As the morning fog blankets the forest, visibility is reduced to just a few meters ahead, forcing soldiers to rely on long branches to detect ground traps and meticulously inspect surrounding trees to avoid falling prey to spike traps. Utilizing an old map of the northern frontier, the soldiers determine Ornegaka's location within the hidden forest. Their inspections reveal remnants of carts and wooden containers, indicating their presence on the ancient Imperial Road. Another map, detailing trap locations, forms a circle in the northeast section of the forest. Armed with this information, the counter and his troops traverse the old Imperial Road cautiously, scanning the treetops for potential threats as the fog gradually dissipates. Suddenly, a soldier detects movement and ventures deeper into the fog, spotting something stirring in the branches above. He aims his crossbow, only to be struck by a ball-shaped war club, causing excruciating pain. Fortunately, his helmet prevents a skull fracture, but he falls unconscious after receiving another blow to the face.
As he regains consciousness, the soldier finds himself being dragged through a bustling village populated by individuals of various races, all clad in unfamiliar armor adorned with small rectangular plates arranged in a unique pattern over leather garments. His gaze settles on a stone building where villagers, dressed in ordinary clothes, laboriously work with iron, forging and shaping it. Among them, he notices one individual heating a helmet belonging to the lost patrol guard in a furnace. Soon, he is ushered into a house where a concealed trapdoor is opened, revealing a wooden staircase leading below. As he descends, he observes numerous rooms within the underground structure until he is brought to the one at the far end, where a figure, resembling the leader, sits on the floor. Upon being thrown to the ground, the figure rises and removes his hood, exposing a skeletal figure, Bolat.
Soldier: mhmhmh!
Bloat takes the cloth out of the soldier's mouth.
Soldier: let me go you filthy demon!
Bolat: give me a good reason to free you?
Soldier: a good reason? You killed the soldiers of the 4th patrol guard and melt their armors to make yours, rejected to pay the taxes as a gratitude for living here, and surely helped the criminal Salazar kill a superior authority in the territory, should I continue? You and these peasants have committed blasphemy against the kingdom of Kemee, and by consequence, the Crown itself!
Bolat: let me tell you something, this village was built over the debris of a forgotten town from the days of the empire, this was supposed to be a village where we could live freely, of course, if you had told us calmly that we needed to pay taxes, we would have done it with no problem, but your governor arrived here imposing his authority without remorse, we collected nearly enough tralian coins to pay the debt, but your tax collector arrived and took the money from us because according to him it is a sin for us peasants to even touch a single piece of tralian, pillaged our homes, increased the debt, killed our people, burned our homes and even took one of US TO ENSURE WE PAY HIM!!
Soldier: what does this have to do with Salazar Mayhew?
Bolat: the tax collector was found dead in his house, along with a note inside his wound, the note alerts the crown to decrease taxes to their normal level or the would die, and to avoid that, after the governor's death, 100 tralian drachmas must be left near the forest every three days until reaching the 21st day, and if the 21st day after the governor's death passes and the money is incomplete, the crown will die no matter how much they have paid, at the back of the note was a drawing of an edrak's skull.
Soldier: your master is Salazar Mayhew.
Bolat: I AM SALAZAR MAYHEW! And now you will see how the nobles of Gallo die by my hand.
Following the revelation that Salazar Mayhew is none other than Bolat himself, the soldier is escorted outside where he witnesses a grim scene unfolding. The governor's counter and the remaining soldiers are seen kneeling, stripped of their clothing, with crossbows aimed at their heads. Elliot stands at the center of the line, locking eyes with the soldier before issuing a chilling command to execute the final individual. The soldier is then blindfolded with a dark cloth and led away to the cabin housing the underground shelter. Meanwhile, the soldier who had conversed with Bolat is positioned in front of his comrades, a crossbow trained on his head.
Elliot: now talk, talk!
Soldier: t-the-skelet-ton is sala-zar Mayhew.
Counter: what?
A villager hits the counter in the head with a war blunt.
Villager: shut up!
Soldier: the skeleton is Salazar Mayhew, he lied to the governor, he killed the tax collector!
The soldier is shot in the head by a villager and other two villagers drag him to the furnace to take out his armor.
Bolat: he is right, I am Salazar Mayhew.
Counter: you? A mere skeleton? No, Salazar must be your master, I knew he wasn't just a babbler.
Bolat: fine, if you don't believe me-
Counter: if you're really Salazar, what is the content of the note, just I and the governor have read it, so there is no way you can know it.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Bolat: My name is Salazar Mayhew, and this missive is a stark ultimatum to the rulers of Kemee. Cease your relentless taxation of the people, or face the consequences. This death is but the beginning; next in line is the city governor, followed by the crown itself. Heed my words, for the blood of your leaders will stain the floors unless you halt your tyranny. However, there is a chance for salvation. After the governor's demise, leave 100 tralian drachmas near the eastern forest's edge every three days, until the 21st day, or face the demise of the crown.
Counter: h-how-
Bolat: the paper said just the governor and the crown would die, but not you, if you want to live, you will tell me where the governor will travel to, or I'll cut your arms, legs, take out your tongue and eyes until you become a useless piece of meat. Elliot, interrogate the rest, I will take the counter with me.
Elliot: and after?
Bolat: kill them.
