The Fall of Everything [Rewrite]

Chapter 29: Baldrek's Mission



Before the sun had reached noon, the camp was back to its old order. But something had changed in the air; the warriors' respect and loyalty to Corvus had visibly increased. Zarqa, Baldrek and Kragan were already on their way to carry out the tasks they had agreed upon in their meeting during the night. Although Corvus wanted to check the inns himself, Zarqa said it would be better for Corvus to stay in the camp. In his opinion, this was the moment when Corvus was most respected by his soldiers and he needed to spend time with them to strengthen that respect.
Zarqa and Kragan set off to visit the different inns of the Rhazgord, while Baldrek set off to inform Tanar about the bandits. Baldrek's place in Corvus' life went far beyond being a comrade-in-arms. They had spent their childhood together and had been friends from the earliest moments of their lives. Even in his earliest memories, Corvus remembered Baldrek by his side. Baldrek's father, Irgon, was one of the most skilled blacksmiths in Rhazgord and one of Corvus' father's closest friends. This bond brought their children closer together.
Baldrek's real dream was not to become a warrior in the first place. He wanted to be a blacksmith like his father, making the best weapons for the best warriors. While he was apprenticing at his father's fire and anvil, Corvus was training to be a warrior at the age of seven, training in the army. While Baldrek followed in his father's footsteps at the forge, Corvus needed a real sword. It was his first time carrying a sword, getting used to the weight of iron. So Corvus went to the smithy to order his first sword for Dragan, Baldrek's father. Dragan wanted to test Corvus' skills, so he gave him a sword of his size and asked him to make a few moves. After only a few weeks of training, Corvus' skills were far beyond those of his peers. That day, Baldrek was so amazed by the skill of Corvus, who was three years his junior, that the next day he left his life at the forge and went to the army to become a warrior.
Baldrek soon surpassed his peers with his muscular strength and skill at blacksmithing. His courage in battle was forged in the fire of blacksmithing. He soon became a master of both iron and sword. Baldrek's loyalty and friendship to Corvus was based on a deep bond.
Corvus sent Baldrek to Tanar for a special reason. Baldrek's character reminded Corvus of Baldrek's father, Dragan. Just as Dragan forged a sword perfectly and delivered it on time, Baldrek performed every task perfectly. Corvus wanted Baldrek's information to Tanar to be strictly controlled and for Tanar to act without excuse. Baldrek's reliability was a guarantee for Corvus. Baldrek would get Tanar to act no matter what.
As Baldrek moved swiftly towards Tanar's mansion, he had only one thought in his mind: To carry out his orders on time. He was so disciplined that he thought he had been delayed by the events in the camp in the morning, so he hurried. He still had plenty of time, but even that could not slow Baldrek down. When he reached Tanar's large, imposing house, two burly warriors stopped him at the door. The guards knew from the weapons and armor that Baldrek was important, but they were still cautious. No one could enter Tanar's house without question.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" one of the guards asked, without taking his eyes off Baldrek.
Baldrek straightened his posture with military discipline and spoke in a hoarse but clear voice: "Baldrek Vornak, adjutant of Corvus Tiamat. I have important information to relay to Tanar."
Baldrek's words had an immediate impact on the guards. His response, formal and straightforward, galvanized the two men into action without hesitation. Without wasting any time, they opened the courtyard gate and Baldrek entered the courtyard. The first thing he noticed were three bodies lying in a corner. These were the bodies of the bandits Tanar's men had killed.
The inside of the house was full of details that could not escape his eyes: A soldier at every corner, a guard at every staircase. Tanar was not only the head of a large family, he was also one of the people responsible for the administration of the city of Bahaz. But such intense security seemed too much, even for him. A spark went off in Baldrek's mind; who did this man feel threatened by?
When he entered Tanar's room and greeted him, Tanar's face wore his usual uncomfortable, sly smile. He stood up and spread his hands in an exaggerated gesture, pretending to be delighted to see Baldrek.
"What a nice surprise! Welcome, Baldrek. How can I help you?" he said with false enthusiasm.
But Baldrek ignored Tanar's sycophantic behavior. Without showing any emotion, he greeted Tanar coldly and said, "I saw some bodies in the courtyard. I assume they are the bodies of the bandits you promised Corvus."
Tanar sat down and explained what had happened. He said that his men had found and neutralized three groups of bandits after a very difficult search and struggle. The bandits lying in the courtyard were the leaders of the bandit groups.
Baldrek listened to Tanar in silence, then laid the maps he had taken out of his bag on the table and focused on the locations of the bandit groups marked on the maps.
"These are the areas and camps where the bandit groups we found were active," he said as he pointed to the marked areas on the map. Then he said, "Can you mark the locations of the groups you destroyed?" and pushed the map in front of Tanar.
After a moment's panic, Tanar crossed out a spot and stayed like that. After looking at the map for a few seconds as if he was searching for something, he made two more crosses on empty spots.
"We couldn't detect any bandit groups in those areas" Baldrek said.
