Chapter 25: A Theft in the Night

That evening, Bobbie and the Engineers spotted several fires down the valley. Figuring it was the people of Teufort and the Badlands Snipers, they decided to take turns keeping watch. Then when morning came, men wielding shotguns and Snipers with bows approached the makeshift wall in a steady but determined fashion.

"Halt!" Theron ordered, with his arms folded. "This is private property."

"Who says so?" Brent asked, standing in front of the crowd.

"I do,'" Theron said firmly. "You may call me Theron, and I'm the new Chief of Thunder Mountain!"

"Oh, glad to see you're still alive." Brent cleared his throat and said, "In case you haven't heard, the Giant Robot known as Pyro is dead and I was the one who took him down. Unfortunately, the city of Teufort got destroyed and many people died including the Mayor. As a result, I have assumed the Mayor's position until a better candidate can be found. We have come here to find a new home, so if you can provide us with food and shelter for the time-being—

"No can do," Theron answered abruptly. "We barely have enough to feed ourselves, and there's not enough housing for all of you."

"Then can you at least spare a portion of your gold so we may have the funds to rebuilt Swiftwater into a decent community?"

"Only if you swear allegiance to me."

Brent's eyebrow raised. "Why should we have to do that?"

"Because I'm not willing to give my gold to just anybody, especially angry mobs and squatters who didn't treat my brethren with respect not too long ago."

"But I did! If it weren't for me, you'd be rotting in a Teufort jail-cell or starving to death in the barren valley known as the Desolation of Pyro!"

"And for that, I am grateful but this is of a different matter. Either tell your Sniper friends to leave and agree to serve as my representative, or get out!"

Clenching his fist, Brent responded, "We'll continue this discussion tomorrow."

###

The following day, only Brent came to the wall. Neylan was about to fire a warning shot with his Pistol, but Theron stayed his hand.

"I wish to speak to you privately," Brent said, addressing Theron. "It is about your proposal."

Theron thought for a moment, and then he signaled Brent to follow him. The two came to a hidden opening in the wall where Theron's masked face stared blankly at Brent's.

After a brief sigh, Brent said, "The people of Teufort wish that you reconsider helping us, either with food or shelter. But at the very least, they would like one-twelfth of the gold to be distributed equally among them."

"Does this include the Badlands Snipers?" Theron asked.

"No, but their leader would like the Crocodile Smile necklace back."

"Well, I'm currently looking for something precious myself so that'll have to wait."

"What could be more important than helping a group of starving people and giving the Snipers their relic?"

"Ever heard of the Saxxystone?"

"Yes, you told me about it."

"Since I reclaimed Thunder Mountain, I haven't been able to find the Saxxystone. Until it's found, this title of mine is meaningless."

"Forget titles! Can you see this as one man doing a favor for another?"

"But we're not men. We kill for money, or die preserving it. That's what a Mercenary does, Brent, or have you forgotten?"

"We don't live in a world where Mercenaries thrive anymore, Theron. Now get your head out of the past and look toward the future!"

"I am, and all that's on my mind is keeping what I own."

"So the gold is more important than the people?"

"Yeah, if you wanna put it that way."

"Then you're not going to consider my offer?"

In response, Theron shook his head.

"Fine," Brent said as he turned his back to Theron. "The gold is yours to keep. I hope you choke on it!"

As Brent walked away, Theron closed the hidden opening.

###

A few days later, Theron received a message from Dale via Ein bird that his troop of Engineers were two days away from Swiftwater. Hearing that, Bobbie decided it was time to enact the plan he was forming in his head. So that night when he and Braze were on guard-duty, Bobbie watched the distant fires as a chilly winter wind blew.

"Whew!" Braze shivered. "It's really cold tonight."

"The tunnel is warmer if you'd rather go in there for now," Bobbie offered.

"Really?" Braze looked toward the tracks which led to the tunnel and nodded. "Then maybe I'll take you up that offer. If something happens, don't hesitate to holler. Otherwise, wake me up at midnight when it's time to switch."

"Will do!"

Bobbie waited for Braze to be gone before he jumped off the wall and dashed toward the tents.

Once there, Bobbie turned on the InvisWatch and approached a large tent where three distinct voices were coming from.

"He won't listen to me," one voice complained. "I'm not sure if talking to him again will work."

"Then do you suggest we go to war?" another voice said solemnly.

"No, fighting is not the answer," responded a third voice, who sounded familiar. "We have much bigger problems at hand, and this issue must be resolved as quickly as possible."

Curious, Bobbie sneaked around the tent till he found an entrance. Inside, he found Brent and Jarrah huddling close to a central fire while a tall figure clung to the shadows.

"Gerald?" Bobbie said in surprise.

The three men looked in Bobbie's direction, causing him to deactivate the InvisWatch and hide it behind his back.

"Sweet Land of Liberty!" Brent exclaimed. "How did you get here without being detected?"

"I ran really fast," Bobbie lied as he slipped the InvisWatch into his back pocket. "Now I don't have a lot of time on my hands as I promised to wake up Braze at midnight. We're in charge of guarding the wall, you see, so I'll make this meeting brief."

"Why don't you start by telling us why you're here?" Jarrah said, eyeing Bobbie suspiciously.

"To offer a solution to your predicament," Bobbie said honestly. "You obviously don't want to fight Theron, but he refuses your demands because he's more concerned about his precious gold than anything else. But with winter coming and a group of Engineers from Snowycoast arriving in two days to aid Theron, I'm inclined to—

"Who's leading the Snowycoast Engineers?" Jarrah interrupted.

"Theron's cousin Dale."

"The Alien Wrangler?" Brent's face looked grim. "Aren't you betraying your friends by telling us these things?"

"I'm only trying to prevent things from getting worse for both sides, and this might help you reason with Theron."

From his backpack, Bobbie pulled out the Saxxystone which glimmered in the faint glow of the fire and gave it to Brent. He stared at the thing for a few seconds before looking down at Bobbie. "Is this the—

"Yep," Bobbie affirmed. "I was originally going to consider it my share of the gold, but it's too valuable to keep for my own good. Hopefully, it'll be better used in your hands."

"It's not easy for a Mercenary to part with one's earnings, whether ill-gotten or not," Jarrah stated. "For that, I commend what you've done but I'm not sure if going back to your friends would be safe."

"Why's that?" Bobbie wondered.

"If they find out about this meeting, they'll certainly brand you as a traitor," Jarrah explained. "It might be safer to stay with us instead."

Taken aback by Jarrah's sudden kindness, Bobbie lowered his head. "I appreciate the offer, Jarrah, but I'm a man of my word. My friends mean a lot to me, and it would be reckless to abandon them now."

"Very well, then," Gerald said approvingly as he stepped forth from the shadows. "Get back to the others quick, and be prepared for what's to come."

Confused, Bobbie was tempted to stay and talk to Gerald but knew he had to keep his promise to Braze. So in a split second, Bobbie dashed out of the tent and ran across the ruins of Swiftwater toward the impending wall.

To be continued…