Marauders swept over the streets like a depraved storm, and the largest narcotic herb gang within their region of the slums could do nothing but lament their fate. No quarter was given, no mercy was granted. There was only mindless and zealous slaughter.
[ Some gods delight in the carnage. ]
[ Some gods find your methods distasteful. ]
[ Fallen King of Beasts ] incites you to partake in the savagery.
Gilgamesh had turned his gang into nothing more than a force of ceaseless pillage and plunder that moved only from one target to the next. Though he normally spared most of his enemies to conscript them into his army, this attack was different. He had learned the name and location of the leader behind that raid a few nights ago.
Tiago. A man of unknown origins and ability, though Gilgamesh did not care for his origins. This narcotic gang was one of the major branches of Tiago’s territory, and Gilgamesh intended to tear away at his power before he aimed for the head of the snake.
“Let loose! Indulge! Destroy!” Gilgamesh compelled his pawns to sink into their worst vices and urges and to inflict atrocities upon his enemies.
His reasons were multiple. It made them more effective in battle, it damaged the morale of the enemy, and most importantly, it kept them blind to everything but the plunder.
None of them would see the knife plunged into each of their backs until it was too late, and that knife would surely come. Gilgamesh did not intend to leave any of his wealth in the unworthy hands of his pawns.
But it was not time yet. He still had use for them. In fact, his army had become so effective that he and Heroine hardly had to act themselves. At most, they merely targeted a few elites when necessary to limit the losses on their side, and more often to prevent the leaders from escaping. On that thought, Gilgamesh spotted someone with decent gear fleeing the battle.
“Pursue him.” Gilgamesh ordered Heroine as he sent out his Clay Scout to track the man ahead of her.
[ Clay Scout - Golem (Low Grade) ]
Attributes:
Strength - 15
Agility - 50
Vitality - 10
Perception - 25
Force - 0
Spirit - 25
Control - 25
Willpower - 0
Material: Clay (inferior)
Feature: Muffle (bronze)
Mana Capacity: 183/250
Consumption: 4 motes per minute
Recovery: 4 motes per minute
He'd hardly any use for Clay Scout, beyond being a glorified scarecrow. On its own, it was not even much use for its intended purpose as a scout, but Golem Peerer changed that.
Gilgamesh commanded his Clay Scout to stalk the fleeing leader from the rooftops, to give Heroine a clear guide of her target’s location at all times. When he saw through his golem's vision that she had finally caught up, Gilgamesh wielded his Clay Scout to rush out and bait the man’s attention. And that gave Heroine the opening she needed to crack open his skull.
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The battle wrapped up soon after Heroine returned with the leader’s spatial bag, and the jadestones were once again systematically brought to Gilgamesh. There were few losses as far as he could see. His army now boasted well over 300 underlings, triple what he had before the night raid, and he had turned them all into more effective soldiers.
“Boss…” The burly man of the original den leaders approached. He had become one of the more prominent pawns in his army, and almost had enough ability to be considered an elite. “The men are tired, and a lot of them picked up some injuries just now. Maybe we should rest before-”
“Those who cannot keep up will be left behind. We attack the next gang at once.” Gilgamesh decreed. His tone made it clear there would be no objections.
A certain look flashed in the man’s eyes and it took a moment too long to reply. “...yes, boss.”
As he turned to leave, Heroine cracked open his head with a sneak attack from behind. She nervously glanced between Gilgamesh and the dead pawn. “His eyes were greedy… He would betray us.”
“Did you think I was unaware?” Gilgamesh replied calmly. “I could have still made use of him.”
Heroine balked a little under his opposition, but she did not disown her actions.
“Trouble in paradise?”
Both of their eyes shot towards the shadows of the alley close behind where the stranger’s voice had come from, and they found a man who stood casually. Late twenties with a solid build, he had shoulder-length curled black hair and a rugged stubble. But what left a more striking impression was that he made no effort to conceal the underhandedness in his eyes, nor the confidence in his smile.
“We’ll just destroy each other if we keep going like this. No one wins then.” Tiago spoke with an accent Gilgamesh was not familiar with. “We all have the same goals, no? Make a lot of money. It’s a big place, no point fighting over a tiny piece of it.”
Tiago smiled more directly. “How about a truce? We split our region in half and stick to our territories. Everybody wins then.”
“And you expect us to trust that you will hold up your end of the deal?” Gilgamesh asked pointedly.
“No guarantee in the slums.” Tiago almost laughed. “You’re gonna have to take a little risk.”
Gilgamesh stared back in silence. “Alright. The left half is mine.”
“Then we have a truce.” Tiago gestured his arms in a friendly manner as he stepped back into the shadows and left.
“He’s going to betray us…” Heroine stated.
“Of course.” Gilgamesh agreed. “He just wants to buy time to build his army. So we are going to build ours faster.”
“Raise your weapons!” Gilgamesh shouted to his army. “We are going to raid!”
---
Gilgamesh’s army ran through yet another gang on the border of his territory. Under his leadership and help, the leadership was quickly killed but this time he spared the bulk of the grunts. He needed as many soldiers as he could get.
The process was systematic and brutal. All captured enemies were made to bow before him, then scar their faces to prove their new allegiance. And then he took them straight into the next battle to fill their thoughts only with violence and the thrill of victory.
“Send the scouts. Search for the next-” Gilgamesh’s orders were cut off by enemy roars.
Suddenly, his army found itself under attack from all sides by a force that outnumbered them fivefold. Gilgamesh scanned the edges of the battle and found three individuals who stood out from the rest, all at different locations. Among them was Tiago.
“It’s not just his gang.” Gilgamesh realized. “There are three. Did he already establish an alliance against me before he approached with the truce? What did he offer to entice them…?”
Gilgamesh wielded his Boulder Ape to throw three Bombers into the enemy crowd to take out nearly 100 enemies in quick succession. In that chaos, he sent two Clay Salamanders to spread poison gas through their disrupted ranks.
“Look! They stand no chance against us! Hear me, my soldiers! I allow free plunder after this battle! Take whatever you want from the enemy’s corpse!” At his words, reckless greed consumed his army and they fought with a zeal the enemy could not match.
“...Can we win?” Heroine asked.
“If not, we’ll just escape on our own.” He answered bluntly.
Heroine blurred into action to deflect a small iron ball aimed for Gilgamesh’s head. In turn, Gilgamesh used his Boulder Ape to hurl another Bomber that eviscerated the slinger atop a roof in the distance.
[ Gilgamesh ]
Mana Capacity: 286/340
“We need to take out the elites if we’re going to stand a chance.” Gilgamesh assessed the battlefield.
Of the three enemy armies, one was led by Tiago, who seemed to lack noteworthy soldiers. Another was led by a woman with the tattoo of a black rose on her face. And the last was by an elderly man with light bronze skin, bald and clean shaven, donning eyeliner of a distinct pattern.
“A Narmer…” Gilgamesh determined. “Go kill the rose woman. I will deal with the old man.”
Heroine reluctantly obeyed his order, as Gilgamesh headed into his own battle with stern resolve. Scions of the Narmer clan were not the strongest, but they were the most difficult to kill. At least permanently. And that would prove even truer if this Narmer was an ancient.
Gilgamesh had contemplated and obtained a method to end them, but he had no guarantee that it would work. It was just another risk he would have to endure and overcome.
