Deep inside the bandit's base, fortress after fortress were built just in anticipation for the baron's army to attack, with now the leader of the bandit among his top rank and most trusted bandits now discussing over the state of their war with the baron's guard.
"Boss, we know that we're currently winning over the battle against the baron Cedric's army but if we didn't take them seriously, the percentage of them taking another of outpost is huge" Coaxed one of the top bandit worryingly.
"I appreciate your input Kay, but don't you see for yourself. We're outnumbering them three to one. They've no chance to fight against us even if they wanted to" He followed with a loud laugh, trying to make a fool out of one of his subordinate.
"Come on. Is this what I heard from the greatest mind that we've here? A coward that don't know about anything?" Another bandit added. His head rested upon his hand that's on the table while he look towards his other hand, proud about himself and his strong yet nimble hand.
Not stand to be just humiliated like this, he then excuse himself to leave as the members inside keeps pulling a mockery out of him. He then goes back to his camp and sat inside there, trying to both calculate the army's movement with the current reports that his personal bandit brigade brought back from the main front.
After looking at the map for a while, he then came to a realization.
"The usual supply for a campaign toward us like this ranges from 15-30 days. From the frantic movement of the baron army and the time when we receives the first sighting of it which is 20 days ago. Are they running out of supply?"
His thoughts ran. Is his boss already calculate all of this behind his back and nonchalantly said that just because he knows that victory was impending.
Before he loses himself and declare this an easy victory, he quickly slapped both of his cheeks. Trying to be a little mindful.
"No, I couldn't underestimate an enemy even if they were at the brink of losing. Like my teacher say, a cornered army is the more dangerous than a large army."
He then recalculate the army movements once again. This time a little more careful and try to spot anything that's wrong with his previous calculations, now adding in their own revised maneuver to create no chance for the enemy to even survive this battle.
"This is probably another dud, huh" He sighs disappointingly. "Just another noble trying to test it might on us only to find that it was impossible." He then stood out of the camp as he breathes a group of fresh air while also stretching up. "The leader of this army also quite an inexperienced general who loses every confrontation that he initiates towards us and only win from the weakness that I intentionally put to let the army win for once."
A tick of water then came down from the sky, as Jay immediately looked upward, to see the darken clouds.
"Another rain? Well, looks like I gotta go inside my secluded camp again" He said unenthusiastically while he went back inside his camp. The drizzle then evolve a full on storm as the wooden fortress of a base is now completely wet.
After the rain subsides, the sun has almost begun to set, with Jay now coming up from his camp, fully refreshed after a short nap.
"Well, looks like another day has just passed. Time to go and find some food, I suppose."
Suddenly, a bandit came from the front line as he was shouting towards everyone that's in the main camp.
"The army has attacked the main base! I repeat, the army has attacked the main base!"
Hearing this news, Jay quickly rush towards the bandit. His interest and stress level are currently at the highest as he inquired about the bandit to know about more information from him.
"Can you tell me in more detail?"
"Who are you!?" The bandit asked back, a little frightened by the sudden of appearance of Jay.
"Just tell me!" Jay pressured the bandit more as he begun to shake him. Overwhelmed by the information from the front line and now Jay's pressuring him, he then started to spout out the information that Jay asked for in more detail.
"The army has been trying to burn the fortress' wooden fences before I went there."
"Burning fences? After rain?"
"Yes" The bandit answered, now completely dazed by Jay's immense pressure.
Shortly, Jay ran towards the main camp after spotting guard after guard are in the smoke that's rising up from the second wall of fortress as he catches a glimpse of one of them.
"They're wearing some sort of mask to protect their visions with smoke?" After a little distracted, he then thoughts about the main part.
"This structure had been known to be impenetrable? How can, no, how do they even burn wet wood immediately after rain?" He asked to himself as he ran inside the main camp.
"Boss, our main camp has been compromised."
Shook, he then stared at Jay, looking with the sam perplexity and disbelief as Jay does.
"Prepare the horses, Jay," He stood up. With this, he started walking towards him. "I'll let them know what'll happen if you mess with the wrong clan, if you mess with the 'Blades of Vulcanus".
