Before the sun had reached noon, the camp was back to its old order. But something had changed in the air; the warriors' respect and loyalty to Corvus had visibly increased. Zarqa, Baldrek and Kragan were already on their way to fulfill the orders they had received at their meeting during the night. Although Corvus wanted to check the inns himself, Zarqa insisted that he would not. In his opinion, this was the moment when the soldiers respected Corvus the most, and Corvus needed to spend time with his soldiers to reinforce that respect.

Zarqa and Kragan set off to inspect Bahoz's inns, while Baldrek moved to bring information about the bandits to Tanar. Baldrek's place in Corvus' life went far beyond being a comrade-in-arms. They had spent their childhood together and had been friends from the earliest moments of their lives. Even in his earliest memories, Corvus remembered Baldrek by his side. Baldrek's father, Dragan, was one of the most skilled blacksmiths in Rhazgord and one of Corvus' father's closest friends. This bond brought their children closer together.

Baldrek's real dream was not to become a warrior in the first place. He wanted to be a blacksmith like his father, making the best weapons for the best warriors. While he was apprenticed to his father's fire and anvil, Corvus, at the age of ten, had begun his warrior training and was training in the army. While Baldrek followed in his father's footsteps at the forge, Corvus needed a sword. It was his first time carrying a sword, getting used to the weight of iron. So Corvus went to the smithy to order his first sword from Dragan, Baldrek's father. Dragan wanted to test Corvus' skills, so he gave him a sword of his size and asked him to make a few moves. After only a few weeks of training, Corvus' skills were far beyond those of his peers. That day, Baldrek was so amazed by Corvus' skill that the next day he left his life at the blacksmith's forge and joined the army to become a warrior.

Baldrek soon surpassed his peers, thanks to the muscle strength and skill he gained from blacksmithing. His courage in fights was honed in the fire of blacksmithing. He soon became a master of both iron and sword.

Corvus sent Baldrek to Tanar for a special reason. Baldrek's character reminded Corvus a lot of Baldrek's father, Dragan. Just as Dragan forged a sword perfectly and delivered it on time, Baldrek performed every task perfectly. Corvus wanted Baldrek's information to Tanar to be strictly controlled and for Tanar to act without excuse. Baldrek's reliability was a guarantee for Corvus. Baldrek would get Tanar to act no matter what.

As Baldrek moved swiftly towards Tanar's mansion, he had only one thought in his mind: To carry out his orders on time. He was so disciplined that he thought he had been delayed by the events in the camp in the morning, so he hurried. He still had plenty of time, but even that could not slow Baldrek down. When he reached Tanar's large, imposing house, two burly warriors stopped him at the door. The guards knew from the weapons and armor that Baldrek was important, but they were still cautious. No one could enter Tanar's house without being questioned.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” one of the guards asked, without taking his eyes off Baldrek.

Baldrek straightened his posture with military discipline and spoke in a hoarse but clear voice: "Baldrek Vornak, adjutant* of Corvus Tiamat. I have important information to relay to Tanar.”

Baldrek's words had an immediate impact on the guards. His response, formal and straightforward, galvanized the two men into action without hesitation. Wasting no time, they opened the courtyard gate and Baldrek entered the mansion. The interior of the house was full of details that did not escape his watchful eyes: A soldier at every corner, a guard at every staircase. Tanar was not only the head of a large family, he was also one of the people responsible for the administration of the city of Bahaz. But even for him, such intense security seemed too much. A spark went off in Baldrek's mind; who did this man feel threatened by?

When he entered Tanar's room and greeted him, Tanar's face wore its usual uncomfortable, sly smile. He stood up and spread his hands in an exaggerated gesture, pretending to be delighted to see Baldrek.

“What a nice surprise! Welcome, Baldrek. How can I help you?” he said with false enthusiasm.

But Baldrek ignored Tanar's sycophantic behavior. With cold determination and no emotion on his face, he moved forward and approached the table. He spread the maps he had taken out of his bag on the table and focused on the locations of the bandit groups marked on the maps. While correcting the map with one hand, he pointed to a spot with the other.

“We've almost taken out the group at this point,” he said, as if Tanar was not there. Then he pointed with his finger to all the points marked on the map and explained them one by one. In short but precise sentences he described the situation of the bandit groups, their movements and what had to be done according to Corvus' orders. Tanar watched in amazement as Baldrek explained in a cold and mechanical way. He could tell that the man neither stopped nor listened. While he looked surprised, there was also a slight look of anger on his face.

