"bang!!!!!"
A door was kicked open.
"Knuckles!!" a voice echoed from the doorway. It was frank, he had panic in his eyes.
When Knuckles saw that, he frowned.
"What could have gone wrong for Frank to be so agitated that even the usually unconcerned sparrow seemed concerned?" wondered Knuckles.
Frank said, "There was an announcement in the market just a few minutes ago." Frank said he was a bit out of breath though.
Normally, that little sprint was nothing to him, but he was really shaken at this moment.
"Come on out with it!!"
"They're going to execute spies in the village square in three days," sparrow announced.
"I think it's safe to assume that they are one of ours," he added.
Knuckle's frown deepened.
"This is bad, we don't have much time, our reinforcement might not have arrived by then. I need to get this info to Wang." Knuckles was clearly in a state of panic too.
"Frank go out with Lester and found out for sure that the people who were going to be executed were our men," said Knuckles solemnly.
"Sparrow I want to know the number of guards in the village in total. We can no longer afford to work with old info. Please work hard," said Knuckles.
"Leave the rest to me. Meet back tomorrow. I have to get busy." He stood up and immediately left.
Of course, it was a serious situation for all three of them.
Frank soon stood up and left, paying no mind to the worried expression on Sparrow's face.
Frank also came to his senses and stood up. He looked down and clenched his fists. He was nervous about how he was going to go about his task.
He steeled up his mind and headed for the door. He was going to find Lester.
"Lester come here," Frank said sternly, knowing that if he appeared weak, lester wouldn't put in genuine effort.
"I need a way to get into the guard house for some time," said Frank.
Lester looked at him as if he had gone crazy.
"He wanted to go into the guard house? This guy definitely had a screw loose," Lester thought.
"Have you ran this by your superiors?" Of course, Lester could tell that Frank wasn't as highly ranked as the other two, so he applied pressure.
But what he didn't know was that those words would really infuriate Frank.
Frank's expression suddenly changed. This was the second time Frank showed this kind of expression. He had a look filled with murder in his eyes.
Lester felt a chill run down his spine. "Was this the same kid from yesterday? He seemed so different."
"Do you really look down on me, Lester? You look down on me? " Frank emphasized every word.
He reached out and grabbed Lester's hand and squeezed it tight.
Slowly, Lesters' expression changed "why did he have such bad luck? They were all crazy and aggressive. All he did was ask a question. Why was he being treated like this?" He was afraid now. Frank frightened him.
He felt like, unlike the other two, Frank wouldn't hesitate to beat him up. It felt like he had a grudge against him
"I... I have an idea. I can get a guard to take you in for the night," Lester said hurriedly.
"But you'll have to commit a crime, then I'll use a little influence to get you out, I promise."Lester hurriedly added
"Okay, what do have to do?" asked Frank.
"Noble officer, they might beat you up. Can you reconsider ?" Lester said
"I don't care, just help me out with that." Frank didn't show the least bit of hesitation anymore.
"You can take this item of mine and I'll accuse you of stealing it, then you'll get in easily," said Lester.
They both walked together to the guard house area. While walking, they went over what they would say to each other for their little "drama."
"You better not lie to me, you good for nothing," said Lester. He was now pointing angrily toward Frank.
"I clothe you, feed you, and shelter you, but you don't even show the least bit of gratitude today, I'll teach you a lesson."
He grabbed Frank by the collar of his robe. He was actually scared inside. He was praying that Frank wouldn't lose his temper again and beat him up.
He dragged Frank to the guard house and called for one of the guards.
"Brother guard, please help me punish this little assistant of mine who stole from me but refuses to admit it," Lester said angrily.
When Frank looked at him, he understood why people disliked merchants. They could change characters so easily and no one would be able to spot the difference.
"Oh if it isn't brother Lester," said the guard.
"When did you get an assistant, and just a young man at that?" the guard stroked Franks' skin.
"Why is such a tender little boy such as yourself stealing from your master? Don't you know it's bad to have such a reputation ?" The guard added
"Brother Lester, it's not that I don't want to take him off your hands, it's just that the prison is currently too full. It is not in my hands." The guard was clearly looking for a bribe.
"Brother guard, you have worked so hard for the well-being of this little village, let me appreciate you," said Lester.
He then brought out a sack of coins. This time it really hurt him. He thought to himself, "I can't believe that I'm paying to put someone in prison just to take him out the next day."
"Oh thank you, brother Lester. You are really a great merchant," said the guard.
"It so happens that a spot in the guard house just opened up. Don't worry, I'll take him off your hands," the guard added.
The guard then proceeded to grab Frank aggressively.
"Thank you very much, brother guard," said Lester.
He then turned around and sighed in relief. At least he would have some peace for the rest of the day so he could handle his business.