035. Crucible - 12

035. Crucible - 12

Moving back to the red camp was not a problem. I moved, with Zolast following me. He didn't seem to be in the mood to talk, and I didn't prompt him, letting him process his impromptu recruitment. However, my reputation didn't extend to the rest of the people, at least not yet, as people ignored our presence until I put on my armband once again.

Once I put my band on, things changed, and people started putting some distance, even if it meant creating some traffic for other carts, showing that the unaligned were getting restless at the situation. But, no one tried to talk to us, so we just walked.

Then, we approached the red group's section, where the carts stood much closer, with some sentries vigilantly observing.

Sentries who made sure to step away to avoid even looking like they were blocking my path. Considering that the earlier troupe had clearly identified me as a warrior, their tenseness was not a surprise. I wondered whether Jertann spilled something about my class, or people made some assumptions after my display which, I had to admit, was a tad ill-advised during the fight.

Either way, I didn't show any visible reaction and treated it as completely normal. I moved to join the camp, and Zolast followed, no one daring to question our presence.

I wanted to test the limits of my reputation. "You, come here," I said, gesturing to the nearest sentry, a young boy of barely sixteen.

"M-me," he stammered.

"Yes, you, go and bring me an armband," I said.

"But" he began, but that was all he could say under my expectant gaze before he dashed off. I had no right to give orders, but that was not a problem as long as he didn't dare to challenge me on that.

"Wait," I called before he could move too far away. "Jertann went back to the advance line, right?" I asked.

He nodded before continuing his run.

"You don't seem to be well-liked," Zolast muttered as he took a place toward the back of the moving caravan. Nobody said anything against it, but I noticed more than more cart changing speed to create a small empty ring around us.

"I don't like crowds," I answered, smiling slightly. He looked at me expectantly, but seeing that I had no intention of spilling my guts at his light prodding, he took the position.

I enjoyed the silence well, relatively, as a moving caravan and thousands of people were loud even without the constant fighting for a fleeting moment, confident that soon someone would come to flex their authority.

I didn't expect that to be a familiar face. Gert. "What the hell do you think you're doing, old man," he said as he walked toward me,swaggering with confidence.

Though, his confidence might be about eight people that were following him, their weapons already drawn. And it didn't feel like their only target was the flying monsters.

I could see that they expected me to flinch or retreat. I didn't, nor did I smile. "Do you want to rephrase that, boy?" I said as I took a step forward. They shuffled uncomfortably, but to their credit, they held their place.

"I don't think I will, old man," he said, loud, almost shouting. A clear challenge, a way to assert his position without Jertann being here. I had to admit, it was a smart trick. The group still lacked any kind of clear leadership, and creating a small cadre of loyal followers while handling organizational tasks was a good way to establish authority.

It was an unglamorous yet effective way of climbing to power, especially when others either ignored such tricks as inconsequential or decided to look the other way to enjoy the short-term benefits.

"Are you " started the attacker that I hadn't kicked, but was interrupted by Gert.

"Yes, I'm sure," he said, and after a tense standoff, his group dispersed. He turned to me.

"Good, now, what I'm going to offer you," I said, going directly "I'm going to contribute to fight, make sure the other groups don't encroach on our area, even say nothing about the border point," I explained, acting as if it was a great sacrifice to fight against smaller beasts.

The difference in experience gained made their chore my treasure.

"That's generous," he muttered.

"With one caveat," I continued. "Make sure that another trick like today doesn't happen, or I come to find you for a talk that you'll enjoy even less."

"I don't know what you're " he started, but shut up once I raised my hand in warning.

"Good. Talk with your friends and make sure it doesn't happen, or I will hold you responsible," I said. I wasn't entirely sure he had enough power to handle that, but it was a good start. This time, he didn't open his mouth, just nodded stiffly, not bothering to claim a lack of awareness.

Maybe he wasn't a lost cause.

"We still need to talk about him," he whispered. "While making the deal to draw the lines, we have promised blacks that he's a part of their influence."

"Too bad," I answered with a shrug. "I'm peculiar about what I eat in my old age, so I need my private chef." He looked unsure. "Tell them I'm claiming as a part of the emotional distress they inflicted with me earlier.," I declared.

"What if they don't agree," he said.

I smirked. "Then, they can come and talk to me. Though, when I interrupted their recruiting, they didn't seem very enthusiastic," I declared. "For some reason, they are under the impression that I'm not a poor little farmer."

Gert sighed. "It's whatever unarmed skill you have. It's nothing a farmer would bother to have," he explained. "However, it'll be inconvenient to explain that."

"Maybe, but you need to weigh inconveniences. Think about it. Is this the most inconvenient thing that could happen? For example, Greens seems to be very interested in me joining them," I said.

His expression, of relief and panic at the same time, was amusing. He shook his head, though, from the tenseness of his shoulders, I could see that I had pushed him far enough.

"Good, now, I'm going to do you a favor and join the line. And you're going to do me a favor, and make sure no one bothers my friend, and he can sell his wares freely. Understood?"

"Selling ' he started, but his negative response died when I put my hand on his shoulder. I didn't squeeze. I didn't need to, not with the memories still fresh.

"Understood."