A Journey through Kingdoms

CHAPTER 6- CAPTIVE VILLAGERS

"They really got this place packed." Tetsuga looked on from a tree branch as he watched the bandit men and women walk about the captured village. "And a lot of guards stationed at every nook and cranny of the place-jeez, are they expecting a raid or something!?" And amidst all that, he was more perplexed as to how strategically planted some of the stationed bandit guards were as they left no room for blind spots. "Well, hopefully that Derrick guy is still alive, because this is going to take some careful planning," he mutters as he watches intently from the tree.

"You. How are the prisoners?" Yurie, the bandit boss, called to one of his men and ushered them over to him for a little status update. "The prisoners are fine, sir! They reply with a salute. "Good. In the morning, a contractor of ours is going to pay us a visit for the alchemist boy. After that, we leave this place. Make sure everyone else knows and understands!?" With a commanding tone, Yurie commands the bandit as he follows what was said to him and leaves in swift haste, but is stopped midway through.

"But before that, I need to have a word with the boy, so I need you to fetch him for me first! Take him to my house and make sure to cuff him before you do!" He tells as he then leaves to enter his self-appointed bandit boss house, which was the home of the chieftain who ran the village as he begins to prepare for the exchange between him and this contractor they were working with for the exchange of Derrick Barnes, the Alchemist boy. But as for why, it was still not revealed to him by the contractor. All he had gotten from the deal was that they'd pay good money for him. And something else if they couldn't...

.....

"Are you all... the previous inhabitants of this quaint village?" Derrick asks with a friendly smile. Though it seemed to not have been too effective since they still watched him with careful gazes,. Luckily, one of them had enough courage to speak to the unknown lad as they brought themselves closer to the door light. Revealing themselves to be a girl in raggedy clothes. "We were... until those bastards came," she said with venom in her tone. Clearly wishing upon the deaths of those bandits that stole their village and used it as their place to commit sin and other heinous acts. "How about you? You don't seem to be around here. We've never seen you before," she asks. He is clearly cautious of him still.

"Ah! Well, you see, I live just out on the outskirts of the Veridia kingdom!" He explains to her with a smile. "So you live near the kingdom?... So you're very far away from home, aren't you?" She prods more. Derrick nods his head gleefully. "But that's strange. Why would the bandits want to capture someone from way over there? Wouldn't that be too risky even if it were on the outskirts of that kingdom? This is bandit Yurie we're talking about!" One of the captive villagers inquired. Noticing an odd behavior within the actions of capturing Derrick.

"Ah, before I forget, I am Derrick Barnes! A seasoned alchemist! A pleasure to meet all your acquaintances!" Derrick says as he offers his hand to shake. "Wait, Alchemist?" The girl repeats in a questioning tone. "Yes! That's what I said! Is there something wrong with that?" He asks. I'm not really sure what she meant with the questioning tone of voice. But it hardly went unanswered as she pieced together who he was. "You were the one that Yurie Bastard wanted to find!" She says as she slams her first into her palm while exclaiming her thoughts to him.

"Yurie bastard? Why, you must REALLY hate the man if you're willing to give out such a colorful description of him. Is there a reason for that? Besides the village being taken over, of course." Derricks' curious nature got a hold of their talk as he asked her with no regard for how personal the question was. "You can't just ask something like that! What the hell are you trying to do?" One of the captive village men tried to step up and stop the conversation but was interrupted by the girl as she spoke up to answer. "Because that man killed my father," she says. Her brows furrowed to their fullest extent.

"Your father?" Derrick spoke before being answered by another one of the captive village people. "Yes. Her father was the chieftain of the village. A great one, in fact.". "Before Yurie and his men arrived, the village was in the middle of our harvest season-the greatest one in all the years of the village. It was supposed to be a good day," she said, and then muttered. The memories flood back to her like a pack of snakes. Luckily, she didn't have to finish the thought by herself as one other villager took the reigns. "Before we could harvest the crops we had grown, Yurie and his bandits came storming down through the entrance, demanding to see the chieftain or else they would start hurting the villagers."

