"Fire!" one Knight screamed, just as another cried out for swordsmen to hustle up and stand before the walls to protect the ranged men from incoming fire. Cyrdic knew that this back and forth was not going to work, and as one Knight raised his sword to continue bellowing orders, he was suddenly lost in a maelstrom of demonic fire, a chunk of the castle's rock along with a dozen men were ripped off to die screaming. 

There was a hush over the battlefield for a split second, bits of rock and debris falling ominously to the ground as men tried to collect themselves and not vomit over the side of the walls. Cyrdic gritted his teeth, hauling himself up, his sword raised above his head as a few men began to shoot scattered shots at the horde. 

"Hold!" he cried, and a few more were shot, taking down only two Beastmen. "Hold!" he roared again, and all of the men stopped to look at him. He waited a moment for their attentions to be diverted to him, and he began bellowing orders. "Riflemen and Crossbowmen to the front! Longbows behind! Load and wait for my order to fire!" 

The men looked between them selves, and one Knight dared question his order. But then all at once, they began to see the logic behind the formation and promptly ignored the Knight as they loaded and hustled into line, forming up even as the short shafted beast arrows thudded into the walls and over them, only hitting three men and killing one. 

Once they were in line and loaded, another Daemon Cannon shot was sent arcing toward the wall. This time it hit stone directly, and crumbled a section of the wall. 5 men were lost, many falling out of the castle to lay broken on the fields, their fates given to the beastmen. But the majority of the wall still held. 

"Aim!" Cyrdic ordered. His face was stone and his voice full of iron. Cyrdic had many faults, but giving a commanding presence on the battlefield was not one of them. There used to be jokes back in Ostland that he could order a Brettonian into being an effective soldier. He never had told Camilla that joke, not thinking she'd get Imperial humor. 

"Fire!" 

The thump of loosed Crossbows and crack of Rifles sounded, bolts and bullets punching through skulls and armor. Longbows were loosed, the long shafts raining down and piercing Beastmen flesh and bone. The Chaos spawn screamed and brayed with agony and fear as they died, and even some shields were sundered. But they had yet to truly scratch the numbers of the Chaos horde, and another belch of Chaos energy fired from the Cannon to hit the wall again. It wouldn't be able to hold for long. 

"Halberdeirs and Swordsmen, in the Square!" 
[@Penny]