Henry immediately snapped out of his amazement, his senses sharpening as he turned to face the captain. The gravity in Joseph’s tone left no doubt that whatever awaited him requited immediate attention.
“What’s happened?” Henry asked, his voice steady but tinged with concern as he braced himself for whatever news the captain was about to deliver.
Captain Joseph hesitated for a fraction of a second, his brow furrowed with worry. “Bandits, sir. The adventurers who went to surveil, found bandit camps to our west and south. Also, Ironwood to our northwest spotted caravans of poor migrants moving southward to Woodhaerst. It seems the bandits noticed them before we did. Already, we’ve reports of conflicts. Your orders sir?”
Henry’s expression tightened as he processed the captain’s words. Bandits were an expected threat in this new world, but the reality of their proximity, coupled with the arrival of desperate migrants, complicated things more than he had anticipated. The situation was volatile, and he knew the bandits would only grow in power as time progressed.
“How many?” Henry asked, his voice firm as he locked eyes with Captain Joseph.
“From what the scouts reported, there are at least two large camps. The mountain bandits to our west are smaller, maybe fifty strong. The one to the south, pirates. They are dug in pretty deep inside their fortress, they also have ships parked in their harbor. Based on the reporting, they’re well-armed and organized, sir.”
“Wait…pirates? There’s an ocean to our south?” Henry asked in amazement.
“Yes, sir.” Captain Joseph nodded.
Henry took a deep breath, his mind racing as he considered the information. The migrants weren’t a threat, merely a small inconvenience. The mountain bandits would become a clear threat once goods between Ironwood and Woodhaerst restarted trading. However, the pirates were the biggest problem, as they were organized, fortified, and well armed. Moreover, Henry wanted access to the ocean to exploration and trade.
Henry lingered for a moment, looking up at the three full moons that continued to cast their eerie light over Woodhaerst. The peaceful night sky seemed at odds with the turmoil brewing on the ground. Turning to face his captain he gave the order, “Tomorrow night, raid the bandit. We’ll defend our territory by clearing out the bandits one at time.”
“Sir, that will put the migrants in jeopardy,” Capital Joseph nodded with a grim expression.
“It may, but it’s better to ambush them when their guards are down.” Henry turned and made his way back to the manor, his mind already strategizing the next steps. He was determined that Woodhaerst would not only survive but thrive in this new world.
The next night, under the glaze of moonlight, the sentries monitoring the bandit’s camp relayed information to full party. In the distance, lay Henry, Captain Joseph, fifty soldiers, and another fifty adventures.
As Henry waited, Captain Joseph silently passed him a sheet of paper from the scouts. The writing was scribbled quickly, and it was difficult to make out at night. But it read the bandits just returned with a group of migrants. The marauders pillaged the migrant's caravan, killing those who fought back, and kidnapped some young women.
Even with the number returning bandits, their comparable in strength was slightly less than the soldiers and adventures. In order to reduce his casualties, Henry knew that he would have to use some tactics. He planned to have Captain Joseph lead the army drawing their attention forward, while the adventures ambushed from the rear.
Half an hour later, the adventures reached the ambush site, quickly moving into position. Henry waved Captain Joseph forwards.
Captain Jospeh saluted, “Sire, rest assured. We’ll rid these bandits from our territory.”
Still Henry knew the bandits could survive in the wilderness, and therefore they would not be rid so easily. That was way, Henry brought double the number of reported bandits. Even with the element of surprise on their side, these bandits knew the mountains terrains better than them.
Twenty minutes later, Captain Joseph’s squad came within a thousand meters of the bandit camp, a weathered wooden fort, with a badly constructed watch tower. Before the bored looking sentry could alert the bandits, arrow pierced his head and throat. With the sentry silenced, the army moved to quietly open the front gate guards who suffered the same fate.
With the gates unguarded, Captain Joseph and his squad moved forward to breach. When the gates swung open, they army stormed in to catching the celebrating bandits off guard. The bandits held tankards of ale and stared dumbfounded at the squad of fifty soldiers.
“We’re under attack!” Yelled a bandit dropping his tankard and jolted for his weapons.
Inside the keep, the great leader was busy enjoying the captured women. After hearing the noise outside, impatiently snapped, “Go tell them to settle down. I’m trying to enjoy myself!”
Hearing the leader, the second leader, sighed, and moved to relay the bandit leader’s order. When he opened the door to yell out the leader’s command, he was surprised to see they were under attack.
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Captain Joseph and his men fought hard, but the winner was from decided. Both sides were evenly matched. The second bandit leader laughed as he unhurriedly walked forward ready get his fun out of this squad of soldiers.
Henry could see the joking expression on the second leader’s face, and thought to himself, ‘You bastard, just wait.”
Just as the bandits thought they were gaining the advantaged and their wicked smiles grew, fifty adventures rushed out of hiding as they sprang their ambush. The bandits wicked smiles turned to horror, as they were forced to fight on two fronts. Worse yet, archers from the trees picked off bandits from above.
The bandits had no time to react as they were pierced from the left, right, and above. As the army’s morale surged, the bandit’s plummeted. As the dying bandits cried out in anguish, the bandit leader suddenly emerged from his house in anger. “I told you runts to be quiet…”
The bandit leader looked in shock as his second-in-command perished right before his eyes, an arrow lodged deep in his throat. Blood spurted from the wound as the man crumpled to the ground, his face frozen in a mix of surprise and terror. The sight seemed to snap the leader out of his stupor, and rage quickly replaced his shock.
