Petro scowled at Oleg. It took some willpower not to bark a reprimand at the trader. "OLEG! It isn't your place to condemn them to death. These men are alive, we need them to stay alive, and killing them isn't going to gain us anything. You should think of your business and your head first of all. We need to deal with their camp. These two men may bear you ill will, but they won't be raising a force of bandits to raid you again after we deal with their leaders."
The warrior turned from Oleg to the captives, changing his expression from anger to mild sarcastic amusement. "You two aren't secretly mastermind warlords or something, are ya?"
Oleg opens his mouth in protest, but only a baffled stutter comes out, and after a moment of this dumbfounded gibberish, he simply lets out a huff and strides over to the stables where he begins feverishly pitching hay.
In the meantime, the bandits are meeting your sardonic smile with venom-filled glares. "Don't be so smug, hero," a snaggle-tooth wretch seeths. "You might have bested a few of us, but there's the whole band left, and Kressle ain't a b%@@+ to take this kind of insult lying down! Your guts will decorate her walls before the week out!" He discourteously spits on the ground as he comrade glances nervously about, though the second bandit offers no response.
"Yae know... We donae really be needing two of them ta be answerin our questions." Elyssa mentioned from behind Petro. She had a hand on her hippogriff's shoulder, and a scowl on her face. "And I donae really 'ave the patience to 'ave two bandits yammerin away at me with threats and bein' generaelly displeasin ta look at."
The spitting bandit's estimation of their life expectancy didn't seem to phase the ex-militia woman.
Eyelids drooped a little as she wore a rather amused smirk on her face after Petro told off the over excited Oleg. She loved it when Petro did that, it was always very entertaining to watch reactions.
She shook her head softly, and made her way over to the other side of the gorund, finding a post to lean on as she watched Elyssa do her thing with the Bandits. hopefully they fell for it.
The bandit with the snaggle-tooth gives a throaty chuckle as he leers at Elyssa. "Oh, I'm sure you're a right terrifying lass. Yes, I can see why I should cooperate. Everything about you - from those golden tresses to those big, soft eyes - it just screams 'killer." What do you take me for, child? I was running with hard-hearted cutthroats when you were still at your mammy's tit. I know who the rough folk are, and you ain't one of 'em. Whatever you think you can threaten me with, Kressle would give me ten times what you can." His eyes twinkle with a malicious cunning as he meets your stare, and after looking you over for a moment, his tongue passes over his lips. "You just aren't playing your assets, lass. Try coming at me from a different angle." He shoots you a lecherous grin, and his raspy laugh is a strain on your ears.
Ugh, that was disgusting. Elyssa hated bandits, they were a blight, most weren't even worth being considered people. Her 'soft' eyes hardened, a small smirk played at the corners of her lips, her hands reached around and grabbed her new bow and an arrow, she strung it, pulled back the arrow, and shot at the snaggle-toothed man without even a word. She wasn't aiming to kill, only to injure. The shoulder was as good a place as any to aim.
The shaft of your arrows sinks into the man's shoulder, and he falls forward with a furious shriek. Writhing around on the ground, he begins spouting a barely comprehensible stream of profanities at anyone who happens to be in the general vicinity.
The other bandit, a younger man who wears a sparse layer of stubble on his cheeks, looks terrified. His eyes grow wide as saucers as he shuffles forward on his knees, desperate pleas coming from his mouth. "Please mam, please don't kill me! I've only signed signed on see, what with life being so rough out here, but I hadn't an idea of what they were like! I'll tell all I know, just please let me live!"
Vasili strode up to the younger bandit, A charming smile crossed his face.
"Now, the penalty for unrepentant banditry is death, by sword or rope.... I guess bow will do in a pinch" He winked at Elyssa, "But tell us all you know, promise me you will never turn back to a life of banditry, and I will consider that repentant enough to let you live."
"Boy!" the writhing lech on the ground shouts, "You tell them anything, and Kressle will make sure you get worse than an arrow through the shoulder!"
The other bandit seems to ignore him as he falls forward in an ineffective gesture of placation. "Yes, yes, of course!" he says frantically." Kressle is our leader - scary woman. We numbered a dozen, I think, but no longer after what you've done. Happs," he jerks his head towards the disemboweled man with the hood, "he was our second in command. I ain't been on long enough to know who'd step up next, but the camp is to the south, in the woods! That's all I know, I swear!"
