*Knock* *Knock*
A sudden knock on the door jolted Garron awake from his sleep, as his eyes snapped open at once while one hand instinctively reached toward the sword resting beside his bed.
For a few brief seconds, he simply remained still beneath the blanket while listening carefully for the number of footsteps shuffling outside his house.
Then, slowly, after hearing nothing, he turned his head toward the window and noticed that the sky outside was still pitch black, with no hint of dawn visible beyond the distant tree line.
Someone had disturbed him in the dead of the night.
"Who is it?"
Garron called out while quietly rising from the bed, as his fingers closed around the hilt of his sword before he began moving toward the door with cautious steps.
If the person standing outside was hostile, then he intended to cut them down before they even had the chance to properly step inside.
However, the response that came from the other side made him pause.
"It’s the chief.... Open."
Torak’s voice answered coldly from beyond the door.
For a moment, Garron simply stared toward the wooden entrance with visible irritation in his eyes, before eventually exhaling through his nose and loosening his grip around the sword.
Then he opened the door.
The moment he did, Torak walked inside without asking for permission, holding a lantern in one hand and a ugly frown on his face.
"It’s the middle of the fucking night."
Garron muttered while closing the door behind him.
"I have training before sunrise.
Whatever this is, could it not have waited until tomorrow evening?"
He asked, sounding slightly pissed, however, Torak did not answer immediately.
Instead, he simply walked toward the nearest chair, placed the lantern onto the small wooden table beside him, and sat down as though the house belonged to him.
As only once Garron sat across from him did the village chief finally begin speaking.
"When we started this arrangement, what did you promise me would absolutely NOT happen?"
Torak asked in a low voice while staring directly toward him, as Garron raised one eyebrow in response.
"You’ll need to be more specific here, Chief, because I promised a lot of things."
He replied, as Torak clenched his teeth angrily at those words.
*SLAM*
Suddenly, the village chief slammed one fist hard against his own thigh, as he pointed towards Garron with the other hand and said—
"You told me the slaves would NEVER DARE attack Ashfang children."
Torak snapped, as his voice rose sharply inside the small room.
"You told me that even if the slaves became stronger, they would not suddenly grow the spine to raise their hands against proper members of the tribe.
And yet on the fucking second day of your training, a village boy had his jaw broken by a slave girl who punched him hard enough to dislodge the damn thing."
Torak expressed, as Garron’s expression finally shifted.
"The children fought? When?"
He asked as Torak waved one hand angrily.
"After training. On the way back."
He muttered while looking away briefly.
"They claim the slave girl attacked first, though personally, I do not buy that story at all.
Those kids are little shits and I know exactly how they behave when they think nobody important is watching."
His eyes narrowed again.
"Regardless, their parents do believe the story.
And the father of the boy whose jaw was broken now wants the girl’s head."
Torak explained, while slowly leaning towards Garron as he stared the man dead in the eye.
"Twelve members of the clan came to my house tonight complaining about this incident.
Twelve.
All demanding that the slave training program be terminated before this nonsense gets worse."
He explained, as his face twisted with humiliation as he spoke.
"And all I could say was that I would look into the matter and ensure proper justice would be dealt.
Because I CANT TERMINATE THE DAMN PROGRAM EITHER, CAN I?
So in the end, I was left sitting there with my dick in my hands like a complete fool while they barked at me inside MY OWN HOUSE."
The lantern flame flickered between them while Torak’s anger continued rising.
"And all of this happened because YOU could not discipline the damn slaves like you said you would."
Torak blamed, as Garron listened silently until Torak finished ranting, before finally exhaling and shaking his head.
"What the children do after training ends is hardly something I can control."
He said calmly while rubbing his forehead.
"But fine.
If we have already reached the point where the slaves are beginning to think they can start fights outside the training grounds, then I’ll introduce a rule tomorrow."
He offered, as Torak’s eyes sharpened slightly.
"What rule?"
He asked, as Garron leaned back in his chair and interlocked his fingers.
