Private - Stolen Goods | Page 2

Jomei nodded in agreement at first to Magdalyn's kind words, before taking notice at the choice of words. An impressed brow rose as he turned to look at his azure-haired companion, a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. She had taken the words that he had spoken to her merely moment ago and turned them against him.. a smooth move, he could not lie. "Alright Mags. You got me there." he said with a chuckle.

The farther the duo traveled from the city, the darker the sky above them became. The sun had finally set behind the tall mountains, a blanket of darkness finally falling over the land. The fire flies that rose up from the grass and surrounding shrubbery twinkled like the stars above their heads. If the two were not trying to quickly make their way through the fields to complete this mission, he would not have minded taking his time to take in the scenery.

However, as Mags sped up, Jomei did the same. They had a group of bandits to find, and knowing how thieves like them worked, they would be on the move again soon. As they began to traverse the now rocky regions at the base of the mountain, the orange, flickering gleam of a flame could be seen bouncing off the rocks. As Mags quickly darted behind a tree trunk to get some cover, Jomei did the same behind a still low hanging tree. "Do you see anything?" he whispered as quietly as he could.

 

Magdalyn shook her head. Then, realizing that her motion may have gone unnoticed in the dark, she whispered, "No, not really." The tree that she had chosen provided excellent cover, but it also did an excellent job of blocking her view. Slowly, careful not to make a sound, Magdalyn eased her way around the thick trunk. Her hands remained pressed to the bark, fingertips sliding soundlessly over the rough surface as she drew nearer to the ring of firelight. She tried to envision herself melting into the tree itself, but whether she succeeded in pressing any closer to it, she could not tell.

The fire's crackling, generally a pleasant sound, seemed all-together too loud in the daunting darkness. One particular snap made her jump, and she bit down hard on the inside of her cheek to keep from making a sound. Finally, she was given a better view of the campsite. Hunched figures were positioned close to the flames. They wore light, simple clothing, seemingly fashioned out of wool and leather. Without hoods or cloaks to hide their faces, it was easy to recognize the two men and one woman. They looked to be a bit older than Magdalyn and Jomei, but not by much.

"I say we go for it," she hissed to Jomei. "Maybe act like we're more... capable... than we are?" Two newbie players waving their new weapons around would not illicit much fear from three seasoned bandits, but if they succeeded in hiding their weaknesses, perhaps they might be more successful.

She schooled her face into an expression of hard resolve, then sprung from her hiding place, her spear pointed directly at the gathered party. "Stand up," she barked, "and drop your weapons."

But the others did no such thing. "Who are you?" one of the men sneered up at her.

"Just a bounty hunter," she answered, going for cocky and disinterested, but feeling clunky in her performance. "Come to collect on a stolen artifact and some thieves." As her gaze whipped across all three faces, she saw different reactions. On the man who remained silent, she watched fear flash in his wide, blue eyes. On the woman, she saw an odd mixture of disappointment and sadness ghosting across her freckled face. But the man who had spoken held only anger, a white-hot contempt that stung as it fled his lips.

"Oh yeah?" His growl was like tires on gravel, a tone she normally associated with stars in Old West films. "Just you, then?"

 

Jomei tried to peer around the tree, just as Mags did. He could not see too much, aside from the back of one of the players sitting by the crackling fire. He would only watch as Magdalyn slowly made her way around the trunk-less stump, being weary not to make a single sound as to alert the others. As Mags made her approach upon the ground, Jomei decided to take the high ground. Making sure his bow was secured to his back, Jomei grabbed at the low hanging branch above him, before pulling himself up.

The rogue was only able to pull himself up about about seven feet off the ground, though it was enough to get a better view of the small bandit camp. He spotted three figured, all sitting around a large fire. The three bandits looked as though they had a bit of experience over the two players that hid their presence from them, so entering this altercation may be a bit tougher than they'd hoped.

From just under him, Jomei heard a loud whisper coming from Mags, who believed if they made themselves seem like more of a threat than they were. Jomei pondered on the idea for a moment, taking another look out to the bandits, trying to see if he could see any weapons nearby that would make this plan any more difficult. "Maybe..." Jomei whispered to himself. However, the man waited a bit too long to think of a back up plan, and Mags had already revealed herself, her spear aiming down the bandit closer to her. "Shit." Jomei cursed under his breath when he saw little reaction from the three.

Jomei could not help but smirk at the confident bluff Mags put on, without Jomei directly there to back her up. She had guts, and Jomei really liked that about her. However, the smirk was wiped from his face as the man questioned Mags, and the fact that she was alone. Jomei steadied himself on the branch and rose to his feet, hoping his green attire would hide him a bit in the shadow of the night behind the leaves. Slowly taking an arrow from his quiver and preparing it. With a deep breath in through his mouth, Jomei rose the bow to an upwards position, before launching the arrow into the fire. The small wooden spike found its mark, colliding with the group of logs used to create the fire, causing them to fall to the side, sparks spilling out from the ignited flame. "Not just her. Weapons on the ground...or I won't be so kind with the next one." Jomei shouted out from the shadow of the trees, already prepping another arrow and pointing it at the main bandit who had addressed her.

