Cont. from Part Thirty or Story Start/Part One if your just joining
A new chapter - The first Siege
Valar sat on a wooden bench made for a peasant, his new companions Jack the scruffy and Peter the Ox sat with him in awkward silence.
They sat in a small semi circle, each holding battered metal cups, filled with hot tea.
Valar couldn’t make out the flavour to determine the type of tea, but he didn’t care, the breeze was cold and the tea was warm.
He looked around their camp site.... for a number of days they had been stock piling supplies and building up the camp. With the loot recently recovered from the bandits and the help he got scouring the nearby coast lines, they were able to put together some basic fighting equipment; 4 breast plates, 2 long swords, 3 helms a shield and a few sandals and belt, not enough to supply a squad let alone an army…but it was better than nothing.
He was growing inpatient, Em had promised him a rebellion and some troops to take down the damn wizard Charok, but she had been gone for days and still no sign?… looking around at his new comrades, he had maybe 4 people who looked like they had seen a war or two, but the rest just peasants or farmers turned rogue.
He got up and poured the remainder of his tea into the fire…it hissed in and sizzled as the liquid hit the flame.
“Let’s assemble the squad and disperse the equipment we have” he said in a commanding voice looking directly at Peter.
Peter grunted in response , got up and left the camp fire area, returning shortly with the people assembled. It was the oddest assortment of people he had seen in his life, different heights different ages, 4 women, 12 men. Most wore rags, others a mixture of cloth and leather armour, some with make shift spears, bow and arrows…hardly the fine Arkassor troops he had left home with.
He drilled them for awhile, training them in basic formations for marching and then basic combat stances…the whole time he did his best to size them up. This group wouldn’t last long in a fight, but he only had one mission… kill this damn wizard and get home!.
He considered this goal and decided to keep a full array of arkassor armour for himself…. It was good to have a shield again. The rest of the armoury he distributed as evenly as he could to the strongest and most capable he could make out…the others would need to make do with their spears.
“ This is your equipment now, treat it like your life depends on it. We will wait 2 more nights and then I’m leaving with or without re-reinforcements, anyone here may join me if you want or stay and go back to your town and drink your sorrow away”.
Jack stepped forward while the rest looked at each other concerned faces and whispers.
“We need you Valar, you’re a natural leader and you might not know it, but having you here has given the people hope! Something we haven’t had in a long time”.
“I’m sorry, but this is not my land. My people are under siege and I can’t get back to the fight with the small fishing boats around these parts….my only hope to help my people is to strike here and now! I must cut the head off this damn Charok before my last city falls.”
“What are your intentions” said Peter stepping forward, appearing a giant next to Jack.
“The plan hasn’t changed..I’m going to head straight to the local keep, I’m going to siege it and take the leader captive… Then I’m going to wait until this snake Charok shows up and I’ll take his head in combat ending this damn stupid war!”
“We will go with you, we want those bastards in the keep dead….but Charok is something else, here you will be on your own!….still, we stand little chance without re-enforcements, Em won’t let us down!”
Valar scratched his chin and looked at the bunch of peasant troops in front of him…even if they did go with him now, at the most they would be bait… a distraction while he completed his task. He hadn’t seen the Keep yet, but apparently it was old, weak and occupied by just a light garrison.
“Ok, 2 more days and then we attack” and with this Valar turned his back and disappeared into his tent.