AN: I decided to try third person view for a bit so it'll be a little awkward for a while.

Book 1: Ch 14

The giant reinforced doors of the northern gate slowly opened. The hinges, unused for the past week creaked in complaint as the convoy trundled its way inside the town. The town of Turin was designed like the Town of Lewe; it has two main avenues intersecting in the middle that divided the town into four sectors. As of now the convoy travelled along the avenue that separated the business sector and the residential.

The convoy walked deeper into the town and everyone noted the pairs of eyes looking at them through the cracks opened in the doors and windows. It was a far cry from the jovial welcome Adrian expected.

“Man, this place is just plain creepy.” Ron muttered to Adrian as they both walked at the lead of the convoy.

“It is.” He agreed. The street ahead was just empty of anything that they could see the southern gate from where they are. There isn’t a single soul in the avenue except them, not even a stray dog or an overgrown rat is seen scurrying around. Add the fact that they entered the town as it was just getting dark and the scene would almost look like they were inside a horror movie.

A minute after, the same creaking sound was heard the second time as everyone had finally entered the confines of the besieged town. They continued on towards the direction of the Lord’s manor and was intercepted by a group of guards holding torches to light the way.

“The Lord promised reinforcements to come from other towns but I’ve never thought you’d come so quick.” one of the guards said as he approached the convoy. He held a torch up high on one hand as he walked along the line of wagons until he came upon the lady who sat in the middle.

“Lady Marshall,” he bowed, “I was personally instructed by the Lord Lundur to guide your convoy to his manor. I hope you would accept.”

“Very well,” The lady said as she sat elegantly on the wagon and radiated her noble bearing, “You may lead the way.”

The guard smiled and gave a deep bow, “It will be done my Lady.” he then turned around and went off to order his men to guard the convoy as they travelled towards the Lord’s manor.

Unlike the Lord Marshall’s manor, situated near the center of town and was practically a mansion, Lord Lundur’s manor looked like a simple stone tower. The tower was built in the highest point in the town, thirty feet above the flat plains where everything else was built on. Add the tower’s own height of about a hundred feet, it was the tallest and sturdiest structure within miles.

The convoy trundled to the courtyard of the tower which was filled up to the brim with tents. Heads popped out at the sound of the convoy’s arrival and everyone dismounted off their horses and wagons.

Adrian looked around and saw that everyone camped inside the courtyard were all civilians. “Hey Mr. Guard.” he yelled get the attention of one of their escorts, “how come everyone here are all civilians?” he asked.

“The lord decided that everyone who lived near the walls relocate inside his manor. That way, it would be easier for the Lord to take care of the citizens and distribute rations.” one of the guards responded then left along with the rest of our escorts.

There's also the fact that they won't be caught out when the outer walls would be breached, Adrian thought then turned to Ron, “Well, at least leaders on this side knows what they're doing.”

“And were just about to meet them.” Ron answered and nodded towards a sharp looking man that just came out of the tower then approached the convoy parked along the courtyard.

“Greetings and welcome to Turin,” he smiled “My name is Sage Heres and I am the Lord’s personal servant. Please, follow me.” he then turned around and led the Lady and her bodyguard inside tower with the three trailing behind.

The interior of the tower stood at a stark contrast towards its exterior. The inside was well lit and a nice warm fire burned in the fireplace embedded on the walls. Banners hung in the ceiling and the cold stone floor of the tower was covered with velvet carpet. A huge long table, covered with white sheets, dominated the center of the space which Adrian decided that the first floor of the tower was the dining area.

Plates and cutlery covered the long table and an old man sat on the head of it. The butler then led the group on the chairs near the Lord.

Everyone sat down with the Lady seated on the chair nearest with the Lord with Malon seated next to her. Adrian took the seat on the other side of the table followed by Ron then Nick. Adrian examined the lord in the corner of his eye and sent subtle and covert glances towards the old Lord and determined that he gave the same feeling as the Lord Marshall himself.

