Chapter 90: Annihilating the Bandits (1)
Saelen quickly led his men around to the eastern slope. The incline was steep—nearly eighty degrees—but the hillside was covered with tall, thick sentinel trees. With the help of the trees, climbing it wasn't as difficult as it looked.
At the base of the slope, Saelen raised a hand, signaling everyone to conceal themselves. Then he quietly took control of a small squirrel and sent it creeping up the incline.
It didn't take long for him to grasp the situation above. There were two lookout posts—one in the open and one hidden. The visible post had two men crouched behind a large boulder, while the hidden one was perched in a tree.
Saelen returned his awareness and relayed the information. Then he gestured for Val and Ygritte to follow him. The three of them were the best archers among the group, and eliminating the sentries fell to them.
They moved swiftly and silently into position.
From a distance, the two guards at the visible post were huddled together in the corner of the boulder, while several hundred meters away, the hidden sentry lay on a tree branch.
Saelen observed carefully. The hidden guard… was asleep.
So be it. Today was simply his unlucky day.
"The two at the open post are yours," Saelen whispered. "We strike together on the hawk's cry."
Val and Ygritte nodded without hesitation. They had done this kind of work many times before. Slipping into advantageous positions, they drew their bows and aimed steadily at the two men.
Meanwhile, Saelen moved silently beneath the tree, raised his bow, and fixed his aim on the hidden sentry.
"Chi—!"
At that moment, Saelen controlled a hawk overhead and let out a sharp cry.
Startled, the two men behind the boulder instinctively leaned out, looking up at the sky.
That was their last mistake.
Val and Ygritte released their arrows in perfect sync. The shafts cut through the air without a sound, piercing both men cleanly through the throat.
The two guards barely had time to react. A chill ran through them before their bodies stiffened. Their eyes bulged, faces turning red as they collapsed to the ground, mouths opening wide in silent agony.
"Ghk… ghk…"
Blood poured from their throats as they struggled briefly—then fell still.
At the same instant, Saelen released his arrow.
It tore through the air with a sharp hiss and struck with a dull thud, punching straight through the hidden sentry's throat and pinning him to the tree.
"Ugh…"
The man let out a faint, unconscious groan as he woke to death. His body twitched weakly against the trunk before going limp.
Seeing all three sentries eliminated, Saelen gave a low whistle.
From the forest behind, soft rustling sounds followed as Jon and the rest of the group crept forward.
Saelen signaled them to follow and led the way into the valley.
They slipped in quickly.
Inside, the bandits were completely unprepared. Apart from those two sentry points, no further precautions had been taken. The rest of the men lay scattered across the valley, fast asleep, as if convinced no one would ever find them.
Compared to the caution they had shown earlier, they now seemed like an entirely different group.
It wasn't entirely their fault. After raiding several villages in succession and constantly relocating to avoid pursuit, exhaustion had finally caught up with them…
They hadn't had a proper rest in days. Now that they had finally reached a hidden temporary camp, they set up only two watch posts before collapsing into deep sleep.
But Saelen felt no sympathy.
He drew a finger across his throat—a silent command.
The men understood immediately. Blades were drawn as they spread out in silence.
Saelen stepped up to the nearest bandit and drove the greatsword straight down. The blade pierced through the man's throat instantly, the wide edge tearing open a gruesome wound. When Saelen pulled the sword free, only strips of flesh still connected the man's neck. Blood sprayed out, splattering across Saelen's face.
The bandit jolted awake in agony, his face turning a dark purple, eyes bulging as he stared at Saelen.
"Ghk… ghk…"
Blood and mucus bubbled from his mouth.
Saelen, face drenched in blood, smiled at him like a demon descended from hell.
Then he stepped over the corpse and moved on.
The next bandit stirred, alerted by the noise—but too late. Saelen's blade flashed, and the man's head was severed cleanly, rolling across the ground. His terrified eyes remained fixed on the blood-soaked earth.
Jon and the others showed no mercy. One after another, they struck—heads fell, throats were slit, hearts pierced.
"Ugh…" "Ah…!"
Low, broken cries echoed through the valley. In mere moments, more than half the bandits had been slaughtered in their sleep.
...
Zane, the leader of the bandits, had once been nothing more than a lowly thug. After the previous leader was killed, he clawed his way to the top through sheer brutality, killing over a dozen rivals to claim leadership.
Now, he dreamed of becoming a knight, a noble lord, surrounded by women in his own castle.
But the dream shattered.
The rising screams snapped him awake instantly. Years of living on the edge honed his instincts. His eyes flew open, and he immediately realized what was happening.
"Enemy attack!" he roared. "Up! Everyone, get up!"
He kicked the men around him, shouting as loudly as he could.
Within moments, the camp erupted into chaos. Bandits scrambled to their feet, grabbing weapons as fighting broke out across the valley.
A castle soldier in lamellar armor spotted Zane and charged toward him, sword in hand.
Zane grinned viciously and raised his own blade. With a sharp motion, he parried the incoming strike and countered, slashing across the soldier's body.
Clang!
Zane froze.
His blade had dented the armor—but failed to cut through.
The soldier remained unharmed.
Snarling, Zane blocked another thrust, seized the soldier's sword arm, and drove his blade toward the man's abdomen.
Clang—!
Again, the armor held.
The force of the blow pushed the soldier backward until he tripped over a corpse and fell.
Frustrated, Zane threw aside his sword, leapt onto the fallen man, and grabbed a stone.
"Die, you bastard!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He smashed the soldier's face over and over again, roaring curses with each blow. After more than a dozen strikes, the soldier finally went still.
Panting heavily, Zane rose and snatched up a battle axe, just as another soldier charged him.
Clang! Clang!
Axe and sword collided repeatedly. Within a few exchanges, the soldier lost grip—his sword was knocked from his hand.
"Haha! Die!"
Zane laughed wildly and brought the axe down.
Thud!
The blow struck the soldier's helmet, crushing it inward. Blood poured down his face as he collapsed. Zane, still enraged, struck again and again, caving in the man's skull completely.
"Damn you! I'll kill you!"
Gavin charged forward in fury, sword raised. The fallen soldier had been his cousin, and he had watched helplessly as Zane crushed his head.
Their weapons clashed again and again—ten, maybe more strikes—but Gavin quickly fell behind.
Clang!
His exhausted arms gave out. His sword flew from his grasp.
"Die!"
Thud!
The axe slammed into Gavin's abdomen. Though the armor deflected the blade, the sheer force of the blow drove into his body.
His breath stopped. His mind went blank.
He staggered backward several steps before collapsing, curled up on the ground, unable to fight back.