Kapitel 56: Ambush?
Custer was still dejected by the whole scenario. He could take losing fair and square, but he didn't get why they didn't have a choice. He hated having to bow down to someone who had sold his beloved city out to the enemy.
However, he remained a soldier dedicated to his duties and the people of Tristan. With the absence of a functional alternative, Custer could do nothing more than kowtow for now. He never forgot this betrayal, nor would he ever forgive.
It wasn't just him though. All of Tristan, many had misgivings about the whole affair, it just seemed rotten. While it holds that wars cost lives and burn resources, it was also true that a sovereign state had its pride and dignity to maintain. This was not just for vain reasons, but a state with proper prestige prospered while vassals were blatantly robbed by their overseers with no recourse. Tristanites felt as though their freedom, identity, and patriotism had been sold off, and they were powerless to do so.
When Custer got word that the princess was alive and still in the fight, he couldn't rest any longer. He had to join the struggle, show her majesty that she wasn't alone. Tristan hadn't abandoned her, the people were still with her.
However, there were certain problems. The first being, he had no idea where they were. Moreover, even if he did know, he had no way of making contact and establishing he was a friend. Lastly, he didn't know where he would be of most rest.
Nevertheless, Custer guessed that the princess would try to infiltrate Tristan somehow. After all was said and done, the real intelligence was in the city, and to get it, she had to send people in. It was these people that he awaited.
Having sat and known the men with him for most of his warrior life, Custer gathered a few of his men and they jointly enlisted to be part of the West Gate security teams. For what he wanted to get done, he couldn't do alone. He wasn't greedy, choosing to confide in 10 men who had the same inclinations as he did.
They had been tasked with guarding the main wall, not the gate as they had been. Custer had a bit of influence on the matter, knowing that whatever infiltration was coming, it wouldn't be through the main gate.
It had been just another night until one of his men had stumbled on a shallow grave. Digging further, they found 2 men buried underneath. A sweet smile flashed across Custer's face, his guess had been right.
***
Barda did not know what to do with the information he had just obtained, but he knew that it would be put to good use soon enough. He was very disappointed with the adventurers. Wasn't the whole point of being an adventurer supposed to be the neutrality.
Barda was not quick to judge though for he knew they were being more objective than he was. After all, here he was planning on aiding the princess despite her having no kingdom resources to pay him with. At least he was being loyal to the initial customer. If an adventurer was known to be duplicitous, no one would hire them.
Since the Adventurers' Association was being used by the conspirators, Barda had no qualms about robbing them, so he carried as much alchemy equipment as he could, he knew he would need them. He couldn't take too much though since he still needed to sneak out the same way he had come.
The problem with most tools used for forging and other crafts was that they tended to be very bulky and not easily movable. There was nothing he could do over certain specially designed alchemy and apothecary tools such as desks that could not be carried, but the tools that could be moved, Barda made sure to carry anything of use. His one advantage was that since these were not forging apparatus, they were less bulky.
Afterward, Barda began his long trek back to where the princess was. He knew the new King would be sending someone to handle the exiles led by the princess, and he had to get to them in time, warn them and then do his part in protecting them. Damn, who knew to lose was such hard work!
Faint amber light flashed in his field of vision, indicating an important alert. Barda didn't stop his approached but he checked to see what it was.
An ambush.
Looking at the seen in his 3D display, Barda understood that his infiltration had been discovered. The shallow graves he had dug for the 2 guards earlier had been discovered ahead of time. His path had been blocked.
In his radar, Barda scanned around and discovered 5 people in and around the vicinity of the graves. This baffled Barda since he expected more than just 5 waiting for him. For a moment he wondered whether he had stumbled on them while setting up an ambush. No matter how hard he scanned, he couldn't find any other point of ambush. Barda trusted his sensors, and they told him that this was not a trap.
That's when he noticed something so peculiar. It wasn't that it had escaped his notice perse, it was just not the kind of thing you look out for. Every warrior gathered there had no weapon. They were unarmed. If this was an ambush, it was not very well planned out or was extremely well thought out. Either way, it confounded him somehow. Could it be that it was not an ambush?
Custer was taking no chances. He had heard quite some tales about the men behind the princess. He also knew of the one they call No Scars, Dragon Slayer, Soft Hands, the list was endless. The famous adventurer who had single-handedly short down the 4 wyverns that had descended upon the princess.
His battle records were so awesome, but what was scariest was the fact that Barda also happened to be a dead shot capable of shooting off a target from 5km away. Custer had obtained the information from a trusted source, so he knew it was true while many debated on the matter. Even if it wasn't, he still had an awesome shooting record, he could dispatch them off before they noticed them.
For that reason, he had rolled out a carpet. Not bothering to hide, he had only called out 5 of his men as lookouts. He knew he would be stared at by a ferocious beast, he didn't want to give the beast a cause to attack.
He was among his men as well, waiting for any signs. Suddenly, he noticed a silhouette approaching. For a moment he found himself regretting having not come with a weapon, but he knew that no weapons could help him if this was who he thought it was.
On his part, Barda felt no danger, no killing intent from this group. No doubt they were warriors, but they didn't seem to want to hurt whoever they were waiting for. He deduced that they were here for him, so he decided to go out and meet them.
What comes next is just details. Barda found unexpected help, and with the new men he picked up, he would be able to crawl through much easier, or at least with a little less load. The men were not as agile, and prone to be discovered more often. Barda had to shoot down 10 people, and by then he knew his approach would be discovered.
However, Barda did make a judgement call in the field. Firstly, there was no way he was going to root out such a proactive spy ring in the city, especially now when they needed them the most. Secondly, Barda knew they would need a capable leader to keep things in line, and Custer had proven to be it. So he had him stay.
This did not go down well with Custer, but he conceded since it made sense. Since he was not under the adventurer, they agreed to wait until the Queen commented on the matter before agreeing or disagreeing. Since his leaving would put his position in jeopardy, he had one of his men lead the other 4 to report to the queen. The remaining 6, Custer included, were to stay back as the spy team.
After finally crossing the last wall, Barda sighed with relief. His little trip this time had yielded him a lot more than he had hoped for. Now he had a reason to up the hill, and with the alchemy tools, he could face Lady Ellen as well. Another day saved, hopefully he wasn't too late. Barda thought as he remembered the condition Phoenix had been in. Seeing the first rays of sunlight sneaking across the horizon, Barda quickened his pace back to camp.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein