*Night time.
In a grassy field, three tents have been set up.
The bandits are celebrating their accomplishment. They make a toast and begin chugging on their drinks. Sharon, who is now conscious, watches from afar. After getting tipsy, the bandits reveal that they were the ones who let the monster run rampant in Woodsford.
Bandit 2: Did you see how that Gonzor laid waste to that town though? Now that was something!
Bandit 1: Ha! Ha! Ha…! Of course… I was the one controlling it!
Sharon revolts her head in anguish overhearing their confession.
Bandit 2: We sure gave those town people a scare! They were helpless against it! It was all so easy!
Bandit 3: I know! Did you see some of the faces they made? I saw somebody get knocked out by some random flying debris! Just “thwump!” Just like that! Knocked em out while they were running, ha! I got a good laugh from that!
Bandit 2: Heh! No…Unlike you, I was actually busy getting work done…!
Bandit 4: But it’s all thanks to that Gonzor that we managed to successfully loot the town! It’s a shame that it’s dead though…We could’ve done more with it.
Bandit 2: Yeah! We could’ve gone for another round at another town!
Hearing the entire truth, Sharon shakes vehemently in anger.
Sharon: You guys…! So you were the ones responsible for that monster attack!
Sharon’s outburst kills the mood of the bandits having fun. Nate, the head bandit, takes a sip out of his mug and walks over to Sharon.
Nate: Yes, you are correct. We were the ones who sent the monster rampaging in Woodsford. Like what we did to your pet, we used the monster as a distraction to conceal our movements as we looted the town!
Nate bends down, looking directly into Sharon’s eyes, “Although…We weren’t expecting somebody as capable as you to be in the area… But it doesn’t matter too much since we still managed to steal most of the town’s treasures!”
He stands back up raising his mug up in the air as if making a toast, “And what luck, it turns out you were an elf too! And here you are now, in our hands! Lady luck is truly shining down on us! Once we sell you off, we’re going to make a fortune! We can easily retire from our measly bandit life…!”
Nate begins cackling, and the other bandits follow suit until the tent is drowned in hysterical laughter.
Tatsuo: I see. So you guys were the ones behind the monster attack.
Nate: Yes! Yes! We were the ones that-
Tatsuo’s sudden appearance makes the bandits spit out their drinks.
All the bandits in unison: WHAT THE HELL??!!
Sharon is also astonished by Tatsuo’s sudden presence.
A bandit points at Tatsuo, “how did you get here?!”
Tatsuo: Oh, me?
Tatsuo points at Windie – “Using one of its feathers, I tracked its scent down all the way to this area. Then I got hungry and came here cuz I smelled food.”
Tatsuo: Why? Is there something wrong with that?
Everyone inside the tent: YES!!! OF COURSE!!! WHAT ARE YOU, A DOG??!!
Sharon calls out to Tatsuo, catching his attention - "Tatsuo!"
Tatsuo: Oh, hey Sharon! Nice to see you again. You seem to be doing alright.
Sharon: Nevermind that! Listen! The reason why Windie attacked you…! It’s because one of them can control monsters using magic…!
Tatsuo: I already knew that.
“Huh?” – Sharon questions while blinking to herself.
Tatsuo: I was conscious the whole time. The ground just felt good. So I didn’t want to get up.
Tatsuo’s disclosure riles Sharon up, “SO YOU JUST DECIDED TO IGNORE ME WHILE I WAS IN DANGER??!!!”
“So? Are you trying to play hero and save your lil’ friend here?” Nate asks, interrupting the two’s reunion.
Tatsuo: Not really. I’m just here to pay you guys back for what you did to me back at the forest.
Nate (smirking): Oh…? Is that so…?
Nate scoffs, “Pfft~! That’s hysterical! You came all the way here for such petty reasons?!” He bursts into a fit of laughter, clapping his hands together.
The other bandits laugh along with him. A bandit approaches Tatsuo, “Now, now kid. How about you scram before somebody gets hurt?” – He warns Tatsuo like an adult playfully talking to a child.
“Don’t wanna.” – Tatsuo casually flings his backhand at the bandit’s head, rocking it back. The other bandits' jaws drop in shock. Blood streams from the nose and the bandit’s body limply flops to the ground.
It was no longer play time. Two other bandits whip out their knives, lunging at Tatsuo, cursing him.
But it was over in an instant.
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One hit for each of them was all it took to bring them down.
The remaining onlookers stare in awe at Tatsuo’s surprisingly overwhelming strength. Nate in a panic urges the monster controlling bandit to do something.
Nate: Oi! What the hell are you doing…?! Attack him with the monster!
Bandit 1: I’ve been trying…! But it’s not listening to me…!
Tatsuo’s eyes slide over at Windie. Upon making eye contact, Windie shudders in utter fear. Sweat breaks out all over its body. Immediately as a sign of instincts, Windie crudely flies away.
Bandit 1: Ah…! No way…! It broke out of my spell…?
Tatsuo then knocks out the blonde bandit, leaving Nate left who is completely dismayed at the situation.
“Woah…” Says Sharon in awe.
Sharon: You’re amazing Tatsuo! Who knew you’d be this powerful!
Sharon’s expression changes to concern after she notices Tatsuo panting exhaustively.
Sharon: …Tatsuo?
A spark of light catches her attention. She sees that a fire has started nearby. Near the entrance of the tent, Nate is laughing with a torch in one of his hands, and a couple bags of treasures that the bandits stole from the townsfolk in the other.
