Thanks to the information from the man the bandits were keeping chained up, we knew that the leader of these bandits was still around, and should this ‘loose end’ find out what we had done there would be problems that I’d rather not deal with. The problem however, was that we didn’t know how to deal with him discreetly, or even the number of people he took with him for his excursion to Rypus. Castos was our best scout so I sent him immediately to set up on his expected path of return, and then immediately return to us once he spots him and the amount of people in his party.
Dorian was small and nimble as well, so he set out on a similar job in the direction where we knew the lookouts were stationed. There were meant to be only two of them, but if they stumbled back upon their base and smelled something fishy they would probably decide to go and inform the ‘boss’, which would complicate matters. At the same time as we were cleaning up the carnage that we brought upon these bandits, we were also feeding the prisoner who introduced himself to us as ‘Vernon’. I had an inkling that there was more to the man than just a name, his Rahlian was far too sophisticated to be ‘commoner-speak’. He also didn’t have any trouble communicating with us in the language, even though the locals in Ballir spoke Aswang.
Two days passed, during which we managed to secure all of the armor and weapons from the dead bandits we wanted inside the cave, and buried the bodies so that they wouldn’t be found easily by others. Vernon was looking much stronger, although that didn’t help with his mood any. There was no word from Castos and Dorian on the first day so I sent Cameron and Fisk to replace them on the second, any man would need rest after almost twenty-four hours at his post.
The bandits went around this problem by sending out two to watch the main road, one would presumably rest while the other kept up his watch. They must have had some place to sleep as well, as they didn’t return at all during these two days. The bandit leader, though, decided he had done enough galavanting in Rypus and was spotted returning along with two others. As soon as Cameron was sure there were no others following further behind, he rushed to us at great haste.
The plan was for me to pretend to be a lookout while the others either hid in the cave, or in the bushes nearby. I had already exchanged my armor for that of one of the bandits, which was of worse quality but I wasn’t planning on going up one against three, so didn’t protest that much. When Vernon found himself having more energy than he knew what to do with, he would pester me to make sure that I would allow him to be the man to deal the killing blow to the bandit leader. The single-mindedness that he displayed made me worry for his mental state, he was a man possessed by his goal, and my curiosity wondered exactly what the bandit leader had done to deserve such a response.
The unaware group of three cooperated with our subterfuge and approached the entrance as if nothing was out of the ordinary. The lack of noise coming from inside the cave must have put them on guard as they came close, as their pace slackened and I took that as the moment when we ought to make our move. I unsheathed my longsword, as I had left my short sword behind to help with the ‘disguise’. At almost the exact same moment, Castos let loose an arrow at one of the Siward’s guards, hitting him right in the eye.
The man collapsed, but Siward and his other guard were no chumps, and immediately put on their helmets and unsheathed their swords. They had shields on their backs as well, which they equipped in their off-hands, and stood back to back. Everyone but Castos and Fisk who was watching for the bandits on ‘lookout duty’ stepped out into where they would be visible. The seven of us were loosely encircling the two bandits, and seeing that they were outnumbered, the big man’s guard charged at me, thinking I’d be the easiest to take down, since I had no shield.
I managed to parry his first strike to the side, but his response was surprisingly skillful as he avoided having his sword dig into the ground. The fact that he was off balance did help me slightly, and I delivered a crude but heavy strike at his shield, which pushed him back a few steps. When the man recovered his posture, and was prepared to continue the fight he saw that I was no longer alone.
Dorian and Vernon were on either side of me, and the three of us managed to subdue the man without killing him, although he was no longer able to stand as a truly nasty slash by Vernon cut the man’s achilles’ tendon. I kept the fight between the four of my squad and the bandit leader in the corner of my eye, and it was a good thing that we decided on having an extra man on their side. This Siward was very skilled with the sword and shield, and his fighting style suggested he received some proper tutelage with the blade.
Edmund received a painful but manageable cut on his wrist, and Cameron was hit in the face with the full force of the shield. It was only after the bandit leader lost a few fingers, and could no longer hold his sword, that he dropped to his knees and surrendered. Dorian was watching over the man we had defeated, but at the sight of the Siward surrendering Vernon began to walk over with purpose. I wanted to ask the bandit a few questions this time around, the amount of wealth and supplies his band had stored in the cave was over twice as large as our first haul, and I wanted to find out more about him and whether he was working with some other group.
I put a hand on Vernon’s shoulder, and he didn’t seem to notice originally so I had to shove him backwards so that he would stop approaching the kneeling bandit leader, as I was sure he would have killed him before I could ask him any questions. Vernon stayed on his feet and the look in his eyes was feral, the kind that brooked no argument. I decided to use words rather than force, assuring Vernon that he would still get to kill him, but that I wanted to talk with him before he was dead.
I also made him promise to ignore anything I would say to secure the surrendered bandit’s cooperation, since it was expected that I’d have to make promises to let them go for them to talk. Those in my squad wouldn’t be surprised, as I had done the same with Wisgar, and as long as I explained my thinking afterwards they shouldn’t be a hassle to deal with.
