11. Elite Guards
They used the gold to buy them information on the Judas people or more for the traitors that betray the Nation. They sat themselves in the taverns and near the entry posts. Many travelers coming through will be able to tell you the latest in the news. In their midst of buying information, they found something interesting. The Elite Guards are looking for them to answer for the death of Enit. So its going to be a battle between the elves again.
Cedi lent out words that he would like to meet them.
"Cedi, you can't be serious. How can you leave me out? I thought we are partners." Cedi did not explain when he left her for my rendezvous with the Elite Guards.
They agreed to meet at a quarry; a most unusual location considering that the area is an abandoned one with no workers there. The place is secluded and on three sides are the rocky rock face with many of its scrapped off the surface. Its also an ideal place to bury someone dead as there are a number of small deep ponds there in the area to dropped a corpse. Cedi carried his usual arms and rode there on a horse.
There was Dern waiting there for him on a horseback, and carrying the long sword; the mark of Judas Warrior..
"We meet again, Dark Elf. The last time we met, my good friend died. Today, since you come alone, I guess its either you or me who would need to die. I am here to avenge my friend's death." Dern drew his sword and was to charge at Cedi when the whistle was sounded.
Dern stopped his charge and looked up at the rocky landscape. Cedi followed the sight and saw the guard up there. He is signaling something and Dern rode up to Cedi.
"Hurry. Follow me. We are being spotted." Dern led him to a path by the quarry and from there they rode on until they came to a thick forest. They soon reached a clearing, Dern stopped to dismount.
Cedi followed suit and was soon to find himself surrounded by a dozen more elves like Dern.
"Dark Elf, meet the Elite Guards."
Cedi looked around to see the dozen elves wearing their Elite Guards uniform all standing there. Their uniform are a dark green uniform with the black waist belt around their waist. Their headgear showed their insignia with the long feather stuck to the headgear. Its the pride of the guards to have that on their confirmation as the Elite Guards. For those of them who are Guardians; its the Guardian Dark pin on their tunic.
They all carried the same long sword like Dern but they also armed with bow and arrows. One of them walked up to Cedi and introduced himself.
"I am called Jedi; last Captain of the Guards. Dern said Enit went back to assist the two of you but he did not return. Later Dern found his dead body killed by arrows. The arrows shaft were broken off so he does not know who could had murdered his friend." Captain Jedi points to Dern as he speaks.
"He seeks his revenge on you so I allowed it. I placed sentries so that none would intrude on your fight, but my sentry picked up the sighting of Man coming. Not one but many so we signaled to Dern to call off the fight. Now we are in the clear from them, you may do so to fight."
Cedi looked at the Captain and confront back the Captain.
"I shall not spill Elves blood as there are not many of us left. I only seek those who are traitors to the Nation but not all of Judas are traitors. Enit told me he is not one and that is the case, his friends may also not be one too." The Captain laughed at him and said Dern' honor must be restored. Dern still demands his right to challenge him.
"Okay, I agreed but I would like to suggest we fight with sword." Cedi find these warrior men are egoistic and unless he fulfill it, he would get nowhere with them.
The men leave them a wide enough circle and Cedi have a duel coming up with the warrior. Dern raised his sword into his battle stance. He started swinging it to show his skills with it. Then he charged at Cedi with it but Cedi side stepped and chop with her hand on his wrist then elbowed Dern in the face. Dern was out of the game.
"I know his arts. I teach them the advanced class."
By nightfall, Cedi was drinking with them around the fireplace. Captain Jedi told him that the Elite Guards was demobilized from combat duty after the collapse of the Judas House, they became mercenaries. They did hired new recruits to make up their strength but not many stayed that long like Dern. He was one of their new recruit after the demobilizing.
During the Man's war on the Nation, they tried to sell their skills but no other Houses would take them. The Houses trust no one outside of their own, hence they ended up as independent fighters. They gave up when they realized the cause is lost. So they went back to their last line of work. They do served for Man but only the ones which can pay their golds.
Daken pay well but he wanted only two of their best. It was to be Enit and Jedi but Jedi was still on assignment so he asked Dern to stand in for him.
"We would join in your fight if there are golds. We know you took from Daken." So these elves are driven by gold than by re-uniting the Nation.
"So you would fight for only gold." Cedi looked at them and their captain nodded. I thought of the words to use for them then I thought of one which might make it work.
"I can get more golds but I need help. Daken may be dead but his treasure still remains with his house. The house is under the guards of the Lord Netsu now. He is the reigning Lord of the City now."
He saw their reaction.
"Netsu has more guards than even the King himself. He also has in service a sorceress named Pipa; many said she is a descent of the elves and she is powerful in her spells. I think this is a task which we can take a break from." Captain Jedi look to his men and they all nodded to him.
"Okay, then I would do it myself. If I am successful then, I would be use the gold to buy your services. But there is one question I need to asked of you." Cedi removed the dagger he found at the cavern opening. "Do you recognise this?"
Captain Jedi took it in his hand and he replied to me; "it was mine."
