So this is the place…
Adrien stared at the abandoned farmhouse in front of him. The architecture was unlike any in Divinity's Reach, and the paint was peeling. The windows were cracked if not entirely smashed. The place was small and far too quiet to hold hostages, but he'd heard of expansive underground basements. He unsheathed his greatsword, appreciating the sense of security his weapon gave him. Plus, there was armour if he got ambushed by bandits.
"Time to make those bandits regret crashing your party!" Hearing a familiar cocky voice, Adrien turned with a slight smile on his face. Sure enough, Faren was sauntering towards him. What surprised him was the girl walking behind his friend. She had hair dark as night parted into pigtails and bluebell eyes. She wore a red mask with five black spots, and her dress-like outfit followed the same motif, though with many more spots. She held a wooden staff which shimmered much like his own weapon, and tongues of flame licked harmlessly at her hands and wrists. An elementalist…
Their eyes met, and Adrien felt a jolt. I don't know her, so why does she seem so familiar?
"I've got my sword and sensible fighting attire." Faren's voice pulled Adrien out of his thoughts. "Am I missing anything?"
The blond chuckled. Nothing could change Faren. "I think you're good, Faren." His eyes drifted back to the girl. "If you don't mind my asking, who are you?"
"I'm Ladybug," she introduced herself. Adrien immediately knew it was an alias. Is it to do with the shimmering weapon? Should I use an alias too? He quickly thought. Black… cat? I'm pretty agile… Chat Noir? "What about you?"
"Chat Noir," he tried tentatively. When Ladybug accepted it, he knew he hadn't done anything odd.
"Same reason as you. Rescuing the hostages."
Adrien nodded. Clearly, Ladybug was capable of defending herself. "Okay, but stay close to me. I don't want you-"
"-getting hurt?" The twist of her lips indicated amusement. "Don't worry about me. I'm not afraid of bleeding a little. In the commoner lifestyle, it's not just men that fight."
Adrien was speechless. She's… quite the spitfire. Faren seemed to be thinking along similar lines.
"A warrior woman, eh?" Faren smirked. "You know, my mentor, Swordmaster Bongo the One-Eyed, told my parents I was the best student he'd ever-"
"That's nice," the ravenette interrupted. "Anyway, we shouldn't dawdle. Chat Noir, shall we head in?"
Adrien couldn't help but grin at his friend's expense. Clearly, Ladybug knew how to deal with people like him. "I think that would be a good idea."
Faren seemed a little crestfallen by the quick shutdown, but he swiftly bounced back. "Yes, let us make haste. A hero gets all the fair maidens, after all."
Ladybug met Adrien's gaze through his helm, seeming to ask, 'Is he always like this?' He just nodded. Faren had been extremely woman-oriented for as long as they'd known each other.
He lead the way inside the farmhouse. It was completely empty, moss-covered floorboards creaking beneath their feet. However, there was a staircase leading down. "Could they be down there?"
"It's likely," Ladybug agreed. "I've flushed out a few bandit groups before, and they prefer to hide in places that seem empty. Be warned, they'll greatly outnumber us."
"May I go first?" Adrien asked cautiously. He didn't want Ladybug to think he was implying that she needed to be protected- she'd already made her stance clear on that.
"Go ahead," Ladybug replied, walking to the top of the staircase and peering down. "Tactically speaking, it makes the most sense anyway. If we get ambushed, guardians are better at taking hits than elementalists and…" She glanced at Faren. "...warriors…" She said 'warriors' in that slow tone people used when they were skeptical of something. Faren was none the wiser.
Bringing his greatsword into a ready position, Adrien started down the stairs. Soon enough, he heard rough voices speaking below.
"Are you sure we're safe here?" one of the bandits asked. "A lot of our wounded got arrested. They might rat us out."
"They won't say a word," the other bandit replied confidently. "Not even the most foolish bandit would face our wrath." Adrien shuddered at the implications of that sentence.
"Ladybug?" he whispered, asking guidance from the masked elementalist behind him. She spoke after a few moments of silence.
"I've got an idea, move over." Adrien obediently shuffled to the side as Ladybug stepped forwards. Droplets of water splashed her wrists in contrast to the previous fire, and the blond felt relief rush through him. The water element held no intent to kill.
She softly slammed the end of her staff into the ground, an icy chill entering the air. Adrien shuddered involuntarily, before noticing a small layer of frost spreading beneath the two unaware bandits' feet. By the time they realized what was happening, their ankles were frozen in place by the ice. It then quickly crept up to cover their mouths to prevent them from screaming.
"The ice won't hold forever. Faren, knock them out with the pommel of your sword as you pass," Ladybug instructed. Faren nodded, eager to please her. Adrien couldn't blame him. "Chat Noir, take the lead, and be ready for a fight. Once we're inside, stealth is impossible."
Adrien nodded. He was expecting that- mesmers and thieves were the masters of stealth, after all. Their little trio had neither of those.
He adjusted his grip- perhaps it was a nervous habit. His usual tick required a free hand, after all. He then started forwards, noticing the lack of clattering from his armour. A way in which illusionary armour was superior to real iron, he supposed. Despite the lack of opportunity for stealth in the current situation, it could be useful in the future.
In the future… Adrien couldn't deny the very idea sent thrills down his spine. He recalled what the charr had said- "I seek a future hero of Tyria. Someone who will protect the people of Kryta, Ascalon, the Shiverpeaks and the Maguuma Jungle alike. Someone who the potential to slay an Elder Dragon." He'd been chosen for a reason, right? The charr had obviously seen potential in him. This little bandit hunt was just the root of his story.
There were a few bandits standing guard inside the cave mouth, muttering to each other. Likely they were bored with sentry duty. Well, bandits somehow get enjoyment from senseless violence, so I guess they won't be bored for much longer. He glanced over his shoulder, looking for a signal to proceed. It came in the form of a nod.
