45. Western Meal, Bad Digestion
Peria was beset with infiltration in the south and outright invasion from the north, while the east boiled over into a total war, the west moved with typical Mendek speed. Spendius and Hereward advanced south taking village after village, town after town, and generally were a nuisance to the peasantry and townsfolk they encountered. The royal family had been bested, but the local lords were not so willing to become slaves of Mendek. Hereward headed for the city of Palga which only had 20,000 people, but it was nonetheless an important strategic centre important for the economy as a westward facing port. Church of Order priests acted like snipers occasionally taking pot shots and Hereward continuously plundered their churches and terrorised anyone who sympathised with them.
“Anyone caught assisting rebels will be punished!” Hereward said, “Peria no longer is a legal entity, these rebels have no rights!”
Hereward was extreme, even more extreme than Spendius but it did quieten down resistance somewhat. People at least got out the way and avoided the marching army. Hereward got ever larger forces as he continuously bought more mercenaries.
It took roughly a week, entering the onset of winter of the year 570. The city of Palga surrendered without a fight, scared into submission the guards had apparently arrested the Duke and handed the city to Hereward. The small stone walls now had golden flag with the black sword and axe adorned all over it. Mendek had come all the way down south. Hereward was extremely pleased with himself, augmenting his army to some 25,000 thanks to plundered gold.
Does he think Spendius will pay for that army? Does Hereward think he will?
Hippalus, a bald skinny man joined Mercurius in buying the loyalty of the south, and soon thinking of buying the north too; meanwhile Hereward settled himself in Palga and thought of moving on the city of the Nova while Spendius had raced his troops to the Portus of Peria. Hippalus surveyed the city he was about to cause an insurrection in. Counter to Hereward’s expectations a lot of the ex slaves had already been armed, even surrounding villages had been proselytised to and been given the benefits of Yerek. Rumours of Mendek’s cruelty was well known and many people in Palga already knew what to think of Mendek. There was a large urban area, as well as many large plazas built a long time ago by Byz when they ruled the city, markets extended across much of the harbour, with a city wall extending all across except on the western bay. Merchant and fishing vessels sat at the harbour with confused people. Church of Order sympathisers ran into the countryside, determined to inflict punishment on Mendek for the invasion.
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“I have come to liberate Palga from the tyranny of Mendek and from the brute Hereward!” Hippalus began, “anyone who wishes to join me, shoot at those bastards and drive them out of the city!”
Some sectors of the city had converted to the God of Battle, impressed by the victory of Mendek, but many had been impressed by food and water and wood. Hippalus shot a few of Hereward’s officers, then he threw some knives at some more, and the city of Palga erupted into battle. What had seemed a perfect surrender, turned into a nightmare for the Mendek army. Ex slaves burned some of the tents of the camping army, others shot at the army as it formed, click, click and they fell to the floor. The heavier units did not have time to put on their armour so the simple shot of a crossbow had many completely dead. Hereward used God Powers to slaughter these crossbowmen, but still his army fell and Hippalus began popping up behind Hereward trying to distract him.
“You fucking bastard! I will skin you alive!” He screamed in fury.
“All you know is terror!” Hippalus said in perhaps a self righteous manner, “and all you shall feel is my wrath!”
Knives flew at the Mendek commander, as he evaded them all with lightning speed, and Hippalus appeared endlessly out of reach.
The God of Battle’s speed is not a joke huh? Hippalus thought huffing.
Hereward had lost control of the situation with thousands of troops being killed, even his elite axemen were getting killed, he was fighting for survival not just of himself but also his entire army. Hereward’s cavalry did not manage to mount up, their horses stolen in their sleep. Many of the night watch assassinated while the rest of the army rested by Hippalus, the city of Palga became a bloodbath. Hereward stabilised the situation, his screaming and ranting and his speedy movements butchering any crossbowman who came his way. He fought his way out of the city, Hippalus unable to fully stop him.
“I will get my revenge!” Hereward screamed, “I will cut your limbs off you fucking bastard!”
Crossbow triggers clicked and Hereward inaudibly screamed his damnations. 10,000 of Hereward’s army had been slaughtered in their sleep, 5000 had been captured surrendering themselves and the other 10,000 had fled the city alongside the Mendek commander. An ignominious fate for a supposed conquering army, but the commander was alive, and would no doubt seek vengeance.
Spendius arrived at Portus of Peria and noticed that the flag he was supposed to see was not there; the brown flag with the yellow thunderbolt was replaced with the tricolour of Yerek.
“These Republic fucks get everywhere…” he whispered in damnation, “get me some liquor and a whore. God fucking damn it!”
Mercurius had engineered a coup in the city not even a few hours before Spendius had arrived. He had alongside Ethra brought massive amounts of grain and water, and even brought an evangel to the God of Farming and an evangel to the God of Water much to the awe of the local citizenry hastening their handing over of the city. Spendius camped his augmented force of 15,000 augmented along the way and stared at the fortified city. Green, blue and yellow stared him in the face, and he was not happy about it.