After watching Lydia running after her, Calvin let go of the darkness magic he’d been practicing and hurried to catch up. Both of them were fast runners, and they’d already reached their destination by the time he caught up.
Euphe was panting, red-faced, while her sister stared at her inquisitively.
“What’s the big rush?” Calvin asked between gulping deep breaths.
“One of… the missing… people turned up,” Euphe said, panting. “We have a lead.”
“Really?” Lydia asked, stepping closer and peering at the crude log house before them.
“Yes, a young boy, lost with an ambushed hunting party shortly before we arrived. I didn’t get the whole story yet, but it sounds like the bandits got him drunk, and he managed to escape.”
“And he’s inside?” Calvin asked, not sure how he felt about crowding a recently traumatized child.
“Probably,” she replied, slowly recovering her breath. “I’m more interested in meeting his parents. Hopefully they’ll tell us where to find those rotting savages!”
Seeing the look of pure hate in both pairs of hard blue eyes, Calvin kept silent and nodded.
Euphe pounded on the door, and they waited for a moment until someone answered. A heavyset man opened it, his face a mask of barely restrained fury. “What do you lot want? Not letting anyone gawk at my poor boy.”
The beautiful woman shook her head sharply. “No, we’re not here to bother your son, Devon, I was hoping to ask you or your wives a few questions.”
His mask of anger softened, revealing the grief in his eyes as the man waved them in. More than a little surprised at the sudden shift, Calvin followed the sisters inside. Not even offering them a chair, Devon nodded gruffly, then walked into another room.
Whispering voices discussed something briefly, then the weary man returned, collapsing into a well-worn armchair. “You two are the twins hunting that rotting scum, Rufus Rayburn,” he said, spitting the bandit’s name. His words had been half statement, half question.
Both blonde women nodded.
“Yes, we… have some unfinished business with him,” Euphe said quietly.
“And yet you came here bothering my family instead of asking the guards?”
“I apologize for the intrusion, but the captain is unwilling to disclose the information we seek.”
For a moment the grieving father’s anguish was etched plainly across his face, but he quickly recovered, sighing loudly. He stared at the three of them for a long while, brazenly appraising them. “You three intend to make the rotting trash pay for his crimes?” he asked, deathly quiet.
Calvin noticed Eupheme struggling to respond. She visibly swallowed, opened her mouth to speak, then finally closed it and nodded.
“And you two vouch for this dimwitted outsider? Fool went off with Rayburn voluntarily.”
Grinning slightly, Eupheme nodded. “Yes, I trust Calvin completely, he’s fully committed to seeing all the bandits punished.”
“What’s with that stupid-looking helmet he’s wearing?” Devon asked, openly staring.
“He’s… been feeling rather shy after making such a fool of himself,” Lydia said, speaking up for the first time.
Apparently the mage had come up with the perfect excuse as Devon broke out into dark laughter. “Good enough for me. Yeah, I’ll tell you where those human-shaped monsters are holed up. You’ll need to get there quick though. Don’t be doubting that there’s a rotting traitor living here in town, it’s the only thing that makes sense,” he said, shaking his head in frustration.
Devon stood up. “Let me go check with the wives, see if they remember anything I’m forgetting, then I’ll get you directions. Just promise me you finish this.”
“You have our word,” Euphe said, smiling grimly.
Not wanting to keep crowding the man’s living room, Lydia and Calvin agreed to head back while Euphe waited for the location. He could tell that both sisters were eager to set out. Neither of them could stand still; even the normally reserved Lydia was practically vibrating with nervous energy.
Back at their house, Calvin went through his gear, making sure everything was ready to leave at a moment’s notice. The slamming door announced Euphe’s return, and he entered the main room to find the twins hugging each other, quietly crying.
Silently as he could, Calvin slipped back outside and waited patiently until a red-eyed Eupheme came out to retrieve him. “You know where we’re headed?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes, they have a sizable camp about three hours to the east of here.”
