Jason stared into a fire, a big flame of red covering his sight and trapping him in a box, raising his head he found himself to be huge, his shadow covering what stood before him
Screams of pain came forth from the blaze as corpses of black, their skin was charred black climbing from it and crawling towards this shadow of his in desperation
He tried moving back afraid for himself, but chains stopped him in place, corpses moved slowly reaching for his skin, while theirs was falling, his wasn't visible
He woke up drenched in sweat gasping for air, his hand gripping tightly over the necklace of wood
It was the first of day, most were already awake having their fun with the inquired fortune
"3 full carriages" said Doryon "3 FULL CIRRIAGES WOHOOOO!!" plunging his hand in, he threw whatever it could hold from coins in the air
Some built towers
"Almost…" said the boy putting the last piece of gold "Almoooost…..." he placed it perfectly "Hell Yeah!"
Others made drawings on the ground with them
"It looks just like you" said the first
"That's a pig" replied the second
"Yeh as I said" replied the first "Just like you"
Ramo stood centring the crowd and spoke up saying "Now, now everybody, put them back, we need to finish counting the last portion"
And so they did, placing them beside each other in little mountain-like shapes
"All of this, is just one carriage worth of gold" said Seryon
"They've already counted the other two" replied Doryon
"And how much did they end up with?" asked Seryon
"They said the full number will be announced once everything is in place," said Jason
"This was really a hit" said Doryon pocking Jason and making him see in a man's direction
That man pouched some gold in his back pocket, but the moment he placed it inside his hand was dragged out and upwards by Ramo
"He, he, he…" said the man "Can a sincere apology work it out?" he continued with a forced smile
"No" said Ramo draining colour of his face "but there is a way"
"What is it, i will do anything" replied the man with haste
"A broken finger" replied Ramo
"Huh—" crack!!!
He twisted the man's finger towards the back of the hand, screams of agony, rolling to the sides while holding his hand
"If none of you wish the same to happen, you better place those golden coins back this moment, before I search for them myself" said Ramo
Many did so without hesitation, emptying their pockets standing in lines, they were searched by one another. This action doubled the gold amount
"That was deserved" said Seryon taking a sword from a dead body, looking around he went searching for a fitting sheath
"I don't know about that" said Doryon "He could've just hit him without causing that much of an injury, he will be useless like this" picking some arrows
"A sacrificial sheep is necessary in such situations" said Jason "If he did not do such a thing, they would repeat such acts again, the pyramid of power needs to be like this" sitting beside a dead knight
Jason took a knight's helmet that was way too oversized for his body and wore it, the moment his sight went dark he threw it in fear
"What is wrong Jason?" asked Doryon
"Oh, I uhm… It's just that it almost chokes me up that's it," said Jason
Doryon picking it up looking at how big it is wish couldn't possible have made his suffocate "Ok…" he said ignoring it
Seryon took it and said "Let me try it" as he wore it he continued with
"It is just dark, there is no—" said Seryon
Jason cut him saying "Anyways, lets go and clean out new weapons" picking an axe he walked where the rest sharpened their weapons
Jason sat down taking his turn, beside him was Seryon
"What are you doing here Doryon?" said Seryon "You use a bow"
"I don't have anything to do, plus It wouldn't hurt to sharpen the arrow heads" replied Doryon
Behind them sat the merchants, tied down with ropes, their mouths gagged, nothing but murmurs trapped behind their lips
"What do you think will happen to them" said Doryon
"Probably killed" replied Jason, Muffled screams kept coming from their side
"At best case they'll be traded off to the Varish" said Seryon, the merchants calmed down a little
"Not really" replied Jason "If we do so, we'll end up selling out our existence and most likely our location as well"
The murmurs came back harder as both Jason and Seryon forced themselves not to laugh
"When do you think they will be hanged" said Seryon with a smile from the ear to the ear giving them his back
"It will be either here and now, or when we go back" said Jason holding it in
"Ramo would've ordered it to happen earlier if he wished their death" said Doryon "Killing them now is a waste of time and unnecessary"
As the merchants calmed down Seryon spoke saying
"Maybe he wants to hang them that is why"
"Do you think he will notice some messing fingers?" said Jason staring at them in the reflection of his axe
"Stop it, if you don't wish to smell their waste for the rest of the time they are with us" said Doryon staring at one's shaking legs
"Look, they seem to have finished counting," said Seryon "How much do you think they ended up with?" people were gathering around the golden mountain
"I don't know," replied Jason standing up "Maybe 300, 400 at max"
"No way" said Doryon as they walked with the rest" there got to be at least 500 in their"
"Every one be quiet" said Ramo towering both the gold and the people
"I know that most of you expect us to divide this fortune amongst each other" said Ramo "But this is not going to happen"
Some felt it weird, others found it to be expected
"This camp, was not made to support us, it was made for the good of our people" said Ramo "And so, this shall be used for them and us alike"
"How much did we end up with?" asked a man standing in the crowd
"How much do have and where will it be spent? We should at least be allowed this much," said another
"Silence, silence pls" said Ramo "The total gold that have been acquired in this lucky incident is… about 800"
The crowd went silent for a moment
"800… hundred… golden coins," said a man
"Yes" said Ramo
Joy broke the chains despair that held them down most of their lives, shaking each other violently, hugging and shouting at one another
Some fell crying of happiness
"Finally, we have a chance to fight of the Varish" said one falling on his knees
"Father, we made it" said one comforting his crying friend while staring the sky above "I wish you were here to witness it"
"I hate to break the mood but" said a man continuing with a question that silenced the air "How will we use the gold?"
