The Siege of Samarik: The Second Portal
14th Aug 2026
Alex Gordon
The Second Portal - A Story by Mark Barber
The cannons atop the battlements of the city’s east wall blasted into life again; sulphurous, black smoke belching up from the long weapons to obscure a blue sky, tinged with red. The mid-afternoon sun of the heatwave continued to beat down remorselessly, illuminating every crevice and nook between the dry rocks of the foothills to the east of the city, and the scores of corpses littering the plains leading to the eastern gate.
The lines of Basilean troops, numbering in their thousands, spread out in a long line to the south of the city. Behind them, staging areas and supply trains were set up to support the front lines with a constant flow of water, arrows, and basic medical supplies, whilst the wounded and exhausted were cycled back away from the fighting. The south wall had been reached and contact established with the battered defenders, and even now the first ladders were in place along the city wall to allow soldiers of the 5th Legion to begin reinforcing the city guards.
From his position in front of his command tent in the high ground to the south, Grand Master Gnaeus Sallustis, half-Elohi commander of all Basilean paladins, narrowed his eyes as yet another attack was launched from the enemy-held north wall along the contested west wall. With deep bellows and roars audible across the still, summer air even from this distance, ranks of warriors rushed across the battered battlements. Orcs this time. Perhaps the Abyssals were flagging.
“Grand Master!”
Gnaeus turned to regard his addresser – a tall, thin paladin officer in the white-trimmed blue of the Order of the Sacred Arc. High Paladin Augus – the commander of the famed paladin order.
“What news, old friend?” Gnaeus forced a thin but encouraging smile as the younger commander weaved his way through the grand master’s entourage of aides and assistants.
Augus halted by the prone form of Nakir, Gnaeus’s legendary lion companion.
“Not much to update,” the silver-haired high paladin winced, “the Abyssal main force still occupies the plains to the east, although there is no sign of reinforcements coming in through the Samarites. They hold the north wall. We still comfortably hold the south and east walls, whilst the main fighting continues in the city centre, the west wall, and across the western approaches.”
Gnaeus nodded, massaging his temples with one armoured finger and thumb. The city centre, where the second force of Abyssal warriors had poured into the heart of Samarik itself through a portal. A portal large enough to move an army appearing without any existing portal stones…it was unthinkable.
The largest contingent of the Abyssal force – perhaps four or five thousand red-skinned, demonic warriors, held position in the dusty plains outside the east wall, continually bombarded by the city’s cannons. There had been two main clashes between the Abyssal force and the combined reinforcements of Basileans and salamanders. The first was a stalemate with heavy losses on both sides; the second saw an Abyssal attack beaten back with losses so heavily inflicted on the demons that for a few moments, Gnaeus dared to allow himself hope of victory there and then. But the demonic attackers, rallying under the guttural roars of the towering Lord of Lies himself, held fast and kept their distance. But this, all of this, Samarik…to what end was this sudden attack? Gnaeus could only speculate. A brazen march through the Samarites with an army of demons to coincide with perhaps the largest portal to the Abyss ever opened in the mortal world… this was no mere probe.
“Then we maintain the upper hand,” Gnaeus exhaled before flashing a more encouraging smile to Augus, “we must be patient. Dictator Baccius’s actions in the city are commendable, but the battle will be won out here. We hold position, wear them down, and await further reinforcements. The Abyssals have no more warriors coming to their aid, save isolated bands of orcs, ratkin, and goblins, whereas our reinforcements will be significant. We will defeat them on attrition alone, if needs be.”
There was a commotion to the west and both senior paladins turned in place to look down the rocky slope leading up to the command tent. A smile spread across Gnaeus’s lips as a trio of strangers in ruddy browns and greens approached. The lines of paladins, Sisterhood warriors, and legion men-at-arms parted to permit them past as if the newcomers were plagued.
Three feraun tribal hunters, pale-furred and long of horns, passively and graciously approached the grand master. The first offered a courteous bow. But Gnaeus’s smile grew already before the feraun warrior even spoke. Messengers of Galahir. The Green Lady had sent aid. If the aid was significant, this battle was about to become one-sided.
“Grand Master Sallustis,” the veteran tribal hunter said softly, “I bring greetings and news from my Lord Ydrin Thorncreeper, who is but a stone throw from here. My Lord brings an army of…”
Any optimism growing in Gnaeus’s heart seemed to dissipate immediately when a colossal bang sounded from within the city walls. All eyes along the Basilean and salamander lines turned as one to regard the besieged city, groans of despair rippling along the masses of armoured warriors from those who had arrived with the first wave of reinforcements. From those who knew what the sound was.
“By the Ones.” Augus’s head fell forward. “Surely… surely they cannot…”
“They’ve opened the portal,” Gnaeus spat bitterly, “again, within the city itself! The bastards can use that thing more than once…”
Gnaeus clasped his hands together and muttered a prayer for Dictator Baccius and the defenders inside the wall. The forces of the Abyss had a way to reinforce their armies. This battle was far from won.
The Siege of Samarik summer campaign is live now - click HERE to read more about it!
