Chapter Seven

Vuui was able to find Guui's camp far easier than she had expected; she hadn't expected the job to be exactly hard in the first place but she couldn't help but feel embarrassed for her former teammate when after looking for about five minutes she was able to spot his location miles away by site alone. Where others would have overlooked the oddly placed boulders and shrubbery, mistaking them for nothing more than the normal landscape for the area, Vuui was not one to be fooled so easily. She had taught him and the others of her former team that trick after all, and her sharp eyes could easily identify what was real and what was fake in the little meadow near Ciar. Guui had never been the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to common sense but when it came to battle and tactical matters he was up there with some of the brightest minds of their age. So for him to be more-or-less camped out in plain sight for anyone with even a small amount of knowledge on bandits to notice, meant that he was either waiting for a specific person that he was targeting to come up this way or – what Vuui was counting on – he has been unchallenged long enough to the point that he lost his caution due to him relying on his past reputation. Given the fact that, as she carefully came up the road without hiding in order to provoke them she wasn't being attacked, she was going with the latter.

Hood shrouding her face Vuui continued to walk past the obviously fake shrubbery and boulders waiting for someone – anyone really – to jump out at her. She was about to give up on her first attempt to draw them out when she slowly began to make it past them and a rustle to her left stopped her in her tracks. Not wanting to let them know that she caught on to them she started to walk again, this time deliberately slower than before, taunting them with what looked like easy prey instead of what was actually waiting for them when they finally took the bait. It didn't take long for more rustling to emerge around her, and it took everything in Vuui not to smirk at Guui's new groups stupidity. The first rule of being a bandit is to never take the easiest prey for the ones who travel alone are the ones who could handle their own and would take your head. It seems that she would have to teach them that fact first hand after this, but was also grateful that they seemed ignorant or at least over confident at the moment. It would play out in her favor after all.

A large shadow appeared in front of her, one that seemed to tower into the sky and blocked her path. Vuui stopped and looked from beneath the flap of her hood to inspect the figure in front of her and couldn't suppress the smirk that came this time around. It seems that Guui had grown rather bold in the last few years since they had last seen each other. She didn't doubt his abilities, she knew all too well how strong the Giant was and knew that he had grown over the years in strength just as she had, he wouldn't have such a large bounty on his head if he hadn't grown stronger after all, but it still surprised her that he would come out in plain site before any of his men to confront a lone traveler. That didn't add up.

Guui stood tall and menacing, his stance a show of power; a small slim leg was slung against both of his shoulders, and there sat a small demigod girl with a cat-like nose and fluffy ears coming from the top of her head. Vuui knew that they were supposed to look terrifying but to her the image of the two of them was more comical than anything else which is why, before she could contain the laughter, it bubbled fourth and an avalanche followed shortly after to the point where she was holding onto her gut from the hilarity of it all. As she was laughing the small figure of the girl had jumped off of Guui's shoulders and had charged her, the blow of her sword aiming for her head. Within seconds Vuui deflected and grabbed the sword by its blade and snapped it in half then grabbed the pommel with her spare hand and smashed it into the girl's chin drawing blood. Guui then came up from behind her, about to pound her skull into the ground but was deflected by a swift kick to the groin from Vuui who sent him flying halfway through a tree. Just as he was about to charge, his men coming out of the shadows and aiming bows and swords at her, Vuui took off her hood and threw the borrowed cloak to the ground, revealing who she was. "Long time no see Guui," she then extended her hand to him and helped him to his feet, a look of shock plastered on his face.

"Blood Mage is that really you?"

Vuui nodded, "there's a lot I have to discuss with you old friend."

After learning that their boss knew the person who had defeated him and his right hand Mewecho, Vuui had been welcomed with open arms by all of the bandits who preceded to throw together a feast and music as Guui relived his glory days and recounted tales of the Hunters adventures against the law. The General didn't know what to make of all the excitement, having expected Guui to be furious at her sudden disappearance years ago than anything else, she remained wary as the festivities commenced. Staying silent and keeping to Guui's side. Mewecho nudged her arm and broke Vuui from her thoughts and gestured to Guui who was looking at her intently expecting some sort of answer from her.

"I'm sorry, I was lost in thought, what did you say?"

Guui gave her a big grin, "I was just asking if you came this way because of the rumors?"

"What rumors?" She was genuinely surprised that there were rumors going about in this part of Ulahd, the area was remotely quiet with its inhabitants keeping to themselves. They weren't exactly ones to gossip or spread nonsense.

"Apparently, the General of the Human regiment for the kingdom is looking for every one of our old crew from what a little birdie told me, they had spotted one of the Princess's informants scoping the area and managed to catch what they were doing. We had planned to jump the General and their crew when they inevitably came for us but stumbled on you instead," Vuui stiffened at the news, "figured you had found out and decided to get them yourself considering how you were imprisoned an' all. How did you escape by-the-way? I swore Dorrie was watching the place looking for you and any ways to get in…." He trailed off looking at her skeptically.
Vuui hadn't known that the Hunters had thought that she was in prison this entire time, that little tidbit of information made things a lot easier for her, she just had to think fast and give some explanations without rousing suspicions on who she had really become and what had happened oh-so-long ago. "I hadn't heard those rumors per say, but I had heard a few while I had been locked up," Vuui leaned back and relaxed nonchalantly, "I had heard that Cessair was running amuck and was planning on coming after all of you in order to fully take over the Kingdom, apparently the coward fears the Hunters enough to know that we wouldn't hand over our turf without a fight," at that she roused a roaring chuckle from the crowd of bandits around her, "so I finally broke out. Let me tell you that was no easy feat either, it took years of planting seeds of friendship in the guards – which by-the-by are getting denser with each passing year – but I had to somehow find you guys and make sure you're alright. Which, where are the others? Shouldn't they be around here with you Guui? What happened when I was captured?"