Vasili looked over towards the bandit with the arrow in his shoulder.
"Well, you seem to be decidedly unrepentant, Petro, will you kindly get to the death by sword part."
"I certainly wish you had given yourself the chance to live. May your elements go swiftly to the Great Forge."
Petro stepped between the two bandits, gently nudging the younger man onto his side, facing away from the wounded man to be executed. His curved sword came out of its leather sheath and rose above him fluidly, readying potential energy to come down and quickly sever the neck of the criminal.
The divide of your blade neatly parts the old wretches head from his shoulders, cutting short a curse that you're not sure you'd want to hear the rest of. His head rolls to your feet, set in an all-to-lively grimace of hate. The younger bandit gasps as he shuffles backwards in the dirt, stopping next to a bench and gulping nervously as he stars at his former comrade.
Petro sighed again quietly at the stubborn bandit's unwillingness to help. He re-holstered his blade and walked to the other side of the young man to get him to look away from the grisly corpse while he talked.
"I wonder if you can give us at least one more ounce of help. You can tell us how far the camp is from here, can't you?"
The boy nods furiously. "Yes, yes, of course!" He says frantically. "The camp is maybe half a day's ride to the south, and a little to the west, once you go into the forest! It's right along the banks of Thorn River!" He looks down at the ground, afraid to meet your gaze, and continues in what is little more than a whisper. "I... I was wondering what's to be done with me?"
Zuri had been watching the goings-on with bright, interested eyes, looking back and forth between the participants of the little interrogation scene. Having finished her meal, Svaha fluttered down to a nearby perch and began to wipe the blood off her beak.
At this point, the slight girl chose to speak up. "You could go home. I'm sure your mother misses you."
Yevette let the other do the dirty work, choosing best not to really pay mind to what was going on, distracted by her robes, or her nails.
They seemed to be getting the information they needed from the second bandit, the one that was not dead now.
She straightened back up once they were finished, and then the question on what was to be done with this bandit.
She raised an eyebrow when Zuri spoke to him, before abruptly stepping forward.
"I think this misguided soul should come with us, so he can learn a -proper- path in life."
She was dead serious.
"Give him to me."
she looked to the Bandit, frowning softly.
She didn't trust this kid to make the right decisions yet.
Petro went to stand around the rest of the group to talk about the lad. It wasn't in him to judge a life worthless and throw it away, so the cleric's proposal didn't seem awful to him.
"I agree that it will be better for him to live. Let's see what he thinks of this."
The man turned closer to the bandit and spoke for him to hear, "I don't think any of us want to harm you, and I bet you support that too. We're worried that if we let you go, though, that you'll get into worse things. How would you feel if we kept you around us for a while?"
He fidgets nervously as he casts his eyes to the ground. "Sure that you mean well, sir, but if I hear you correct, you aim to march back towards the camp, and I'm sure you'll understand that I'm not too keen on heading back that way. I'm through with with banditry, though! I'll go back to farming, I swear! I'm an able hand, and what little practice I've had with a blade would make me a good prospect in hard land like this."
Elyssa raised a quizzical brow at Yevette. "And what do yae intend to do with 'im? We donae need ta be trudgin' around tha wilds with an ex-bandit, feeding 'im, making sure e' donae get killed, and that he donae kill us?"
Yevette looked over to her friend, "its manageable at least. I would prefer that, then let him go and have him cause more harm and get into more trouble."
She folded her arms and looked back down at the bandit. He didn't sound like he really wanted to go along with them though.
"Hush, Bandit, we are talking, you don't know what is best."
"Well, as long as you're honest about your intent not to fall back into banditry, you are free to go. We won't keep you against your will." He shot a brief glance over at Yevette
"However, We are heading south to found a kingdom, If you were to come and help us, you could do well for yourself. We can always use a good pair of willing hands along the way. And if you know anything of the lands to the south, all the better."
He looks around the trading post, his face twisting into a mixture of trepidation and contriteness when he sees Oleg. "Well, sir, it's not that I don't want to help - I just don't know about trekking back into the wilds. If you'd like me to stay near at hand, I was thinking I might stay on around here. I could help defend the outpost, and I can do my share of heavy lifting. If you'll have me, of course..."
Oleg's eyes bulge in his head at the suggestion and he takes several long strides forward, but checks his hand when he sees the boy flinch. He stutters for a moment, then simply looks to you.
