50 In Steelshade Once More

"It's the King's soldiers!" commoners shouted as they passed them on the main road. The street was larger clear, everyone getting out of the soldiers' way. Jacob appreciated the express passage through the city and to the military's residences in Steelshade.

City guardsmen watched the procession with great interest, but Jacob didn't remember any of them from his time in Steelshade. He supposed entering through a different gate put them in a different guardhouse's jurisdiction. Jacob wondered if he should go pay Lieutenant Edward and the captain a visit when he had a free moment. He wanted to test his skills against the lieutenant once more, if he being was honest.

The city seemed more festive than it ever had been. Banners were flying from the more affluent shops, while the less fortunate put out a few ribbons in the red and dark green colors of the city lord, Duke Albert Hycinth. The guardsmen, too, appeared to have changed their uniforms' color. No longer were they wearing Delreya's light green and blue; crimson underclothes accented their leather armor, with green trim highlighting the Duke's colors. A soaring eagle, the Duke's coat of arms, was emblazoned on their armor. For a moment, Jacob actually felt jealous. Their armor was so much cooler than the Fourth's.

A towering man wearing plate armor approached the precession from ahead, blocking the way to the military compound with a number of similarly adorned warriors. "Halt!" he called out. "You are entering a restricted area. Unless you have an order from the King or the Duke, we will not allow you to pass."

Commander Ericksson rode out ahead of the Fourth, one of the few officers still with a horse. "I am Major Ericksson, commander of the Fourth Infantry. I have received a Royal Mandate allowing me to resupply wherever I must. My troops have just fought off a goblin incursion at Writha Fortress. We are in low supply and in poor morale. If forced, we can camp outside the city, but we'd much prefer staying in your barracks, if that is acceptable with the Lord," he responded, causing the other man to run his fingers through his thick, golden beard.

"It is the Autumn Festival, after all…" Jacob heard the Duke's man say from his position at the front of the Fourth's line. "Let me send a messenger to the Duke's castle. If he agrees, we can take around six hundred men at our barracks. From the looks of it, there are about a thousand of you. Maybe the War Colleges would take some of your men in? The Blade Colleges are especially eager around this time of year; they'd probably welcome fellow warriors to test their mettle against." At the end of his speech, the man ushered a man to go deliver his message to Duke Hycinth.

The Commander and the man, now known to the Fourth as Captain Jordan Thomson, spoke privately while waiting for the messenger to return. Soldiers from both sides milled about, but Jacob tried to stay within earshot of the two bigwigs.

"I wasn't aware the Duke had his men wear his colors. I thought only Duke Raleigh imposed his own colors on his private troops," Jacob heard the Commander say.

"Duke Hycinth has imposed recent reform over his military affairs. Recent activity with the Kingdom's men have caused great confusion between our conflicting power structures. He felt it prudent to differentiate us," Captain Thomson replied, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I assure you, there are no shenanigans going on here, Major."

"I should hope there aren't. King Benjamin III will hear of this recent change in policy. I'm sure he'll understand your Duke's reasons," the Commander offered, his words carrying the hint of a threat. Thomson picked up on it, his grin slipping. Commander Ericksson, aware that their stay in the city would likely depend on the captain in front of them, walked his words back. "It's a minor issue, anyway. Surely, nothing will come of it."

The return of the messenger diffused the thick tension in the air. Jacob applauded the nimble man's timely return. "Sirs! The Duke has granted permission for the Fourth Infantry to remain within Steelshade proper and resupply. He has written directives to Relentless Blade College and Dauntless Blade College to shelter two hundred soldiers within their halls, each."

"Fantastic! We thank you for your assistance, Captain Thomson. We'll be out of your hair within the week, once we've resupplied." With that, Commander Ericksson turned to his troops, calling out the names of lieutenants to divide whose unit would go where. When all the names were called, the Commander called Jacob's. "Special Sergeant Jacob, you are to take shelter in Relentless Blade College. As you are not a part of any of the units responsible for acquiring provisions, you may spend your time as you wish. Please, do try to make it to the barracks by Friday morning, a week from now. I'd hate to delay our departure."

Saluting smartly, Jacob turned and followed the two lieutenants who were marching their men to Relentless. The two hundred boots stomping on the streets of Steelshade caused quite a commotion, especially when people realized that these men weren't a part of the city's regular force. Jacob smiled at one of the little boys he passed by, noticing quite a lot of the children surrounding the streets' edge, eager to see the men of the Fourth Infantry.

Jacob's armor drew many people's attention, especially as they neared Relentless. At the gates of the imposing college, a complex of tall three-story buildings, one of the lieutenants gave the man at the gates the Duke's Order. Promptly, the Fourth's men were led through the gates and taken into a main hall. Inside, hundreds of warriors sat around, joking loudly as they sat around in lounge chairs. Deeper within the building, Jacob passed by a few training halls, hearing the characteristic ringing of blades colliding.

Nearly at the far edge of the building from where they entered, the Fourth entered a meeting place of sorts. It wasn't any larger than the main hall, but it was far more open. Only a single seat occupied the space at the end of the room. A tall, beautiful woman occupied the seat.

"Men of the Fourth Infantry, Relentless welcomes you!" she proclaimed, hopping up from the regal chair. "Accommodations have been made; you'll be shown to your rooms after we're done here." She grinned, a scar along the side of her face stretching as she did so. It made her look simultaneously mischievous and dangerous.

"Now, I've heard that not all of you will be participating in resupplying for your trip back to Kingsrest," she began. "You see, we have a tournament at the end of every Autumn Festival, here in Steelshade. Which of you would like to partake?"