The Conqueror's Leader

Chapter 6 :THE TRAP

Kain had not slept that night

Instead, he sat along the edge near the entrance to the cave, keeping a careful eye on the small System panel that hovered before his eyes, its soft white glow indicating [PROGRESS: 17/20 SURVIVORS RECRUITED) 

That was three people. Kain's three people. Three people currently sitting in some watchtower in the care of Veyr and his damned soldiers. One way or another, Kain would get them back

"You're really going to do it," said Linden, leaning against the rough wall before Kain, "you're really going to get yourself killed."

"I have no choice," growled Kain.

"I don't think you understand," Linden continued, "This is a trap. Veyr has been stalling you from the beginning. That man knows you will come if you hear that three of your soldiers were captured."

"That means he knows me better than I thought," said Kain, turning to face his veteran comrade, "I'm not leaving those people out there to die Linden, and you damn well know it."

The older warrior sighed heavily, "And what exactly is our plan, sir?"

Kain's plan had formed over the course of the long night; "The watchtower is at the edge of the village near the stables," he said, recalling every detail he was able to extract from what little surveillance he was capable of during the day, "there are two men guarding the base of the tower, and one man on guard duty at the top. My plan is to start a fire somewhere near the stables to distract the guards at the base; while they are dealing with the blaze Ryna will sneak inside the tower and spirit our soldiers out of there."

"You're not coming with us are you?" Ryna asked.

"Of course I'm not," said Kain, "I'll slink off into the shadows and take care of things from there."

"Kain," sighed Linden, "how do you expect to survive the smoke from the fire?"

"It wasn't easy making plans without any sort of information was it?"

Linden said nothing more, only shaking his head, and walked away.

An hour before sunrise the group emerged from the cave entrance. Kain and Ryna trekked through the forest alone, pausing occasionally as Kain peered out from behind the trunks of the trees to get his bearings. Kain spotted the hordes of dark structures that made up the village of Dunhollow, and soon enough located the lone watchtower that stood at the eastern edge of the kingdom

Two soldiers lounged at the base of the tower, resting against a pair of wooden spears. Above them stood the third, walking slowly along the wooden platform that lined the structure.

"give me twenty minutes," Kain whispered to Ryna, "as soon as that fire starts, get the prisoners out."Don’t get killed."

Kain crept into the village, his Basic Stealth camouflage skill cloaking him from prying eyes. The only sounds to be heard were the occasional snore from one of the dozens of sleeping soldiers scattered about the village, and the soft crackling of the torches that lined the streets. Kain approached the west edge of the square where he had spotted the location of the stables. There, a group of ten horses stood tied up to the post, with a stack of dry hay nearby and two oil lamps hanging from the wooden rafters. Kain waited in the shadows as he heard the familiar clattering of boots on stone.

As the guard patrol passed, Kain snuck into the stable. He plucked one of the oil lamps from a hook on the wall and dumped the oil onto the straw. He tossed a spark into the mess and watched as it caught fire, spreading quickly through the dry grass. A loud whinnying erupted from the pens as Kain quietly exited out the back door, watching as the fire consumed the roof. Smoke billowed from the windows as he turned and ran back towards the forest.

"Fire!" a soldier shouted as he awoke from his slumber, "it's the stables!"

Numerous soldiers poured out of their barracks, and the two standing watch at the tower turned to see what the commotion was all about. Ryna, now crouched behind the small cluster of trees at the edge of the village, vanished into the darkness and snuck up the side of the watchtower. She paused briefly before slipping inside through the open doorway.

Ryna disappeared.

Kain waited patiently as his heart hammered in his ears, and soon enough, a group of three figures emerged at the base of the tower. A man, a woman, and a child. Kain helped Ryna usher them towards the edge of the village

"Go," Kain whispered, "into the woods. Now!"

Ryna grabbed the child and ran into the forest, the man and woman following closely behind. She turned and fired a shot behind her at the nearest soldier, only for the man to yank the barrel away before she could take a second shot.

A ring of torches surrounded Kain as a horde of soldiers fanned out behind him. A dozen men, fully armed and waiting for only their commander's order to strike.

