The bar hummed with conversations and the clinking of glasses. At one corner, a man was slouched over a stool, his bloodshot eyes showing he may have had one too many drinks. Swirling the remnants of the drink while mumbling to himself, he broke out into obnoxious laughter, disturbing the guests around.

The bartenders exchanged a glance, silently acknowledging that he might be causing trouble soon, so they met in the back to discuss.

“Hey Bo, this guy looks like trouble,” Beck said.

“It’s probably best we leave him alone,” Bo replied. “Look at the ring on his pinky.”

Beck seeing a skull design on it, his voice now a whisper, “A bandit.”

Their fingers intertwined gently as they locked eyes, sharing the same worry.

“That’s it, I’ve had enough of this!” a woman’s voice yelled out front.

“Lily!” they said.

She couldn’t take it anymore! Lily, a server, approached the drunken man. Never had someone been this disrespectful before.

The intoxicated guest stumbled around, pushing back tables, oblivious to the many disapproving looks.

“How does this thing work anyways,” he said, squeezing the tail end of a root sticking out of one of many tables around. Liquor surged from it, spilling over the table guests were sitting.

The restaurant was built on the back of an enormous Ti Plant, popular for producing sweet alcohol from its roots - if extracted correctly.

“Sir, I think you’ve had enough,” Lily said, setting his drink down for him.

“Well aren’t you a sight,” he slurred.

Lily remained composed, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Gazing at Lily’s cat-like ears upon her head, his eyes widened, saying, “N- Nefarian?!” He leaped with joy, reaching for her ears.

Snatching his hand mid-air, she twisted his wrist, forcing his arm behind his back while slamming him on the table, face first.

“Careful Lily,” Beck said, returning from the back with Bo.

“Careful? Have you seen how he’s making the customers feel?” she replied.

“We mustn’t treat our guests in such a way,” Bo replied.

“My apologies, allow me to help him out,” she said, twisting his wrist a little more, causing him to yelp. “Right this way, sir,” she said, leading him towards the exit. Tossing him outside, she clapped her hands together, happily saying, “Have a great rest of your day,” before heading back inside.

Pulling a blade from his boot, the bandit lunged at Lily.

“Huh?” the bandit couldn’t move the knife, as someone had caught it before he could get the waitress.

“Attacking a lady from behind,” Rai declared in a firm tone, “not cool,” he said, squeezing the man’s wrist, causing him to drop the blade.

The aggressor, taken aback by the unexpected intervention, withdrew.

Lily flashed a smile at Rai, uttering a quick, “Thanks.”

“No big deal,” Rai dismissed her gratitude with a casual wave. “By the way, I'm searching for someone named, Bobeck?”

Lily chuckled, “Bo and Beck,” she said pointing to a massive sign that read ‘Bo & Beck’s Booze’ right above their heads. “They’re my parents.”

“Huh. So what am I picking up today?”

At the back, Lily slid two large doors open, barrels of Ti, stacked one after another waited inside.

“Ti has various uses, including medical purposes,” Lily explained. “It’s quite popular and in high demand.”

“Anything for memory loss?” Rai asked.

“It depends on the memory loss you’re looking for,” Lily teased. “Ti’s main purpose,” Lily handed him a small glass, pouring a shot in it, “go on try it.”

Rai took a sip, spitting it out right after, “Alcohol?!”

“Yep.”

“‘Urgent I get home before dark’, they said.” Rai shook his head in disapproval. Should have known, MFR was happening today.

Grabbing a barrel, he carefully made his way back to the wagon, hauling it over, saying, “That’s one… and many more to go.”

“Lily, help our guest,” Beck said, walking around the corner.

“On it,” she stated, grabbing the barrel herself, while casually walking over and placing it on the wagon. Rai looked at her, slightly embarrassed. She winked, “Perks of being a Nefarian.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Once the last barrel was loaded, they exchanged farewells, and Rai began his journey back to his village. After about an hour, Rai said, “Ugh, not looking forward to this,” his stomach grumbling.

Plu leaned over Rai’s head, trying to make eye contact with him.

“Not now, Plu,” Rai waved the stuffed animal away, causing it to roll off his head onto the barrels behind, but soon, Rai’s eyes slowly widened—immediately, the wagon came to a screeching halt. Slowly turning around, he noticed Plu on top of one of the many barrels stacked behind him. “Plu?” Rai said, cautiously creeping his finger towards it.

“Plu,” the stuffed animal replied.

“Ah!” Rai scurried back, falling out of the wagon he was in and startling the horses. “Hey, wait!” Rai shouted chasing after the wagon. Plu watched him, seemingly enjoying his struggles, but when uneven dirt started causing the barrels to get launched out of the wagon, both Plu and Rai were at the mercy of the wagon. When the animals finally stopped, only one barrel remained in the wagon and Plu and Rai were gasping for air. “As strange as this is, I’m too tired to care right now.”

“Plu,” it said, before plopping to its feet. Tapping Rai on the head, it pointed at a distant cloud of smoke rising from the village Lily was from.

“Fire?!” Rai quickly split off one of the horses pulling the wagon, racing back to their village. Upon return, he found Beck and Bo holding each other, crying. Many buildings, including the restaurant, were on fire. “What happened here!?” Rai asked.

“Th- They took her!” Bo cried. That’s all he could muster, before breaking down into tears.

