COTN House of Judas Part 1

Second Part

The House of Judas

1. Leadership

The fire burned well and is keeping the cold draft coming in by the entrance bearable. He looked at the dozen warriors who still wear the emblem of the Elite Guards on their armor chest plate. They were once a band of warriors which numbered no less than three hundreds of us, under three company leader. They all report to the Council of Judas for their tasks. Each company was made of eight squads with about a dozen warriors each with the main squad holding sixteen warriors.

These were the main squad of Company Three; the Eagle Talons under Commander Kinae. He was one of the three Senior among the fifteen. They were a squad then feared and respected by the others in the company. Each company has their favored squad but they were the best among the favored.

Or so they thought well of themselves until they did score a bad one that day.

It was on a call to check on some activity at a particular valley. The reports came back that the barbarians are making a base there. They were sent in when one other squad returned from that patrol but losing two of their men to ambush. The leader was reprimanded and the whole squad placed on disciplined duty. Its not what any squad wants to undergo as its like going back to basic training with apprentices coaching you. Its a humiliation course but one that is part of the tradition.

The sixteen of them rode into the valley with our usual strategy; two teams of one which is ten warriors under Commander Kinae, and the rest of the senior made up of the second squad; Senior Darth, a large burly man with experience of over twenty combat years. He is the most senior member in age and also experience.

Next him is Senior Nikite; tall slim female warrior who was my lover when during training, but now my competition. She disliked Jedi for a kill he did when she had indicated it was her target. Jedi did not explain to her nor he felt she need to know. Its their game; whoever wins is the best.

"Jedi, I see them."

They were the forward squad and carrying the bounty; a warrior of theirs with them as a prisoner. Jedi signaled the squad to make camp as per strategy.

As they were setting up camp, they had the prisoner tied to the tree while Nikite guard the prisoner. The scout came riding in a hurry, with new orders. The scout rode to Darth and whispered to him. He gave the signal to Nikite and she plunged the dagger into the prisoner. The forest around them came to life with the hordes of barbarians. The barbarians are out to kill them as they have killed the leader's son.

"Retreat!" Darth shouted out. They dropped their works on the camp and mount back on their horses.

"The other squad has been attacked. Everyone on their own."

Jedi jumped on his horse, and rode on it although it was without a saddle. He had drawn his sword and swung it at the near barbarian stopping that person from advancing. He looked up from his kill just to see Darth been cornered by two barbarians.

Darth is also wounded in the chest but he is holding the two at bay. Jedi rode over on his horse and slashed at the warriors from the rear. He brought down one and Darth took the other. Jedi reached out his hand to hoist Darth onto his horse. Jedi turned the horse to ride out as they are the last to leave.

Jedi can see Nikite at the edge holding a bow with an arrow nocked in. She released the arrow at their direction but slightly to the right. The arrow took down the barbarian archer but the archer has released its arrow. The arrow struck Darth on his back just as they passed Nikite. Darth fell down while Jedi rode on for a distance before he turned back. Jedi saw Darth staggering on his feet and Nikite released the arrow into Darth.

"No!" Jedi shouted but she is riding towards him. Jedi tried to stop her passing me but she rode on regardless. Jedi turned his horse to followed her and they made it out with only one fatality; Darth.

During the briefing later back at main camp, Jedi jumped on Nikite about her killing Darth.

"It was instruction by Commander Kinae not leave any of us behind for them. I did as per instruction."

Jedi was even more surprised when Commander Kinae told him that Darth overreacted on the action. He called on Nikite too early to execute the prisoner. The issue did not end there; the prisoner they executed cause them more issues.

The barbarians attacked their outposts and killed some of the warriors. They find themselves incurring wrath by the others and they were send to the barracks. Not long after that they were de-mobilized and there was not opportunity to reclaim their pride. Today, they are left with a dozen of them with only four old guards left of the original Company.

The rest are apprentices which has been promoted to the ranks. Nikite is one of the four seniors and she has been keeping a low profile since they regrouped.

"These are some of our people we met in the forest lately. Do we put them through the training?" Jedi looked at Nikite and then at the six elves she brought back with her.

"No, turn them back to their forest. We do not take other Houses. I only want Judas." She glared at him as the group of elves walked out.

"The House of Judas is over. We are down to only a few hundreds and I won't know how to find them." Jedi reacted back in rage.

"I care not for the hundreds out there. I just need a hundred to rebuilt Company Three. We would restore our pride first before we rebuild the Guards. I owe it to the Eagle Talons." Jedi dismissed Nikite before she could comment anything on my vision.

