The Bandits' Secret (Fangs9090 & HeyStarving)

[HeyStarving]

"Are we seriously out here to be watch dogs all night?"


"Heh... Watch dogs."


"Oh shut up, you're a human, you can't make that joke." Lazarus playfully slung a punch at the fellow thief's arm. A grin taking over his pharaoh hound's muzzle, he returned to picking at his clawed hands, his upright ears twitching this way and that at every sound in the night. "I know what you mean though," he said, "this road ain't frequented as much. The crew behind us are probably impatient. Pretty sure I hear boss approachin' us... Well, he said if we didn't get traffic by the witch's hour, we'd retreat back to camp anyway." Sitting up from his crouched position, he adjusted the dark robes he wore, pulling up the hood as he crept closer to peer through the bushes.


The moonlight cast over the dirt road remained unchanged. Wind rustled the leaves in the dirt, and the only other thing in sight was a beetle flipped on its back. Lazarus held back an impatient sigh. Though young, he'd been with this group of rogues for years. And he hated every single time they scouted this road. It was always slow, and only fat merchants with salt and pepper came through here. He wanted something better, something shinier. But no, they simply couldn't watch the city roads. Too many guards out tonight.


The human close to him, patted him on the back, and she turned back to greet their fellow allies.

 

[Fangs9090]

One of the other bandits came up next to him, a cat who was always coming with schemes and plans that no one really cared about. But no one could deny his skill as an archer. He was surely one of the best. He settled down next to Lazarus. "Ya know, I been thinkin'. Wouldn't it be great if we had some magic on our side? You know, somethin' to see the carriages before they get here. And see what's in them too." He looked at Lazarus. "Why don't you learn some magic?"

 

[HeyStarving]

Lazarus looked at the archer and scoffed. "You serious? Me? Magic?" He waved a hand in dismissal of the idea. "That's probably been your most ludicrous idea yet. What we need ain't magic. We need them city roads. But boss man doesn't think we can handle some city guards." His right ear turned to the road rather suddenly. Well, looked like something was coming, but it would be a moment. Probably just another fat merchant not wanting to spill his spices. This back alley road just wasn't worth nothin'.


"Something is headed our way, hear it? Probably isn't worth anything. Anyways, I wanna see you learn some magic first." He poked the archer in the side to add emphasis to his statement.


The human girl had laughed at the cat's suggestion. "I dunno man, I like it. Think about it, a bunch of bandits with magic. We'd make a smoke cloud and rob 'em blind!" She waved her hands in the air, making a small 'poof' noise. At the comment of something coming down the road, she looked to the cat. "Can you hear it too? My ears can't pick up a thing around here."

 

[Fangs9090]

The cat turned his head to the road. "Yeah, I hear it. Sounds like they're movin' fast though. If he's movin' fast, he must have something valuable that he doesn't want to lose." He looked at the other two. "Any plans for stopping this one?"

 

[HeyStarving]

Hearing the noise grow louder, Lazarus realized it was going fast alright, too fast. How had that escaped his ears at first?! He started rummaging through the pouches at his side. "We gotta stop them horses. They're gonna fly by us at any second! Does anybody ha-" During his speech, the sound of the carriage only grew louder and louder, there was no point in speaking anymore. The girl called for the archer to fire, and Lazarus finally freed the bolas he had from his pouch, slinging them at the legs of the horses.


But they were going too fast, and he missed by a hair. As fate would have it, it caught on the right front wheel, suddenly bringing down the front half and making it lean, but they were still trying to move despite the jarring damage. Still with the carriage in sight, Lazarus called for the archer to fire again, to bring down the animals while he and the others who came forth at the commotion sprang up. Weapons out and in hand, they rushed the carriage.

 

[Fangs9090]

The archer stepped from the bushes and took aim. He aimed high, predicting where his targets would be, and fired off three arrows. He spun and pointed his bow at the carriage as it passed, showing off as usual. "Boom." Right as he spoke, his arrows hit their mark, taking out both horses and the driver, in case he wanted to fight back. The driver fell off the carriage as it skidded to a halt, the horses slowing it to a stop. The carriage bounced over the body before it stopped completely.


