Chapter XVI: The End of a Republic and a City

March 20th to 21st 1107 VTE

Everything was now ready for the bombardment and eventual storming of Atalanta. Hundreds of Cannons had been moved to Fort Victoria, all lined up and ready to open two breaches in the mighty walls of Atalanta. The defenders could only watch and were disheartened by their situation. Attempts to negotiate any surrender was brushed aside, as Pomerlane knew that his men would riot if they could not loot the city at this point. At 5 pm, the guns opened fire on the walls.

The amount of Iron and lead raining down of the walls was truly enormous. Pomerlane had assemble perhaps the largest battery of artillery in one spot in the whole world to this point and all of it was coming down at two specific locations. Breaches were soon made at these locations, but the pounding would continue well into the night, with some guns having their bores melted from the heat. Pomerlane had overnight moved his men into position for a three-pronged assault on the city itself. Two at both of the breechs and one at Fort Arethusa. As dawn rose, the cannons opened up again and this time a trumpet blared signaling the charge. With the intial bombarment now halted, thousands of Pomerlane's men poured into the gaps to find them lightly defended. As the defenders laid down their arms and fled, the Pomerlane's horde descended upon the city.

As Pomerlane himself promised 5 years earlier, no mercy was shown for the people of Atalanta. Women were raped in mass, children slain, infants' heads smashed against walls. Those who tried to hide in their houses were subjgated to torture in order for their valuables to be revealed. Even those who willingly gave away their valuables were slain immediately. For the next week, the once great city of Atalanta was plundered, ransacked and burned to the ground. Opimius, whom Pomerlane wanted taken alive committed suicide by falling on his sword when soldiers came to his house. No one, and nothing was spared. Indeed, the skulls and bones of the people of Atalanta were made into its "new walls", quite the gruesome sight and the land itself was salted, and its harbor, silted, so that no one may ever use it again.

Pomerlane himself had left the city after the slaughter began and ventured to see his Betrothal in Pendoria. He left Pomupius to oversee that the men carried out his orders to a word, while he himself was shamed for what was going on by Emylia constantly. But Pomerlane did not care. It wasn't about being sadistic and cruel, it was about sending a message to the rest of the world that anyone who resists him would be dealt a similar fate. Any outraged he caused didn't matter in his mind, because where was the outrage when his father, mother and siblings were killed unjustly by the Pomurans? He hadn't forgotten their actions, and he vowed to himself he would have his revenge. But for now, he waited. That time would come eventually, but other matters needed to be attended to now that Feeshland was his.