Dragged by the rope that bound his Hands, Ray had to try hard to control himself and not start cussing outright.
Right after he and Lisa had been taken down, Odo and Bert tied up their hands, leaving only a short leash for them to pull at.
Sarah was already out of commission when Max got his leg cut up, so Odo simply threw her over his shoulder, carrying her like a bag of potatoes.
Dealing with Max turned out to be a bit harder for them. Not wanting to deal with any more trouble, they decided against killing him, since Ray and Lisa may have gotten aggressive again.
To get him down the mountain, and to wherever they were going to, Max was bound, from beneath his shoulders to his waist, with rope and dragged across the ground. His wound still open, Max quickly lost consciousness, bleeding profusely as they proceeded.
'I hope it won't take much longer to get to their camp.' Seeing his condition, Ray was quite worried about Max's health. He didn't like him particularly nor would he, under normal circumstances, care about him, but doing nothing while he was dying, especially if he could still be saved, didn't sit right with him.
"Sirs, may I how long we still have to walk to get to your camp?
My friend over here doesn't look like he can endure this much longer."
"Hahaha, 'Sirs' he says! Does he think treating us like nobles would change anything?"
"Don't worry kid, we'll be there soon enough, and if he doesn't survive, then that is his Fate. Nothing we could do about it."
Hearing Bert's laughter and Odo's nonsensical reply, Ray's temples popped up, 'Nothing we could do?! Not to mention that it's your fault he's bleeding in the first place, you even have the face to blame Fate when he ends up dying!'
...
After advancing a while in this manner tents slowly came into view.
The camp was built into a small valley, surrounded by steep cliffs, except on the northern and southern side.
The tents had all sorts of colors and sizes, arranged in a manner that seemed to have no pattern, with the only noteworthy thing being the shade of the colors getting darker the further one walked to the center.
"Halt! Who are you?!"
As soon as the group arrived in front of the camp, a voice called out to them, seeking identification.
"Odo of the 3rd infantry brigade, 2nd division, Tohil Legion, coming back from patrol. We caught a few suspected scouts and have to see the commanders immediately!"
The guard was at first unperturbed, only asking for appearance's sake, but when he heard 'Scout', he instantly transformed into a proper soldier, running off to find his superior.
Odo, however, didn't even bother waiting for him to come back and continued on his way into the insides of the camp.
Once he was within, the sounds of tinkering and forging, laughter and fighting and, to his dismay, screaming and crying, assaulted Ray's ears.
The smell perpetrating the air was reminiscent of blood and sweat, making his blood boil and awakening a strange desire to struggle again, against Odo, even though he knew it would be useless.
Walking through the camp, almost every soldier gave the group a weird glance or gawked at the girls with a lustful look in their eyes.
The camp wasn't too big, so it only took them a few moments to walk to the center, in front of the biggest tent.
Two guards stood before them, not even moving their eyes at their arrival. The equipment they wore looked to be of better quality, suggesting a higher status than the common soldier.
The guard from the gate must have reached the commanders' tent before them, as it took only a few seconds of waiting for an authoritarian voice to reach their ears.
"Are you waiting for an invitation? Hurry in we are busy!"
Rushed by the voice, Bert pushed Ray and Lisa into the tent, quickly following after. Odo also went in, although a lot less hurried.
When Ray stumbled inside, he was immediately pushed onto his knees
and gripped by the hair, his face pulled up to better showcase his features.
"We greet the esteemed nobles!"
Both soldiers put their right hand on to their chest, shouting some kind of formal greeting.
"Mmh, so these are the scouts you caught?"
The man who spoke had the same authoritarian voice they had heard outside the tent. He had incredibly fierce looking features and a stature that bulged with muscles. His short red hair and the dangerous glint in his eyes only reinforced the impression of a seasoned warrior.
To his right and left sat, respectively, a middle-aged man and a young girl, possibly in her twenties.
All three of them looked at the students with a curious expression like they were watching some rare animal at the zoo.
Ray noticed that especially the middle-aged man showed an amused grin, but his eyes were completely frozen over, not a hint of emotion visible within.
"Your Lordships, before we begin I wanted you to know that we are definitely no scou-"
THUD
"SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH MAGGOT! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK IN FRONT OF THESE HONORABLE NOBLES!!!"
Hitting Ray's head on the floor Bert made him stop talking. Right after he looked up to the Nobles, a flattering expression on his face. Whether or not his anger was real, the intent behind the action showed.
Waving his hand, the middle-aged noble dismissed Bert's actions,
"It doesn't matter if you're a scout or not. Coming close to the army camp, during an expedition, is an insult to the brave soldiers and more importantly us Nobles. No excuse could pardon your crimes, and you all should be executed. Odo, YOU were the one who found them, so you'll be the one to end them."
"A-At once, your Excellency!" His eyes shifting and teeth almost clattering, Odo barely managed to response.
But as he tried to pull his sword out, the man in the middle voiced his discontent.
"Count Selwin, wouldn't it be inappropriate to dispose of them right now? After all, we are in the midst of a campaign."
Squinting his eyes the Count challenged the other Noble.
"So you are suggesting to let them go? These possible enemy scouts?"
"No, but we could torture them to get information and, afterward, bring them in front of His Majesty to be judged."
"Esteemed Baron, I understand your eagerness to...contribute to our glorious country, but I doubt His Majesty has the time to bother with such minor problems. I highly recommend ending this now."
Still pressed against the ground, Ray could feel cold sweat run down his back. The people sitting before him were essentially deciding his Fate. Whether he lived or died, was entirely up to their moods and so far it didn't seem to be going well. Running his mind, he couldn't think of anything he could do, as he wasn't even allowed to speak, not to mention defend himself. He couldn't count on the others either. Two were still unconscious, and the last one had a rather bored look on her face, not even bothering to listen to the conversation.
'How is she not worried?'
To him, it was inconceivable to be that apathetic when someone argued about whether they should torture or just kill you outright.
As he was thinking about such things, the young woman, who was quiet up until, now slammed her hand on the table.
"How can you argue about something so inconsequential as these peasants death right now?! We should focus on our duty and secure the border! There's not a speck of time to waste, so forget them and concentrate!"
For Ray, this was a godsend. He couldn't help but want to crawl up to and thank her a thousand times.
But as he thought his life was saved and the didn't have to worry anymore, the conversation continued.
"What do you suggest then, Miss Crowell?"
"Isn't it obvious...
Just throw them into the pit."