The Devil’s Cage

The sun rose and set.

After a whole night and day of clamoring, Shatterstone Town became merry again during the evening.

The townspeople were deep in discussion when they saw the 50 warhorses and the loot on the carts.

Although the latter was covered with cloth, as long as one wasn’t an idiot, they would know what was underneath the cloth.

Volgen was standing on the main road of the town, receiving Holler’s triumphant return. His vigilant gaze was sizing up his surroundings uncontrollably.

“Don’t worry Volgen. We have enough time, at least a day!” Holler said.

“A day… We have too little manpower. Even though I’ve handpicked some trustable mercenaries, they are no more than 10. Plus our original number, we barely increased our numbers back to the original civilian troop amount.”

The young captain was looking worried about the situation.

Since the young man that grew up in Shatterstone Town, Volgen knew how bold and ruthless those bastards that lingered around Supreme Road were.

As long as they had enough benefits, raiding a town wouldn’t be out of the question to those ruthless bastards.

In fact, Shatterstone Town was raided almost every year but thankfully, the reinforcements from Burning Dawn prevented the worst from happening.

This time, however, it was different!

The news of Burning Dawn being assaulted was covered up with the best effort but as time passed, bits and pieces of news would slip and spread like wildfire.

This made the civilians around Supreme Road anxious and terrified and also made those robbers and bandits excited.

The young captain dared not imagine what kind of scary situation Shatterstone Town would have to face when the news of 50 warhorses and a large amount of wealth was spread out.

“You must show faith in our Lord. No matter the numbers, it will be useless against our Lord! His Lordship’s strength is far from what we can imagine!”

Holler, on the other hand, showed quite the confidence since he was controlled.

Inside the mayor’s subconscious, Kieran was almighty, everything he did was correct and he would carry out Kieran’s orders regardless of the cost.

“Mm.” The young captain nodded.

Volgen thought about the scene last night, the scene where hundreds of robbers had their heads blown off with a single gaze.

The scene slightly calmed down Volgen’s anxious heart but he was still a little bit worried.

The young captain cared too much about Shatterstone Town, therefore he didn’t realize that the title Holler addressed Kieran was inappropriate.

Volgen didn’t realize but Snacker, Blu, and Riley did because they only had a 3-month contract with Kieran.

However, the trio knew who Kieran really was, they exchanged a gaze and chose to keep quiet.

Exposing Kieran’s identity would do them no good so might as well stay quiet.

Moreover, it was not too over for Holler’s position to address Kieran as lord but in their hearts, the three of them started to suspect why Kieran came to Shatterstone Town, especially at this particular time.

One needed to know the Burning Dawn militia wasn’t a single entity. It was the combination of the Burning Family and the Dawn Family.

Likewise, not only the trio was discussing the matter, the robbers and bandits that hid around Shatterstone Town’s shadowy spots who were well-informed were discussing this too.

“The peasant elder song of the Burning Family appeared in this town…”

“Surprising eh.”

“Will it be related to the assault on Burning Dawn?”

“Who knows? But the wealth gathered in Shatterstone Town is really tempting!”

“I heard that Sayer bastard emptied out the Sand Bandit’s treasure vault just to stay alive!”

“Hehehe, not only the Sand Bandits, the Cranium Crusher, and the Bearman were emptied out as well. Especially the Cranium Crusher, that guy must be jumping around furiously. Don’t forget those warhorses were purposely trained for him to trade them off in the Golden City.”

“Who wouldn’t be piss like that?

“Sayer as the contact of the underground market in the Golden City will meet his maker soon.”

“He will soon alright!”

“But now, Shatterstone Town is about to get merrier.”

“I wonder if the peasant elder son of the Burning Family stronger or are the other guys better?”

“No matter which it is, it is an opportunity for us!”

“That’s right! That’s right!”

“Our opportunity is here!”

…

The topic of conversation sounded one after another.

In the end, many more robbers and bandits started to gather at Shatterstone Town, especially those whose vaults were emptied by someone.

