"How could that happen? I thought they'd hired a group of Legendary fighters to defend them?"
"Merchants hate risk. Once the fighting started, they scrambled to leave the Duchy of Keating. Even the Twin Ministers' offers of titles and lower taxes couldn't stop them."
Life mattered more than money. And with all its merchants gone, who could the "nation of trade" trade with?
"Are you here to persuade me?"
Annan guessed why Count Collins had come and shook his head. "Sorry, I can't do it."
The conflict between Free City and the Duchy of Keating could be set aside, but Keating was nothing like those minor lords' territories. It lay on the edge of Middle Earth. The distance alone put it beyond reach.
"You should ask the Empire for help, not me."
Count Collins's smile grew even more bitter. "The Empire made demands the Twin Ministers can't accept."
"Well, there you have it..." Annan spread his hands. "If even the Empire thinks it's enough trouble to demand a fortune, there's even less we can do."
Keating faced more than the Rat Plague. It also faced the Demon Tide.
Magic Muskets were good against flesh and blood. Against magical beings like demons, even pumping hundreds of bullets into them did little good. They had once concentrated fire on a demon and added fifty pounds to its weight without killing it.
"I know."
Count Collins had only come at an old friend's request. He understood why Annan refused and even felt relieved: joining Annan hadn't made him drunk on ambition.
"Fronning asked me to ask: if you won't send help, would you supply weapons?"
Annan's tone changed instantly. "Why didn't you say so? Minister Fronning and I go way back. Don't worry. Fighting the Chaos forces is every Middle Earth resident's duty.