Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Well! That last week was...cathartic. I got the revision I wanted done, and after a bunch of thought I've even been able to plug up some future plot holes. I have a lot planned for you, and I'm ready to start posting again!
From some of the reviews, I've been alerted to something that I think I should address here. This story will contain full spoilers for Fire Emblem 7 and partial spoilers for Fire Emblem 9/10. I plan on updating the first chapter to relate this fact, as well. Although knowledge of any of the series isn't required to enjoy the story, some of the stuff you'll only catch if you know all three games. I apologize to anyone to whom I've done a disservice by not stating this before.
That aside, I hope you enjoy the year in-between stories as much as I enjoy writing it!
#127 – Third
"Let's try this again, shall we?" Mark asked, trying to keep the smile on his face from slipping. "You've searched my bags thoroughly, and so you should know that I have no possessions on me besides my journal and my clothing. I have no supplies, having eaten my last just last night, and I have no weapons for you to sell. Lastly, I have no money for you to take from me, having been robbed by another group of bandits just three hours ago. In short, there is no reason for you to hold me up any longer, and it would be in your interests to let someone with no value like me go."
The bandit leader rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It's true, you ain't got anything worth stealing," he said. "And no matter how nice that cloak looks, I'm not going to leave a man without his clothing. That'd be right indecent of me."
"Yes. Yes, it would," Mark said, relieved that the group surrounding him was finally seeing things his way.
"And you've been right polite about the whole thing, too," the bandit added. "Most folks decide to scream and run, and we just have to cut them down, you see? Fer the sake of our reputations."
"I understand completely," Mark agreed, unable to keep his eyes from flickering to the brute to his right, who was adjusting the grip on his axe and grinning in a most unpleasant way. "What kind of bandits would you be if you just let someone outrun you? Makes perfect sense."
"So, you see why we can't just let you go," the leader said regretfully. "Folks 'round here would think we've gone soft, and then we wouldn't get any respect, you see?"
Not at all. Mark gritted his teeth. "But I don't have anything for you to take! And," he added, in a moment of goddess-inspired creativity, "if you just killed me when I've complied with your wishes, people would think you've gone brutish and start hiring mercenaries to take you out. Bandits such as yourselves have to be careful, no?"
"That's true," scowled the leader. "Gotta be careful not to attract the attention of that castle guard. But what are we supposed to do, if we're not gonna rob you or kill you?"
"Obviously," Mark said, grasping at straws, "Intelligent bandits such as yourselves would never make the mistake of stopping someone who had nothing on him to take." As he saw heads begin to nod, pleased by the flattery, Mark pressed on. "Therefore, you clearly only stopped me for the purposes of pointing me towards the nearest town and the nearest money-making job I could find, so that you could rob me when I left."
"Yeah, that's right," the bandit said, clearly warming to the idea. "Make a lot of sense, that do. Smart thinking there!"
"I know," Mark muttered.
"Now see here, the nearest town hereabouts is the castle town of Laus," the bandit said, gesturing somewhere to the west. "Take you another hour's walk, and you'll be able to find something there, eh? Lord Darin's always looking for new servants and such, you might even be able to find a post there. You can get a lot of money from those posts. And if you've got any skill with a blade, Eubans' mercenaries is hiring."
"Not with that lot on," another bandit commented. "Just look at 'im! Might be a nice cloak, but all covered with mud and stuff like that? He'll be lucky if they let him into the castle at all, let alone give 'im a job!"
"He'll just have to make do," the leader said. He scowled. "Guess this means we can't even be givin' you a beating. Don't want to be thrown out because you look like a brawler!"
"Thank you," Mark said, a look of appropriate awe crossing his face. "You're much more polite than the last group I ran into. I'll make sure to come this way the next time I leave, then."
"Aw, don't worry about it," the bandit grinned. "We'll find you 'fore you find us!" Laughing and joking, the bandits made their way back into the woods and to, presumably, their hideout. Once he was sure they were gone, Mark let out a sigh. Nothing new, but this is the first time I've heard about mercenaries…I wonder if they have a spot for a talented tactician?
"Stupid bandits," he smirked, pulling the small bag of gold coins Lyn had given him before he left from a concealed inner pocket in his robes and tossing it in the air a few times. He smiled as the bag, stuffed with both gold and scraps of cloth, made no noise whatsoever as it landed in the palm of his hand. "That's the third group that's fallen for it today."