an enemy off the planks and hurling him into the furnace smoke below.
Kyros vaulted a rail, spinning his spear into a guard's throat, grinning mad with firelight. "The mountain doesn't love you anymore!"
Theron's blade found the bellows lines, severing another. Flames coughed, furnaces sputtering.
The overlay pulsed:
[Final Objective Engaged: Smelter Ridge]
[Enemy Fire Output: -60%]
[Enemy Cohesion: 48% (collapsing)]
---
The defenders broke. Some fled higher, toward the heart of the smelters. Others dropped spears, choking on smoke. A few, stubborn in their pride, fought to the last, dying with hands clutching iron still warm from the forge.
Leonidas planted his spear in the smelter earth. "The forge is ours. Hold it, and the mountain holds us."
His men cheered, though hoarse, their voices ragged with smoke and triumph. The ridge—Taygeton's heart—had been taken.
The system shimmered:
[Conquest Complete: Taygeton]
[Bonus Objective Unlocked: Forgeheart Discovered.]
Leonidas stared at the glowing notification. Forgeheart?
The mountain was not finished yet.