The garrison tower was a simple, yet imposing stone structure just north of the town. It overlooked the town like a looming mushroom tower. It was a basic, five story military tower with a repeating ballista on top and five armed guards. Behind the tower were the stables and a barn that was used for storage. Audra and Keely drove the wagon into the barn as the rest of the squad dismounted. The footmen at this garrison were a ragged bunch of men who seemed either uncaring, rude, or apathetic to everything and everyone. Some were too busy smoking sage joints ignoring the world. Some of them tried to look intimidating, but were quickly humbled once Ator passed looking at some of them unimpressed by their failed intimidating stances. All Ator had to do was look directly at them and the footmen would look away or back down. Skivvy heard nothing but racist comments about him. He did not respond to any of it. It was not worth the effort to say anything back, or so he kept telling himself.

  Kale nudged Skivvy’s side and gave a look as he silently tried to tell him, “I have your back. Just say when to fight.”

  Skivvy nodded at Kale. Aurora stuck close to Desmond and could feel the eyes on her from the handful of lustful and dirty footmen looking at her. Some of them tried jeering at her, but they were quickly told to shut up once Ator and Desmond took one step towards them. They instantly dispersed. Audra and Keely felt the same as Aurora feeling deeply creeped out. However, both of them tried to emulate Aurora’s stoic demeanor.

  Desmond ordered Ator, Keely, Kale, Nikolai, and Audra to stay with the horses and wagon outside. The rest were going to walk in and meet the commander. Ator grasped his great axe tensely as he breathed slowly standing statue-like by the horses just outside the barn doors. He was eyeing all the garrison footmen that were sitting and walking about from a distance. Keely stood next to Ator lazily leaning on her rifle looking bored, but keeping an eye on the guards on the tower overhead. Audra and Nikolai sat on the wagon as the oxen rested in a hay filled pen. Nikolai held the repeating crossbow anxiously. Audra’s hand glowed a dim red as she eyed any movement out the barn. Kale leaned on the barn door frame parallel to Ator with his arms crossed staring at the tower door and whoever was walking out. His hands tapped his arms nervously as his bow was resting on his side.

  The two footmen from the tavern inn were walking out the back door once they saw Desmond, Aurora, and Skivvy. The bald one had his hand wrapped in gauze as the hairy one was scratching his head. They both froze and cursed to themselves. Desmond stared daggers at them and they both sheepishly moved out of the way nearly tripping on themselves. Aurora and Skivvy ignored them. However, Skivvy gave a hard shoulder shove to both of them knocking them into the ground as he passed. Skivvy smirked to himself and followed after Desmond and Aurora.

  A tired footman greeted the trio and lead them to the fourth floor to Commander Solomon’s office and room. The stone walls were lined with expensive and intricate landscape portraits of all the territories of the kingdom. There were intricately designed lanterns hanging on the ceiling along with two orc armor statues behind the large, mahogany desk. In the oversized red chair sat a crude, grey man in bright, gold footman armor. He had a long healed scar along the left side of his head. His beady eyes were magnified behind his reading glasses. He had an off-putting smile that seemed to curl jaggedly along the sides of his face. He was also a large man on top of that. Hefty, but physically powerful looking. He was eating a large plate of duck and mash potatoes. He said in a gruff voice, “Greeting! I’m commander Solomon of Vorstock. Expected the journey thus far was easy?”

  “Encountered an ambush two miles out just west of here,” Desmond responded unemotionally. “Expected to encounter a footmen patrol at the town gates before entering. There was none.”

  “Ah, forget about it, lieutenant! The amount of men I have is stretched too thin as is with the war and resources as you could see,” he said waving his hand around the opulent, gaudy room.

  The trio looked around confused.

  Solomon laughed hoarsely, “HA! You don’t see it? Where are the footmen guards besides the one behind you? A commander should have more than a few battalions to watch over him at all times. But instead I have only one battalion to watch over one ungrateful town… Taxes are needed to upkeep this garrison and pay the wages, you see. These people down there are ungrateful for the work and charity I have done.”

  Aurora looked at him perplexed. There were kids and young men hanging from trees just inside the town. If what Harry and Ron had told the squad was true, then those people were hanged for wanting to eat and not complying with the garrison. Her eye twitched as she hid it by scratching her cheek. Skivvy turned a little red only to immediately turn back to green with each heavy breath.

  Desmond asked calmly, “You mean hanging men and kids in the town? Eating lavishly whilst your town starves? For protection? What protection? I see none.”

  “Precisely! You sound troubled by this… You don’t approve?”

  “Do you know why we are passing through this town?”

  “Special mission from the ‘king’ himself… Just another guise for more capital inspectors to receive payment again. Thought you lot would be more coy and less obvious with the terminology. Interesting though… Did not expect a special forces group to do inspection, but I guess the wars in the south are taking a toll on everyone,” Solomon said as he snapped his fingers.

  Two footmen wheeled in three large bags of gold and silver coins and handed them to Skivvy. Desmond looked at the sacks realizing something.

  Desmond thought, “Solomon truly does not know anything and believes he can get away with bribery.”

  Stolen story; please report.

  Desmond looked at Solomon wide eyed with a harsh frown.

  Solomon took off his glasses and laughed out, “Take it or not. I don’t care! You are not leaving this place alive if you so dare challenge my ways and authority. I was also told your Skarin here and that half-bred elf assaulted two of my collectors.”