In the back of the carriage, however, was just a bunch of cloth and food and basic materials for normal life. At least, that's all that could be seen from off the carriage. The items in the carriage seemed to make a hollow spot in the middle where perhaps something else could be hidden from view.

 

[HeyStarving]

A voice from the group called out, "Show off!" But it was meant in good fashion, as everyone chuckled. Taking down the carriage had been done, and now Lazarus had his heart pounding. From the adrenaline and from the excitement of what could possible be in there! Two others got to it before him, but they just flung out what could be seen. Things of a civilian life. "Rubbish, man," said one. "Why even speed with this?" Asked the other. They stepped back as others circled around. Comments could be heard of how the boss wouldn't be happy with this. Someone started to search through the driver's body.


Lazarus growled, his anger seeping forth. All this time on this forsaken road and that was it? "No, I refuse to believe that's all there is." He forced himself inside the carriage, pushing others out of the way. Thoroughly searching through the civilian items, he tossed them out piece by piece. He stopped at a realization, looking in further. Dismissing, the food and cloth, he stepped forward and reached out, grabbing into the darkness as he searched for more. There was something alive in here, and he could smell it. His other hand had his dagger out and ready, the grip on it tight as he continued to reach.

 

[Fangs9090]

His hand hit fabric, like clothing, with something solid and warm underneath. A small grunt came from the darkness, followed by a little sleepy voice. "Hm? Are we there already?"


The archer walked over near the carriage and called to Lazarus. "Hey, what are diggin' for? There's nothing valuable in there. You better not be stuffing your face with food before taking it to the fort. Boss hates it when you do that."

 

[HeyStarving]

Lazarus looked down at the girl before him, his mind going a bit blank. This was... unique. This was not the usual incidental human trafficking discovery. Those had an immediate solution to them at least, which was to free and possibly recruit. She seemed to be here willingly. He didn't bother calling back to the archer's remark on his eating habits, instead, he pulled her up. Hastily, but not too rough. He kept the dagger out, for all he knew this was a trick.


"Name, now." He said in a low voice, his eyes watching her every move.


The human girl trotted up and past the archer, yelling out, "Hey, quit stuffing your face, what's goin' o-" She stopped and gasped a little, seeing the figure inside that wasn't Lazarus. "Ohhh man. Oh man, hey come look!" She waved for him to step up and look with her.

 

[Fangs9090]

The cat stepped forward. He raised an eyebrow as he spotted the girl. "Is that why he was going so fast?"


The girl blinked at then, still waking up. As her eyes focused, she realized she didn't recognize any them. She looked around at them. She spotted the dagger in Lazarus' hands and her eyes widened. She immediately tried to defend herself. "Th-thunderbolt!" She raised her hands towards him and a tiny spark flew at his nose. It didn't hurt any worse a little bit of static.

 

[HeyStarving]

He steeled himself for a vicious attack at the sudden realization that she meant to cast a spell upon him. Of all the ironic things to happen tonight, it would be getting attacked by a mage after the archer suggested Lazarus ought to learn magic. He felt the static and yet.... He held his position before going slack again, looking at the girl. Lowering the dagger somewhat, he spoke again, in a slight confused tone. "You are a... mage? What are you doing in here? And your name. Now please." In the back of his mind, something said to cease the tough guy act, as his questioning nature already gave way to his confusion. That, and this was a very young girl. He doubted there would be much trouble unless this was all an act.


"Ohoho, I'm so going to get the boss!" The human girl ran off, leaping over the bushes before disappearing into the woods. The rest of the group chatted among themselves as they surrounded the opening of the carriage. Someone just yelled to drag her out of there already but Lazarus wasn't too sure of that. After all, if this were an act, the moment he tried anything would mean he'd be the first to go,

 

[Fangs9090]

The held her arms up for a moment longer before realizing her spell had little effect. She lowered her arms and tried to sink further into her oversized robes. "A-Amarantha. Luke was taking me somewhere, but I don't know where or why. Are you friends with Luke?" She glanced behind her, looking for the driver. When she didn't see him, she looked around. "Where's Luke?"

