Mind Your Step, Draft 1, CH 15

With going through their morning routine, then packing and their leisurely walk, it was well into morning by the time the sentry noticed them and ran off to warn the bandits of their approach. Tibs had decided not to tell Heather about the sentry, since it wouldn’t change what was coming, but she’d noticed something that caused her to search the trees in that direction.

Not long after that, the bandits spread among the trees lining the trail.

“Get ready,” she whispered. “They’re on both sides, a hundred paces ahead.”

He was impressed. Even knowing where they hid, Tibs couldn’t make out the bandits. He sent Ruppert into the trees so he wouldn’t be endangered.

Two dozen paces from the group, a woman casually stepped out of the trees to stand in their way and smiled pleasantly. “And a good morning to both of you. I hope we can make this as pleasant as possible. We outnumber you three to one, and we would rather do this exchange, and send you on your way with a minimum of fuss. What do you say?”

Heather cursed under her breath, then whispered. “I hate it when I don’t understand what people say.”

Tibs considered acting like he didn’t either. A language barrier could only cause this to escalate. Only…. He had promised her that if a fight could be avoided, he’d let that happen.

“My companion doesn’t understand your language,” he replied. “Will you let me translate?”

The bandit considered him, while Heather stared at him.

“Go ahead.”

“You understand them?” Heather asked.

“How long have you been chasing me? Didn’t you notice I’m always speaking in the kingdom’s language?”

“I didn’t think you were….” She sighed. “What did she say?” He told her, and she stared in disbelief. “She’s seriously asking us to be nice about being robbed?”

“That’s a no, then?”

“What do you think? Doesn’t she see my silver eyes?”

Tibs shrugged. “At his distance, with the somewhat behind us, she might just think they’re gray.”

“Yeah, well. Tell her to let us pass or there’s going to be trouble.”

There would be trouble regardless. “My companion isn’t willing to play along, and neither am I. But she’s willing you let you be if you will let us pass unmolested.”

“You told her what this is about, right?”

“You are going to rob is. She worked out that part without help.”

“And the fact you’re outnumbered?”

“Didn’t impress her.”

“And you didn’t impress on her the danger she’s putting you in?”

“I’m talking with you to appease her. On my own, I wouldn’t have bothered.” He considered unsheathing his sword for effect, but decided Heather would consider that a provocation.

“Boys, step out from the trees and let’s see how they feel about taking us on.”

The men were muscular, armed with swords that were too gleaming to be what they had started with. Which meant at least one group of smugglers had fallen victim to them.

“I’m guessing she thinks this impresses me,” Heather said.

“I can tell her about the bandit camps we destroyed.”

Heather snorted. “Like she’s going to believe that.” She drew her sword. “This is their last chance to step aside.”

“If you don’t step out of our way, we will go through you,” he told the woman.

Her confidence faltered, then she straightened and pulled her sword. “You had your chance.”

Tibs had his sword out in time to block the first thug, then slipped under the swing of the second and used Earth to strengthen the elbow he planted in the third. He used Metal to nudge the thrust coming for his side, then opened the man’s stomach, turning as he fell to parry an overhead strike. A foot in that opponent’s stomach sent him away, and he focused on the returning one, parrying, then taking control of the sword to send it flying out of the man’s hand. Then, planted it in the man’s chest.

He turned in time to dodge the attack.

Heather was fighting two at the same time, the woman who led them on the ground, throat open. He sensed one running away, and he considered making knives to send into the man’s back. It wasn’t like Heather would know.

He dodged again, blocked, and forced his opponent back with quick swing.

She wouldn’t even think to check for a body in the forest.

Probably.

But he said he’d do this her way.

He parried, had the man off balance, and with a swing, the head fell off the body.

Let him find other people, make another gang and make more people’s lives difficult. The temptation to preemptively keep other people safe was strong.

He wiped his blade on the dead man’s shirt while Heather skewered her last opponent.

“One of them ran off,” she said.

“Do you want to chase him?”

She shook her head. “He probably learned his lesson.”

He shook his head at her naivete, but didn’t comment.

Ruppert was already eating one of the dead.

“Don’t make yourself sick,” she said, pulling the other bodies off the trail. “How far should we put them?”

“Beyond their camp. I don’t want the next group taking the trail to come across them if the animals haven’t finished eating them. Ruppert, be careful. Remember the body isn’t like your dungeon. It has limits, and you can damage it.” It was already rather rotund.

“Can we bring it with us?” he asked. “There is so much essence in it. I don’t want to lose any.”

“No, we aren’t bringing it with us.” He looked at Heather. “Unless you think that’s a good idea?”