Sand Bandit was a one-eyed middle-aged man. His scar that pierced and ruined his left face blinded him but it made his right eye even sharper.

A scarlet red shine was emanating from the only eye.

“Sayer! That peasant son of the Burning Family!”

Sand Bandit laughed coldly.

When his men heard their leader’s cold laugh, they couldn’t help but shiver and unconsciously draw distance from him but their riding speed was even faster.

…

Cranium Crusher’s eyes were round, his furious emotions were overflowing.

A dozen of his men’s heads were crushed just like that including the messenger.

Red and white brain fluid was splattered all over his face and body.

He didn’t care though. He rode his horse and went straight to Shatterstone Town, his remaining men exchanged gazes of confusion before following their leader.

…

Bearman was just like his title, he looked like a huge black bear as he stood there.

He was so buff that he wasn’t even human anymore. He was wielding two spiked clubs the size of a grown man’s waist and growled at the sky; his muscular body expanded a few times again, to the point that it dumbstruck others. His growl even trembled the ground.

“Die! I want you all to die!”

…

The night was getting darker.

The moon was emanating a soft light over the night sky.

However, some merchant groups who should be resting decided to travel at night.

They didn’t go forward but they retreated to where they came from.

None of the merchants who made a living around Supreme road were idiots.

They knew a fierce fight was inevitable.

Some citizens of Shatterstone Town arrived at the security office in a terrified face, hoping to get more precise information but they didn’t get what they sought after from the civilian troop captain that received them.

The citizens left in disappointment.

Some went back to their house and hid, hoping everything would pass.

Some joined the merchant groups and were ready to leave the town altogether.

The latter was definitely not the minority.

Volgen wanted to stop the leaving convoys but he had no reason to hold them down.

They were just merchants and civilians.

The only fortunate thing was that his men and the ones he just recruited did not desert them despite the anxiousness on their faces.

“Don’t worry everyone. With our lord here, we will be fine, just like last night.”

Volgen knew what he had to say to calm everyone’s anxiety, otherwise, it would really turn into a mess. The young captain didn’t know any encouraging words, all he said was the thing that calmed him the most.

Fortunately, the scene last night was quite astonishing. When the troops and mercenaries heard what their captain said, their anxiety calmed down slightly.

However, Volgen didn’t feel relieved when he saw his men calming down, instead, he was more restless than ever because he knew Kieran wasn’t in Shatterstone Town right now.

“What should we do?”

“Damn it! If a fight breaks out and Lord 2567 is not here…”

Volgen couldn’t help but rub his temple when he thought about the potential outcome.

He was at a complete loss of what to do, all he was capable of was utilizing his own strength to protect the town.

“Now, listen to my orders…”

Volgen start to assign missions.

The bramble from a Chinese fir was tied into a special abatis and was placed at the entrance of the town.

Behind the town gate, there was a giant pot with boiling feces and some herbs. Arrows were soaked inside for around 15 seconds before taken out.

It was the most simple way of applying poison on an arrow. The method originated from parts of Holler’s hunting and military background.

When the best of both were combined together, it was enough to increase the arrow’s power to the next level.

Armor and swords raided from the robbers and bandits’ lairs were distributed to the civilian troops. The soldiers were equipped with new leather armor and longswords before they loaded their quivers with arrows.

As for the bow, they had to prepare themselves.

The mercenaries rejected the armor and longswords since they were more used to their own weapon and gear but they didn’t reject the arrows.

Who knew whether the enemies would outnumber them or not.

While having the advantage of the terrain, the arrows played an important part in the upcoming battle.

Seconds turned into minutes.

Other than the young captain and the mayor who stood guard in front of the town, everyone was seizing every second to prepare themselves.

Snacker, Blu, and Riley, however, were discussing softly in a shady spot.

“What should we do now?”

“That f*cking Sayer kept the details to himself, he didn’t tell us the loot was from Sand Bandit, Cranium Crusher, and Bearman’s trading goods!”

Snacker said in a heavy tone.

