Chapter 26

"My lord," Robard saluted as a gentle breeze caressed his armor.

"Robard," Gerald said. He was sitting in the garden and his head knight was standing in front of him, a little puzzled. Gerald knew why. He had taken to the habit of spending his time in the garden the last few days. His aides weren't used to meeting him amidst the colorful greenery. Nevertheless, these were the coolest days he'd seen of summer. Gerald didn't want to confine himself in his study when he could breath fresh air.

"I have news, my lord," Robard said.

"Good news?" Gerald said.

"Yes," Robard nodded. "The Red Rain band has returned from the south."

Gerald perked up. "Is that so?" he said. "That is indeed good news. Have you arranged for a meeting with their captain?"

"Yes, my lord," Robard said. "I have arranged for a meeting tomorrow. I hope it isn't too sudden."

"It isn't," Gerald said. "The sooner the better. You know that I can't wait to rid the basin of its scourge."

"I've arranged for their captain to arrive at the keep tomorrow morning," Robard said.

"Very well," Gerald breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad the Red Rain band was back. If he couldn't pit them against the Silver crew, he would have to sacrifice too many of his men to eliminate the former mercenaries. "Gasper has already left, yes?"

"Yes, my lord," Robard said. "He took more than 1000 refugees with him last night. I made sure that those who noticed pretended they didn't"

Well, he is in for a surprise, Gerald thought, almost chuckling. He was actually a bit embarrassed for hiding part of the truth from Gasper. Regardless, he would know when he reaches the camp.

"How is the recruitment for the elite corps?" Gerald asked.

"It has gone well, my lord," Robard smiled. "We have recruited 20 Earth warriors. I believe there could be a few more in Ard, but not all Warriors were convinced to join the corps."

"That's alright," Gerald nodded in satisfaction. "They will change their minds when the elite corps's achievements pile up. The corps is now composed of 50 Earth Warriors. They're a considerable force as long as they're not vastly outnumbered in battle. I don't intend to shove them into a field battle anyway. They will have the best effect as a hidden blade appearing behind our enemies' necks."

"Yes, but the severely wounded Warriors are yet to recover, my lord," Robard said. "They will need more time."

"Yes," Gerald said solemnly. "I hadn't expected the bandits to have a competent commander. I expected their morale to collapse once we entered their camp, but that Warrior roused them into a harsh resistance. He wasn't just good with a sword. He knew how to command men well, and some Warriors of the elite corps almost paid for it with their lives."

"Actually," Robard said. "The captain of the regiment that followed you has complained, my lord. He said that you charged into battle without enough protection, which put him in a uncomfortable situation."

"Well," Gerald chuckled. "I am alive and well, right?"

"Thankfully you are, my lord," Robard sighed. "But I agree with the captain. If that battle had gone worse, you could have been injured. Charging at the enemy with only the elite corps by your side is a risky gamble, my lord. I hope that you would reconsider before doing it again."

"Don't worry, Robard," Gerald said. "I just used the opportunity to raise the reputation of the elite corps and sharpen their senses. I don't intend to challenge similar risks again, at least not without a good reason."

ß----------------------------------------------------------à

Gasper rode his horse ahead of the procession of new recruits. They were heading to the forest where his camp was. Over 1000 men followed him, all recruited from the refugees surrounding Ard. They couldn't resist the coin. Wealth was the best herald, after all. He only needed to wave his coin around for the craving refugees to see. Men flocked to him like flies to rotten fish.

The new recruits were following him on foot. They reached the forest in the morning. Gasper saw its shadow from afar and shouted for the men to stop. Then he trotted towards the forest slowly. If there were hidden sentries there, he didn't want them to think it was an enemy attack. So he waited for them to emerge upon his approach.

He was right. Once he was a few dozen yards away from the dense trees, a shout stopped him.

"Halt!"

"I'm Gasper," he shouted. "Your chief." After he said that, he heard a few hisses that he assumed were an argument between the sentries.

There was a slight hesitation as a voice rang out. "Step closer."

Gasper rode forward until he managed to see the sentries hidden on the trees. They recognized him quickly, and he saw visible relief on their faces. "I have brought more men with me. Help me lead them to the camp."

"Yes, chief," the two sentries said.

Gasper nodded then rode back to the new recruits. He waved for them to follow him again and led them into the forest.

He had to dismount to walk through the woods. The high number of recruits slowed the march through the forest considerably, and it took Gasper some time to reach the camp with them.

Once he arrived, he spotted the dense tents in the clearing. With the arrival of the new recruits, the tents would have to spread out of the small clearing. They would have to set them up amidst the trees. But the crew wouldn't have to stay here for long, so it wasn't a problem.

Several men walked out of the camp to welcome or watch his arrival. But before he could find Master Rudolf, he heard a mocking voice.

"Well, well," the voice came out of a man with a scar on his chin. "Our chief returns, after a whole month of nothing."

