Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 141: Starting the siege(2)

A few hours had passed since the besieging army arrived, and the defenders of Confluendi—numbering only 400—watched anxiously from the city's battered walls. Out on the horizon, 700 soldiers toiled in disciplined silence, erecting an orderly camp as though they had all the time in the world. Even from their distant vantage point, the garrison could see that at least half of the enemy forces were not part of the labor, standing guard instead, ready to thwart any attempt at a sortie. 

 The garrison's own armaments were a sorry comparison—ill-maintained and rusted.As they had to scrap the barrel as the store-house was completely empty. 

Many of the defenders bore nothing but a simple sword or a crude lance, and fewer still had shields.

Now, faced with the sight of a well-trained army, armed to the teeth with weapons gleaming like silver under the sunlight, they could see the stark difference between themselves and their enemy. The attackers looked more like an unstoppable war machine, where even the rank and file carried steel that seemed freshly forged. These were no ragged militia or conscripts—they were professional soldiers, drilled and battle-hardened.

One of the men on the wall, a young conscript with a few strands of a dark beard clinging to his chin, held up his own sword. The blade had spots of orange rust crawling up from the hilt, and the once-sharp edge had dulled from disuse. He stared at it for a long moment, then shifted his gaze back to the soldiers outside—disciplined, prepared, and menacing. His voice came out, low and trembling.

"How in the gods' names are we supposed to kill those?"

He wasn't addressing anyone in particular, but the desperation in his voice caught the attention of those nearby.