“Alright, we’ll stop here for the night,” I said. We were at the boundary of the forest, only about a kilometer and a half from Maplepost. We quickly and efficiently set up camp, and started a fire to keep us warm. Utilizing the plethora of ingredients as well as my vast amounts of knowledge, I made a version of buseca. Buseca was a type of Italian stew that used tripe and various vegetables. I had to substitute a few of the spices, but that was only a minor issue. I began by cutting up the tripe, then rinsing it in water from one of our canteens. The tripe soaked in vinegar for the next half hour, and in the meantime, I made the stock. The vegetables and spices were added into the stock, and lastly the tripe. The entire time, Aurea and Mors were waiting in anticipation. Once I judged it was ready, I pulled out the bowls and utensils, giving both of them a healthy serving. Aurea couldn’t wait for the stew to cool down, and ended up burning her tongue accidentally. Mors, on the other hand, was more patient, blowing on the food before taking a bite.
“Gods be damned Evan, this is fucking delicious!” Aurea exclaimed.
“Glad you like it,” I chuckled, feeling a warm glow from her praise.
“I agree with Aurea, I don’t know how you made this taste so good,” Mors added.
They both ate until their bellies were bursting, then went into the tent to sleep for the night. I took the leftover stew and gave it to the elves, hoping to earn some goodwill. They seemed suspicious of the food, but eventually the bigger elves tried a bit. Their eyes widened in surprise, and they devoured the food like they were starving.
“[Considering the conditions they were kept in, that might very well be the case.]”
I gave them an extra portion to feed the children, as well as water to wash it all down. Even though they were still being kept in the cage, they looked a bit more relaxed now. The adult male elf even spoke in a strange, fluid language.
“Is he thanking me?”
“[It is possible.]”
“Ha. Reminds me of when Aurea and I first met.”
I nodded, then proceeded to give them blankets and pillows. Luckily for them, the cage was large enough for all of them to lay down comfortably. I stood guard outside the tent, maximizing the sensitivity of my audio and visual receptors. The night was boring, and nothing of note occurred. Once the sun rose, I woke up my companions, and we packed up our tent and belongings. I gave the elves more water and food, and we were back on the road within half an hour. We passed Maplepost for the second time, and I told Aurea and Mors to stop. The carts wouldn’t be able to make it through the thick foliage, but I had a solution. Using drones stationed in the area to relay my instructions, I ordered the Enforcers and Montanas at the iron mine to come to my location. After that, I just waited and made light conversation with my companions. Suddenly, my audio receptors picked up a strange noise in the distance.
“What’s that sound?”
“[Analyzing sound…sound identified as hoofbeats.]”
“Hoofbeats? You mean like horses?”
“[Yes.]”
I turned around and looked in the direction the sounds were coming from. Zooming in, I could barely make out the silhouettes of a few men on horses. They were galloping down the road, moving at a rapid pace.
“They’re probably here for Maplepost. Won’t hurt to keep an eye on them though.”
I continued talking to Mors and Aurea for a bit, but the riders worried me. They seemed to be keeping a close eye on the ground, and they weren’t paying attention to the village in front of them. Eventually, I saw them look in our direction and spotted our carts. They appeared to be excited, and moved faster towards us.
“So yeah, I used to use tanning and curing hides as-”
“We might have some company,” I said, interrupting Aurea in the middle of her sentence. I pointed out the men closing in, and Aurea nodded. She grabbed her claymore and sheath, discreetly holding them at her side. Mors already had his hand on his iceiron steel sword. As the men got closer and closer, I was able to make out a few details.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Wait a second…I recognize that armor.”
“It’s Lord Marcus’s men,” Mors said, coming to the same conclusion I had made just moments ago.
I took control of one of the drones flying high above to get a better view of the situation.
“Hmm. 20 men, all wearing armor. 4 extra horses, most likely to transport supplies and rations. They must be here for the elf slaves. I haven’t interacted with Lord Marcus’s men to my knowledge otherwise.”
