Gaining Back Trust Part 28
The Twenty Eighth Part...
Lilbon and the rest of his men, who had accompanied him to raid the farm in Ashvale, pushed through the woods, still in shock at how a single Ashwalker had decimated their force.
“Only five of us out of everyone who went out, Chief,” one of his men said, his voice shaking. “You were right about avoiding those Ashwalkers for so long.”
One good thing will come of this disaster. My men won't doubt me anymore. Lilbon thought bitterly, grunting in acknowledgment to his man.
“Chief, something is off,” one of the men said. “Blister and Corder and the cave watch boys aren’t there.”
“They’re probably all inside getting a drink of water,” Lilbon grumbled, despite the sudden terror rising in his throat. “After that close shave wit’ tha Baron's men a few weeks ago, we’ve all been jumpy and not staying or going anywhere alone.” He paused for a moment and then laughed, dismissing his fear. “Asides, who coulda found us up here? We dressed up Gared as one of the Ashwalkers and went and pinned one of their search pins on this area of the map!”
The fivesome laughed, spirits lifting slightly as they stepped into the clearing of their home base. But then Lilbon’s laughter died in his throat as he saw blood on the ground near the cards and dice on the ground outside the cave. The door to his cave was also wide open.
Colored smoke billowed out, and like a phantom from a bad dream, the Ashwalker emerged from the smoke, cursed longbow in hand, drawing an arrow back and pointing it right at his throat.
“Anyone who tries to run dies.”
~~~~~
“Anyone who tries to run dies,” Michael growled coldly, pulling the arrow back on his bowstring. “Throw down your weapons immediately. It’s about time someone turned you bandits in to Baron Matthias. I’ve heard he’s been pretty upset about you ugly birds making all sorts of a mess in his fief.”
“Where are my men!” The man who was obviously the leader of this group demanded, sounding brave despite his clear shaking.
“That is none of your concern. Their fate can depend on your actions here and now.” Michael said, putting an arrow through a man’s calf before throwing his bow aside and drawing his sword. “I don’t need any of you alive to collect the reward from the Baron. And it would honestly be easier to transport dead bodies to a wagon than a bunch of live prisoners that I’d have to feed and keep an eye out for.”
Although Michael had no desire to kill any more of these brigands, his threat worked, and the leader tensed up, looked at his man groaning in pain on the ground with an arrow through his calf, before unclasping his belt, which held his sword and daggers, and throwing it aside. The others followed his lead. The man on the ground even drew his dagger and tossed it away.
“Good,” Michael said, sighing. Now, take that cord over there on the ground, and tie each other up. Once you’re all tied, I’ll take care of that man’s leg.
The men were soon bound, and Michael grinned as he realized that he had captured the leader of the entire group. Then, as he finished tending the injured man’s leg, and stood, Sheriff Keanan arrived with seventy men and twenty Ashwalkers.
“Good on you, Michael!” The Sheriff laughed.
“They’re all dead or captured, Sheriff!” Michael said, grinning widely. “I’ll need all of your help to get these prisoners to the Baron, and to collect all the bodies. I left them where I finished them.”
Michael was thereafter swept up in a storm of packing all of the stolen loot from the cave into a wagon that was brought up along the trail along the valley’s edge. Once completed, the task of retrieving all the bodies of the fallen gang members began as the wagon lumbered along the trail. He also assigned 12 of his fellow Ashwalkers to protect and help out at Jordan and Timothy’s farms, while he led the group taking all the spoils and prisoners to Chagzoa City…