Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 338: Storming the trenches(1)

Chapter 338: Storming the trenches(1)

Arnold sat tall on his warhorse, its black coat gleaming under the morning sun, much like the intricate decoration of his armor. Gold accents caught the light with every movement, making him a shining figure as he moved deliberately through the ranks. 

The 800 footmen stood in disciplined rows, their weapons at their sides, eyes locked on their prince. Each man could hear him clearly as his horse paced slowly along the line. Arnold's words, when he spoke, would carry to all corners, but for now, he said nothing. 

He looked closely at the faces in the lines. Some of these men came from villages ravaged by the rebels—homes burned, families slaughtered, as they were recruited on the way there. Their eyes burned with a fury that needed no words to express. They craved vengeance, and it was this shared hunger for retribution that bound them together. 

The aftermath of the night attack had only solidified their resolve. No prisoners had survived. Those rebels who were unfortunate enough to be dragged back into the camp alive were quickly surrounded by soldiers whose anger boiled over. Without orders, men had approached the captives and slit their throats on the spot. For those few who initially survived the butchery, their fate was no less grim.

Arnold had allowed it to happen, watching impassively as the captured were then dragged to a spot where the rebels atop the hills could see. They were tortured, their screams echoing across the battlefield, reaching the ears of their comrades above. Piece by piece, the soldiers took their revenge, cutting into the prisoners while laughing cruelly. Arnold knew the psychological toll this would take on the rebels, and he made no move to stop it. By the time the soldiers were finished, there were no prisoners left—only broken bodies dumped in plain view of the enemy.