Chapter 12: Stockholm Syndrome 3

Sutak Ormsindro was tempted by the suggestion he heard. He tried to move his dislocated and burned left arm. The pain from his injury had made him consider the idea seriously.

Absorbing enough soul energy would boost the recovery rate of the victor after all.

The thin but tall bandit named Apatze seemed to have noticed his train of thought. The lackey moved closer to the unconscious kid. He then gestured to his leader to deliver the finishing blow.

And then,

"No."

"What?"

The thin bandit was surprised when he heard the decision. The bandit leader sighed. He explained,

"Let's take him in. We could use another ability-user in our group after all."

"A-another? Boss, I'm more than enough. I'm strong enough! We don't need some stranger to take a share of our earnings."

Sutak understood what his lackey was saying. An additional ability-user would require additional resources to be allocated. One needed a continuous sustenance to improve after all. That would mean additional expenses that the bandit group had to spend. Something that they could barely do with only two ability-users at the moment.

However that would be a wrong way of thinking. This choice might indeed increase their expenses in the present. But with a new ability-user in their ranks, they would become stronger as a group. They would then be able to take on more difficult jobs and heists than before. The income would soon increase.

This was similar to placing the cart in front of the horse. How were they supposed to earn more riches if they were afraid on investing for now?

Sutak had wanted to lecture this on the thin lackey. But he chose not to. He was actually aware of what was in the mind of the man in front of him. The bandit leader commented,

"Ha! What are you so concerned about? You're already the Vice Leader of our group. If you want to solidify your position, then having a strong lackey to command will surely help you prove your dominance."

Indeed. This lackey named Apatze was simply threatened of the idea of having a competition. He was afraid that the weird kid might endanger his current position in the group. Fire was at an advantage against wind after all.

How could the gallant leader not notice such worries? He could easily see the insecurity in the eyes of the thin lackey. That was why he decided to use another power move.

Motivational reinforcements.

This was a technique where the boss would reassure his personnel from their doubts. This was done by giving the personnel in question some special task to accomplish. Rather than simply comforting the lackey, he made him look out for the weird kid.

This would make the thin lackey think that the gesture was for him. That it was done to have him improve his leadership skills. But in truth, it was just to make the life of the bandit leader easier.

Two ability-users! Two powerful lackeys at his beck and call. Who would dare question his authority by then?

Sure enough the power move performed by the one and only Sutak was effective.

Apatze began to realize the error of his ways. He answered,

"I…see. Hahaha, such an idea is not bad at all."

Sutak nodded. He was relieved that the lackey could be tricked just like that.

Unfortunately, Apatze was still not done. He raised a different concern this time. He said,

"But, Boss, this loser would surely hate us. Can we really keep him? He looks like someone who wants us dead."

"That's why you should tie him up right now."

Tying up an ability-user would usually disable their capability of activating their skills. Most of those who developed an ability was required to form a stance before they could manifest their element at all.

Sutak was actually not sure if this was applicable to the weird kid. But he had to ease the worries of his lackey. That was why he still issued the order. He also added,

"Keep an eye on him and drag him along our way."

"Ah! The classic Stockholm Syndrome then?"

"Indeed."

Sutak confirmed the thoughts of the thin lackey. He nodded in agreement. He felt proud that his lackey could realize his intentions. Truly this was a result of his greatness affecting the latter.

Apatze ordered two lackeys to carry the unconscious kid. They were actually the two lackeys that were knocked down by the kid previously. At first, they voiced out their displeasure on the task that was given to them.

But Apatze insisted. And even Sutak supported the order. This silenced the two lackeys. But the grudge on their eyes did not disappear. They would surely treat the weird kid harshly.

And that would be what Sutak wanted. He was planning to use the bad cop/good cop strategy. With his proficiency in personnel management, he would surely succeed in this task.

The Orm Bandits then departed the river bank. They headed to the settlement that had issued the hunting request. They were to submit the head of the white cat after all. The journey back would take them around two days.

On their way, Sutak glanced at the two lackeys tasked with carrying the weird kid.  They were indeed harsh to him. They would carry the kid haphazardly and would often times drop him down the ground. They would sneak in a punch in his body once in a while. They would even drag him all over when they got tired of carrying him.

