Chapter 263: The Merchant King
The heavy iron gates of Bastion Nine were shut tight.
The massive Vanguard crawlers ground to a halt on the frozen dirt of the eastern trade road. The runic engines idled with a low, vibrating hum. Draven Mordis, Aegon Logcheville, Reina Frost, Lucien Vaelmont, and Nyx Vespera stepped down into the freezing mud.
They stood before a towering stone barricade. The architecture was flawless.
A thin customs officer in a pristine blue wool uniform looked down at them from a gilded watchpost above the gate. He held a heavy leather ledger and a sharpened quill. He did not look intimidated by the heavily armed strike team.
"State your business," the officer demanded.
"Vanguard deployment," Aegon answered. The Crucible Warlord stepped forward, his dented armor caked in the gray ash of the northern wastelands. "We need immediate entry."
The officer adjusted his spectacles. He ran his finger down the crisp pages of his ledger.