 

Warm relief flooded Magdalyn as Jomei made his appearance known. Part of her had feared he would remain in hiding, or even turn tail and flee. It was nothing against him, really. They had only met a couple of hours ago, so what was there to bind them together? Why should she trust him to stay by her? But as his arrow whizzed past, collapsing the tepee of logs in an explosion of sparks, her smirk came easily. There was no acting necessary now - she felt more capable with Jomei at her back.

"You expect me to be impressed?" The man shot back, straightening to his full height; he had two inches on Magdalyn, who herself stood at over six foot. The firelight burned in his eyes as his lip pulled back, teeth bared in a half-snarl, half-sneer. "One arrow, and a vague threat from the trees?"

"I expect you to be reasonable," Mags countered. "We're just here for the statue. I don't want to hurt anyone."

The man's expression changed, and his devilish grin sent shivers down Mags' spine. "That makes one of us," The dagger was in his hands before Mags could understand what was happening. Had she been asked to explain it later, she would have said it materialized there.

"Enough, Brak." The woman straightened as well. Though she was a full head shorter than the man, Brak lowered his dagger at the command. His leader? Mags found herself thinking.

Despite his orders, Brak growled. "You'll let them just take the Yune back?"

"No," she answered simply. "They will not be taking it."

The matter-of-fact tone she used unnerved Magdalyn, rather than reassuring her. Her new-found confidence was waning. "Will someone tell me what is going on?"

 

The bandit that stood to oppose Magdalyn seemed unfazed by Jomei's show of force. Seeming to notice the same thing as the archer had, Mags attempted to reason with the man, telling the truth about how they merely wanted the tree statue. Causing any harm to any of the bandits was not on their agenda. However, the man seemed to disagree, drawing his dagger immediately on Mags. Jomei's eyes widened before he quickly hopped from the tree branch, his feet taking a moment to balance himself before he rushed to Mags side, arrow nocked and pointed forward.

The bandit did not seemed threatened by the appearance of the second player, but was forced to draw back after a woman stood from around the fire, ordering the man to withdraw his weapon and stand down. Jomei followed suit, knowing their immediate threat was now gone. Despite telling the man to lower his weapons, the woman agreed that they would not give up the tree statue to Mags and Jomei.

"Both of you sit down and cool your heads." the third man spoke up, addressing the fellow bandits. His head turned to look at Jomei and Mags, his bushier brows lowered, trying to figure out what the two's intentions were. "How do you know about the Yune?" Jomei looked at Mags for a moment before turning back to the man, his voice confident, yet without expressing a want for confrontation, "We know its a one of a kind statue.. thats very important to someone.. Thats about it."

The man's brows rose, causing wrinkles to stretch across his wide brow as he spoke in a slightly mocking tone, "Oh? And who is this someone?" Jomei took a step forward, closer to the fire keeping his fingers curled cautiously around his bow and chosen arrow. "A man in Stokbon. The man you stole the Yune from." The bushy browed man immediately broke into a laugh, one that did not seem possible from someone who had remained nearly silent until now.

"Yes, we did steal it from him.. But we were only taking back what was ours, after he stole it from us."

Jomei blinked a few times, not sure whether to believe him or not. The man noticed the confusion in Jomei's face, before pointing to a small sigil on his armor, one that depicted a tree. "The Yune is an heirloom that has been in our family for generations. When planted in the ground like a typical tree, it causes crops in the area to grow and prosper, no matter what the terrain. We come from an area that is less than fertile, so we have depended on the Yune for survival." The man's calm voice turned sour, "That bastard from Stokbon sent a team of bandits to steal it from us, after hearing of its uniqueness and price on the market."

The Yladian slowly turned his head to look at Magladyn frowning. Had they been following false information this entire time. His hazel gaze locked on her for a moment, trying to see what she thought of their new predicament.

 

Magdalyn felt Jomei's gaze on her, and she turned to catch it. Only a brief moment passed - given the situation, she could spare no more. Still, despite the short time they were acquainted, she still felt she understood the thoughts he conveyed. She, too, shared his concerns.

She turned back to the man who had shared his story. "How are we to know if you're telling the truth?"

Brak took a commanding step forward, expression twisting into a snarl. "You would dare call Dret a liar?" His dagger hand rose, but again, the woman stepped in.

"Stop, now."

This time, however, Brak would not. "Len," he hissed, his free hand gesturing to their leader. "You're willing to let them do this?"

Len crossed her arms over her chest, and with one shoulder, gave a small shrug. "If Dret is alright with it, then it stands to reason that I am too." Then she leveled him a bland look, and asked, "Is disobeying him any less of a crime?"

Brak opened his mouth to argue, but Dret cut him short. "What sort of leader would I be," he asked, eyes full of humor, "if I was opposed to being questioned?" Magdalyn felt a swell of appreciation for this man. As a teacher, she was proud to meet someone else who felt the way she did.

