We pushed our horses hard that day, harder than I was happy with to tell you the truth but even then by the time we made camp late that night the fourteen of us only managed to travel two-thirds of the distance that had taken the forty plus bandits two days. We could have made better time if we hadn’t been encumbered by our bandit prisoner but we would require his services once we arrived at our designation.
“So Ian what do you think our chances are of finding Walter and or the girl alive?”
“Well from what our prisoner said Walter was slightly wounded when he was first taken and he thinks one of his compatriots might have clipped the girl with an arrow during the escape so it’s hard to say. But from what I heard about the heir he like a lot of his station hunts quite regularly so hopefully, he knows how to take care of himself in the wilderness. As for the girl even if she isn’t really one herself, the life of a bandit isn’t a particularly easy one and so she should know how to take care of herself.”
We broke camp early the following morning and arrived at the site of the escape just before midday.
During the trip and then for a while after our arrival, we had wrung as much out of the prisoner about the escape as we could. Thus while I took care of him Young and his scouts went looking for the pair of them. At first, things didn’t look at all promising but after over an hour of searching the scouts found signs of their passing and the steps they had taken to outwit their pursuers. I won’t go into all the details but they doubled back a lot and instead of crossing a nearby stream they travelled along it for quite a while.
Even then if the bandits weren’t being pursued themselves and had the time to continue their search finding them wouldn’t have been beyond them. Finding them after three days, however, took Young and his scouts a considerable amount of time.
It wasn’t until about an hour before it got dark that they returned with Walter and the girl in tow. Walter was for the most in good condition but the same couldn’t be said for the girl. She had to be carried on an improvised canvas stretcher and while she was still conscious and lucid she seemed to be in much pain.
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The arrow that she had been hit with hadn’t done all that much damage and at first other than slowing her down she was fine but the wound had become infected. With the right supplies the infection could have been easily treated but without such things had only gotten worse. Even now she would likely recover but it would take time and require help we weren’t able to provide her yet.
Thankfully Bracton's platoon showed up not that long afterwards and they did have the necessary supplies.
We rejoined the rest of the company two days later with our guests and Walter was reunited with his sister and father, much to their relief. As for the girl well he promised to let her go free as long as she promised not to see his son again. After hanging around to see her mother hung and with a small purse of silver in thanks for helping Walter escape, she left to find her fortune elsewhere.
We spent the next fortnight trying to track down the remaining bandits but other than in the case of three of them whom we captured it was to no avail, the rest were long gone and would no doubt join up with another larger band to plague another lords territory and provide employment for some other mercenary company, though hopefully not ours.
We returned to our camp outside Maccleston over a month and a half after our departure and instead of immediately taking up a new contract we rested for two days during which after buying a new bow with my share of the loot from the mission I went hunting and then the whole Company spent the next week training.
Contract: Lone Shadow Manor (Possible Bandit Camp), Completed
Objective: Scout Suspected Bandit Camp SUCCESSFUL
Objective: Seize suspected bandit camp SUCCESSFUL
Objective: Kill or capture all bandits found within VOID
Objective: Kill or Capture 75% of other bandits found operating within the territory of the Manor SUCCESSFUL
Objective: Return to base SUCCESSFUL
Enemy Killed: 29
Enemy Captured: 53
Casualties: 17
3850 EXP Gained
Your Professional Level has increased to 8, Strength, Dexterity +1, one Free Stat Points and an extra Professional Skill slot awarded
Skill: Haggling (Apprentice) => Haggling (Journeyman)
You have Slain (Level 8 Squirrel)
You have Slain (Level 9 Quail)
Skill: Hunting (Apprentice) => Hunting (Journeyman)
You have Slain (Level 7 Deer)
You have Slain (Level 10 Hawk)
Professional Skill: Drill (Apprentice) => Drill (Journeyman)