When he saw her shoulders shake again, Calvin stepped close, and pulled her into his arms; it seemed like the right thing to do. He wasn’t sure how she’d respond, but it was like a dam burst and she clung to him desperately, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.
Not knowing how to comfort her, he stood there, letting her cry herself out, awkwardly stroking her back. Lydia peeked out the door once, her red-rimmed eyes holding his gaze for a moment before she withdrew.
“Sorry, it’s just… those people are such horrible brutes,” she whispered.
“And you’re worried what happened to your sister?” he asked quietly, still stroking her back.
Euphe sniffled. “Yes, one of Devon’s wives came out and told me just how barbaric the bandit’s camp was. I—”
“Relax, you don’t have to do this alone, you’ve got Lydia,” he said, trying to restore her spirit. “And you’ve got me. We’ll see this through and stop them from ever hurting anyone else.”
Pulling away slowly, she wiped roughly at her eyes, nodding. “You’re right, we will. So let’s get going.”
She looks a lot better in high spirits, like herself.
After Euphe recovered, they spent almost an hour getting ready. She’d already bought another quiver of bronze-tipped arrows for him, which he wasn’t sure he’d need, and they were out of town not long after midday.
***
The route Eupheme led them on started out south, into the wilderness, slowly swinging to the east as the forest grew thicker. Despite her confidence that they’d get there quickly, Calvin wasn’t surprised when they only just spotted the camp as the sun was starting to set. It had to be hard for a battered, likely delirious kid to judge how long he’d been wondering the woods.
Luckily, they’d still arrived with enough daylight left to get a good look at the bandit camp. This place has been here for a while. Did the bandits build it, or take it over?
A rough palisade wall encompassed the whole camp, though the gate was several logs roped together and lifted into place rather than a proper gatehouse. The wall itself was likely more than enough to protect against simple monsters, and the fact that the bandits let the forest grow unchecked suggested they weren’t too worried about thinking foes.
Both sisters had been subdued since spotting the fortified camp. Calvin didn’t know if this setup was common for bandits on Ludus and didn’t bother to ask. Instead he focused on counting the armed brigands in sight and looking for weaknesses. He shouldn’t have been surprised that he saw one or two women among the bandits, but he still felt a flash of dismay. It just proved he still wasn’t adjusted to life on Ludus yet.
If this was an RPG, we could rush down there, kill all the trash mobs, and then gang up on Rufus as he exits that big hut in the rear. He scratched his chin. I don’t think these guys are going to be that stupid, though.
“Cal, how many of them do you think you can take with your bow from that slight hill over there? I’ll try to keep them pinned in at the gate, letting you shoot without worrying about your flank.”
A little surprised that she’d finally started shortening his name, and chosen this time to do it, he took a moment to think. He studied the path she was pointing at, where the bandits had cleared a trail from the crude gate out and to the east.
“I’m not sure,” he answered. “The magical arrows I showed you should be effective against armored enemies, but
I’ve never shot anyone bigger than a goblin. I’ve also never fought people, either.”
“You’ll be fine, these criminals are cowards and bullies, not true warriors. I will draw their attention while you pick off as many as you can.” She turned to her sister. “Lydia, you watch for any mages or orb-Bonded. Hopefully Rayburn is the only one.”
That’s… not a great plan, thought Calvin. Sighing and keeping his thoughts to himself, he nodded, reaching for his bow.
“Wait until I get close to the gate, then start picking them off,” Eupheme said.
He nodded, reaching for his helmet, and began moving to the location she’d pointed out when the armored woman grabbed his wrist. Her pale cheeks flushing, she leaned in quickly and kissed his cheek. “For luck.”
He stared after her, watching as she rushed through dense bushes to reach the trail. Calvin shook his head. Get it together. We’re about to attack a camp filled with at least fifteen murderous bandits. This is no time to get distracted thinking about Euph, even if she is incredibly beautiful and brave.
