"So this is it?" Jop asked as he pointed at the camp
"Yes" Elisar answered. He was slightly annoyed by Jop's stupid question. Of course this was the Tulosan camp. What else could this be?
"But it's so large. It's larger than our camp"
"That's because they have horses to tend to." Elisar explained. He then stopped walking. "Wait. We first need to plan our move"
"So what's the plan?" Jop also stopped walking and turned to him. Elisar was glad that his partner was cooperative. Jop might be stupid sometimes, or most of the time, but he's a good partner to have. Jop had always listened and obeyed Elisar's plan in the past. That was why they became successful in the underworld a few years back. Elisar was the brain, Jop was the brawn. They were a great team since they complemented each other.
"Since my Tulosan accent is poor, you will do the talking" Elisar said.
"What if they ask you a question?" Jop inquired "You can't just ignore them"
"Tell them that my tongue was cut. I'll then make inaudible sounds so they will believe our excuse." Elisar looked at Jop. "And only talk if it was needed. You're bad at making excuses"
"I know, I know" he assured "I'll try not to blabber"
"And?" Elisar raised his brows
"And I won't do something stupid" Jop sighed "Let's go"
"Aren't you forgetting something? Like something very important?"
Jop scratched his head. He then checked his dagger and other equipment. "I don't think so. My dagger is here"
"The plan Jop, the plan!" Elisar exclaimed in a hushed tone "We still need to plan this"
"I thought the plan was for you to act like you lost your tongue" Jop reasoned
"No! I mean yes but that's not all. What if they ask to what unit we belong?"
"Knights?" Jop guessed
"Do you think we look like knights? Tulosan Knights have special brands on their arm. Do you have that Jop?"
"Um. Whistlers?"
"No Jop. We are from the infantry." Elisar gave up "Third cohort, second century. Our Centurion is named Nart and our Prefect's name is Pyr. Now, repeat what I said."
" Infantry, Thrid Cohort, Second Century, Nart, Pyr"
"Good" Elisar was satisfied "Let's go"
The two of them entered the camp. It was already late and most of the soldiers were asleep so the two of them snuck inside. The sentries were actually very lax. The camp's size made it easier to get past its defenses. Experience pointed Elisar to possible weak points in the camp they can sneak into.
In just a moment, the two were inside the Tulosan camp. Next, they need to find the food storage. For a huge camp like this, food was usually stored in different places. But Elisar knew that the Tulosans were running out of food. It would be troublesome to separate their food so there should be just a single storage.
But where did the Tulosans put their food? Elisar's guess was at the back near the burnt forest. That would be the logical thing to do. The only problem was the distance. The camp was really huge. They have to walk for a long time to reach the other side of the camp. It's not that he's lazy, the longer they stay at the camp, the bigger the chance of them getting caught. So they needed to hurry. If his guess was wrong, then the chance of failure would increase. He can't let that happen.
Elisar pointed at the far end of the camp "I think it's there" he whispered
Jop nodded and followed him. They crouched in the darkness and headed to the other side of the camp. Their progress was too slow and Elisar started to worry. But they don't have a choice. They need to evade the sentries. The sentries had a password so the two of them can't lie. They also can't pretend to be soldiers because the camp had a curfew. The only way was to avoid detection.
Elisar suddenly heard the approach of a pair of sentries. He stopped and gestured for Jop to hide. There was nothing to hide into except a bush. It was not the perfect place to hide, but it will do. Elisar and Jop dived and hid themselves in the bush. They remained stationary, not even breathing.
"Don't you find it strange?" one of the sentries asked "The fool, Luther kept his position as prefect and the whistlers did not even protested"
"I bet he silenced them with gold coins" the other sentry said. "Loyalty nowadays is so cheap"
"Who said it's cheap? For all we know, Luther might have given them dozens of gold coins for their loyalty." The first sentry replied as they walked in front of Elisar and Jop.
Elisar covered his mouth with his hand. He was sweating. They were done for if the sentries discover them. Fortunately, the sentries passed by without noticing. They remained hiding in the bush for a while.
"I think they are gone" Jop said behind him.
"Yeah" Elisar nodded. That was close. He wiped his sweat and crept out of the bush. They resumed their crouch towards the far end of the camp. After what seemed to be eons, the two finally reached their destination.
It was dark so Elisar squinted. There were several sentries guarding two wagons. He can't see what's inside, but it must be important for the several soldiers to guard it. Important, like food. Elisar was delighted. He made the right choice. The close encounter earlier with the two sentries was worth it. His legs were numb, but it was worth it. But now comes the hard part.