The current squad have found ten of the old guards but they are also remnants of the other companies. But among the new ones, Jedi have an old squad member back; Torin, a young warrior then in the old squad and was in the ambush at the valley. Torin is a good archer and she is training the new recruits of the House of Judas. They numbered fifty but they are of various age and inexperienced in fighting unlike us. They are traders or workmen of various skills.

"Fifty archers to be trained in four weeks. You asked me an impossible task. I have been training them for one week; they cannot even shoot at fifty yards length let alone hitting a target." Jedi walked up to Torin and slapped her across the face. She is shorter than Jedi and wider in frame but she is strong. She did not flinch much at his slap.

"Remember your training, Guard. They would be ready in four weeks." Jedi walked back to his chamber.

On the way Nikite cornered Jedi and asked to speak to him.

"I saw you handle Torin. She is not of the old Guard. She was just a newly promoted warrior just before we de-mobilized. You could see to her limitations." Nikite can be convincing when she need to. She did that to Commander Kinae on the ambush. Jedi knew as the signal given by Darth was to guard the prisoner and not kill him. Nikite did it on her action. She was also Commander Kinae' lover then. He had many but she was his current one then. He protect her like anyone would do.

"Like you saw in Kinae, and had him made into a broken man. You wanted his position and Darth was in the way. You betray us then and you may do it today but I need experienced warriors. You are one. You are also open to fight me for leadership. I may suggest you do so when I have re-organized the company. Till then do not overstep on my decision." Jedi pushed past her and proceed to his chamber. She threw her dagger towards him and it sink on the doorway of his chamber.

"Watch your back, Jedi. I don't often missed." Jedi looked at the dagger and he pulled it out. He twist his body and throw the dagger back at Nikite. It landed on the floor just before her feet.

"I don't missed."

The first batch of recruits are standing at the archery ground of our new main camp. They occupied what was once their camp for Company Three. Its hidden in a valley that is well concealed and access is by a narrow path next to a stream.

We, however have a number of escape routes as this is their valley.

Torin lined them up to shoot a set of targets. Jedi walked up to them and spoke to them.

"The test is canceled. All of you would be put to a mission." He could hear the men sighed but he need them to be more than ready; he need them to be battle ready or in this case tested. 

The convoy which they are targeting carries not only a wagon of golds for the borders troops watching the Orcs across it, but also replacement troops of over a hundred troops both new and experienced. The later are those returning from their holidays and they are on foot. They planned the attack at a clearing in the forest path. Its an open ground with a slight slope to the right towards a stream.

Jedi gave the signal.

The advance six warriors team led by Nikite rode past the head of the convoy. It got the convoy guards on an alert and they are bracing for an ambush. They are twenty of these guards in the convoy. Their leader shout for the guards to hold their position while the commander of the replacement troops rode up. The leader of the troops has got taken the bait; he send out a squad of twenty troops to the front to search for the Nikite' riders.

Nikite' squad turned up again and this time they used their archers to shoot at the advancing twenty troops. At the mean time, a squad of twenty archers led by Torin stepped out at the rear of the convoy. They ran towards the distance of fifty yards from the troops and they took position with their bows. At the same time, another group of twenty five archers under myself emerged from across the stream. We cross the stream and lined up in two rows. 

Torin's group released their arrows at the troops and they reacted as expected. They went at the archers but the second team of mine released our arrows at the same time. It did not hit much target as we were targeting the convoy guards. The leader of the troops on seeing the attack of the convoy directed part of his men to the stream. The archers continued shooting and when confronted by the troops, they fought back with swords.

Jedi' plan worked as the troops are now split up as Nikite lead the warriors of the main squad into action. They went for the convoy guards with their archery, and then split up to hit at the troops. Soon it was over as they won with half the new recruits injured and ten of them dead. The balance ran for their lives when they were attacked.

Jedi have tested his troops. I know who are the real warriors and whom he can work with.

"Nikite, you and the rest did well. You would lead them from now. I would get a new squad of my own. Lead them well, Nikite." She looked at him and then she opened her mouth to speak but he stopped her.

"They are good warriors. They would do fine for you."

Jedi left her standing there in the hall while the rest are checking on the golds which they hijacked. He bumped into Torin as he turned round the corner.

"You sent them to their death. How could you do this? One of them was a young lady who was a healer before. She joined us to be a healer and we placed her as an archer." Jedi grabbed Torin by her shoulder and pushed her against the wall.

"They died as warriors. The healer was a warrior. She died like one. That is all you need to concerned about." He walked past her to entered his personal chamber. He walked to the wall chest and opened it. He took from it, a small case. He then opened it and placed ten small marbles into the chest. He been keeping it since he became a Senior. The chest is almost full and he felt no urgency to get another case.

"Thank you', he muttered to the ones I placed in the chest.