A sharp voice cut through the tension. "Come out now! I won't ask again!"

The two exchanged glances, crouched behind the cart.

"Should we?" Lucian whispered, his hand hovering near his weapon.

Drakon held up a finger. "Wait. Let me check first."

The old warrior cautiously peered over the edge of the cart. His eyes widened at what he saw.

Standing about fifty paces away was a young girl, no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. She had long, dark hair pulled back in a tight braid, and her face was set in a firm scowl. She wore light leather armor, well-worn but of good quality. In her hands, she held a bow, another arrow nocked and aimed in their direction. At her hip hung a short sword, and Drakon could make out the hilt of a dagger in her boot.

"Well?" Lucian hissed.

Drakon ducked back down. "It's a girl. Young one. Armed with a bow and some blades."

Curiosity got the better of Lucian. He slowly raised his head to take a look, then quickly ducked back. "Is she the only one there?"

"Looks like it."

"So what do we do?"

A small smirk played at the corner of the old warrior’s mouth. "We surrender."

Lucian's eyebrows shot up. "What? Why?"

"Because she's alone. And there are two of us. We can take her down easily if we need to, but first, let's see what this is all about."

"Alright," Lucian nodded. "I'm with you."

"We're coming out," Drakon called out. "Don't shoot!"

Slowly, both men stood up from behind the cart, their hands raised in surrender.

"Keep those hands up where I can see them!" the girl shouted.

The two complied, their arms held high above their heads.

"We mean you no harm," Drakon spoke first. "We're just travelers looking to pass through."

The young archer's eyes narrowed, her bow still trained on them. "You can pass, but only if you hand over all your valuables first."

Lucian scoffed, shaking his head. "That's not going to happen!"

Drakon took a step forward. "Look, girl, you can't be serious about threatening us. We outnumber you."

A flicker of confusion passed over the girl's face, quickly replaced by a smirk. "What are you talking about?"

Before either man could respond, the sound of rustling leaves and snapping twigs filled the air. From the surrounding forest, figures began to emerge - young people, boys and girls, each armed with bows, spears, and crude swords, forming a loose circle around them.

Lucian's eyes darted from face to face, counting at least a dozen newcomers.

"Well, shit," he muttered, glancing at Drakon. "This just became a lot more complicated."

The old man's jaw clenched, his eyes never leaving the girl with the bow. His mind was already racing, calculating their odds and searching for a way out of this unexpected predicament.

"Hey, old fart," Lucian whispered, "they're all around my age. And there's no adults here."

"Focus, kid. That's not important right now. We need to figure out how to get out of this mess."

"Get out?" Lucian hissed back. "How? We're completely surrounded. Maybe we should just give them what they want."

The old warrior shot him a withering glare. "Don't be ridiculous. Our mission would be over before it even began. We can't lose everything now."

Before Lucian could argue further, the girl's voice cut through their conversation. "Hey! I said keep quiet!" Her bow creaked as she drew it back further. "What's it going to be? Your valuables or your lives?"

The circle of young bandits tightened around them, weapons at the ready. Lucian could feel sweat beading on his forehead. He glanced at Drakon, hoping the old warrior had some kind of plan.

But his face remained calm and impassive, giving away nothing. It was impossible to tell if he had given up or was deep in thought, strategizing their next move. Lucian waited for some sign, any indication that they had a chance against their enemy. Was there truly no way out of this? Are they both doomed to defeat? For now, all he could do was wait and watch.

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Lucian's fingers twitched, itching to reach for his weapon, but knew that any sudden move could spell disaster. It wasn’t worth it.

"We're waiting," the girl called out, her patience clearly wearing thin. "Make your choice. Now."

Lucian leaned closer. "What do you think we should do?"

"What else can we do?" Drakon muttered. Then, raising his voice, he called out, "Alright! We'll surrender our belongings!"

"What? That’s it?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"No plan or anything of that sort?"

"Kid, I’m not about to kill a bunch of teenagers ok?"

The girl's tense posture relaxed, a satisfied smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. "Good choice," she said, nodding. She turned to some of the youths on her right. "Tie them up."

Two boys, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old, approached Lucian and Drakon, rough rope in their hands. They worked quickly, binding the men's wrists behind their backs.

Lucian winced as the coarse fibers bit into his skin. He watched as more of the young robbers moved towards their horses, rummaging through their saddlebags and packs.

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"Hey, careful with that!" he protested as one of them handled his belongings.

The girl silenced him with a sharp look. "You're in no position to make demands," she said.

Drakon remained silent as he observed the scene unfolding around them. His eyes darted from face to face, memorizing details, looking for any information that might prove useful later.

They stripped Lucian and Drakon of everything valuable - coins, weapons, food, and supplies. Then, led the horses away, laden with the spoils of their unexpected encounter.

As their possessions disappeared into the forest with the retreating youths, Lucian turned to Drakon. "What now? They've taken everything."

"Now, we wait. And we watch. Our opportunity will come."

The girl approached them, her bow still in hand but no longer drawn. "You made the right choice," she said. "I wish I could stay and chat, but duty calls. So, goodbye for now, and thanks for those lovely cheeze."

Lucian watched as the young bandits disappeared into the forest, his hard-earned possessions in their hands.

Now, they’re trapped in the dense forest, their hands still tied up on their backs. And just when they thought their situation couldn't get any worse, the sky opened up and rain started pelting down on them.

"Great," Lucian shuddered, his clothes starting to drench from the rain. "This is just fucking perfect."

Drakon remained silent, his eyes fixed on some distant point through the trees, oblivious to the rain pelting down on them.

Lucian's irritation grew with each passing moment. He shifted, the ropes binding his wrists chafing against his skin. "Hey, old man," he called out, raising his voice to be heard over the rain. "You gonna say something, or are we just gonna stand here getting soaked?"

