Gerald eyed Robard with a smile. The head knight was standing ahead of Renard and Arthur in the Lord's hall. Gerald patted the armrest of his seat before he spoke. "You have done well, Robard. You returned last night with the heads of the vermin from the east and no dead in your ranks."
"It is only my duty, my lord," Robard said stiffly, apparently not used to pretending. "Only a few were lightly wounded among the horsemen I led. The brigands didn't expect us. They panicked and paid the price."
Gerald nodded. "Have you handled their remains?"
"There were hardly any, my lord," Robard smiled wryly. "We brought back the heads of a few of their dead, and we've spiked them outside of the walls to deter any others from similarly treading the path of banditry."
"That should fulfill the purpose," Gerald said. The true purpose, however, was letting everyone know that Ard's army had attacked the bandits in the east. Gerald could have brought many more heads from his previous campaign if he'd wanted to. "You had news, Arthur?"
"Yes, my lord," Arthur forced a smile and stepped forward. "The mercenaries have sent someone to demand the promised gold today."
"This early?" Gerald glanced at Robard.
"It's most likely their red gold, my lord," Robard said. "I'm not surprised they'd ask for their coin now."
"Red gold?" Gerald asked, cocking his head.
"Yes, my lord. It's known among sellswords that a difficult battle means possible death," Robard explained. "When there is such a battle ahead of them, the mercenaries with no families to support prefer to spend at least half of their earned gold on enjoying the last few days before battle. They call the coin spent at such times 'red gold'. The gold that pays for their blood."
Gerald grew silent for a moment. He could almost sympathize with the mercenaries. Even if only one out of each four of them died, it could be any one of them. Selling your sword meant that you were prepared for risky battles such as this one. To go to battle knowing that you were likely to die was nothing short of cruel. That was why Gerald hadn't wanted his men to fight the coming battle on their own. He knew that they would brave dangers and death for him because of their loyalty, but he didn't want them to bleed too much for too little. He didn't want a great many of them falling in battle against mere bandits.
"Send them their gold," Gerald sighed. "I doubt they would risk their reputation and abandon us after receiving it. At least they wouldn't do it for so little gold."
Arthur's mouth twitched a little before he pressed his lips, as if trying not to seem upset. "This will leave our treasury with only 7000 gold before the battle, my lord."
"We've spoken of this matter already, haven't we, Arthur?" Gerald said, his voice a little icy. "Just pay the gold. We can always get more later. Hoarding it is of no use."
"Yes, my lord," Arthur nodded in resignation. "I will make sure to deliver them their coin soon."
"Very well," Gerald said, waving his hand. "This assembly's over. You may leave."
After his aides left the hall, Gerald sat there, thinking. The other bandit crews should be hearing of the conflict soon. He wondered how long it would take Gasper to gain their trust.
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Two days after the cavalry from Ard attacked, Gasper received a messenger from one of the crews in the north. His men had spotted the rider trotting towards the camp from the northwest, carrying a blank flag. It was quite surprising that the bandits would act so quickly after the battle, sending him a messenger. Gasper believed that they were somewhat desperate. The Viscount had made them feel that their days were numbered.
He and Master Rudolf received the messenger in the cabin.
Gasper was seated behind a table when the messenger entered, and Master Rudolf was standing beside him.
The skinny young man who entered didn't seem to be new to the profession. He nodded to the pair calmly and stood on the other side of the table. "I bring word from The Nest. How may I call you?"
"I'm Gasper, the chief of this crew," Gasper said. "Now speak."
The messenger nodded. "My chief, Viper, is informing you that all the bandit chiefs in the basin are assembling three days from now in the village near the northern pass."
"All the chiefs?" Master Rudolf spoke for the first time. "Does that include Robben Luwin?"
The young messenger glared at the masked steward icily but didn't reply.
