Chapter 16
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
The way back to camp was very short and in a few minutes Chris and his men were back.
Chris sat on the first log he found and said : "Alright! Time to spill the beans. What did you guys find out?"
"Who was in charge of their defenses and troops?" Shouted Berg.
One hunter stepped forward "My King, I counted 30 soldiers total, including the gate guards and those guarding the Chief's tent. Their equipment is slightly better than ours. I noticed iron and copper swords!"
He stepped back and another stepped forward "I managed to find out from one soldier escorting us that there are 550 people in the camp. The information still needs to be confirmed, but it does seem credible with their camp size."
Another hunter stepped forward. "I managed to see their kitchen after asking for water. They have a lot of cutlery and iron tools."
... ...
...
The hunters shared their findings one after the other. Chris was impressed by their initiative. They were all recommended by Titus and he now understood why. They were probably part of some information gathering group before the collapse the Old Human Kingdom.
"Hmm. Very good. Does any one has something to share about Mia, their leader?" Asked Chris.
One scout stepped forward. "I did my Lord!"
"Oooh, go ahead!"
"Ahem." He coughed as he prepared to say everything he gathered. "Miss Mia is the daughter of the prime minister of the old kingdom. She is very good friend with Catherine Brahm who used to be her bodyguard."
Chris nodded, clearly interested.
"It is said, that they often engage in pillows fights. Sometimes in their pajamas. However, I am not sure how credible my source is." He continued.
"Good dedication, leaving no stones unturned I see". Complimented Chris.
"Hmm, let's see... Miss Catherine is the leader of their defence troops. She enjoys patrolling and weight training. She mostly wears armor, but she sometimes wears, on her days off, a cute emerald green outfit with flounce hems, crochet laces and an elegant bodice topping off her fitted waist. I was also told by one guard that catching her smile is a rare occurrence but he managed to see her smiling as she was eating sweets. He said she was particularly charming then, the contrast between her muscular body and her face..."
"I'm not asking for Catherine's life story. You muscle freak!" Shouted Chris. "Anything else about Mia?" He emphasized that last word.
The scout apologized and stepped back, clearly disappointed as he seemed to have plenty more to share.
It was finally Carl's turn.
[Oh god... Another weird one. And why is he all beaten up?] Wondered Chris.
"My Lord! They have three blacksmiths. I noticed two anvils and a portable forge, it can probably forge copper and pig iron but there is no way it can forge good iron and steel. As for tools they had a few bellows, tongs and hammers but I could not count those as I had to pretend to walk by."
"Great work! Did you get hurt finding that?" Praised Chris.
Carl nodded. "I heard the hammers, but I couldn't find a way to get there. So I thought 'What would my King do'? And it came to me! All I had to do was spot a girl going in that direction and bother her until she ran away! Then I could 'naturally' chase her. And it worked! I was eventually caught and beaten up by the guards, though..."
"..."
"..."
"R-right... Very well done..."
"But if you were going to be beaten anyways, couldn't you have just ran there and take the beating normaly?" Asked Chris.
"I... guess?"
[...]
"Ahem." Chris cleared his throat. "Thank you everyone, your contributions will not be forgotten. You are dismissed."
Only Chris, Berg, Ferlin and Titus remained. The battle should be tomorrow, and they had to adapt their current strategy.
The mood was a little strange after the briefing. But Chris chooses to ignore it. "What do you think Berg. Can they defeat the Kunalls?" Asked Chris.
Berg didn't hesitate, "They can't. They do not have enough soldiers. Their fortifications are wooden and incomplete. They will lose the fight."
Chris nodded and continued. "Then we need to plan for tomorrow." He turned to Ferlin first. "Did you find a good spot for the ambush?"
"I did. South of here, a road is sandwiched by two small hills. Our archers can ambush them from those hills and rain arrows on the Kunalls. The incline is enough to slow down the charging Kunalls. We confirmed the road is used by the scout patrols weekly." Detailed Ferlin. "With your approval we will move our equipment there tomorrow."
"Very well." Agreed Chris.
"Now the hard part is to give them enough time to ask for our help." Said Chris.
"How so?" Wondered Ferlin.