He immediately started attacking, bringing his greatsword into the closest bandit's side. He realized a moment later that this was a mistake as his adversary let loose a scream of pain, alerting every bandit in the cave of their presence. The group of about fifteen swarmed them, and Adrien heard a snarling voice ring out above the rest.
"Kill them all! They would do the same to you!"
Not if you just surrendered! Adrien screamed in his mind, but he did not have long to dwell on it. A sword-wielding thug lunged for him, and he was forced to bring his greatsword up to block. They glared at him, musky breath filling the air between them. Before either of them could act, however, Adrien heard footsteps behind him. Panicking slightly, he turned to meet the new threat. It turned out to be a cutpurse, completely unable to cause him any real harm while he wore his armour. He then found out what it felt like to have a sword and shield slam into his back. He shouted a curse in Grenth's name, aware of the bruising that had to be forming. Though he could not feel the weight of his armour, the sensation of it jarring his back was vivid.
Something akin to instinct guided his hands into a technique he'd used back in the Salma District, becoming a spinning force of destruction once more. When he finished, both bandits lay dead on the ground. Trying to ignore it, he glanced around, seeing Faren trying to fend off three bandits at once. He made his way towards his friend, intending to help out, before noticing a cutpurse creeping up behind the noble. Faren's expensive clothing couldn't protect him from the sneaky strike. "Faren, watch out! Behind you!"
Hearing the warning, Faren whirled around, but not quick enough. Adrien could only watch as the dagger cut deep into his oldest friend's abdomen. Time seemed to stop for a moment.
The fury of Balthazar filled his body, and for a precious few seconds, any coherent thought was lost. When his senses returned, he stood over the bodies of four very dead bandits. Adrien was struck by terror at his own actions. How could he lose control of himself like that? If he lost comprehension to emotion every he saw an ally's blood, well… one day, an innocent might pay the price.
There were three of the bandits left. Two of them ran for their lives, leaving the leader. He had long black hair tied back in a ponytail, and glittering brown eyes. His dry, flaky lips drew back into a sneer, showing cracked, yellowed teeth. He wielded twin pistols, and despite the overwhelming odds, refused to back down.
"Chat, you take care of the leader! I've got Faren," Ladybug called, running up to kneel by the bleeding noble.
"I think not," the leader said coldly. He raised his pistols, and Adrien realized too late he was aiming for Ladybug. For the second time in a single battle, his heart stopped.
It only resumed beating when he realized the bullet had not hit true, though the trickle of blood running down her right forearm still made him queasy.
Ladybug clenched her fists as she stood up, seeming to grit her teeth. She called out a foreign word, spinning her staff above her head before slamming it into the ground forcefully. Magical rain began to fall above the injured pair. He saw the bullet shell pop out of her forearm and fall to the ground as fire curled around her wrists again. Then, like a flash of lightning, she had cast another spell. Before he could look, Adrien heard a scream. He slowly turned, before wincing. The bandit was still alive, but he was covered in pretty serious burns.
"He will live, and he will recover." Ladybug's voice was cold. She glanced back at Faren. "My magic is basic. Your wound is closed, but you will have a scar. My healing is not seamless."
"A scar, you say? Spectacular! Now I will have proof of my heroic exploits- all the ladies will love me even more than they already do."
Adrien shook his head in exasperation, though he was smiling. Making his way over to the writhing body of the leader, he found a set of keys. He retrieved them with some difficulty, knowing they would be needed to free the hostages.
They headed up a steep slope, which lead to a large, rock platform. Cages lined the edges, all holding people from the city and surrounding villages, including some children.
Adrien immediately went to free them, receiving many thanks from the captured villagers, nobles and servants.
"Even Grenth is too merciful for those bandits," the final servant growled. "Stealing may be a crime, but locking people up? That's even more unforgivable."
"Yes, of course," he agreed quickly, though privately the fact that he'd more or less wished death on the bandits made his stomach churn. "Look, it's not safe for you here. You have to get back to safety."
"I'll head back to the city, but before I do, I managed to swipe these papers from one of the bandits." The servant withdrew some documents from a hidden fold in his clothes. "I read over them, and they mentioned some kind of leader in Divinity's Reach. Is that helpful?"
A leader within the city? The information alarmed Adrien. While it explains a lot of things, it also makes everything a lot more complicated… and dangerous. "It is. Thank you. Now please, hurry."
The rescued hostages needed no further encouragement, hurrying to the exit. Adrien brought up the rear with Ladybug and Faren, meeting with Captain Thackeray and a small squadron of Seraph soldiers. Faren opened his mouth to speak, but Ladybug cut across him.
"Captain Thackeray," she greeted with a respectful dip of her head. "As you can see, we have successfully rescued the hostages."
"I'm… amazed," the Seraph captain replied. "That being said, I should have expected no less of the two of you."
"Sir, one of the servants lifted some documents from the bandits. Someone within the city is calling the shots." Adrien withdrew the papers he'd been given.
"That is concerning," Logan commented, seconding Adrien's thoughts. "This parchment is quite expensive. There's a papermaker named Cin Fursarai. He's not easy to get along with, but I'm certain he could identify who the parchment was sold to."
"Chat Noir and I will talk to the papermaker." Adrien was surprised by Ladybug's voluntary offering of his services, but did not complain. Ladybug seemed to know more about heroism than he did- he could learn from her. "We can find out who's pulling the strings without people knowing that the Seraph know of the traitor in the city."
"Clever," Captain Thackeray said thoughtfully. "Very well, you can go ahead. I will notify Queen Jennah." He began to walk away. Ladybug started to do the same, then paused.
"Meet me at Shaemoor at tomorrow's first light."
"Got it."