Alaric felt guilt creep into his gut as he looked into Korran's confused eyes. He'd thought that keeping his bounty a secret from everyone was the safest course for everyone involved, but it hadn't exactly worked out that way. With Fiona's words ringing true he could feel the annoyance radiating off of the others as he watched Korran stand on his own - ensnaring the bandit leader into a deviously manipulated duel. Of course, he had failed him the most.

Had he risked telling the team, he wouldn't been worried about his focus on his safety being conceived as favoritism by the others. He'd brushed off the boy's concerns about being seen in the village and there was little doubt in Alaric's mind that's how Nolan had been alerted. Now, standing in that clearing with a small army looking down on him and his associates watching on without assistance, he appeared more alone than when Alaric had followed him.

Still, guilt couldn't silence his conscience and allow him to watch Korran execute the man. "There's no need to spill any more unnecessary blood," Alaric said, well aware of the dagger just inches from sinking into his stomach. He'd moved impossibly fast to twist his body and hold a threatening dagger to Alaric's stomach before he could react - even more so than he had in the duel.

Had he been holding back? Alaric wondered.

Korran blinked in disbelief, then his lips curled into a scowl. "Are you joking? I've earned the right; this man has lost the duel after threatening my freedom and life. This isn't a case for a courthouse, Your Highness."

"Still...it takes nothing out of you to show mercy. A death should be purposeful."

"This guy wouldn't bat an eye commanding his men to kill us. I've witnessed firsthand their lifestyle - his death is far overdue. Frankly, if you wish to have your blood merged with his-"

A colossal Warhammer settled above his shoulder, cutting off his looming threat. Ardus hefted the weapon heavier than a single man with just one hand, a serious expression etched on his face. He'd moved pretty quickly for his height.

Alaric gave him a grateful nod.

Korran tsked, his eyes drifting to Ardus' hammer but neither of his daggers retreated from their positions. Alaric sighed, "I'm sure Nolan would now agree to pursue us isn't in the cards."

"Sure man, you got it," Nolan said shakily, his hands raised in surrender and his rapier uselessly on the floor. The man wasn't as cocky as he had been when he had the high ground. A typical bully.

"He's telling you what you want to hear; this guy's word means as much as a snake's skin, shredded at the earliest convenience," Korran pressed. Alaric noticed he didn't seem fatigued from the earlier duel and peculiarly, there had been moments Alaric could've sworn he made out the shadow of a grin while he battled.

"Alaric is right," Ardus said, his arm still as a tree's roots despite the weight in it. "Providing mercy to those who hesitate to do the same grants you good karma."

"Then there's a lot of people with great karma in the morgue," Korran responded dryly. "Lot of good it did them."

"I imagine it did do them good in the end," came Ardus' curt reply.

"Enough of this," Alaric said, not allowing the two to ramble on. He could tell their spectators were getting antsy; if they decided to rush them it would be difficult to get out in one piece. "We've wasted enough time as it is - Korran he's not worth killing. You've won your duel, good job, now let's get gone."

Korran's scowl deepened. "Your obsession with morality is going to get us killed. You're not in the city gates anymore, Alaric. Kindness is a symptom of weakness."

Alaric dared to step forward, feeling the cold blade of Korran's dagger press against his robe. "I have a plan, but it'll require you to trust me."

Korran held his defiant glare for a moment longer then dropped both of his weapons. He didn't have much of a choice with Ardus' Warhammer inches away from decapitating him, but Alaric still let loose a thankful sigh. Nolan collapsed to the ground, his body shaking with quiet sobs at the shock of being at death's doorstep and Ardus made sure to kick his rapier out of his reach.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Restrain him," Alaric whispered to Ardus then turned his attention to the horde in the trees. They were well past restless now, looking poised to strike at any moment; whether to free their leader or if they considered him a lost cause was up for interpretation. "As you can see we wish to shed no more blood here today! We hope to return your leader to you with a pulse, but we'll need to take some precautions for our safety."

Some of the eyes staring down at him didn't seem to care for his words and he could understand why. In this savage forest and lifestyle seeing their leader reduced to sobbing would taint their image of him.