The Lord then sent a sharp glance at Adrian, “Are you done gazing at greatness boy?” he said with amusement. The lady then sent her own to reprimand him.

“Sorry but it'll take a while, there’s too much greatness to take in.” Adrian replied with a grin.

The Lord laughed, “That’s one way to stroke a man’s ego.” he pointed, “I would bet you’d do well inside the king’s court.” Then a pause, “But that’s a long way away from here and I don’t think your purpose of coming here is not just to make an old man laugh.”

Two men then entered the first floor of the tower, both wore chainmail that shone on the firelight. Both men had swords hanging off their belts. They then paused as they reached the tables to look at the ones already seated and silently took their own in the line.

The Lord nodded at the two, “These two are the commanders of the town watchmen. Bron Hallow,” he gestured at the man wearing a salt and pepper hair that was slicked back. He had piercing blue eyes and a deep crow’s feet on the sides of his eyes.

The man gave a bow to the Lady and a curt nod to the others to which everyone replied with their own, “He is the commander of the Northern watchmen of the town and Hiram Fallow,” he gestured to the other, more younger looking man that gave the same respectful bow to the lady and a curt nod to the others. He had the same eyes as the old man but he wore greasy, unwashed hair. The man looked to not be able to bathe for a while.

“He is the commander of the Southern watchmen and is a person that is zealous in his work. Please, forgive his lapse of attention to personal hygiene.” the lord said the last words with irritation then continued. “I’m sure everyone is already hungry from all the hard word they did today, so we should eat before we continue with our business.” He declared then clapped followed by teams of servants moving in, each one held pots of delicious smelling food and laid them on the center of the table.

“I apologize Lady Marshall for the food since the siege doesn't allow for excess or anything that is of luxury.” the Lord said as everyone waited to be served.

“Oh, no need to worry Uncle Jens,” The Lady smiled, “My father didn’t raise me spoiled, and I am thankful for him for doing that. As I would rather see the world as it is than hear it in flowery words whispered by servants.”

The conversation concluded with that and everybody went on to eat their meals. It was stew. The meat shows signs of extensive boiling to ward off the gamy taste and inherent toughness of draft horse and oxen meat.

The meal was then concluded and servants swooped in to clean the table. The plates and cutlery was then replaced by maps and models. The map placed on the table show the immediate area five miles around the town of Turin. Turin looked a lot like the town of Lewe, with its two main avenues and four quadrants, but the difference lies mainly on its walls and the stronghold that is the Lord’s tower.

“Hiram,” the Lord called and the captain looked up. “How about you give the Lady and her entourage a briefing of our defenses.” he said with a pleasant voice.

The commander nodded and stood up, then continued to make the most detailed report Adrian had ever heard.

The walls of Turin stood at a height of forty feet from the base, is twenty feet thick at the top and double that at the bottom. The walls were made with hardest rock mined off the cliff faces of mountains miles away. Towers were erected that stood up to a hundred feet and could accommodate siege weaponry or about forty archers or crossbowmen and their munitions. Gates were made of the densest of wood and reinforced with thick bands of iron. Its hinges were forged out of the best steel the town could make and it was embedded deep into the walls.

In the eyes of Adrian and his friends, it looked very impressive. If not for their modern knowledge it would look to them as impregnable.

Preparations were also done long before all of this. Years ago, Lord Lundur has ordered any rock of considerable size to be broken down to smaller sizes in order pose no threat to the walls. Saplings found nearby were ordered to be bent in order to not be able to be used as a battering ram. If the demon army decides to use siege weapons on the town, they would have to bring their own rocks to throw on the walls and bring their own trees to smash on the gate.

The also town had itself a substantial armory filled with racks of swords, shields, spears along with bushels of crossbow bolts and the crossbows themselves along with two thousand volunteers to hold them. Two thousand taken from the total population of the town of ten thousand.

So how does a simple farming town on the edge of a kingdom managed to sustain a military force of twenty percent of their population? Simple, they didn’t.

