Chapter 7

The children he'd brought under his command arrived later on in the day after he'd already gotten everyone in generally the same area with the promise of food.

A small convoy of supplies came along with them as well, courtesy of Count Azifirat with an attached message, 'Good luck with the Tenli strongholds ~You're Friend, Count Azifirat.'

Gerrod smiled and tore the note apart.

"Go and feed the men a portion of bread and water." Gerrod waved and then took his place elsewhere in the shadows watching everything happen.

The children who were originally a part of their army were very easy for the men to accept back especially with their offerings of food.

Tale of what happened at then night battle also quickly spread like wildfire from the mouths of the children putting an air of defeat into the already broken men.

Gerrod stood under a dilapidated roof watching the men change and the air switch.

'They're going to reach their lowest point soon.' He looked around the various men and smiled internally, 'I hate doing this but, I have a job to do.'

He glanced at the children and men, he looked at the broken and resolved himself.

Taking a step forward from the darkness of the roof he instantly caught the attention of the dejectedly eating men.

"You should all know by now from the children. I am Gerrod Thom Dradir. I told you before about myself. And now I will tell you what is going to happen from this moment forward." The men stared at him intently.

Many looked displeased with the way he was talking. But none dared voice complaints. They had heard of his supernatural strength from the children.

Gerrod nodded and continued, "You may either join me in freeing the north from starvation and prevent what happened to your families from happening to other families. Or I hand you over to the Tiny Terror and let her do as she wishes with you as prisoner's of war."

The men glanced from one to the other. It wasn't a question. Everyone joined him.

Just like that he got fifty more emaciated people putting him up to a seventy man strong group of weak and sickly folk with little to no battle ability.

Gerrod walked over to the leader of the supply unit, Rael Lonthi, a Baron under the Royal Faction lead by Azifirat and the officer who was screaming through the night when they first attacked.

"Leave these carriages with the food and horses here." He smiled at him.

Rael looked confused, "Why would I?"

"Because I said so, after all, myself and Azifirat are good friends, he'll understand, trust me." Gerrod gave an award-winning smile and Rael slowly nodded.

"Men! Move out!" He raised his hand and the supply units soldiers left in an orderly march.

Gerrod turned back feeling the threatening stares on it. He smiled coldly and released his aura sending a wave of trauma through the men who were already prone to hallucination due to their hunger.

The feeling of murderous intent vanished instantly as it was overpowered by an air of absolute fear and loyalty to the one who spread such fear.

He sat atop the canopy of the head carriage leaning his chin on his hand.

He gestured for the men below to do as they please. And so they continued eating.

Once they had finished eating their was a wave of people passing out with full bellies. They snored happily.

The twenty children, however, did not sleep. They went over to the carriage Gerrod was sitting at and stared at him with fiery eyes.

He looked back down at them with a shining gaze. Something humans shouldn't be able to do. Only animals eyes shine.

"What is it?" He breathed.

"Train us." A red-haired boy said, likely around fifteen years old.

"Don't wanna." He replied laying back on the carriage canopy. His eyes moved to the stars above.

"You said you'd take us in." Another boy gathered his courage and spoke, "You have to take responsibility!"

Gerrod felt a pang of guilt in his conscience, 'If it's only one or two things... it should be fine. Just don't learn their names.'

"We are staying at this camp for the next five days while everyone recovers. During those days I will teach you all the basics of CQC, the rest is up to you to pursue." Gerrod kicked his leg lightly as though shooing them.

They didn't reply again.

Gerrod awoke several times through the night and watched as people deserted. He didn't chase them. Nor did he speak to them.

What he did do was make sure they knew he'd seen them. And make sure they knew he'd let them go.

'A man whose lost his family shouldn't be forced into a fight they don't want. Nor should they be afraid of being chased for running from it.' Was his logic as to why he let them go while knowing of his eyes on them.

However, this gave a contradictory effect. The men who deserted felt like they were being watched constantly all the way home. Every pair of eyes they saw shining in the dark were his.

Morning struck like a hammer on good metal. Everyone awoke with a bang.

Gerrod had jumped off the carriage and made lots of noise on purpose. The men who were ridden with anxiety and who hardly slept shot up.

"30 men deserted last night. Thirty. Men. Do you know what that means?" The men trembled some even cursing under the deserters under their breath, "It means absolutely nothing! If you want to desert from me, you can."

'I said you can either join me or go to the Tiny Terror, I never said I'd capture you if you deserted.' Gerrod shrugged after seeing their complex stares, 'I want those who want change with steady and sturdy hearts, not men on the verge of stabbing me in the back.'

"So, how do we train?" The same red-haired male from the night before said.

"Good question Redhead, fight each other, I will overlook it. No headshots and not hits to the crotch." The men looked at him incredulously, "That's how I learned."

Redhead turned to the strongest looking boy and pointed at him. He was prepared.

'Probably a bit too prepared to strike at his own countrymen but, it's good to be enthusiastic?' Gerrod shrugged mentally.

"Wait- wait!" The boy tried to defend himself but Redhead attacked viciously.

No one was hurt though. Both of them are emaciated and the strikes were so slow that a toddler could dodge them.