The bandit leader and the thin vice leader had noticed this. But neither of them called this out. In fact, they turned a blind eye. This was part of their plan after all.

It was already afternoon when the group had found a relatively safe place to take a rest. They began preparing the exquisite rodent meat. They had just harvested this a while ago. It would be a shame not to cook it while it was still fresh.

They feasted on the sumptuous meat. They then preserved the remainder as provisions. They could also sell it to other bandits for an additional income.

After eating, they immediately moved out. The traces of their meal would have attracted the mutated beasts in the vicinity after all.

Evening arrived and the group decided to set-up camp. Half of the bandit members prepared where they would be sleeping. This was the advantage of moving in groups.

Half of the members could share the burden of watching over the surroundings while the other half rested. They would then exchange duties after a few hours. The journey would resume in the morning.

Apatze had taken the first chance to take a sleep. His rationale was that the first one to sleep would have a guaranteed chance of enjoying bedtime. While those who stayed up first would never know if some kind of beast attack would disrupt their peaceful respite or not.

Sutak disagrees on this reasoning but he never voiced it out. A gallant leader must show that he could take responsibility of watching over his lackeys. He would guard the camp while the weaklings took some rest.

And besides, this was a good chance to check up on their prisoner.

"You awake?"

"…"

"There's no point in pretending. I know that you have regained consciousness hours ago."

"Hmph."

Sutak was sitting beside the tied-up kid. The latter was currently lying down the ground.

The bandit leader had noticed the glare of the kid while they were eating. The former had an inkling for such behavior. And so he grinned.

True enough, he had received a response. This was a good sign. The first step in mentally conditioning a prisoner to join you was to establish a mode of communication. The bandit leader had already accomplished this. Hence the grin he was having right now. He then decided to follow through.

"If you want to sleep then go ahead. I'll be keeping watch."

The bandit leader showed a confident smile. He even flexed his arms for better impact. He was able to move his left arm now after all. Although there was still some pain from the injuries, he estimated that he would only need a few more days to fully recover.

However the response he had surprised him,

"Sleep?"

"Yes, it's what you do to recover from the fatigue you had from travelling all day. It's simple actually. Just close your eyes and hope that you have a good dream."

Although the bandit leader was puzzled, he still gave an explanation. The second step of mental conditioning was to be a reliable support. Become someone that would answer the questions of the prisoner. Comfort the target into believing that you were trustworthy.

"You sleep at night?"

"Of course, how else can you recover?"

"…"

"Don't tell me, those mutated rats never let you sleep at night?"

"?!"

Sutak felt weird. The questions of the tied-up kid sounded stupid. That was why the bandit leader decided to reveal the idea that had been in his mind for a while. And surprisingly, this had struck a nerve on the kid. It was most likely a bullseye.

The bandit leader smiled inwardly. It was time for step three. It was to show that you are a compassionate person that understands what the prisoner had been through. This would elicit a feeling of safety and belongingness.

"Surprised, huh. I am aware, you know? That you've been abused by those beasts. But you don't have to worry anymore. You're with us humans now."

"You know nothing."

The weird kid snapped. But the bandit leader did not mind. He simply had to return to step one. He began to attack aggressively.

"Ha! Trying to defend your captors. Kid, did you know? That's what you call Stockholm Syndrome. It a mental condition where –"

"I know what Stockholm Syndrome is."

Sutak was cut-off. He did not allow such apprehensive behavior to bother him though. The kid may act smart and tough. But how would he deal against someone who had more experience in life.

"I see. But have you encountered it before? I mean, did this happen to you before? Because I'll tell you right now, what you're feeling; the pain, the loss, the sadness. Those are just the result of that syndrome."

"…"

The weird kid fell silent. The bandit leader knew that he was able to cast a shadow of doubt on the kid's resolve. This was a special application of the second step. Disrupt the prisoner's conviction. You could then pretend to pick up the pieces for him later.

A few minutes had passed. The kid finally broke his silence.

"What do you want?"

"Let me help you. Join my –"

"Enough. I want to 'sleep' now."

Sutak did not mind that he was cut off again. Why would he when he had noticed signs of succeeding? It was just a matter of time now after all.