MERCS:

Lothar 'Stiff' Sauer | Alfie 'The Guvnah' Goodfellow | Seregin 'Lord of Ossilion' | Valnor Farsight | Rosalind De Cheney | Bletcher | Oripione | Chinara 'Vixen' Makinde | Wynter Blair | Raimy 'Rake' Molleker | Henning 'Tree' Teller | Murder | The Baron | Odafe 'Smoke' Negedu

"Well, that didn't seem to work, mate," Alfie said, with a certain amount of understatement.

The first Sargassian warriors reached the walls. They put their ladders against them, at an angle that made it impossible to push them off. They began climbing, as the defenders Foberoy had assembled readied themselves for the onslaught.

"We have to go," Lothar told Alfie. "Defend the city," he ordered the remainder of his crew.

He received more than one dark look at those words. Like maybe he'd handed out a death sentence. Apples seemed to be dropping like flies right now. But they were all in a fight to the death. The next few moments would decide the fate of Gal'azu.

***

"Defend the city," Stiff ordered.

Chinara shared dark looks with Wynter and Rake. Defend the city from an army hundreds strong? How, exactly? Still, I'd rather be here than where they're going. "They have a task just as deadly," she reminded them. "We've no choice but to get on with ours."

"True enough," said Tree. He leaned over the battlements and pulled back the string of his bow. His first arrow struck its target with so much force the warrior lost her grip and fell off the ladder.

Realising she could do the same, Chinara loaded her sling and fired her first bullet. The warriors climbing the ladders were sitting targets. Moreover, the first few she targeted made no effort to avoid her missiles, intent on getting over the city walls.

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At which point we're done for.

"Vixen!" Wynter shouted from her position on the wall. "Here!"

Chinara rushed over. Beneath them, Greenblade was climbing the ladder. Instinct kicked in, as she pushed half a dozen questions aside. Her sling shot struck Ashlyn on the top of her head, dealing 14 damage. The enchanted merc fell from the ladder, landing on the ground below, suffering a further 2 damage.

Chinara checked to see she wasn't dead, feeling guilty at what she had done. Could so easily have been me.

A powerful force rocked her. There was an arrow in her chest, and she had lost 17 hit points. She might have fallen off the battlements if Wynter hadn't grabbed her and dragged her away.

"Help!" Blair cried. "It's Clamor!"

"I see him," Tree said. Henning caught his fellow scout with a well-aimed strike for 13 damage, before Clamor found safety by standing flat against the wall.

The diversion allowed the first Silent Warriors to reach the battlements. The city militia engaged them but would soon be overwhelmed.

Murder delivered a point of damage with his cudgel, before being tackled to the ground.

Smoke slashed with his fast hands, making a circle of corpses as he tried to reach his fellow Alinko.

Vixen struggled to her feet. She had a mere 11 hit points left, but she had to help. She loaded her sling and hit with her first attempt, though 7 hit points did little to stop her target.

Rake glided in and finished the injured warrior with a low sword lunge, then helped Murder back to his feet. Wynter took up position in front of Chinara, ready to defend her.

She reloaded, looked up, and gasped with fear.

Princess Eyota had bounded up the ladder Ashlyn had tried to climb and now jumped onto the battlements with an easy power. She wore a vicious grin as she surveyed the scene.

Vixen launched her stone, but Eyota blocked it with her forearm, her Armour of Resilience protecting her.

However, she couldn't stop Tree's arrow from burying in her thigh.

The princess gritted her teeth and launched herself at Henning. She was lightning quick, her first blow with Greenblade piercing his scale mail and delivering 27 points of damage.

Rake intervened, attacking with two swords, forcing Eyota to trade blows.

Smoke attacked from behind, trying to sever Eyota's hamstring.

Henning replaced his bow with his axe. With 2 action points remaining, he managed to hit with his second.

The force of it sent Eyota staggering and allowed Rake to land a blow with his longsword.

But none of the strikes the Sargassian received lost her a single hit point. She recovered, striking Rake for 17 damage. Four more blows followed, Molleker somehow anticipating and meeting each of them with one of his swords.

In frustration, the princess lurched back towards Tree. He met her backhand cut with his axe shaft, but he was left open to her next swing. The blow was even worse than the first Henning had taken, ripping open his torso and spilling his insides on the stone of the city battlements.

Tree lay dead, and the emperor's Right Arm had only just begun.

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