Chương 718: 681. Noble Problems IV

"What are those?" Adam asked. He had gone ahead with a few of the mercenaries, and as the sky darkened, they expected to find other visitors. The labourers screamed and shouted as they rushed towards the heavily armed and armoured warriors, who readied themselves within the small fenced outpost. They were a half day away from town and had begun creating the small outpost needed by the baron to assist in defence of the lands.

"Mandogs," a labourer gasped, clutching at their hammer tight against their chest, their eyes wide. Emerging from the wood all around them were wild dogs. Their fur thick and jagged, a dark grey which melted into the shadows. Adam frowned. Dogs were awkward to fight, since they were man's best friend. However, these things were… Their faces were contorted wickedly, but most unnervingly, each wore human faces. Human heads upon a dog's body.

"They strong?" Adam asked, hearing his party shuffling, readying themselves for the fight.

"What?"

"Are they strong?"

"Yes?" Adam slowly nodded his head, donning Strong Shield, and raising Wraith ahead of him.

"I suppose I've got to beat my annoyance into them then." Battle Order D20 + 1 = 5 (4) Health: 78 -> 70 Strength Save D20 + 8 = 21 (13) Pass! The monstrosities leapt towards the labourers, though found the mercenaries ahead of them. They didn't seem to mind, however, as the mandogs leapt up to claw at their foes, regardless if they wore leather or metal. Adam pulled up his shield, and though he was forced back by a heavy claw, he managed to keep upright from the heavy blow.

'Alright, they are a little strong!' Fighting Spirit: 3 -> 2 Health: 70 -> 75 Attack - Wraith D20 + 10 = 12 (2) D20 + 10 = 29 (19) Critical hit! Mana: 21 -> 20 Ability: Divine Smite 4D6 + 4D6 + 9 = 35 (1, 2, 3, 6)(1, 4, 5, 5) 35 damage! Attack - Wraith D20 + 10 = 14 (4) D20 + 10 = 20 (10) Hit! Wraith: 3 -> 2 Mana: 20 -> 19 Ability: Divine Smite 2D6 + 2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 30 (1, 2)(2, 4)(6, 6) 30 damage! Onward Soar: 1 -> 0 Attack - Wraith D20 + 10 = 14 (4) D20 + 10 = 16 (6) Hit!

Wraith: 2 -> 1 Mana: 19 -> 18 Ability: Divine Smite 2D6 + 2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 22 (1, 2)(2, 6)(1, 2) 22 damage! Attack - Wraith D20 + 10 = 17 (7) D20 + 10 = 20 (10) Hit! Wraith: 1 -> 0 Mana: 18 -> 17 Ability: Divine Smite 2D6 + 2D6 + 2D6 + 9 = 24 (2, 3)(2, 4)(2, 2) 24 damage! Adam's axe bisected the first mandog which had struck him, but he didn't spend much time thinking about it. Instead, he swiftly moved towards another which had tried to slip around him.

His axe flashed white hot with divine strength, but the air turned cold as his cool steel ran through another, causing blood to spray out. If it wasn't for the fact there were innocents all around him, he wouldn't have revealed the magic which flashed from his axe. His axe cut through a second mandog, before he leapt over its dead body and he cut another, dropping it dead.

A fourth tried to snap its maw around a labourer nearby, who swung his axe, which crashed against a dead mandog's face, its guts already spilling across the floor from an axe wound. Adam turned, watching as Jurot killed another nearby, while Kitool and Jaygak had moved away to support the other mercenaries, killing the last mandog which had clamp around a metal leg, trying to drag them away into the dark forest. Victory! Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

XP Gained: +200 XP: 11 700 -> 11 900 The labourers stared at the four, who had so easily cut down almost a mandog with each swing. The other mercenaries had managed to barely kill a couple between themselves, whereas Adam's group had averaged over two individually.

"I hope we won't be eating mandog today," Adam said, glancing towards the cook, who held a butcher's knife to defend herself.

"No," she assured, slowly nodding her head towards the young leaf eared Volar. As the evening passed, the rest of the army appeared, the entire group now numbering a hundred, though half were labourers.

"I hope it was…" The baron's eyes fell across the mandogs which had been piled to one side, and were in the process of being butchered.

"Mandogs?"

"That's right," Mikael, the mercenary leader, said.

"We took care of them."

"Well done," the Baron said, his brows raised in surprise. He glanced around once more, counting that the labourers that had been sent ahead were all accounted for.

