Loot 5/22

“Anything left to fence?” Thurmon asked. Boss grunted and spit something out of the moving wagon.
“All done. Boys have spent their shares.” He gave a sharp nod toward a small bag, “Yours right there. We’re heading into town at Glyphan so you can spend it there. Hardly got anything useful other than supplies this time since we had to come pick you up out in the boondocks. Got a few rings, baubles. Stuff that’ll grease palms better than loose coin and some that’ll get your dick wet if you dump it on a broad.”

Quick. Quiet. They don’t know I’m here yet.

Thurmon smiled, his one missing tooth nothing but a dark hole in the grin. “I’m good with that. Boys relaxing in the rear wagon?”

Strike the temple. He’s down, moving on. Next, back of the head, strike the throat while he’s blind. Next…

“Yep. Good to have the space now. Glad the group didn’t try to fight us. Their guards were just a couple of kids. Don’t need that on my rap sheet when I face the Hereafter.” Boss said, his scarred lips smirking.

Punch to the solar plexus. Kill the scream in his chest, not his throat. One more…

“One is a learning experience, Two is a shame, Three is a habit.” Thurmon said standing and patting Boss’s shoulder, “I’ll be back to keep you company.” He made his way back into the rear wagon wanting to get a look at its condition, feel of the ride, and who had put their bedrolls on the floor so he could walk all over them. When he got back there, he was surprised.

The Boys were lying all over the wagon asleep. All six of the idiots.

They never look up. Ever.

Thurmon walked over to kick one of the boys. Flute was closest. Fag. He cocked his foot back and everything went black.

Base of the skull. Perfect.

Imei stood behind Thurmon and dusted her hands off, a smile on her face hidden by the mask she wore. Dark violet in color, the eyes more like softly glowing white lenses that showed nothing behind them. The mask covered her entire face and didn’t have visible airholes. A violet scarf was on her shoulders, bow on her back, and sword across her lower back. She wasn’t using it right now though. Imei peeked out the back of the wagon to see a few other men on horses, another wagon behind. This was a pretty big bandit group. She didn’t need to hit every wagon, just this one. These guys wouldn’t stay out long on their own though. Like the “Boys” before him she’d take a small pouch out of her scarf and spread a brackish dark paste across Thurmon’s teeth. It’d keep him subdued and asleep for some time now. “One more” she said with a smile. It quickly disappeared. More thoughts hit her. A killer. A killer could use their bow and waylay this whole caravan of lowlifes. She could hit each of the horsemen easy enough before they knew what was going on. She could see it in her mind’s eye. One to the chest for each, take them off their horses. She could hit the driver of the other wagon right between the eyes as easy as taking a breath. Imei could kneecap the horses pulling, she could fire off wildly into the cabin and keep them down as the thing went off the road and into the trees. Down the hill.

Would that save lives?

Was that necessary to save lives?

“Thurmon!” came Boss’s voice. Imei looked over her shoulder. The wagon rocked slightly. “Thurmon, I need to ask you about B-” Boss stopped and there was silence. Imei realized what he’d heard now that his voice stilled.

The silence.

He’d heard how quiet it was, suspicious rose. Imei channeled her ki, her spirit, into her Nin. Body techniques. She put it through Ji, Hell techniques. Focusing. Her hearing sharpened ludicrously. She heard springs, a gear, tension. A crossbow. She hard steel. A blade. He was going to be careful, and she was too.

Boss moved the cloth covering the entrance to the second wagon aside with his sword, hand crossbow pointed within. He saw a hand on the ground, open, limp, arm still attached, no blood. As he opened the cloth more he could see it was Luke lying on the ground. He saw Thurmon, Flute, and--Boss glanced up, just in case. Something was here. No way they didn’t know he was coming in. “Hey!” he shouted and there she was.

Boss could barely make out the female form with the armor, but she was there in his face, pushing his blade aside to come for him inside the range. He twisted the sword to the side and swing it back at her before she could get his arm across his body. “Fuck!”

The assailant hopped back just out of range for the cut, but he aimed the crossbow and fired right at her chest. She turned easily to the side even as he was raising the weapon. When it went off, the bolt went sailing just past her. Boss swung overhead with his sword and suddenly lost sight of her.

He felt her hands, one on the underside of his wrist as he swung, but it was like he was chasing her hand as it fell away. Like, ultimately, he had hurled himself to the ground, flipping and smashing hard onto his back. Boss gave a shout of pain as the air left his lungs. Even still he flailed, swinging the blade again and hitting nothing as he scrambled to his feet and turned around. A sharp kick landed in his chest and sent him reeling backward. He stepped back and felt only air. Boss had a fear unlike any other when he realized he was going to fall. He was going to go under the hooves of the wagon’s horses behind them. Suddenly the assailant grabbed the front of his shirt and tugged hard to hurl him back inside the wagon. He rolled and put his foot on Flute, using the man’s body to help him turn over and try to stand. It was the last thing he remembered. The armored assailant was putting their full body weight into a punch. He didn’t realize it, but it hit him square, right in the nose like she’d spent months perfecting her aim at it.

Imei could hear the driver shouting now, the other wagon behind them and the bandits on horses moving closer, their wagon slowing down. There was little time left if she didn’t want to have to fight the whole lot of them. She went fast, moving the unconscious men to get at their loot, the rings, the bracelets, their masterwork weaponry, their leftover coin. She shoved it all in a thick burlap sack tying it off as the wagon eased nearly to a stop. Just before it was completely halted, Imei drew the sword from her back and cut a hole in the side leaping out to a chorus of angry shouts and orders. She hit the ground rolling straight into a sprint. Crossbow bolts flew but she was in the trees weaving in and out of the brush. Suddenly she felt a chill and a surge of goosebumps across her back. A long vine snagged around her ankle and lifted immediately flipping her upside down. At her speed, Imei would be sent flying, but she lashed out with her blade fast enough to sever the vine.

Mages!

She sailed through the air briefly, flipping around and catching herself on a nearby tree. Imei started to get her bearings again, looking over her shoulder to see horses halting, boots hitting the ground. Thankfully, she hadn’t dropped her bag of loot, instead, throwing two smoke bombs out toward the group which exploded to obscure their view. Dropping down off the tree, she continued to make her escape. The men were shouting, more crossbow bolts hitting trees, skittering through undergrowth and overgrowth.

In the end, it was best they didn’t catch her. He didn’t want to accidentally kill again.