The horn still echoed when Liam reached the northern wall, breath coming sharp. The shadows between the trees stirred—thin shapes, too quick to be soldiers, too measured to be beasts. Torches flickered along Ridgebrook's barricades as men raised their spears.
"There," Orin whispered, pointing.
A figure darted between trunks—silent, fast. Another followed. Lean, nimble silhouettes, bowstrings glinting in the dusk.
Sun Tzu's eyes narrowed. "Not an attack. Scouts."
Leonidas lifted his shield. "Then they should not leave alive."
Before Liam could give an order, Vlad tilted his head back like a wolf catching scent. He whispered, "Mine," and vanished from the barricade.
"Vlad—wait, you psycho—!" Liam choked, but the man was already gone, swallowed by the dark forest.
Leonidas only smirked. "He hunts well."
Sun Tzu folded his hands behind his back. "Whether he kills or captures, we will learn something tonight."
Liam stared into the woods, heart pounding. The forest swallowed the scouts and Vlad alike. For several minutes, nothing moved. The villagers held their breath.
Then a scream split the treeline—high, ragged, terrified.
A second one followed, shorter, cut off abruptly.
Leonidas nodded once. "He has them."
Orin exhaled shakily. "He always comes back with something."
They waited.
The torches burned lower.
The wind shifted.
And then Vlad emerged from the underbrush dragging a man by the collar. The scout's face was bloodied; one eye swollen shut. His legs scraped across the dirt uselessly. Behind them, another scout lay slumped over Vlad's shoulder like a sack—head hanging at an unnatural angle.
Vlad tossed the dead one aside, dropping the living scout at Liam's feet with a wet thud.
"Found this one running," Vlad said. "He begged nicely. So I saved him."
Liam flinched. Sun Tzu knelt, studying the scout the way a craftsman evaluates a broken tool.
"He is not severely wounded," Sun Tzu noted. "Fear did the rest."
Leonidas approached, towering over the trembling man. "Stand," he commanded.
The scout tried. Failed. Collapsed to his knees, shaking uncontrollably.
Leonidas grunted. "Then kneel."
Liam swallowed hard. "We… should interrogate him somewhere private."
Vlad blinked slowly. "Private? Chief, no one cares if he screams."
"That's what worries me," Liam muttered.
They dragged the scout to the open clearing near the longhouse—the same place Leonidas had drilled the militia earlier that day. The villagers gathered in a wary circle. Lira hovered behind Liam, uneasy but refusing to leave. Orin stood with her spear grounded in the dirt, jaw clenched.
Vlad crouched before the captive, pulling a short, thin blade from his belt. He pressed it lightly to the man's cheek.
"What's your name?" Vlad asked casually.
"D-Daren," the scout whispered.
"Daren," Vlad repeated. "Good. Answer truthfully, and I will make your death fast. Lie…" He drew a quick line across the man's thigh. The cut was shallow, but blood welled instantly. The scout screamed.
Liam shuddered. "Vlad…"
"Quiet, Chief," Vlad said gently. "Instruction requires silence."
Leonidas folded his arms, observing the technique with a commander's interest. "Efficient pressure. Pain without wasting tissue. He breaks them quickly."
Sun Tzu nodded. "He applies just enough to get a easy confession."
"You say that like you admire it," Liam whispered.
"I admire results," Sun Tzu replied.
Vlad slid the blade again—just barely deeper. The scout convulsed. "Stop—stop—please—I'll tell you anything!"
"Good," Vlad murmured. "Rathmore's army. Size."
"T-two hundred!" the scout cried. "Maybe more! They're gathering everyone—mercenaries too—everyone!"
The crowd gasped.
Leonidas' eyes sharpened. "A real force."
Vlad continued. "Who commands?"
"A new captain," the scout sobbed. "Ferric's replacement—Rathmore's best man—Rank 3—they say he doesn't break—he doesn't hesitate—please—"
Sun Tzu's voice cooled. "Three days until arrival?"
"Yes! Three!" the scout screamed. "Siege engines—rams—shields—fire throwers—everything! They want Ridgebrook erased!"
He broke into sobbing gasps.
Lira covered her mouth. Orin's grip whitened around her spear. Liam felt heat flood his chest—fear, anger, disbelief—all tangled.
Vlad tilted his head. "See? Truth. Easy."
But Sun Tzu's eyes narrowed further. "There is more. Someone unusual is influencing Rathmore. Who?"
The scout shook violently. "I don't know! Some outsider—advisor—wears strange clothes—gives strange orders—Rathmore listens—don't make me—please—"
Leonidas stepped forward. "He has given enough. He is finished."
Vlad sheathed his blade reluctantly. "Spoilsport."
Liam held up a trembling hand. "W-what do we do with him?"
Leonidas answered instantly. "Execution. A spy who escapes teaches his army their mistakes. A spy who dies teaches nothing."
Sun Tzu nodded. "He cannot be released. And his suffering benefits no one now."
Lira turned away.
Orin watched Liam, waiting.
Vlad smiled faintly. "Shall I?"
Liam's stomach knotted. But leadership didn't wait for comfort. It demanded cruelty at times—cold, necessary cruelty.
He forced his voice steady. "Make it quick."
Leonidas moved before Vlad could react.
One swift thrust of his spear. Clean. Precise. Straight through the heart.
The scout collapsed silently.
The villagers stared in grim respect.
Leonidas wiped the spear on the grass. "War has rules. We follow them or we die."
Sun Tzu rose to his feet. "Three days. Two hundred men. Siege equipment. A Rank 3 captain."
Vlad stretched like a cat. "Finally. A real fight."
Liam checked the Ledger. His throat tightened.
[NEXT SUMMON: 30 DAYS]
Too far. Too long. Help wouldn't arrive in time.
He steadied himself.
"Three days," Liam whispered. "Then we face an army."
Leonidas placed a massive hand on Liam's shoulder.
"Then in three days," he said, "we make Ridgebrook a place no army can break."
Vlad laughed. "Yes. Let them come."
Sun Tzu quietly traced formations in the dirt.
Lira wiped tears unseen.
Orin stared into the forest, eyes burning.
And Liam—new to Rank 2, terrified, determined—realized Ridgebrook had no choice but to become something stronger than fear.
The drums of Rathmore's army thudded faintly in the distance.
The countdown had begun.