10
The Chiefs sat around the oblong table carved out of wood. A fine red cloth made from expensive Leib Olmai fur lay across the table, where meetings and political discussions took place. Glasses of honey ale imported from Geffen were placed at each seat of the long table, which was considered a little vacant as about fifty people could attend the meeting without any lack of space.
Only nine persons were present including the king, the rest made up of Chiefs of the footmen department, bowmen department, cavalry department, support department, scout department and the armory department. The footmen department consists of knights and crusaders fighting on foot, which was the main melee force of a battle after the cavalry.
The bowmen department consists of hunters and a minority of archers, mainly in charge of ranged assaults, breaking the ranks of enemies with their shower of arrows.
Monks, acolytes and priests made up the support department. Usually placed at the vanguard of an army, they boost the morale and capability of the army, driving them on, not to mention that they too acted as the first aid. On the other hand, monks were put together with footmen, attacking with their deadly fists and unmatched martial arts.
The scout department had different races, but a majority was assassins or rogues, a minority of hunters. Because of their shifty nature, they were well suited for this job. Hunters were employed as their falcons were just as suitable for reconnaissance missions.
Lastly, blacksmiths, alchemists and merchants formed the armory department, in charge of crafting and forging lethal equipments for the warriors. They were also largely depended on for the town's economy by conducting trades with other towns. Therefore there was a reason why the king sometimes value them more than anyone else.
The two remaining were the popular warlords of the Pronteran army, always in the lead during battles. The taller warlord, who wields a Zweihandler, was known to everyone as Larzen. The man had a beard grown over his under half of his face, strands of brown hair hanging past his eyebrows. He had to half shut his right eye at all times, for a past injury left his eye permanently damaged.
The second warlord was often mistaken for a dwarf. A thick, bushy white beard hung pass his meaty chin, curly white hair left uncombed, leaving it in a mess. Smith was about three-quarter of Larzen's height, which was already considered short by human standards. Known to indulge in dwarven history and traditions, the stout warlord fought with both hammer and axe in each hand, which very much resemble the fighting style of one.
The king looked at each Chief and warlord thoughtfully.
"I request the attendance of two, well-established guild. Otherwise, I have no wish to proceed," the king demanded.
Larzen raised a brow, biting his lower lip.
"Sounds like a good plan, yet unlikely to work out," the tall warlord said.
"I know what you're drivin' at, Zen," his counterpart responded. "Unless the sun rises from the west, these two giants won't ever be collaborating, y'know."
The king drummed the table impatiently.
"Yes, very unlikely to work out. Maybe this time round I should exercise a little bit of my authority."
"You force an alliance, they'll strike at each other," the cavalry chief protested.
"Do they not respect the king? If the verdict is final, both guilds must oblige. Otherwise... I will have no choice but to carry out the expulsion of both parties."
"They might just do that."
The king, apparently agreeing to his subjects in grim silence, started downing his glass of ale.
"Right, they might just do that," the king repeated the cavalry chief's words, clenching and unclenching his fists.
"There is much to be done. Chaos had already befallen on beloved city. I'd reckon there's massive bloodshed," Smith said.
The king snapped his fingers at one guard.
"Bring the Avenger and the Overlords here, as of this moment!"
The guard bowed his head in respect, then ran off to carry out his given task.
"My lord, why don't we employ the other guilds that were involved in the earlier competition? They might co-operate without disputes, at least," Larzen suggested.
"All able-bodied men will have to be involved in the battle, let alone these guilds. Before your arrivals, I made arrangements."
"I've reports that one unfortunate guild were killed by the four when they were trapped in the rubble," the bowmen chief said.
"Indeed. The rest would have still have to put their differences aside."
"Aye, Avenger and Overlords are tough nuts to crack though," Smith spoke absent-mindedly.
"Make no speculations just yet. We hear 'em, then we decide," Kegar, the armory chief said.
"Fine," the king said, slapping both palms on the table. "We'll hear what they've got to say."