Once I reached the camp of the small force we were using as a distraction I informed them of the situation and ordered them to temporarily stay in place while I returned to the main camp to report to Captain Walker.
“Sergeant Young has already reported to me what he saw when you both climbed the rubble pile left in the wake of the landslide but I would like for you to give your side of the events.”
“Well sir when we climbed to the top of it we had a much better view of the camp than we had previously but it still wasn’t perfect so Ian climbed on my back to have an even better one. Upon doing so he reported to me that while there are signs it had been occupied recently he couldn’t see any sign that it was currently. While it is I suppose still possible they are hiding underground or out of view it is my opinion that this is not the case. As to how long ago the camp was abandoned I cannot say never mind where they might have gotten to. However, I fear they are up to no good and it is my opinion that they haven’t long far.”
“Unfortunately I tend to agree with you on that point lieutenant. We received confirmation from the manor that they received my earlier warning but we haven’t heard from them since. As soon as he made his report to me I sent Young and half his scouts back to the Manor to learn more. It will be more than an hour before they can likely return with news and in the meantime we need to decide how to proceed. I fear that the Manor has been attacked in our absence and that it is unlikely that they ever intended to return here. They are now more than likely aware of our presence in the area if they hadn’t been already and are thus even more unlikely to do so.
However, the possibility still remains that they will thus we will have repot split up the company. The main force under my command will head back to the manor while the distraction force will remain behind under your command just in case they return. If they do so you are not to engage under any circumstances, try your best to keep out of sight and follow them if they subsequently leave the area, is that understood?”
“Yes Sir, but what about the camp, should we go and have a look at it or do you wish us to stay away?”
“While their return is a distinct possibility I think it unlikely and while they no doubt didn’t leave behind any clues to their intentions we cannot completely disregard that chance. But at the same time, anything that might be discovered cannot be completely relied upon as it could be misinformation. With that in mind, I would like you to search the camp if at all possible but keep in mind that it may be boobytrapped so don’t take any unnecessary risks.”
“Yes Sir, will you wait for the scouts to return or head out as soon as you can?”
“We don’t have a moment to waste I fear so we head out just as soon as we can. Now as you know most but not all of the distraction force is from your platoon and if we had time I would swap those that aren’t out for the rest but I fear we don’t so take care not to treat them any differently than the rest. And don’t worry about Second Squad I’ll take good care of them in your absence.”
I had a quick word with the sergeant in charge of the second squad of my platoon and some of the men before heading back to the camp of the distraction force. I informed them of the situation and then had them collect some of the longer branches of the nearby trees to make poles. Leaving five of them behind to keep an eye out for the bandits I proceeded with the rest towards the abandoned bandit camp. I had them prod the ground in from of them with the long poles I had them create earlier in the hope that this would trigger any Bobby-traps we might encounter. Either there weren’t any or they had been placed elsewhere as we managed to reach the entrance to the camp without incident. This of course didn’t mean we relaxed our guard, if anything we became even more paranoid.
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The bandits had set up their camp in the ruins of an old fortified farmhouse and adapted it accordingly. The area surrounding the former farmhouse and the ruin itself had become overgrown with trees, shrubs and other plants. Other than its roof the main farmhouse was still mainly intact as was the wall surrounding the main property. Well, the wall had collapsed at one place close to the cliff and was partially collapsed in serval other places. The bandits or perhaps someone else earlier had filled in the gaps as best they could with rubble. The left gatehouse was completely missing its roof and the right one had been half demolished by a falling tree at some point.
For the most part, all the farm buildings not made of stone such as the sheds and a bunkhouse had collapsed and there were signs that a fire had at one point razed some of them. The well in front of the farmhouse showed signs that it had been filled in at some point but this was no longer the case. The one remaining mostly intact original building showed signs that it had been recently used by the bandits as a cookhouse. The bandits had built a crude outhouse out of wood and a small shed that might have been used as their armoury and next to it was an area that clearly had been the site of a temporary forge possibly using equipment they had recovered from one that had no doubt once existed on the site previously. All that remained was a rather heavy-looking anvil and the Hearth, they must have taken the rest when they left which was another possible indicator that they didn’t plan to return.
We very carefully inspected the entire site and by the time it started to get dark, we had only found a single booby trap. They had dug a pit at the entrance to the outhouse and placed several wooden stakes at the bottom of it. They had then concealed it using a light covering of wicker with some loose soil spread on top of it. While we probably would have found it without anyone having been hurt thankfully a wild boar had already fallen prey to it.
Upon inspecting its carcass we determined that it couldn’t have been dead for more than a couple of days which likely indicated that the bandits had been long gone by then. We also discovered a shallow grave behind the outhouse where two bodies had been buried. As there wasn’t even a simple marker placed where we found them and while some bandits are worse than others we thought it unlike they had been one of their number. I felt that they were likely to have been prisoners of the bandits or perhaps camp followers of some description.
While I wished I didn’t have to do so I ordered them exhumed. I did so for two reasons, firstly to see how long ago they had died and secondly in the hope that we might somehow be able to identify them. Other than a single one possessed by a few people with a unique class the system stops skills like identify from displaying the names attached to dead body after they have been deceased for more than a Month. Unfortunately other than the fact that we were able to determine they were both female, we found no evidence that could be used to identify them. Thus I ordered a deeper grave dug out for them on the site of the previous one and had them reburied using the proper rites which I had performed by the newly promoted Sergeant Leon Howey, perhaps the most pious man in the company.
Our search didn’t uncover anything of use in determining what the bandits might be planning next or even what they had been up to previously. They had clearly made an effort to remove any useful evidence. Even our search of an area they had clearly used as a rubbish tip didn’t uncover anything useful. Even our attempt to determine their numbers proved unfruitful though we hadn’t given up hope that a further search once it was light again the following morning might shed some more light.
While we were searching the bandit camp I had the two scouts that had stayed behind with us search for any signs of where the bandits might have gone but unfortunately they returned empty-handed having only discovered a spot where the bandits had covered up any signs of their passing and not having been able to find anything after that, no matter how hard they tried.
We decided not to camp in the ruins of the farmstead that night but to do so just outside it. We felt that to do so would somehow dishonour the two bodies we had discovered. At the same time in the unlike event the bandits returned those of our number who would in shifts remain on lookout all night long could provide us with enough warning so that we could retreat to their former camp if need be.