One of the men who'd been originally standing next to Nolan must've sensed the same thing because he barked something in their direction that Alaric didn't pick up. Then the fellow looked down at Alaric. "Speak; what terms?"

"We'll hold on to Nolan as we head south down this path, in an hour - and no sooner - you'll advance in our direction and find him hogtied to a tree with no further harm." Alaric pointed to Wulfur, "This is the part where I point out we have a wolf on our side, and if he so much as detects the scent of a single bandit you won't find your leader breathing."

Alaric held his breath as his words hung in the air. He'd shown mock confidence in his plan to reassure Korran, but there was no certainty that the bandits played along. Watching his father negotiate had revealed it was all about flashing the cards in your arsenal and making them seem more impactful than they really were. However, the only card he had in this particular negotiation was Nolan.

The two factors their fate depended on were the level of loyalty between a majority of the bandits and how far away they'd get after dumping Nolan. No bandit would be happy walking away from a bounty in their grasp.

"Very well, we accept the conditions." the same guy replied. He was oddly shaped with his hair sticking out at different angles like spikes, but he had a tone of authority.

Alaric didn't stick around to let the higher-up second guess himself. He motioned to Korran and Ardus - who had Nolan draped over his back - before they hustled back to the edge of the clearings where their horses and the others waited (thankfully).

"Make sure Wulfur's nostrils are on full alert," Alaric said once they had been galloping for five minutes. It wasn't a full-speed gallop because Ardus' horse now had to bear the weight of both the giant and the bandit leader - but Alaric thought they were making good time.

"They always are," Petra assured him.

"I don't mean to poke the elephant in the room," Fiona started from nearby, "but are there any more surprises waiting for us? It'd be helpful to list them in order of most life-threatening - like say...being ambushed by a bandit army would be pretty high up...I hope."

Alaric sighed. "No, it should be smooth sailing from here."

"I sure hope so," Mathis unhelpfully commented with a sly look in Korran's direction. "What does such a small boy have to do to earn such a bounty?"|

Not even a second passed before Korran's gruff reply. "Kill men far greater than you."

Mathis' eyes narrowed, but Alaric didn't let it go on any longer. "Less talking, more riding," he demanded. "We're not out of the woods yet."

After another fifteen minutes, Alaric held up a hand and the others halted behind him. He pointed to a river directly off the trail but not hidden from sight and canopied by tall trees."We'll leave Nolan here and continue on our way."

No objections were raised as Ardus climbed off of his horse and hauled down the bound Nolan with one hand. The man was bleeding slightly but his cut didn't seem deep. Alaric followed Ardus down to the river and watched as the giant tied him to a tree with rope. "It'd be in your best interest not to come after us. Next time I won't stop Korran."

Nolan nodded stiffly. Without a dagger against his throat, he'd recovered some of his spunk. "I'd say I'm in your debt, friend - but that's a fine bounty you have on a leash there - so no payment of mine would be worthwhile."

"I disagree."

"The only one who'll be on a leash is you." Korran's voice behind him almost caused Alaric to jump out of his skin. He hadn't seen him follow them and as usual, the man had been quiet as a ghost. "I imagine you've lost a lot of face being spared by a city crow's morals."

Nolan took on a thoughtful look. "Face can be reclaimed, a neck can not, eh? I feel no shame at being saved by this..."

Alaric smiled. "Alaric."

"-Alaric. What I do feel ashamed about is losing to that brute technique that lacks any elegance. If this were me before the cobwebs set against my joints, you'd be encased in dirt by now, boy."

Korran gave a sardonic chuckle. "Pitiful," he muttered before turning on his heel and stalking back to his horse.

Alaric was surprised to see that the look Nolan gave Korran's back wasn't corrupted with anger or vengeance - but instead seemed much calmer and softer. He remembered that Korran had known the man's name and wondered what history they shared. He allowed himself to imagine that Nolan would turn his back on this life of stealing from innocents, but deep down Alaric knew that was as likely as an eagle barking.

They left the man tied to the tree and continued forward. Petra offered to heal Korran's shallow cut with her abilities but a withering glare answered her offer.

"How far until the harbor?" Ardus asked.

Alaric grinned, tapping into his memory of the map he had studied for weeks on end. "Not far, big guy. Not far at all."