Vuui knew full well what had happened to the Hunters, she knew that they had separated and each became leaders of their own gang of Bandits, that they were known to be exceedingly fierce to the point of most people avoiding going after their bounties altogether because of the likelihood of them winding up dead. She knew that the Kingdom wouldn't go after them whenever they raided and pillaged because they fought without mercy and the weaklings who they called soldiers would never succeed in a fight against them. The only one who could possibly defeat any of them and their gangs would be Vuui but she wasn't stupid enough to show her face to them, even with her limiters on they would recognize her and that's the last thing she needed to happen. For that very reason is why she never allowed anyone to take her photograph or paint pictures of her, in case anyone recognized her and her old crew found out. If they knew that the General that held a reputation almost as equal to their own was the Blood Mage, former leader of the Hunters, a war would be brought to the kingdom because of her betrayal and not even Vuui was sure that she would be able to stop it without a large number of casualties at her feet.

Guui looked to the ground forlornly as Vuui awaited the answer that she knew he would deliver, ready to play her part when the time came. "Tarlach was the one who told us what happened," that answered one of her questions, "that you had been injured gravely in that last attack and had hidden out in the Logging Camp with the keeper as your hostage, that you were trying to heal in order to meet up with him so that you could say goodbye, that you knew that you were going to be captured and put to death this time. Instead of killing you though they gave you a life sentence, saying that they would execute you once they caught all of us so that the world could see all of our heads fall at once," he looked at Vuui with a furious glint in his eyes, "we couldn't allow that, so we split up and went our separate ways and made sure to expand our reputations so that you would never be executed. We were planning your escape, have been for years now," he sighed, "to think that you beat us to it and only so that you could defend us." Guui couldn't help but let out an ironic laugh as he smoothed one of his enormous hands down his face. "But you are here now and that's all that matters, so what's your plan?"

Sitting up straight and keeping eye contact Vuui said matter-of-factly, "To regroup and take down Cessair of course." All eyes fell on her and jaws hit the ground. Silence permeated the air like a deafening blow as shock ran across all of the faces around her.

"You're not serious are you?" Mewecho asked quietly, voicing what everyone was thinking.

"I'm completely serious."

"B-b-b-but that's impossible." Someone said through the now murmuring campsite.

"Why pray tail is that?" Vuui crossed her arms and awaited an answer, knowing that no one would be able to come up with one. Surprisingly though it was Guui who cleared his throat and turned to look at her.

"No offense Blood Mage but, you've been locked up for a long time, and not just in any cell either but one that had your energy closed off and where you weren't allowed to even leave let alone exercise or train daily. Tarlach told us all about it and even showed us which cell you were in so you can't deny it," she had to really remember to thank her guardian for doing so much to cover for her whenever she saw him again, "You may have bested me in our quick tumble earlier in the day but if the fight had continued I would have won regardless of how powerful you used to be. Not to mention the fact that getting the crew back together would be impossible at this point. It's been too long, we have different lives and different responsibilities now, we can't just pack up and go for the head of a mad man. Not to mention that if we did somehow get back together we would more-or-less be on the side of the Kingdom and it would be a cold day in hell before any of us would allow that to happen."

"Your wrong," she stared at him point blank, not budging.

"How am I wrong," irritation lined Guui's words, "there's no way you are strong enough to take on that guy anymore, and we all know that out of all of us back then that you were the strongest. Maybe if you had been younger you could take him but there's no way that you could now. And even then you wouldn't be able to convince any of us to follow you into that mess."

"I can assure you Guui the Twin Fists, that I can indeed take Cessair on and win. And," a sinister smirk curled over Vuui's lips, "You and everyone else will join me," shadowy power seemed to radiate off of her as she spoke, "because what you forget is that this war is no longer just about the kingdom, it's on us now. That bastard is now aiming for our heads, for each and every one of our heads, and I can't just let that slide now can I. Now, let's make a deal shall we Twin Fists."

Guui audibly gulped. "What sort of deal are we talking about?"

"If I can defeat your strongest men, going from weakest to most powerful out of the lot, including yourself and your right hand over here in a ring battle, each of us using nothing but our strength of body and wills only, then you will come with me as I journey to find the others and take down Cessair."

He raised his eyebrows and folded his arms, "and if you lose."

"I won't be losing," Vuui stood up and dusted herself off, "but if you really need to know, I'll give you the location to all of the loot that we had buried off of Belvasts coast. I'm sure none of you had found it since I was the only one who knew of its whereabouts."

Guui seemed to be contemplating for a moment but his love for treasure won out in the end when he nodded and extended his hand for Vuui to shake, "you better not be bluffing because I fully expect a map and directions to that loot as soon as this is over. And no complaining when we kick your ass either."