“He was talking about bandits! He was gone for only a day or so, do you think the bandits will come here?” asked a concerned villager.

“Gods, I hope not! If the bandits are only a day away, we’ll not have time to call for aid!”

“Hey! I need help here! Medicine, where’s the medicine?” cried Carl.

Isadora rushed off from her house carrying a box like the one Liza brought to them. The only difference was that there were less remedies inside of this one. She shoved Carl aside with ease and assessed the patient. Looking at his many injuries and his current state, Isadora knitted her brows, clicked her tongue, and got to work.

People crowded around her, looking on as she used different pastes for his wounds and forced two medicinal pellets down the man’s throat with the help of some water. Finally, she dressed his most serious wounds with bandages. Observing the people gathered around her, Isadora pointed at two strong men.

“You two, help me carry him over to my house! Move out of the way Carl, you’re not helping!”

The two appointed men hoisted the unconscious Bret up and trailed Isadora to her house. None of the other villagers followed. They didn’t know the man well, there wasn’t much they could to help and they couldn’t just barge into the elder’s home. Carl wasn’t concerned with any of this, so he accompanied them in.

He passed by Liza and Ben when he got inside and although he registered there were people there, he didn’t care for who they were right now. Bret was laid down onto the bed as per Isadora’s instructions. Liza scrutinized his injuries with seriousness and did a cursory analyse on his current condition.

“I’m afraid he won’t make it,” said Liza.

“Shut up! Who are you? What do you know?” rebuked Carl.

“She’s right Carl, things aren’t looking good for your friend. It’s easy to see he escaped pursue and rode on without rest with these injuries, the dead horse outside can attest to that. If he got treated right after the fight he might had a chance, but as things stand…” said Isadora, shaking her head.

“How… how could this be? He was chasing the fugitives… You! You’re the guys the earl is looking for! Bret was going after you!” exclaimed Carl as he pointed at Liza and company.

“Yeah? So what? I didn’t ask him to pursue us nor did I give him those wounds. What’s your point?” asked Liza in inflammatory fashion.

“Liza, I don’t think you should…” began Ben’s ethereal voice.

“Silence, all of you!” shouted Isadora.

The room got quiet.

“Carl, I know your head is a mess right now because of your old colleague, but the village is facing the threat of a bandit attack. I don’t think I need to remind you that your wife and son are residing here too, right?” asked the elder in a more subdue and conciliatory tone.

Realizing his wife and son could be in danger, Carl shivered and cooled down. In the back of his mind he was cursing his streak of bad luck lately, as he seemed to be jumping from one dangerous situation to the next. Noticing that everybody had calmed down, Isadora clapped her hands once to draw their attention and spoke in a somber manner.

“Let’s leave the poor man to rest, it’s up to the gods if he’ll make it. It’s time we ring the bell and have a meeting with everyone to decide what we should do in this situation.”

They followed Isadora outside the house. There was no need to ring the bell in the end, as all the residents were crowding the square. News about bandits traveled fast. Everyone looked concerned and the mood was tense. Liza watched their expressions and clenched her teeth hard, a burning fury brewing in the pit of her stomach. She hated bandits.

“I guess everyone heard the news already. The guard that passed by yesterday returned today, wounds all over him. He claimed he was attacked by bandits. As of now, we don’t know what will happen. I want to hear your opinions before making a decision,” said Isadora.

“What about we give them all our money?”

“Are you stupid? Do you think they’ll just take the money? They’ll take the food and some of the women too!”

“What if we run away?”

“If they’ve horses we’d be done for.”

“Forget that, even if they didn’t come for us they’d ransack the village. How would we survive the winter then?”

“How about we send for help?”

“They’re only a day away, help wouldn’t make it in time!”

Liza couldn’t take it anymore. She’d vivid memories of a gathering just like this one and what happened afterwards. She wouldn’t let the same thing happen again!

“You’re all being naïve! The guard was gone for a day, that means half a day riding away and half a day coming back. You’ve a few hours if they’ve horses or half a day at most if they’re on foot!” exclaimed Liza.

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The villagers panicked hearing this. A single day head start was already bad enough, but realizing they didn’t have even that left them terrified and paralyzed with fear.

“You’ve only two options. One, give up and hope for the best. Who knows, some of you might survive this ordeal. Or two, fight back! Don’t let them take away the fruits of your hard work or the lives of your loved ones!”

Some were moved by Liza’s speech, especially the hotblooded youths, but most of them were scared. Their tools were the hoe and the rake, not the axe and the sword. They weren’t used to fighting back. That was usually the weakness of communities like this; even when they outnumbered the bandits by a decent amount, the criminals could easily control them and pillage at leisure.

Carl was torn. He didn’t know what to feel or do about Liza and company, but he understood now was not the time to ponder such things. He needed their help to keep his family safe. Fearing the villagers might refuse to resist, causing Liza, Eliot and Ben to leave, he weighted in.

“She’s right folks, we’ve to fight! Bandits are ruthless! They won’t have mercy just because you were nice to them. Who among you can use a sword or bow?” asked Carl.

