Kelvin stood outside the stone castle, staring at his Lord, who sat atop Sirius. His sword was secured to his back. Asher also wore a thick fur coat, long enough to reach his shins, due to Kelvin's concerns.
"That's the only horse we have?"
Asher looked at the brown horse, which belonged to Peter, with a frown. It was merely a workhorse. Compared to the one Jane sat on, this horse had just bones and a little flesh.
"Unfortunately," Kelvin replied.
"Then I can't allow anyone to follow me. This horse will slow us down. Tell Alec and Alex that I will be back in a few days."
"But my lord, you can't leave alone!" Kelvin bellowed, then sighed as he watched Asher and Jane ride off. Jane's horse looked so small compared to the mighty beast Asher rode. She had to do a lot of comforting for the horse to tolerate Sirius' presence.
On his way, Asher checked the quest the system gave him after deciding to meet Baron Snow.
[Upgrade Quest: Rescue the mercenaries from Baron Snow's cruel hands within 3 days.]
[Reward: Your tier two town will be upgraded to tier three!]
The time limit prevented him from bringing an army because it would take about two weeks since the soldiers would have to walk.
After journeying for two days with little rest, Asher saw the walls of Baron Snow's camp. The walls were about 4 meters high and made of tree trunks. It was a circular fortress in the middle of the plain fields. The grass was sparse and black instead of green.
Asher looked to his side and saw Jane. She was barely alive after the journey.
"Rest here. I'll go in."
Jane couldn't even utter a word, so she weakly nodded and watched him leave.
As Asher got close to the walls, he suddenly heard whistling. His ears stood up, and his muscles tensed. This was his first time doing something this dangerous, but he believed none of them here could harm him because of Sirius. Even a gold-ranked knight would have to retreat.
The whistling sound grew louder and more piercing. His eyes widened as an arrow swooshed past his cheek. Sirius suddenly burst forth, sensing the danger.
Asher pulled out his sword, brandishing it, and began to cut down the arrows while Sirius helped him avoid most of them. As they closed the gap, Asher could hear their voices.
"Sirius, use your elemental powers," he commanded silently.
Sirius smacked its right claw against the ground, and thick ice spread out until it climbed the wall! Two bronze-ranked warriors who couldn't escape in time were blasted off the walls.
"You attacked my merchants, and now I, Lord Asher Ashbourne, have come in peace, but you shoot at me before I utter a word. Don't you cherish your lives?" Asher spoke loudly.
The mercenaries, however, looked vengeful for their men who had fallen from the wall. Asher and his wolf didn't appear weak, though. A beast that could control elements wasn't just any beast—it was a mystical beast!
Mystical beasts were thought to be extinct, but right before their eyes stood a man riding one! If they could sell this beast, they could leave the wasteland and live luxurious lives in the high plains.
"I don't remember any merchants passing here with the name Asher Ashbourne attached to them," a man snickered.
"Is that so?" Asher smiled coldly. "He goes by the name Jon. You must remember him. I came here at the request of your leader, Baron Snow, who sent the woman, Jane."
Asher watched the mercenaries whisper among themselves. The reason he was being cordial and not forceful was to investigate the state of the merchants. If they were dead, he would leave and take revenge another day, but if they were still alive, his decision would be different.
"You're allowed to enter, but the wolf isn't!"
Asher laughed inwardly when he heard that. "I am a Lord. Tell your leader that I want to see him." Asher had delved deep into medieval times during the creation of Boundless. He even knew the tone to speak in because he was the voice actor of some NPCs—mostly Lords, Kings, and Emperors.
He knew how to control his tone to be forceful yet calm. The confidence exuding from his voice made them overlook how young he looked.
Some moments later, a big man with powerful-looking arms clad in red that exposed his chest emerged on the top of the wall. His snow-white hair was as striking as the X-shaped scar on his forehead.
"Kid, who are you? Where is Thomas?" His deep voice fell into Asher's ears.
"I'm here on behalf of my citizens. The dead have nothing to do with this."
Baron Snow was taken aback by Asher's unperturbed tone. Many had shown fear at the sight of his frightening frame, but this young boy looked at him like he wasn't any different from his men. Was it the wolf that gave him such confidence? He had torn apart beasts that size, so Asher's wolf shouldn't be any different. After all, his A-grade talent gave him a huge boost that transcended ranks!
"Where is the woman I sent to you?" he asked.
Asher frowned. He noticed Baron Snow wanted to dominate him in his manner of approach. It was subtle, but he could see it clearly. Baron Snow wanted to make a mockery of him by making him answer questions. A cold glow flashed through his eyes.
"Are my citizens alive?"
Baron Snow chuckled. "I wanted 80% of the mines, but since a small lad like you can't handle what remains, I'll be going for 90%. Don't think that wolf can frighten me, boy. I've torn a bear much bigger than that and given it to my girls to prepare stew."
Asher looked straight into Baron Snow's eyes and smiled. "I came for the merchants. Where are they?"
Since Baron Snow wasn't planning to back down, he wasn't going to either.