Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 318: Great raid(2)

Chapter 318: Great raid(2)

By many hailed as Emperor, Mavius stood tall on the rise overlooking the camp. The sun, low on the horizon, bathed the sprawling tents and banners in a fiery orange glow. His gilded armor gleamed in the fading light.

A column of cataphractarii, their heavy armor clinking faintly with each step of their steeds, delivered the latest batch of prisoners into the camp. The captured barbarians trudged forward in a ragged line, bound by thick ropes that snaked between them. They wore for the most part little more than fur pelts, their faces streaked with sweat and dirt, their heads bowed low in defeat.

Mavius observed them with an inscrutable expression. There were 340 prisoners in all—warriors of the tribes that had dared raid the empire's borders. These men had been caught during the rout after the devastating charge of the cataphractarii had broken their ranks and crushed their hopes of escape.

This was the third barbarian band stopped in its tracks on imperial soil this week , and Mavius felt a satisfaction at the sight. The so-called "sons of the north" were learning that the empire's lands were not as weak as they had believed.

Already, slavers were preparing to take possession of the prisoners. Merchants and handlers, some with parchments in hand, moved among the captives, evaluating them with cold efficiency. The deals had been struck even before the final capture, payments made to the imperial coffers for these new slaves. Their fates were sealed: labor in the mines, a short and ugly sentence for the rest of their life.