  He pointed to Skivvy and then out the window behind him towards the barn.

  Aurora chimed in gripping her sword handle tightly, “Commander… Are you threatening us?”

  “My beautiful, obstinate lass… This isn’t a threat. It’s a choice! Take the money and leave and the Skarin dies or you all die. Plus we now have evidence of you accepting a bribe. Even better it’s a fucking liz doing it!”

  There was a flash just above where Skivvy was standing holding one of the sacks. A picture on parchment slowly printed out from a compartment in Solomon’s desk where it showed Skivvy holding the sack with the one footman with his sword drawn at him. That was when Skivvy felt the tip of a short sword on his nape.

  Desmond gripped Light Wielder and walked slowly towards the desk.

  Solomon exclaimed, “AH! AH! Not too close Sir Rollo… Wouldn’t want the ‘hero’ of the kingdom to die horribly. Yes, I’m aware of your status… Oh how the mighty fall, eh?”

  Solomon’s left hand tapped a button in which armor piercing crossbows with spring triggers popped out of the ceiling exactly at Desmond’s head.

  Desmond laughed softly to himself and said confidently, “You really think I would listen to you?”

  “Do you not fear death?”

  “You of all people should know that I fear nothing anymore. Didn’t read what happened in my last battle? If I can survive that hell, then why should we be afraid of you,” said Desmond as he stared into Solomon’s soul. “You want to know how I earned that title of hero? How many fucking battles I went through? After all that, you expect me to bend the knee to you? Do you truly believe you are in command of this situation?”

  A bead of sweat began to slowly drip down the side of Solomon’s face as he nervously tried to look tough. Desmond made a quick whistle as Aurora threw her knife at the footman and Skivvy threw the bag silver out of the window shattering it. Skivvy proceeded to slash at the two other footmen taking them down. Desmond immediately jumped back missing the arrows.

  The squad looked up noticing the shattered window and Kale yelled out, “The signal! Go!”

  Kale fired a few arrows at two advancing garrison men killing them instantly. Keely shot her rifle at a barrel of black powder blowing up four garrison troops. Ator rushed three garrison troopers and killed one and tackled the other two. Audra fired a fire ball from her hand setting the garrison barracks on fire from just across the barn. Nikolai was blocking arrows for Keely and Audra. A large group of the highwaymen from the nearby thicket and trees charged in and rushed into the tower killing the bald and hairy footmen by hacking at them with their farming and wood cutting tools. The repeating ballista had no angle of charging highwaymen. The highwaymen then worked their way chaotically at the straggling garrison troops outside.

  Solomon looked out the window noticing the chaos. He exclaimed in confusion, “How did you get them to work with you? They won’t be enough. I have more men in the town!”

  “You don’t anymore,” Desmond retorted blade drawn forward.

  Hours before the meeting, the squad was led by Zylia to the outskirts of town towards a cave entrance hidden behind massive trees. Harry and Ron sat outside the cave eating a freshly cooked deer and looked surprised and a little scared. However they felt reassured by Zylia’s presence. Multiple highway men in a mismatch of footmen armor and hunting gear came out from the cave and trees staring at the squad.

  A very tall, bald man in a worn out hunting jacket with a long sword strapped to his back walked forward as he was sipping his mug of coffee. He also had an old newspaper showing Desmond being awarded the Medal of Honor tucked under his left arm. He had multiple scars across his face and bald head. His five o’clock shadow was patchy and a mix of rust and grey.

  The tall man sipped his mug and asked in a raspy voice, “You’re not a part of Solomon?”

  “No sir. Special force task force thirteen from Rodham City. Special assignment.”

  “Hmm… So you’re the ‘hero’ of the Southern Plains? That scar says a lot.”

  “Correct, sir.”

  “You are very young to be that experienced and at this rank… Can’t say I haven’t had my fair share of experience when I served,” the tall man said. He began to scratch his scarred head as he craned part of his neck revealing an old, deep scar along his Adam’s apple. He asked, “I suppose Simon filled you all in on the history of this lovely town?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hmm,” the tall man grunted as he finished his mug. “A hero in my town to be our saviors… How original… I’m the current leader of this force. Herod is I. There are about hundred plus men under my command here. Another group of eighty on the far side of town over by those mountains are there as well. There be about a two hundred garrison troops in town. Half of which are usually on duty. The rest are usually doing nothing by the tower of fucking off in the southern towns hitting up the brothels. About thirty percent of the garrison force is out of town as we speak. We just haven’t attacked yet in fear of losing families you see? We’re not skilled enough or strong enough yet… But you are all here… Anyway… How shall we trust thee and thine word?”

  “They attacked Solomon’s men and gave money back from the collectors early today,” Zylia chimed in with some enthusiasm.

  Herod’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Kale smiled at Zylia who blushed in response. Keely and Audra smirked noticing this exchange. Aurora was rather amazed at how well things were going with the bandit leader. Nikolai whispered to Ator, “This was easier than I thought.”

  Ator shrugged in amazement. Skivvy scratched the back of his head wondering how the hell this was working.

  Herod continued, “Hmm… I guess we can trust ya? Okay, what do you need to know of the garrison layout?”

  “Nikolai? Care to help explain?”

  “Woo! Yes, sorry for the enthusiasm. I’m just excited.”

  Everyone in the squad facepalmed at this.