"We can't warn them ahead of time, or they'll have time to pack up, so they need to see the Kunalls themselves. But the Kunalls are on foot and on alert while the camp has wooden barricade with lax defenses. The Kunalls will find them first and charge right away... So we need to help them out."
"They should have already sent scouts to check our camp."
"Right." Said Ferlin. "My men spotted a few of them."
"Perfect." Said Chris. "I made sure to tell them we where camped, but this is even better. Now they know the exact spot of our camp, this will cut down on the time it takes them to find us. They have horses, so a couple of minutes is probably all they'll need to reach us.
So we need to give them time to contact us! We need to delay the Kunalls without alerting the refugee camp our presence."
They thought for while when Titus finally offered an idea "Then all we need to do is have the Kunalls make noise to alert the camp right? Why not use your hornets traps my Lord?"
Chris planned to have those traps thrown at the Kunalls during battle. But as they say, no plan survives contact with the enemy.
"We can't be throwing them at the Kunalls or our men will be spotted right away. How do you suggest we use them? Asked Chris.
"How about using them as stationary traps? We know their path. There are plenty of trees to hide the traps, and Ferlin is an incredible good shot. All we need to do is shoot them down as the Kunalls walk beneath. We won't be spotted, and the ruckus will certainly alert the refugee camp." Offered Titus.
Chris' eyes shined "This is perfect! Well-done Titus. Have your men place the traps while there is still daylight and mark the trees discreetly for Ferlin!"
"Thank you my Lord." Titus turned to one of the guards and gave his orders. The guard left right away to relay Titus instructions to the scouts.
"Ferlin. Are you sure you can handle shooting them down without being spotted?" Chris wanted to make sure.
"There is no problem, if I place myself appropriately the Kunalls will never see it coming." He answered with a smile.
Berg took over the planning of the battle.
"We will split our forces in two. Ferlin, Titus each of you will take one hundred hunters and hide on one side of the hills. Make sure you are not spotted! Ferlin, you get to choose the side best suited for sniping the traps."
Ferlin nodded in acknowledgement.
"Each of your groups will take one jar of poison. Do not forget the antidotes and do not apply the poison too early!"
"You will both fire the first volley at the same time to confuse them. Hopefully, the surprise and the arrows coming from both directions should buy you some time. After the first one, I want you guys to alternate between each side."
Berg insisted on the next point. "Remember. No melee battles! We do not have the equipment, troops and training necessary! Anyone in melee will be cleaved in two by their attacks! If they rush to your side, I am counting on you to give the order to flee!"
"Yes, boss!" Answered Titus and Ferlin.
"Bergy, I will need you stay at the camp with 10 hunters. Make it look like the camp is occupied and full as best as you can. The messenger should be in a hurry and will not linger, so tell him we will help and then join us as soon as he has left."
"Yes Sire"! Said Berg.
"Now go get some rest, tomorrow we spill some Kunall's blood!"
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
The way back to camp was very short and in a few minutes Chris and his men were back.
Chris sat on the first log he found and said : "Alright! Time to spill the beans. What did you guys find out?"
"Who was in charge of their defenses and troops?" Shouted Berg.
One hunter stepped forward "My King, I counted 30 soldiers total, including the gate guards and those guarding the Chief's tent. Their equipment is slightly better than ours. I noticed iron and copper swords!"
He stepped back and another stepped forward "I managed to find out from one soldier escorting us that there are 550 people in the camp. The information still needs to be confirmed, but it does seem credible with their camp size."
Another hunter stepped forward. "I managed to see their kitchen after asking for water. They have a lot of cutlery and iron tools."
... ...
...
The hunters shared their findings one after the other. Chris was impressed by their initiative. They were all recommended by Titus and he now understood why. They were probably part of some information gathering group before the collapse the Old Human Kingdom.
"Hmm. Very good. Does any one has something to share about Mia, their leader?" Asked Chris.
One scout stepped forward. "I did my Lord!"
"Oooh, go ahead!"
"Ahem." He coughed as he prepared to say everything he gathered. "Miss Mia is the daughter of the prime minister of the old kingdom. She is very good friend with Catherine Brahm who used to be her bodyguard."
Chris nodded, clearly interested.