The town of Turin was in the outermost reaches of Rheorid kingdom -one of the remnants of the Baimux Empire and is now a kingdom- and borders the Great Plains where the last of the demon army is seen. The town grew grains on the bountiful plains and yielded a lot of excess food that were exported to other towns and cities.

The town citizens would plant in the vast fields around the town during fall and they would harvest it in the middle of summer. With their main crops planted and growing, all they needed is to wait for it to grow which gave everyone enough leisure time to spend on other things, like training. It was the Lord’s decree for it to be like this, and everyone under him understood it well. The threat of the Demon army that once destroyed an empire could come back once again was all too real and they would be the first ones to face them.

Now their preparations will bear their fruit and the coming days would prove if it were enough.

Adrian absorbed everything presented to him and nodded rhythmically as he held his chin. “It doesn’t look like you guys got this all in the bag, I don’t see a reason for us being here.” he said.

“You're wrong.” Hiram replied, “I wouldn’t fault our own forces but I could only trust them to fight behind the walls and not in front them.” he grinned, ”they’re just too smart for that. I would expect our forces to be able to repel the forces that camped beyond the southern gate but that unfortunately leaves the initiative of attacking to them.

“If the demon army decides to try to starve the town in a battle of attrition, this affair could last months, maybe years. Or maybe this five thousand strong army in front of our gates was only sent here to secure us in place in for another larger army to swoop in to storm the gates. So, leaving no other way, we have to cut the duration of this siege short. We need someone to take the fight to the enemy.” the pasty commander said and looked at the three expectantly.

Adrian grinned. “Not a chance. You're expecting a few men to go up against an army of five thousand. I think you have something missing on your head and is not something to be easily fixed by a simple bath.”

The atmosphere at the table just got colder as the commander sent an icy glare at Adrian. The other commander stared ahead, a trace of a grin on his face while the lady had a look of disbelief on her face, while Ron and Nick kept their best poker-faces and stood still behind Adrian. Their hands placed inconspicuously close to their sidearms.

The Lord then laughed, defusing the situation. “The boy’s right Hiram. By the tone of what you're saying, you're asking them to simply go ahead and destroy the army by themselves while we stood by the walls cheering them on. Even if they could, I don’t think the Lord Marshall paid them enough to do that.”

Adrian smiled, “Thank you for your wisdom Lord.”

“But of course we couldn't just simply have you boys freeloading on behalf of our town while we wait for the other contingent coming from Lewe and maybe even as far as the town of Carlye. You got to give your contribution whenever it's due.” the Lord continued, “However you chose to contribute will be up to you. But the plan still stands, the citizens of Turin will fight behind Turin’s walls while the reinforcements will attempt to dislodge the besiegers.”

Adrian could only agree to the plan, it looked solid but still depends heavily on the timely arrival of reinforcements from other towns and the absence of any reinforcing party coming for the demon’s army.

The meeting was then concluded and everyone retired for the night. The new arrivals didn’t have anywhere to sleep in so they elected to sleep back at their wagons but was denied by the Lord himself. He offered the guest rooms for everyone in the table and the Lady’s bodyguard. It was an offer they couldn’t simply refuse.

The morning rays of the sun slipped into the cracks of the shuttered windows of the tower and a knock came at the door. The three lay in the four-post bed and stirred at the noise. Adrian groaned and got off the bed while the other two who he shared the bed with stirred in their sleep. It had been a while since the last time they laid their eyes on a soft bed, and they’d be damned if they wouldn’t sleep on it, even if it means sharing the bed with other men.

The knock came a second time as Adrian reached for his clothes, this time, louder and faster. Hearing the urgency, Adrian quickly opened the door to see the Lady herself knocking. She wore her usual travel garb and paused, her eyes darted up and down on his figure and was silent for a while.

