Delvers LLC: Welcome to Ludus

by Blaise Corvin

  But after that incident, he'd felt unclean; his first time had been with a disgusting Mo'hali animal. After that, he'd tried to wash off the taint by sampling every Ludan and Areva girl the bandits captured.

  His true woes began after he killed a young, pretty Ludan girl that could have been sold for a decent amount. The bandit captains were angry. They said he killed too many slaves and he was not allowed to take a turn with new captives anymore. Plus, he wasn't allowed to ambush any caravans with young girls since then he'd have a right to sample them.

  It was so unfair! Jeth knew he hadn't done anything wrong. It was all the stupid twats' faults for not being stronger. They mocked him even in death! They'd probably died just to spite him!

  So over the past week, while his father had been sucking up to Thod, Jeth began hatching his own scheme. They couldn't keep him from sampling new slaves if he was on an attacking crew. Usually the whole camp showed up to capture a caravan, though, or they wouldn't get any loot.

  Jeth just had to hit a caravan the rest of the camp didn't know about.

  He became friends with the lookouts. He brought them food and water. He ran messages for them. He bowed his back and made himself useful. He was waiting, hoping for a caravan to come by in the early morning before most of the camp was awake. He was just trying to snatch something for himself among all the unfairness he'd endured.

  Today was the day! There was a caravan, and most of the camp wasn't awake yet! And what was more, one of the lookouts reported that among the women in the caravan was a young Ludan or Terran girl, naturally lovely with dark hair, tan skin, and clear eyes. And she was wearing a plain blue dress!

  When Jeth heard the description, his heart stopped for a moment. Mareen liked to wear blue dresses. Jeth knew the odds of the woman being Mareen were slim, but even the tiniest possibility was almost too much to bear! Oh, Mareen, the things he wanted to do to Mareen!

  Even if the girl wasn't Mareen, the lookout said the caravan also had a bored-looking Areva woman eating an apple, a young, strikingly beautiful Areva woman with white hair, and a little Mo'hali boy too. It'd be easy pickings!

  Perhaps Jeth would personally teach the boy a lesson too. He really should have begun making all the Mo'hali pay for dirtying him.

  Jeth asked the sentry to stay quiet and found five other men to join him, most of them angry youths like himself. Most of them were other bandits from the camp who were tired of taking a small cut and being looked over. A couple just happened to be awake and good fighters, and Jeth needed them.

  He giggled to himself. Three women and a little boy? A wagon stacked high with goods? They were going to be rich! And when they attacked, all the weaklings in the caravan would probably just give up! Just in case, he was smart enough to bring two big bandits that were pretty good in a fight. Jeth also planned to hang back. He was a strategist, after all. He was using his superior intellect to give these brutes an opportunity. The least they could do was fight a little bit for him.

  Even if the girl driving one of the wagons wasn't Mareen, he was going to teach her a long, important lesson. They would pay. They would all pay! He giggled when he thought about the toy he'd made for just such an occasional. He'd made it out of leather and glass. It would make such pretty patterns.

  He used to be such a nice guy; it was all Mareen's fault he wasn't anymore. Well, mostly Mareen's. It was also Jason's, Henry's, and all the slaves' that looked down him too. Everyone who looked down on him. He'd hurt them all one day. He wanted to hurt them slowly. But he really wanted to hurt Mareen. Oh yes, Mareen. He wanted to make her understand his pain. He needed her to know what a huge mistake she'd made. He wanted her to understand it was all her fault, everything he did to the slaves he hurt. Everything was her fault.

  She'd never find another man as good as him. A nice guy. A smart guy. He giggled. Plus, if he couldn't have her, nobody else could either.

  Jeth kept moving towards the road with the five other bandits. They needed to prepare an ambush, and there wasn't much time left. It was going to be a good day; he could feel it.

  He couldn't stop thinking of everything he'd do to Mareen if she was actually stupid and obedient enough to come into his waiting arms. That was what she should do though if she had any decency. The dumb twat should feel sorry and come crawling back to him. He was her protector, after all. The only one who truly loved her.

