CHAPTER 13: Return to the Wild

It's dark when I wake up, hours before dawn. I'm scared because for the first time in days, I've fallen asleep without casting Alarm. But as I quickly look around me and take in my surroundings, I sense that what woke me up was the smell. It's a campfire. I was half expecting it to be torches carried by pitchfork wielding jerks from Willow's edge, but it's south of me, away from the village. Nervous, I take out my axe and shield. I slowly creep up to the campfire, expecting to see faces from the lynch mob out here on some sort of witch hunt – but I don't. I hear… laughing? It's just a camp full of people – people who just want to be out in the woods. People who want to be left alone. Probably people like me. I wait till a bout of laughter dies down. "H-hello?" I timidly ask. "It's silent for a moment, as wide eyes turn to me, and then each other. One of the men around the fire – there are three men and a woman, I notice, nods to one of the others.

"Why hello there!", he says jovially, "I didn't know there was anybody else out in these woods! Why don't you come join our fire!" I'm so relieved that I cry a little. I guess I'm making them uncomfortable, because one of them, a small slender man with a black eye, suddenly gets up. "I'm just gonna go empty the bladder." He says. I stop crying, and try to explain "I'm sorry, I just… I've been out in these woods for a while. I haven't seen any friendly faces for so long." But if the man who was speaking or the woman next to him are upset, they're not showing it. Their easy smiles never even falter. The woman speaks up. "Oh, you poor dear! Why don't you just come sit down, and we'll hear all about it."

They're just being so nice. I think I might cry again. "Tell you what," the man begins You wouldn't happen to have anything to drink on you, would you? A good drink goes with a good story." The question sobers me – and I realize that I'm still holding my axe.

"I do!" Sitting down, I drop my axe and from behind my shield I pull the two wineskins that I got from Dorn Mattock. "I'm sorry," I say. I don't know if they're any good" but, with a wineskin in each hand, I'm reaching over, and I notice his smile. The man who was speaking. He's been smiling this whole time, but now there's something about it that makes me feel … uneasy.

Suddenly, strong hands grab me from behind, as the third man, the one who left to go pee, is holding me. "Let me go!", I shout. The woman has grabbed my axe and shield, and the man is picking up the wine skins from where they fell. "You know, this isn't great, but it's still wine. No need to be sorry."

"I said let me go!", I yell.

"Relax." Says the deep voice of a burly man behind me. "We want the money, not your life." Now the big man is holding me. His hands aren't hurting me - they're even almost gentle -but they don't give even a inch to my struggles.

Realization dawns on me. "Bandits! I don't have anything anyway! Just let me go, I'll leave, and I won't look back, I swear."

"Bandits?" asks the man with the permanent smile, who must be the leader, "Well, sometimes. But right now, we're after the bounty. As for anything else you have, we'll get you out of that armor. Then we'll see if you have anything we really want." it's worse than bandits. That's all I'm really thinking about as the leader snaps, "Maybell, search her." The female bandit steps forward and, though I struggle, the big man holds me tight, and Maybell the bandit's deft hands check all over me. "She's clean, boss." She says curtly. "What?", he asks, "How can that be? She's out here with nothing but armor, shield, and axe? I don't buy it. Got a little hidey-hole nearby, don't you little lady? Well, you tell us real nicely where it is, and we'll make you comfortable on the way back."

"Back? Back where?" I ask. I have a bad feeling. "To Willow's Edge?"

"Ha! No way." Says the boss. "We're taking you back to Mirtulfield. Bounty is ten gold if we get you there alive. You behave, now. I'm not afraid to kill you and save myself some trouble, even if I do lose out a couple gold from the bounty. You hear?" but I just nod. "That settles it then. You're gonna sit right against that there tree. Tomorrow morning, you're gonna take us to your little hidey-hole, and I'm gonna get some supplies. I hear you musta taken more than fifty gold worth of swag from that old trader's spot. Nice haul, I bet. You act right and we'll even feed you and give you water on the way. We might not even let Mylar do some uncivilized things to you. But you make one peep, step one toe out of line, and big nasty Mylar over there will tear that armor off you like that." He says, popping the cork from Dorn's second wineskin for effect. "Then he'll do what he wants to you. You don't want that. Buras, would you do the honors?" As the big man, the one that must be Mylar, holds me up against the tree the black-eyed bandit comes over with rope. He binds my hands and then ties me to the tree. The whole time, Mylar is watching me. He's not exactly smiling, but I wouldn't smile much either, if I had that many missing teeth. Once the fourth bandit, Buras, stops working, he nods to the leader.