Tanar was annoyed, but he had a smile on his face. "You may not have found any, but we did," he said in a sarcastic tone as he pushed the map in front of Baldrek. Baldrek ignored Tanar's attitude and began to explain one by one, pointing to all the points marked on the map with his finger. In short but precise sentences he described the situation of the bandit groups, their movements and what had to be done according to Corvus' orders. Tanar watched in amazement as Baldrek explained in a cold and mechanical way.
When Baldrek finished and looked up at Tanar, he noticed the anger on Tanar's face and spoke sarcastically, as if to irritate him further: "If you don't understand, let me explain it again."
Tanar suddenly seemed to come to his senses. He was lost in thought for a moment, but recovered quickly. "No, no, I understand perfectly," he said, trying to suppress the anger on his face. But then a sly smile settled on his face. "But first we should sit down and have a few words. It is an honor to meet a great warrior like you. Come, let's have a meal," he said with mock politeness. But Baldrek's face did not change in the slightest; only his eyes grew darker and his muscles tensed. "What's the plan?" Baldrek said, his voice even harsher. But Tanar had completely misunderstood the question. Thinking that his offer of food had been accepted, he responded with a big smile.
"Oh, very good! I know a place that cooks great meat, and you know what we should do? Let's take Corvus and go. I haven't had a chance to have a proper chat with him either," he said with mock joy. This time Baldrek's patience had run out. His expression was still hard as a rock, but his voice sharpened like a sword. His hand gripped the hilt of his weapon tightly as he stared into Tanar's eyes.
"I am asking when and how you will attack the other bandits," he said, his voice cold and determined. "Corvus gave you until tonight to deal with all the bandits. You have only taken out three. Have you forgotten what Corvus ordered you?"
The fake smile on Tanar's face disappeared in an instant. Faced with Baldrek's threatening attitude, he realized he had nowhere to run. It was clear that he did not really want to deal with the bandit problem. Even though he ruled an entire city, he was afraid to send his men into battle. Every soldier meant a price, every action an additional cost. On top of that, most of the bandits worked for him. So he seemed to be taking action, but in fact he was doing nothing. The lifeless bodies lying in the courtyard were not the leaders of three separate bandit groups, but members of a small bandit group. Tanar had hunted them down and killed them in order to pull the wool over Corvus' eyes. Corvus obviously wanted more. His only hope now was that Corvus would quickly eliminate the bandits who had nothing to do with him and leave the city.
While Taner was lost in thought, Baldrek took a step towards Tanar. His eyes met Tanar's and his voice was as hard as a frozen knife:
"What is your plan?!"
The sharpness of that sentence cut Tanar to the bone. Baldrek's patience was running out and Tanar knew it. He felt he had to act immediately. Part panic, part anxiety, he regulated his breathing and mumbled something quickly:
"Plan? Don't worry Baldrek, everything is ready. At sundown I will move to clear out the bandits."
Baldrek took a few steps back, keeping his eyes on Tanar. "I would like to see the information you have," he said slowly, his demeanor softening a little. The words resonated inside Tanar, because he knew how sloppy and inadequate his information was.
Tanar began to pace around his desk in fear. He seemed confused, his hands frantically rummaging through the drawers. Every now and then he would pull documents out onto the table, then realize they were wrong and put them back. Every movement was a manifestation of the chaos in his head. Finally, he found some maps and papers and handed them to Baldrek with a false look of pride on his face. As if he had achieved a great victory: "This is the information gathered by my best men," he said, as if he had achieved a great victory.
As Baldrek took the documents and skimmed through them, a tiny trace of derision crossed his face. One of the greatest talents of the Rhazgord army was its map-making skills. But the map in his hands was an embarrassment. The documents were even more disgraceful. There was no detail, no detail at all. Everything looked as if it had been prepared just for the sake of it.
"Can I take a copy of these with me?" he asked, his voice cold and distant. In the Rhazgord, copies were always made of documents that were not very important or classified, something every trained soldier knew. Baldrek watched Tanar's reaction carefully.
Tanar's lips curled as he sneaked out another lie: "Unfortunately, my soldiers lost it. But if you wait, I will have copies made quickly." For Baldrek, these words were just a sign of weakness. It took him only a moment to realize that Tanar was lying. There was nothing of note in the documents anyway.
Baldrek put the documents back on the table with his own. He stood up and headed for the door with steps as heavy as a rock. Without saying a word, he straightened his shoulders. When he reached the door, without turning around, he said, "Until tomorrow.Remember," he said. The cold threat in his words echoed in the room. He hadn't looked at Tanar, but the warning in that sentence cut the air in the room like a sharp knife.
Baldrek hurried back to the camp as quickly as he had come, and Tanar hurried out of his mansion. His steps were hurried, his heart pounding in his chest, getting faster with each step. Plans swirled in his head, looking for a way out. His destination was clear: In one of the darkest corners of the city of Bahoz, he headed for an iron gate. He hadn't had to knock on that door since Corvus' arrival, but now he had to. Now everything was at stake. As he hurried on his way, at the same time Zarqa and Kragan were entering an inn, carefully observing their surroundings.


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