8. Madman in the City

  Myrddin disobeyed Morganius and sent his 200 men on a march to the city of Demetras. He had correctly made the assumption that Morganius would need assistance because his small force was not really suited to taking such an important city.

  That man is the most crazy I’ve ever seen, and I love him for it. He will need all the help he can get.

  Morganius took firing positions at angry Turanian troops over the course of the late night. Unfortunately for Morganius, his reputation had preceded him, with thousands of angry residents who were pelting Morganius with stones and tomatoes. He threw ice in the air, and they scattered, but many protested his movements. He shredded Turanian town guards with ice through the ribs and stomach, stunning local citizens.

  “I am a pagan and I have come to take your city!” Morganius shouted like a madman.

  “Our commander is insane…” some soldiers whispered.

  Morganius took the main avenue, fighting off angry soldiers who came to reinforce the defence of the city. Morganius shot through several Turanian officers. The Crixian community of the city, some 10% of the city, gawked at the man carrying the Mikel flag.

  “That’s that crazy pagan guy!” A boy said, “what a madman!”

  “Doing what is mad is part of our glorious future! Does anyone doubt our capabilities!” Morganius said shooting into a crowd of defenders.

  Clearing the way, the small mercenary band made its way to the governor’s palace. There was not enough time to summon reinforcements, Morganius shooting away any kind of help the governor of the city could receive, but the Turanians did try, their cavalry squadrons rushing to aid the governor only to be killed. Overall control of the city was hard to come by as Morganius could only run around killing people and was not liked by the city. Morganius had come close to some impressive fortifications guarding the palace. Archers in towers who aimed down at him, were quickly neutralised, much to the shock of the local citizenry. Men with pikes rushed him, only to be left corpses.

  “Surrender or die!”

  He blasted the gates, his men pushing the gatehouse back. The granite walls buckled under the weight of the invading mercenary band, Morganius surged forward. The courtyard had dopey guards who were easy for Morganius to end, his mercenaries got used to not having to work hard.

  “We seize the governor!”

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  The governor was up a flight of stairs. The courtyard had to pairs of stairs that led to the same place, up to the palace grounds. Again guards were sniped with well placed ice bolts.

  “That is very useful,” Zaras whispered, “too useful.”

  Zaras slashed a man who came to close to Morganius, the assassin had hid behind the gate hoping to end the madness, instead he joined the corpses. The mercenaries filed up the courtyard stairs in two groups, not approached by anyone, they ran through the interior of the palace largely unmolested, the guards killed. They saw a door guarded by two men, so many crossbows pointed at the guards but they still moved, and yet again Morganius put two ice bolts in the throat. The governor was caught in the middle of fornication, caught in the act, Morganius pointed at the man.

  “Arrest him, he’s our ticket to capturing the city,” Morganius grinned grimly, “we’ve captured the governor, your city has fallen!”

  “Your city has fallen, we’ve captured the governor!” Was repeated endlessly by his men, as they paraded the hapless man across his own palace, and soon enough on the streets.

  The Mikel flag was hoisted on the palace for the first time in 60 years, the local citizens awed into silence, the local Turanians attempted violence only to be ended, strewn on the streets. Taking the governor’s palace, Morganius had access to 20,000 silvers, with so much gold he hired 2000 mercenaries who promptly took over the security of the city. Turanian troops attempted to wrestle control only to be shot at by crossbowmen.

  By early morning Myrddin arrived with 200 troops, entering the city to a town still at war with Morganius. Large parts of the city were Kena religiously and to them a pagan was worse than anything and yet now a pagan was technically the lord of their city. News spread rapidly of the capture. 2750 mercenaries were in Morganius’s command. Myrddin put the flag of Mikel on a watchtower and managed to defeat some Turanian left overs, but the control of the city was tenuous at best.

  “Mikel is dead! Turan will rule the world!” Some people cried at him.

  “And yet Mikel rules this city!” Myrddin retorted, “long live the old gods!”

  The citizens of Demetra booed at him, and he revelled in their booing.

  “Baron Morganius will make Turan pay for its transgressions, I know it is true!”

  Baron Morganius assembled his new makeshift army, coloured in purple like a true Mikel army, they were nonetheless loyal to coin and not to any ideology. He took various segments of the city, but many areas were basically lawless and not following him at all. As chance would have it, the Turanians were already mobilising a field army to try and take the city. 15,000 troops were already marching toward the city, Turan had been informed of the so called Baron’s progress. Mikelian spies were in consternation.

  The pagan baron has taken the city of Demetras, he cannot be allowed to be lord of the city. He should remain a baron, any promotion of such a man will surely cause instability.

  Even while spies wrote about how terrible a pagan lord would be, the empire’s western flank was being attacked by the Bulganum kingdom, the city of Scupus and Achenum were being besieged, with apparently a demand to put a pro Bulganum Emperor on the throne. Morganius heard the news with great worry.

  “Mikel is finished,” Zaras whispered, “if these reports are true, then the Empire is dead, you can’t save it.”

  “Whatever faults the Empire has, Mikelum is a strong citadel, not even Bulganum can conquer it.”

  “You just took Demetras for Mikel,” Myrddin said, “the empire can survive still.”

  Much of the city waited for the Turanian relief army, comforted to think that Mikel would be beaten out, and that the dastardly pagan would be defeated by the relief army.

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