Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 87: Night cloak(3)

As the hours dragged on, the ambush continued unabated, the enemy showing no signs of relenting. Rather than launching a direct assault, they methodically whittled down the defenders with a relentless barrage of rocks and arrows.After all why waste men when you can let arrows do the job?

Gaps began to appear in the formation as casualties mounted, each breach exposing those behind to even greater danger.

Among the beleaguered defenders stood Shamliak, the nephew of the prince, his muscles aching and his arms burning with the effort of holding his shield aloft for hours on end. Thirst gnawed at his throat, but there was no respite or time to satisfy that need.

"This is it," he thought grimly, his gaze drifting upward to the sky. His original hope had been that maintaining their position would signal to his uncle that something had gone awry, prompting an assault on the walls to provide relief. Yet, as the moments stretched into agonizing hours and no commotion arose from the enemy lines, Shamliak's heart sank. It became increasingly apparent that their plight had been overlooked or misunderstood, and that their fate was already decided the moment they entered, no aid would come .

Arrows stones and javelin ran down on them, and every five minutes the barrage would end as the defenders wouold shout at the invader theusual words

''THE MAIN ARMY WON'T COME, YOU ARE ALONE ,DROP YOUR WEAPONS , LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS FOR THERE IS NO HOPE FOR YOU.''

Then they would wait for a few seconds before resuming the barrage once no answer was given

'That bastard sent us to our death, the insider doubleplayed us and we fell wholeheartedly for it' he thought as he bit his inner cheek from the pain coming out of his shoulder, where a lone arrows had embedded itself on it .

With each agonizing throb from the embedded arrow, Shamliak's fury intensified, directed not only at their unseen enemy but also at the one who planned all of this . His thoughts seethed with indignation as he grappled with the harsh reality of their situation.

As Shamliak's gaze drifted upward to the expanse of the night sky, a sense of hopelessness settled over him like a suffocating shroud. The stars twinkled above, indifferent to the plight of men caught in the throes of conflict. In that moment of despair, he found himself grappling with a question that weighed heavily on his mind: should they surrender?

The thought lingered, its implications stark and sobering. Surrender meant admitting defeat, relinquishing their pride and honor to the enemy who had ensnared them in this deadly trap, as if giving meat to the same dog that bit his hand . It meant accepting captivity and have his honor sullied.

He knew that the commander was not one of them but a mercenary, he may be kept alive but his men?He was worth a lot , but not his men.

Alpheo's pov

It was still dark outside, Alpheo had ordered to lighten the area with torches, so that they could properly see the state of his enemies.

In the dim light cast by the flickering torches, Alpheo sat atop his horse, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his lips. His eyes, gleaming with satisfaction, surveyed the scene before him - the remnants of the enemy army now shattered and broken by their own hubris.

Beside him, Egil couldn't resist a jibe. "Never saw you with such a smug face," he remarked, his rough fingers scratching at the patchy growth on his chin that he affectionately called a beard.

Alpheo chuckled, his amusement evident in the curve of his lips. "I am happy, what is wrong with it?" he replied, his tone laced with amusement. "Apparently, nothing gives me more pleasure than seeing men of higher standing lowered to my level. And soon, someone of royal blood will do just that. Isn't that right, Fahil?"

The mention of his name drew Fahil's attention, and he looked up from the ground, his expression a mix of apprehension and resignation. "I mean, if the tables were turned, my head would likely be displayed on a pike for all to see. I am being kind by allowing him an honorable surrender. Am I wrong?"

"N-No, you are right, just and kind " Fahil conceded, his voice barely above a whisper. Gathering his courage, he extended a trembling hand, pointing ahead of him. "I have helped you, right? I have completed my part of the deal. Will you do the same?"

'They are eating him inside' Alpheo thought as he took the cup extended by Ratto, who since the fight started could not take his eyes out of the battle

''Like what you see boy?'' Alpheo asked ignoring the captain

The question broke the boy from the reverie, who just nodded meekly causing the mercenary captain to chuckle before turning to the turncloak.

''Listen , as far as I care our lives will go on different directions , I will go looking for other employments and you will keep serving that prince of yourse.I have no care if you are a rotten apple who will betray anyone for some empty promises...''

The captain started to sweat

''You do not serve me , so I have no care for what happens to you . As such you don't have a thing to worry about, I don't like going against my word after all .Moreover the enemy commander is coming to surrender so let's just not spoil the moment alright?'' Alpheo asked as he nudged the man's shoulder with his feet.

As the tension hung thick in the air, a figure clad in armor emerged from the ranks of the defeated army. The soldiers parted before him, creating a path as he strode forward with deliberate steps. His armor, once gleaming, now bore the scars of battle, dented and tarnished by the hardships of war.

With an arrow protruding from his shoulder, the man pressed on, his movements steady despite the pain. He held a sword, its blade sheathed but held horizontally before him in a gesture of surrender.

As he approached Alpheo and his companions, the man's gaze remained fixed ahead, his expression resolute despite the circumstances. The weight of defeat hung heavy upon him, yet he carried himself with a sense of dignity and honor befitting a warrior facing his final moments on the battlefield.

When he few meters from Alpheo he dropped on both his knee and laid the sword down ''My name is Shakmail of house Oizen, nephew of the current prince Shamsa Oizen. I hereby surrender unconditionally to you , if you swear on keeping my men alive for ransom and to treat me as rank demand you do''

Alpheo's eyes moved down to the man , then he descended from horseback and approached him , taking the sword from his hand, which meant accepting his surrender ''I have no reason to refuse your request, your men shall be disarmed, fed , watered and given medical attention from my doctors.Speaking of which, I am sure you will need a visit from yourself'' He said pointing at the arrow and causing the man to grunt in agreement.

After that Alpheo led his horse to the man allowing him to ride on horseback in sign of respect , as he was to part way however the prisoner turned towardthe mercenary captain as he asked one question ''Can I be allowed to know the insider?Always if he is still alive.''

''Of course he is right there'' he said pointing at Fahil,who was looking meekly at the man. And before he could even realise a spit landed on his face, running down on his cheek , he said nothing and just cleaned himself.

The commander after doing so did nothing but let himself be accompanied by Alpheo's guards as he brought him towards the medical tent .'This was to be his night of glory' Shamkeil thought 'not mine'.

As shamkeil was getting treated by the defenders doctors , Alpheo gave one look at the sword, the sheath was beatifully made and embledded with some jem, giving the sword a luxurious undertone. .

''That could be sold for an hefty sum '' Clio commented as he whistled

''You are probably right'' Alpheo muttered before turning to Asag and extended the sword ''It's yours you can keep it''

Asag went eye wide as he received the sword ''I-I can't'' He stuttered as he held the sword

''You can and you will, you basically saved the city and our lives, if there is anyone that deserve such fine sword it is you.Had you not discovered the plot we would have our cut from our necks, It is my gift to you, make sure to learn on how to use it.I will need you on the frontline in the future after all ''

''He is right Asag'' Jarza agreed ''Though if you don't want it , I can take it for you'' He said as he tried to grab the pommel, but failing as Asag moved it closer to his chest.

''Thank you '' Asag said in a faint voice as he tried the blade making some swoosh sounds from cutting the air ,prompting Alpheo to pat his shoulder as he started to command his man to disarm the surrendered soldiers but not to harm them.