 

[HeyStarving]

"That was the driver then. Unfortunately for you kiddo, he's dead." Lazarus sheathed his dagger finally, standing up straight as he retreated from the carriage. This was no trick, he concluded. Nor was it human trafficking, unless this Luke had planned on betrayal. He felt a pang of sympathy for the girl as he recalled a similar memory. The human rogue was standing by Lazarus now, and she let out a low whistle before speaking, "This is crazy... we got a little girl with no guidance around here... and we got no idea where she came from. I can only think of one thing to do really."


Lazarus nodded in agreement. They couldn't just leave her here. Walking closer to the carriage he held up a hand to help Amarantha down, and waited patiently. He expected that hearing this Luke was dead would upset her. Nor did it help that the bandit who just searched his body walked up with a few of his goods.

 

[Fangs9090]

"D...dead?" Amarantha looked at them, eyes wide. She formed some kind of spell in her hand and a moment later she vanished. The spell wore off only a few seconds later as she hit the ground next to Lazarus and tried to make a run for it. The archer grabbed her hood as she passed and lifted her up off the ground. "Woah woah, why ya runnin'? We ain't gonna hurt ya. Not unless you cause trouble that is." The girl struggled to get away but ultimately only succeeded in slipping out of the oversized robes. She dropped to the ground in her underwear and landed on her backside. The archer looked down, not sure what to do about this. Without the robes, her ears and tail were visible, making it clear that she was a rabbit to anyone who hasn't smelled it already.

 

[HeyStarving]

He was a bit surprised at her agile attempt to get away, he had to admit. But smelling rabbit on her, of course she'd be fast. If she would be staying with the bandits... Well, the cat would be right. They really could use some magic in the group. But he was even more shocked at her suddenly being unclothed. "By the heavens, archer-" He didn't finish his statement and instead chose to grab her robes out the archer's hand and tossed them back over her body. With her being covered again, he sighed in relief.


It was obvious to him and many others now of her nature, but if it were any more obvious, Lazarus didn't always trust those around him. Not even some of the bandits who've been with him for years.


He looked at her pointedly, and laid a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Look here girl, you got a choice. You can come with us back to camp, eat and tell us where you came from... Or you can run and get yourself killed by either us or whatever's out there...." A howl from the woods emphasized his point.


The human girl laughed as she began to walk back to camp herself, having finished her business. "Come now Lazarus, you know we'd be doing the killing. You're too soft in the heart when it comes to kids. Come on and drag her back already."


Some of the crew chose to follow her, others began taking the remnants of the carriage goods. A few remained around the hound and cat as they all waited to see what Amarantha would do. Lazarus remained stone faced, but his grip tightened on her shoulder for a moment as a silent urge to just get up and follow him.

 

[Fangs9090]

Amarantha looked at them for a moment, taking in their words. After a moment, she put her arms back through her sleeves and stood up. She glanced at Lazarus before lowering her head. "I...I'll go with you..."


The archer put his bow on his back. "Aw, I was hoping for some target practice." He grinned at his dark joke and started walking after the rest towards the old fort where they were camped.

 

[HeyStarving]

Relief was probably the best word for his mind's state. Too soft to kill a kid, yeah. He looked at the archer and snickered. "As if these racing fools hadn't been enough. Wait until we're back on the city roads man." Taking his hand off Amarantha's shoulder he gestured towards where everyone else was walking to as they passed through the bushes.


"Walk ahead and follow them. Try anything funny and you know what'll happen."


Following behind her, he continued speaking, "We're heading to a fort, there the boss will be waiting and will probably interrogate you." He paused as he pushed some low hanging branches back. "He'll be a bit pissy. No matter what happened, we left early and are coming back with you. No gold, not happy."


A moment after, he figured to ask, "How old are you anyway?" It was genuine curiosity, as he himself was rather young in the group.

 

[Fangs9090]

Amarantha walked where he guided her. She kept her head down and only glanced up to make sure she was going the right way. When Lazarus asked his question, she turned her head towards him, though only one eye was barely visible because of the hood of her robes. "F-five..."