“Can I help you gentlemen?” I asked once they were in hearing range.
“We are here on orders from Lord Drusus.” the leading soldier said cheerfully. “Give us the elf slaves, and kneel over there to accept your punishment”
“Oh?” I asked with disbelief clear in my voice. “What do you mean, ‘punishment?’ ”
“That’s simple! You see, our Lord Marcus and his son Lord Drusus are quite the esteemed individuals. But you just blew off Lord Drusus’s generous offer, and even besmirched his good name. Such an act is unacceptable, and must be punished.”
I thought for a second before responding, “And what would this punishment be?”
“Hopefully it’s just a fine or something. The best case scenario would be to solve this without violence.”
“[I am doubtful that is what they have in mind.[]”
“Death of course!” the soldier said with a sadistic grin, unsheathing his elegant sword. The other men followed suit, each pulling out their respective weapons.
“Shit, guess you were right,” I cursed in my head.
Mors and Aurea pulled out their swords, while I tried to negotiate. “Gentlemen, gentlemen, are you sure there is no way to solve this peacefully?”
“No. Our lord has ordered your execution, and so we must follow his orders faithfully. However…” he paused, “One of you might be spared if she were to make certain…sacrifices…” he said, staring at Aurea with a lustful look in his eyes. The other men chuckled as they caught on to their leader’s implication. Aurea clenched her jaw in anger, and jumped off the cart. “C’mon then fuckers I’ll show you what you’re getting yourself into,” she yelled, twirling her claymore as if it were as light as a feather. I grabbed her shoulder before she could get very far and shook my head.
Turning my attention back to the soldiers, I sighed in disappointment. “Well, you can’t blame me for trying to do this the peaceful way.” I clapped my hands, causing the surrounding forest to rustle ominously. From the dark undergrowth, an army of iron and steel emerged . Enforcers and Montanas marched in orderly rows, while Falcons and Laelaps sped across the open terrain.
“Gods above!” one of the men cried out in shock.
Seeing the threat was too large to deal with, the leader shouted “Retreat! Get out of here, now!”, turning his horse on a dime to escape. Unfortunately for them, the Falcons and Laelaps had already encircled the unit, cutting off their escape route. No matter how much their masters urged them, the horses refused to move towards the snapping jaws of the Laelaps.
“Ah ah ah, you’re not leaving so soon, are you?” I asked sarcastically.
“You!” The leader said angrily, identifying me as the one who commanded the strange golems. Acting in unison, the soldiers arranged themselves in a small circle to protect each other’s backs.
Two of Laelaps broke away from the encirclement, snapping at the alarmed horses as they passed. One of them sat obediently beside Aurea, while the other sat next to Mors.
Turning to my 2 companions, I commented, “I think this would be a good opportunity for you both to get used to working with Bran and Sceólang. They will be accompanying you pretty often after all.” They both nodded with thoughtful looks on their faces, although Aurea was noticeably nervous. “Now,” I said to the soldiers, “this is how it’s going to work. Two of you will be chosen to attack each of my companions here. If you manage to kill them, you get to go free. If you lose…you die. Sound good?”
The leader had an ugly look on his face as he heard my instructions. “You want to use us as damn training dummies?”
“Got a problem with that?” I asked with a smirk in my voice.
“You’re damn right I have a problem! I refuse to be ordered to fight like some sort of common slave!” he said angrily.
“Oh, well if you don’t want to fight with my companions, then you can fight with my lieutenant, Boar.” With a mental command, I called Boar over. His footsteps shook the earth as the hulking monster of iron walked towards me. The soldiers visibly recoiled in fear, and the leader gulped as he saw the huge iron war hammer Boar wielded. The horses sensed their rider’s alarm, and began moving restlessly before their rider’s corrected them.
“So, which one do you want to fight?” I asked smugly.
“Well…ah…we’ll take your original arrangement,” the leader stuttered.