Gasper eyed the speaker and saw the crossed arms and the sneering face. Behind the scarred man were a few others, wearing similar sneers. Gasper assumed that they were lackeys sharing the same sentiment of the man. "I was recruiting more men," Gasper said without expression. He couldn't appear weak now. Otherwise, the wolves would come out to rip him apart. "We need more strength to rule the east."

"But you sent us no word," the scarred man continued almost innocently. "We knew nothing of you. Leaderless, the men had to count their days without knowing their fate."

"The chief doesn't need to justify himself to you, Djark," a serene voice announced. Gasper didn't miss the decisive tone, though. It was Master Rudolf. He walked out of the crowed, his face hidden behind the copper mask.

"Ah," the scarred man chuckled. "If it isn't our nameless lieutenant. I thought you didn't speak except when giving commands and killing those who oppose you."

"Are you finished?" Master Rudolf said. "If you are, then return to whatever stinking hole you sleep in. Unless you want twice the patrol duty this fortnight."

The scarred man glared at Master Rudolf then snorted and turned around to leave.

"Wait," Gasper finally spoke again. He ran his eyes over those who followed Djark. "Following him means sharing the consequences with him when he blunders. If I were you, I would reconsider letting another mouth speak for mine." He chose to drop a threat for the lackeys. Letting the matter pass wasn't a choice for him. Others would begin to question him as well if he didn't sharpen his words along with his sword. Outright slaughtering all those he didn't like wasn't wise either. It would make his men more restless, and it might even invite desertion.

The men following Djark looked troubled for a moment, and some of them hesitated visibly. None left him, though. Gasper knew, however, that they would weigh their risks when they were out of their leader's sight.

Djark threw an annoyed glare back at Gasper and led his lackeys away.

Master Rudolf walked to Gerald and nodded. "Chief."

Gasper nodded back. "Let's speak in the cabin." Then he waved for the new recruits who followed him. "Make your tents."

After entering the cabin with Master Rudolf, Gasper sighed. "What was that?"

"Djark," Master Rudolf said. "A deserter of the Mali Kingdom's army. Those who follow him are mostly former alley thieves and thugs."

"Has he been giving you trouble for long?" Gasper asked.

"He doesn't trouble me that much," Master Rudolf shook his head. "He does, however, undermine you with the other members of the crew. Being a former soldier, he has gained their respect with his experience. You have been away from the crew for longer than you have been with it. The men are beginning to doubt your authority. You will have to regain your grip on the crew."

Gasper nodded. "I will do so. Soon enough, we will move out of the forest. When the crew rules the east, the men will be busy instead of restless. Ah, right. The Viscount has sent you a letter." He produced a wrapped letter from his armor.

Master Rudolf accepted the letter and opened it. Upon glancing at the top of the letter, he handed it back to Gasper. "It's for you."

"But the Viscount said that it was for you," Gasper argued.

Master Rudolf smirked and retracted his hand. He ran his eyes over the top of the letter and said, "it says here, 'Uncle Rudolf, please hand this letter back to Gasper.'"

Gasper's face distorted in bewilderment. He received the letter carefully and slowly. He had an ominous feeling, and he couldn't ignore it. Why would the Viscount give him a letter when he could have told him what he wanted to his face?

He read through the letter and his feeling was confirmed. The Viscount was going to attack his crew?! No wonder he hadn't told him to his face. Which sane man would say 'Yes, my lord' to that? "The Viscount is planning to attack the crew," Gasper said faintly to Master Rudolf.

"I see," Uncle Rudolf said. "It does indeed sound reasonable."

"Reasonable?" Gasper glared at him, his eyes almost popping out. "The Viscount put a lot of effort into having me build this crew. And now he wants to attack it?" He shook his head and continued reading the rest of the letter. It contained an explanation of how the attack would happen. Gasper would soon have to begin collecting bandits' 'taxes' from the surrounding villages and hamlets. Three days after the crews' first collection, the Viscount would send a small troop to attack the crew. He finished reading the rest of the letter and shook his head. The Viscount had drawn a fine play for him to act out, but it wasn't simple. It involved a lot of deaths and risks.

"Think about it," Master Rudolf said. "The lord of Ard has just cleaned the bandits from the east of the basin. Why would he let another crew sprout up in the territory he just cleaned?"

"I know," Gasper sighed. "It would be too suspicious if we were left in peace. People would suspect the Viscount, and the other bandit crews would suspect us. It's just difficult to accept. Most of these refugees aren't true bandits. I didn't intend to send them to their deaths like this." He handed the letter to the old steward.

"Actually," Master Rudolf said as he ran his eyes over the letter. "This could be quite useful for you. It could be used to rid the crew of some unneeded figures."

Gasper raised his brows. Then he relaxed them with a smile. "An interesting idea. I suppose it's time for you to tell me about other groups like Djark's."

The old steward nodded silently. But Gasper could tell that there was a grim smile under the copper mask, even without seeing it.