Chapter Seventy-Six: The Matter of Prisoners

The next morning, Jack Keen descended the stairs feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Tina and Perrin would likely be resting for the entire day. As he stepped outside, his first glance fell upon the city walls, battered and pockmarked from the previous day’s battle—their durability had dropped significantly, and “full of holes” was hardly an exaggeration. Of course, no one but him could see the wall’s durability rating; to everyone else, the walls seemed unremarkable.

“Good morning!” Wolf stood outside the residential building, greeting him with a cheerful smile.

“There was quite a commotion yesterday. Are you alright?” Jack Keen looked him over; the werewolf Wolf hadn’t lost a limb.

“I’m fine!” Wolf replied with a grin. “But we lost a total of 436 kobolds in the battle. Right now, we’re left with only one chief, five patrols, and twenty-six crossbowmen!”

“What about the kobold miners and craftsmen?” Jack Keen asked quickly.

“The miners and craftsmen are unharmed.”

“That’s a relief!” Jack Keen sighed in relief. “Have we used up all the raw meat resources? 436 kobolds lost—that’s quite a slaughter.”

“There was nothing we could do,” Wolf shrugged. “The enemy had a leader of considerable strength. He personally cut down countless kobolds. If he’d had a silver weapon, I might not have been able to defeat him myself!”

“It seems we’ll need more raw meat to recruit more kobolds,” Jack Keen said, whistling. The kobold chief immediately arrived with the remaining five patrols and twenty-six crossbowmen to report in.

Jack Keen scanned them. After a night’s rest, they were all in peak condition. “Today’s mission is to go out hunting, but don’t stray too far from the base!”

“Awoo!” the kobold chief responded, leading his subordinates out at once.

Jack Keen then summoned the idle kobold craftsmen, instructing them to take stones and repair the city walls’ durability.

Only after he’d finished all this did Wolf speak up. “The corpses left from yesterday’s battle—I’ve already ordered them cremated.”

“What? I haven’t even looted the bodies yet!” Jack Keen was a little vexed. “Didn’t you say their leader was about as strong as you? There had to be some great equipment or blueprints to be found on him!”

“Sorry!” Wolf immediately lowered his head.

“Never mind. But next time someone that powerful is killed, at least let me loot the body first,” Jack Keen instructed.

“Yes,” Wolf nodded in understanding.

“But the battle was so intense yesterday, yet I didn’t gain a single bit of experience!” Jack Keen sighed. “It seems if you don’t personally participate, you get nothing. What a waste of experience and loot! But I suppose nothing could be done—who knew that strange fruit would have such an exaggerated effect?”

“If you need experience and loot, perhaps the prisoners captured yesterday could help you!” Wolf suggested. “Shall I kill them all for you?”

“We have prisoners?” Jack Keen asked in surprise.

“Yes.”

“Take me to see them!”

Wolf immediately led Jack Keen to the prison. On the open ground nearby, four or five hundred militiamen lay bound, many of them wounded to various degrees. These were the villagers from Tina’s village—the same ones who had been released before. Now, however, they were tightly bound together, unable to move freely.

When Jack Keen appeared, the militiamen’s faces were filled with terror. Though he’d let them go once, they’d been dragged back by Alex to attack the city again, killing many kobolds in the process. Would Lord Keen, in a fit of rage, slaughter them all? After all, he hadn’t broken his word in releasing them, but they had returned as enemies.

“Lord Keen! Lord Keen!” As Jack Keen was observing the militia, a stranger’s voice came from inside the cell.

“Who is it?” Jack Keen stepped closer and saw a middle-aged man in a town guard’s uniform, with naturally curly brown hair, lying bound on the floor and calling out loudly. “And who might you be?”

“Lord Keen! I am Buddy Libris, a member of the town guard. I am willing to become your follower and serve you loyally!” Buddy shouted. “Lord Keen, please give me a chance!”

“What’s his story?” Jack Keen turned to Wolf.

“No idea! I can’t make sense of what he’s saying either,” Wolf replied, shaking his head. “But yesterday, when he was trying to escape, he suddenly killed one of his companions and forced the militiamen to surrender.”

“He—” Jack Keen’s eyes widened as he pointed to the town guard and then to himself. “He wants to surrender to me?”

“Yes!” Wolf replied. “How shall we deal with him? Or perhaps it’s best to just kill him?”

“Though his actions are contemptible, if I kill the first person who surrenders to me, no one will ever dare lay down their arms—all will fight to the death,” Jack Keen reasoned. “Besides, this world esteems the strong, doesn’t it? Perhaps his actions aren’t so out of place... Release him.”

“But—”

“It’s fine!” Jack Keen nodded, signaling Wolf to let the man go.

As the cell door opened and the terrifying werewolf approached, Buddy was clearly terrified. But when Wolf used his claws to cut the ropes binding him, relief washed over his face. He immediately picked up his sword from the ground, knelt on one knee before Jack Keen, and held the blade up with both hands.

“I, Buddy Libris, swear by the name of the God of War to follow you and never betray you!” he declared.

Having performed this ritual once before with Perrin, Jack Keen easily took the sword from Buddy’s hands and lightly touched it to his head.

“Thank you, Lord Keen!” Buddy exclaimed with joy, bowing his head to the ground.

“Rise,” Jack Keen said, handing the sword back to him. “As long as you remain loyal, you’ll not be mistreated. But if you betray me, your end will be most miserable!”

“Rest assured, Lord Keen. The God of War watches over all his followers’ oaths from above!” Buddy sheathed his sword, his expression much more at ease as he looked at Wolf.

“By the way, how did you know my English name?”

“English name?” Buddy was momentarily taken aback before realizing. “Last night, I overheard these militiamen talking. I know you are Lord Keen, and that this werewolf warrior is Lord Wolf!”

“I see!” Jack Keen nodded. “You’re quite clever.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Lord Keen!”

“Wolf, what should we do with these villagers? If we let them go, Alex will likely coerce them into attacking us again,” Jack Keen said.

“Master, in my opinion, it would be better to kill them all,” Wolf replied with a cruel grin.