Two weeks after discussing with Kelvin, Asher was now on his way to the Ash Mountain Pass, having left even Silverleaf town far behind. He left Kelvin in charge of his domain, and Sirius was the guardian.
It was fast enough to move from Nineveh to Silverleaf in just one day, and it was able to kill even a company of 100 diamond-ranked knights without a scratch, so his domain was in safe hands.
Asher rode his horse in the middle of his troops. Ahead of him were the Bladebreakers and Thunderstorm Rangers, and behind him were 500 men. 200 were silver-ranked infantrymen, and the remaining 300 were recruits, which Asher had to bring along to boost his forces.
Behind the heavy infantry was the logistic department with several carts and horses.
Beside Asher were his commanders, Alex, Alec, and Eritrea.
“We shall reach the Ash Mountain Pass by nightfall.” Alec said after checking a map that was made by Atticus Ashbourne.
“Is there anything we need to know about the Pass?”
Asher turned to Eritrea, who rode at his right. She was close to him and seemed to take pleasure in being able to help him at any time.
She was loyal to the extent that it could be called obsession, and Asher simply took it to his advantage.
People like her could not be swayed no matter what.
“We have to pay the fees.”
“What fees?”
Asher raised an eyebrow.
“Barbarian bandits. They’ve been there for decades now and take fees from every tribe that wants to cross the Mountain Pass.”
“They should not be a problem.”
Nero, who rode beside his father, said.
“Oh?” Asher turned his head toward the young lad. “Why do you think so?”
Nero was stunned. He didn’t expect a question for what he said, and with everybody looking at him, he felt a bit shy.
“Uhm… We’re much stronger than them.”
“How do you know that?” Asher asked again.
Nero blinked.
“I don’t believe that they are stronger than your army, My Lord.”
Asher cocked his head.
“Is that so?”
“It is, Your Lordship.”
Asher smiled.
“The lad’s got a sweet mouth.” Lambert chortled while Alex patted his son’s shoulder.
All of them could see Asher favoured Nero, but instead of showing it by giving him gifts, he did it by throwing one challenge after the other, always pushing both his physical and mental capability to the limit.
“We shall camp before the Ash Mountain Pass tonight, and a small squad will scout ahead. I want prior knowledge of what we are going to face. Like Nero said, we are definitely stronger, but if they drop stones on our heads, then our strength will be buried under stones.”
When they got to a good area, Alec got the go ahead from Asher.
“Halt! We are going to camp here!” Alec’s voice shook the eardrums of every soldier, causing them to grimace.
They began to set up tents, and the cooks also took the chance to start cooking before the skies would turn dark and the soldiers would need to be fed.
Asher helped his vanguards set up his tent. Once they were done, he washed his hands and unfolded his sleeves.
“Jon, bring the ropes! Move those legs!”
“Jessey, hit that wood properly!”
“When are they going to be done? I can already smell the meat.”
“Hahaha!”
“I knew you should have joined the scouts, Landon. Your nostrils would have been an asset!”
Boisterous laughter and the loud voices of his men littered over a vast space fell into Asher’s ears, causing him to chuckle inwardly.
Alex and Nero walked up to him.
“Your Lordship, who is going to infiltrate the bandit fortress?”
Eritrea had given them full details about the bandit based on the last time she crossed, and that was before her father died. Based on what she said, the bandits built a fortress on the mountain, and they had two gold-ranked leaders as of then.
“Eritrea, you, Nero, and me. We just need to capture two and ask some questions before the main army reaches their location.”
“As you command.” Alex bowed his head.
Asher walked around and eventually arrived where the Thunderstorm Rangers were. Their tents were ready while the men still struggled and bantered, and they were seated on logs, of which Asher had no clue when they were cut.
Eritrea stood before them, her hands folded as she calmly spoke to them.
While speaking, she felt someone was staring at her for quite a prolonged period of time, so she raised her head.
“My Lord.”
Her lips parted.
“I’m just here to watch.”
He smiled.
Not even up to ten minutes, he found himself staring at Lambert’s men. They were busy watching two of their men brawl while cheering and laughing.
Shaking his head, he walked away and found the Silver Wolf recruits taking turns to try and lift up Alec’s shield. Apparently, a good number of the heavy infantrymen brought the shield and gathered the recruits.
This was called the initiation.
After watching several recruits fall to the ground, panting like people that were saved from a near-death experience, Asher returned to his tent.
Not long after, meals were served, and it was Eritrea who served Asher. He sat with Alex, Nero, Alec, and Lambert outside his tent when Eritrea came with his meal.
Although bewildered, Asher took it and suddenly noticed the gazes his men were giving him.
“What?”
“Ahem!” Alex cleared his throat. “It’s nothing of importance, Your Lordship.”
Lambert was just as shocked as Alex, but Alec and Nero were eating their meals.
Asher dug in.
………..
Finally, the skies became covered in darkness, and the two moons did not grace the skies with their presence.
The night was thick, like a black cloth wrapped around the world.
Only the campfires at different spots lit up the camp of hundreds. Some figures could be seen mounting horses outside the camp.
“Let’s go.” Asher’s voice rang.