 

[HeyStarving]

That pang of sympathy for her came back yet again. Very young she was, even younger than he was when he had been recruited. "I was nine when I joined... it's been seven years since then," he said, "... It'll get better." The hound said nothing more after that. His upright ears swiveled this way and that as they continued on. They passed through a few clearings, swatted away a few bugs, and eventually in the distance they could see firelight. With that light, the fort's walls could be seen as outlines in the darkness. The closer they got, the more eerie it became.


No one really knew how old that fort was, but it was their base for as long as they could remember. They had to move sometimes when the city patrol caught wind of it, but they always ended up coming back to the towering mess. The entire northern wall had collapsed due to what looked like a siege, but the remaining inner walls stood strong. If anyone knew what this place was, they were probably long dead, burying any knowledge they had with themselves.


As Lazarus approached with Amarantha, they could hear the gravel like voice of the boss getting ready to throw a fit.

 

[Fangs9090]

A they approached the fort, Amarantha started to hesitate and slow down. She didn't really want to go near that place. It looked creepy and the voice coming from it sounded scary.


Once the fort was in sight, the archer ran ahead. He easily scaled the wall with his feline agility and looked out to make sure no unwelcome guests were near.

 

[HeyStarving]

Looking down at Amarantha, Lazarus put a hand on her shoulder again. Only this time it wasn't heavily or holding too tight. It was a gentle urge to keep going. "It'll be fine. He's scary as hell but he's a softy too. I wouldn't be alive otherwise." Realizing how much he was talking to the girl, he cursed himself on the inside. He already went and got attached, like some sort of big brother.


As they neared the entrance, they didn't have to wait for the boss man, he came out to them, his hulking silhouette marching towards them. As he came close, it was easy to see he was human like, but had stripes like a tiger, his eyes even like their own. Staring down at the children, he crossed his arms.


Lazarus was about to speak up and defend her, somehow, but the man put out a hand to stop him and talked directly at Amarantha. "You are all I've got out of this ambush... I've heard wind of you being a supposed mage." In the distance the human girl shrugged at Lazarus, a gesture telling him she did what she could.


"If you are even capable of being one, prove it now." His voice was quiet, but harsh. All stood slightly tense, waiting to see what would happen.

 

[Fangs9090]

Amarantha stared at the boss for a moment. She suddenly realized what he'd said and she shakily raised up her arms towards him. "Th-th-th-thunderbolt..." A few sparks flew out as she used her little static attack. She put her arms down and lowered her head, the hood hiding her face.

 

[HeyStarving]

The people around either pitied her or chuckled at the display of static. The human girl looked slightly sympathetic, and Lazarus... Well, he remained standing, motionless and watching the boss' every move as they waited his judgement.


The man's eyes hardened as he looked down at Amarantha, as though he understood something terrible was to come of her. And then he did the unexpected. He laughed. "So it wasn't a loss after all. Aye." Stooping down to her level, he held a hand out to her. "You have it in you, yeah. Not a single one of us have a damned magical bone in our body. You're young, but we could use you on our side." He held a hand out to her, and spoke lowly so only she could hear. "We killed your guardian yes, and for us that was a grievous mistake. But something tells me we need you with us, girl. You are welcome to our home."

 

[Fangs9090]

The girl kept her head down for a moment, her face still mostly hidden, while she listened to his words. She stayed silent after he finished. When she finally looked at him, there were tears in her eyes. She didn't know what to think at this point. She was scared, confused, relieved, grateful. All this at the same time. The result was more confusion and fear which just made her want to cry. Her lip was quivering as she was trying to hold it in.

 

[HeyStarving]

Seeing as she wouldn't take his hand, he withdrew and said, "You can cry if you want. You're young. You'd have probably been better off if we never ambushed that carriage, but you're here with us now and we will make sure you're taken care of. It's the least we can do." With that being said, the boss stood up, waved a hand in dismissal at the crowd to scatter the bandits, and headed back to the inner rooms of the fort. He had more important things to discuss. He called to the archer to see if he'd spotted anything yet.


Lazarus released a breath of air he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. His toes dug into the dirt and rubble beneath them as he released the stress from his body. Looking down at Amarantha, he asked, "Are you... okay?" He dropped the bandit act completely, and was talking to her as the confused and worried sixteen year old boy he was. Not even his recruitment had been as bad as hers. At least his kin was alive somewhere...