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"Well, that is a bit disappointing, isn't it?"
"I am sorry, Don Alessandro; but these are all the mercenaries we have found available. Although there were...others, they were far too few in number and varied in equipment to form a coherent company. It would be a logistical and strategical hindrance if we were to form a company out of their numbers."
You understood very well what Hugues meant, but it did not please you either. It would seem that in the end, only <span class="mu-s">470</span> independent mercenaries were available for you to hire. With a city such as yours, you would have expected more. Nonetheless, it was what you had.
"Very well, tell me what companies you have."
"Very well, seynor. There were <span class="mu-s">two</span> major groups we were able to find. The first one amidst them were <span class="mu-r">Glaiviers.</span> Glaiviers, or Glaive-men as you know, <span class="mu-i">are special soldiers wielding polearms. In the battlefield, their main purpose is not unlike that of a halberd, being greatly proficient at anti-infantry and anti-cavalry maneuvers.</span> However, the necessity of having a grip to swing with means they are far shorter than pikes. They would not do well against pikemen, and would perform far worse when being charged by horsemen. There are <span class="mu-s">296</span> of them."
"Argh, Just short of a full company..."
"If you'll forgive me, seynor, such small numbers of men matter little to a company's capabilities. <span class="mu-s">Fighting capacity only sees meaningful drop-off for every quarter of the company that is lost.</span>" he explains.
"Alright. What's the second one then?" you ask.
"They would be the <span class="mu-r">Skirmishers</span>, or in this case, Pistoliers. They are light horsemen who, rather than a lance, wield a pistol as a sidearm. <span class="mu-i">Theirs is the role of harassing the enemy from a distance, and attacking light troops.</span> In the latter case, they prefer to fire their pistols in a volley before charging the enemy with their swords. There are 173 of them. <span class="mu-s">Since horsemen are usually divided into troops of 60</span>, that would leave us with three troops, the last of which would only be missing seven men." he finishes, before handing you a paper; it contains the costs that hiring each of these mercenary groups would take.
"So, my lord, what'll it be?"
>Hire only the Glaiviers
>Hire only the Skirmishers
>Hire both of them
>[Write-in]
"With that out of the way...there is also one last matter; a man which I believe you should meet." he says, before signalling to a guard to open the doors.
From the corridor comes a man you can only describe as 'eye-catching'. Dressed in vibrant red and blue, a small cerulean bonnet adorns his head as a wide yet thin moustache covers his head. Yet most noticeable of all are the long lower endings of his ears native to the Straccian people. Taking off his diminutive hat, the man bows before you in greeting.