  Bandit Secrets

  Jeth crouched in the bushes behind the five other bandits. He did his best to stay still, but he kept getting bitten by insects. The other bandits all smelled as bad as he did. A fat drop of sweat slowly rolled between his shoulder blades. What was taking these feeble-minded, lazy sluts so long?

  Ah! Now he could hear the wagons approaching. His hands trembled in anticipation. The caravan was almost close enough to see. He strained his eyes, licking his lips as he willed time to pass more quickly.

  And then he saw her. Oh yes! It was truly her! His Mareen had come back to him! Now he could carve all the ways he loved her into her flesh with a knife. It would be beautiful. He was going to love her so hard, so very hard. He was going to love her to death.

  Jeth could feel himself becoming physically aroused. Yes, soon, soon we will be together again! I will protect you from the world, Mareen. My Mareen.

  But something was bothering him. Something wasn't right. Yes, yes, she didn't have her usual insipid, smiling expression. She was tense, looking around. Hmmm... the others looked tense too--well, except the Areva woman eating some sort of fruit. She had a shawl on, though. That was strange... the day was warm.

  Too many things weren't adding up. Jeth was suspicious. He addressed the other bandits, "Now's your chance! Go out there and stop them. I'll cover you." Jeth held up his two throwing spears, and the simple brutes all nodded.

  It seemed all of the bandits took Jeth's words at face value, all the Ludans anyway. The only thug to narrow his eyes suspiciously was the lone Mo'hali, a wolf race with notched ears. An outcast. Still, despite his obvious misgivings, the Mo'hali bandit joined the others as they burst from the brush, trotting towards the caravan.

  Jeth had promised him food if he participated. The Mo'hali hadn't eaten in a week. Jeth gloried in how clever he was. He would use the animal's weakness to his advantage.

  Jeth moved through the woods, keeping pace with the other bandits. The caravan began to slow as the drivers saw them, and Jeth felt even more strongly that something was wrong. He held back, and as a result, it was several more steps before he saw what had made the other five bandits on the road stop in their tracks.

  After the Mo'hali boy on top of the wagon got close enough, Jeth heard a sudden chime in his head, and information scrolled over his left eye.

  Bezzi-ibbi, Jaguar Clan

  Hero Ring, Arm Morph, Quicksilver

  First Rank

  Jeth stood still. He didn't know much about Hero rings, but the Mo'hali bandit, Rark-han seemed visibly disturbed. Jeth didn't understand. Were they seriously afraid of a boy? Not only that, their reward from this capture had been automatically upgraded to a fortune! If they killed the boy, Dolos had said in his announcement he would give them a Dolos orb or a spirit stone, either of which was worth enough to live comfortably for years even split six ways between them!

  Even Dolos hated Terrans. Jeth giggled. He'd never cared about Dolos before, hadn't even been sure he existed before the announcement. But now he knew he was doing Dolos' work. He even had divinity on his side!

  When Dolos had given his message, it had thrown the bandit camp into chaos. Some of the bandits thought it was a joke at first. A few of them thought they were under attack by a strange new type of monster, but most were just terrified, fearing the confirmed existence of a god they hadn't really believed in.

  Eventually, the bandit leader Thod had announced that the message was probably real. He was right. While attacking a caravan several days later, the bandits had killed a teen orb-Bonded working as a guard. They'd all seen that
the boy was Bonded as soon as they were close enough. A chime had sounded in their heads, and they could read he was a first-rank water mage.

  After the deed was done, when the boy had stopped breathing, there was a flash of light. A box appeared on the ground that Thod quickly picked up. As leader, he had the right to the first choice of loot, but some of the men grumbled. They wanted to know what was in the box. Still, nobody dared talk back to Thod or challenge him on his loot rights. The man was frightening.

  Jeth had known was in the box, though. He knew many things. Secret things.

  He shook himself and brought his mind back to the present.

  Luckily, one of the bandits on the road had kept his wits about him, a big man named Gerry. He and Rark-han were the two best fighters. It was lucky that Gerry didn't back down; the other men would follow his head. He hollered, "This is an ambush! All of you give up and drop your weapons. If you do, you won't be harmed!" It was a lie, of course. Jeth always thought it was funny how many people were naïve enough to believe they'd actually be spared.

