The commotion in the market square had died down for the most part with the arrival of the patrol soldiers. These men were the rank-and-file guard, those that were relegated to the tougher task of maintaining order in the bustling market. It was noticeably better in terms of conditions on this side of the bridge, with the mainland side possessing fewer wealthy patrons willing to assist errant guardsmen in supplementing their salaries.

Hence the Gateway market patrols were usually manned with experienced veterans, with those few of noble blood being given the cushier palace guard positions. Yet there was much money to be made, as many wealthy merchants were more than willing to part with a pouch of silver or gold to help alleviate the nation’s ailing coffers. These donations often went towards ensuring these patrolmen had enough to feed their families, and if in the process one of their competitor’s carts was held up or was seized for further inspection, then the gods were smiling upon them for their philanthropic efforts.

In the center of the group of patrolmen lay two groups, one was beaten beyond recognition, their leader a young noble dressed in a soiled toga, screaming, and pointing in abject rage at the group standing a few feet away. Standing across from him was Timeaus who was calmly resting on his laurels, still using one of the unconscious opponents as his personal stool. He completely ignored the noble’s rantings and ravings, focusing instead on the patrolmen, his eyes scanning their armor, faces, and weapons. The soldiers for their part were calm and would have appeared professional if not for the constant leering stares, all of which were directed at the exasperated Leucena.

Standing behind her imposing brother-in-law, Leucena and her daughter Mera hugged one another, their tear stained faces visible for all to see. Niko, Apollonius, Spurius, and Paulus formed into a semi-circular guard formation around the women, yet their weapons remained out of sight. The soldiers had not been present for the fight, and as such were not taking an aggressive approach, choosing instead to box in the perpetrators and attempt to understand the situation. These actions at the very least showed that the patrol captain was an understanding fellow, that he had ascended to the position based on merit, not opting to immediately round up the non-nobles.

Yet it was Leucena and Mera’s acting which was the most likely cause for the decrease in hostility. The two had laid on the charm, holding one another and allowing the tears to flow down their cheek as they spoke of the noble and his men. They strung together a tale of the two women, mother and daughter accosted by these men, throwing in a mixture of falsities and truths to paint the young noble in a much worse light. Most surprising however was the crowd, the onlookers who had seen the entire situation unfold were quick to jump to the beautiful women’s defense. Completely ignoring the fact that the mother had strangled one man with a linen, and the daughter had laughed manically as she beat another to an inch of his life.

However, the women in the crowd seemed to empathize with the women, having themselves been subjected to the patriarchal and harsh male dominated system which governed their everyday lives. Whereas the men saw a pair of beauties crying, and a noble who many non-nobles viewed as little more than parasites leeching off the labor of those below.

It was this convergence of factors that left the patrol captain scratching his head, the young noble was adamant about their guilt, screaming for the soldiers to right this wrong and cut down the men as an example. Demands that the captain simply ignored, taking time to instead secure the area, question the nearby spectators and compile the accounts of each of the involved parties.

These processes of evidence collection and investigation were established under the previous administration, during the initial establishment of the Mercan League and throughout the wars of expansion from Merlabria. However, the last ten years following the aristocratic council’s usurpation of bureaucratic control within the capital, witnessed much degradation in the capital guard forces. The nobles angered at the previous years of investigations and crackdowns which targeted their corrupt practices and abuses, put forth new policies to weaken the investigative powers of the guard.

Next was the incremental destruction of the institutions that had been established for the training of capital guards, originally meant as a way for individuals of any status to apply and succeed if they possessed the physical and mental capabilities to do so. A meritocratic system that saw new guards more representative of the population, which resulted in decrease criminal activities and increased popularity of the Archon at the time. The Mercan Council appointed new administrators and instructors at the Guards College, nepotism alongside corruption slowly took root. Within ten short years the guard forces which had been the pride of the capital had been reduced to a shadow of their former selves.