"You slew the mandogs without any casualties?"

"One of ours was wounded in the fray."

"Oh my. Then, to reward you all, you may split the mandogs between yourselves, and we will take none of the spoils." Baron Kegan Rockcastle flashed a charming smile.

"How are we splitting them?" Adam asked, sipping some of the salty soup. His eyes slowly turned to meet Mikael's eyes.

"Fairly," Mikael said, feeling the gaze seep into you.

"You killed most of them, so you can have most of them." Adam, almost stunned that the mercenary wasn't trying to rip them off, tilted his head slightly. He then turned towards the baron, noting the way he was judging the pair of groups, processing what was happening.

"I don't really feel comfortable with the mandog spoils. If you want, you can buy our share for half price, in coin."

"We can buy it at half price?"

"Yeah." Mikael didn't really want all the spoils, but he glanced to the side, towards the rest of the soldiers, who were ready to step in to accept the deal.

"Alright, we'll pay half for it."

"Do we want a claw from each?" Adam asked, looking towards Jurot.

"Yes," Jurot said.

"Then we'll take a claw from each too," Adam said, frowning slightly.

"Alright." Mikael wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, and once the group gathered the twelve claws, they handed it to Adam's party. He wasn't sure if Adam wanted ten, one from each they had slain, or twelve, one from all the creatures total, but he decided to repay the young man for his kindness.

"You slew ten of the mandogs?" Baron Kegan asked.

"Yeah."

"…" Baron Kegan wasn't sure if a group of his four greatest knights could kill ten of twelve mandogs while competing against a mercenary group. Seven, certainly. Eight, perhaps. Ten? It was borderline impossible.

'Is it luck?' The baron thought back to what he had seen of the group, who had held back and had still passed his tests with flying colours.

'No.' Adam and the group, who had been whispering in Iyrish before the baron had arrived, fell silent for the rest of the evening. Since they had figured a way to do that, Adam felt more comfortable with his chances of survival.

"It would be untoward of myself to not pay you appropriately," the baron said, having caught Adam as he was about to start watch.

"Two gold a day is too little, so I will pay you each five gold daily for your services." Adam's brows raised in surprise.

'What is going on this year?'

"I appreciate your generosity, Lord Kegan."

"I hope you all continue to do good work."

"Thank you." The baron smiled, wondering if the young man was shirking him on purpose.

'Do they address one another differently in the other land?' Over the next few days, they continued to make their way out, creating a series of outposts in a line, with Adam's group leading the frontier force, while the baron's force would arrive later in the evening, or the evening after.

Eventually, they formed a larger outpost, more closer to a fort, one which could house a larger army more permanently, rather than the small outposts which could house half of them easily, and their full one hundred far more awkwardly. Days passed as they formed this larger outpost, which was build with several fences within to form walls, but a much larger wooden wall outside with a larger ditch surrounding them.

Adam smiled as he heard the screaming from the labourers all around them, and he donned Strong Shield, and grabbed Wraith.

'I knew things were going too smoothly.' The blackness emerged from the forest. The torch's flames flickered angrily, and then they fell still, barely illuminating the area. The blackness was a sky made of pure blackness, not shadows. It was certainly something greater, something wicked, than what they had faced previously. Wisdom Save D20 + 4 = 22 (18) Pass! The blackness cast a great shadow across the entire area, and the temperature dropped all about them.

A cold sweat ran through the entire group, and even the normally steadfast Kitool, fell still, her heart thundering within her chest.

"Haa!" came a wild, terrified shout, and the mercenaries darted forward, striking towards one of the dark figures. Yet, as their blades pierced through the darkness, they found it to be formless, like air. They continued to frantically swing their blades, trying to destroy the darkness which had crept into their hearts. The baron's knights stepped all around him, ready to defend their liege lord.

'No!' Baron Kegan stared at the darkness he had only heard about when he was but a boy. The Encroaching Darkness, which he swore was just a myth to make him behave when he was a boy. A darkness which would consume all within its sight, with weapons of iron, steel, and silver rendered completely useless against the impeding death.

'Has the Sun Father abandoned me? Moon Mother, what have I done to earn your wrath? What is this most ill fortune as I finally set out to civilise the darkness to bring safety to my people?'

"I guess we gotta earn our pay," called a voice through the darkness, cutting the baron's dark thoughts.