Chapter 25: Bandits?
Translated by XianPiete
Claude Lead Alicia and Duke Taillefer's rangers up the mountain pass. The pass itself was two wagons wide with a steep drop on one side and a high slope on the other side, at spots along the mountain trail the pass would widen out and allow for camping. Two famous spots along the trail met up with a stream which were the most often used spots for a campground. Claude decided to have the rangers set up an ambush point between the two campgrounds.
Alicia, Claude and the rangers moved up the high side of the slope and set up a makeshift rock slide and found places for the rangers to be able to use their bows to pick off any of the bandits that survived the slide. Once they had a few traps set up for the ambush they just waited for the bandits to arrive. Alicia was the first to spot someone coming. She pointed to the trail and said, "There, do you see that flash in the sun? I think that's the light shining off of metal."
An hour later five men on horse back with polished helms and full suits of leather armor came up the trail. One of the rangers with them said, "M'lord, those aren't bandits, those are Lothario regulars. That's an advance scouting party."
Claude frowned, he knew they were well inside the County of Rouvroy. After the scout troop investigated the campground they returned back the way they came. Two hours later they saw the same flash in the sun and heard the approach of wagon, horse and men. Again a ranger approached and said, "Devin, our advance scout returned. He said it's a battalion of Lothario regulars."
Claude felt light headed. He turned to the ranger company sergeant and said, "If that force meets the count and his men, they won't be able to hold. Do we have time to set more falls?"
The ranger shook his head and advised, "I think we should use what we have here, and then move up slope. They'll be forced to come deal with us, we can set traps to slow them while we send Devin to meet the Count and advise him of the situation. We can use the forest to and the slope to terrorize that troop into pulling back to the other campground to give us time more time."
Claude nodded and then Alicia smiled and said, "Claude I think you and I should move around to the rear of that troop and remove it's leader."
The ranger looked at her and then asked, "M'lady, we can fight from the trees, but we are not swordsmen. We lack armor and steel to face that troop head on."
Alicia giggled and said, "No not all of us, just Claude and I. We'll simply walk right up and attack them, just the two of us." Once they start to chase us, we'll head into the ambush area you set up right here while you attack from up slope."
Claude blinked a few times and then laughed, "Yes, yes, the two of us will walk right up. I love this plan."
Claude and Alicia headed up the trail while remaining up slope from the troop, it only took them half an hour to swing back around and start walking toward the troops.
The rockfall traps worked much more efficiently than they had even hoped. Not only were a large number of the troops killed in the slide, the heavy wagons were blocked causing the troop to come to a grinding stop until they could clear the roadway and that was only at the first rockfall. Claude and Alicia came up the trail smiling away. They could see the Lothario officer directing his men, when they saw Alicia and Claude coming from behind, they sent two guards out to investigate them.
Claude spoke to one of the guards in their language, he ran back to speak to his leader. Just as the man moved far enough away, Claude cut down the other guard and he motioned to Alicia to run up behind them. The column of troops started to move forward just as Claude and Alicia were close enough the troops might catch them before they were to reach the leader, but the ranger sergeant was smart enough to notice and sent a volley of arrows into the unprepared troops causing them to look up and away from the approaching danger.
The leader of the battalion saw Claude just as it was too late, his sword cut the man down in a flash, then Alicia and Claude starting cutting the unaware soldiers down one by one. A second rock fall came down and the heavy knights just in front of the wagons were killed or knocked down off of their horses. The cries of men and horses could be heard. The smell of blood was heavy in the air. Once again a volley of arrows came down and rained death on the troops. A few of the archers in the Battalion managed to fire back toward the rangers but Alicia and Claude's kill spree continued.
Claude started to feel like they needed to get out now, so he whistled for Alicia who nodded and then they sprinted up the little trail that lead to the area the rangers were waiting in ambush.
*****
"Lord Molester, you passed out after you used water balloon five times, I passed out after using it six times, and Olivier passed out after four times. Each time we feel light headed on the spell prior to the one that causes us to be passed out. Additionally, we determined that each of us seems to take longer to be able to cast again, after expending the, what did you call it? Mana?" Madeline read from her notebook as she asked.
"It's Montfort, and yes. I believe that the casting of a spell comes with an expense of some kind, what I called mana." Guy frowned after looking through the books, "I can find nothing in any of these books about this, I think these are just spell books. Olivier, is this all the material the kingdom has on Magic?"
Olivier nodded and said, "I am afraid it is, we three know more about magic than any other person in the kingdom. Not even the scholars who looked through these books were able to so much as guess at what they could do. Although..." Olivier thought for a minute, "There was one fellow.."
Guy looked up, "Should we invite him here?"
"He's the Doctor from the Academy." Olivier said.
"Never mind, we'll figure it out ourselves." Guy immediately replied.
"Lord Molester, if he knows more about the magic, we should consult with him." Madeline protested.
"It's Montfort, and he called you flat chested." Guy reminded.
"Olivier, we can handle this ourselves." Madeline abruptly turned to Olivier.
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