"It is said, that they often engage in pillows fights. Sometimes in their pajamas. However, I am not sure how credible my source is." He continued.
"Good dedication, leaving no stones unturned I see". Complimented Chris.
"Hmm, let's see... Miss Catherine is the leader of their defence troops. She enjoys patrolling and weight training. She mostly wears armor, but she sometimes wears, on her days off, a cute emerald green outfit with flounce hems, crochet laces and an elegant bodice topping off her fitted waist. I was also told by one guard that catching her smile is a rare occurrence but he managed to see her smiling as she was eating sweets. He said she was particularly charming then, the contrast between her muscular body and her face..."
"I'm not asking for Catherine's life story. You muscle freak!" Shouted Chris. "Anything else about Mia?" He emphasized that last word.
The scout apologized and stepped back, clearly disappointed as he seemed to have plenty more to share.
It was finally Carl's turn.
[Oh god... Another weird one. And why is he all beaten up?] Wondered Chris.
"My Lord! They have three blacksmiths. I noticed two anvils and a portable forge, it can probably forge copper and pig iron but there is no way it can forge good iron and steel. As for tools they had a few bellows, tongs and hammers but I could not count those as I had to pretend to walk by."
"Great work! Did you get hurt finding that?" Praised Chris.
Carl nodded. "I heard the hammers, but I couldn't find a way to get there. So I thought 'What would my King do'? And it came to me! All I had to do was spot a girl going in that direction and bother her until she ran away! Then I could 'naturally' chase her. And it worked! I was eventually caught and beaten up by the guards, though..."
"..."
"..."
"R-right... Very well done..."
"But if you were going to be beaten anyways, couldn't you have just ran there and take the beating normaly?" Asked Chris.
"I... guess?"
[...]
"Ahem." Chris cleared his throat. "Thank you everyone, your contributions will not be forgotten. You are dismissed."
Only Chris, Berg, Ferlin and Titus remained. The battle should be tomorrow, and they had to adapt their current strategy.
The mood was a little strange after the briefing. But Chris chooses to ignore it. "What do you think Berg. Can they defeat the Kunalls?" Asked Chris.
Berg didn't hesitate, "They can't. They do not have enough soldiers. Their fortifications are wooden and incomplete. They will lose the fight."
Chris nodded and continued. "Then we need to plan for tomorrow." He turned to Ferlin first. "Did you find a good spot for the ambush?"
"I did. South of here, a road is sandwiched by two small hills. Our archers can ambush them from those hills and rain arrows on the Kunalls. The incline is enough to slow down the charging Kunalls. We confirmed the road is used by the scout patrols weekly." Detailed Ferlin. "With your approval we will move our equipment there tomorrow."
"Very well." Agreed Chris.
"Now the hard part is to give them enough time to ask for our help." Said Chris.
"How so?" Wondered Ferlin.
"We can't warn them ahead of time, or they'll have time to pack up, so they need to see the Kunalls themselves. But the Kunalls are on foot and on alert while the camp has wooden barricade with lax defenses. The Kunalls will find them first and charge right away... So we need to help them out."
"They should have already sent scouts to check our camp."
"Right." Said Ferlin. "My men spotted a few of them."
"Perfect." Said Chris. "I made sure to tell them we where camped, but this is even better. Now they know the exact spot of our camp, this will cut down on the time it takes them to find us. They have horses, so a couple of minutes is probably all they'll need to reach us.
So we need to give them time to contact us! We need to delay the Kunalls without alerting the refugee camp our presence."
They thought for while when Titus finally offered an idea "Then all we need to do is have the Kunalls make noise to alert the camp right? Why not use your hornets traps my Lord?"
Chris planned to have those traps thrown at the Kunalls during battle. But as they say, no plan survives contact with the enemy.
"We can't be throwing them at the Kunalls or our men will be spotted right away. How do you suggest we use them? Asked Chris.
"How about using them as stationary traps? We know their path. There are plenty of trees to hide the traps, and Ferlin is an incredible good shot. All we need to do is shoot them down as the Kunalls walk beneath. We won't be spotted, and the ruckus will certainly alert the refugee camp." Offered Titus.
