Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 249: Bonds

Chapter 249: Bonds

Two soldiers grunted as they hoisted a heavy stack of timber from the cart, sweat dripping from their brows in the noonday sun.

The makeshift fortifications surrounding the enemy's inner keep were already beginning to take shape—barricades, sharpened stakes, and wooden palisades designed to hold any sudden attempt at a breakout.

It had been two days since Arduronaven fell, and the soldiers of Alpheo's army worked tirelessly, fueled by both orders and their own hunger for profit.

The first soldier, a wiry man with a crooked nose, set his bundle down with a loud thud and straightened his back, groaning. "I swear, if I see another copper coin, I'll spit. Damn peasants didn't have more than a few silvers between them."

The second soldier, a broader man with a patchy beard, wiped his hands on his tunic and nodded. "Tell me about it. Thought we'd be walking out of here with enough gold to live like lords. What did I get? A sack of copper, few carrots, and a pair of boots that don't even fit."

Crooked Nose snorted, grabbing another plank. "Same here. Most of 'em barely had anything worth taking. It's all in there." He jerked his head toward the imposing inner keep, its tall stone walls defiant despite being surrounded. "That's where the real treasures are—gold coins, jewelry, silks, good women."