Derek the Fool scrambled to collect the coins, weeping with gratitude, and fled into the woods.
Darius remounted his horse, his stomach growling loudly. The encounter had distracted him, but he still needed food and shelter before he launched his assault on Xian County.
He rode further down the road until he saw a faint light flickering in the distance. It was an isolated, dilapidated farmhouse surrounded by a low wooden fence.
Darius rode up to the gate and called out. "Hello the house! Is anyone awake? A weary traveler seeks a hot meal and a dry floor!"
The front door opened slightly, and a woman stepped out holding a lantern. She was in her late twenties, surprisingly beautiful for living in such a rundown shack. She wore a simple blue dress, but her face was heavily painted with cheap cosmetics, and she offered a practiced, alluring smile.
"A traveler?" the woman cooed, stepping closer to the fence. "It is late, strong sir. But I can offer you a hot meal and a warm bed. My name is Elara."
Darius was no fool. He recognized the look of a woman who made her living off lonely men on the road. "I only need food, Elara. I can pay in silver."
Elara's eyes lit up at the mention of silver. "Of course, sir! Come in, come in. Let me take your coat."
She led Darius into the small, surprisingly neat kitchen. She quickly prepared a meal of salted pork and stale bread, chatting aimlessly while she worked.
"And what is your name, handsome traveler?" Elara asked, pouring him a cup of cheap ale.
"Darius," he answered shortly, tearing into the bread.
Elara froze. The ale pitcher in her hand trembled slightly. "Darius... the Iron Baron?"
Darius stopped chewing. He looked up, his cold eyes locking onto the woman. "News travels fast in these woods."
Elara forced a nervous laugh. "Indeed it does, My Lord. I... I must check the fire in the other room. Please, enjoy your meal."
She hurried out of the kitchen, her heart pounding. She knew exactly who the Iron Baron was. And more importantly, she knew he carried a massive bounty on his head from the regional merchants he had extorted.
Elara slipped into the back bedroom, waiting nervously. Ten minutes later, the back door creaked open.
A man slipped inside. It was Derek the Fool, the bandit Darius had just spared in the woods.
"Derek!" Elara hissed, pulling her husband into the bedroom. "You won't believe who is sitting in our kitchen eating our pork!"
Derek, still shaking from his encounter, looked terrified. "Who?"
"The Iron Baron himself!" Elara whispered excitedly. "He's alone! If we poison his ale, or wait until he falls asleep and slit his throat, we could claim the bounty! We'd be rich, Derek! We could leave this wretched shack!"
Derek's face turned ashen. "Are you insane, woman?! He is a monster! I just met him on the road! I tried to rob him using his own name, and he shattered my hammer with a single swing! He spared my life! I will not try to murder the man who just gave me silver to feed my mother!"
Elara sneered, her pretty face twisting into an ugly mask of greed. "You are a pathetic coward, Derek. We will never have a chance like this again! If you won't do it, I will!"
"No, Elara!" Derek pleaded, grabbing her arm. "He will kill us both!"
They argued in harsh, frantic whispers, entirely unaware that the walls of the shack were paper-thin.
In the kitchen, Darius had stopped eating. He sat perfectly still, listening to the treacherous whispers of the woman who had smiled at him, and the desperate pleas of the bandit he had just shown mercy.
A cold, absolute rage settled over the Iron Baron. He had been honorable today. He had spared a life. And this was his reward. Treachery in a roadside hovel.
Darius stood up, his massive frame casting a terrifying shadow across the kitchen floor. He drew his heavy iron staff.
The door to the bedroom opened. Elara stepped out, holding a small vial of poison behind her back, her fake smile plastered back on her face. "Is the food to your liking, My"
She never finished the sentence.
Darius didn't speak. He didn't gloat. He simply swung the iron staff with terrifying, brutal efficiency. The heavy weight crushed Elara's skull instantly, throwing her lifeless body back into the bedroom.
Derek screamed, backing into the corner of the room, raising his hands in terror. "No! My Lord, please! I tried to stop her! I swear it!"
Darius stepped into the bedroom, looking down at the weeping bandit. He lowered his staff.
"You tried to stop her," Darius rumbled, his voice devoid of emotion. "That is the only reason you are still breathing, Derek. But I am tired of this shack, and I am tired of this road."
Just then, a voice called out from the darkness outside the shack.
"Elara? Derek? Are you in there? The fire is out."
Derek gasped. "It's... it's my brother, 'Slippery' Pete. He's a scout for a local mercenary crew."
Darius's eyes narrowed. He stepped back into the shadows of the kitchen, pulling Derek with him. "Keep your mouth shut."
The front door opened, and a wiry man stepped inside. He took one look at the shattered body of Elara in the doorway and froze in absolute horror.
"Elara?" Pete whispered, drawing a long hunting knife. "Who did this?!"
Darius stepped out of the shadows, towering over the scout. "I did. Because she tried to poison me."
Pete recognized the Iron Baron instantly. He didn't attack. He dropped his knife and fell to his knees. "My Lord! Forgive me! I had no part in this! I just came to warn them!"
"Warn them of what?" Darius demanded.
"The local constabulary is sweeping the woods tonight!" Pete stammered rapidly. "And worse... there is a massive gathering of mercenaries and outlaws happening just three miles from here, at an abandoned temple called the Heavenly Peak. They are planning to march on Xian County to break someone out of the dungeon!"
Darius's eyes widened. A gathering of mercenaries marching on Xian County? To break someone out? It had to be related to his brother.
"Take me to them," Darius commanded, grabbing Pete by the collar and dragging him to his feet. "Take me to the Heavenly Peak Temple. Now."
The Iron Baron was no longer riding alone. He was about to hijack an entire army to tear Xian County apart.
(To be continued...)