A map of the city was laid out on the table. Surrounding it were those few who didn't go to the king's speech. Center among them was an outlier. Hector was a half-demon mercenary, and despite his appearance as a mid-twenty-something, he was undoubtedly the oldest one there, possibly the oldest person in the city at over two-hundred years old. Even with that time though, most of it spent in war, he could barely hide his anticipation at the coming siege.
While he moved about various figures and stand-ins on the map to adjust and discuss strategy with the others, his mind was elsewhere. In the ten years since his last real challenge, maybe this would finally scratch that itch. Fighting a siege against an army of demons led by a general? He almost accepted the contract without asking for pay. But, a good mercenary never works for free. He could hear his old teacher's voice for a moment. 'Heroes don't get paid. If you're good at something, never do it for free.' she would say with her eternal smirk and that sensual-. He stopped that train of thought before he could dwell on her more.
Much of the work had been done, but he had been going over changes and suggestions with the Junior Officers, the Mickies. He stopped himself again, calling them that would probably not be taken well. In Eisenstadt, the language of the land, they were Ketenveir otze Erden le Arcengel Mikvael, or Knightsquires of the Order of Archangel Michael in his home tongue. He needed to shake the rust off of his Eisenstadt a bit more, so he focused back on the tactical conversation.
They had begun looking at a particular knot of streets and alleys, which he had marked indefensible but vital. This sparked a heated conversation between two of the Officers over whether Hector was right or wrong. He finished notating the intersection between them before explaining himself. "It's a weak point. She is right that many supplies could pass through this point, and taking it would weaken our defenses overall. But both of you ignored the real reason why it's not defensible. Most demons can fly. They may follow the roads, but only out of laziness, not because the walls stop them. The buildings are mostly wood here and the intersection opens up, making defenses meaningless." They both looked grim at his response, but stopped bickering.
As they were about to move onto the next one when a new arrival announced the king's entry. Everyone but Hector stood at attention. Hector had moved onto the next point which caught his attention, it also gave him a chance to ensure that he wasn't seen as just a soldier. He didn't want them thinking he was their good little worker.
The Marshal and his subcommanders entered first, then stood to the side so the king and princes could enter next. They entered and everyone saluted. The king motioned them to stand down quickly, and moved to Hector.
"So, you must be the Mercenary Amar was talking about. It's been a while since I've seen him give a positive opinion on someone who bothered him so much."
Hector turned and accepted a hand from the King. "I look forward to proving the price is worth it."
The King smiled back and looked at the board. "Care to start by explaining your changes?" Straight to business, that was a good sign for Hector.
He nodded and motioned at the map and began immediately. "Your commanders had a decent plan for a mortal army, but not for a demon army. The plan doesn't take into account the almost ubiquitous flight of the demons and I've been adjusting it appropriately."
The king nodded and began asking more specific questions, but partway through his third the door banged open as a girl, perhaps in her teens, entered. It could only be the King's daughter.