Nate: There’s no way I’m going to be sticking around with that monster! The lot of you can go ahead and die in this fire! I’m taking everything with me, including the treasures!
Nate darts out of the tent, “Have fun burning together to ashes!”
The fire quickly spreads, engulfing the area in flames.
Sharon: That bastard…!
Her body twists and churns in an distressed attempt to free herself, "If only I could do something about this rope…"
Just like that, the rope snaps right off. Sharon brings her hands forward, looking down at them confusingly. She wonders to herself how the ropes conveniently came off.
Windie comes floating down next to her.
Sharon: Windie! You’re back to normal? I see! You must’ve been the one who got me free! Thank you…! I’m glad to have you back!
Sharon: Now...
The fire has spread into a sea of flame surrounding the three.
Sharon: Let’s get Tatsuo and get the hell out of here!
Sharon rushes over to Tatsuo, asking him if he’s alright. Sharon places her hand on where Tatsuo is clutching himself and finds blood.
Sharon (thinking): Blood…? It can’t be…!
Sharon (thinking): Was this from the time Windie struck him?! Has he been bleeding out the entire time…?!
Sharon wraps Tatsuo over her shoulder as she attempts to carry him out of the burning tent.
***
*Meanwhile, outside.
Nate places all the stolen goods in a large wooden box with the tent burning in the background.
Nate: Alright, that should be good! Now all I need to do is put these treasures in the other tent, and then come back for all of it.
The bellowing roar of the fire coming from behind steals Nate’s attention.
Nate: What…?
He couldn’t believe what he was witnessing. The fire seemed to be converging into a singularity; swirls of flames were coming together to form an orb of fire.
“The fire…!” – He exclaimed aghast.
The flames continue to twist around the gradually growing orb.
Nate: It’s as if…It’s being sucked in by something…!
A shadowy silhouette forms at the center and the ball of fire flashes and explodes. Bits of flames disperses and dissipates in the air, with Tatsuo, Sharon and Windie revealed at the center.
“Wha…What the…” – Nate stammers as he steps back from confusion.
Nate: What the hell did you do you freak!?
Sharon, who is also bewildered, asks Tatsuo, “You…! You look different…! Your hair…! It’s red now! And the fire…What happened to it…?!”
“I absorbed it.” Tatsuo answered.
“It’s because of Henteko. Because he and I made a pact, I’m now a dragonman. So fire doesn’t work on me! Heh! Heh!” He says with a jovial smile.
Nate froze stiff and speechless. His mind was still coping with the reality that his carefully crafted plan was single-handedly dismantled by this wonder boy.
“Now then…”, Tatsuo rears his arm back in for a punch – “Time for me to finish up what I came here to do.”
Nate begins to plead for mercy with his skin turning pale, “N-no wait! W-w-wait just a moment…!” He stretches out his hands, shaking them to indicate that he’s given up.
Ignoring Nate’s outcry, Tatsuo’s fist lights up in flames, and begins charging at the bandit.
Nate: I’ll leave you guys alone…! I’ll even give you some treasures… All of them…! P-please…! Can’t we talk this out…?!
Tatsuo: Don’t wanna.
Tatsuo’s fire fist slugs Nate in the face, scorching his entire head. Smoke trails from his head as his body tumbles on the ground.
***
*After some moments have passed…
Sharon inspects the treasure box that the bandits left behind.
Sharon: Aw man…All my stuff got burned in the fire…
Sharon inspects the treasure box that the bandits left behind, “But is all this here really treasure?! This must’ve been what they stole from Woodsford! We should hurry up and return this!” The treasures left inside the box shimmered brightly, reflecting on Sharon’s face.
“Are you even listening to yourself?” Tatsuo says, baffled by what he heard.
Sharon: What? Of course! It’s the right thing to do!
“Oh, come on! Are you serious? Don’t tell me you actually believe that? Besides, weren’t you going to ask them for money anyways?” He says confronting Sharon with his logic.
Sharon hesitates at Tatsuo’s comment.
Sharon: You…Make a good point…
She faces herself away from Tatsuo, “And it’s not like we know where we are, so we can’t return all this treasure even if we wanted to!”
Tatsuo (thinking disappointingly): You’re not even trying are you…?
Beams of light blind the two as the sun begins to crack over the horizon between the distant mountain ridges.
Sharon: Ah! The sunrise…! It’s so pretty!
The three of them stare at the sunrise, admiring its waking beauty. The glistening scenery kindles a memory in Tatsuo.
Tatsuo: A goddess…
Sharon glanced over at Tatsuo.
Tatsuo: One day… A goddess came down upon me. She was the one who sent me on this quest to find Veloren. In return, she would grant me any wish when I found that person. She was the most beautiful thing I ever saw…!
Tatsuo stares reminiscently into the light, “This reminds me of the moment I met her.”
Sharon stares at Tatsuo for a bit, mildly amused that someone like him could display such serene levels of emotion.
Sharon: Hmmm…Is that so…
“Then… Allow me to assist you for a while.” She says grinning.
Sharon: I can help you get to the next town. My stuff got burnt in the tent, so you can defend me along the way. We’ll be helping each other through mutual benefits!
She turns to Tatsuo, “How about it? Are you okay with that?”
“Sure!” Tatsuo replies back with a jolly smile.
Together, the three of them stare at the dawn together. Just as the sun begins to rise, so does their tale.