“I can! I used to be an adventurer before…”

“You took an arrow to the knee,” Ben’s ethereal voice cut in.

“What? No, before I got married,” replied the man, feeling confused.

“Huh? Oh, sorry I didn’t mean to say that! I’m just so nervous that it slipped,” Ben continued.

“I’ve never used a weapon before, but I’m strong! I can swing my sickle all day without getting tired!” shouted an excited youth.

More people came forward, but only another two had some modicum of experience. Liza made a head count. With three veterans from the village, Carl, Eliot, Boro and her they’d seven people that could fight. Additionally, if you excluded the young, the old and the women they’d another thirteen combatants. She wasn’t putting much stock on those however, because they could crumble easily in battle due to their inexperience.

“Grab whatever you can for protection and your sharpest weapons or tools. We’ll hide inside the houses. The elder will pretend to receive the bandits and when they’re close enough we’ll rush and strike them,” said Liza.

“Wait, that’s your strategy?” Ben asked.

Liza was surprised to hear his voice. She figured by now he would be shaking in fear, hiding in a corner somewhere. Turning to face his way, she noticed he was scared all right. That being the case, the fact he was questioning her strategy was all the more important.

“Yes, we’ve little time, so it won’t be possible to train them properly or give individual pointers. Do you have a better idea?”

Ben was afraid of the bandits and the fight that would ensue, but his life was hanging on the result of this battle. He wanted to help and make sure they’d the best chance possible at victory, and Liza’s plan was hopeful at best. The villagers, like himself, had no combat experience and would be easily routed after the first surprise attack. If they wanted to win this, they needed to make sure they’d more advantages, enabling the residents to fight better and for a longer time.

“I do! How many bandits are we talking about?”

“Impossible to say, no more than thirty some though. When they grow too big they usually go out of control and end up splitting. If that doesn’t happen the nobles will take notice and assemble a task force to deal with them. Twenty to thirty should be an accurate estimative.”

“Ok, have the women and the children disassemble the poles from the animal fence and sharpen them into spears. The men should dig holes on the ground where I tell them to. We need this done quick, then we’ll practice the ambush. Anyone with courage and enough strength to thrust a spear will participate in the attack.”

Nobody moved. Ben didn’t have the bearings of a leader nor the charisma to spur them into action. Liza didn’t know him for long, but she knew two things: he was a coward and an otherworlder with weird, foreign knowledge. If Ben overcame his fears to actively participate in their preparations, it meant he believed his knowledge would be crucial to their victory. Liza gazed at Isadora and gave a nod. The elder scratched her chin pensively.

“Why waste time making wooden spears? Any steel tool or weapon would be more effective. The gal’s idea was simple, but it would work. I suggest we do as she proposed earlier,” said Carl.

“Don’t be so quick to dismiss him. The plan we used to escape Starfall was his. Wasn’t that impressive? We’ve managed to escape a closed city, leaving you and your lord in the dust,” said Liza.

Carl was annoyed, but internally he agreed.

“Ok folks, listen to what that lad says! We’re fighting the bandits! We’re fighting for our lives!” shouted Isadora.

Now everyone finally scrambled. Ben was nervous at first, but after giving instructions to more than seventy people in a row, he grew more confident. It felt like playing an RTS game or taking the role of a general before the battle. While he was instructing people to dig shallow holes on the ground, the elder approached him carrying a ceramic jar.

“I remembered that fellow talking about something that could take down a bear, so I checked his equipment. This jar has a tranquilizer inside of it. I tested it on a horse, it’s good stuff,” said Isadora.

“Good, this will be a great boon!”

“Right, I thought so as well!”

“Elder, please gather everyone when the spears are finished. I’ll show them what we’ll do and a simple strategy for they to fight with.”

An hour or so later, the eastern trail leading towards the village was filled with small holes. They were covered with a layer of twigs and soil, making it very hard to spot them. Soon, the remaining residents gathered, bringing with them the wooden spears. Ben waited for everyone to settle down and began explaining the plan.

“We’ll wait for the bandits here and ambush them as they approach the village. You’ll be hidden in the fields on both sides and strike after the signal. The first attack is important, make it count. After this surprise blitz, you’ll make pairs and take turns striking with your spears. This way they’ll find it very hard to get near you! Any questions?”

“What if they come from another direction?” asked a courageous woman that volunteered for the ambush.

“It’s improbable. That guard rode away from the village from this trail and returned to the village on this trail after encountering the bandits. In the unlikely event that they come from another direction, we’ll have a group lure them here.”

“Lure them? I don’t want to be bait, that’s scary!” replied a coward youth.

“Don’t worry, that job will fall to the veterans. Your role will be to attack them from a superior position! You’ll be hidden on the crops, that will give you the element of surprise! You’ll be using your long wooden spears, that will give you the advantage of reach! Finally, you’ll be attacking two to one, that will give you the safety of numbers!”

Listening to Ben’s speech about their upper hand, the villagers grew more confident about their chances. They rehearsed their moves a couple times and took their positions. Jimmy and a couple other kids were elected to scout the enemies. All they had to do now was wait.