64 Bandits
Two days later, Henry and his soldiers marched out of the mansion wearing old and patched clothes covered by dirt and leaves, like rogue bandits. The hood covering their faces allowed them to hide their identities from prying eyes, something extremely important for the current mission.
Before dashing into the forest, the king cast a final glance at his group, carefully inspecting their outfits for any noticeable characteristic that could give their identities away. His eyes paused when they landed on a giant figure, whose clothes were tight and didn't fit well with his massive body.
"Grok!" – Henry's voice resonated with a touch of frustration, as he gently rubbed his temple, trying to keep his cool – "Stop scratching yourself!"
Upon hearing the order, the giant man briefly hesitated before awkwardly obeying. He stopped his actions, slowly lowering his hands while directing a meek gaze towards Henry. In the past, he might have reacted with anger and defied the orders of this small man who called himself a king. However, that freezing night had taught him an important lesson. He could still feel the icy wind grazing his skin, scratching deep into his bones, like the touch of a frozen specter slowly scratching him. Grok felt like a barbarian farce that had betrayed his ancestors and his own self.
"Great!" – Henry took a deep breath as he turned his attention back to the forest in front of him. Everything was ready and the plan could finally be implemented.
According to Leier's intel, Luak's army had already managed to settle in a nearby village known as Langten. Her reports indicated that they had begun to occupy the outskirts of the village while Zuna and the other captains had entered the Cold Iron Mines to survey the production of the metal.
"Let's go!" – Henry commanded, kicking the ground, and disappearing into the forest, followed by his soldiers.
-x-
Zuna sat inside a simple and improvised tent, her weary eyes fixed on a map spread out before her, but her mind already far away from the present time. Ever since that restless night, when the ground shook and a deafening sound jolted her awake, leaving her adrift, she couldn't find a single moment of peace or sleep.
Whenever Zuna closed her eyes, the image of the lifeless bodies of those forty-nine soldiers haunted her. Their corpses were torn apart without a single part of their bodies untouched, a never seen scene which sent shivers down her spine. However, the most disturbing aspect of everything was the mysterious cause of that incident, they had no idea if it was a natural explosion, or an event produced by someone behind the scenes, like Stahl or Aritreia.
The uncertainty kept her on the edge every single night, leaving her anxiously anticipating another potential attack. She always had her sword within the reach of her hands, ready to pounce at the enemies.
Zuna took a deep breath forcing her mind to return to the map spread out before her. It was a rudimentary depiction of the region they were in and the route they had taken to get here, with the position of some important cities and villages in the White Merchant Road clearly represented on it. It was a map she had requested to the sole cartographer of the kingdom to create, who was accompanying them. He had also ventured into the mines with Zuna and the captains, with the mission to meticulously map out every tunnel and passage within the mountains.
"First, we need to secure the perimeter around our base of operations" – Zuna pondered while leaning over the table, her blue hair partially covering the map as she rested her head on the table, closing her tired eyes – "We also need to collect enough food and supplies to maintain the troops fighting capabilities, since we don't have a clear timeline for how long we'll be staying in these lands.".
Although they lacked formal military structures and advanced war strategies, Luak had managed to get the basics down, which allowed them to establish a kingdom and successfully defend their lands from other's envious gaze. Because of that, they understood the primal necessity of securing the perimeter and guaranteeing enough resources, a way to allow them to fight and defend against death.
Utilizing her limited knowledge and experience on planning and strategy, Zuna had ordered half of her soldiers to rapidly spread around to delimit the area around the encampment and to build up fortifications while the other half were directed to hunt for food. She was a child of the north and knew that on these cold lands there were three essential things that every single soul must have to exist, even more so with no definitive time to leave Stahl, food, shelter, and firewood. They were essential resources to survive through the extreme seasons.
Suddenly, a voice filled with urgency echoed through the air, catching Zuna's attention. "Commander! Commander! Bandits! Bandits!" - A man rushed into the tent, his footsteps quick and his breath heavy – "Bandits have been spotted in the forest!"
At those words, Zuna's head snapped up as her gaze sharpened, like a sword being taken out from the scabbard. Without hesitation, she reached out for the sword leaning against the table and swiftly rose to her feet. The weight of the weapons seemingly reassuring her that everything would be okay, and she was prepared to face any threat.
She strode forward with determination, brushing past the man and causing him to stumble and fall. Zuna urgently asked – "How many of them?"
"At least fifty!" - The man responded, scrambling to his feet without minding Zuna's actions as he trailed closely behind her, stepping outside – "They've ambushed our soldiers who were hunting in the forest. We have lost twenty-five men before they vanished into the forest!"
Unlike Henry's new army, which was based on the Roman Legions, Luak's troops were not well-trained, disciplined, or organized into standardized formations. In fact, their soldiers were mostly farmers recruited from the poor countryside, who had no other choice but to enlist in the army to escape the clutches of hunger and cold. They only received dull weapons and then were thrust into battle without any training.
"Gather the captains! We are going to hunt them down!" – Zuna's commanding and powerful shou echoed through the camp, catching the attention of all soldiers.
She rapidly made her way throughout the temporary maze of improvised tents, not minding the smoke rising from the crackling fireplaces, mingling with the smell of stews, and the sound of wood being chopped down. There were even some soldiers carrying a few baskets filled by food bought from the Langten.
Zuna was determined to hunt them down.
-x-
Deep into the forest, Henry and his group were surrounded by corpses, whose blood dried the white snow and painted it in red. He watched without worry as the sole survivor ran away.
"He will be the first trumpet. Let him go!" – Henry commanded, turning around and diving deeper into the forest.
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