"Damn the gods" Maror yelled as he bashed his fist against the war room table. Not only had the siege on the castle failed but it had worsened their situation. The corpse of elephant had collapsed right outside the gates preventing the alliance's forces from ramming the gate. The Manshrew soldiers had tried to moved the elephant, and recover the heavy Armour while at it, but Claus's forces were making it impossible. This had put Maror in a foul mood. "Or rather damn that Claus Rotstein, how do you beat a guy who literally throws himself at a armored elephant...AND WINS?"
"We needn't worry about him anymore" Serala replied calmly, though she too was frustrated she, unlike her brother, was able to control her temper "Based off the reports it is likely he was killed during his suicidal attack, likely crushed by the elephant given we have yet to find his body".
"I suppose that is something to be grateful for" Daeron replied bleakly. Unlike the others he didn't seem to be fully engaged with the situation at hand. He hadn't heard news about Hemala for some time and still no news about Aulus. Serala looked sadly at Daeron before turning to face Andrew.
"So what is out plan my lord"? The truth was Andrew was wondering that himself. Things were not looking good; the concord simply had too many ally's and taking Clarm was the only hope Andrew had for delaying Patrick's forces while he dealt with House Wulfrick and Greensworth. After remaining silent for a while he finally spoke
"My friends, I am afraid only one path remains open to us. We must abandon the siege and prepare to face Patrick's army" Silence fell in the tent, no one knew what to say. After a minute or so of complete silence Daeron finally broke the silence
"Forgive me for speaking to you in this way, but surely this the most foolish action we could take. Patrick's army is bigger, better armed and better trained then ours. Surely we should return to Coruneon and liberate it from house Wulfrick"?
"We can't just give up on Clarm" Maror retorted "after all this effort to take it we can't give up now"
"Listen" Andrew said firmly as Maror fell quiet "Even if we throw everything we have at Clarm there is no way we can take the stronghold before Patrick arrives, throwing more soldiers at clarm will just waste more lives" Andrew then turned to Daeron "Daeron, I know you want to save your homeland, but the moment we leave Telmarion Patricks forces will be right behind us, meaning we will have to fight both Imperial armies at once, a suicidal battle if ever there was one. We have no choice but to fight Patrick here and hope we can win. Besides we do still have..." at this a messenger came in from outside the tent. He bowed quickly before making his announcement
"Forgive the intrusion my lord, but a mercenary captain by the name of lady grim has arrived with a force of over two thousand soldiers. She wishes to meet with you"
"Send her in" Andrew said. He dared not leave her waiting, at this point he needed all the help he could get.
The Lady Grim and Tokugawa Ieyasu waited quietly outside the tent, ignoring the stares and mutterings of the soldiers around them. A platoon of Samurai stood at ease behind them, exchanging glances with the Manshrew soldiers. No one spoke to the other until the man who had gone into the Command tent returned to bowed to Rhaetia, gesturing for her and Tokugawa to enter the tent.

She swept past him without a word, leaving a lingering scent of roses as she went. Tokugawa on the other hand nodded his thanks and gave the man a brief smile that went unnoticed as the servant stared after Rhaetia, his jaw slightly open. 

They stepped into the command tent and stopped, surveying the gathered officers. Rhaetia, tall, beautiful, and utterly untouchable, did so with a dispassionate eye. Tokugawa swept the room, noting the fighting men who stood before them and smiling slightly, his darker skin and jet black hair in stark contrast to the Lady Grim and her almost marble white appearance. 

The Lady Grim offered a curt nod to the assembled group and spoke with a precise, almost musical tone. "My lords. The Grim Company has arrived."
As Lady Grim entered the tent all eyes were instantly fixated on her. Her beauty was of no exaggeration, and Andrew suspected that tales of her ferociousness told no lie either.
"Welcome Lady Grim" Andrew said as he gave her a bow "I am honored to hear that you have chosen to fight on our side. Tell me what soldiers have you brought to help us in our struggle"?

"My lord I bring a force of two thousand five hundred men all of whom are veteran fighters, from Seikastsu Samurai to Elven mages" Lady grim replied proudly with a smile on her face. She knew the Grim Company was one of the best Mercenary legion's currently in Formaroth, and she believed that she had the right to boast about it. "All of whom are willing to fight and die for me"

"Very Impressive my lady" Andy said as he smiled at the passion that Lady Grim spoke with "I am sure the Grim company will be a great asset to the grim company, that I have no doubt about"

"I am grateful for the compliment, however I must remind you we do not offer ourselves out for free, and our payment isn't cheap either. We require at the very least fifty gold in exchange for our services" Lady Grim said, though she had asked for a considerable amount she knew that the Alliance needed her men for the upcoming battle.

Andrew paused for a moment, while he was satisfied with the offer Lady Grim had given him had hesitated for another reason: Though it was rare, mercenary companies had been known to retreat and abandon their employer should the battle turn sour. Andrew knew he had to ensure that the Grim Company remained faithful to the very end.
"I am happy to pay this, and to further ensure your loyalty I shall offer you land in Uzgob; Kerak Castle a small yet highly defensible castle within my lands. Should the grim company obtain an entire castle, they will immediately gain a huge amount of recognition and power here in Formaroth. Your fame as mercenaries will exceed even that of the steel fist.

Upon hearing this the normally stoic Lady grim's eyes widened. An mercenary company owning land was not too uncommon but owning an entire castle was unheard off. This would not only make her the most famous mercenary leader in Seikastsu but in all of Formaroth as well. She looked round at Tokugawa who nodded violently in agreement before she continued to speak "I am elated by this deal, and gratefully accept, I am glad I decided to side with you Lord Andrew, I doubt the concord would ever be so generous. I shall prepare the men for battle, I promise we will not fail you"

To this Andrew gave Lady Grim a bow "I thank you Lady Grim, may this partnership continue for years to come".