When he reached the top of the hill, Calvin took a moment to study the camp. From his better vantage point, he could see two more bandits sitting just inside of the gate. They were both drinking something, hopefully alcohol, but had weapons near at hand.
Further inside, he could see eleven prisoners being held in an assortment of wooden cages and what looked like a horse stall. They’re mostly children, and they all look battered. What’s the point of this?
He’d caught snippets since meeting the Halverson sisters that rape was a capital offense on Ludus, which only made the situation below all the more strange to him.
There are three times as many women as men on Ludus. All these guys would have to do is not be total assholes and they could get a wife. Hell, they could get two or three, but instead they live in the damn monster-infested woods, going around raping and murdering. What the hell is wrong with our species?
As surprised as Cal was to wake up on another world, he’d been even more surprised to learn of all the aliens being brought here from the wider universe. Does that Dolos guy bring the dregs of alien races here too, or are humans more barbaric?
Shaking his thoughts away, Cal waited tensely for the courageous swordswoman to start the fight. The sun was setting, but he activated Darksight with a thought and watched as Eupheme charged the two guards.
Friends and Enemies, Chapter Seven
Some bandits started yelling the moment they spotted Eupheme, sending the lounging criminals into a hectic rush. One guard was still waving an arm, making a lot of noise when Cal loosed a bronze-tipped arrow.
He knew the arrows the bow generated through magic were far more dangerous, but Lydia had explained that the bow was not actually enchanted, or not entirely. It was a highly advanced magic machine. The weapon ran at least partially on the magic stone stored in the grip, so he’d decided to be frugal with it. Magic stones were not cheap—using a physical arrow with the bow only seemed to generate more velocity, and otherwise spared the stone.
The conventional missile worked better than fine, crossing the sixty yards or so to sink into the man’s back, cutting off his cry. Then his partner made the mistake of checking to see what had happened. The moment he turned, Euphe was on him, bringing her bronze blade down on his neck.
With both guards down, she squared off in front of the gate, screaming and banging her shield with the bronze sword.
Cal stopped watching the fierce warrior-woman and focused, picking out his next target. He grabbed another arrow, nocked, drew, and loosed. The range was probably too much for him with a normal bow, but during his practice, he’d discovered he could shoot accurately much further than normal with his enchanted weapon.
The bow didn’t have a harsh let-off like a compound bow, but the arrow velocities were actually greater than any modern bow Calvin had ever used back on Earth, all while feeling like he was only drawing about forty pounds. It’s still no match for a rifle, but it beats the hell out of the last bow. This is way better than the one Rufus stole.
Clamping down his anger at both the man who’d robbed him, and the horrible sins of the bandits below, he dove into his archery. In the next few moments, he repeated the smooth, flowing motions like a machine. Nock, draw, loose. Falling into a comfortable pace, he let all thoughts wash away, living entirely in the peaceful calm of the simple routine. The fact that he was killing people was something he would deal with later. For now, there was only the bow.
His breathing grew more steady, each breath calming his mind, soothing his fears and worries. Then he reached for another arrow and missed. Routine disrupted, Cal glanced down and stared dumbly at the oversized, empty quiver.
I had thirty arrows in there. Belatedly realizing he’d shot all his ammo, he turned back to the fight.
The bandit camp was on fire. Someone, most likely Lydia, had set multiple portions of the vine-cluttered wall aflame, as well as the larger hut. Lydia’s magic and Calvin’s archery were the only reason assaulting a group this large with only three people had even been possible.
Euphe was still holding the narrow gate, though there were seven men trying to get past her. The choke point was meant for defense, but the swordswoman was using it to her advantage now.
Surprised to see so many bandits still standing, Cal continued to survey the camp, counting at least ten downed men, even a couple of armored women, many with his arrows jutting out from their corpses.
There were a lot more of them than we thought.
The sudden realization of how bad the situation could have been hit him like a punch to the gut. Even with the element of surprise, it was a miracle he and his friends were still alive, and the fight was still not done. Dropping limply to his knees, Cal fought against the overwhelming sense of terror. What the hell am I doing on a battlefield?
