Daylight dropped and night fell as the ragtag bunch of bandits and captives trudged on. Some of the bandits were beginning to feel discontented and the overall feeling of group morale had dipped. Many of the outlaws had grown weary from the previous fight, looking for any distraction that might satisfy them. It had gotten to the point where the two guards that were assigned to Adam rotated out with others, so that they could have their fun with him.
After a few days of travelling, the group had reached its limit. Small disputes and feuds were breaking out between the bandits, which caused distress in the merchants travelling with them. They covered and hoped that they would not be involved with their petty bickering. Things had almost escalated to violence, when the scouts reported back. Fortunately, the group stumbled upon a light source in the coming area.
The sighting of the light caused many to cheer and rejoice, as if they had found their next target. As the report arrived at the ears of the eyepatch man, he face lit up with his signature grin. He stood from his seat inside the tent, and walked out to see his followers gathering. With a loud voice, he bellowed.
"There it is lads, another source of income!" The cheers and roars of bandits rose to greater heights after hearing the proclamation. The merchants located nearby had expressions that were crestfallen.
Adam looked on at the clamouring bandits with a trace of indifference. He had been continuously struck and beaten within inches of his life, to the point where he felt numb to the pain they were inflicting. He was preoccupied with the feeling as it had been exhilarating to feel so alive, yet he had returned to that feeling of bleakness. Some of those pigs will be murdered by their own greed.
The eyepatch man rallied the majority of the bandits in a group, and leaving a few people behind, stormed forwards with the rest as they marched their way into the village in the distance. It was common practice for towns in the Middle Ages to build around natural landmarks to make the land more defendable. The disadvantage to this was that if often lead them with no options of exit or little room for reinforcements. Or simply, without any capable defence, the land itself was simply not able to be protected. This town had been constructed in the clearing of a forest, and while not totally barren, provided cover for the residents. However, it also provided suitable cover for the bandits to strike. With the element of surprise, the outlaws rushed the town. The steeled bodies and tools the farmers use for their field work were the civilians only options for defence. As such, the resistance they could put up was little to none.
Leading the crew, the eyepatch man cut down civilians left and right with his giant axe as they entered the small town. The bandits fanned out and began pillaging the village, like a lamb to the slaughter. Civilians were unable to resist the onslaught of the crew, however it didn't stop a few heroes attempting to preserve their lives and others. They were brutally beaten down, facing at least three bandits at once, and found themselves quickly losing their lives. As the farmers were only simple men, none could resist the onslaught. Fires had been set by some of the mages, arrows had pierced the bodies of many attempting to flee, while those defending themselves were met with a sword to the chest.
Houses were pillaged, fires were set and valuables were looted consistently over the night. The outlaws came away ecstatic with their haul. Some were happy with daylight robbery of civilians, others with the broken families that remained. Most men found their fill and the discontent of the bandits seemed to disappear, as the appease to their needs had been satisfied.
—-
Hours passed. There was little life left within the vicinity of the village. At the head of the bandits walking out of the town, the man with the eyepatch bellowed a laugh. He had come away with significant riches from some of the wealthier population of the town, donning gold rings, necklaces and other odds and trinkets surrounding his burly body. However, after a short period of time, his face fractured and ushered the group to move faster. As they returned to the hillside, Adam looked on at the blood-stained crew that violently massacred innocents for simple gains. While Adam himself wasn't exactly a gentleman when it came to certain matters, he definitely would not indiscriminately take life from those unaffiliated with him.
You need to draw the line somewhere. Adam pondered.
The bandits gathered around their previous campsite where the merchants were waiting. Most of the merchants had tears welling up in their eyes, with the rest looking extremely crestfallen and disappointed. The last light of life in many of them had perished, looking now only for self-preservation and survival. Adam was no better, eventually succumbing to the stench of blood from some of the returning bandits. He had to make a small exit to cleanse his stomach. Unfortunately, due to his shackling, he couldn't get very far.
After emptying the contents of his stomach, Adam was partly relieved. He thought about it and realised he was still human enough to recognise the innocent lives lost in the ransacking of the town. It meant he was able to rationalise human life, and that thought brought him solace. Solace in the sense that if he ever crossed the line, there would be nothing preventing him from bargaining away other forms of life.
He peered back at his aggressors, some of them maintaining their composure with their weapons coated in blood. Others were meticulous when it came to cleaning, having doused their various armours and clothes in different liquids to remove the stench of death from their presense. It was clear that while they were horrific people, some still attempted to cling to their humanity through savoury means.
Having returned and relaxed for a short period of time, the burly man shouts for the entire group to be quiet.
"Listen here lads! We've been spotted by Whitetown's garrison. Those fuckers are going to pursue us until their nannies die, so we need to leave now!" Various cries and shouts rang out from some of the bandits, wondering what they had done to anger the nearby garrison. Those who could afford to station a garrison of men normally did not interfere with surrounding towns, as to not provide them with any advantages. The light in some merchants eyes regained their lustre as they looked extremely pleased, but not a soul voiced any of their happiness. Adam also looked like he was excited to leave the general vicinity, but was cut short by the man's following sentence. "As for the captives in our lot, we have no further use for them." The man points to five men scattered around the camp. "You lot. Take care of them, and rejoin our group after having lost the soldiers tail." He sneered, and began leading the rest of the bandits in an opposite direction.
The rollercoaster of emotions had run full circle, with the merchants showing faces full of fear. The five men ordered behind began prodding them along a dirt road adjacent to their former camp. Of course, this included Adam as their sole slave. The merchants simply accepted their fate and allowed themselves to be lead like sheep. The five men had lead the group to move at their own pace, with no hesitation to slow nor speed up. They were continuing down the road towards the town that the bandits had previously raided.
The ragtag bunch moved further and further, inch by inch towards the town. After walking for a period of time, the town could be spotted in the distance, as the forest surrounding them grew lighter. One of the merchants with good vision eventually made out the sight of dead bodies, and could no longer bare it.
"My wife and children are waiting for me, I can't die here!" The man dashed out from the group of bandits behind him, and attempted to swerve into the bushes to avoid the rest. One of the bandits shouted, and pursued him into the bushes. A few moments later, the sound of a twing was heard followed by a short cry. Following this, the bandit exited the forest and rejoined the group, indicating for them to move along. This incited fear amongst the rest, and Adam couldn't help but be surprised. They know how to keep people in line, that's for sure. It reminded Adam of his time playing video games, and how he had previously scared other players into obeying his orders.
Given the current circumstances, Adam knew there was only a single chance for him to escape. His best chances would come if he could rally the rest of the merchants into a life and death battle with the small number of bandits.
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