Patrol Captain Arkadios was a remnant of the old guard, a starry-eyed recruit, and one of the last batches to graduate before the Guards College went downhill. The illegitimate son of a lower noble, he had no chance of inheriting anything, and had joined the guard to make a living and help those in need. Yet with the way things had become, Arkadios had seen the writing on the wall, his by the book and fair methods had painted a target upon his back. His own soldiers were likely waiting for a single slip up, a way for them to rise at his expense.

Gone were the days of honor and civility. Undoubtedly his superiors would require him to accept the noble’s version of events, punishing the group of travelers, even though the noble appeared to be the instigator. If that was to occur, it was obvious to Arkadios that his men would assault both women the second he turned his back. He could only grit his teeth, silently cursing the noble as he used the investigation process to postpone the inevitable.

After receiving the signal from their captain, the patrol squad soldiers proceeded to disperse the surrounding crowds, clearing the area so as to not be overwhelmed by the mob’s anger. With the crowds of onlooker’s adequately thinned, Arkadios made his way towards the larger scarred man, his empty left sleeve eliciting a few errant looks. “Apologies sir, we are required to take you into custody. It is my hope that this will not need to become violent and that you all will follow me quietly.” Arkadios held up a pair of iron shackles, holding them up and waiting for Timeaus and the others to place their hands forward.

Cries of anger could be heard in the periphery, but the patrol captain chose to ignore the surrounding crowd, waiting instead for the victims to give themselves up willingly. “Not keen on using violence, afraid it’ll rile up the crowd. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, not like some of your companions.” Timeaus specifically motioned towards one of Arkadios’s men, angered by the yelling he had hit one of the women in the crowd with the butt of his spear. This only helped to further agitate the crowd, even as the situation was escalating a pair of the younger patrolmen walked up toward Leucena and Mera, in their hands were the iron shackles, while their eyes were openly scanning the women from top to bottom.

“Listen Captain, we obviously didn’t do anything wrong. All your investigating should’ve told you as much, but if the word of all these people isn’t enough, then perhaps this will help.” With that previous line still lingering in the air Timeaus removed a bronze disk, upon which was engraved the sigil of House Amyntas, the red flower with the silver stem. Upon witnessing the token, and then the scroll proving its authenticity, the patrol captain rapidly made an about face. Yelling at his soldiers to cease all their activities immediately, to step away from Timeaus and Leucena’s group.

During this exchange between Captain Arkadios and Timeaus the young scion of House Duris observed the token, he saw the red flower of House Amyntas and paled almost instantly. Like a deer caught in the sights of a wolf he turned and ran, leaving his men and wealth behind. The crowd made way as they did not wish to come into direct contact with his ignoble appearance, chuckling under their breath at the pompous youth’s current predicament.

“Are we done here Captain, if we are, my family and I are late for dinner. I hope that these criminals get the appropriate punishment… even if they are blue-blooded nobles. After all, aren’t we all equal in the eyes of the law?” A smirk creeped along Timeaus’s lips as he glanced down at the gritting captain.

“Honestly, you’re too good for this city. Strait-laced man like you is bound to get himself killed here. Things have changed, and if you find yourself on the wrong side of things make your way down to Hegesistra. The road to Temrenos isn’t far from there, tell them Timeaus sent you, and you’ll be accommodated.” After saying his piece Timeaus handed over a square wood block, upon which was House Amyntas’s sigil, and an engraving in the corner that would help guards in the territory identify its authenticity.

Arkadios could only shrug in response, rounding up his men and seizing everything left behind by the young noble who had fled. At the very least the guards could be happy with the loot, as a bonus would come to them after the higher-ups all took their share. Arkadios didn’t care, he was reluctant to share in any of the ill-gotten gains, focusing instead on the wood block in his hand and the group disappearing down the street.

All the while both parties were unaware of the two hooded figures in the crowd observing the incident from start to finish. As the groups left these figures dispersed in different directions, a sign that multiple players had taken notice of the Scholar’s arrival.