Walking up to the boss, he looked worse for wear, whimpering in pain from having his fingers cut off. Cameron who delivered that strike was quite precise, managing to cut only the fingers and not his whole hand, which would have been much more difficult to deal with. I allowed the bandit leader to be given a cloth with which to apply pressure to the wound, which at least decreased the rate at which he was bleeding. Surprised by that gesture, and understanding that perhaps we weren’t going to kill him right this moment, he looked up at me, who was standing right in front of him, and began to talk.
“You taking me to Geist?” He asked crudely in Aswang, and my face failed to stay neutral and twitched slightly at the mention of an unknown name. Because I didn’t answer him immediately he noticed that too.
“You’re not with him then?” He added, this time with less hostility in his voice.
“No, we don’t know anyone by that name” I answered, being pretty sure of that.
“HAHAHAHA!” He began to laugh hysterically, perhaps due to the pain. “You’re saying you don’t even know the name of the Lord of that big city nearby? Or will you claim you don’t know the city’s name as well? HAHA!” He stated, it seems he found some amusement in this whole situation, as he continued to laugh for quite a while before settling down. While he was having his fit or whatever this was, I looked around trying to gauge my comrades facial expressions, but they still had their helmets on.
“This Geist is the Lord of Rypus?” I asked Siward, and he nodded emphatically. I wanted more than just a bandit’s word, and only Vernon nodded in acknowledgement of this fact.
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“Well we are not here at his behest, we attacked you simply because you were bandits, and we wanted to enrich ourselves” I explained, hoping he would find common ground in our desires.
“Oh, then might I suggest you release me and then you wouldn’t have to wear out your swords even further?” The man proposed, but I immediately shook my head in denial. “You’re saying that if we let you go, you won't at least try to get even with us? As if I’d believe that…” I answered, acting like there was nothing the man could offer me, to see if he’d make another.
“I can tell you a lot of things, like where the other bandit bands are around here, I even know some information regarding the Lord of Rypus!” Siward began to beg, informing us of the things he knew.
“That does seem more appealing, but we weren’t planning on raiding any of the bandits around here in the near future…” I replied, which was a blatant lie. Thankfully everyone still had their helmets up, as I saw Edmund’s body twitch slightly in surprise. Siward seemed disheartened, but began to beg further saying that he’d tell me anything I’d like to know, as long as I spared him.
“I think an arrangement can be made, but if we verify that anything you tell us was a lie, we’ll find you Siward” I warned him, and he jerked back away from me once I called him by name.
“So…you know who I am…” He said aloud, looking dejected. But he rebounded quite quickly, continuing our ‘negotiations’. “If I tell you everything, you have to swear you’ll let me go, in the name of the Gods!” He demanded, and I saw no problem with such a thing as I didn’t believe in them anyway.
“I, Luzon, swear to release Siward after he answers any and all questions that I have for him” I said, putting my hand on my heart, not literally of course.
“That’s good enough for me, so should I start with that child-fucking Lord?” Siward began, but I dismissed that.
“That doesn’t seem like it will be much use to me, the first thing I’d like to know is who those dead people chained up in your cave are” I asked, lying about Vernon who was very much alive and standing just a few paces away from us.
“Oh them? That’s a Knight and his family who we kidnapped for ransom. The Lord of Rypus was quite the cheap fellow and refused to pay our reasonable ransom, so we tortured and killed them so as not to waste any more time or food, but not before myself and my men got to enjoy that pretty wife of his!” Siward said, almost bragging about his heinous exploits.
Vernon's posture suggested the man was ready to break into a sprint towards Siward at any moment, so decided to cut the discussion regarding him and his family here, and ask about the bandits in the surroundings of Rypus. Siward was quite helpful by describing their relative strength, and also if anyone important was backing them. Apparently North of the Ballyr Sea there was a band in which the local Baron actually participated in! He was the nominal leader, and one of his Knights was the one who would lead the raids, occasionally having the Baron join in to ‘blow off some steam’.
I guess we’ll be staying out of that area at the very least, but some of the others near Rypus were small enough that they made feasible targets. The Lord of the city was one depraved fellow according to Siwards words, Cameron who was much more of a ‘people-person’ took off his helmet and seemed to be interested in the particulars a lot more than I was. Even if it was true that the noble was a pedophile, what could we realistically do about it?
I viewed the act with disdain, but we weren’t some heroes that fought for justice. Any kind of desire I had to help out the children who were being abused was met by the realization that there was nothing that I could do to help them at the moment. You’d need to have numbers in the hundreds to make a successful raid on Rypus, even more if you wanted to properly attack and seize the city.
When the information well by the name of Siward ran out of any useful information and began recounting his own successes in his less-than respectable profession, I decided it was time for him to meet his final end.
“I believe we’re done here” I interrupted Siward and Cameron, and looked at Vernon, who interpreted my slight nod correctly. He moved extremely quickly and kicked Siward in the face, sending the man into the ground to his left.