A slow clap echoed throughout the village square as a well-dressed man stepped from the mouth of the local tavern. Sunken cheeks and white-grey hair marked Vyer, a long, thick beard flowing from his chin. His most distinguishing feature, however, was the dark, polished breastplate he wore over his tunic. He smiled as he approached Kain, revealing a set of evenly spaced pearly-white teeth

"Captain Kain," said Veyr, "you've made quite the entree."

Kain turned slowly to face the traitor. "It's over, Veyr. Your soldiers have seen through you. They know what you really are."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Veyr said, pacing forward and tilting his head to gaze into Kain's eyes, "do they really? Or do they merely believe the man that abandoned his post and ran into the forest?"

The gathered soldiers shifted uneasily at Veyr's comment. A handful of them stared at Kain with thinly veiled contempt, others with barely contained hatred.

"Belief, Kain," said "You’re a liar," , "is a weapon, useful only in the hands of a masterful general such as yourself."

"And you are dead because of these words," Veyr replied, drawing his sword, "but not today, my friend. I would very much like to hear how you managed to survive being hunted by my soldiers, and how you paid for supplies in these very streets."

Kain clenched his fists. Veyr suspected something was wrong, but was not privy to knowledge concerning the System or his own survival.

"You'll have to kill me to know," said Kain.

"Consider me inclined to do just that," replied Veyr, as he stepped closer to Kain, drawing the tip of his blade across Kain's throat. "Now then, let's see how much cooperation we can draw from a dying man."

The soldiers formed a semi-circle around Kain, and all at once, a voice rang out from the darkness of the forest.

"Let him go."

The soldiers all turned to see Ryna and the three soldiers she had rescued standing near the edge of the trees, Ryna's bow drawn and an arrow nocked. She tilted her head back to the soldier who had been watching the fight,

"You are out-numbered and out-gunned," said Veyr, watching carefully, "that arrow will not save him."

"Oh, I know that," replied Ryna, still holding the bow steady and firm, "but it'll kill you."

A tense silence held between Ryna and Veyr for a long moment, the former's voice still steady

"Let him go," she said, "Or I will put this arrow in your throat."

Veyr narrowed his eyes. The young woman was brave, perhaps even foolish, but cowardice ran deep in his veins and though his heart pounded in his chest, he knew that he would not live to see morning if he tried to fight this battle with words alone. He slowly unsheathed his sword and dropped it with a heavy thud at his feet

"Let him go," said Veyr, "he won't get far, now will he?"

Kain ran the moment the words left Veyr's mouth, and met Ryna and the others in the safety of the forest. Even once the village was out of sight he did not slows, running until his lungs screamed for mercy. Kain finally stopped, resting against a tree as he drew a labored breathe. Ryna stood beside him, her arrow still raised. The three soldiers sat down once Kain spoke,

"You would have run back for me? No matter what?"

"Of course," said Ryna tersely, "you are my commander Kain. I don't abandon those under my charge."

The blue panel above Kain's eye flashed and changed several times before settling with a new update;

[QUEST UPDATED: BUILD YOUR FIRST WARBAND.]

[PROGRESS: 20/20 SURVIVORS RECRUITED) 

[REWARD CLAIMED: 100 Gold, Skill Unlock

Basic Leadership.)

A warm feeling blossomed from within Kain, giving him the feeling of new life and strength surged through Kain's body and filled him with warmth and a sense of purpose. He focused in on the group of twenty survivors that stood with him, their injuries and worries momentarily forgotten as he felt the life within them all mix and intertwine, binding him to them.

"He's got the others," growled Kain, watching through the distance as Veyr and the remnants of his soldiers re-formed his unit, "now what?"

That was when he saw it appear once more above his eyes;

[NEW QUEST: FIND A SAFE BASE OF OPERATIONS.]

[WARNING: COMMANDER VEYR HAS SENT A MESSAGE TO THE CAPITAL.]

The reinforcements that would come pouring out of the nearby kingdom could not be far off, and Kain turned to look at Ryna.

"Now," said Kain, "we find somewhere we can hold the reinforcements off long enough to come up with a real plan."