"My father was willing to trade our crops... all of our crops in exchange to have him spare all of us... But the bastard wanted more than just the crops. He wanted everything! The women, children-the entire village, he said!... but my father refused." She said as her head drooped lower and lower until her face was now hidden from sight. The only thing distinguishable were the tears that slowly fell from it. "And so he killed him," Derrick assumed, which was obviously right on the money as the other villagers nodded in confirmation. "Right in front of his own daughter, no less," they say as they all share in the silence. Mourning the chieftains' deaths.

...

"Okay, if I take out that guard there, then go through there, then I should be able to... Nope. Doesn't work either." Tetsuga lets out an exasperated sigh as he struggles to formulate a foolproof plan to sneak in and break out the alchemist without too much fuss. "Another note to self... read a war tactic book." He muttered to himself before deciding it was enough and dropped down from the tree branch and landed casually on his feet as he dusted himself off. "Screw it. I'm just going to wing it," he says as he begins walking towards the village, slowly sinking into a bush that is conveniently near a stationed Bandit guard.

The bandit guard picked their nose before flicking away the booger that was on their finger. "You digging for gold there, bud?" Suddenly, Tetsuga spoke from within the bush. He catches the guards' attention as he looks over to the bush, perplexed. "Who's there!?" The bandit said as they raised their weapon towards the bush. "Uuhhmmm. It's me. You're, uhm, Father?" Tetsuga cringed at himself for not thinking of something better to say. "... Dad? Is it really you?" But miraculously, by the grace of lady luck, it somehow worked in his favor as the guard was dumb enough to fall for it.

"Huh, it's that easy-I mean, yes, son! It is me! Your father! I am here." Tetsuga doubled down on the lie and started to pretend to be the guys' father, hoping it would trick him into coming near the bush, out of the line of sight of the other guard who was stationed right across from him. Luckily, that one was too preoccupied with playing cards with another bandit. "It's been so long, dad. I thought you'd never come back after leaving," the bandit said, which made Tetsuga cringe harder. Clearly, the dude went through something, considering the fact that he fell for his ruse.

"That's kind of sad, duh! I mean, yes, my son. That is true, but I have realized my mistake and am here now. Come here, and let's hug it out." Tetsuga then laid down the bait and waited for him to take it. "Yes. Come here, dad!" And with that simple request, he drops his weapon and approaches the bush unarmed and with open arms. Unfortunately, his hopes for his dad to emerge from the bush to give him a hug were crushed as Tetsuga swiftly leapt out of the bush and pulled him into it. "Wha, your not my da- ough!" And in one quick motion, the jester knocked the bandit out and emerged from the bush while he dusted his hands. "Thank you, childhood trauma."

"Get up, boy! The boss wants to see you!" The bandit yelled out from the other side, calling out to Derrick, who looked over with an unconcerned face. "It looks like they want me for something! Exciting!" The boy relished in the thought of seeing Yurie the bandit personally. The others with him, however, are not so much. Especially for one of them. "Derrick, you have to be careful! Yurie is a man without remorse!" She warns as she watches the bandit open the door and cuff Derrick once again with rope. "Quiet you!" The bandit yelled back at her, which she responded to with the same caliber.

"You wretched spineless scum! You will pay for my father's death!!" She screamed, ready to fight with her bare hands, but was pulled back by the villagers as they urged her not to make a scene. "I said quiet!" The bandit repeats as he tightens the rope on Derricks' wrists. "Excuse her, Mr. Bandit man, but she's really sad about her father's death." Derrick tried to butt into their back and forth and was quickly silenced by the bandit, who wanted none of it. "You, especially, punk! The boss has plans for you, so move it!" The bandit aggressively pulls Derrick along with him before locking the villagers in their cell before they walk away. "Derrick!" The girl called one last time as she watched Derrick get carted away.