Chapter 203: Raider's Camp
In the morning, Will and Nisha waited for the soldiers from the army bases outside the valley to disembark from the train, before moving out on horseback. Soon a thousand soldiers on horseback stood in formation
Will could feel the chilly autumn breeze on his face as he ordered, "Captains let's move out!"
A thousand horses rushed southward. They rode on the grass next to the Trade Route.
After a day worth of riding, they stopped for the night.
"Send out the scouts," Will ordered.
"Yes, Major," came the response.
"Nisha, can you smell Bubba?" Will asked telepathically.
"No, not yet" she replied.
They rode and camped two nights more before the scouts, found a dead city guard 14 meters in the forest.
"Will, I have picked up Bubba's scent. He smells injured," Nisha said.
"I need one company, the rest set up camp!" Will ordered.
"Will and the soldiers quickly followed behind Nisha. After about two hours-Nisha stopped running and slowed down.
"Stop, who goes there!" shouted two injured soldiers.
"It's me, your City Lord vont Ballard," Will announced himself before making his wave through the trees to a small cave.
There he saw 16 injured soldiers sitting around a campfire. The cuts and scratches all over their body. Their uniform was ripped. Some hand tourniquets wrapped around their arms, and a few others wore makeshift slings.
Bubba had a bandage on his head that was caked in blood. His left arm was cut off and he was bleeding out. Blood also seeped from his waist, it looked like he was pierced with a sword.
"Bubba, you're going to be fine. Soldiers quickly pick these men. And take the through this magic gate. My City Administrator shall know what to do," Will said opening a spatial gate.
"Wait! The bandit captain is a Master ranked. Will, he's a Master Assassin, be careful—" Bubba said vomiting blood all over a soldier supporting him.
Will led the soldiers and remaining city guards back to camp. The soldiers and city guards joined the others to rest, eat, and play games.
Inside Will's tent, he asked Nisha, "Did you pick up the enemy's location."
"Their scent is all over the forest, they must change camp every night," Nisha said.
"Tonight, can you scout out their location?" Will asked.
"I need to hut anyway tonight, so it won't be a problem," Nisha agreed.
"Guard, send the city guard scout to my tent," Will ordered.
"San Gouzi, reporting as ordered," said a small man and dirty green close.
"My report said that you were a hunter, before joining the city guard three years ago, is that correct?" Will asked.
"Yes, sir. My family's poor so I tracked game to help my father with the bills before we moved to Gadreel," he said.
"Good, I'm happy you joined the city guard. Tell me did you locate their camps?" Will asked.
"Yes, I tracked several of their camps. It was at the last camp where we lost most of our men," he said sadly.
"Can you draw on the map where you found their camps," Will said unfurling the Elven Forest Map?
San Gouzi marked five x's on the map.
"Very, good, you are dismissed," Will said.
But San Gouzi stood there wanting to ask Will a question.
"What is it?" Will asked
"Sir, are those guards going to be alright?" San Gouzi asked sincerely.
"I hope so," Will said and watch the young man walkout.
"He's worried about Bubba and the others?" Nisha asked.
"Yes," Will said disappointedly.
"I'm off," Nisha said.
"Happy hunting," Will said.
That night Will made sure to cast [Radar]. He didn't want to fall victim to a surprise attack.
In the morning, Nisha walked into camp.
"Did you find them?" Will asked.
"Yes, the raider's camp is downstream. But I didn't see a Master rank in the camp," Nisha said.
"How many men?" Will inquired.
"500, but some looked injured. They had the scent of the guard on their clothes," Nisha informed him.
"Thanks, let's move out, Hopefully, they won't expect us," Will said excitedly.
Twenty minutes later, the soldiers rode south to the camp's location.
Three hours later, the raider's camp came into view. When the bandits saw Will, they tried to escape in a boat.
"Archers, fire!" Will said trying to slow the bandits' escape.
The soldiers have not trained cavalry, and several missed their targets. But the flying arrows did slow the bandits' escape.
Before they could run away, Will's horse trampled through their camp.
In a flash, Will and Nisha began fighting like a single organism. Their training from Sage Aldrin's kicked in and they fought together in tandem.
Will chopped his opponent and cast [Entangle], [Arrowhead], and [Rock Spikes]. Immediately, 50 bandits have ripped apart. Nisha easily killed ten more on her own.
