Book 2, Chapter 57 (1/2)
A Chaotic Order
A bright, round moon rose up when night fell, illuminating all of the Bloodstained Lands. The stars decorating the sky seemed to be set apart from the unrest on the ground, leaving many pillars of rock that had been eroded faintly glimmering under the silver light. Under the bright moonlight, Richard led his party to rendezvous with the team that had set out earlier.
However, when he got to the meeting point all he saw was a group of injured soldiers. The horses were gone, and there were only twelve soldiers remaining.
Flowsand immediately set to task healing the wounded soldiers, while Richard made rounds around the wounded soldiers to look at their injuries. Afterwards, he approached the leader of the knights to ask, “Who is responsible for this?”
“They said they were Red Cossack’s men. They took an interest in our horses and offered a single gold coin per horse, a hundredth of the market value! They attacked us the moment I rejected them, with more than two hundred men and ten knights. Their strength far surpassed our team’s, and few of us escaped.”
There was a cut so deep on the knight’s back that his bone was almost showing. When he’d just met up with Richard, his wound was still discharging copious amounts of pus. Outside of that, he had more than ten other slashes of various sizes all over his body, showing the intensity of the battle.
“Red Cossack…” Richard repeated the name repeatedly, his face growing more pensive each time. He then asked, “Would you be able to recognise these attackers if you saw them again?”
“That goes without saying! Their leader was a knight who was at least level 13, wearing red armour and carrying a two-handed sawtooth blade. He’s easy to recognise.”
Richard paced up and down, only stopping once Flowsand was done healing the troops. He patted the knight on his shoulder, letting out a sigh, “You did well to survive. We can still snatch those horses back later, but if you perished in battle where would I find such trustworthy people like you?”
It had become increasingly apparent to Richard that the knights Gaton had granted him were immensely valuable.
An expression of gratitude crossed the knight’s face, and he struggled to perform a meticulous salute, “Serving Lord Gaton and the Archerons has always been our purpose in life!”
The knight had never viewed Richard as his master. He served Gaton and the Archerons. This was something Richard had sensed long ago, but he did not say anything especially since every other knight who heard this sentence felt the same way.
Such was the cohesiveness of the family, the legendary might of its leader. Their loyalty to Richard was an extension of their servitude to Gaton, and in the future they would do the same for Richard’s son. Whoever led them, these knights served the Archerons as a family. Even Gaton’s mention was because of his sheer contribution to the family, so much so that he compared to the most talented of predecessors. In another ten years, the man’s achievements could surpass those of the ancestors.
Many of these knights had served the Archerons for generations. In return, the family had schooled and trained their young, giving them status, wealth, and the chance to advance. Those who excelled were given better protection for their families, relatives, and even their squads. They were like vines on fir trees in winter, depending on each other for support. This was the way of life for most noble families in Norland.