After Jay take the boss and the upper bandits to the stable, each of them then ride of to the battlefield, not knowing that it was sprinkled with flame dust and thick smoke.
"Charge! Show those noble weaklings about the ruthlessness of our clan!" He shouted, followed by a rally as he charges forward with his horse.
The only thing could Jay do was to collect the rest of the bandit that's too cowardly to fight and rode his own horses to collect all of them into one spot. "I suppose, that's everyone...And now we're just need to wait here until we or the enemy grasp the cusp of victory."
Night then came to pass as the smoke has now been settled and dissipated into thin air while Jay kept waiting on his horse, not trying to escape even after the smoke and fire has completely gone and extinguished.
From the distance, the baron army then came for a visit, with a girl, scarlet red and wavy hair and sapphire eyes shines through like a beacon of light in the darkness walking towards them accompanied by tens of guards as she marches into the fortress' entrance.
"Are you an enemy or an ally?" Jay shouted.
"If all of you that's still in this camp surrendered, then I'll consider you as neither." She replied back, her stare was genuine and filled with determination, making Jay's speechless. "How can such child possessed this kind of power?"
"Do you need proof that this whole camp has already fallen?" She exclaimed while ordering one of her guard to take something.
Seeing her confident attitude, Jay replied back as he raise his hand and jumped down from his horse. "We'll surrender now. And I'm the third in command and also the strategist of this bandit group. I don't need to look at proof as a living one has already is in front of me."
Surprised and also impressed by Jay's decision, she then nodded and decided to walk towards Jay, ropes on her hand as she was going to be the one that's restraining him all by herself.
"But!"
Startled, she then retorted. "What is it?"
"I wanted to grant freedom to the bandits behind me, as they were only forced to follow this group by sheer desperation and pressure." He requested, still keeping a stern face.
"..."
"Would you grant the wish of this poor and lost soul?"
After a moment, she nodded. "Very well, both I and the baron shall consider your offer, sir."
"Thank you for your kindness, madam." He said while the girl is tying his hand up and guiding him to the army's main camp where he was going to face a temporary trial.
***
Approximately an hour later, after a thorough investigation from the girl, they then arrive to the main camp. Jay was quickly make to kneel to the boy in front of him as Robert, the 'real' leader and the girl stood beside him.
"I suppose...this is a joke, the last ridicule that the nobles want to play against me?" He smirked, knowing what's his fate going to be.
"Leader of a bandit, huh..." The boy remarked. "Pardon my rudeness, my name is Argard, nice to meet you."
"May I inquire something about you then...Child." He asked, staring intently towards the boy while he breathes heavily.
"You may"
"Is the bandit boss now dead? If he is, I wanted to ask how do you achieve it?"
"You wanted to a little peek into my brilliance?"
"I'm honored to"
The boy then cleared his throat, as he changes his sitting position from slouching to now sat still on the chair that was readied for him.
"First, by crashing one of our caravan that's on fire. Considering the steep ledge and slippery ground, the first phase was done successfully as the fire generates a lot of smoke, thus sending panic to the bandit group while we focus almost all of our main force there." He explained.
"I see, so you're using wetness of our wooden fortress to your advantage rather than disadvantage"
The boy nodded in reply.
"After we brought the boss bandit and the ones that's important, we then use our knights that could use horses to drive them into the cliff where there the army under my control throws rock after rock and stick of fire into it, burning them alive, thus capturing and executing all of them including the bandit boss." He grinned with an undertone wickedness.
"Are you satisfied with my explanation?"
In awe, he then lowered his head to the ground. "I never even thought that a caravan, could even be use like that."
The boy then walked to me while carrying a little knife as he ordered Robert to go away, with that, he swings his knife.
And just like that, his cowboy like hat falls to the ground, blood spurt near it as both the boy and the girl right beside it turn their view aside as the boy's hand clenched.
"It such a waste, such talented human being, wasted just because of a simple order" He closes his eyes, regretting every single second that he's living since he ordered to purge every bandit that's consider high ranked in the group of bandit called 'Blades of Vulcanus'.
Thus the bandit group been running rampant, raiding every villages that's in the area all of north eastern Ignarion. Where Infernia held power. Was finally extinguished into dust as none of it flames was let sparked once again.