Wrecking Havoc

Ming stiffened as he experienced a flashback. Since the time he first entered the slums. He like most newcomers faced harassment from the already entrenched members. His time spent in the company of a certain group during his first winter was priceless.

Groups formed from shady, like-minded individuals in the slums usually had one goal in mind.

'Hold out until spring for the bandit recruitment.'

Since they had a goal that would take them beyond this pathetic village, they used this time to idle and rob from others. It was akin to a group of rich delinquents in a school. Because their future was set, it did not hurt to wreak havoc among the destitute.

Ming calmed his mind and sighed. He involuntarily stiffened himself because of the beatings and treatment these fellows dished out to him. Now however, he was different. That old Ming had melted under the fire of Chu's ambition together with the experiences shed by Mr Thomas.

All he felt now for the guy before him was pity. A pity that the man could only reach so far, and that this had also once been his dream.

"What happened to the others?"

He asked quietly as he glanced around.

"Dead, all killed by the Military. You should also be more respectful boy. You are talking to the new leader of the Mong bandits!"

The man smiled as he proudly replied.

Even though he barely escaped with his little life, the promotion was real. He now managed a group of like-minded individuals intent to gain glory and wealth through pillaging. Nothing was better than absolute power. A power to break men and women alike.

"Wow, seems you moved up in the world Jill!"

"Jill?"

"Whose Jill?"

Ming's bout of admiration drew questions and some mutterings from Chu and the other closer bandits.

"Who the hell you call'in Jill? Didn't I tell you not to ever call me that? The names Mong leader, Mong leader now."

Jill aka Mong leader grabbed Ming with his two hands on his collar and shook him. Seeing a twine necklace he then grabbed it with one hand and ripped it of the boys neck in fury.

'Tink'

'Tink'

'Plop'

'Tink'

"Your mouth was always your biggest drawback. I can't believe you are still an idiot. Let me guess, you spent all your money on those damn beads! Ever since you came to the slums you had a fascination for them, stupid ass."

Jill released his hold and sneered all around.

"Consider this as a final lesson from me. Stiks go get the wooden bowls because we are going to eat out these two paupers food."

The bandit named Stiks was one of the more well equipped fellows. He grabbed a bag from a horse and quickly doled out portions for all the hungry members. These better armed members were of course some of the veteran Mong bandits who escaped together with Jill.

They had been recruiting at the south villages and now eventually returned with their payload. The Mong bandit leader had ridden out to rendezvous with them before returning. He had left instructions for his subordinates to remain on the road. Together they would strike a farm in the early morning and then head to camp.

He never expected to meet up with two stragglers from the village before his henchmen. Encountering someone he could boast to, about his exploits clouded his mind.

With the exception of Jill, no one had any idea this large pot actually belonged to their comrades. But the leader was too busy flaunting his success to care about such trifling details. They laughed in the boys faces as they scooped and spilled the soup from the simmering pot.

One look at Jill and Chu could see the guy had no intention of letting them walk. People like this usually flaunted their power and likewise loved to keep others down. Judging from Ming's past experience, it seemed like a life of servitude awaited them. At the moment their weapons were hidden in the brush not too far away.

Under cover from Lucy, they could certainly escape. The problem lay in the eventual pursuit. It was kind of difficult to outrun horses on the open grasslands. He was contemplating if to use the wolf when the chaos began.

"Well, well let me have a taste at this soup. If it meets my criteria, you may yet earn the title of cook. Otherwise you brats will have to serve as slaves."

Having nothing better to do, Jill announced their fate while laughing boisterously. The soup served as an ideal step into gaining two new slaves. He grabbed an empty bowl and scooped out the contents. Without delay he chugged the contents into his mouth, throwing back his head in exaggeration as he swallowed.

He planned on turning to the brats to issue his complaints when he suddenly stiffened.

"Ack, Ack...urggh..."

Jill clutched his throat as he staggered like a drunken man. His frowning face eventually contorted in anger geared towards the boys. He struggled to a distance about four-five feet from Ming with his clawed hand outstretched as if to strangle the teen.

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"Fucking bea...Damn ass..."

Only hatred could be seen reflected in those eyes.

The rest of the bandits made a wide berth looking on in horror as the man tottered and finally collapsed on the ground. All eyes continued switching between the twitching man and the two brats standing on the side.

"Fooocccck! The soup. The focking soup was poisoned!"

Stiks screamed. The fear was thick in his voice.

Ming's hand unconsciously reached into his pouch feeling for a knife but pulled out a wooden container. Standing besides the fire his actions were fully noted by the now panicking group.

Ming looked at the container in his hand, then raised his head and looked at the bandits now staring at it. That normal dumb expression immediately incited confusion among the adrenaline pumping group. He then slowly began to return the container into his pouch.

This action only served to raise the suspicions of the paranoid group.

"OMG! The kid. The focking kid has the antidote get him!"

Another bandit cried out.

The hysterical members rushed towards Ming. The boy did what any unarmed person would do when facing a charging mob.

