A Plan Is Formed

Callum replayed his entire conversation with the two women in his mind, intent on looking for clues about their intentions. He had a grave look on his face as he turned to Primrose.

"Primrose, your help will be even more crucial than I originally anticipated. I'm counting on you to be my eyes and ears among our new guests. Stay invisible and be on the lookout for any suspicious behavior."

She came to attention mid-air and placed her closed fist over her heart as she executed a short bow.

"Yes, Mister Murray, Sir! I'll be your eyes and ears, you can count on me!" her high pitched voice cracked during her declaration.

After witnessing this, Callum had to fight hard against the smile that threatened to break out. A little fairy making such a grave pronouncement with a squeaky voice made him want to pinch her cute little cheeks.

"Good, let me know if you find anything out. Also, stop conjuring new furniture in order to save up for the first level of traps for the Core Room. Don't wait for my approval, get it as soon as we have the mana to purchase it."

She nodded once in confirmation before she disappeared from sight; the Baroness' party was starting to get close enough that they could potentially see her if she stayed visible for much longer.

An early dark was starting to fall as he ushered his thirty-three guests into the Keep. Most of their supplies were in packs that all, but a small guard detail, carried on their backs and what fit onto two small sleds.

The three prisoners were quickly placed in the unoccupied basement room and kept under guard. Callum gave a quick tour of the tiny bathrooms available, the individual rooms, and the few dedicated rooms, such as the kitchen and the barracks.

Twenty-two of them could share the rooms and the barracks; the remaining eight would have to sleep on or under the tables in the Great Hall. Callum left Mei and Xinyi to organize their own people; he had promised to go hunting and needed to get that started.

Despite Callum's protestations, Captain Xinyi instructed two of her soldiers to join him on the hunt in order to help him haul the catch back to the Keep. Two ranged type soldiers joined him as he stepped outside and then promptly sat down on the steps up to the Keep.

Amarok was already loping into the woods and he could see the confusion on his escorts' faces as he tapped into his connection with Amarok. He watched as their discipline warred with their questions. Finally, one of them spoke up.

"Night is falling, we should hurry up if we hope to find something for dinner," the short, squat, and heavily bearded soldier said.

"We've already started the hunt, just be patient," Callum responded as he tried to figure out how much Dwarven ancestry the soldier had.

Callum confidently smiled at the two doubting soldiers as he moved towards one side of the hill. He swung his axe experimentally and marveled once more at his new axe. It was a long handled weapon with a large reach with a lethal blade to match.

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Battle Axe (Uncommon) (Durability: 46/50)

Deals damage equal to 1/2 user's 'Strength' stat

Allows user to use <Cut>, <Chop>, and <Overwhelming Strike> attacks

+5% chance to cause Bleeding

Ignores up to 10% of enemy armor

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It was a huge upgrade compared to the weapons he had previously used. He was confident that he could now destroy all of those pesky goblins that had once given him so much trouble. He was really looking forward to trying a run with all of his upgrades.

The two soldiers waited for several more minutes before their anxiousness started showing in their posture. Callum could tell that one of them was about to speak up again when Amarok's strong voice echoed through the evening gloom.

"Aaaaaoooooooh!"

'Perfect,' he thought to himself when he sensed that Amarok was driving an elk up the hill and right towards him.

"Alright, we'll have a fat elk breaking out of the woodline about right there," Callum waved his axe at the estimated location, "I'll have first crack at it with my axe. You guys shoot if it gets past me, and may the gods help you if you shoot the Dire Wolf."

He glanced back and saw they still had doubtful looks on their faces, but at least they readied their bows as Amarok's howl cut through the wintry night. All three were able to track the wolf's progress by the regular howls.

The doubtful looks on the two soldiers gradually diminished with each subsequent howl, and there was no doubt left on their faces by the time Amarok's howls came from the base of the hill.

Callum swung his axe shortly before the elk leapt free of the woodline; his connection with Amarok enabled him to time his attack even before he had eyes on the elk. Caught in mid-air, the elk could do nothing to avoid the devastating attack.

The blade bit deeply into the elk and took a huge chunk of its health pool. The elk tumbled to the ground in the aftermath of Callum's attack and quickly succumbed to the two soldiers as they let loose the easiest shots they ever had to make.

All three individuals praised Amarok's prowess and agreed it was the easiest hunt they ever took part of. They quickly stripped the elk of most of its meat as well as its skin before they retired inside.

Everyone feasted well into the night, celebrating their unexpected rescue and fortified position. Callum didn't carefully track them, but it seemed like everyone raised a toast in his and Amarok's honor.

He didn't care for any of that and was just happy they had salt and a little bit of wine.

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The next morning began and almost everyone, except the prisoners, woke up in a jubilant mood. Several soldiers had kept watch in shifts throughout the night without noting any disturbances.

However, Callum woke up with a sudden falling sensation that jolted him awake just in time to be fully aware of the pain of his body striking the ground. He painfully sat up and saw that the very large Amarok was hogging his bed and borrowed bedding.

"You mangy mutt! Do you always have to steal my beds?" Callum complained to the unrepentant wolf.

"Goood morning!" shouted the exuberant fairy that was flying right next to Callum's ear.

He winced at the jarring sound and started to contemplate exacting revenge on both of his supposed allies. Primrose ignored his grumbling and shared some of the information she had collected; none of it was cause for concern and it all backed up Baroness Mei's story.

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The three leaders gathered for a working breakfast as they discussed the situation and their plans. Meanwhile, Amarok went hunting with the two soldiers from the previous night; they were now familiar with the correct method of hunting with the Dire Wolf.

The Baroness had a dozen soldiers in her party and Callum made it thirteen. Most of the noncombatants were a liability in a field battle, but could provide limited help when defending a fortified position.

The plan they agreed on was to take their six best combatants out in a full party, with Captain Xinyi in tactical command. She had the most experience and she knew the most of everyone's abilities.

They would attempt to hunt down several parties of the Count's men as well as scout the enemy's main camp. Their prisoners had been separately questioned by Captain Xinyi, so they had some idea about what they were facing.

Approximately 50 of Count Yonge's soldiers led over 150 bandits and mercenaries. Fortunately, most of the enemies were of a lower level compared to their side. Additionally, they were split up into multiple smaller parties.

Without having to worry about their own noncombatants, Callum and Captain Xinyi could freely move and choose when to engage their erstwhile pursuers. They were hopeful that they could eliminate several isolated groups before they were discovered.

Meanwhile, the other seven soldiers would hold the Keep with the assistance of the noncombatants. The garrison should be able to hold against several groups of enemies, with only the amassed strength of all their enemies posing a significant risk.