Fin followed Brando at a frustratingly slow pace, towards the only people in the world who could be categorized as "them." They made a wide circle around where the horse was, not wanting it to sound an alert. Finally, Brando grabbed his shoulder and pointed to a caged carriage.

If it was a different carriage than the one that brought them into the Frome-forsaken wasteland, it was, at the very least, the same type. No one this close to a slave camp had any business driving a cart made for locking people up.

"If they're sleeping, club them," Brando pulled out his dagger and demonstrated clubbing them on the head with its pommel. "Or else, say incoming, not 'plug your ears.' If they are separate, you wait until I give the signal."

Fin nodded his head until Brando understood that he understood. Together, they crept into the camp like the things that belonged in caged carriages.

When they found one person sleeping on a blanket in the middle of the campsite, Fin knew what to do. He stood ten paces away from the person's head and waited, sword hilt at the ready, while Brando searched the rest of the camp.

The adrenaline rushing through Fin's body was the only thing that kept him from falling asleep or passing out as the soft snores seduced him into boredom. He stayed vigilant and controlled his breathing, knowing that after this gruesome work was complete, there would be water.

Brando felt there might not be a second person after he searched the whole parameter. He was surprised that the sun hadn't started peaking over the valley for how long he had been searching. His intuition demanded that the man next to the fire was the second person, but something didn't seem right. The two bandits that captured them only had one horse between the two, but there were two horses. One was at the campsite with the fire, and the other was near the carriage.

Immediately he knew where the other person was. He had avoided the carriage because he didn't want to startle the horse into making noise, but what better place to sleep out in the wilderness than a protected cage without the risk of sleeping on rocks.

For the first time that night, Brando risked moving a little faster. He slowed down as he approached the carriage.

He saw that there was someone sleeping inside. He moved closer and gently tugged on the door. It was locked, but the person inside was unreachable due to the benches on either side of him. He set down his crossbow just under the carriage and moved towards Fin.

Fin was startled as Brando broke into sight. "I found him," he whispered, waving Fin to follow into the darkness beyond the fire.

Drawing his blade and clapping a hand over the sleeping man's mouth, Brando cautioned the waking man against making any noise.

Keeping his dagger trained on the man's throat, Brando lifted the man to his feet and guided him to the carriage. As soon as they got close, the man called out a warning, earning him a swift blow to the head.

"Who's out there?" The man in the carriage asked.

"Toss out the keys, and we won't kill your friend and burn you alive in there." Brando managed to sound like an experienced highwayman.

"What do you want?" The man asked with fear seeping into his voice.

"One more word from you, and I'll pick up the crossbow at my feet and stick a bolt in your mouth," Brando warned the man, earning a loud snort from the horse. "Keys."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Fin watched as Brando slowly reached for his crossbow. When his hand hovered just above the weapon, the man threw out the keys.

"Make sure there isn't another key," Fin suggested.

"Remove your clothes and toss them through the bars," Brando commanded, beginning to strip the unconscious man at his feet.

When both men were stripped down to their shorts, Brando unlocked the gate and hoisted the unconscious man inside. Fin stood at the side with the tip of his sword hovering just inside the bars to prevent the man inside from trying anything."

When Brando locked the barred door, he was about ready to sit down and collect himself before searching the camp for water when an unexpected voice greeted him from behind.

"From one bandit to another, I applaud your style," the outline of a man spoke in a charming voice. "There isn't much you stand to gain by robbing us, but if you're looking for a job, you've more than gained our confidence in you. If you let my crew go now, we would be more than happy to have someone with your talents on our team."

"Incoming," Fin warned before calling out Fearing Howl. Nothing came out of his voice but gravelly air. Noticing his ability didn't work, he carefully moved forward, attempting to draw the man's attention and stall for time. "What kind of work do you three do?"

"I'm in the business of managing people," the man said, keeping his voice cool and level. "What I do is significantly more lucrative than petty theft."

"Let me guess," Fin tested the weight of his sword by moving it around in circles. "You capture people and then sell them to the lady at the goblin camp?"

"What? How do you know? She said she only does business with me," The man's confusion deflated his arrogance. "Who are you?"

Brando lifted his crossbow and pointed it, to the best of his ability, towards the man's dark outline. Unable to see the bolt or his target, he leveled his weapon, spoke some words, and pulled the trigger. "We're just a couple of escaped slaves."

Hearing the snap of the crossbow, Fin lunged in with his sword. In a wild fury, he stabbed, swung, and stabbed again. Not feeling the blows to his body or head, he kept hacking at the shadow before him as his consciousness grew foggy and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Brando instinctively reset his crossbow and just as quickly drew a new bolt out. After a few tries, he blindly set the bolt into position. By the time he was ready to fire another shot, he couldn't see or hear his target.

"Fin?" he called out. There was no reply. He stepped forward; it was as silent as a graveyard. Not wanting to accidentally shoot Fin in the dark, he set his crossbow on the ground and held a bolt in his right hand. He moved forward until he saw what he thought was a body on the earth. Reaching down with his left hand, he touched a bare shoulder.

It was Fin. Relieved to find a pulse, he explored further, reaching past Fin's body. His hand met damp cloth over an unmoving chest. He followed the form until he reached the man's neck. Countless heartbeats pulsed in Brando's ear before he was satisfied that he could feel none with his fingers.

Casting away the bolt, he lifted Fin in his arms and moved towards the light of the dim fire. Nearly tripping and dropping his burden, Brando regained his balance and pressed forward on uncertain legs. When he finally reached the fire, he set him down on the recently occupied blanket. He checked Fin's exposed skin for deep cuts and stab wounds. Only seeing minor cuts and bruises, he left Fin's side to search the camp for water.