"But I gave it away as a gift" Captain Jedi continued, "to Lord Netsu. That is also how I know so much of Lord Netsu. I gave him the dagger when we were given extra gold I offered him the dagger when he asks for it as a gift."
"When was that?" Cedi asked.
"We did a mission for him when he wanted to hit the Orcs. That was three moons ago." So that how the dagger ended up later in the cavern opening. Cedi walked back to his horse and Jedi called out to him.
"Dark Elf, if we do the mission; but what share of the golds belongs to us?" They took a short time to work out the sharing and Jedi agreed to consider on the mission. Then he told them the truth.
"The men are getting tired of making small payment of golds for their lives. Some of them are too old to continue fighting, but the newer recruits wants more recognition like the old guards. They are more committed to the guards honor than us. That' why Dern wanted to fight you. Its an age old tradition of the Guards. But among the four of us who are older ones, we may considered to retire soon with our golds. We seen too many of friends died for the cause and their families awaits with empty purses."
Cedi looked at Jedi. Jedi may be right as they have seen their share of battles and its time to called it over. Cedi told him he would come back to him on the plan.
"Cedi, you are back. So how was your meeting?"
Cedi was not interested in her but he was looking at the surprise of the day.
Its his pet Gryphon and she is back.
"Oh, Leoni flew in this afternoon. She must caught your scent in the Dark Valley."
Cedi hugged his pet and looked to it wounds. Its fully healed and she is now able to go with Cedi on his mission. Cedi turned to look at Medi and told her they have a new mission with the Elite Guards as allies.
"We are going to raid the City Treasury. Lord Netsu would not think we would attack there." Medi was shocked at his words.
"I thought we were ransacking the Trader's place." Cedi smiled and told her he changed his mind.
"You are with your pet. I would create a diversion at the City Treasury. It would divert the guards to the Treasury. You would go in and get the golds we want. That is my new plan. We strike at dark night after the second guards change. Good luck, Medi." Cedi mount the Gryphon and flew away.
The Elite Guards brought a wagon with them and they stayed in an alley facing the City Treasury building in the city of Landan. Its also housed the Border Army's payloads before its distributed. Its not any building but a small castle with its high walls and four sentry towers on the four corners. The entrance is by the high thick wooden gate and its manned by six guards holding long pikes. Above the entrance is a long narrow window with a outer ledge; it has two more sentries there.
"Cedi", Jedi now called him by his name, "there is a four man patrol on the side walls. They would walk the perimeter every hour. Inside that gate, is the barracks with ten more guards, plus another twenty inside the Treasury Main Building. It quite impossible to break in with our small force."
"Is the wagon ready?" Cedi asked back the leader.
Jedi nodded.
Cedi checked the contents on the wagon. It contained a dozen large barrels of oil. Cedi took out a small cannister from his tunic to add its mixture to the oil in the barrel before sealing back the cover. He then asked the men to unload eight barrels onto the ground and turned it over on its side.
Cedi assigned one man per barrel and then told them push hard the barrels towards the City Treasury gates. The remaining four of them and Cedi stepped out to pour arrows to remove the advancing six guards. The alarm was raised and the sentries started releasing their arrows at them.
The barrels has rolled now on its own momentum towards the City Treasury walls. As it was not controlled by the men, it rolled in an uneven pattern towards it.
Cedi then whistled into the air and the Gryphon of his came swooping down to the City Treasury walls. The Gryphon opened its mouth and released a spurt of flame at the barrels. Cedi have coated the barrels with some oil on its side plus with my mixture in it to make it highly flammable. The flame caught onto the barrels and lighted up the front walls. The mixture made the fire spread out wider and also more intense in heat. The wooden gate soon caught up in the flames and Cedi told the men to pushed the wagon forth.
"Push the wagon through the gates. It been weakened by the flame." Eight man took their strength to push hard on the wagon and rolled it like a battering ram against the wooden gate. The remaining men took to fire flaming arrows over the walls. The wagon surged onto the gate and broke opened on impact. It shattered the burnt wooden structure and the wagon was in the compound.
Cedi signaled to the Gryphon who swooped down to set the wagon on fire as its rammed into the main building structure.
More guards came running out of the building but they were withdrawing from the place. Cedi got the group of men running for their horses to flee the scene. As they were riding away, she can see more guards of the Lord Netsu running to fight the spreading fire at the City Treasury. They are concerned as their paymaster just placed their wages there this morning.
They rode over to the Trader's place to see Medi riding her pet carrying some chests attached to her saddle.
"You are right. They flee the scene to help at the fire. I was only confronted by three guards." Medi rode past me on her Wolf.
It scared the horses so we rode off in different directions.
"Jedi, there is enough gold here to raise an army. I want your men to train them. Go back to where you feel comfortable to do the training." Cedi gave him most of the gold to do the needed.
"I am needed elsewhere. I would be back to check on the progress." Cedi told Jedi.
"You trust me with so much golds." Jedi asked of him. Cedi looked back at him and smiled.
"Yes, as you are an Elf. If I can't trust you who else can I trust?"
Jedi accept the task and he said his men would return to the old Judas camp. Cedi watched them ride off with the gold.
"Do you trust them?" Medi asked of me.
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