With the soldiers enclosed on the bandits, killing them systematically. Only three soldiers were left alive.
"Where is your commander, the first person to tell, gets to live," Will suggested.
Will and Nisha met with each bandit alone in their tent. And the other two bandits were separated from each other. This interrogation technique was called the Prisoner's Dilemma.
"Do you know who I am?" Will asked the first prisoner.
A scarred man shook his head 'yes.'
"If you know me, then you know I'm wealthy. Will said dropping a bag of 10,000 gold coins that spilled out.
The prisoner's eyes became wide with greed.
"If you tell me the truth, I'll give you three gold coins. If you lie to me, I'll put this rock through your head," Will said casting [Arrowhead].
"Tell me where I can find your boss?" Will asked nicely.
"He's here, we have a fort there. And the other raider camps are here, here, and here," the scared bandit pointed.
"Send him back, and bring me another one," Will said.
He repeated the same greeting, dropping the bag full of gold, and conjuring the rock bullet.
Two out of three bandits had the same answers, they got to live and run for their lives three gold richer.
Before clearing out the next raider's camp, Will opened a spatial gate. The soldiers who help carry the injured guards, and to Will's joy, Bubba walked through.
"I'm glad to see you're alive," Will said.
"If you hadn't saved me when you did, I'd be dead right now," Bubba thanked Will.
"You should thank Nisha. She's the one that caught your scent. We were lucky to find you in time," Will said.
"Thank you, great Shadow Panther," Bubba bowed to Nisha, who was lounging.
"Why did you return?" Will asked.
"You'll be needing a Staff Sergeant, Major," Bubba saluted.
"Can you manage with only one arm?" Will asked concerned.
"I still have my good hand. I can still piss and fight if that's what you want to know!" Bubba said in his usual foul manner.
"Alright, but you're prohibited from fighting. Just help with my tent, and things," Will ordered.
"Aye, sir," Bubba saluted.
"Mount up! Bubba, you ride my horse," Will said.
The army rode to the second raiders camp. San Gouzi and Nisha scouted ahead.
Will new incomplete intelligence, could get you killed.
"Report Major, the camp should have around 1000." San Gouzi reported.
"Why are there so many bandits?" Will asked.
"Sir, it looks like they are awaiting reinforcements," San gave his best analysis.
"Could they be an invasion force? Are there any defensive structures?" Will asked.
"None, sir." San Gouzi reported.
"Charge," Will ordered riding on Nisha.
The soldiers charged out after Will to the bandit camp. When Will was a half kilometer away, he cast [Earthquake], and [Meteor] twice.
He descended on the bandits before they understood who or what was attacking them. The earth split and swallowed one-third of the soldiers. Another third was killed by the meteors.
To the bandits, Will was the God of Death. Master rank Mages were like natural disasters. Will kept casting spells until the army thundered through the bandit's camp. The army thundered through the raider's camp trampling over them. When the soldiers climbed off their mounts, only 50 bandits remained alive.
"Bubba, do any of them look familiar?" Will asked.
"None, sir!" Bubba responded.
"Imprison them and bring me the leader. Bury the dead, we'll camp here tonight," Will said.
After dinner, the senior-most bandit was brought to Will.
"Would you care to eat?" Will asked trying to bond with the bandit.
"No," the scared old man said.
"Do you know who I am?" Will repeated for the fourth time that day.
The man nodded.
"I pay for information. Tell me what I need to know, and I'll let you live," Will said dropping a bag of gold.
"Murdock, that's you who you're looking for. He's a mercenary, hired by the Korce city lord. Viscount vont Ballard understands most of aren't hereby choice. When the plague came, many people ran into the wood to avoid dying.
Over 200 came to the forest to build a village. Murdock came to our village and made it his base. He forced us to fight and forced himself on our wives or daughter. That man is vile!" the old bandit finished speaking.
"Are you saying I should release the prisoners," Will asked?
"No, several of the prisoners are also mercenaries. But there are three other villages, I beg you to release. If you don't the mercenaries shall kin them at the first opportunity," he begged and kowtowed three times to Will.
"I'll consider it. Guard imprison this man and his friends separately," Will ordered.
"Thank you for granting us grace milord," he bowed again.
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