All the prisoners are hooded and transported to the underground shelter while Bolat escorts the governor's counter to his farm, where a stone house is under reconstruction. Inside, the counter undergoes intense interrogation by Bolat, Elliot, and other villagers, employing interrogation methods familiar from Earth, including sleep deprivation, waterboarding, and even nail removal throughout the night. Eventually, under duress, the counter divulges the governor's plans to travel to the city of Ruequegori in the south if the counter fails to return. Aware that Ruequegori lies at least 8 days of travel away, necessitating the use of the new Continental Road, Elliot proposes a strategy and requests a meeting with Bolat, locking the counter in a room within the shelter as the meeting convenes in the main chamber.
Bolat: first of all, have you got anything from the soldiers?
Villager: yes, Mr. Bolat, there is another patrol coming here if the counter doesn't return to the city in 3 days, and also that the kidnapped child was sold to the city hall where works in the kitchen.
Bolat: the security in the city hall is too high for a couple of us to enter, try to find any weakness in the building and locate the kitchen.
Villager: yes Mr. Bolat.
Elliot: now, regarding the governor, there is a location in the Continental Road where idoupole grass is cultivated, these crops are tall enough to cover a middle-size cart and the dry stone walls are destroyed, we can use this as an ambush zone for the carriage.
Villager: according to the given information, there will be at least 2 ground patrols, we cannot fight them in open camp.
Villager 2: What about the intercourse that connects the Continent Road with the old Imperial Road?
Elliot: that should work, but we need the help of everyone, what do you think Bolat?
Bolat: how many people with wings does the village have?
Caleo: ar least 5, including me and my daughter, but she's only 17 and I only have one wing.
Bolat: regroup with the rest and bring me your daughter, I want to talk with her.
Some minutes later.
Bolat: what is your name?
Harpy: liyna s-sir.
Bolat: your hands, the handcuffs did these bruises?
Liyna: I had to use them all the time, and even forced me to work with them put on, of course that made me work slowly and-
Bolat: hey, hey, liyna, I wanted to talk with you. First, the first time you, your father, and everyone else saw me in the forest, why none of you got scared? a skeleton normally means a dark witcher is near.
Liyna: we were weak and many more of us would have died in the way to Honta, and others like me just wanted a quick death so we wouldn't suffer anymore, when we saw you... we did nothing, we just accepted we would die, but you helped us at the end
Bolat: tell me, would you defend this place even if it means your death?
Liyna: I have lived most part of my life with my winds tied up and locked in a cage, this is the first place I can spread my wings freely, the first place I called home, and I won't let anyone take it from me. Please, let me go with you.
Bolat: what about your father, he won't allow it.
Liyna: he overprotects me.
Bolat: overprotects you enough to give one of his wings so you wouldn't suffer by the hands of your old masters.
Liyna: what? He did that?
Bolat: you stole food when you were a mere child, of course you don't remember. You should talk with your father about this.
Moments later.
Bolat: well? Anything you have to say?
Caleo: *sigh* she will help you and I will stay behind to defend the village.
Bolat: fine, oh, before you go, it is hard for her to not have a mother, you should take care of her more often, she won't be by your side forever, ask yourself what her mother would have done.
Caleo: I will think about it, thank you.
Continental road intersection with Old Imperial Road
On the day of departure, the governor sets off from Gallo at midnight in his carriage, accompanied by two patrols serving as escorts. As they traverse the Continental Road heading west, they pass near the entrance to the forest where the old Imperial Road once ran. Suddenly, they hear screams and witness individuals emerging from the forest, bruised and partially clothed. Claiming to be guards who had protected the governor's counter during their journey, they are silenced by the appearance of a long, spear-like weapon emerging from the forest—a javelin, unfamiliar in this world but known to Bolat. Without warning, a barrage of javelins descends upon the patrols, striking both soldiers and horses alike. In the ensuing chaos, projectiles are exchanged, with the Ornegakians launching javelins and arrows into the air, some of which find their mark among the governor's soldiers illuminated by the moonlight. In response, the soldiers fire arrows blindly into the darkness of the forest.
Amidst the chaos, winged Ornegakians swoop in from the forest, lifting soldiers into the air and dropping them onto their mounted comrades. One of the Ornegakians manages to reach the carriage, but before it can open the door, it's struck in the chest by a hand crossbow bolt fired by a knight. The knight, wielding a khopesh-like sword, attempts to fend off the Ornegakian harpies but is swiftly subdued by a gnoll, who incapacitates him with a blow to the head.Meanwhile, the governor is seized by a lizardfolk who covers his head with a black cloth. With both the knight and the governor captured, the Ornegakians retreat into the forest while the harpies continue to distract the soldiers. Upon regaining consciousness, the governor and Knight Renier find themselves facing a figure adorned with an Edrak skull. Illuminated by a lamp, the governor, recognizing the distinctive skull, believes the figure to be Salazar Mayhew, the witcher who seeks his demise.
Bolat as Salazar: Greetings, Mr governor, knight Renier, we have a lot to talk about.
Bolat as Salazar: Greetings, Mr governor, knight Renier, we have a lot to talk about [https://img.wattpad.com/ddc53822d31bb905a02e24b0c1f4e54cf137e070/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6d616658312d4d32376f6b424c513d3d2d313433353333373930352e313763326365653633346338643330303338373534313833383037392e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
(Edrak skull, similar to elk)