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"Yeah well, that was because the bandits were waving torches in my face," Bernon protested. "But I guess it's better to avoid a big fight in the long run."
Mike wrapped up the rest of his food and put it away. "On that note, I'm ready to keep moving when you guys are."
"I'm good to go. The quicker we get out of here the better." Tanrial stood, making sure her own food was secure in her bag and everything was sealed.
Bernon nodded. "Right behind you. How close are we to the edge of bandit country, Mike?"
"According to the map, we still have a few more miles to go at least." Mike started walking once they were all ready, still having to tread carefully over the uneven ground. "I think we can make it before dark if all goes well."
"As long as there are no huge monsters or forest beats, killer bandits or anything of the sort then we'll be fine. What;s the worst that could happen?" Tanrial followed behind, making sure to use what was now basically her walking stick, to keep herself steady on the slippery ground.
(well now I have to have something happen to them xDD)
"Exactly," Bernon said brightly.
As they traveled, the sides of the river bed got lower and farther apart, until they were barely hidden from the forests on either side at all. Luckily, the signs of bandit life to the south had pretty much stopped showing up, and there was still nothing at all to the north except dead trees sitting in a few inches of muddy water. It was very hot and humid here, though, and the swarms of midges and biting flies were getting to be almost intolerable.
"Do you know any bug-repelling magic, Tanrial?" Bernon finally asked, feebly trying to shoo the flying cloud away from his face.
(I meeeeeeeannnn XD)
Tanrial frowned a little, "Not specifically, no. But I can put a bubble around us, like I did to protect Mike and I in the storm. That might help."
"Please," Bernon said desperately. "If it's not too much trouble. I worry these midges are either gonna eat us alive or give us some horrible disease."
“Of course! It’s no problem. Stay close, though, the larger it is the less time I’ll be able to hold it.” Tanrial raised her hands, forming a small sphere like shape in her hands. Then, it was like a gust of wind burst out, creating an almost invisible bubble around the trio, preventing any flies or bugs from entering.
Both Mike and Bernon stepped closer gratefully, breathing sighs of relief. "Ah, it's even a little cooler in here. Thanks, Tanrial. And it looks like we're almost out of this nasty place!"
Sure enough, the terrain up ahead was looking greener and more hilly, as if there were fewer bandits constantly raiding and burning it. What seemed like the final gruesome boundary marker was just up ahead, and both boys sped up at the sight of it.
But then there was an outrageous warbling whistle, followed by a shunk. A crooked arrow landed right in front of them and buried itself in the sand. Its fletching was made of bright blue fake feathers, and there were odd holes cut into the length of the arrow to make it scream as it flew. Mike leaped back, whipping his head around. "Hit the ground!"
The trio ducked, hitting the floor. Luckily Tanrial's bubble of air provided some form of protecting against the three. However it wouldn't last long and the arrows would only be deflected for a few more moments if it hit the bubble.
Strangely, no more arrows followed the first, and no one came rushing out to surround them. After a minute, Mike lifted his head and looked around in confusion. "What the heck?…."
Bernon followed his gaze and quickly pointed to the north. "Look over there, by the trees!"
There was a small group of people standing at the edge of the river bed, just a bit to far away to make out clearly. They carried bows and arrows, spears, and pikes, but simply stood there without giving any sign of aggression. After a minute, the tallest one lifted a spindly arm and waved.
Tanrial frowned, still keeping the air shield around all three of them as she sat up, "Did they just… wave?" She raised a brow, lifting a hand to wave back.
"It looks like they did," Bernon said, sounding equally confused. "Maybe they're not actually bandits?"
"Be careful," Mike cautioned, getting back to his feet. "Looks like they're coming over to talk."
After carefully looking both ways to make sure no one else was around, the group of strangers had started down into the river bed and were cautiously walking closer. There were four of them, all very thin and wearing very ragged, mud-stained clothes. Each one had something blue on their outfit, such as sashes or ribbons or more fake feathers. The one in front wore a faded blue poncho like a cape and carried a thin sword.
The most frightening thing about them, though, was their headgear. All of them wore hoods and masks that completely hid their faces. They had been sewn or painted with hollow eyes or toothy mouths, and decked out with beads and bones. It made them look quite eerie, and there was no way to see their expressions.
They stopped a few feet away, and the one in front spoke. His voice sounded odd through the mask. "Hello."
Tanrial blinked, standing up and dusting herself off before she replied to the other, "Uh hi. Sorry are we.. in your territory? We're sorry if we are."
"Not quite," the man replied. "Nevertheless, we were curious. It's not often we meet travelers with a magical bubble around them. It looks like quite an effective bug-repellent."
"That's why we were using it," Bernon admitted, dusting himself off. "Sorry, but who are you guys?"
"We are from the Lakes," the tall man said. "The northernmost bandit tribe. Fear not, we rarely bite. And who are you?"
“Well I’m Tanrial,” She said, pointing to herself, “And that’s Bernon and Mike,” She point the boys respectively, “We’re just passing through, trying to head West, see.”
"West," the man said. "Hmm. Interesting. Well, the West isn't really going anywhere, now, is it? How about you come back with us and visit the tribe a bit? The moment the chief heard of you, he was very curious."
Bernon paused politely, but Mike was already shaking his head. "Ah well see, we're kind of in a hurry here. Tell your leader we're very sorry, but we just can't stay."
"He won't be happy to hear that."
"I'm sure he won't, but tell him maybe we'll be back someday–"
"Oh hang it all," the bandit interrupted. "I'm done with this silly joke. I'm the leader, and I demand that you come back with us and have a nice chat or I'll be very upset!" The other bandits brandished their weapons threateningly as he said it. "Oh, and we'll let you go afterwards, don't worry," the man added.