"If any recruit is involved in a fight outside the training grounds, regardless of who started it, I will break all four limb bones in their body as punishment.....
This rule will go for all children.
Ashfang or Slave.
And I guess that will ensure nobody gets involved in fights."
Garron explained in a calm tone, as he made the cruel punishment sound almost administrative.
Torak stared at him for a few moments before letting out a long breath.
"That will help."
He admitted.
"But that is not enough... because preventing future violence will not solve the dissatisfaction today’s incident has already caused."
He explained, as Garron’s eyes narrowed faintly.
"What else do you want?"
Garron asked, as Torak rested his elbow against the arm of the chair while staring toward the lantern flame.
"The two girls involved in the incident have not returned home yet.
But I have a feeling they will show up for training tomorrow morning.
If they do, I want you to detain them and hand them over to me."
Torak demanded, however, Garron immediately lifted one hand and slowly wagged one finger in disapproval.
"I’ll hand them over as long as they are not the two talented sisters from today."
He said flatly, as Torak turned his head toward him.
"You already know who I am talking about?"
The chief asked, as Garron nodded as though he had some idea.
"I know there were two sisters who stood out during training.
I do not yet know whether they are the same girls involved in this incident or not... But if they are, I’m not handing them over."
Garron replied while meeting Torak’s gaze without flinching, as Torak’s frown immediately deepened.
"What do yo—"
Torak began to argue, however, before he could finish, Garron put up a hand and continued with his explanation.
"Those two have potential.
Not just enough potential to join the basic army, but enough to possibly go further if trained properly."
He explained in a practical tone, as Torak continued to listen with thin patience.
"For recruits like that, the Imperial government pays five gold coins apiece."
He revealed, as Torak’s expression changed almost instantly hearing that figure.
"So let them live.
And if they reach that value, I will give you one gold coin from each girl."
Garron offered, as Torak immediately raised two fingers.
"Two."
He demanded, as Garron stared at him, stupefied.
"If I spare those girls from village punishment and they make it beyond the normal army, then you owe me two gold coins apiece."
For a few moments, silence filled the small house.
Then Garron slowly extended his hand.
"Done."
He agreed, as Torak took his hand firmly, and the two men shook on it without another word.
Once the deal was made, the village chief slowly stood from his chair and picked up the lantern again.
"And you better get your fucking affairs in order. Because I will absolutely not tolerate a repeat of this incident."
Torak muttered while turning toward the door.
"I am not used to pacifying angry civilians.
I am not a nanny.
I am a fucking warrior."
He paused briefly near the entrance while glaring back toward Garron.
"When our people come to me with complaints, the only solution I understand is war.
Not enough food? We go to war.
Not enough clothes? We raid the next village.
Someone killed your brother? You kill them back.
That’s all I understand....
While tonight was the first time in my life that I sat quietly while people shouted at me, and I hope it will also be the last."
Torak expressed, as with that he opened the door and stepped back into the darkness outside.
Garron remained seated for several seconds after he left, quietly staring toward the doorway as the cold night air slipped briefly into the room before the door swung shut again.
Then he leaned back slightly and let out a faint, humorless breath, because for all of Torak’s broad shoulders, violent temper, and reputation among the villagers, Garron could not help but see him for what he truly was.
A strong man inside a small pond.
A warrior worshipped by people who had never seen what real strength looked like.
Because if Garron truly wished to kill him, he knew he could cut down ten Toraks before the man standing before him even understood that death had arrived.
Still, there was no value in proving that tonight.
Torak was useful.
Ashfang Village was useful.
And as long as the arrangement continued earning Garron money, pride was a luxury he had no reason to indulge.
So instead of chasing after the man or responding to his threats, Garron simply picked up his sword, placed it back beside his bed, and returned beneath the blanket.
Training would begin before sunrise.
And tomorrow, if those two girls truly did appear before him, then he would have to decide whether they were worth protecting from the village they belonged to.