The last thing the watchman saw was Claudius reaching over the ledge and grabbing him by the sword belt. Claudius pulled the guard over the ledge and let him fall into forest below. Luckily for the legionarys the watchman had been too startled to cry out. 

They climbed over the rampart and headed towards the ballistae at the opposite end of the fortress. The fort consisted of a complicated series of passageways. It took about five minutes of navigating the corridors before the legionarys encountered anyone. As they were about to round a corner they heard footsteps coming down the hall. Claudius gave a hand signal to stay back.

“How many do you think?” whispered Lucius. 

“Three or four” answered Claudius. 

“Is there any other way to get to the ballistae?” whispered Aeneas. 

“I have no idea” replied Claudius. 

“I say we try to take them quietly by surprise” said Aeneas. 

“Alright, on my signal” said Lucius. 

Lucius waited until the guards were about to turn the corner before he attacked. The three legionarys jumped around the corner right at the guards. The surprised guards reacted too slowly. The legionarys stabbed them swiftly and quietly dragged them to a dark corner.

The three legionarys continued to quickly creep through the fort. They knew the ballistae were two floors above them and to the left of their current position. Soon they came across a staircase leading up. It was guarded by two men. 

“We need a distraction” said Aeneas. 

Lucius picked up a pebble and threw it down the hall. The two guards exchanged a few words and moved away to investigate the noise. The legionarys made a run for it and got up the stairs before the guards returned. 

The next staircase was not so easy. Four men guarded it. Claudius picked up a pebble but dropped it before he could throw. The guards headed in the legionarys’ direction. 

“Get ready” said Aeneas as he drew his gladius.

The Romans waited for the guards to round the corner before they attacked. Aeneas led the assault. He stabbed the first guard without stopping. Claudius took out the next two and Lucius finished the last one. 

Although the legionarys had been successful so far they had now lost the element of surprise. They heard guards coming from every direction. The legionarys ran up the stairs and came out on the battlement where the three ballistae stood, each one the size a large man. 

Their crews were not manning them at the time so for a short while the legionarys had no resistance. They got to work cutting the rope. When they were about a third of the way done about a hundred guards appeared from the staircase below.