Tanrial frowned a little, on edge as she made sure the protective bubble stayed around the three of them, “We’re seriously in a rush here. We’re on a deadline that we can’t miss so I’m sorry but we can’t stay, truely we would if we could.”
(sorry, busy day yesterday)
"Ah ha," the leader said. "But were you aware of the dangers up ahead, should you continue down your current path?"
"We have a good map," Mike answered firmly. "And we're well prepared for the dangers we might find."
"Not this danger. And you won't find it on your map, either." The bandit tapped the side of his mask as if tapping his nose conspiratorially. "At the edge of the Mississippi river, on the only bridge that still spans it, there is a band of mercenaries blocking the road. We don't know why they're there or who they're waiting for, but they haven't moved for three days now and I doubt they'll let you pass without trouble."
Mike paused, glancing at the taller man suspiciously. "How do you know this?"
"As painful as it is to admit, we are a weak tribe. We only escape being taken over because our territory is barren and we keep to ourselves. Our only skill is observation–we watch the world closely so we're always a step ahead. And sometimes we share our findings with a lucky few."
"For what price?" Bernon asked cautiously.
The bandit leader stamped his foot. "Come say hello to my tribe, for goodness's sake! If you do, I'll throw in a bonus and tell you about a secret way across the river further north! Please?"
(All good)
Tanrial sighed softly, rubbing at her brow with her thumb and forefinger. Whoever this bandit leader was, was acting a lot like an ungrateful child. However, if they were going to get past the mercenaries and find out this secret way across the river, they couldn't really protest much longer, "Fine. We'll come say hi. But be cannot stay for long, understand?"
(btw we haven't just talked in a while, how's your life going?)
"Understood perfectly!" The leader flourished his sword and gave them a bow. "On my honor as a swordsman of old, I promise you'll be well on your way in no time." He waved impatiently at the other bandits. "Hurry up now, get in formation! Let's show our guests the way back!"
As they were escorted Tanrial and the others into the northern woods, Bernon glanced at the bandit leader. "So….I don't think I caught your name?"
"Ah yes. I'm Corin. Corin the Crazy, they call me–I assure you I can't imagine why. So where exactly are you from, brave travelers?"
(Mehh I guess. Better then it was. I moved schools like a week ago so that was… fun? stressful as heck. Yours?)
"Well it's nice to meet you.. Corin," She tried a smile, "I'm from further East, quite a bit further East from here. The boys are… I'm assuming the same? I can't remember if I've asked, sorry."
(Ah yeah that does sound stressful :< I'm pretty good, like I'm super busy but most of it's my own fault so I can't really complain. I'll be glad when the 4th of July is over, these fireworks are setting me on edge ^^; Is your new school nice at all?)
"I'm actually from the west originally," Bernon replied. "But it's been quite a while. Mike's the same, right Mike?"
"Essentially." Mike seemed reluctant to give out too much information. "We've ben living in a local fishing village for a week or to now and only just left."
"Ah, I see! I too was from the east, Miss Tanrial. Tell me, have you ever heard of the Olympics?"
(Yeah I bet. My new school is so much better then my old one. It's more self directed learning instead of traditional teaching. Also science and maths based. And it's like a senior collage so only years 10-12)
"Heard? I've been! It was a very long time ago and I can't quite remember all of the details since it was ages ago but it was pretty amazing. Noisy and everyone was very competitive but it was a great atmosphere." Tanrial replied.
(Well that's good to hear, I'm glad you're liking it so far ^^)
"Really? How lovely! Do you know, I was once an Olympic-level fencer! Until the accident, of course." He waved his sword, and only now did it become clear that it was actually lashed to his arm, right where his hand used to be. "I'll never be the swordsman I once was, sadly, although I still hold the advantage of years of practice and experience in battle." he paused, then added hopefully, "I don't suppose any of you are fencers?"
(oof I gotta go to bed, talk to you in the morning!)
(Sorry I had to go out and then was with the bf! See you soon!)
Tanrial shook her head, sighing and slipping her hands into her pockets, “Sadly I’m not. I know how to use a sword, you can’t constantly reply on magic now, can you? Never did get around to trying fencing.”
(all good!)
"Me neither," Bernon admitted, and Mike shook his head as well. Corin seemed disappointed, his shoulders slumping, but he kept his voice polite.
"Ah well, it's a shame, but I wasn't expecting much. Here are the boats, mind your step."
By now they'd walked deep enough into the dead forest to reach an area that was completely flooded with muddy water, up to the waist in some places. Tied to a tree nearby was a fleet of makeshift canoes and rowboats, and the bandits hopped into them, leaving as much room as they could for their guests.
"Quite the weather we've been having lately, eh?" Corin remarked, elegantly waving for them to sit down. "The drowned forest is almost always…well…. drowned, but it's been quite a while since we were able to take our boats this far from the actual marsh."
“Probably because of that huge storm we had a few days back,” Tanrial sat down in the boat, looking cautious, “We all got caught up in the thing which was very unfortunate.”
Corin nodded as the boats started gliding between the trees, heading northeast. "Were you? As were we! I suspect everyone in a twenty-mile radius was, actually. That reminds me–I'm afraid our home is in a bit of a shambles at the moment, so I apologize for the mess. We live in a rather exposed area by the lake, and several of our outbuildings were utterly…..what's the word?"
One of the other bandits, a woman in an orange prison jumper with a cowboy hat wedged on over her mask, finally spoke up. "Trashed."
"Yes! Thank-you, Starshine. The place is trashed. I hope you three don't mind."
"Ah don't worry, we've stayed in worse recently. Actually, do you know that bandit group, run by a guy called Boar-Back a few miles East of here? Is camp is probably worse then yours so don't sweat it."