Her disgusted expression was answer enough.

“Sense for your body’s limits, Ruppert. You sensed what happened before it broke last time. Just make sure nothing feels like that. And we’re going to be here most of the day, so you have time.”

The camp had a bundle of sheaths without their swords, and two more with them. They were well made, by their essence, so he took one as his own.

“Should we bring them?” Heather asked. “We could get a few silvers for the lot.”

“I don’t feel like carrying all that just for a few silvers.” They’d have to enter Jisteisteon to sell them, and he had no intention of doing that.

“I think I’ll take them. Without being able to go home, I can’t get more money, so I need to get in the habit of selling what I can.”

Without the use of all his elements, removing the camp took until the sun set, and was imperfect. The tents were rolled and tied, something else Heather planned on selling, and the firepit they’d bury in the morning. The clearing of cut trees, Tibs couldn’t do anything about without revealing he had Wood as an element. Or Earth, if he wanted to remove the stumps instead of regrowing them.

He carried the partially eaten body to the camp, and they settled in for the night.

*

Tibs was settling after Heather woke him for his turn at watch when he realized the motion he’d sensed wasn’t one of the animals. They were now close enough he could make out the general form, and it was a person. He expected he knew who, but he wasn’t certain why they were approaching. This had been the bandit’s camp, and he might simply hope for supplies.

That would change once he saw the only tent left was Heather’s. He might decide to use the cover of the dark to enact his revenge, and that would teach her the folly of letting bandits flee.

She was experienced enough she’s wake before the man struck, so she’d be fine without a warning.

Probably.

Almost certainly.

He stood and went to her tent. He was on watch, and if nothing else, he’d have to explain why he hadn’t woken her up. He didn’t think she’d appreciate that he trusted she’d survive.

She slept with her head at the tent’s flap, so that simplified waking her. A hand over her mouth, and the other holding her sword arm until she calmed enough to realize he held her.

“Someone’s approaching,” he whispered.

“The one who fled,” she replied, and he nodded, then added.

“We’re in their camp, so he might not be here for us. Do you want to give him the chance to take supplies and leave?”

“You think that’s why he’s here?”

He shook his head. “As soon as he sees your tent, he’s going to try to kill you, but you seem to prefer giving people a chance, so I’m suggesting it. If that’s how you want to go, I’ll hide and won’t interfere.”

She unsheathed her sword. “Okay. If he attacks me, I’ll be ready.”

Tibs pulled the dead bandit away from the firelight, to Ruppert’s protest, then leaned against a tree to wait. If it turned out Heather needed his help, he’d be ready.

The bandit stopped well out of the firelight; it being enough to show the changes. As Tibs expected, the man headed for Heather’s small tent. She was seated by the flap, with her knees pulled to herself to make as small of a target as she could.

She’d made a mistake in that her form would be visible as a shadow cast by the fire on the other side of her tent, but Tibs took care of that with a thin layer of darkness essence to muddle the light.

The bandit stayed in the darkness as he approached the tent, heading for its center. He raised his sword, point down, then stabbed the tent. The sword planted into the ground, then Heather’s through the man’s chest, pushing him back.

“I want that one too,” Ruppert said, standing, then falling and rolling down the body he’d been eating.

“This one is going to last you the night.” Tibs took Heather’s sword out of the dead man as she fought her way out of the collapsed tent.

“So, this is why you said we shouldn’t let the bandits escape?”

“I didn’t want him to find others and start another gang.”

“You can’t know it’s what he would have done.”

“He picked killing you over taking what he needed to go on. Bandits who set themselves up this far from everything aren’t people driven to it by survival. They have the skills to live in the wild.”

“This is just what they want to do,” she finished pensively.

“No caravan leaves bandits alive for a reason, Heather. They have encountered enough of them to know nothing good comes of that.”

She nodded. “I guess there is a reason kingdoms will pay for their heads.”

“Did you think it was for their amusement?” he asked, surprised.

She shrugged. “I never thought about why. Bandits aren’t the bounties I ever considered going after.”

“Not important enough?”

She was pensive again. “Yeah. I think I’d decided I was going to be the bounty hunter who brought in the real threats.”

“Like a thief stealing from nobles to pay for his research and gives to those who need it. Yes. I’m so much more of a threat than bandits.”

“I didn’t mean….”

“You should sleep, Heather. We have a full day of walking tomorrow.”

“My tent’s ruined.”

“The weather’s nice.”

“And what if it rains?”

“You won’t get wet.”

“And how are you going to manage that?”

“Water’s my element, Heather. It does what I tell it to. And I’ll make sure that if it rains, you don’t get wet.”