The sparring match in the warrior camp

"It's fine. I am glad you came back safely,' Gresvin reassured him, 'It may not be ideal, but if they were to be captured, then it would prove to be all the more difficult.' 

"Tell me, how did they look, and what type of armor and weapons did they carry?" Gresvin asked extensively. Well, the two men we came across wore leather armor and caps. One had a dagger, and the other a short sword, but both of them had simple short bows strung over their shoulders," Marcus replied thoughtfully.

"Mm then there could only be two types of bandits, it could be another band of Skirmishing Outlanders or Forest bandits. If they are the latter, we may have a problem with our hands." Gresvin crossed his arms over his chest while pondering.

"Why so my Lord?" Marcus grew curious and asked, "The only types of bandits, based on my current knowledge, who wear such simple and plain armor would be the outlanders and the bandits. Based on their hierarchy in the group, they would be able to wear armor made from leather. The problem comes in here, outlanders would not be able to equip all their members with armor and good weapons, only their higher echelons would have better equipment while the forest bandits would be able to equip even their lowest members with some sort of armor," He explained patiently.

Marcus' expression changed as he heard Gresvin speak about the types of bandits. His brows furrowed in response, and he could not help but fall into thought. "If that is the case and we would be fighting Forest bandits, what chance of victory do we have?" 

"Well, if we really are facing forest bandits, we should be fine if they only bring 20 men, but any more could start to pose a problem. With our warriors' equipment, we would probably be able to match them. If they were to be regular people, then I doubt we would fail but if all of them were to be rank 1 warriors, then we will be defeated," he muttered.

"But I do not believe each member would be of ranked status. They would probably be normal people. Only their higher members would be ranked warriors," Gresvin said, trying to set Marcus at ease.

Hearing Gresvin's words had indeed put Marcus at some degree of ease. "Then how shall we prepare?" He asked attentively, "Well, for now, we shall refrain from sending out the scouting party; we will need every member to be ready to fight at a moment's notice." Gresvin said after some careful thought, "Then send out the warriors and station them on the watchtowers. They should be on alert, and the shifts should be changed regularly to achieve the best optimal effect. Once the enemy is spotted, we will regroup at the village entrance based on what little information we can gather," he gave a series of commands.

Marcus stood up and saluted dignifiedly, "As you wish my Lord," and he left the cabin. Marcus went on to meet the other warriors and passed down Gresvin's orders.

Gresvin watched Marcus' back disappear in the darkness, and he could not help but mutter, 'Hopefully, it won't be forest bandits. But just in case, we need to prepare for the worst.' 

He left the cold darkness and returned to his cabin. He would need all the rest he could get before the battle began.

Morning arrived much quicker than Gresvin wanted it to, and he had to begrudgingly climb out of bed. He would go and see what the situation was over at the watchtowers and if there was anything to note.

Gresvin quickly appeared by the first watchtower, which was built at the back of the village on the small hill; this would be the central tower, and two people would be stationed there at all times.

When Gresvin arrived, he saw Marcus and another warrior on duty. They heard the sound of footsteps and saw Gresvin slowly making his way up. They greeted him, and he returned the gesture.

"How do things look over here?" he asked curiously as his eyes were glued on the golden fields of crops in the distance.

"Nothing out of the ordinary as of yet, my Lord," Marcus answered in a tired voice. Mm, that's good," he mumbled softly. "Go and get some rest, you two," he gave his command coupons, seeing their tired visages.

"But my Lord—" Marcus wanted to protest. Go and rest. All of us will need to be at our best if we want to obtain victory," he interrupted Marcus and once more ordered. "Oh, Marcus, please go and deliver the report to the village elder. He should be told in advance," he gave a simple command.

The two warriors saluted Gresvin and took their leave, leaving Gresvin on top of the tower. He stood in silence, not moving once. He just let the wind blow through his hair and carefully felt the sun's warmth on his face. 'When they decide to come, we will be ready for them then,' he whispered to himself almost as if to reassure his beliefs of victory.

It was not until the sun was at its highest peak that two warriors appeared to come and replace Marcus' duo. Gresvin could hear their chatter from a few meters away; it continued until it came to an abrupt halt. The two men were surprised to see Gresvin on top of the tower.

"Greetings, my Lord!" they saluted him. Gresvin nodded in response, and without hesitation, he turned around and made his way down the steps. He did not speak to the warriors and just left. 

The two warriors were left befuddled but soon regained their composure while fervently whispering about Gresvin's actions.

Gresvin did not care for their whispers and idle chatter; all he wanted was to go and hunt in the forest. He had spent his entire morning watching over the village and had yet to go and train and hunt. As such, he quickly made his way into the woods; he did not want to waste a single second more than was already wasted.