'Fhup! Fhup!'
The light sounds made by the assassins, came from the top of the trees.
To those below, it sounded like the wind gently patting the branches of the trees.
Once the men arrived at the flashiest tent at the center of the camp, they instantly knew that this tent was Marder's own.
All 4 masked men in black clothing, dropped down from the trees, and closed in on the tent.
From outside, they could hear the steady breathing sound coming from within the tent.
Their target was fast asleep.
2 decided to surround the tent, while the other 2 made their way into the tent.
As soon as those 2 entered the tent, they immediately spotted a human figure sleeping on a pile of hay.
They immediately closed in and stood on both sides of their sleeping prey.
They immediately took out their knives and help them upwards, in attempts to stab their target.
But to their surprise, their target instantly pulled out a sword from under his pillow and instantly blocked their attacks.
"NOW!!", Marder yelled.
"Huaaah"
10 knights immediately yelled while bursting out from the hay covered floor, as if they were zombies coming from the dead.
'Cling! Cling! Cling!'
The assassins began to fend off the numerous attackers coming from all angles.
The 2 assassins fought with grim and bloodthirsty looks in their eyes.
They seemed like rabbits that was cornered by several hungry wolves.
"Ahhh!!" One of the assassins screamed out when he was painfully stabbed at the back of his neck.
They were just too many men in the room, and just like that, he died while struggling for air.
Marder's sword had trusted from the back of his neck, and protruded to the front.
The assassin had held is neck pitifully and had struggled to get even a whiff of air into his body.
He then began shaking like a fish out of water, and immediately dropped to the floor..
After a while, his face became deadly pale and looked bluish in color... he was finally dead.
The other assassin in the room didn't have time to be concerned about his friend, as all 10 knights were now focused on him.
Marder stepped out of his tent, as he was clear that that assassin inside would definitely die.
Marder saw another assassin fighting 12 men within the camp, and another dead assassin on the floor.
Once the last remaining assassin saw Marder, he immediately knew that the mission had failed.. and he would probably be killed.
His present condition was bad... his left hand, and legs had been injured terribly during the battle.
The only reason he had tried to stay alive, was to see if the mission was successful.
If they had succeeded, then he would die happily with the thought of their Target following him to the world of their ancestors.
But when he saw Marder, he had completely lost any hope of a happy death.
Hence he bit his tongue and swallowed the poison in his mouth.
Marder sat on the ground and waited for the charade to end.
In his mind, he was clear that this was the work of Baron Cain, and maybe King Barn as well.
Once the news of his departure went through the palace, he knew that Baron Cain would definitely not let this opportunity go.
Every important noble had spies within the palace.. even his father's side had them too... so how could he not know that Baron Cain would get the news about his departure?
If Cain succeeded in killing him, then his father wouldn't have anyone to take after him.
A man without a successor was equivalent to a man without a pen**.
A male child was one of the reasons why people could continue to rule for several years to come.
It was required that within the first 15 years of commanding an army, if the appointed ruler didn't have an heir to take over his place once he dies, then the position would be given to another person.
And if all the male children died, then that ruler would have to step down within the next 2 months.
If Marder died, then his father would no longer hold any form of power within Arcadina.
His father would have to hand over all his knights, and most of the families privileges would be revoked.
They would still be known as 'nobles', only by name.... but in reality, they would be the laughing stock of the entire empire, and would definitely be bullied and looked down by their enemies.
Marder could already tell that his father was dead.
He had been feeling like this several months before he was summoned to the palace.
He knew his father well.. so he knew that his father was probably dead or in grave danger.
But before he concluded on the matter, he just wanted to go to Riverdale and make sure that his thoughts and feelings were false.
Previously during the day time, his scouts had said that they had seen the 3 captains secretly going into Profus city.... which immediately raised his suspicions about their purpose.
Why did they go into the city?
Did they know that Cain was trying to kill him? Were king Barn and Cain working together to completely destroy his family?
After killing his father, did they also want to kill him as well?
Because of this situation, In Marder's mind, he was very clear that King Barn and Baron Cain had worked together to kill his father.
He swore in his heart that he would avenge his father, even if it was the last thing he did.
.
The sad part of it all was that, although Shannon had died.... all these people still refused to let him rest in peace.
King Barn and Baron Cain thought that Shannon was coming for them, while Marder suspected the 2 of killing his father.
And so, the Misunderstanding continued to grow.
And the actual culprit, was sleeping soundly in Baymard.
Sigh... it was a world filled with misunderstandings.