Thomas advanced with steady steps, his eyes fixed on the man who appeared to be the leader of the group. As he got closer, he introduced himself. "My name is Thomas. What's your name? You have a name, right?"

The leader maintained his fake smile, a malicious glint in his eyes. "My name is not important," he replied, his voice dripping with disdain. "What is important is what an old man like you is doing here. I assume you are someone of respect in this pathetic town."

Thomas ignored the insult, maintaining his composure. "What do you want? This town is poor and has nothing for you."

The leader let out a laugh, the sound echoing across the field and making the men around him laugh along. "Poor and with nothing, is it?" he mocked. "Let's see how much this town is worth when we start looting and burning. Maybe then you'll realize how valuable it really is."

Thomas stood firm in front of the mercenary leader, his gaze fixed and determined. The leader took a few steps forward, his men watching with cruel smiles.

"I could leave the town in peace," said the leader, his voice dripping with false generosity. "But, of course, I want something in return."

Thomas remained silent, his gaze steady. He knew he was treading dangerous ground and needed to hear what the man had to say. The mercenary leader kept his smile, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Yes, something in return," the leader repeated before slowly turning back to his group. Thomas frowned, waiting for what would come next. The leader continued, his eyes fixed on Thomas. "I want the baron of the town. A baron is extremely valuable, and I heard that a new baron recently arrived. Nothing better than a kidnapping in exchange for a good amount of gold, right?"

The leader's words hit Thomas like a punch. He was shocked by the man's allegations, his mind racing to understand the implications.

"The baron?" Thomas thought. "This doesn't make sense. If it was just that, he could have entered and kidnapped Miguel while looting the town. Does he want to make sure he gets the right baron?"

Thomas tried to hide his shock, keeping his expression neutral.

"And if I refuse? What happens to the town?"

The leader shrugged as if the answer was obvious. "Then we'll loot, burn, and destroy. But I prefer the more profitable and less laborious alternative. So, what will it be?"

Thomas took a deep breath, trying to stay calm as he responded. "The baron is on a trip. He's... not in town at the moment."

The mercenary leader let out a cold, disdainful laugh. "Do you think I'm a fool? I know very well that the cowardly bastard, the duke's son, is hiding inside that mansion. I can see it from here..."

Stolen story; please report.

Thomas was confused for a few moments. So this man probably knows the new baron... could it be that their purpose is specifically Baron Miguel and not any other baron? But who would want Miguel dead... this kidnapping story didn't convince Thomas; they certainly want to kill him.

Before Thomas could react, the man stepped forward and delivered a powerful punch to Thomas's stomach. Pain exploded in his body, and he fell to his knees, gasping. His guards tried to intervene but were brutally killed by the mercenaries in seconds.

Thomas writhed in pain on the ground, trying to catch his breath. The mercenary leader approached, looking at him with disdain. "Do you think this is all a joke?" he asked coldly. "Either you bring me that bastard now, or I'll get him myself."

He stood up and, with a sharp gesture, ordered his men to tie Thomas up. The mercenaries quickly obeyed, binding him tightly as he struggled futilely with the little strength he had left.

The mercenary leader looked at the soldiers on the city wall and shouted, "Hand over your baron, and I'll spare this old man's life and your town. Do it now, or make me wait and everyone will suffer the consequences. You have until noon today..."

***

Arthur watched the whole scene unfold before his eyes in anguish. These monsters can't even be called humans... he looked around and saw the scared eyes of the soldiers.

"Men," he began. "We will not listen to this piece of shit... even if the baron were here, we wouldn't hand him over... so, our only way out is to fight and protect our families who are evacuating. Under no circumstances will these monsters get past us."

The soldiers still showed insecurity but held their position.

"Sir... I knew both dead guards... they were my friends. I don't... don't want to die, not here. I have family..." said the man as he began to panic. Most of these soldiers were just young men who had been recruited a little over three years ago and had never seen combat themselves.

Arthur approached the young soldier and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Raise your head and look at me, soldier!"

The frightened soldier looked at Arthur. "What's your name, soldier?" Arthur asked.

He stuttered with fear. "Mark-"

"Do you want your family to survive, Mark?"

The soldier hesitated, paralyzed by fear.

"ANSWER, MARK!"

"YES!" Mark shouted, still stuttering and insecure.

"Well, we all want that... and do you know what that means? That we have something to fight for... see those bastards out there?" Arthur pointed to the men beyond the walls. "They have nothing to fight for... they're no longer human. They steal, kill, rape our women, and do everything a piece of trash would do." Arthur grabbed Mark's metal breastplate, pulling him closer. "We will fight so that our families can survive and have a home to return to. We want our sons and daughters to survive to live the rest of their lives... are you with me, Mark?"

With tears in his eyes, he said loudly, "YES! I'm with you, sir."

Arthur smiled and patted the soldier's shoulder.

"Good," he looked at the other soldiers and said, "Now, all of you to your battle stations!"

***

"Sir!" one of the mercenaries said determinedly to his leader. "Why don't we attack right away?"

Paterson laughed as he peeled a beautiful apple. He had been hired by the duke's own successor, the older brother of the bastard Miguel, to kill him before he reached the barony. For some reason, those two managed to escape and reach their destination. He knew he had to kill that little shit somehow, or he would never receive his reward. So he hired one of the duchy's mercenary guilds for this task. He was part of a guild himself, but convincing a rival guild was easy when he said they could loot the capital of the Barony of Drakmoor. This place is so forgotten by the kingdom that no one will care if something happens here. He could always blame the bandits or the beastmen from the south.

"Hold that excitement, my friend. One step at a time. Their wall may be simple, but it's still hard to get through. They can still hit us with their arrows and boiling oil buckets if we try to get close."

"Why don't we go around and enter through the south gates?"

"You've never been here, have you?" Peterson bit into the apple and looked at his impatient colleague.

"Look around, this place we're in is one of the few clearings here. The city is practically surrounded by a dense forest to the east and a weaving field to the west. If we go around, they'll flank us. Here is perfect, and don't worry, we won't need a siege when our church mages arrive. If Miguel doesn't show up, we'll kill this old man and try our luck by overwhelming their defenses with the help of the holy church mages."

"They agreed to work with us?" he asked.

"Yes..." Peterson smiled. "Everyone has a price. I'll give them enchanted gems from the West. They're rare here and would fetch a fortune on the conventional market, but I convinced them to do this little 'volunteer work' in exchange for the gems."

He laughed maliciously, imagining Miguel's head in his hand and the vast amount of gold coins promised as a reward.