"Good", says the smiling bastard, "Maybell, you're up for first watch."

I'm sitting there, tied to a tree, head back with my eyes closed, as the bandits talk and joke and argue. I don't dare move. I'm not going to make a sound. If there's a way out of this, it's not by letting Mylar over here. If I'm going to make a move, I need to at least wait until some of them are asleep. The good new is that the system has plenty to help me pass the time. I investigate the notifications that I ignored when I was fleeing town.

*ting!* "Congratulations on earning a new title!"

Bandit. Complete a successful robbery

REWARDS; Dread Helm

Robbery? I've never stolen anything in my life! Well, I guess when I took those things from the general goods store without paying… It doesn't matter anyway. I doubt that accidentally taking some soap from that fat bald man is going to get me in any worse trouble. As for the helmet? Well, even if that thing is magic, I can't identify or attune it yet. But there's a second title?

*ting!* "Congratulations on earning a new title!"

Thug. Bandit title, Complete a successful assault.

REWARDS; Smoldering Armor, Potion of Poison

I guess somewhere along the line I must have assaulted someone. Between Tyrna and Dorn… for now, as the Bandits slowly tire down and prepare to sleep, I check my inventory and … I have definitely committed robbery. The three books are there, and they're each worth more than my 10 GP that I had to shop with. There's also three pieces of soap, a cooking pot, some paper for writing, a whetstone (for my axe), a weeks' worth of rations, and a fishing tackle. Uh-oh. ...Along with some other stuff. Stuff that I wasn't even looking at. I also notice a merchant's scale, a lamp and an abacus… they must be odds and ends that were on the counter when I swept everything into my inventory.

As the men in camp fall asleep, Maybell splits her time between eyeing me and staring into the fire. I pass time by slowly trying to work at the ropes. She has my axe. I can see it sitting right next to her - but I still have a small knife. The problem isn't that the knife is too small, it's that I dulled it when I cut up the elk I in the woods a few days ago. Still, I'm working at my bonds. I'm too scared of being discovered, so I'm only slicing slowly at the rope whenever I can pretend to be rearranging and getting comfortable. She doesn't speak, and I don't speak, and I'm barely making any headway on the ropes.

After a time, she's yawning when suddenly she stands. She's looking up at me, and I slip the knife back into my inventory. I'm trying to breathe slowly and look calm as she starts moving. Closer and closer... if she checks these ropes and sees that I've been working them, what will she do? She's closer now, and she bends down and wakes up the big bandit: Mylar. Uh-oh. The sleeping bandit stirs, and she whispers something to him. He looks at me and nods a little. Then a truly disgusting grin spreads across his features. Some of his teeth are missing, and some are black. Then she looks at me, and I'm sure that he's going to stand and they're going to come over, when she turns and walks just a few feet. I'm still concerned when she spreads out a bedroll and lays down. I've been worried for nothing! They're just switching the lookout. I let out a sigh in relief. My sense of ease doesn't last long, however. I look back over to the big male bandit, Mylar, and he's starting at me. I'm not sure how I know, but I'm certain that he's been looking at me this while time... And he's not smiling anymore. He keeps his eyes on me, except when he flips Over an hourglass and he adds a few small logs to the campfire. Mylar's NEXT HOUR Passes like that. He's not checking on the fire or letting his gaze wander like Maybell was. He's just staring at me, and not making any real movement other than flipping the hourglass and adding logs halfway through his watch. I don't work on the ropes. I just sit petrified, still held against the tree. It's a tense moment when the hourglass empties for the second time, but I'm more relieved than scared when he steps to the side of the campfire, which is about ten feet away. That's when Mylar gently pushes a sleeping figure by the fire. I say "gently", but what would be a soft push from my foot is more like a shove when it comes from the enormous bandit, Mylar. The next bandit is immediately awake. Barnes? Berlins? Whatever his name, he's the one with the black eye, and despite being jostled aggressively, it takes him a moment to gather his withs: They were doing quite a bit of drinking before they laid down to rest, after all. As he does finally rise, just like how the woman whispered to Mylar, Mylar mutters low to his watch relief, The black-eyed bandit. While he does, the skinnier man looks at me. "Okay", he says loud enough for me to hear. "Get some sleep, though. Here." My new watchman handed something to the big man that after a second I recognize as one of the two wineskins that the bandit leader took from me. Like the female bandit earlier, he's at least not watching me like a hawk! He is acting strangely, though. He keeps glancing furtively between me and the biggest bandit who, after drinking what was left in the wineskin, laid down. After a while, the big bandit Mylar's breathing has changed. Looking at him, the new night watch asks softly, "Mylar, you awake, buddy? I've got more wine." A moment later, he tries, "Maybell? Ashford? Do you know where these coins came from?" I'm not sure what's going on. It's clear that the others are asleep. But in my head, I'm asking silly questions, too. "System, I can't go back into town. Isn't there anything that I can use to avoid going back there?" The System's version of a "way out" is horrifying, when I realize what it is.