  The expressions on the faces of captured little hussies after being locked in chains and played with was wonderful. He loved seeing hope die in the eyes of the girls he... entertained. He liked to hurt the boys too, but the girls were much more fun. Their skin looked prettier after he carved his name in them. Their throats looked so lovely with a necklace of bruises. Jeth felt his skin heating up just thinking about it.

  As he watched the scene unfold before him, he wondered what the caravan guards would do. The bandits walked steadily forward, but none of the women were dropping their weapons. The Mo'hali boy didn't move either. Suddenly, Jeth felt a deep chill crawl up his spine.

  His suspicions were confirmed when those bastards--those evil, Terran, rotten whoresons--Henry and Jason sat up in the rear wagon among the boxes. No, no, no! This couldn't be happening!

  Jeth hissed as he heard two more chimes in his head and saw more information scroll over his left eye:

  Henry Mirai Sato, Terran, American

  Dolos Orb, Modular Build, Generation Three

  First Rank

  and

  Jason James Booth, Terran, American

  Dolos Orb, Modular Build, Generation Three

  First Rank

  This was a nightmare! They'd finally come for him! He had to get away! He had to warn the bandits so they could save him! He also needed to think of his own future. He'd waited too long to act. It was time to steal one of Thod's two Dolos orbs stashed away in the loot cave....

  Oh yes! He knew about the orbs. His father had told him about them. Thod had already had one hidden before he got another for killing the teen Bonded working as a caravan guard.

  Jeth's father, Yelm, said Thod was planning to elevate one of his bandit captains but neither was loyal enough. Yelm was trying to convince Thod to let him have an orb, hence all his servility. It was disgusting.

  Yes, yes, Jeth would get one for himself! Then he would never fear anyone again! He'd have power, power to walk into random homes and take any plaything he wanted. It would be beautiful.

  He turned to run away, shouting the bandit code phrase to attack without mercy, "In the ground!" He tripped and fell, jumping up to sprint again. "Kill them all!" he screamed, his voice shrill.

  Jeth ran as fast as he could back to the camp. He would get the orb, and then he would have his Mareen. Yes, sweet Mareen. He would make her scream! He giggled as he ran.

  * * *

  Jason sat up when he heard footsteps approaching and someone shout about an ambush. Of the five men approaching them on the road, he thought the big wolf Mo'hali man looked the most dangerous. He was also the only bandit with clean weapons. The rest of the bandits obviously did not take care of their gear. Their rudimentary leather armor was ill fitting and dirty.

  Before he could even stand up all the way, he heard a man in the forest scream, "In the ground! Kill them all!" Beside him, Henry muttered, "That voice... no way, it couldn't be him."

  The bandits on the road stopped when they saw Henry and Jason. One of them, a big brute missing an ear, hissed, "The boy Hero is bad enough, but two Bonded too? You've got to be kidding me. We don't have Thod with us."

  Another bandit, this one with two missing teeth and a filthy bandana snarled, "We got the order! In the ground! We can take 'em. They look soft as kiddies."

  The wolf Mo'hali bandit shook his head and said, "We have no hope of winning this fight." He turned to Uluula, who currently stood at the front of the caravan. "May we surrender?"

  Uluula replied in a tone of voice Jason had never heard from her before. It was dark and cold as the vastness of space. "We have news of bodies and people in cages. Do you ever let your prisoners 'surrender'? Do you treat them well?"

  "No," the Mo'hali said, ears laid back. "These men are murderers and rapists, and I am guilty by association."

  UIuula stood to her full diminutive height, hand tightly gripping her spear and snarled, "Mo'hali, kneel and await your punishment. The rest of you do the same, or you will be destroyed."

  The bandit with the filthy bandana chuckled and shook his head, "You heard em' boys. We've been named rapists, we have." He turned to the largest bandit next to the wolf man. "Gerry, we die either way. What say you?"

  "In the ground!" Gerry snarled. His ugly, scarred face twisted with anger, his eyes bestial. The men sprang forward to attack.

  Jason threw a knife and teleported it with a burst of power, the sharp point driving home into the back of the gap-toothed bandit's neck. Henry fired two bronze projectiles with magic, both of them striking true. Gerry and the big man missing an ear both went down.