"He's surrendered, Oleg, and he's repentant. If you refuse to allow him to stay here, then so be it, but I will not abide you mistreating him." Vasili forced a smile. "I trust this wont be a problem."
Oleg regains his composure and leans in closely, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Alright, yes... I can see that this lad is not hard-hearted pillager, but... I mean, he's a bandit, isn't he? Can he really be trusted?"
"He had just joined on with that group out of necessity. He was bested here, apologized, and agreed to work with us. You can keep arms for him secured away, so you shouldn't fear him. Are you really so full of hate that you can't let him stay until we come back!"
"A-alright..." he agrees. "He can stay on here. He seems eager enough to repent, and I could certainly use the help. I'll be watching him though."
"If that matter is settled, then might I suggest that we be heading out ta the camp. Finish cleaning up the rest o' the bandits." Elyssa said as she started saddling up her hippogriff.
"You talk good wisdom. Let's get going if everything is in order. I'm glad you're more willing to let this boy have his second chance... That reminds me, we don't know what to call you, new friend!"
"My name is Leon, sir." He rises to his feet and gives a shallow bow. "Thank you, thank you sir, for giving me this second chance. I promise I will do right by my new benefactors."
Well, at least he was going to be watched over for a while. she was satisfied with this... for now.
Nodding softly she turned to make her way over to follow Elyssa, moving past her to get get her horse so they can go find this bandit farm.
"Looks like I'll be carrying my own gear" she said to Elyssa, making it uncertain if she was kidding or not.
in reality, she was glad not everyone had to die today, though she didn't think it was going to be the same for the other bandits at the camp.
"Aye. Well. You donae really need to be taking all of your things. We'll be coming back." Elyssa grunted as she placed a foot in the stirrup and hoisted herself into Rathin's saddle. She was ready to head out as soon as everyone else was.
"Yeah. Baraz will be happy not to carry more than myself and my arms."
Petro walked to his horse, reached into a saddle-bag for a brush and started grooming the horse while everyone else got their things in order. Petro felt that the rest of his possessions would be safe on the cart left here.
"Well, I suppose we should be off." Vasili said, as he tightened up straps on his crossbow and fastened up his pack. "If we wait much longer they bandits will become suspicious. Shall we?"
Night is falling as you stumble across a large clearing along the Thorn River. You are alerted early by the light of burning campfires and the raucous shouts of oafish bandits. A handful of them are crowded around a firepit in the southeast corner of the clearing, sitting on logs and partially obscured by trees and a few stumps.
Twilight is falling over the Greenbelt as you return to the Trading Post, and it already seems more populated. Two men in scale armor stand on either side of the gate, hands near the longswords at their belts. They are engaged in quiet conversation when you approach, and one of them immediately breaks off his banter to address you.
"Stop!" he exclaims, raising a hand once you are within twenty feet. "You are too well-armed to be traders or simpler travelers, and you come to us from the brigand-rife south. What is your business at Oleg's Trading Post?"
Before any of you can answer, Oleg himself jogs out of the courtyard, shouting a harsh admonishment to the guard. "Oi! This is the lot that stopped the raids on the Post! Good as kin, they are now, so you'll let them pass at their leisure." The guard offers an apology, and Oleg turns to you with a wide grin spread across his face. "The guard Rostland promised finally arrived," he explains. "Maybe not the most chipper lot, but they certainly do their job well. I've heard no more from the bandits, and the boy, though I hate to admit it, is working out rather well. I've got some new shipments coming in, so be sure to check my stock in a week or so - I've made sure to order some gear that you're sure to find useful." He looks over his shoulder at the guard and then back to you, lowering his voice to a whisper. "You wouldn't have found a gold ring in your explorations, eh? Maybe resting in the pouch of some bandit cur?"
Vasili leans in, whispering back to Oleg, "No, haven't found anything like that, but I'll keep an eye out for ya." He leans back out, smiling broadly.
"But regardless, Its good to see you again Oleg. We're just back for some rest, and maybe a bite of food, before we head back out again"
"Well," Oleg responds, "That's my wife's wedding ring. B%%*@ with the axes - I hope you got her - took it off us last time she was in. If you do come across it..." he looks around with shifty eyes and leans in closely, his voice dropping back to a whisper. "I'll give you one thousand crowns for it's return. In any case, go ahead and kick back, rest your feet, and have a pint on me. Svetlana was also looking for ya."