"Zach, are you hurt?"
Fighting through the wave of weakness that followed using the [Burning Bridges] strategy card, Arthur watched the giant vulture flailing helplessly on the ground. He slung the [Qilin Bow] across his back and dismounted.
"I'm alright. Just a little dizzy, and my shoulder hurts," Zach Stone replied, sitting up in a daze. He had been knocked off his horse by the vulture and hit his head.
"Mostly just a little hungry."
Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. If you're hungry, you haven't been knocked stupid."
Wick and Vic rode over, surrounding the bird.
Vic looked excited. "My Lord! You actually shot it down! It's huge—the biggest bird I've ever seen!"
Wick shouted loudly, "Roasted giant vulture tonight! We're feasting on roasted vulture!"
Seeing Zach was unharmed, Arthur turned to Wick and Vic, who were circling the bird on horseback. "Lasso it and tie it up. Don't kill it.
"I plan to try and tame a bird this big. If I can't tame it, then you can have it for a snack."
The vulture resembled the bald eagles of Earth, but was vastly larger. Its wingspan was nearly three to four meters—more than double the size of an ordinary eagle.
If he could truly tame it, taking it hawking with nobles would be a complete domination.
And if he could go a step further and use his skinchanging ability to control it, he would possess aerial reconnaissance for future campaigns. Arthur couldn't help but fantasize: commanding a highly mobile cavalry force with aerial vision to open up the map. As long as he didn't do anything stupid, there would be nowhere in Westeros he couldn't go.
After indulging in his vision of a beautiful future, Arthur grounded himself to complete the other task of this sortie. He blew his war horn, recalling the scattered cavalry squads.
Hearing the horn, the Captain of the Guard was the first to arrive with his squad. He stared in astonishment at the giant vulture, now bound and loaded onto a makeshift travois.
The Captain rode up to Arthur, full of admiration. "Lord Arthur, by the Old Gods and the New! You actually shot down that beast?"
The Captain had initially grumbled about Arthur's order to disperse the men, especially after two were wounded. Now, his doubts vanished.
Arthur: "Captain, it's mine now. Have men transport it back to High Hermitage. Get the Maester to treat its wounds."
The Captain bowed in the saddle. "As you command."
With the vulture secured, Arthur dispersed the squads again. This time, without the threat from the sky, everyone breathed easier.
The sight of the two cavalrymen with their shoulders shredded by the vulture's talons, constantly groaning in pain, had been terrifying.
The entire troop picked up the pace, searching along the road for half a day. Just as Arthur began to wonder if the wildlings had swum back across the river or evaded their search, he prepared to turn back.
Tweeeet— Woooo—
Arthur heard the urgent sound of bone whistles and war horns from the right.
He pulled the reins to the right, kicked Shadow, and accelerated toward the sound.
Shadow was fast, but Arthur arrived a step too late. The fighting was already over.
Over a dozen tall wildlings with brown or blonde hair had been captured. They were huddled together, surrounded by three cavalrymen.
On the way in, Arthur saw no fewer than ten wildlings lying in pools of blood on the ground and by the trees.
Arthur asked Ser Bard, who had blown the horn, "Is this all of them?"
Ser Bard flicked the blood from his longsword and shook his head. "They scattered and ran. I saw at least fifty of them myself. It looks like they don't plan to return to the west bank of the Torrentine. They're fleeing north."
Arthur examined the terrain ahead. It was a typical canyon landscape, low in the middle and high on the sides, with dense forests flanking the path. He was unsure whether to pursue.
The Captain of the Guard rode up. "My Lord, ahead lies the territory of House Blackmont. Our mission is effectively complete."
Arthur glanced at the darkening sky and nodded. "Do not pursue a desperate foe. Return to High Hermitage."
On the way back, they caught several more wildlings who had been separated in the panic. In the end, they had fifteen captives, men and women, mostly young and strong.
As they led the captives past the villages and manors that had been raided...
Many smallfolk watched from a distance, wanting to come forward but too afraid. In the end, their thousand words turned into one silent prayer: Thank the Seven for protecting us, and may the sinners receive their just punishment.
It was deep night when they arrived back at High Hermitage with the fifteen captives. The gate guards couldn't see their faces clearly and refused to open the gates.
Finally, the Captain of the Guard had to be hoisted up in a basket before the gates were opened.
The Captain looked embarrassed. "My Lord, I am truly sorry."
Arthur shook his head. "Nothing to be sorry about. The gate guards did the right thing tonight. They should be rewarded."
After praising the guards and ensuring the Captain secured the captives, Arthur returned to his guest room to rest.
Perhaps due to the exhaustion from using the [Burning Bridges] card, Arthur slept until noon the next day.
"My Lord, looks like we won't be eating roasted vulture meat," Wick said, face full of regret.
"The Maester of High Hermitage says your two arrows didn't break any bones. He says he's confident he can heal it so it can fly again."
Vic brought in a basin of water. "I think My Lord missed the vitals on purpose. Otherwise, how would it show off his marksmanship?"
Arthur splashed water on his face. "Vic gets it. Wick, compared to your brother, you have no instinct for being a squire."
Wick shrank his neck, pursed his lips, and glanced sideways at his brother before defending himself. "It's not just me! The cook had the water boiling, waiting to pluck the feathers. Everyone was looking forward to the taste of that giant bird, especially the men it clawed."
"Big birds don't taste good anyway." Arthur finished washing up and ordered Wick, "Go to the kitchen and get me some food."
Wick: "Do you want what you had yesterday? Viscount Dimitri is having roasted snake again today, with venom added."
Arthur subconsciously rubbed his stomach. Recalling the roasted snake Viscount Dimitri had highly recommended yesterday, he felt the fire in his stomach still hadn't gone out.
"No. Get me something light. Just what we eat at Starfall."
After sending Wick away, Arthur looked at Vic, who was picking up the washbasin to leave. "Call the Captain of the Guard."
"Yes." Vic responded and left.
The food arrived before the Captain.
It was basic, non-spicy fare: white bread, butter, cheese, cold lemon-egg soup, and the ubiquitous Summerwine.
Arthur had just washed the food down with the wine when the Captain entered his room.
"What happened to you?" Arthur saw the Captain's forehead still beading with sweat. His linen tunic and riding breeches were stained with spots of blood and large patches of sweat. "Practicing swordplay at noon?"
The Captain shook his head. "Interrogating the wildlings captured yesterday."
Arthur had summoned the Captain intending to have him lead the way to the dungeon for interrogation, but it seemed he was already done.
"What did you find out?"
Captain: "I cross-referenced the information from these wildlings with the reports from Ser Craig at Vulture's Roost."
"The Vulture King commands fifteen tribes. They have established a camp on a high ground in the angle between the Torrentine stone bridge and Vulture's Roost."
"There are over four thousand people in that camp. Their weapons and armor are far inferior to ours."
Hearing the Captain's clear and concise report, Arthur nodded.
"Good. Now we just wait for news from Blackmont."
"And observe the reaction from the Vulture King's side."
read more inpat***
CaveLeather
please vote..