By the time Sergeant Michael had made it to Ensom City, he was off schedule by 5 hours. Although his fight with Commander Boegard was only 30 minutes, it had left him severely injured. Despite being the same rank as the old man, Michael knew it had been a close one. All Elementums were difficult fighters regardless of their level. He had taken over 3 hours to stabilize himself even though he only had flesh wounds. It was days like this that he wished he had a cleric in his unit. They were the only Elementums capable of making others regenerate quickly.
Michael ordered his men to hurry towards the Viscount, almost killing the horses from exhaustion. Their reason was that Clive had interrogated the Burgan captive until the man lost all his digits, only to learn the worst news possible. The Burgans had been designing ships to navigate the terrible Tiger River. After many years of trying, they had finally succeeded in developing 3 ships, enough to carry at least 3000 soldiers across the river into Seabo.
Although the ship was destroyed in the process, along with some of the men, the survivors that made it to shore had regrouped in Telemer before making the journey to Gontu. The captured Knight was among the first to regroup and was, therefore, sent on missions before the remaining survivors had made it back. This allowed them to carry out their most heinous tactic. Their leader, Knight-Captain Sid Howler, had ordered the men to proceed under cover towards the Gontu Granary, intending to burn the whole thing down.
If their plan worked, the entire Kingdom would be out of food for an entire 6 months. This would provide enough momentum to launch a full-scale assault on Talawa's fortress while the Katarian soldiers were starving. Katar would have no way to effectively repel the attack and would be totally wiped off the Valerian map. The only part of the plan that was ruined was when Senior Knight Tal allowed Avery and Jankins to escape. This forced manpower away from their designated objectives in order to contain the situation.
Ensom City was located on the south-eastern side of Gontu. A moat was located all around the city with a thick wooden bridge connecting it to the city's gate. A long line of travelers could be seen waiting for admission beyond the walls. The tall grey walls of the city were large enough to hold the patrolling guards as well as thick enough to defend the entire city. The gates were wide open allowing merchants and other travelers into the city. Michael and company could be seen charging over the bridge, towards the wooden gates as quickly as possible. "Halt traveler!", shouted one of the guards at the gate. "Nobody is allowed entry into the city without paying the toll," he added as Michael's group stopped their horses.
"I'm Knight Sergeant Michael, vassal to house Tommel, I come on official Katarian business," said Michael sternly. It was against the law to refuse admission into any city when someone was on official business on behalf of the Kingdom. The guard began to stutter as he said, "so....sorry milord, please proceed." The group quickly rode down the stone road beyond the wall. The inside of the city was divided into 3 zones. The outer zones were the slums where peasants as well as degenerates of the society lived. The middle zone was where the merchants and other vendors would sell their wares. Michael's group could be seen riding quickly towards one of the stables.
Their horses were too tired to continue and thus they needed to change horses. Michael thought that it would be better to ride on fresh horses as their time in Ensom City should be brief. After switching horses and paying the required fee, Michael's team continued to the inner zone. This was where the nobles of the society lived. They were the spoiled boys and girls that turned up their noses to commoners who were better men than themselves, or so Michael thought. "This is the castle of Viscount Milon! State your business!", a loud voice sounded as Michael's group approached the only castle in the city. "Sergeant Michael, here on official Katarian business," responded Michael more respectfully. The guards nodded as one of them rode his horse back to the castle to send word.
The first thing Michael and his men noticed was the difference in armor the soldiers of the Viscount wore. The fact that just the gate guards were able to wear iron-plated armor said a lot about the wealth of the Lord. Usually, only Knights at Black Barony were allowed the wear any metal armor because of the cost. Only Cormac mines produced any metals and the cost of transporting in way out north was just too much for any baron to handle, much less a Baronet. The leather equipment from Talawa, on the other hand, could be bought in bulk.
"What brings you to my castle this early in the morning, Sergeant Michael?" asked the Viscount as he sipped his tea. Michael had been granted entry into the castle provided that he left his weapons and men outside. He was informed by the guards that their Lord was highborn and those of lower classes should know their place. Michael was only given entry because of his claim to be on official business.
"Milord, Burgans have invaded our lands via ships through Tiger River and are planning to attack Gontu's granary today. I come seeking men to aid in the fight to save Katar," responded Michael. "You came seeking men? Do I look like a fool, Sergeant?! Tiger River is too unpredictable for ships, you expect me to believe the words of a peasant such as you?", asked Milon, visibly displeased. "No milord," said Michael, forming a fist to soothe his rage as he continued, "we captured a Burgan Knight who tried to bar our way here if you would-". "You would have me speak to a Burgan pig, Sergeant? I have at least 10 Burgan pig slaves, don't you think any of them would admit to anything if their fingers were greased with enough coin?", interrupted Milon.