Adrian caught her checking him out and inwardly smirked. Except for a well-fitting boxers, Adrian was almost naked, a month of his life living in a farm powered by muscle developed his already athletic build pre-transport to a buffed physique. He had toned arms, ones that looked like it was made with cords of steel. His low body fat gave his skin a taut appearance that clearly showed the ridges of his abs. The life of hard work in this dangerous world gave him the body of a Greek god and he was damn proud of it.

The lady was still checking him out and is very much liked what she sees. Adrian caught this and did his best to give a blank face, he then leaned his arms on the doorframe and asked “Can I help you my Lady?”.

The question snapped the lady’s attention back to him and she went back to her usual demeanor. “Lord Lundur wishes to have another meeting at breakfast and I would like to have a word with you three before that. So I would advise that you three get in your attire and attend immediately.” she said with her ladylike formality.

Her ears were red and Adrian could see sweat forming up on the base of her scalp. ‘Holy shit’, Adrian thought, ‘It must've been the first time she saw a semi-naked man this close’. Adrian smiled, “Of course my Lady” he said and shut the door, hoping the lady would simmer down by the time they get dressed.

It was time to wake the others up. Adrian approached the four-post bed and yanked the blankets off the bed, revealing two muscular men spooning. “Wake up homos. The Lady is waiting outside. Get dressed.” he yelled as he took in the sight. Ron, who was the big spoon, got up first and it was then that a slight regret washed through Adrian that he should have taken a picture first.

“What’s she want?” Nick mumbled as he slowly got up to get himself dressed.

“We got a meeting with the lord and the Lady wants to brief us first.” Adrian answered.

“Ooo, a breakfast meeting.” Ron chimed.

The Demon army was arrayed in two blocks of a thousand still figures each in front of the southern gate. The sight looked a lot like a still picture through the 20x spotting scope Adrian used as he sat in one of the towers. There was no movement on the formation, no fidgeting and no shifting as the figures put their weight from one leg to the other.

“Man, I could see one reason among many why people called this the demon army. This shit is just plain creepy.” Adrian said.

“That’s psychological warfare right here.” Ron replied as he lay atop his dragbag and aimed his rifle among the mass. The two commandeered the southwestern tower for themselves and set up a sniper’s perch. Their goal is to wait for any juicy target to present itself; a captain, or any officer looking fellow and take him out with the intention of crippling and whittling down their leadership. But so far no target has ever presented itself. “I bet they’re trying to make us think that they’re invulnerable or some shit, make us think they’re the terminator.”

“It’s a good thing we got something to counteract that. That Hiram guy must’ve really know what he was doing.” Adrian answered. He then looked down towards the southern wall where at least two hundred spikes stood in plain view of the enemy. Demon’s heads and their horses were impaled in each of those spikes both to act as a warning to the army and as a morale booster for their militia. It shows that even with what the legends told and what the enemies show, they could still be killed and they will be killed if they dare attack the walls.

“It’s also a good thing that were all up on top of this tower and not down there. I’d bet those heads would have risen up a stench in this heat.” Ron said.

“That shit also shows some really good organization among their ranks to manage to take all those heads in just one night.”

“That pasty guy must’ve really earned whatever he is getting paid. I wouldn’t even think of something like this, and I consider myself as a creative guy.”

Adrian grinned, “But never a smart one.”

A knock came from the wooden hatch that secured the top of the tower “We expecting someone?” Adrian asked as he got up to open it. Ron shrugged, not bothering to look up as he keept his eyes on the scope. Adrian then opened the hatch and the sight of the Lady’s bodyguard. Malon was personally sent by the Lady’s father and behind her stood the lady herself, Hilde Marshall.

Adrian gave a pleasant smile, “We weren't expecting a visit from you my lady.” he greeted as he held his hands out to assist the Hilde in getting on top then followed by Malon. Adrian then noticed that she immediately looked at the rifle on Ron’s hands and briefly studied it before going back to her job.

