Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 419: Receiving news across the sea(1)

Chapter 419: Receiving news across the sea(1)

Alpheo sat in his workroom, the dim glow of a single lantern casting flickering shadows on the stacks of parchment spread across his heavy oak desk. He took a slow sip of honeyed milk, the warmth of the drink fighting against the bitter chill that crept through the stone walls of Yarzat's citadel. It was December, and winter had settled upon the city, its icy fingers slipping through every crack, seeping into the bones of those unprepared. 

Before him lay reports—documents detailing the state of the capital's crime under his rule. Alpheo's sharp eyes traced the carefully inked lines, reading the accounts of arrests, and reports about how criminality crackdown was going. The situation had improved, but the city had been a festering pit of lawlessness before his arrival.

The gangs had once ruled Yarzat with clear-cut territories, each faction carving out its domain like lords of the underworld. Their control had been made all the easier by the garrison's corruption—guards accepting bribes to look the other way, allowing thieves and murderers to operate unchecked. Few patrols wandered the streets, and those who did often ignored the cries for help, more afraid of angering the gangs than failing their sworn duty.

It had been an unspoken agreement: the city belonged to the gangs, and the soldiers merely collected their share for staying out of the way. That had been the order of things. Until now.

Alpheo placed the empty cup aside and leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping idly against the armrest. The city was no longer the same, but there was still work to be done. His arrival had shattered the comfortable balance of the underworld, and now the rats were scurrying, desperate to either survive or reclaim what they had lost.

Winter had come to Yarzat. And for some, it would be their last.

Alpheo allowed himself a rare smile as he glanced over the latest report from Laedio, the head of the capital's garrison. The man had proven to be a relentless force against the gangs that once infested Yarzat, striking at them with a brutal efficiency that even Alpheo found impressive.