Standing, Beck placed his hands on Rai’s shoulders, “I was sure it was you, but I didn’t want to pry,” he said, wiping some tears. “You’re the boy from the last exam, right? Please, I beg you,” he fell to his knees. “Save Lily! Bandits took her from us.”

“Where were they headed?” Rai asked.

“South-east, towards the open plains before you reach the woods.”

“You’ll help us,” Bo said looking up, wiping away his snot.

“Course, this is what I do,” Rai said. “I’ve forgotten a lot recently, but I still remember my dream. I’m going to become the strongest Illuminus Elite.”

***

A roaring fire blazed amid a rowdy bandit gathering. Hundreds of them in drunken shenanigans, guzzling ale and feasting on roast pig. Today marked the bandit lord’s inauguration, a secret banquet held once a year, however, despite the many bandits who would love for a chance to be named the bandit lord, the same lord was chosen each year, making it a day for festivities where everyone got incredibly wasted.

Inside a tent, Lily was bound to a post.

Though unharmed, she was uncertain of her fate. The drunken bandit from the village had returned reinforcements. She managed to fend them off until they took her parents hostage, forcing her to surrender for their safety. The tent rustled open, and a figure clad in bandit gear and a helmet entered, causing her to tense up.

“Shh, don’t worry,” the voice assured. The helmet came off, revealing Rai.

“It’s you,” Lily responded in disbelief.

“Your parents said I had to have you back before midnight,” Rai grinned, untying her. “Come on, let’s go,” he gestured, placing the helmet back on.

Outside bandits roamed every corner of the encampment. “How are we getting through all that?” Lily asked.

“By walking in plain sight,” Rai said, gazing at the many drunk bandits. “But first, let's make you a little less... appealing.”

“But I spent all morning on this..." Lily said, gently placing her fingers along the tips of her hair.

“Too bad,” Rai said, swiftly rummaging his hands through Lily's hair.

“Stop it!” she slapped him

“The heck was that fore!” Rai stressed in a whisper.

“I hate it...” Lily muttered, her hair a messy ball.

Three bandits crossed their path, with one collapsing on the floor right outside the tent. Traversing through the many bandits, Plu’s head popped out of the backside of the armor Rai wore, making Lily yelp, kicking a metal helmet on the ground, and hitting a large man feasting on two turkey legs.

“Who did that!?” the brute shouted.

Quickly grabbing Lily, Rai darted off in another direction, Plu, meanwhile, tucked back into his gear.

“What was that?” Lily whispered, inquiring about Plu.

“Shh,” Rai said.

“Don’t shush me,” she responded.

“Where she go?!” another bandit yelled, causing Rai and Lily to hasten their pace. “Which one of y’all took my girl.”

“Who cares? We've got more where that came from,” another bandit dismissed.

When Rai heard this, he hesitated, pausing to turn around. More?

“My head!” the man earlier gripped his skull, blood ran from his ears as he writhed in pain until he eventually lay motionless on the floor.

“Is he.. dead?” Lily said under her breath.

“Come on,” Rai replied, carefully guiding them away from the scene.

A light humming sound emanated from the biggest tent around, causing many to stand, as a man with an ant-like antenna for hair stepped out. “We care because we are the Zigga Bandits,” Zigga declared.

“Bandit Lord Zigga,” they said, facing the direction of their boss.

Noticing two individuals leaving the banquet, Zigga shouted, “You two.”

Everyone separated, creating a clear line of sight for Zigga.

Rai and Lily froze.

“Ahem. Yes, my lord,” Rai said, nervously turning.

“Where are you taking this girl?” Zigga asked.

“That’s my prisoner!” another bandit claimed.

“I was taking her back to.. my place. To do what men do,” Rai explained, pulling Lily in closer, in an attempt to deflect suspicion. He was still in disguise, hidden by the helmet he wore.

Lily ‘accidentally’ stepped on Rai’s foot, causing him to wince.

“So, you were looking to steal her from me,” the bandit accused, standing within the forming circle.

“DIRGE! DIRGE! DIRGE!” bandits chanted, creating an intense atmosphere.

“It looks like we have a dirge upon us,” Lord Zigga said.

Urged forward by the bandits, Rai looked around uncertain as to what a dirge entailed.

Lily could only watch as the events unfolded.

“As per the rules of a dirge, the loser gets to claim something of the others, at the cost, of course, of their life,” another bandit with a rule book explained, smiling greedily. “What will be your weapons of choice?”

The other bandit pulled out a machete, meanwhile, Rai picked a thin stick from the floor.

“A stick?” someone questioned.

“Yeah, this should do,” Rai replied, his face still hidden from the rest of the bandits.

“Let the duel commence,” Zigga declared.

The bandit charged towards Rai, swinging his blade, but infused flux force caused the blade to bounce right off the stick.

With a swift chop of the stick across the bandit’s neck, Rai incapacitated him.

The crowd was in shock, except for Zigga, who was frowning.

“Can anyone be challenged to a dirge?” Rai asked the bandit with the rule book, who nodded slowly, the book falling from their hand. “If that’s the case, then I challenge Bandit Lord Zigga,” Rai said, pointing directly at him.

Many bandits whispered to one another, while others chuckled.

“And what could the challenger possibly want from me?” Zigga responded.

“I want you to free every prisoner,” Rai said firmly, “and return the things you took from them.”

Laughter erupted from the crowd, and even Zigga joined in.

Zigga’s antenna-like hair began to vibrate, emitting a low-frequency hum. Small cracks in the earth formed, revealing tiny glowing roots. “Let the duel commence!”