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"Milord, if we do not send men immediately, we will lose the border in Talawa and Katar would be ruined," pleaded Michael as his nails dug into his flesh. "Do not lecture me, boy!", shouted Milon as he became impatient. "Milord, we have the location of the enemy's base, all we seek are men to scare the Burgans into giving up. With your help, we would easily defeat the Burgans and the entire of Gontu would sing to you praises even after 100 years," Michael persuaded in a calm voice.
Viscount Milon's facial expression changed instantly. He had originally intended to turn a blind eye to the entire matter. He would rather see some enthusiastic lord defend the granary instead of losing any of his soldiers. Soldiers equal power and he would be damned to see his dwindle if he had the choice. Michael looked up at the man with an undetectable smirk on his face. He knew the man couldn't refuse. The rewards would outweigh any risks he would take by sending his men. If he could lay claim to securing Katar from its neighbors, he may even see his nobility increase by 1 rank if he played his card right.
"Ahem, well young Sergeant," said Milton as he fixed his collar properly, "where exactly are they located? I guess it won't hurt to look into the matter. Once we can confirm this I'll be sure to let the King know of the Baronet's great service." Michael smiled at the man's words, he must think him an idiot. Why would he give away the majority of the merits to a baronet? "Of course, milord, when can I expect your men?" asked Michael, maintaining his composure. "My son will gather our men within the hour," Milon responded a bit happier at his sudden boon. His plans were simple, run the Burgan pigs out and secure the biggest merit any Seabo noble had ever gotten in more than a hundred years.
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Knight Commander Nicholas Milon was a plump man of average height. However, despite his appearance, he was the highest-ranking officer in Ensom City. Contrary to what many believed, he gained his position from his ability and not his nobility. He had worked tirelessly for years, persuading his father to send him to the harshest battlefields in Talawa in hopes of finally gaining enough power to reestablish their prestige in the north. His family was well known in Gontu. Robert Milon was one of the great warriors responsible for the defense of Seabo 200 years ago during the Gusto repulsion.
It was the first time the family earned their nobility as one of the Old Houses. Despite that, their family had seen a major decline in prestige in more than 100 years. This was because the Milons had never produced another Elementum besides Robert Milon. Some blamed it on a curse while others say their blood became too diluted. For this reason, they had remained as lesser nobles despite being an Old House. Nicholas was praised as the one who would bring glory and honor to their house and had just as much authority as his father, the Viscount. This was because he was gifted as his ancestor, Robert, with his Earth Elementum.
His earth element was a special case, however. This was because it didn't produce the typical earth as most Elementums. Instead, Commander Nicholas was blessed to receive a steel element capable of a sturdier defense and attack than regular earth elements.
Nicholas was dressed in full blue with silver lining on his shirt and pants. His battle gear was always a bit different from his soldiers because of his ability to produce his own steal armor whenever he transformed. He had just finished gathering his men for their march towards Gontu Market. Somewhere in the nearby forest, along Saddleback Road, was a hidden camp of supposed Burgan men. He didn't believe it at first until he saw the Burgan captive the Sergeant brought. His experience defending the border had taught him a lot, especially about Burgans. They all had pale faces with a big red nose but what differentiated them from the Burgan slaves in Katar was their eyes. Nicholas could always tell the difference. Every Burgan he killed had a look of vigor and defiance despite their impending doom. It had always fascinated him to know that even in death the Burgan pigs still fought. They had the pride and honor most Katarians lost with their ancestors.
Nicholas watched as his men set out towards the west. He could see the anger and frustration of his Sergeants as they directed the soldiers. They had advised him against allowing a Sergeant level commoner to ride side by side with him. Their reasoning was that those of nobility always needed to keep up appearances less they unsettle the masses. Clearly, they had been brainwashed by his father and there was, therefore, no reason for him to address it. He had constantly defended the commoners against his father to no avail. He knew that a man's character was not determined by birth but by ability, something he picked up during his stint in Talawa.
From what he learned from the Burgan captive, Sergeant Michael was no ordinary sergeant. The man was able to fight toe to toe with an Elementum Knight Commander and even defeated the man. Nicholas would not have believed the man until he heard who Sergeant Michael had defeated. Knight Commander Boegard was known to clash with Knight captain combatants at the Talawa border on many occasions. He was a terrifying existence, even for Nicholas. For Sergeant Michael to accomplish that meant that he deserved the man's respect. Nicholas didn't care that he was of commoner blood.
He could only command 1000 units as a commander but thanks to his father, he had obtained the best equipment for his soldiers. This effectively allowed Squire level fighters to fight Knight level fighters for some time before being defeated. He signaled his company to move out towards the west with haste. He knew his father only wanted what was considered a great merit, but to him, this was a fight to bring honor to House Milon.