"This is Skymask, my lieutenant. Answer him," Gasper said. He hadn't actually come up with that name for Master Rudolf. But his men had started calling the old man by peculiar names. The most common of which was Skymask, apparently alluding to the old man's mask and his strength as a Sky Warrior.
The messenger snorted and shook his head. "Robben Luwin is a bloody sellsword who is overstretching his hands. He isn't one of us."
Gasper wanted to chuckle in response. As if being one of 'us' would give anyone pride.
"The two chiefs in the west and the two chiefs in the north will be present," the messenger continued. "The assembly will be in the interest of all crews. You can bring 20 men as your guard, but no more. Whether to attend or not is your choice."
"hmm," Gasper rested his chin on his fingers. "Deliver my thanks to Viper. Tell him that I will attend."
"I will," the messenger said. "The assembly will be at midnight. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."
Gasper nodded, and the young messenger left the cabin. He would be received outside by Erick who would accompany him to the gates.
Gasper turned to master Rudolf with a sigh. "Quite fast, aren't they?"
"Indeed," the old steward nodded. "It seems that they want to gather as many allies as they can. They have been occupying the sleeping tiger's mountain for long, but now the predator is up and awake. They don't know when to expect another swift attack from the Viscount. I would be unsettled too."
Gasper nodded in agreement. "Should we inform the Viscount now?"
Master Rudolf shook his head. "No need. I will visit him after you assemble with the other chiefs. So far, there is nothing of importance to inform him of."
"Alright," Gasper said. "I don't trust the bandits though."
"Only a fool would," Master Rudolf chuckled. "We should just be cautious enough not to walk into a trap. The village where they'll meet isn't far from your crew's territory. We can always ride back as fast as we can."
"Yes, I suppose," Gasper said. Then he grew silent. He'd been among bandits before. But back then, he'd been a subordinate of Black Dog's, not an equal. He didn't know how he was supposed to handle the other chiefs. He'd been preparing, but he'd never been to a negotiation among bandits before.
"You seem worried," Master Rudolf interrupted his thoughts.
"Yes, I . . ." Gasper grew silent again. " I don't know," he shook his head.
The old steward patted him on the shoulder. "You don't need to make it difficult for yourself, Gasper. During the talks with the other bandits, just do what you would do in combat. Give no quarter."
Gasper listened to Master Rudolf's advice and reflected on it briefly. Then he broke into a smile. "Very well."
…
..
.
Three days later, Gasper had his men gather what few horses they had in the camp. He took 17 men, including Master Rudolf, and departed, leaving the camp in the hands of Erick. It was just after dusk when they left the camp, riding north.
They rode hard until they reached the edge of their crew's territory. But Gasper slowed his men down as they entered the northern crews' lands. He had to be cautious from then on. He sent a few of his men to scout around their path for a possible ambush, but all they spotted was a scout keeping an eye on their route.
It didn't take them too long to arrive. They reached the outskirts of the village a bit earlier than midnight. Gasper halted his men and ran his eyes over their destination. The houses were mostly dark, without the least bit of light. The paths amidst those houses were deserted. He guessed that the bandits had told the peasants to stay in their houses or face the consequences.
He soon spotted some light at the edge of the forest. There were a few torches lit around a lonely house, and some men crowding near it. It took a few moments for a rider to approach Gasper and his men from that direction.
The rider waved his hands as he rode closer. "Chief Gasper?"
"Yes," Gasper nodded. "Are they here?"
The rider shook his head. "It's still a bit early. The chiefs from the west haven't arrived yet."
"I suppose we'll have to wait then," Gasper said.
"Yes, but not for long," the rider said. " Follow me. I will lead you to the place of the assembly." Then he turned his mount around and trotted towards the village again.
Gasper gestured for only half of his men to go with him then he followed the rider towards the house. They trotted to the edge of the village and by the men crowding near the house. Gasper noticed that some of those men seemed to be well-armed and armored, as if they were soldiers not bandits. Nevertheless, he found nothing amiss as they moved past them, but he saw that the rider hadn't stopped by the house. "They're not in there?" Gasper pointed at the house with the torches.
