Herald of Steel



Time was of the essence and the men climbed the walls as fast as they could while being as silent as they could.

This was because these men were currently in their most vulnerable position and were thus eager to get up on that wall as soon as possible before the clinking and clanking of the metal hooks against the stone walls could somehow wake the guards up.

And, so they scampered up the walls in what to them felt like hours but in actuality was less than half a minute until all ten men were up on the ramparts.

As soon as their feet hit the stone floor, these men equipped their crossbows and quickly swiveled their heads looking for any guards.

Alexander had wanted these men to carry the 'Instant bow' so that each of the men would have five rapid shots but found that the large bow was too hard to climb up with.

The wooden mechanism between the string and bow would glance against the neighboring soldiers, and so if he wanted to use that, he would have to spread out the men out more, making them more vulnerable to enemy attack as they could be picked off one by one.

As the soldiers scanned the rampart for any sentries, they soon caught sight of a few, near the torches, all dozing off and some even drunk.

*Shoo*, *shoo*, *shoo*,

All were delivered a quick, eternal sleep by multiple arrows fired accurately from near point-blank range, killing them as they could utter only a muffled cry of horror, while Alexander's men mechanically reloaded the crossbow using a ratchet-like those on a cavalry unit would do.

As the squad of men got to work cleaning the scant few men atop, the men on the ground had already pressed ladders against the walls the moment they saw the ten men successfully make their way across, and soon reinforcements started pouring into the left walls of Jabel.

But strangely there were no cries of hurrahs and shouts of jubilation from the men, as one might expect them to make for completing his task.

All these men were veterans from various mercenary groups, and thus they worked silently, and efficiently, without the need to shout orders and directions.

"Enemies!"

"Enemies"

"Run run"

Eventually some of the sleeping sentries were woken up by the scaling soldiers and their thudding footsteps, and the twines of their crossbows.

But it was too little, too late.

Because by that point, more than a company (100 men) had already made a 'beachhead' on the left side of the wall, and their numbers were increasing by the second.

And so the unprepared outnumbered, and scattered sentries, understanding their position simply ran.

Some got lucky and escaped into the city, while many were killed by shots to the back, as other more tragic ones died in accidents, tripping in the dark and breaking bones, in stampedes, and even by being mistaken as the enemy.

"Kajim, you and your men stay clear out the other sections of the walls and then stand by guarding it. Justian, you take the servant quarters. Others follow me to the gates." This order was given to the various sergeants, each responsible for a company by Menes who had at last climbed the walls himself.

And so events unfolded as such, with Kajim's men fanning out in squads to kill any stragglers atop the wall, while Justain's men went around the guard quarters in and around the wall, kicking down the flimsy wooden doors, and hacking all the inhabitants down.

Sometimes they would find some of the men with women, possibly prostitutes, and on some rare occasions even children, which might as well be their daughter or worse.

But regardless of cast, color, race, and gender, they all received the same fate, for Alexander had given all of them strict orders, "Kill everyone."

"My lord, General Menes reports that the left part of the walls has been secured. And that his men are moving to secure the city gates as we speak," A herald rode to report to Alexander with a military salute.

"Mmm, good." Alexander regally nodded while his heart breathed a sigh of relief, as he then asked, "Does he need reinforcements?"

"No, my lord, it appears the five hundred men will be enough." The herald answered with a slight shake of his, before continuing his report.

"Instead, General Menes suggests that Your Grace starts moving the army forward, and to be ready to charge inside once the gates open." The scout relayed.

"Okay," Alexander replied with a singular utterance, after which, finished with his task, the herald performed a salute and rode back.

Alexander meanwhile ordered a forward march before sending word to Melodias to tell him that he would not be needed to act and ordering him to rejoin the main force.

The main army quickly crossed the small distance and laid down large, thick planks of wood over the dug ditches, forming a makeshift bridge, once again showing that a ditch that is not defended could not perform as a ditch.

Now they only needed to wait.

And Menes, to his credit did not keep them waiting for long, for his three-hundred men bulldozed their way through the defenseless city with ease, making a beeline for the gates.

And on their way, the men made sure to light the various houses and other structures with fire using the torches they carried, until even Alexander could see the plumbs of smoke rising from the city.

'Good, it seems the city's been captured,' Alexander said to himself, seeing the smoke as confirmation that the soldiers were inside the city and had started razing it.

There was nothing the defenders could do now to save the city.

And soon, he granted a visual confirmation, as he heard the complex mechanism of the gate being moved and taken part, shortly followed by Menes's joyous greeting, "My lord, welcome."

The fully armored general was flanked by a contingent of soldiers, all having large grins, and was greeted by a much louder chorus of roars.

Since the city was already burning, what point was there being stealthy?

The soldiers soon flooded the city and got down to feast on it like a bloodthirsty hound feasts on a defenseless rabbit, lighting the city on fire, smashing into houses, and generally pillaging and plundering the premises.

And soon agonized screams and muffled whimpers dressed the airs while the thick, stinging odor of wood smoke assaulted all those inside.

A night of tragedy had begun for the residents or rather temporary residents of Jabel, and there was little they could do to resist.

Seeing the horrors unfold in front and around him, Alexander did feel a tinge of regret and remorse for the few innocents that would be eventually caught up in the blazing inferno.

But the vast majority of those residing here currently were people who were tyrants and plagues of misfortune, who spread misery and death among the common populace, bringing them hardship and oppression.

And though some might argue that only the nobles were guilty and those around them innocent, though technically correct, nevertheless they were no doubt either

1. Accomplices- like the various soldiers and bodyguards who did their master's bidding and many times partook in it,

2. Enablers- such as various maids and servants who helped the nobles maintain his lifestyle, while also at times serving as his spies, and lastly

3. Beneficiaries- who were mainly the wives and children and other relatives, who enjoyed the lifestyle they were provided and profited from it.

And just as a father's good deeds elevates his progeny, a father's misdeeds also dooms and curses his progeny.

Of course, rarely did a person fit neatly into only one typical mold but was rather a mixture of two or more, and so Alexander had no problem cleaning the houses, even if the method was crude and barbaric.

"General Menes, you did well. Managing to take the wall with no casualties. Very impressive," Thus as the soldiers razed the city, Alexander and the various high-level leisurely talked outside the city, around the thick, mahogany gate.

Since the city was going to be razed, Alexander did not bother entering it.

"Where, where? We had more troops than the city had residents. And they never expected an attack until our soldiers were opening the gate. It was too easy, too easy," Menes humbly played down his success.

The duo then talked for a while about the operation and if there were any problems during the attack and such, and by the natural flow of the conversation, when they were talking about the soldiers razing the city, the issue about the nobles came up.

"My lord, do you not intend to meet any of the nobles? Perhaps even to hear what they have to say? We can kill them any time." Menes gently prodded.

Though this had already been discussed, Menes still had this nagging feeling that meeting the nobles might be a good idea.

And Melodias, who had by now joined the main group, surprisingly supported Menes, saying,

"The information about the surrounding lands and the various treaties and alliances might be a good thing to know." before suggesting,

"Perhaps we could kill them after the interrogations. In this way, we might be even able to get some written confessions."

It appeared the potential value of capturing a noble moved even the cautious man when he was directly faced with it.

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