Chris' eyes shined "This is perfect! Well-done Titus. Have your men place the traps while there is still daylight and mark the trees discreetly for Ferlin!"
"Thank you my Lord." Titus turned to one of the guards and gave his orders. The guard left right away to relay Titus instructions to the scouts.
"Ferlin. Are you sure you can handle shooting them down without being spotted?" Chris wanted to make sure.
"There is no problem, if I place myself appropriately the Kunalls will never see it coming." He answered with a smile.
Berg took over the planning of the battle.
"We will split our forces in two. Ferlin, Titus each of you will take one hundred hunters and hide on one side of the hills. Make sure you are not spotted! Ferlin, you get to choose the side best suited for sniping the traps."
Ferlin nodded in acknowledgement.
"Each of your groups will take one jar of poison. Do not forget the antidotes and do not apply the poison too early!"
"You will both fire the first volley at the same time to confuse them. Hopefully, the surprise and the arrows coming from both directions should buy you some time. After the first one, I want you guys to alternate between each side."
Berg insisted on the next point. "Remember. No melee battles! We do not have the equipment, troops and training necessary! Anyone in melee will be cleaved in two by their attacks! If they rush to your side, I am counting on you to give the order to flee!"
"Yes, boss!" Answered Titus and Ferlin.
"Bergy, I will need you stay at the camp with 10 hunters. Make it look like the camp is occupied and full as best as you can. The messenger should be in a hurry and will not linger, so tell him we will help and then join us as soon as he has left."
"Yes Sire"! Said Berg.
"Now go get some rest, tomorrow we spill some Kunall's blood!"
The way back to camp was very short and in a few minutes Chris and his men were back.Chris sat on the first log he found and said : "Alright! Time to spill the beans. What did you guys find out?""Who was in charge of their defenses and troops?" Shouted Berg.One hunter stepped forward "My King, I counted 30 soldiers total, including the gate guards and those guarding the Chief's tent. Their equipment is slightly better than ours. I noticed iron and copper swords!"He stepped back and another stepped forward "I managed to find out from one soldier escorting us that there are 550 people in the camp. The information still needs to be confirmed, but it does seem credible with their camp size."Another hunter stepped forward. "I managed to see their kitchen after asking for water. They have a lot of cutlery and iron tools."... ......The hunters shared their findings one after the other. Chris was impressed by their initiative. They were all recommended by Titus and he now understood why. They were probably part of some information gathering group before the collapse the Old Human Kingdom."Hmm. Very good. Does any one has something to share about Mia, their leader?" Asked Chris.One scout stepped forward. "I did my Lord!""Oooh, go ahead!""Ahem." He coughed as he prepared to say everything he gathered. "Miss Mia is the daughter of the prime minister of the old kingdom. She is very good friend with Catherine Brahm who used to be her bodyguard."Chris nodded, clearly interested."It is said, that they often engage in pillows fights. Sometimes in their pajamas. However, I am not sure how credible my source is." He continued."Good dedication, leaving no stones unturned I see". Complimented Chris."Hmm, let's see... Miss Catherine is the leader of their defence troops. She enjoys patrolling and weight training. She mostly wears armor, but she sometimes wears, on her days off, a cute emerald green outfit with flounce hems, crochet laces and an elegant bodice topping off her fitted waist. I was also told by one guard that catching her smile is a rare occurrence but he managed to see her smiling as she was eating sweets. He said she was particularly charming then, the contrast between her muscular body and her face...""I'm not asking for Catherine's life story. You muscle freak!" Shouted Chris. "Anything else about Mia?" He emphasized that last word.The scout apologized and stepped back, clearly disappointed as he seemed to have plenty more to share.It was finally Carl's turn.Oh god... Another weird one. And why is he all beaten up? Wondered Chris."My Lord! They have three blacksmiths. I noticed two anvils and a portable forge, it can probably forge copper and pig iron but there is no way it can forge good iron and steel. As for tools they had a few bellows, tongs and hammers but I could not count those as I had to pretend to walk by.""Great work! Did you get hurt finding that?" Praised Chris.Carl nodded. "I heard the hammers, but I couldn't find a way to get there. So I thought 'What would my King do'? And it came to me! All I had to do was spot a girl going in that direction and bother her until she ran away! Then I could 'naturally' chase her. And it worked! I was eventually caught and beaten up by the guards, though...""