When Baldrek finished and looked up at Tanar, he noticed the confusion on Tanar's face and spoke sarcastically: “If you don't understand, let me explain it again.”

Tanar suddenly seemed to come to his senses. He was lost in thought for a moment, but recovered quickly. “No, no, I understand perfectly,” he said, trying to suppress the surprise on his face.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

But then a sly smile settled back on his face. “But first we should sit down and have a few words. It's an honor to meet a great warrior like you. Come, let's have a meal,” he said with mock politeness. He was ignoring Baldrek's stern expression. But Baldrek's face did not change in the slightest; only his eyes grew darker and his muscles tensed. His hand slowly slid to the hilt of his gun.

“What's your plan?” Baldrek said, his voice even harsher. But Tanar had completely misunderstood the question. Thinking his offer of food had been accepted, he responded with a big smile.

“Oh, very good! I know a great place that cooks meat, and you know what we should do? Let's take Corvus with us. I haven't had a chance to have a proper chat with him either,” he said happily.

This time Baldrek's patience had run out. His expression was still hard as a rock, but his voice sharpened like a sword. His hand gripped the hilt of his weapon tightly and his eyes met Tanar's.

“I am asking when and how you will attack the bandits,” he said, his voice cold and determined. "Corvus gave you time until tonight. Have you forgotten?”

The false smile on Tanar's face vanished in an instant. Faced with Baldrek's threatening attitude, he realized he had nowhere to run. It was clear that he did not really want to deal with the bandit problem. Even though he ruled an entire city, he was afraid to send his men into battle. Every soldier meant a price, every action an additional payment. So he seemed to be taking action, but in fact he was doing nothing. His only hope was that Corvus would quickly eliminate these bandits and leave the city. He was making false plans to buy time, but under Baldrek's gaze, nothing could be hidden anymore.

Baldrek took a step towards Tanar. His eyes met Tanar's and his voice was as hard as a frozen knife:

“What is your plan?!”

The sharpness of that sentence penetrated Tanar to the bone. Baldrek's patience was running out and Tanar knew it. He felt he had to act immediately. Part panic, part anxiety, he regulated his breathing and mumbled something quickly:

“Plan? Don't worry Baldrek, everything is ready. At sundown I will move to clear out the bandits.”

Baldrek took a few steps back, keeping his eyes on Tanar. “I would like to see the information you have,” he said slowly, his demeanor softening a little. The words echoed inside Tanar, because he knew how sloppy and inadequate the information was.

Tanar began to pace around his desk in fear. He seemed confused, his hands frantically rummaging through the drawers. Every now and then he would pull documents out onto the table, then realize they were wrong and put them back. Every movement was a manifestation of the chaos in his head. Finally he found some maps and papers and handed them to Baldrek with a false look of pride on his face. As if he had achieved a great victory: “This is the information gathered by my best men,” he said, as if he had achieved a great victory.

As Baldrek took the documents and skimmed through them, a tiny trace of derision crossed his face. The Rhazgord army's greatest pride was its map-making skills. But the map in his hands was an embarrassment. The documents were even more disgraceful. There was no detail, no trace of strategy. It was as if everything had been prepared for the sake of it.

“Can I take a copy of these with me?” he asked, his voice cold and distant. In the Rhazgord, copies were always made of documents that were not very important or classified, every trained soldier knew that. Baldrek watched Tanar's reaction carefully.

Tanar's lips curled as he sneaked out another lie: “Unfortunately, my soldiers lost it. But if you wait, I will have copies made quickly.” For Baldrek, these words were just a sign of weakness. It took him only a moment to realize that Tanar was lying. There was nothing of note in the documents anyway.

Baldrek put the documents back on the table with the ones he had brought. He stood up and headed for the door with steps as heavy as a rock. Without saying a word, he straightened his shoulders. When he reached the door, without turning around, he said, “Until tomorrow. Remember,” he said. The cold threat in his words echoed in the room. He didn't look at Tanar, but the warning in that sentence cut the air in the room like a sharp knife.

Baldrek hurried back to the camp as quickly as he had come, and Tanar hurried out of his mansion. His steps were hurried, his heart pounding in his chest, getting faster with each step. Plans swirled in his head, looking for a way out. His destination was clear: In one of the darkest corners of the city of Bahoz, he headed for an iron gate. He had not knocked on that door since Corvus' arrival, but now he had to. Everything was now at stake. As he hurried on his way, at the same time Zarqa and Kragan were entering an inn, carefully observing their surroundings.