Captain Marcus Question

Day after day, all they did was stick to their task of filling all the reservoirs in the combat department and in the evening they would go to the dinning hall to get their meal which consisted of wheat and water before going to sleep. They continue with this process since there is nothing else to do.

One week later, captain Marcus came back with his men with most of them being seriously injured even captain Marcus has some cut on him which proves how difficult their mission was.

"How did it go?" Asked the clan head with a deep frown on his face as he stared at captain Marcus from where he was sitting the moment he came to report their mission.

"We fell for their trap patriarch, they were waiting for us the whole time. We were lucky to be able to leave without losing any of our men sir" reply captain Marcus with a slight bow.

"I guess we underestimated the thundering sword clan this time around" said one of the elders with a sigh.

"So what would our next move be now that we failed to return the favor?" Asked the elder with a hunched back.

With the elder asking this question, the others could not help but turn to the clan head as they wanted to know what his decision would be. The clan head didn't speak for some time as he tried to calm his anger over being outsmarted by the thundering sword clan.

"Right now, we wait and see what their next move will be. Marcus why don't you go tend to your injuries, I need you to be in good shape for the upcoming battle" reply the clan head after much thought.

"As you wish, patriarch" said Captain Marcus with a bow before exiting the mansion.

After captain Marcus makes his way out of the mansion, the other elders begin to come up with ideas on how to get back at the thundering sword clan.

"Patriarch, why don't we invite one of those sects that are under our territory to help us with the destruction of the thundering sword clan territory?" Said an elder who happens to be the youngest among the rest.

"Do you think the thundering sword clan would let their guard down just because they succeeded in stopping our invasion?" Asked the elder with a hunchback.

"And besides, what makes you think any of the sects under our territory would agree to help us deal with the thundering sword clan? The only reason why the serpent eye sect agreed to help them was due to their nature, so quit that idea of yours elder cane" another elder bout in as he reminded the youngest elder about the sect under their territory.

"That's enough you all, and just like what elder Otto said, it would be impossible for us to strike the thundering sword clan even though they managed to stop our attack, so for now, we wait and see what their next move would be" said the clan head.

With the clan head making the final call, all the elders decided not to say anything concerning the matter as they quickly changed the topic to other affairs of the clan. Meanwhile, in the forest, Alden and Ethan were still busy doing their task but unlike the usual smile they have on their faces when doing their task, this time around, they were both frowning.

"Is just as you said Alden, it won't be easy for them to take the thundering sword clan on a surprise just like they did to us" said Ethan with a sigh.

"The good news is that captain Marcus was able to come back with his life, else I wonder what would become of the ironwood fortress clan if they happened to lose one of their strength" replied Alden.

"It won't be long though, I will surely avenge you all" Ethan mutters while staring at the sky.

That day went in the blink of an eye and then came the next day as they all waited for the thundering sword clan to attack, but nothing of the ordinary happened. Before long, two more years had gone by with the two boys still doing their task, but there was a lot of difference compared to before.

Currently, they both look more muscular unlike the slim figures they used to have, and now they no longer carry buckets like they used to but rather a big calabash.

Although they look frail when carrying the calabash around, but if one were to take a closer look at them, they would be able to see that they are not having any difficulty carrying the calabash.

"Plashing"

The sound of water being poured into the reservoir could be heard, and there seemed to be a newcomer among the lower rank.

"It's been two years since we have been doing this, I wonder when elder Thorne is going to begin our training instead of increasing the size of the water carrier" complains Ethan after pouring his water into the reservoir.

"I'm also getting tired of all this, I mean carrying this no longer proves to be a problem for us so what is he waiting for before he starts teaching us how to take the first step into becoming an immortal" Alden commented with a sigh.

Just as the two were wondering when elder Thorne would begin their training, captain Marcus suddenly walked in at the time they were discussing and happened to hear all that they were saying.

"So you both think you are ready for the next step huh" captain Marcus asked from behind.

Surprised by the sudden question, they both were shocked and turned around only to see captain Marcus standing there with his hands folding under his chest.

"I ask again, are you ready for the next step?" He asked once again but this time in a serious tone.

"Yes sir, I think we are ready for the next step" replied Alden as he answered for the two of them.