...""...""R-right... Very well done...""But if you were going to be beaten anyways, couldn't you have just ran there and take the beating normaly?" Asked Chris."I... guess?"..."Ahem." Chris cleared his throat. "Thank you everyone, your contributions will not be forgotten. You are dismissed."Only Chris, Berg, Ferlin and Titus remained. The battle should be tomorrow, and they had to adapt their current strategy.The mood was a little strange after the briefing. But Chris chooses to ignore it. "What do you think Berg. Can they defeat the Kunalls?" Asked Chris.Berg didn't hesitate, "They can't. They do not have enough soldiers. Their fortifications are wooden and incomplete. They will lose the fight."Chris nodded and continued. "Then we need to plan for tomorrow." He turned to Ferlin first. "Did you find a good spot for the ambush?""I did. South of here, a road is sandwiched by two small hills. Our archers can ambush them from those hills and rain arrows on the Kunalls. The incline is enough to slow down the charging Kunalls. We confirmed the road is used by the scout patrols weekly." Detailed Ferlin. "With your approval we will move our equipment there tomorrow.""Very well." Agreed Chris."Now the hard part is to give them enough time to ask for our help." Said Chris."How so?" Wondered Ferlin."We can't warn them ahead of time, or they'll have time to pack up, so they need to see the Kunalls themselves. But the Kunalls are on foot and on alert while the camp has wooden barricade with lax defenses. The Kunalls will find them first and charge right away... So we need to help them out.""They should have already sent scouts to check our camp.""Right." Said Ferlin. "My men spotted a few of them.""Perfect." Said Chris. "I made sure to tell them we where camped, but this is even better. Now they know the exact spot of our camp, this will cut down on the time it takes them to find us. They have horses, so a couple of minutes is probably all they'll need to reach us.So we need to give them time to contact us! We need to delay the Kunalls without alerting the refugee camp our presence."They thought for while when Titus finally offered an idea "Then all we need to do is have the Kunalls make noise to alert the camp right? Why not use your hornets traps my Lord?"Chris planned to have those traps thrown at the Kunalls during battle. But as they say, no plan survives contact with the enemy."We can't be throwing them at the Kunalls or our men will be spotted right away. How do you suggest we use them? Asked Chris."How about using them as stationary traps? We know their path. There are plenty of trees to hide the traps, and Ferlin is an incredible good shot. All we need to do is shoot them down as the Kunalls walk beneath. We won't be spotted, and the ruckus will certainly alert the refugee camp." Offered Titus.Chris' eyes shined "This is perfect! Well-done Titus. Have your men place the traps while there is still daylight and mark the trees discreetly for Ferlin!""Thank you my Lord." Titus turned to one of the guards and gave his orders. The guard left right away to relay Titus instructions to the scouts."Ferlin. Are you sure you can handle shooting them down without being spotted?" Chris wanted to make sure."There is no problem, if I place myself appropriately the Kunalls will never see it coming." He answered with a smile.Berg took over the planning of the battle."We will split our forces in two. Ferlin, Titus each of you will take one hundred hunters and hide on one side of the hills. Make sure you are not spotted! Ferlin, you get to choose the side best suited for sniping the traps."Ferlin nodded in acknowledgement."Each of your groups will take one jar of poison. Do not forget the antidotes and do not apply the poison too early!""You will both fire the first volley at the same time to confuse them. Hopefully, the surprise and the arrows coming from both directions should buy you some time. After the first one, I want you guys to alternate between each side."Berg insisted on the next point. "Remember. No melee battles! We do not have the equipment, troops and training necessary! Anyone in melee will be cleaved in two by their attacks! If they rush to your side, I am counting on you to give the order to flee!""Yes, boss!" Answered Titus and Ferlin."Bergy, I will need you stay at the camp with 10 hunters. Make it look like the camp is occupied and full as best as you can. The messenger should be in a hurry and will not linger, so tell him we will help and then join us as soon as he has left.""Yes Sire"! Said Berg."Now go get some rest, tomorrow we spill some Kunall's blood!"