"Oh Crap...eeee!"

Ming squealed like a girl then tossed the container while running for dear life. Chu did not stay to watch the fireworks, as soon as the guy shouted about 'antidote' he scuttled off. He did remember to grab the hidden weapons in the bush before slinking into the darkness.

Given the current situation, nobody paid attention to the two escaping boys. These guys had the mentality of bandits, so firstly they never had any thoughts of revenge because all man looked out for themselves. Secondly, nobody actually knew how much antidote pills the container had.

Thus the reason why the first precedent was the first precedent.

"Gill, hand it over before I slit your throat!"

"As if Ping! You think I be an asshole?"

Nobody paid any attention to the two boys, because they were too busy desperately trying to claim a pill for themselves.

The boys joined an anxious Lucy on the nearby mound, readying the crossbows.

"What the hell just happen there?"

Chu asked evidently astonished by the development.

Now that the little bout of adrenaline rush receded he began to think clearly. He stared at the men feverishly scrambling around by the campfire. It suddenly dawned on him that he forgot a most pressing question.

"Hey Ming, what the heck is that pellet?"

"Chu! That was my new and improved hunting bait. Those creeps just swallowed between them at least seventeen slivers worth of my hard work. I hope to high heaven they spare the rest of the pills and only take one each. Those pills were my ticket to fame and fortune..."

Ming literally cried out to Chu seeking some consolation. He had high hopes on marketing these pills to John. On this trip he was looking for an opportunity to test one for effectiveness using a grassland critter.

What he instead received considering the present situation was well deserved.

Slap!

"Forget the damn money-making scheme. What do the pills actually DO?"

"They are supposed to make an animal hallucinate. I made it with ten times the amount of poison mushrooms we used before. Additionally I added some new poison that Jim pointed out, and concentrated it like you showed me."

"Holy shit!"

No one knew better about this idiot's reputation with pills. Chu looked towards Lucy locking her eyes as they both then simultaneously turned their heads towards the fire. Their faces only bore looks of sympathy towards these unfortunate individuals.

The men had apparently sorted themselves out at the moment. It seemed like all had received a pill and hence probably waiting for the 'antidote' to show its effectiveness.

Ming seemed to still be struggling with some dilemma. He squirmed and twisted every now and again like a child holding a hot piss.

'This idiot still has a secret!'

Chu muttered to himself.

The two groups ended up playing the same waiting game. The bandits were hesitant to move, fearing the poison and thus waiting for the antidote to administer effective treatment. The children were doing the same, but actually waiting for the true poison to truly manifest itself.

It did not take long for something manufactured to deal with a large wolf or beast in mind to affect the sanity of the men.

"Mom why you here? Didn't the old man sell you for some coppers?"

A young man got up and suddenly spoke to one of the horses. He continued rambling until another guy grabbed a piece of wood from the fire and cracked him over the head.

"He was annoying the crap out of me, so I knocked him out. How the hell can a grown man call a bull his mom?"

He muttered loudly to no one in particular.

Turning around he grabbed a bowl and returned to the horse.

"I'm ah gonna milk this bull real well. We ah ginna have warm milk toaday!"

He got between the animals legs and grabbed something of a personal nature belonging to the male horse. Chu swore the horse's eyes popped open before it roared in horse language. He didn't think any creature would approve of such vulgar actions aimed at them.

The stallion snorted while sidestepping and launched a back kick at the now stooping man. With a sickening crack, the man dropped to the ground.

Stiks scrambled to a standing position. Out of the veterans present he could now be considered the temporary leader.

"Shut up! Those kids fooled us good. This poison seems to be some kina haluciogena or illusicion pill. Nothing we see is real! All we have to do is wait it out. Just sit down and don't believe anything you see."

He slurred.

Chu had to admit the guy made sense. But that was only if there was no danger around.

And right now they were like drunken men asking for a beating.

The first plan that entered Chu's head was to use the wolf. That big guy would easily drag off those bandits one by one. But before he decided to call the beast he remembered something.

'Six horses.'

That was six free horses more than he presently had on the farm. Horses cost money, well into a couple of tens of silvers. The saying in the village was that a dead wolf was only good for a one time meal but a horse served a man for life.

Why the heck should he let the wolf scare away free money. Besides, there was also a reason to capture those live bandits.

Live bandits could be traded to the garrison for silvers. Especially those belonging to the now infamous Mong bandits. At the moment they were three children of a mercenary father. Lucy did not show of her tell-tale eyes to any of the living bandits and their skills could be chalked up to training.

As for the wolf, hey who didn't want to raise one in this place. These bandits would not live to sing any tunes for long. After the Hoyle farm incident the garrison would kill and string them up the same day so as to please the village.

Maybe he might have felt these guys present did not deserve such treatment, after all they did not participate in the Hoyle farm incident.

But weren't they planning to attack another farm just this morning?

That intention alone sealed their fate. Heck his farm could have also been marked on that list already.

He turned to face his companions.

"You think you can help me knock out and tie up these guys?"