It's Been about 2 months since we last saw our up and coming watcher. They've gotten to know almost everyone within the citadel well, and are generally well liked by those they have met. There is one notable exception... Well, set of exceptions. The King's Advisor, apparently called Affogato Cookie, and his small band of shamans and mystics tended to keep to themselves. Whether for reason pertaining to spirituality or because they had numerous rituals to attend to, could never be decisively deduced. Whatever the case, you thought nothing of it. After all, they were a small minority at the citadel, the mother base of the warrior kingdom.
But while you and all the other watchers and warriors put in honest hard work for your rations as well as the support given to your villages, there was something else in those fields. Not quite warriors, not quite villagers. A ragtag bunch of disorganized delinquents, seemingly hellbent on feeding off the labors of honest cookies like you. And unfortunately, their targets were often the villages that could not protect themselves. Much as you wanted to strike against them, reports indicated they would slip into the shadows before the watchers could mount a response. For now, all you could do was wait for an opportunity to strike back at them and show them what it means to mess around with a united force.
As you were doing your rounds throughout the main temple the citadel was built around, you were approached by a cookie you hadn't much talked with. You recognized him as the king's advisor, whom you had also seen during your tour when you had first arrived. "Ah... Hello there, Y/N. That is what they call you, correct?" He asked in a sly tone, seemingly thinking of what to tell the king later this evening. You quickly salute the advisor, as he was above you in the Chain of Command, and inform him "Yes, that's me Sir. You need something, cause I'm kind of busy right now." "At least you know your manners, unlike a few others in this citadel. Yes, I am here to entrust you to something. It pertains to information my shamans have gathered." He tells you, extending to you a slip of paper.
On it contained the directions to a Bandit Clan's hideout as well as some information regarding the strength of the place. "Sir... Should we not bring this to the king?" You ask, unsure of what this all meant. "Oh no no no, Y/N. You see if the king knows for certain that a hideout is located in a specific spot, he'll send in a large force of warriors and watchers to deal with it. This will give the bandits time to escape as the force will not go unnoticed. No, I need you and a few watchers to go in and take down that hideout."
You think it over, and the advisor's words held truth. The king did like to send larger amounts of warriors towards threats as persist as bandits. And knowing that they were likely natives to this land as well meant they had the same sort of danger recognition skills. "Hm... I guess you're right. Alright, I'm down. I'll try and get a small strike force together and see what we can do. Thanks for the information, Advisor." You tell him, hopeful that some real change is about to be made. The advisor merely laughs and says "Please, Call me Affogato Cookie. And don't tell people where you got that from, this is all underwraps so to speak." You give a confirmative nod and get moving.
About 2 hours later, there you were. Together with Orange Choco and Two other more experienced watchers, you were scouting the bandit hideout. "Looks like they're not exactly keeping good watch of the place. Should be able to sneak in by that side entrance. From there, we do some real damage." Orange Choco notes, far more observant than you at this sort of thing. You and the other 2 shoot him a nod and after a few more silent discussions of the plan, it's go time. Quickly making your way in a single file line to the side entrance, you four slip in unnoticed. You soon hear a bandit lieutenant call out to his merry band of misfits "Alright lads, come on! We don't got all evening, them cacaoin folk ought to get a taste of our new tools soon enough." He brandished a peculiar looking weapon, it looked like a bow attached to a large stick with a few bits of metal attached to it.
Quickly wasting no time, you spring your attack. Already, a good chunk of the bandits were taken out. "Well now, lookie here lads! Some greenie watcher target practice, get 'em!" The lieutenant bellows, quickly taking a shot at you with his strange weapon. It fired off a small but fast bolt, narrowly missing your head. Quickly cutting your way through his comrades to him, he switches to a dagger and tries to fight you head on. You take a few slashes but are able to fight him to the ground. Just before you can deliver the killing blow, a piercing pain making itself known in your backside, giving the lieutenant time enough to slip away. Orange Choco quickly comes to your aid and removes the source of the attack and patches you up somewhat. For a first incursion against bandits, it was pretty good. All four of you had made it out alive and well. A quick search around the hideout revealed a few written sets of notes that told of the bandit clan's further plans as well as information on which villages and routes were weakest. You take the notes and quickly set off back to the citadel.
Back at the citadel, praise wasn't exactly what you got. In fairness, it was quite reckless and hasty of you four to go into an enemy stronghold and take it on by yourselves, regardless of the enemy's reaction to a larger contingent of warriors. While the second watcher scolded you for such a brash act, Caramel Arrow was quick to defend you. "If you had gotten the information Y/N did, would you have done anything different?!" She demanded to know of her comrade. While he tried to formulate a response, nothing came to him as he admitted defeat. "Exactly. But still, Y/N do not do something like that ever again. Hasty and Unprepared assaults are how watchers get killed or go missing. Next time, come to me and we can properly talk it over." The first watcher said, empathetic but firm. Getting a crossbow bolt to the backside was considered punishment enough, so she decides to just go easy on you. The expression on her and the second watcher's face clearly said they would not be so merciful if this happened a second time.
Still though, the information you had gathered did counteract the part about you four breaking rank to go bandit hunting. The very next week, a massive bandit attack on a village was thwarted thanks to the knowledge gleamed from said notes. Affogato Cookie in particular took note of your feelings during this time, especially the way they motivated you. Perhaps, you could be useful to his future goals after all. But that would come another time, for now it was back to a life of mostly idle watch routes in and around the citadel's lands.
YOU ARE READING
Kindred Spirits
RomanceA humble Villager, you were someone fairly unremarkable. When the cold biting winter of Dark Cacao strikes once again, you decide to take up a post as a watcher in order to provide for your people. It is there that you shall meet someone who would c...