*ting!*

Before I understand what the system has given me, I can suddenly feel it in my hands. It's something smooth and hard. It's small enough to hold in one hand and the weight is uneven as I toy with it. A bottle? Then as I realize what it is, the bandit detects my movement. "Hold it right there!", he whispers viciously, making his way over to me. "Maybell and Mylar may have been fine letting you strain against your bonds, but I'm NOT. I didn't even want to come out here." His voice is angry, but quiet, and I find myself realizing that he doesn't want to wake the others. "Now show me what you've been using against these things."

"No wait!" I say. "It's not what you think!" Yet his greedy eyes have already seen the potion. From this close, I can see that it's not just the black eye – his whole face is battered and bruised.

"Well, well, well. Whatcha got here?" Bound and immobilized, I can't fight him. He simply takes the flask for himself. Then, popping open the container, he wafts the smell of its contents to his face. His eyes grow wide, and his voice grows even quieter, now down to a raspy whisper. "Ash was right! You did find some mighty good swag! I'd know the smell of a health potion anywhere!" but he takes a taste of it anyway. Smacking his lips he smiles. "Thanks, kid. I don't mind if I do!" Then he drinks its contents in one go. There's just one problem: that wasn't the Potion of Healing. That's long gone. What he drank was a much more recent reward. I look on in shock as he gulps down the Potion of Poison.

Within about a minute, Buras – I remember his name now – is not looking so good. Foaming at the mouth, he drops quietly to the ground. I'm not rubbing at the bonds with the small dull knife anymore. Having thrown any risk of detection aside, I've summoned a shortsword from my inventory, and I'm slicing into the ropes easily, as soon as I'm able to do so. I creep over to Buras' form. He's laying flat on his back and through my hands, I channel the Cleric's cantrip "Spare the Dying". As my hands draw near, I have a doubt. What if I save him? What if I save this lowlife today just for him to catch me tomorrow? Looking down at him, I can see the faces of the villagers at Willow's Edge. I hesitate for a moment and then I let the light fade from my hands and the light fades from Buras' eyes, too. What happens next isn't pretty. Not to the one they called 'Buras'. Not to any of the others, who took their last breaths in their sleep. The less said about it the better. I will tell you this, though; they didn't have much with them worth taking. Mostly just some odds and ends. They each have a scimitar or a crossbow, though, and these I take with me. Not because I need them. I don't. I take them because if GOBLINS had attacked them, then they would have robbed the corpses.

I should explain where the Boots of False Tracks come in. I have them on, and their magic lets me disguise my footprints as goblin footprints. That's how I leave some false evidence of a goblin attack in the form of these footprints as I walk around collecting their supplies, my axe, the odds and ends... Then, as the fire dies, I lead the goblin footprints away.

*ting!* "Level 1 titles are now available."

Name. Requirements.

Meazel. Skulk title.

That 'Skulk title' is something I get for spending more than a year in the Shadowfell. NO THANKS. Even if I knew how to get to the Shadowfell, I wouldn't try. It is a literal world of Nightmares.

Name. Requirements.

Spy. Scout title, Criminal Background.

Well, that's a little more up my alley. I've already nearly stolen 100GP from Willow's Edge. And that was just by accident! The thought of going back and figuring out just how much I could fit in my inventory occurs to me… But the titles are not mine for now. None are even close. But it is a good sign that the title level is getting higher as I defeat stronger opponents. I'm confident that this means that the rewards will be better, too!

Any other goblin tracks that I leave are incidental, as I make my way to the clearing where I found that elk over the course of the next few days. I said I'd return there some day… I just didn't realize it would be so soon. Its not as if I have much of a choice, though. I can't exactly go back to Willow's Edge. The entire town was set against me. I've never been so humiliated! I'll return there one day, too, but not until I can go back to make them pay.