The rider chuckled. "No. This is just the house that catches the eye in case things go awry. Your men should stay near it. The real place is there." He pointed ahead where a smaller, more disheveled house stood in the darkness. Its windows were barricaded so that one couldn't even tell if there were lights inside.
Gasper glanced at Master Rudolf who nodded reassuringly. He gestured for his men to stay near the house and trotted along with Master Rudolf to the smaller house.
The rider dismounted in front of the house, and the pair followed him. He knocked on the door, and someone quickly opened. He whispered something to whoever opened it then the door was closed again. A few moments later, the door was swung open and a blonde young man came out.
"Chief Gasper," the blonde man said, smiling at the pair. His eyes stopped at Master Rudolf's mask for a moment but he didn't show any apprehension. "I'm Marco, Viper's lieutenant. Please follow me inside."
Gasper returned the smile. "Alright."
Marco turned and headed inside while Gasper and Master Rudolf followed. The house didn't have too many rooms. It only took them a few steps, then Marco opened another door and led them into a well-lit room. In the middle of the it, there was a ragged round table. On the further side of the table, two men sat beside each other.
The first to catch Gasper's eye was a man that seemed to be past forty years of age. His hair was dark, and he wore a shiny set of armor that reminded Gasper of Sir Robard.
Is that steel? Gasper wondered.
Beside the heavily armored man, sat another who was much thinner. His chin was cleanly shaven, and his cheekbones were slightly protruding. Gasper recognized him, even though he'd never met him before. The name could just fit on that face. Viper.
Viper stood up with a wide smile. "Gasper, isn't it?"
"I am," Gasper nodded. "Viper, yes?"
"Indeed," Viper said, gesturing towards a chair to his left. "Take a seat, my new friend."
I'm certain you're a worse friend than an enemy, Gasper thought. But he kept his smile on the surface. "Thank you." Then he sat down while Master Rudolf stood behind him.
Marco stood behind his chief, his smile fading as if he was forcing it. Viper pointed to the man in shiny armor who sat on his right. "This is Lucas, the chief of the Dirt Knights," Viper said while giggling.
"I told you not to call my men that, you damn snake," Lucas glared at him.
"But your crew is true to that name, Sir Lucas," Viper said innocently.
"Don't call me a Sir," Lucas said, somewhat calming down. It seemed that he'd realized that Viper was just provoking him for a laugh.
Viper leaned towards Gasper and whispered, "he is a dishonored knight. He used to serve a prominent noble, but he took as many men as he could and abandoned his lord in his time of need."
It explained the steel armor. Only nobles, knights, and very rich people could own a set of steel armor. Knights would either inherit it from their family or be gifted one by their lord. Gasper raised a brow and eyed Lucas. The man didn't look like a traitor. But then again, if a traitor was easy to recognize, he wouldn't have the chance to betray. Lucas glanced back at him briefly but without expression. Gasper hated this assembly of vermin even more now.
"What's this assembly for?" Gasper asked.
"A pact," Viper said, frowning. "Our crews are always in danger as long as that damn lord has an army. We have to unite, otherwise we will all perish."
"Indeed," Gasper nodded. "However, It would be difficult to fight together when we don't know when he will come."
Viper chuckled. "Fear not. We have our ears in Ard. Last time, he took Black Dog and Big Mountain by surprise. But now we're alert. We would hear about it before his army takes a step out of Ard's gates."
Gasper listened in silence and didn't respond. He wasn't awfully surprised. It was expected that the bandits would have some source of news within the castle. But according to Viper's words, they could get wind of the army's movements quite early. It was something to keep in mind.
However, he would have to wait until the other chiefs arrive if he wanted to know more. He didn't want to sound overly curious at the moment. He doubted that Viper really trusted him, even with the friendly countenance he was showing him.