Gerrod's eyes sharpened at the side.

"Don't swing at an opponent with his guard down. Jab." The boys froze and turned to look at him.

Gerrod sighed and threw a straight, "That's a jab."

Redhead took some distance and put his hands up.

"Your guard is too low bring it up."

He adjusted his hands higher.

"Your guard is too high lower it."

He adjusted.

"Your legs are too close together."

"Their too far apart."

"Your feet aren't facing the right way."

"Use your hips."

"Not like that."

"Don't block what you can dodge."

"Don't dodge what you can counter!"

"Don't just run at each other, knee's are weapons too."

"Don't hit people with your knee's like that."

"That's not how you kick."

"You'll break your foot like that."

"Ahhh...."

Endless shouts of frustration rang from Gerrod. He wanted to tear out his hair seeing the sloppy fighting in front of him.

In this moment he remembered how he learned and what he was like when he first started out and just felt even more frustrated, 'I was a genius! How the hell am I supposed to empathize with these louts?!'

"Haaa...."

It was a long few days. They ended up staying in place for a week because Gerrod couldn't handle the fact that they didn't understand how to drop their shoulders or block with their legs.

Finally on the seventh day he let up.

"Everyone." The men stood straight and stared listlessly. Throughout the training many dropped out. The group had cut down to twenty. The same twenty from before. Twenty children come men.

They stood scattered about but each of them still stood straight as a spear.

"Get in the carriage. We're going to your homeland." They nodded and got in the carriage in an orderly fashion.

Redhead took the most space.

Wack.

Gerrod hit him and he stopped.

"Master can't you be a little more gentle? I'm seeing butterflies!" Redhead rubbed his head tearfully.

"Want me to do it again?" Gerrod didn't even glance back.

Redhead went mute.

"Master... what do you plan on doing in Tenli?" Blackhair said curiously.

"I plan on saving them." Gerrod replied simply, "They need food, Shokan has food. I have the means to acquire it for them. All they have to do is swear fealty to Avizasi and they're entire nation will be brought out of starvation. No amount of national pride will make starving people deny food."

"So it's blackmail for loyalty then?" Weirdiris sighed, "Won't that make them hate Shokan more even if they get their loyalty?"

"No. People who are hungry will do anything for food. Even sell their souls." Redhead shook his head slowly, "You know it. So do I. We also don't have a king anymore. I know that if my village found out the king was dead they would immediately become independent and stop paying the lord."

"Not my village. We are very loyal to Tenli!" Shakyleg said seriously.

"Your probably a village of blacksmiths so you get special treatment from the royalty. But they're gone now and even you have taken Shokan's bread into your belly with how hungry you were." Redhead fired back lazily, "Let's not pretend that this is blackmail. It's business. If you take an apple from a shop without paying, regardless of how hungry you are you get your hands cut off. At least the food Shokan gives everyone can pay for."

"Why are you so eager to give up your country to them?" Shakyleg said coldly.

The other perked up looking at Redhead.

He snorted, "Them? Us? There is no 'them' and there is no 'us', Tenli is gone. You heard what Master said and you know it's true, all those Daray and Maali emissaries that were always being welcomed, the taxes shooting through the roof to pay for their expenses. If not to Shokan we will be given to Daray or Maali or both. At least if we go to Shokan we can avoid another war."

"Another war? If we go to Daray or Maali there won't be another war. Shokan will fall." Shakyleg countered coldly, "We might lose our country but so would they."

"And then what?" Blackhair cut in, "So we give in to Maali or Daray, okay. Then, what? We are thrown into territorial wars between Daray and Maali, our people are treated as soldiers and slaves? You know their laws. You've heard the stories of the defeated."

Shakyleg shook his leg anxiously, "Still... it is our home."

"It still is, Shaky." Redhead sighed, "You all fail to understand. Even if it's under a new ruler what does it matter to us as long as they are fair? Our old king broke the people's backs to accommodate emissaries and doll up their wives in hopes of what? Even to the point of neglecting his family. Daray would enslave us and send us to the Deathgiver's Cross. And Maali? Maali would turn us into third-class citizens, no better than dirt on the ground."

"Shokan may have thrown us to the dogs. But at least if we join them. We will become wolves, not chow." Blackhair sighed, "It is still our home in the end. But only if Shokan wins."

Shakyleg bent over nervously shaking his leg.

Weirdiris pat his back, "At least, your family should be well off, they're blacksmiths right? So they should be protected at least no matter where it goes to."

Shakyleg's shaking intensified, "We aren't blacksmiths, we're farmers..."

"Farmers?!" Redhead burst out laughing, "Damn Shaky! You're family is ...unique?"

He cooled real quick after Blackhair elbowed him.

Shakyleg burst into an even greater bout of anxiety.

"Hey I didn't mean it okay, everything might not be alright, but we won't know exactly know how bad it'll get or how great it might become if we don't 'Stand up and live' like Master always says." Redhead reached across the carriage and put a hand on Shakylegs head ruffling his hair.

The many others in the carriage didn't voice their opinions but, they felt the same as Shakyleg and Redhead in that they felt fearful and anxious for the future but also resolved to face it head-on.

They would do as their Master had told them.

"Stand up and live."