Four Horsemen

"A thief should earn his keep."

He's probably using that to tell himself he made the right decision, Karkal thought.

"So you mean you are going against them just because you want them to break you first?" Karkal asked.

"No, my friend, I'm going against them because they are trying to break me. I'm only resisting. They can try their best to break me; I'll try my best to remain unbroken," Rashid replied.

"Ahhh..." Karkal let out a loud laugh. "You're a madman, my friend; it's good to see your madness has not dwindled. It's still in your eyes. Well, we'll be at your service for the next month since that's how long you've paid us for. Hopefully, they will give up before that time runs out, but until then, don't worry, we'll help you remain unbroken," Karkal said.

"Where are the rest of your men?" Ramon asked.

"Oh, they are at the western gate. We met some interesting people on our way here, so I asked my men to take care of them," Karkal said.

"Ahh, yes. A lot of spies have infiltrated Bintan; flushing them out is proving to be difficult," Rashid said.

"Maybe someone is helping them..." Karkal said.

"Oh, someone is, and I'm sure that someone is prepared to lose his head once he's discovered. I won't have any mercy on traitors," Rashid replied.

As the men were talking, another of Rashid's men approached them and spoke to Rashid.

"My Lord, it seems the eastern gate has been opened, and an army is already approaching the gate," the guard explained.

"It seems the traitors have already made their move," Karkal said.

"It's a good thing we've made ours then," Rashid replied.

Rashid turned to the guard and spoke, "Take some men and delay their approach.

Lord Karkal, I know you have just arrived and you probably need rest, but it's time for you to earn your keep," Rashid said.

"Who do you think you are talking to?" Karkal asked as he started walking away. Speaking to the two men with him, he said, "You two should head back to the eastern gate and lead our men west to stop the incoming force. I'll take the others and greet this... incoming army."

"The Sulten of Bintan is such a madman. He's planning on turning the whole city into a battlefield, consequences be damned... Ahhh, it seems I'm destined to always work for madmen," Karkal thought.

Rashid stared at Karkal for a while. He didn't try to stop him or even try to reason with him. Karkal was not just any mercenary after all. He was one of the highest-ranking commanders to one of the four horsemen of the underworld, Argos, the horseman of war.

The underworld had different factions and groups that helped see it thrive in its own way. Most of them had a wide range of functions and dealings with the outside world. But of all the different groups in the underworld, the most powerful were the groups led by the four horsemen. These groups were known to have great power and influence in the underworld. They held a lot of power within even the four nations, and they sometimes helped to shape the state of each nation. The leaders of each group were even greater figures, with most of their identities shrouded in mystery.

Sometimes, the four groups were so powerful that they were discovered to be the indirect masters controlling other groups that seemed independent on the surface. It was even safe—or maybe unsafe—to say the groups led by the four horsemen controlled 80 percent of the underworld, with their influence spreading across the continent and beyond.

Of all four groups, the group known as Mars was the only one whose leader's name and face were known in the underworld. Argos, the war horseman, was the leader of the largest mercenary group, Mars. His groups were divided into various categories and divisions of mercenaries or groups based on their strength and success in the field. The higher they were in the hierarchy, the higher the price it took to employ them.

Karkal was one of Argos's most trusted commanders and also one of his most powerful warriors.

Another group in the underworld, led by the horseman called Pestilence—an unknown figure—is known as EXOAL. They focused more on illegal drugs, inhumane experiments, potion and poison making, arms trafficking, and arms manufacturing. They even have some mercenaries in their group. They were known to be a scourge in the human world, as the works of their experiments gone wrong—or even right—always made waves across the world. One such incident was what happened in Miaan. The doctor who experimented on Larry Dew was also a part of the group led by Pestilence.

The Horseman of Famine, or Hunger, is the leader of a group known as Avarice. The group is mostly known for human trafficking, slavery, espionage, and illegal mining. They were once involved in an incident that saw several entire villages starve to death in Inaria during the war twenty years ago. They had also helped to fan the flames of war by capturing several dragonborns and selling them to the other three kingdoms on the continent. This group is the second-oldest group on the continent among the others.

The horseman of Death is the leader of the group known as The Wraiths. This group is the most elusive group on the entire continent, and no one has ever seen a member of this group—at least, no one alive. They were known to trade only two things: death and information. This group is the one whose origins and state are not well known, and no one even knows if it has just one leader, since the group has existed for over fifty years. It has always been led by a mysterious figure known as Death.

Although the underworld was not particularly known to be law-abiding, the presence of all four of these groups and their leaders has always caused various problems for the four kingdoms.

Despite this fact, the underworld never ceased to receive requests from various factions. Various nobles and even the so-called 'upstanding citizens' employed the services of the horsemen and their groups. Whether it was men for war, drugs for fun, slaves for profits, or even information for extortion, there was always someone in need of the services of such an organization. One such person was Rashid.

For six months, as various skirmishes arose here and there, with the civil war growing intense as time went by, Rashid didn't stand by and watch until either Hadia or Jai came knocking at his door. He wasn't going to be a pawn for anyone. He was going to set his own terms and do things his own way...

At first, Rashid wasn't sure what to do, but he knew he wasn't a fan of either Jai or Sulten Burak. He hated both of them for completely different reasons. It wasn't that he was loyal to King Ken, but as far as he was concerned, Ken was a lesser evil than either of those two.

While still considering his options, Rashid didn't just do nothing. He used the six months to gather enough resources to be able to buy the services of Mars, should he need it. It was a frustrating journey, and more than once he considered picking a side, but he just couldn't bring himself to work with Jai or Burak.

And now, his path seemed to be clear. If any of them really wanted Bintan, they should come prepared.

Bintan. As far as he was concerned, Bintan—no, he—would never join hands with Jai or Hadia. Not while he was Sulten.