Elisar counted the number of guards. There were eight. The two of them can't defeat the eight guards so he needs to think of another way to burn the food.
There were torches nearby so fire wouldn't be a problem. The problem was finding a way for the fire to reach the wagons. Distract the guards? No, the Tulosans were not stupid. They will not get distracted. Talk to them? No, his Tulosan accent was terrible and Jop was equally terrible at finding excuses. Fight them? Don't even think about it. Eight versus two?
Elisar must have been frozen for long that Jop poked him as if asking for their next move. The two of them had experience with sabotage before, but not as dangerous and difficult as this. In the past, their employers would hire them to burn a merchant's goods. That was fairly easy because most merchants could only afford to hire a guard or two. Now, they were facing eight fully armored guards.
He had no choice but to use a very dangerous method. He whispered his plan to Jop. After making sure that Jop gets it, both of them started to work.
The two went further and positioned themselves near the burnt forest. Elisar grabbed a flask that contains boar's blood. Because the flask wasn't tightly sealed, most of the blood already hardened. Nevertheless, the blood would still be useful. Elisar poured the blood into some parts of his body. He also rolled in the dust to make himself look haggard. But to make his appearance more convincing, he needs Jop
"Jop, punch me." He said "Not too hard"
Jop looked at him blankly. But then Jop punched him many times. He felt dizzy and fell down. Jop's strength was terrifying.
"I said not too hard you bastard" Elisar cursed "Are you trying to kill me again?"
"During one of our missions in the past you also asked me to punch you. You reprimanded me because my punch was too soft"
"That was years ago" he complained. It took him a moment to recover from the dizziness "How do I look?" he asked Jop
"Battered"
"Let's go then"
Elisar and Jop sprinted towards the supply wagons. When they were near the wagon, Jop supported Elisar with his hand.
"Help!" Jop demanded the attention of the sentries. The sentries gave them a confused look at first, but then they pointed their spears towards them.
"Identify yourselves!" one of the sentries commanded
"Bastard! We don't have time for that!" Jop shouted "They are coming!"
Elisar felt relieved. Jop can act.
"Who are coming?"
"The Castonians. They attacked us. Look!" He pointed at Elisar's stomach. It was bleeding
The Sentries' eyes grew wide. "What?"
"We don't have time to discuss this. Soldier!" Jop said in a commanding tone he then pointed "Get to the General and tell him that the Castonians flanked us. You two, get the medicus. The rest of you, inform the prefects of our situation"
The sentries stood still for a while. Elisar started to become anxious. Was Jop's acting not enough to fool them? For him, it was perfect. But if they failed to fool the Tulosans, then they will surely die.
"Now!" Jop screamed "They are coming. Don't waste time!"
"But the general had strict orders not to leave the food"
"Then one of you must stay behind. Good. He can help me patch this wound. But go now!"
"I will stay" One of the sentries said. After reaching an agreement, the sentries rushed to inform the camp of the situation. Elisar felt proud. Jop's skills were superb.
The sentry then knelt and put his hand on Elisar's stomach.
"What were you doing in the forest anyway?" he asked
"Defecating"
"Defecating?" the sentry asked. "Together?"
"I'm afraid of the dark" Jop reasoned. It was a good reason, but Jop said it hesitantly so the sentry must have started to suspect them.
"Which unit do you belong?" the sentry looked intently on Jop
"Third cohort, Second Century" Jop answered.
"Your Prefect and Centurion?"
"Prefect Nart, Centurion Pyr"
At that moment, Elisar wanted to strangle Jop. He switched the names! It was supposed to be Prefect Pyr and Centurion Nart. He examined the sentry's face. It was apparent that he already realized their identities. Elisar saw the sentry slowly reach for the handle of his sword.
But Elisar was faster. He grabbed his dagger and stabbed the sentry in the chest. His blade buried through the man's heart. Elisar then lunged towards the sentry and cupped his hand against the sentry's mouth. Jop also acted fast. He grabbed his dagger and stabbed the sentry's neck. After making sure that the sentry was dead, Elisar released his hand.
"What the hell?" Jop asked "That was so sudden"
"Fool! Prefect Nart and Centurion Pyr? It was the other way around you moron!"
Jop scratched his head "Is that so?"
"Yes!" Elisar roared. He then tried to calm himself. They still have to burn the food "Forget it. Let's burn the wagons."
Elisar stood up and grabbed a torch. He then went to one of the wagons and looked inside. It was food. He threw the torch inside and after a while, the wagon was burning. Jop also did the same to the other wagon. After making sure that the fire was big enough, he turned to Jop
"We need to run" he said