Chapter 24: Serve in a silver platter

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Reem is a fifteen-year-old boy with curly brown hair, Geron is his maternal uncle. He first met his uncle while his mother is on her deathbed, when he was ten, his mother asked her brother to take and raise the boy in her stead. Geron took Reem with him and raised him, but the man was strict, tough, and aggressive, the boy didn't form any connection with his uncle, he just went around with him because he's the teenager's only known remaining relative.

Keith, on the other hand, is Geron's childhood friend, when they were little the bandit leader would protect him so he followed him around. The friends got separated during their teenage years, then one day when Keith lost his family due to a noble's persecution Geron arrived and saved him since then he became the man's subordinate.

The bandit with the gracefully thin body was madly in love with his childhood friend's little sister when he heard that Geron received a letter from Merilla and asked to meet with him, he tagged along to finally see her after more than two decades. But Merilla's condition wasn't good and passed away after a week of finally meeting her brother, at the same time, she handed her son to Geron.

However, the Bandit leader who was a mercenary back then wasn't particularly confident of raising a kid, so when Merilla asked her brother to take care of the boy, Geron hesitated and stood back silently, Keith, on the other hand, seeing the awkward situation answered in Geron's stead, "We will. We will take care of him I promise". In Keith's mind at the time, 'the last thing I'd do for the woman I once loved'.

Keith had somehow become Reem's caretaker and guardian and eventually thought of the boy as his own son.

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The bandit crew poured out of the great cave through the widest path out of the hideout, in the middle of the crowd is a slender man holding a teenage boy on his right, trying to smartly exit the cave. Keith thought that they would try to stay in the middle of the mob and then would sprint away during the chaos that the battle will cause, he was initially confident of escaping, after all, he's a middle knight even when carrying a teenage boy with him, but now with the viscount around, the chance of them being captured or dying is high.

Keith and Reem are in the middle of the thick black smoke, the slender man thought that by now the bandits at the front should have made out of the smoke and clashed with viscount's men, but there's no sound of battle. 'Something's unusually wrong here, if the bandits are out of the cave they should be facing a rain of arrows or bolts by now'.

Then unexpectedly their legs, particularly their feet up to the knees are wrapped or tangled with some kind of sticky silken thread, that hindered the movement of most of the crew. Reem dropped to his knees trying to free himself, while Keith thought of something, 'that boy's thread?', Keith looked around when suddenly he was pulled upwards by an intense force.

While Keith was being dragged upwards he heard someone yelled, "RELEASE!"

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Eric didn't expect the bandits to remain inside the cave for too long, he initially thought that they're still organized enough to move as a group. 'I guess killing the leader prevented them from easily reaching a clear consensus and making a decision. Which allowed him to maneuver his men around the hideout, taking ten soldiers each from Baches and Norman's group back into his contingent.

Now Eric has thirty-five men on his group, and all other exits are covered, he also assumes that if he forces the outlaw out of their base, they would choose his side which is the wider path. The two other cave exits are both narrow, only enough for two-person side by side, not ideal for scattering and escaping, if thought from the bandit's perspective.

The young lord grew up hunting, that is why smoking an animal from their den is a method he used a lot, he ordered his men to cut dry woods, place three piles of them close to the entrance, and set it on fire. Also, his web strings are already in place on the area a couple of hours before. After all that, the soldiers lined up aiming their crossbows at entranced waiting for orders.

The viscount plans to capture his "early Christmas present" before letting his men started shooting their weapons, thus he positioned himself upside down, his feet are stuck to the ceiling looking down at the moving bandits, excitedly waiting for someone. Thankfully the wind works in his favor and is blowing towards the interior of the cave.

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Now he got his man, wrapped around by his web string dangling up from a string connected to the ceiling, but the black-haired man's sight did not leave his crew, who are now being shot by crossbow bolts, while hindered by web-strings. This man, Keith hasn't once turned to face the viscount after being caught, who is now only a foot next to him, but instead started yelling a name while forcefully struggling to break free, even though the string prevents him from using aura, he only yelled, "REEEEM!!! REEEEM!!!".

Eric noticed this and looked down towards a young man with brown curly hair clutching his belly after being hit by a bolt. Eric yelled, "Halt!".

The viscount then yelled, "Drake!", Eric had instructed earlier for Drake with his six amateur knight bodyguards, to gang up on and finish off the knight-level bandits after the soldiers are done firing.

Eric hop down after locating one of the two remaining middle knights, the bandit saw Eric looking at him so he released two throwing knives which was easily deflected by the young man, he tried using aura to take the strings off his legs which is somehow working but will take a while, time that he didn't have. Eric is now standing next to the bandit looking down on the outlaw, behind the viscount is the corpse of three other bandits, the middle knight bandit leaped towards Eric while his legs are joined together by strings, a suicidal attack that ended his life.

After killing the two remaining middle knight bandits, Eric looked around. Most of the outlaws are severely injured and are trying to surrender, while the remaining knights and amateurs are dealt by Drake's group.

Eric walked towards Reem who is in extreme pain clutching a bolt lodged on his belly, the lord looked at Keith dangling above and the man is still looking at this boy, with tears and an apologetic face, probably thinking, 'i'm sorry, I brought you into this'.

Eric threw a knife covered with aura cutting the string connecting Keith to the ceiling. The slender man dropped down hard from twenty-five feet, obviously injuring him, probably breaking some bones. But the man continues to look at the injured boy and started crawling towards the teenager while all of his limbs are bound, anyone who looks at him will see how determined he is.

Eric is standing on the side looking at this scene indifferently, he then moves towards Keith and said, "here I'll help you", Eric kicked the man hard, shoving Keith closer to the boy.

Keith is now looking at the boy's face, who is breathing heavily and is about to lose consciousness.

Eric move closer next to the curly boy and revealed his dagger, "I'll help you end this bandit's suffering", and motioned for a stab when, "NO! Please sir, have mercy. We'll do... I'll do anything, milord", Keith begged.

Eric smiled mischievously and asked, "what can a bandit do for me? What can a criminal like you have to offer? I will eventually gain everything you own here".

"I.. I can help you with your awakened's", Keith said with pleading eyes towards Eric.

"Please my lord, he's dying.. My son."

Eric moved closer to Keith's ear and said, "I'll spare only the two of you, and kill everyone", Keith closed his eyes somewhat ashamed to be only bargaining for their lives.

Eric continued rather impatiently, "I have an ability to wrap your heart with web-string made out of my aura, if you accept, but betray me in the process, it will squeeze your heart killing you. Say accept and better hurry, he's losing consciousness".

"I accept! I accept!"

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