He knew Kieran wasn’t in town, so he was exceptionally nervous at the moment.

He knew the three groups very well, Sand Bandit, Cranium Crusher and Bearman, or more precisely, he knew how scary the leaders of the respective group were.

The most obvious proof was that Burning Dawn once set up a bounty on the three of them and anyone who could kill either one of them would be granted the title of “knight”, the kind that could receive a city.

If anyone killed two out of three, they will be granted the title of “lord”; if all three of them were killed, the lordship will be elevated to a hereditary lordship and Burning Dawn would provide a corresponding military rank.

From a commoner to a noble, a noble to a hereditary noble and from that, a hereditary noble with actual authority.

Each reward was so tempting as it sounds.

However, Sand Bandit, Cranium Crusher and Bearman, the three groups didn’t really suffer a lot other than the ugly position they were in when they were first chased down by Burning Dawn.

After that, they lived an unusually prosperous life and got even more notorious.

“Don’t forget why we came to Supreme Road,” Riley smiled and pretended to be funny.

“That’s right, we came here back then to prove ourselves by killing one or two of the three. Aside from getting us the corresponding identity and position, it doesn’t mean that we can take on the three groups together at the same time.”

Snacker gave a long sigh before looking at Blu.

“The vow of a sharpshooter will never be regretted until death.”

A simple and direct answer from Blu.

“A promise is a man’s romance, how can a guy break it?” Riley nodded as well.

Snacker rolled his eyes at the words his friends said.

“I didn’t say I’m breaking the promise! I’m saying what should we do? How should we fight?” Snacker asked.

“Shoot them!”

“Ambush them!”

Blu and Riley voiced out their suggestions in unison.

Snacker face palmed at his friends’ reply.

“Details?” Snacker kept pressing the topic without giving up.

“Shoot them with the bow!” Blu took his bow.

“Stab them with the dagger!” Riley took his dagger.

Snacker looked at his friends blankly, he felt he was going to cry for some reason.

“I knew it was a damn mistake traveling to Supreme Road with you two dimwits! I shouldn’t have left Dawn City! If I didn’t leave, I wouldn’t have had to sign some forceful contract and if I wasn’t forced to sign it, I wouldn’t have to die with these two dimwits here!” Snacker muttered to himself.

However, at the next moment, Snacker who was mumbling to himself while squatting down stood up right away. He turned his gaze to the town entrance as fast as lightning.

Dak, Dak Dak Dak!

Weak gallops came into the town together with the night breeze.

Chang!

Snacker drew his dual blades and sprinted towards the town gate.

His mouth was ranting and mumbling but his actions would not defy his principles.

If he made a promise, he tended to keep it even if there wasn’t a contract involved.

Blu and Riley smiled at each other when they saw their friend’s figure sprinting out.

Only the friends of the dual blader knew how reliable he was during crucial moments.

“Go! I will cover you!”

Blu jumped up to the roof and taut his bow

“Go! I’ll take care of the ambushers!” Riley took a step back and merged himself into the shadows.

The trio from Dawn City was displaying utmost teamwork with their tacit understanding but not many saw that scene.

Volgen’s face changed when he heard the gallops.

“We are doomed! Lord 2567 hasn’t returned!”

Volgen wasn’t a young man that was good at concealing his emotions.

The changes on his face made the soldiers and mercenaries’ hearts skip a beat.

Then, they turned their eyes to the security office.

It was dark and quiet.

On the other hand, the gallops were getting louder and louder.

The soldiers and mercenaries’ emotions plummeted as they heard the gallops coming closer.

One of the mercenaries couldn’t hold it back and asked, “Has that lord…”

Tss gak!

Before he finished, the door of the security office was open from the inside.

The slightly irritating screech from the door pivot was overpowered by the gallops, making it soft to the ear but everyone heard it clearly as though it was a hymn that made people cheer.

Everyone was overjoyed as they looked at the arrogant looking person stepping out of the office.

They were looking at his slow steps forward and they were listening to his disdainful comments.

“Petty ants.”