New Strategem

It was noon. The Sky was a dull blue and the sun was shining brightly. In the bandit hideout, the rhythms of works and trainings were heard all around. The Carpenters, Blacksmiths and Leather workers were busy in their workshops and forges, the women folk were busy making foods and the guards were patrolling the hamlet.

The building of the hillfort was halfway done. The hillfort was built on a low-lying hillock, overlooking a small valley from the hillside. The Iron hills were not quite tall hills but had quite the expansion and sides.

Thanks to the supply of workers in the form of the villagers and the bandit crew, Initial structure of the walls were halfway done.

A five feet wide and two feet high mud wall had surrounded the clearing. It was quite an acheivement as the workers had started working on the walls just ten days ago considering the fact that the breadth of the rectangular wall was 150 metre and the length was 300 metre.

The walls were made of gravel of rocks, clay and sand, items which were abundant in the moor. The sand held the rocks together, which had been hammered down to gravels. The clay on the other hand top the outside in order to keep the wall from eroding away.

The building materials were scavenged from the area. Every morning and evening before training, the men gathered a sack of rocks which were used for weights. After the training got over, the rocks were used for the building materials. The sand and clay on the other hand was easily available and did not consume as much time as the rocks.

The projected wall of the hillfort was five feet wide and ten feet tall. Once it is completed, it will become a stronghold in the south.

According to the masons, the wall will be completed in a month if they work at the same speed.

Everyone in the hideout, which accounted to a thousand and three hundred in the past, except for the craftsman and the prisoners working in the mine worked everyday. The workforce had dropped to a thousand after the battles but it Will do.

Suddenly, the whole hamlet echoed into cheer. The cheer was intended for the Shadow hands, who had brought back four bound riders, heavily armored.

They were the Viscount men. Two of them were heavily armed and armored in full plate while the other two were finely garb in fine embroidered and armored suit.

The Shadow hands, who were dressed in the way of the desert people with their robes and turbans armored with cuirass and black eye mask surrounded the four, armed with short swords and crossbows. Leading the troop was the captain of the Shadow hand, Edoras the shadow mask.

"Shadow Mask, the chief is waiting for you," Said a warrior, who had came on a horse,"He is in his quarter."

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*Knock Knock Knock*

"Come in," Said Kain. Inside the study room were four people. A powerfully built man wearing a cuirass and an red devil mask sitting on a chair, a grey haired, sturdy old man wearing a white bird mask, a red haired muscled man wearing a black mask and a lanky brown haired man wearing a silvery mask.

"Chief, I have brought the Viscount," Said Edoras.

Behind him was a tall youth. He had blonde hair and green eyes and was draped in a purple dress, bound in rope.

"Hello Cousin," Said Kain looking at the imposter Viscount he had made up.

"I don't remember having a bandit as a cousin," Said the man arrogantly,"release me or else...."

"Or else what?" asked Kain,"bring your rusty garrison soldiers here and kill me?"

The whole room echoed with laughter. Everyone knew the Viscounty soldiers were not upto mark.

"Yes, they will come for me," Said the man.

"I have six hundred men," said Kain,"all properly trained and battle hardened. Do you think you can beat me in my own territory?"

"Your territory," said the man in a mocking voice,"this is not yours. It is mine."

"Ha, he is good," thought Kain,"Is he an actor?"

He had sent Tonmen and Jonmen to bring substitutes for him and Robert from the South. It seems they have outdone their works.

"Look at me, Lord Viscount," Said Kain, taking off his mask,"now do you recognised me, cousin?"

Everyone except for Robert gasp at seeing their chief's youthful face. It was the first time they had seen the chief's face. It can be said that he had some resemblance with the Viscount especially the green eyes and face shape.

"Ser Thomas Thyne," Gasp the man, surprised written all over his face.

"No, from today on," Said Kain,"I am Baron Thyne."

"Baron," Said the man,"Your family had been exiled due to your evil scheme against the lord in the war by working with Duke Malfyx. By whose authority do you exercise that right?"

"Yours," Said Kain, smiling.

"I have and will never reinstate your family as the baron of the moor," Said the man in a supposedly angry voice,"You are traitors."

"Moor," Said Kain,"I am not going to be the baron of a goddamn moor. I am going to be the lord of the Moorland and the swampland of the Hedgeland."

"Dream on," Said the man, sneering," If you can defeat Alwen Khyne, I will reinstate you as the baron, not only of the Moorland but the swampland as you want but you can never do that."

"I can do that," Said Kain, grinning.

"Damn, this man is a good actor," thought Kain.

"Never in your wildest dream, traitor," Scoff the man.

"If I do, will you hold on to your word, cousin?"

"I give you my word as the Viscount," Said the man,"but I can't see you achieve that."

"Watch me, cousin," Said Kain,"I can and will subdue and kill Alwen Khyne."Turning to Edoras,"Take him to the guest house. Separate him from the others."

"As you command, Chief," Said Edoras, taking the imposter away.

"Alright, my lieutenants," Said Kain,"Time to make a new plan."

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