Drakon blinked, turning his head with a calm expression. "I'm thinking."

"Thinking? About what? How we're gonna catch a cold out here?"

"I'm considering our options."

"And? Have you come up with anything yet?"

"Not yet. But I do know our first step."

"Which is?"

"We need to get these ropes off."

Lucian snorted. "Yeah, no shit. But how exactly are we supposed to do that? In case you haven't noticed, we're tied up and those little bastards took all our gear."

"We don't need tools. We have each other."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Turn around," Drakon instructed. "Press your back against mine. We can use our hands to work on each other's bindings."

Lucian hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, worth a shot, I guess."

The two men maneuvered awkwardly, shuffling until their backs were pressed together. Lucian could feel the solid warmth of Drakon's body against his own.

"Okay, now what?" he asked, straining to look over his shoulder.

"Feel for the knots. Use your fingers to explore the rope, find where it's tied."

Lucian nodded, even though Drakon couldn't see him. He fumbled blindly, his cold, wet fingers searching for the knots that held his companion's bindings in place. The task was made more difficult by the slickness of the rain-soaked rope, but he persevered.

"I think I've got it," he said after a few moments. "There's a knot here, near your left wrist."

"Good. Now, start working it loose. Be patient, take your time."

Lucian set to work, his fingers probing and pulling at the knot. It was slow, frustrating work, made worse by the continuous rainfall and the awkward angle of his hands. But bit by bit, he felt the knot begin to give way.

As he worked, Lucian felt Drakon's fingers moving against his own bindings.

"How're you doing back there?" he asked, wincing as his finger slipped and jammed against the rope.

"Almost there," Drakon replied. "Just a little more..."

Suddenly, Lucian felt the pressure on his wrists lessen. With a final tug from Drakon, the ropes fell away, and Lucian's hands were free. He brought them around to his front, flexing his fingers and rubbing his chafed wrists.

"Holy shit," he breathed. "You did it."

"Your turn," Drakon said. "Finish untying me."

"Ok."

With his hands now free, Lucian made quick work of Drakon's remaining bindings. Soon, both men stood unbound, massaging feelings back into their hands and arms.

"That feels really good."

"Now what?" Lucian asked, looking at the old man.

Drakon surveyed their surroundings, his eyes narrowed against the rain. "Now, we track down those little thieves and get our stuff back."

"I get that you want that, but as you can see, we don’t have anything, as in nothing. We don’t even have any weapons, let alone tracking them in the rain."

"You worry too much."

"And you worry too little."

"Don't worry," Drakon said, his hands on his hips. "We have everything we need here. We can make tools out of whatever we find."

"And how are we going to do that?"

"Come on, I’ll show you."

Drakon led Lucian through the forest, their wet clothes clinging uncomfortably to their skin as the rain continued to fall. They made their way towards the sound of rushing water, pushing through drenched foliage and slipping on muddy ground.

"Where exactly are we going?" Lucian asked, wiping rainwater from his eyes.

"To the river," Drakon replied, his voice barely audible over the pattering of rain on leaves. "We need to find some good rocks."

"Rocks? What for?"

"You'll see."

They emerged from the treeline onto a pebbly riverbank. The usually calm stream had swollen with rainwater, churning and frothing as it rushed past. Drakon's eyes scanned the ground, searching.

"What are you looking for?" Lucian asked, hugging himself against the chill.

"A good rock," Drakon muttered, crouching down to examine the stones at his feet. "Ah, here we go. These will do nicely."

He stood, holding two fist-sized rocks. One was roughly oval-shaped with a flat side, while the other was more angular with sharp edges. Both were a dark gray color.

He moved to a dry spot under a large tree and sat down, placing the rocks in his lap. Without explanation, he began striking the angular rock against the flatter one, chipping away at its edge.

Lucian watched, puzzled. "What are you doing?"

"Making a knife," Drakon replied, not looking up from his work. "We'll use it to carve a spear from a branch."

"A knife? From rocks? Where'd you learn to do that?"

"From a merchant who came from far in the west. He was quite skilled in working with stone."

"And he just taught you for free?"

Drakon chuckled. "No, not exactly. I saved his daughter from being sold into slavery. As a token of gratitude, he taught me this skill."

"How long did it take you to learn?"

"Weeks. It's not an easy skill to master. But I became proficient eventually, average at best."

Lucian watched in fascination as Drakon continued to work, carefully chipping away at the stone. "So, you're telling me you can make a functional knife out of a rock?"

"That's right. It won't be as sharp as iron, but it'll do the job. Once we have this, we can fashion some decent weapons."

"And you think that'll be enough to take on those kids?"

Drakon looked up. "It'll have to be. We need our supplies back if we're going to complete our mission."

Lucian sighed, running a hand through his wet hair. "I still can't believe we got robbed by a bunch of teenagers."

"Don't underestimate them," Drakon hammered another chip away. "They may be young, but they're organized and well-armed. We'll need to be careful."

"Yeah, I got that," Lucian grumbled. He watched for a few more moments before asking, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Drakon nodded towards a nearby stand of trees. "See if you can find a straight branch, about as long as your arm. We'll need it for the spear."

Lucian nodded and set off, glad that he had something to do. As he searched the undergrowth, he called back, "So, this merchant. What else did he teach you?"

"Quite a bit, actually. He knew many survival skills. How to find water in the desert, which plants are safe to eat, how to navigate by the stars."

"Sounds like a useful guy to know," Lucian examined a fallen branch before discarding it as too crooked.

"He was. I learned more from him in those few weeks than I had in years of military training."

Lucian returned with a suitable branch just as Drakon was finishing the stone knife. The old warrior held it up, examining his handiwork.

"Not bad," he murmured. "It'll do the job."