“You dare attack my camp?” the leader roared, his voice booming over the din of battle. His eyes blazed with fury as he drew his sword, a wickedly sharp blade that gleamed in the firelight. “I’ll slaughter every last one of you!”
Despite his bravado, it was clear the leader hadn’t anticipated an assault of this magnitude. The bandits, already caught off guard by the initial attack, were now in complete disarray as they found themselves under siege from both sides. The element of surprise had worked perfectly in Henry’s favor, and the bandits were paying the price.
Captain Joseph’s soldiers pressed the advantage, their swords and spears cutting through the bandits with ruthless efficiency. The adventurers, true to their skills, darted in and out of the fray, striking down foes with precision before retreating into the shadows. Arrows continued to rain down from the trees, each one finding its mark with deadly accuracy.
The bandit leader, undeterred by the chaos around him, charged forward, aiming to cut down the nearest soldier. But before he could reach his target, a flash of steel caught his eye. He barely had time to react as Henry stepped into his path, his axe gleaming menacingly in the moonlight.
“You’re not going to harm anyone else,” Henry declared, his voice calm but filled with steely resolve.
The leader sneered, his grip tightening on his sword. “Big words for a boy playing at being a lord,” he spat, swinging his blade toward Henry with all his might.
Henry met the attack head-on, his axe intercepting the sword with a resounding clash of metal. The force of the impact reverberated through both weapons, but Henry held his ground. The bandit leader, realizing he was up against a formidable opponent, tried to break away and regroup, but Henry was relentless.
“You’ve terrorized these people long enough,” Henry said, pushing the leader back with a powerful strike. “It’s time you faced justice.”
The bandit leader snarled, fury and desperation evident in his eyes. He launched another series of attacks, but Henry deftly parried each one, his movements controlled and precise. The leader’s strikes grew more frantic, his composure unraveling as he struggled to gain the upper hand.
With a roar, the bandit leader switched tactics, aiming a brutal slash at Henry’s side. Henry dodged the blow and countered with a swift strike of his own, the blade of his axe cutting a shallow gash across the leader’s arm. The leader hissed in pain, his eyes narrowing as he realized he was outmatched.
Desperate, the leader feigned a retreat, hoping to lure Henry into a reckless charge. But Henry didn’t take the bait. Instead, he held his ground, watching the bandit leader with a calculating gaze. The two circled each other, the tension between them palpable as the sounds of battle raged around them.
“You’re going to die here, boy,” the leader growled, trying to intimidate Henry with his words.
“Maybe,” Henry replied, his voice steady. “But not before I end your reign of terror.”
With a fierce cry, the bandit leader lunged at Henry, putting all his strength into a downward strike aimed at cleaving Henry in two. But Henry was ready. In a swift, fluid motion, he sidestepped the blow and brought his axe down in a powerful arc. The blade connected with the bandit leader’s side, biting deep into his flesh.
The leader gasped, his sword slipping from his grasp as he staggered back, clutching the wound. Blood poured from the gash, and he dropped to one knee, his strength fading rapidly. He looked up at Henry, hatred and disbelief mingling in his eyes.
“You… you won’t get away with this…” he choked out, his voice weakening as his life drained away.
Henry stepped back; his expression grim as he watched the bandit leader collapse to the ground. “You brought this upon yourself,” he said quietly, his gaze steady as the leader took his final breath.
With the leader’s death, the remaining bandits lost what little resolve they had left. Some tried to flee, only to be cut down by the soldiers and adventurers who quickly pursued them. Others dropped their weapons and surrendered, their eyes wide with fear as they realized the battle was lost.
As the last of the fighting died down, Captain Joseph approached Henry, his face flushed with the heat of battle. “The camp is ours, sir,” he reported, wiping the blood from his sword. “The bandits are either dead or captured.”
Henry nodded, his mind already shifting to the next steps. “Round up the prisoners and secure the camp,” he ordered. “We’ll need to interrogate them to find out what they know. Make sure the wounded receive treatment—ours and theirs. We need information as much as we need justice.”
Captain Joseph saluted and turned to carry out the orders, while Henry took a moment to survey the scene. The camp, once a den of thieves and murderers, was now eerily silent, save for the crackling of the campfires and the groans of the injured. The battle had been won, but Henry knew this was only the beginning. The pirates to the south were still a looming threat, and the migrants would soon be at their doorstep, seeking refuge.
As he looked up at the three moons still shining brightly in the night sky, Henry felt a relieved, this was one last hassle to deal with. Turning to Captain Joseph he ordered, “Bring the hostages and horses back to the village, rest is free to loot.”
The soldiers and adventures cheered hearing Henry’s order, as they been madly searching for treasure. Looting, despite being a war crime on Earth, was an easy method to reward the soldiers and adventures for their efforts. It also incentivized, soldiers and adventures to report and clean up nearby bandits.
The last thing Henry needed to sort out was the captured migrant women and children. There were 32 women and 13 children. Their traumatic kidnapping made them distrustful of the soldiers and adventures. Yet, they were too weak to survive the wilderness, so they hesitantly accepted Henry’s offer to join Woodhaerst. As far as their relatives joining Woodhaerst, he deal with that tomorrow.