The dead had slunk back into the shadows of the city. The sun was not down yet. Maxum needed to know who else was left. Brand was not lighting him on fire, so he was likely dead. The knights guarding him was likely dead. That put the number of knights in the city to under 50. If the cavalry had not all deserted yet they were likely only about 20 in number. Worse yet the craftsmen might have been wiped out. Whatever was left in the workshops was worth its weight in gold.
Maxum looked at his torn-up company. The boys were still on edge. Three of the grenadiers had died today. A hundred or so died at the north gate. More of the men were wounded than not. A lot of scratches but being scratched by a dead man was a bad dice roll. Every man had tucked at least one bottle of looted high proof alcohol to drink latter. They were now being used to clean any scrape a man had. The old man looked at his tired friends in yellow coats.
"If Lord Brand hasn't set me on fire before night fall, we are leaving this city," declared Maxum. "We need wagons if we are going to make a real escape. Pull together whatever provisions and wagons you can. The men can take one gold bar or fist of coins if you catch a man stuffing his pack with something not food or ammunition beat his ass. I would like to have such idiots used as wagon mules, but I don't know we have that luxury. I am taking 20 men and am going to check on the workshops. I need one of you to check the governor's manor see if the knights and bastards are still living. Requisition the cannons."
The veterans nodded and one pulled a handful of straws.
The old man pointed at a few men who didn't look busy. The look on their face was grim but new they could not disobey the old man. The chosen men formed a column and marched out of the compound.
The fire outside the gate had died down. Blackened meat and flesh clung to the walls around the bank. Some blackened arms still scratched at the wall. The looks on the boy's faces were grim.
"Don't mind them too much," declared the old man. "You killed them twice it will take a lot more for them to get up a third time."
"Not impossible to get up again?" asked one of the soldiers.
"We were attacked by a walking statue only a few hours ago," responded the old man. "If you break the dead men's bones, they can't stand those bones are to brittle now to stand. I would know."
The men walked in silence to the first workshop. The door was open, and all the men inside were gone. This was the place the scatterguns were made. It looked like everyone had stood up and left. Most of the weapons were sitting on tables. Cartage boxes where gone but muskets and food stocks were untouched. A cart was filled with the useful guns and food. Much to the old man's concern all the gunpowder in the shop was missing.
The wagon was pulled to the next workshop were cannons were made. A man in an orange coat looked out over them and announced him to the rest of the workshop. The craftsmen inside looked at him from their tables as the soldiers ran over to him.
"I need to talk to Douglass," declared the old man. "All the people in one workshop are gone and we just got hit hard at the bank. Pack up and report to the bank we are leaving this city or will die trying."
The soldiers ran off and the craftsmen began to stir. A man with brown hair and large round rimed glasses emerged from inside the cannon factory.
"Sergeant of arms, what is this about?" asked the head tradesman.
"I have had enough of this city and I think they got Lord Brand," declared the old soldier.
"Why do you think they killed him?" asked Douglass.
"We got attacked about the same time he sent up a signal fire," responded Maxum. "We were under siege and could not help. That was a few hours ago and no rider has come to tell me off for not sending reinforcements."
"This is serious," agreed the crafts master. "What's this about a missing workshop?"
"The Blunderbuss workshop is abandoned like everyone dropped whatever they were doing and left," answered the old Sergeant. "I'm organizing a breakout. I will be taking all the steel, powder and men I can find and leaving this sun forsaken city."
"Are you headed to the manor next?" asked the tradesman.
"I will meet with one of my men their and help secure the cannons," declared the old soldier. "I have an escape plan, but I will need a lot of powder for it to work."
"Can we not just leave through a gate?' asked the Douglass?
"We lost the gates a few nights ago," explained Maxum. "we are going to have to fight our way out."
"If Lord Brand is dead than I will be happy to go with you," declared the young man. "Pack up your tools fellas we are following the sergeant. Someone go get in touch with the hammer factory."