"We did think about it" replied Ramo "We will be sending a team disguised as knights to the great market, they bring back our needs"
"They shall be sent before noon" said Ramo before leaving, he was followed by his assistant as they walked through the loud noises
"Why haven't you told them the full truth?" he said to Ramo "The Varish acquire such wealth from taxes each day"
"And break their morals?" replied Ramo "Let them have happy day dreams for a while, with how lucky we've been, it will only get worse from here"
Time passed, by noon a couple of horses we equipped
"200 gold it is" said the assistant to the man guiding the team of horses
"We will be sure to come back in no time," replied the man climbing up his horse and riding off with the rest
"Why did you choose not to accompany them Doryon?" said Jason watching the horses leaving with only dust behind
"Since you are not used to blood, this would have been a great opportunity to find another job" said Seryon
"And who will stop you two from killing each other "replied Doryon
Ramo placed the rest of the gold inside two carriages and sent them away "These shall be stored until it is needed" he said
"Ser, what will we do with the merchants?" a man asked Ramo
"They will be sent as well, until further is discussed" said Ramo as they were loaded into a third carriage who followed
"You may rest for the day" Ramo shouted "None is allowed to attack any moving caravan until it is by my order"
Seryon wearing a chest plate and a helmet he held a wooden shield arrows struck him everyone in a while as he defended against them
"Will what we attained really give us a chance in the future?" said Doryon to Jason, while using his bow to shower Seryon with arrows
"Head" said Seryon defending against one that came that way
"I don't know much about kingdoms" said Jason "But this much, should be attainable for them in a day, of course from the stories I heard in Vonir's classes"
"Torso" said Seryon defending another
"I wonder what is doing now a days" said Doryon
"shoulder' said Seryon defending a strike
"Probably teaching toddlers, or the ones that were not accepted, unlike us," said Jason
"Stop, this should be enough Doryon" said Seryon "I need to clean the shield now"
Whistle—
The loud sounds across the dark grass stopped at once. Rushing silently the Vikings laid flat behind Ramo
5 horses, Ramo did a sign with his hand announcing the upcoming
"This should be pretty easy, although I don't think it'll bring us much" said Seryon shushed by Doryon
The horses came forth from the dark, 4 without a raider, a rope tied them together bringing them towards the trap
Swords were held tight; arrows were ready awaiting the order
Slowly Ramo's gaze grew cold, terrified he was
The masked men led the head horse, beside him blood dripped, he held a couple of heads, soon the rest noticed them
The Vikings that were sent this morning to the market came back as corpses, that is what they saw as the masked man slowed reaching the trap, he stopped their holding up the head with a rope
"This bastard" whispered a man behind Ramo "His is provoking us" he unsheathed his blade wanting to rush forward, the rest wished to do the same
Ramo punched him to the side with want hand, people were confused awaiting the order that never came
On the other side the rest couldn't see Ramo so they started talking to his assistant
"Where is the order?" he was deep in thought staring what stood before him
"Ser? Ser??"
"Oh ah, what?" said the assistant
"Shouldn't we attack before he flees?" said the man "the rest are angry enough I don't think you will hold them any longer?"
Jason wide eyed staring that mask, its stared him back for a brief moment before glancing at each hideout of theirs, raising the rope in hand showing them their dead friends
"We will await the order, that is it," said the assistant
The masked man stood there in complete silence, feeling bored of it he let go of the heads and continued forward towards the dark, he soon disappeared of their sight
The two divided groups collided as the people started questioning
"Why didn't' you announce the attack?!" said a man to Ramo
"You just accepted defeat against a man who slaughtered our brothers??" said another
Doryon looked to the side to find Jason was the most shocked, scared as much as Ramo was
Ramo took a deep breath before he spoke
"We shall go back, now" leaving them behind and attending to the horses