***
How much this time? a stern-looking man asked as he checked the contents of the wagon at the gate.
«Not so much, only about two thousand gold coins,» the driver replied with a grin.
The wagon was drawn by two horses, and it carried the funds of a criminal group engaged in robbery, kidnapping, and the slave trade. The wagon had two guards, both knights of medium rank, one sat next to the cab, and the other inside the wagon.
Outside the gate was the headquarters of the group, where bandits from all around brought gold earned by their specific work. This is a fairly large piece of land surrounded by a high stone fence. There are only two buildings inside, robbers live in one, and the acquired property is kept in the other, under lock and key.
There is also a basement under a residential building, there are two different compartments, food is stored in one, and slaves in the other, who cannot be sold immediately. You can get a ransom for them, or grab a whole bunch of problems if anyone finds out that they are here.
«Alright, it's all right, move on...
The cart started and drove into the yard. The guards at the warehouse immediately exploded and came closer.
«Come on quickly, unload the goods and get back,» one of them said. «The meeting will start soon, so don't get in your way...»
«It hurts, especially since I still have the feeling that some kind of trouble will happen,» one of the knights guarding the wagon grimly protested.
As soon as he finished speaking, a rustle was heard from above, on a quiet night this sound was heard very, clearly. All the bandits sharply alerted and raised their heads. But it was too late to react...
Opponents have already jumped on them, with swords raised to strike. Before they could scream, their bodies were pierced by sharp blades. Whoever did not die immediately, was cut down literally in a moment ...
«What a fool,» one of the attackers spat, wiping his blade on the clothes of the slain. «Looks like mid-ranking knights, but in reality...»
«Shut up,» said another, pushing the indignant killer on the shoulder. «We're on a mission here, actually, so don't get distracted or you'll get scolded...»
If someone had seen them from the outside, they would have been very surprised... The knights of the middle rank were killed not by some experienced warriors, but by real teenagers who had not even lived for fifteen years yet. Their age did not stop them from finishing off four guards and a cabman in a couple of moments, although they were outnumbered.
In fact, much more unexpected guests entered the bandit camp, there were about a hundred of them ... After the murder of the cabman, as well as the guards of the warehouse and the wagon, the quiet night seemed to come to life ... Immediately screams, the clang of swords began to be heard from all sides , and the sounds of bodies falling to the ground. It took no more than a couple of minutes, as all this cacophony abruptly turned into deathly silence.
The bandit camp was slaughtered cleanly, only the slaves in the basement survived, huddled in fear in their cages...
A moment later, the sound of hooves was heard, and a rider rode through the gate, jumping over dead bodies.
«Good job guys, now all that's left to do is clean up here,» said Balthazar, stopping in the middle of the bandit camp. «Take every coin, and then burn everything that is of no value.»
«Sir, what about the prisoners?» asked a teenager, slightly older than the others, acting as the leader of a special forces unit.
Is there anyone important among them? asked the heir of the Bach clan.
— How should I know? — the same guy asked with his eyes downcast. «They are not my relatives, for the first time I see them ...
«So ask them, find out what their names are, where they come from, how they got here ...» Balthazar explained, covering his face with his palm.
«Okay...» the squad leader nodded, and signaled to his subordinates. — But why do we need them? Suddenly they blabbed ... Maybe it's theirs, well, that ...
The guy held his thumb at the throat, and then spread his arms to the sides, showing with his whole appearance that he was waiting for the decision of his master.
«Aaron said not to touch them,» Balthazar ordered. — I don't know why he needs them, but it's better to do as he asks ...
— Maybe compassion for his neighbor woke up in him? thought, the leader of the special forces squad suggested.
«Orion, you're a funny fellow, if you let it out, you can catch a heart attack from laughter ...» Balthasar said, chuckling.
«Thank you, sir, I will try,» Orion answered, not hiding his grin.
«If you don't joke, then most likely there is someone important among them,» said Balthazar, jumping off his horse.
After some time, a member of the detachment appeared in front of them, who came to report on the progress of the interrogation.
«We found five people in the cell,» he said. Among them are two women and three men. According to the data obtained during the interrogation, we were able to find out something...
«Let's get down to business, is there anyone special among them?» Orion hurried his subordinate.
«The two women turned out to be from the Arcer clan,» he quickly went straight to the point. «The men appear to be members of a gang who have been seriously offended... Not enough to be killed, but more than enough to be taken into custody...»
— Where does this information come from? Orion asked.
«The girls said those idiots were trying to dishonor them...
«Sounds plausible,» Balthazar nodded. — Recently, there was just a rumor that two daughters of the Arcer clan were gone ... In general, we don't touch the girls, feed them and dress them decently, and dispose of the rapists ...