The moment the thought occurred to him, he growled, digging his fingers into the soft soil beneath him. I’m helping my friends avenge their family and stop a bunch of sadistic bastards!
Anchoring his mind to that single thought, a lone goal, he stood up and looked down to the battle again. Lydia was moving to join her sister, a solid staff in hand. While Calvin didn’t doubt that the young mage was competent with the weapon, no doubt better than he was with his dagger, he wasn’t about to let her fight without him.
Sparing one last glance at the overall scene from his hill, he noticed the remaining bandits were all cowering behind the wall closest to him. Guess I made an impression on them.
He frowned, debating whether he should use the bow’s ability to produce ammo out of thin air, and risk burning out the only magic stone he had, or join the sisters in the increasingly brutal melee.
Groaning, he ran down the hill, slinging his bow and drawing the sharp, but far-too-small bronze dagger. This is crazy. He suddenly wished he had a sword instead of the dagger, even though Eupheme had told him before that with so little training, in a real battle, he could hurt himself with one instead of an enemy. Calvin put on a burst of speed as he drew closer and spotted three armored bandits pushing Eupheme back from the gate.
Even panicked as he was, he could see dents and cuts across her armor, and where her left sleeve was wet with blood. Lydia reached her sister first, stepping in and cracking one bandit’s jaw with a well-timed thrust. The man fell back moaning pitifully, but another stepped up and attacked the lightly armored mage.
Eupheme cried out for her sister to retreat, but Lydia shook her head determinedly, struggling to block the assault. Gasping for breath, Cal rushed to join his friends, though he glanced down at his dagger in despair. Then he noticed a bronze sword, much like Euphe’s, lying on the ground beside the man Lydia had dropped.
Screw hurting myself! He grinned and stepped closer, squaring off against one of the two now trying to put Lydia down.
The unwashed man reeked, and when he sneered, Cal saw several rotten teeth, but just as the bandit prepared to stab, Cal stopped shor
t.
Still grinning nastily, Cal threw the heavy dagger at the startled man. He didn’t care if it hit; he just needed a moment to grab the discarded sword. Knowing time was short, he didn’t bother to watch the filthy bandit, his eyes solely for the sword. Calvin wrapped his hand around the hilt and brought it up to defend against the attack he knew was coming, but blinked.
The handle of the poorly balanced dagger he’d chucked at the man was sticking out of the bandit’s mouth.
Not sparing the dying man another glance, Cal stepped up beside Lydia, drawing a quick glance and a shared nod before they both turned back to the battle. The bronze sword was heavier than the training waster he’d used, but Cal wasn’t going to complain. In fact, after defending against the armored man attacking him for the last thirty seconds, he was never going to complain about sword training again. I definitely need to thank Euphe for all the time she spent training me… and beg for more training.
The bandit was wearing as much armor as Eupheme, and was more skilled than Calvin, but he still felt he was doing a good job keeping the thug from trying to flank either of the twins. Already breathing hard from his sprint over, Cal felt the moment he started to seriously flag. The armored bandit didn’t miss it either.
Swallowing his fear, Cal tried to call up his magic without losing focus or letting the man gut him. It was harder than before, and he instantly regretted not having practiced casting magic under pressure, but he kept parrying and let his mind tighten.
Trying to use a globe of darkness and Darksight was too much, and he wasn’t sure if he could anchor his spells to another person, so he tried to scare the man. Instead of a sphere of inky blackness, he imagined his entire body being surrounded by flickering shadow flames.
Panting for breath, barely able to avoid the last swing, he timed his spell with a crazed grin. The bandit attacking him froze in fear, letting Calvin know that his desperate idea had worked. He didn’t waste time congratulating himself, immediately slicing at the man’s neck. Hot blood rushed out as he ripped the bandit’s throat open.
Delvers LLC- Surviving Ludus Page 26