Adrian grinned, the rifle in question is an Accuracy International L115A3, also known as Arctic Warfare Magnum or AWM for short. Chambered in the .338 Lapua magnum, it is the big brother of the AI AWP which was made very famous by being featured on a multitude of video games. It has the distinct green drab polymer stock with thumbhole grip and free-floating fluted barrel with a suppressor attached on end. Ron didn’t bother to change the bipod that came with it but replaced the Schmidt Bender scope that came with it with something with better magnification and clarity.

It was no surprise that anyone who would look at the rifle would want to have a go at it.

“We won't be long” Hilde said as she stepped on top of the tower. She then approached the edge of the crenelated tower and gazed at the figures on the distance. “So this is the demon army” she mumbled.

“If you want to take a better look, you can use that device right next to Ron.” Adrian offered, “Just sit on the stool over there and peer into the small circular part of the device,” He said as he couldn't just use the term ‘Eyepiece’ and ‘spotting scope’.

Hilde took the offer and sat at the stool and lowered her head to look through the spotting scope. He gasped as she took in a more detailed look at the besiegers, “Amazing” she whispered then cleared her throat as she looked up at Adrian. “With all these devices that you have on your disposal, I wouldn't be surprised if you declare yourselves as exiled princes from another kingdom.” she said.

Ron looked up from the scope gave the lady a passing side glance before returning his gaze through the scope.

“Don’t worry, we won’t.” Adrian replied.

“That is a very ambiguous answer,” she observed, “Would you mind clearing that up?” Hilde then asked but Adrian merely answered with a shrug. Seeing this, the lady raised an eyebrow then changed the subject. “Looking at your friend here, might I guess that you think you can make that seven hundred yard shot?” she inquired.

Malon, the bodyguard, scoffed, “Lady Marshall, don’t be fooled by their posturing. They may bring with them wonderful devices but no one can make an accurate shot that long. Of course they could try, but they’ll simply fail.” she declared, glaring at Ron who looked up from his rifle to meet his gaze. Ron’s usual obnoxiousness and energy is now gone. Replaced by a docile front as he keeps himself as calm as possible and as deeper into the ‘zone’ as he could manage.

Adrian expected a wiseass remark coming from him but Ron only gave Malon a pleasant smile and went back to his rifle.

“Apologies for that remark.” Hilde said, sending a sharp glance towards her bodyguard.

“Its fine Lady Marshall,” Ron answered, “Sometimes, people just couldn't believe someone else is better than them at something.” Then looked at Malon grinning, “She would look at the one better than her with dismissal with a hint of resentment, which is now rising to a look of fury.” he laughed.

“Then I challenge you to make true with your boast.” Malon roared.

“No.” Ron replied flatly and Adrian gave an inward smirk, ‘this’ll be fun’ he thought.

Malon snorted, her face smug. “Why? Are you afraid you aren’t up to the task?”

“Nah,” Ron said, dismissing her with a wave, “It’s just that I don’t have anything to gain in putting an arrogant woman in her place.”

“Why, you!” Malon muttered as she stomped towards him.

“Malon, stop!” Hilde declared and her bodyguard followed, “Ron is right, he has nothing to gain in the arrangement. So how about we make it worth it if he proves it wasn’t a boast?” she offered.

Ron thought about it for a while, “Alright, does your bodyguard clean your rooms once in a while?” he asked Hilde, ignoring the bodyguard.

“Yes,” Hilde answered, ignoring the panicked glance that her bodyguard sent her, “that is one among her duties.”

Ron smiled, “Good, then I want her as my bodyguard for a day.”

“NO!” the bodyguard screamed.

“Deal” Hilde declared, smiling.

The two left a while after that and Adrian and Ron went back to their usual mind numbing work. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Adrian said.

“I do, don’t worry.” Ron answered, and both men kept back to their silence.

“You know,” Adrian muttered after a while, “I never would have fucking thought hunting officers would be this boring.”

“Yep.”

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AN: This is my early forays into third person so I'd really appreciate any feedback in it. Don't forget to share your thoughts, ideas, criticisms on the comments below. Trust me, they go a long ways in helping a rookie writer.