"Everyone, the marauders have fallen back! Now, who among you will honor the agreed reward?" called out Logan as he arrived at the caravan, flanked by his imposing beastn cavalry.
The five elves, surrounded by a ragged handful of caravan guards still nursing their wounds, kept their weapons drawn, eyeing Logan warily even as they stood their ground.
"Thank you, sir, for your tily rescue!" proclaid His Highness the Elf, erging gracefully from his protective circle and giving a courteous bow towards Logan.
"Think nothing of it, my lord. Let gold speak the gratitude, we didn't save you out of kindness of our hearts" Logan replied with a roguish grin, his eyes twinkling with the anticipation of easy riches. Indeed, subduing the thieves had felt almost trivial, a stroke of fortune that he wondered if he'd chard Lady Luck herself the night prior.
His Highness nodded thoughtfully, clearly relieved yet cautious, aware now that the formidable leader before him commanded not re thieves but a tribe of beastn, a fact not to be taken lightly in the unpredictable expanses of the wasteland.
"Tell , do you carry a space ring by any chance?" His Highness inquired, his voice laced with a hint of concern. Transporting a thousand gold coins, each a considerable weight, could prove cumberso without the magic of such an artifact.
"Just lay them on the earth here," Logan responded, slightly taken aback but quick to mask his surprise.
Without further hesitation, the Elf prince signaled, and promptly a dazzling heap of a thousand gold coins was assembled on the ground. The sight not only stunned the beastn cavalry but even Logan himself found his breath catch, a sight he'd never encountered before, not in this life nor his past.
Each coin, worth a small fortune in itself, sumd up to a staggering total. The caravan, the elves, even the beastn warriors, they all seed to exhale in collective relief, sensing Logan's awe.
Clearly, the origins of these beastn were not grand enough to be indifferent to such wealth. This understanding brought a sense of security to the elves; only those who hunger for gold can be predicted, managed. Those untempted by riches, however, could prove unpredictable allies, or worse, volatile threats.
Logan montarily felt bemused, as if he were a simple rustic marveling at a fortune. As a ti traveler equipped with powerful enhancents, it was unlike him to be so entranced by re gold.
Regaining his composure, he waved a hand casually over the mound of coins, which vanished instantly, not into a space ring, but directly into the storage of his system. Logan, after all, was beyond the need for such rudintary tools.
Tyton and Cardia, witnessing this, exchanged looks of amazent. They had heard tales of such artifacts but had never expected Logan to possess abilities that mimicked their magic so closely.
Logan now turned his attention back to His Highness the Elf and his companions. Elves, those paragons of near-immortality, often lived millennia, even those of modest power. To Logan, they stood as monunts to the endurance of beauty and grace, their allure barely concealed beneath their battle attire.
"Tyton, let's depart," Logan commanded with a decisive tone.
"Understood!" Tyton replied, his voice echoing the shift in energy among the beastn cavalry as they redirected their mounts towards the thieves' den.
The thieves, already subdued once, had retreated to regroup in their stronghold. Logan had outlined a resettlent plan for them: over eighty gnolls were to seek asylum with the Silvermane tribe, ard only with a map and Logan's token. anwhile, thirty-four wild boars would accompany him to Kasros Canyon.
There was another option for handling the jackal pack, which was to wait for their inevitable return, but the gnolls, distrustful, chose the autonomy of the Silvermane option. They well understood their scant martial value and the cold reception they might otherwise receive.
Food was scarce back at their den, and without intervention, they'd surely perish within a fortnight. Logan, now back in command of his faculties and mission, led his troops forward, leaving the group of elves behind as they rode towards a more daunting confrontation.
"My lord, please wait!" His Highness the Elf urgently called out, his gaze darting across the battered remnants of his caravan as Logan and his beastn cavalry prepared to depart.
Logan turned his mount around, facing the Elf prince with a asured look. "What more do you require?" he asked, his voice cool and detached.
Despite the Elf's noble status, Logan felt no inclination to cultivate a deeper alliance. To him, power and profit dictated ties, and he deed himself far superior to the beleaguered elves.
The Elf prince, acutely aware of his precarious situation and the beastn's evident readiness to leave, pressed his request with a hint of desperation. "Sir, we are but a short journey from Kasros Canyon, yet my guards are gravely wounded, and our magical reserves are spent. I propose an additional thousand gold coins for your protection till we reach the canyon."
Logan weighed the prince's words. The reward was substantial, enough to sustain his tribe for a month. Yet, the risks were clear; the caravan's weakened state could slow their pace significantly, jeopardizing his plan to traverse the more perilous parts of the journey before nightfall.
He considered the prince's offer. The canyon was notorious for its lurking dangers, particularly from bandit spies who would undoubtedly notice a vulnerable group.
"Your offer is generous," Logan started, his tone still noncommittal as he pondered the tactical implications. "Yet the risks are nontrivial. Our pace must not falter, as the dangers grow with night falls we plan to move before nightfall."
The Elf nodded, understanding the gravity of the path ahead. "We will comply fully to your demands and will try not to hinder you. Will are great need of you help, your protection invaluable," he assured, his voice firm with the weight of his commitnt.
"Two thousand gold coins, I'm prepared to offer two thousand!" His Highness the Elf, sensing Logan's hesitation, quickly upped the stakes, urgency etching his features.
Indeed, beyond the safety of Logan's group, only the looming threat of bandits awaited them in the desolate wilderness.
"Agreed, but paynt first," Logan demanded, his voice firm, knowing well the value of imdiate compensation in such uncertain tis.
Though the sum was hefty, the Elf prince, pressed by necessity, gave a nonchalant wave of his hand, and swiftly, double the amount of gold they had previously discussed materialized. Logan collected the coins with practiced ease.
Logan paused a mont longer, the strategy unfolding in his mind. Finally, he nodded. "Very well. Prepare your people. We leave at once and do not stop until the canyon's edge is reached."
With the agreent sealed, Logan signaled to his beastn, their formation tightening around the elves' diminished ranks as they set out together. The journey to Kasros Canyon promised gold and danger in equal asure.
At this, Tyton, Cardia, and the others exchanged looks of astonishnt. "Are all traders beyond our borders so laden with wealth?" they wondered aloud.
"Tyton, Cardia, attend to the wounded at once," Logan commanded, pointing towards the injured guards of their motley caravan.
Among the guards, several were beastn, and amidst the fallen, Logan noted with a twinge of regret the corpse of a tauren in plate armor, a formidable figure even in death. The tauren were known as one of the most potent warrior races among the orcs, a valuable ally or a fearso foe.
Logan had no desire to delve deeper into the intricacies of the Elf prince's identity or history. After all, their association was rely coincidental, a matter of convenience and profit, not personal interest. In his view, as long as the gold flowed, the relationship was justified.
As Cadia and Tyton busied themselves with tending to the wounded and reorganizing the caravan, Gava, the wild boar man, approached hastily with his group. Upon inquiry, Logan learned that Gava had initially fled in fear of him but had now returned, perhaps realizing the greater safety in numbers.
Reviews
All reviews (0)