“Wh-what is the meaning of this! You swore you’d let me go in the name of the Gods!” He managed to get out, before Vernon pounced on him and began pummeling him with his fists. I didn’t believe a bandit deserved a response to such an inane statement, how could he believe someone would genuinely let him go after all he’s done?
None of those in my squad wished to view Siward’s final moments from up close, so we moved slightly away and observed Vernon’s vengeance from a slight distance. He had taken off his helmet at one point and it was clear that Siward had seen who it was that was delivering his punishment. The sounds were very unpleasant to us but I had a feeling that to Vernon they were the sweetest music he had ever heard. At the same time as Siward began receiving Vernon’s punishment, Dorian slit his guard’s throat, tying up one of our ‘loose-ends’.
Long after Siward stopped resisting, Vernon’s stamina must have run out and he just collapsed on the ground next to the dead man he killed, and he began to weep loudly. My heart was still there, and I felt it as my duty to comfort the man who was in great pain. I thought he might have fallen asleep but when I was about ten paces away, he shot up to his feet. It was an unexpected move, but what he did next was even more so.
Vernon unsheathed his sword, and pointed it at his own neck, clearly intending to end more than just his suffering. I moved instinctively, with no regard for discretion. It was too far away for any normal man to stop what Vernon was about to do, but I had the advantage of not being a ‘mundane’. I willed a strong wind to pass by me and quickly blow Vernon off his feet, which was dangerous but less so than if he delivered a clear stab into his neck. The unexpected blowing of wind did its job, but Vernon still held on to his weapon as he fell face-first onto the ground.
I was running at Vernon ever since I understood what he wanted to do, and before he could make another attempt on his life I jumped on his back to prevent him from standing up again. I began wrestling with him to take control of his sword, all the while he was screaming my ears off about letting him kill himself. The man was clearly in distress, and I was no psychologist that could manage to talk him out of what he was about to do with words.
I chose the easiest solution, and hit him on the back of the head trying to knock him unconscious. My first punch didn’t work, but by the third he drifted to the state that I had intended. The others might not have understood my reasoning behind preventing Vernon from killing himself, but appreciated the sentiment. Unlike when it came to carrying inanimate objects, there were no complaints from Kurt when I asked him to carry Vernon on his back.
We went back to the bandit’s cave, and began preparing to leave with as much loot as we could carry on the two horse carts we had acquired. I was still aware there were two more bandits somewhere on the road from Rypus to Lagon, but if they didn’t return by the time we were ready to leave then they might just be lucky; unfortunately for them, they weren’t. Fisk didn’t think they were going to be returning to the cave in a hurry, but they were perhaps spotting a target for the band they were in to raid.
As such, he was forced to kill them himself, something he claimed he had no trouble doing. He had no injuries to treat like Edmund and Cameron did, so perhaps he wasn’t boasting. We took all of the coins that we could find, along with most of the armor, weapons, foodstuffs, and even some less obvious goods like the chains that the bandits were using to secure their prisoners.
Vernon woke up when we were already on our way to Lagon, as I didn’t want to sell the loot we obtained just in case someone were to recognize the things we were carrying. I was walking behind the wagon he was lying on top of, and his first instinct was to grab his sword which was formerly hanging from his waist. His hands found nought but air however, and after getting his bearings and realizing he was moving he noticed me. I was observing his behavior at having woken up in an unknown place with amusement, since I swear the same kind of routine was performed by actors in movies when they were waking up after drinking too much the previous night.
“I’m glad to see you can take a few punches to the head” I joked, hoping his mind would think of anything but the tremendous loss he recently experienced.
“YOU! YOU SHOULD HAVE MINDED YOUR OWN BUSINESS!” Vernon shouted, but his throat was coarse and his voice did not carry as far as he wanted.
“Maybe, but I didn’t want to see a man kill himself when he was not thinking clearly” I countered, and threw him my waterskin so that he could get a drink.
He observed my offering that landed in his lap with suspicion, before giving up his resistance and taking a drink. The basic instinct to survive must have won out against his desire to kill himself.
“You don’t know anything you petulant child! What right do you have to dictate what I should and shouldn’t do!” He began to insult me, which didn’t make me too offended but did make Castos and Opie who were walking on either side of the wagon, and Fisk who was driving it break out into laughter. The laughter embarrassed Vernon somewhat and made him think that they were laughing at his expense, and not my own, so he switched focus to them.
“And the rest of you! Who the hell even are you?” He demanded, and if he had a sword in his hand perhaps he might have even attacked us.
“We’re mercenaries, we just tend to attack bandits more than pick up commissions recently” Fisk answered, his speech more eloquent than either Castos or Opie’s.
“So you’re just mercenaries, your intentions are as unclear as they are dishonorable. For all I know, you just stopped me from starving so that you could sell me off to a slaver!” Vernon went on, thinking the worst of us.
“I don't think we'd go that far, but that still doesn’t mean your life isn’t worth living old man” I interrupted him, taking a jab at his age just like he did mine.
“How the hell do you know if it is or isn't it?” He continued to argue, perhaps just to be a contrarian.
“I don’t, but if you killed yourself you’ll never get to find out either” I replied, thinking of how much like a smartass I sounded.