Year 09-435 on the 15th day of Craving. 5 days after the army was sidetracked by the Flatfaced-Bull stampede.
Duke's army easily traveled in the morning through the thick forest, curving around the Tarasque's territory, and finally reaching the Konigsberg reinforcement rally point in the afternoon.
The estimated number of reinforcements was said to be around 8 to 10 thousand men. Duke and his measly 200 men were but a drop in the bucket.
As they approached the large encampment, Duke and the other officers leading the 200 were met with the main army's scouts to verify their identities.
Scout: "State your purpose and allegiance" The scout shouted.
"We are soldiers from Maine, led by our Lord, Duke Pendragon, reporting for duty!" Rudon replied in soldier fashion.
"You guys are from Maine, huh... Then you must be Lord Duke. The other Nobles and officers are already in the commander's tent, milord. I believe they're discussing the army's formation right about now..." The Scout respectfully pointed to the largest tent in the camp.
Duke nodded as he rode his very tired horse (Probably thanks to his weight) straight towards the commander's tent.
As Duke rode forward he was met with the different soldiers within the camp, dressed in the uniforms Brune had setup.
Brune was a very large Empire set dead-center within the territories of man, surrounded by other large more exotic Empires to its north, south, east, and west. So it was no wonder that the people of Brune were as diverse as its territories were vast in size.
Skin color ranged from pale white to yellow, to brown, up to darkish brown.
And of course, with diverse peoples come the diverse clothes and armor they wore despite the strict dress-code Brune had when it came to the soldier's uniforms. Although most of the soldiers had uniforms of the same universal design from that of the dark leather-studded gambesons that the soldiers of Duke also wore, in truth, the gambesons were the only thing that unified the main army's soldiers in terms of clothing.
The helmets, bracers, boots, and even the materials used to make those uniforms differed greatly depending on what region the soldier hailed from, how rich their Count or Noble was, and from what socio-economic background their families were part of.
Soldiers from the poorer families wore leather or cloth, while soldiers from families from the richer Counties and Duchies wore armor made from either iron or steel.
Some of the soldiers wore conical-shaped helmets, some wore kettle-shaped helmets, while some of them even wore none at all, displaying their fool-hardy natures.
The mass conscripted peasants wore cheaply made gambesons made from linen or wool, or just their tunics if they really had no money, while the higher-ranked officers wore high-end armors along with their signature sallet helmets and showy cloaks signifying their somewhat accountable wealth.
However, there was one thing that could be said to be universal in all the uniforms, and that was the color of their uniform's lining. If you were a soldier under the Pendragons whose flag was a golden dragon painted on a black banner, then the outer lining of your uniform would be composed of two stripes, one black, and the other yellow. Some of the soldiers even wore armbands showing off their Lord/Lady's banner. These men were usually the most loyal to their County/Duchy.
Most of the Pendragon's 200 men wore such armbands, not too surprising considering Duke's skyrocketing fame within Maine... And the fact that Vivian made these armbands an almost mandatory buy through peer pressure within the soldiers of Maine.
No one complained too much though since most of Maine's soldiers got to buy brand-new armor for extremely cheap prices thanks to the Pendragon's connections with the Merchant's Guild.
As Duke crossed the partition that separated the common rabble from where the Nobles stayed, Duke noticed that there was also a portion of the army that completely didn't wear Brune's uniform at all.
Most of these men he saw were mercenaries hired by some Noble or Count from another country or native tribe to bolster their forces. But a select few of these groups were obviously different from the rest.
Wearing extremely high-end full-plated gear, with cloaks matching that of the colors of a Noble Family's banners. These men were the Household Troops of the rich Great Families of Brune that could afford such private armies.
Most notable of these Household Troops were the Golden Denari, an elite group of mercenaries named after an ancient form of currency used in the old Remus Empire around the Eastern Region of Brune wearing shiny and yellow pure Gold-Steel Plate Armor with the symbol of the Medici Family, their main benefactors, engraved on their chest pieces. Though few in number, these extravagantly armored men, wearing their lavishly expensive gear is just one of the many ways the Medici Family flaunts their never-ending wealth. And much like the Household they represent, the Golden Denari are the only Household Troops that double as mercenaries when they're not protecting the Medici Family.
Duke watched as the Golden Denari along with other soldiers from the Medici Family unpacked their stuff. [Oh thank god... We're not the only ones who were late] Duke thought to himself.
Another notable unit was the Holy Knights Order of the Holy Church coming from the Western Region wearing their shiny silvered armor, engraved with gold and royal red markings depicting intricate crosses.
As Duke walked up to the tent he was greeted by a group of familiar faces. Faces Duke really did not want to see in the slightest.
"Hoo~! Look who it is guys, ain't that Duke?!" Deacon, one of Duke's old bullies grinned.
"Ha! The gall of some people! Arriving late AND with only 200 measly men? I wonder how some people can be that thick and unbashful" Darius, another one of Duke's bullies who was a close friend of Deacon, derided Duke for arriving late.
Silvan, another of Duke's past bullies who encountered Vivian back in
Duke walked up to them as they were blocking the entrance to the commander's tent where the meeting was supposed to be held. Completely ignoring their taunts as he tried to silently pass through.
Despite the fact that Duke didn't want any trouble, Deacon and some of their lackey Nobles still blocked his path.
Greatly annoyed, Duke stared Deacon down, as the ignorant latter stared back, thinking this was still the same Duke he had power over just like before.
Darius and Silvan on the other hand were much more reserved, learning from their past experiences, opting instead to stand on the sideline, neither stopping Darius nor blocking Duke's path through the entrance.