  With a casual grace, Uluula stepped forward, brushing aside the last bandit's attack and skewering him with her wicked-looking spear. The violence had been fast, brutal, and final. Jason could hear Mareen gagging, and he didn't blame her a bit. In fact, it worried him a little that his nerves weren't frayed after the one-sided slaughter. When had this become normal? What is happening to me?

  Bezzi-ibbi jumped down from the wagon and strode to the wolf Mo'hali kneeling on the road. The feline Mo'hali boy snapped out a question in his language, and the bandit flinched. The wolf Mo'hali made a pitiful noise and spoke for a minute in the same language before grabbing a knife, driving it toward his own throat.

  Bezzi-ibbi grabbed the man's wrist in his unyielding, metallic left hand. Jason thought the scene would have been surreal if it wasn't so tense. The small Jaguar Clan boy in the pinstriped vest held the hulking wolf Mo'hali man completely immobile, hissing at him in Panum.

  The wolf man dropped the knife and bowed his head, showing Bezzi-ibbi the back of his neck. Bezzi-ibbi slapped the man's head. After that, the Mo'hali man slowly stood and turned. He said, "My name is Rark-han. I am banished from the Cold Wolf Clan and currently clanless, disgraced. The Hero has forbidden me from taking my own life. I now follow him as a Ghost Claw."

  Jason frowned and tried making sense of what had just happened. "Bezzi-ibbi, what is going on? How can we possibly trust this guy? Also, all the bandits were rapists, right? I thought rape was a capital offense on this world."

  "Every world that is not a complete cesspit prescribes a death penalty for rape," Uluula snarled. Not for the first time, Jason was caught off guard by the different aspects of Uluula's personality. She didn't talk much about her past, but Jason knew she'd been a soldier. Sometimes when he caught glimpses of her savagery and uncompromising moral code, he wondered what the rest of the universe was like.

  Bezzi-ibbi's eyes flashed. "He not rapist. He kill in fights, still criminal, though. He not allowed to kill self. Not his decision. Too much debt."

  He turned back to Rark-han and grabbed the man's ear. "Fight with us." He rattled off another couple sentences in the Mo'hali language before repeating in Luda, "You fight for us." Rark-han's other ear flicked before drooping forward. He looked up, exposing more of his throat and stomach.

  "Yes, Hero. I will serve. I
will do anything. I wish to see the ancestors."

  * * *

  Minutes later, Jason was trudging through the forest and realized that their original half-baked plan had gone to hell. He glanced suspiciously at Rark-han. The man's leather armor creaked, and his canine ears drooped as he lead them to what he claimed was a seldom-used, less-guarded access to the bandit camp.

  Jason wished Keeja would help them. She said she couldn't, but he wondered about that. Either way, she was staying with the wagons and reading a book. He supposed it was lucky she had even been willing to wear a shawl earlier to cover her necklace. There was no way anyone would have tried ambushing the caravan if they'd recognized Keeja, a high priestess of Dolos... even if she was effectively useless.

  To his side, Henry all but seethed as they walked. Jason was concerned about his friend. To everyone's surprise, before they'd left the road, Henry had asked Rark-han if Jeth was with the bandits. The wolf man's expression turned grim, and he spat in disgust, "Yes. I curse that one. He is one of the most vile in the entire camp. He led our group to ambush your caravan."

  Jason was curious. So far, he didn't trust Rark-han. The Mo'hali man was a self-admitted bandit and murderer. Jason still had a hard time imagining the man as a hardened criminal, though. Rark-han seemed more like a mercenary whose life had spiraled out of control than someone who preyed on others. In fact, when the atrocities of the bandit camp were briefly discussed on the road, the Mo'hali man looked disturbed and disgusted. Jason asked, "If you hate Jeth, why did you go with him to attack this caravan?"

  Rark-han lowered his eyes and answered, "Two reasons. One was food. I don't eat very often. I can survive on some of what I find in the forest, but it's miserable. The larger reason was greed. I wanted enough money that I could leave this life and start a farm.

  "I am an outcast. No Mo'hali Clans would take me. I needed to pay my debt to Thod in order to leave. Thod saved my life and offered me a pack. It is a matter of honor, the last of my honor. I had to soil what honor I had left every day by letting these creatures exist."