It had been an exciting hour since I arrived at the mercenary market. One thing was for sure. A great many of the men and women selling their services here were of exceptional personality. Their colorful clothes and ornate armor and at times the lack of either gave testament to it. In the end we had commandeered the tent of the Four Horned Lancers Company, the cavalry unit that piqued my interest in right away, to conduct negotiations with all the other mercenary officers involved in this endeavor. It was the largest here at the square after all and even so it was barely spacious enough to accommodate everyone. Partially that was due to the fact that more than a few had brought their scribes as well, as they were most familiar with all the legal issues at hand.

Now we sat and stood around a small table cluttered with various pieces of parchment, in some cases four ranks deep. Directly across from me sat Tora'pheer, the captain of the Lancers. She and all her warriors were demons and more importantly women, similar of build to Kaele. It was understandable. Men and women like me would have been to heavy or bulky for most mounts, especially the mountain ibex, large as they might be. She was wearing ornate three-quarter plate armor and most of her women were equipped similarly. They as a whole probably were the most costly investment I would make today. Next to her, utterly relaxed and apparently without a care in the world lounged Tortho, the dark elf captain of the captain of the Cloak, the one I had spoken with first.

The most imposing figure in the tent probably was Yath'zur, a young giant, and as I learned a cousin of Gash'zur from the treasury. He was the spokesman, he refused the term captain, of the Wall Breakers, one of the smallest complements, just a dozen strong, I intended to hire. Yet, that dozen would cost me almost as much as the lancers, since they were a mixed bunch of giants and trolls. They would be my siege train or the heaviest of heavy infantry to anchor a line of battle if there was need. Anyway, he sat there cross legged, all smiles, and taking up at least as much room as any two others. Well, I would be all smiles in his place as well. The king's rules of mercenary business allowed him to ask for a rather hefty price after all. I probably had to count myself fortunate that he hadn't pushed the limits since he was already missing out on the main action at the gap. He was eager to get some actual combat experience.

Together these three formed the backbone of my new banner and each one had suggested a few more, smaller outfits to fill out the numbers as the queen requested them. If I were to add any warriors I could still draft from Caer'zoth, without leaving its defenses too diminished, and Quu'za's harpies I would have well more than three hundred under my command. The idea of commanding that many warriors had my head swimming. It was exhilarating as well as intimidating. I would have to get used to it. There was just no other way. Sure I could delegate some tasks to the captains, and they would probably thank me if I left them some room to work with my orders, but in the end I would have to shoulder this responsibility. In the end these lives and indirectly probably many more would be in my hands.

The contracts for their companies were the topmost ones on the pile of parchment in front of me. They were not just about money either. I had had an inkling that the contract laws for mercenaries were rather substantial. It still came as a surprise to see them applied to the contracts piling up on the table now. We had come to an agreement to hire everyone for three months straight. That apparently was the usual length for the campaign season. There were options though to extend the contracts, at additional cost, if there should be need. That was only the start of it though. The second big chunk of contract work was about equipment and supplies. Mostly they would bring their own equipment, except for camouflage cloaks I insisted everyone get, but I would have to keep everyone supplied on the march. That among other things meant a lot of food and even animal feed.

The clauses regarding pay for injury and even death of any mercenaries weren't negotiable either. I had a little more wriggle room concerning salvage and plunder rights. We came to agree that everyone would receive a share depending on their unit's strength at the time of the signing of the contract, after any loot had gone through processing by the treasury and I had received a fifty percent share. That still left plenty of butter on everyone's bread as far as I could tell. At least if we managed to get our hands on any loot worth mentioning. Everyone seemed to have high hopes in that regard though, considering I was paying them with coin procured in just that way. Well, hopefully I wouldn't have to disappoint any of them. Considering the human's preference to equip even their mostly untrained militia soldiers with mass produced iron or steel weapons and at times armor I probably needn't worry too much.

I glanced at Kaele who was sitting at my side again, after finishing with her part of our shopping. She was reading through each and every contract one last time before handing them to me for signing and sealing. No one seemed to mind. Quite to the contrary. Every time I sealed a contract a little cheer went up among the gathered soldiers for hire. Out of the corner of my eyes I caught sight of my sister's familiar clambering over some of the assembled mercenaries. No one seemed to mind that either. The opposite was true. The little cat earned herself a lot of head pats and chin scratches as it made the rounds. Oh, if only I could have been without a care in the world, like her. Was it wrong to be envious of a cat? No, I decided in the end. The little one had it pretty good.

Every time I signed and sealed a parchment. Zul'gar would start counting out coin from one of the many strong chests we had brought into the tent with us, under the watchful eyes of the respective company's representative. At the same time one or another of his right hand men or women would copy a list of supplies we would need to purchase from the contract and set out to see that particular task accomplished. The various suppliers who had set up shop around the square in between the fortified compounds of the mercenaries were making a killing as well. We probably would have to buy some more supplies along the road but that was something I could worry about another day.

Yes, I would take care of that tomorrow. Once we met up with Quu'za again we could send ahead some of her harpies to make arrangements in the villages along the road. Most of them would really appreciate a word of advance warning about a armed force this size coming through anyway. We didn't mean them any harm but it was better to be safe rather than sorry. We would have to camp along the road for the better part. Most settlements would not open their gates for an army like mine. I should still be able to buy some more food and feed off them as we passed through though. The way back probably wouldn't take us quite as long either. Not if I got my will anyway. As far as I was concerned we would march the whole army at the best speed we could maintain until we were back in Caer'zoth.

There most of them could rest up a little, possibly with the exception of the scouts until we knew more about the way the human army had taken. By that time I would know the various units under my command a little better as well. That would help me decide who I would take along across the mountains and who I might leave to defend my home instead. Maybe we would have to hunt down some more stragglers of the human army as well. We would see in time. With a little flourish I sealed the last of the contracts and another cheer went up, this one a little louder and longer than the ones that had come before it. As the noise died down again I let my eyes wander around the tent. I took a deep breath. “Very well, everyone. Gather your warriors, if you haven't already, and get ready to move. We have no time to waste. We leave as soon as the last of the supplies are ready.”

They started to leave the tent, some alone, others in small groups, after a last handshake with me, taking with them their pay as well as their copy of the contract. By the time the tent had emptied with the exception of its actual owner, a lot of coin had walked out the tent flap. I rose as well and shook the hands of Tora'pheer and her scribe. “Well, I better get my things in order as well.” Then I turned to Kaele. “You got everything you needed as well?” She nodded as we stepped out of the tent, followed by her familiar. I let my gaze wander. Quite a few of the strong chests were now empty. Some of them had changed hands entirely. We still would carry a substantial fortune though. The pack animals were being loaded with the first of our supplies instead. I could even see more being led towards us already fully loaded. I looked for Zul'gar and when my eyes found his he let me know that everything was proceeding smoothly with a simple hand gesture. I patted Kaele on the back. “Time to get moving then or we will completely clog up the roads.”