He reached into the satchel swung over his shoulder, and produced the tree statue. He waved it slightly, as if to draw attention to it, before striding a few paces away. "Allow me to demonstrate," he continued, taking a knee. Mags' grip tightened instinctively on her spear, but deep down, she knew he was not about to run. She was not surprised as he dug a shallow hole, and nestled the Yune into it. He paused, and a full minute of expectant silence passed. Then, he looked to Magdalyn. "I ask you to please check the grass around the Yune."

Slowly, hesitantly, she nodded. With only the flickering light from the dancing flame, Mags worried she would be unable to notice any change. But as she knelt beside him, and leaned in closer, she noticed the small circle that had formed around the heirloom. The grass was a richer green, stark against the dried, tired color of the summer foliage. As if recognizing her realization, he spoke again. "The longer it remains in the ground, the stronger the magic, until it powers entire fields. It is how we survive."

"Remarkable," she breathed.

 

Hazel eyes widened in wonder at the leader of the group's demonstration of the Yune's power. Grass seemed to grow more and more around the perimeter of the statue, despite the ground being filled with dry soil and gravel. Jomei's eyes rose to look at Dret yet again.. they seemed softer, a bit more trusting to look at. Mags seemed just as shocked in the hidden power of the Yune. Jomei's lips pursed in thought.. this item seemed priceless, and its power very unique.. If its power was so important to the shop keep, why had he not revealed it to Mags and Jomei.

The archer placed his bow back upon his back, freeing up both of his hands. Taking a step forward so he stood next to Magdalyn, he gently placed a hand upon her bicep, before leaning in to speak softly into her ear. "If we can speak for a moment.." he said, before leading the girl back out of the camp, so the two were able to speak privately.

He kept the distance between the two minimal so they could keep their voices low, and his back to the group so they could not read his lips as he spoke. Arms rose and crossed at his chest, a small sigh escaping his lips before his hazel eyes looked into Mag's. "They seem genuine... Im starting to think that our friend back in Stokbon might not be who we think he is." The corner of Jomei's lip twitched, the man showing a bit of anger from being used and lied to. "Do you think we should try and clear this up with them?"

 

Magdalyn sighed, reaching up to rake her free hand through her hair. The other still clutched her spear, though it rest harmlessly against the ground. The time of fear was over, and for better or for worse, she had decided these three were no longer a threat. It would be the surprise of a lifetime if they turned and jumped them, but hey, nothing had gone according to plan. At the thought, Mags' jaw worked, her gaze focused on a tuft of grass ahead of her. It lacked the vibrant green of the grass in the demonstration, yet another reminder of the power the man had showed her.

"I had a bad feeling about the guy in Stokbon anyway," she admitted. "And not just because he was a sexist ass. He just gave me the creeps, I guess. He was... I don't know, slimy somehow?" She gave a small shrug, finally bringing her gaze up Jomei's face. It remained largely cloaked in shadow, as the pair had their back to the camp fire. However, in the flickering light that did reach him, she found anger. She could understand why. "It wouldn't surprise me if he put us up to this, knowing full-well he was leading us on. Probably wanted us to do his dirty work for him." Her grip tightened on the spear's sleek handle. "Just a couple of clueless adventurers. Geeze, what a prick."

The woman heaved a sigh. "What does surprise me," she continued, "is that the game would set this up for us. If the guy was a player, I could understand that. But this sort of plotting, and deceit, from a NPC? All I can think of is that we have to make a choice, and it might affect our reputation somehow. Like light and dark, in that old Star Wars MMO I used to play. If we return the statue to him, maybe nothing will happen. If we keep it for ourselves, and pocket the money, we might get rich, but have to live with some negative side effects. And if we help them..." She shook her head. "You know, I don't know what would happen. But that's the option I'm leaning toward." Her smile was sheepish as she concluded, "Call me a softie, but I believe them, and want to help."

 

Jomei slowly nodded his head along with everything that Mags was saying. From what it seemed, the game was setting them up with a choice-- leave the group alone, take the statue and bring it back, or the selfish option, keep it to themselves. The archer would not even let the latter option cross his mind, were it for Mags to at least bring it up. Secondly, there was no way Jomei was going to turn himself into a thief. Their first impression of these three seemed a bit shaky, and almost turned into a fight. However, now Jomei understood that they were just trying to protect the Yune from being stolen again.

"I agree." The man said, his voice softening a bit from the harshness it held before. "I really would not be able to sit around with the thought of stealing that thing just so someone can get rich off of it..So now that leaves the question. Do we just walk away from all of this? Or do we go back to Stokbon and deal with that slime-ball.. and how?" Jomei stood there with his arms crossed at his chest, listening to any ideas Mags may have had about the man who sent them out on this wild goose chase in the first place.

Once their conversation had finished, Jomei turned his body back towards the other group, waiting for them. "Alright, we should probably apologize to them and let them know whats up." the crimson haired elf took a step towards the group before turning his head back to Mags with a playful smirk, "And a Star Wars MMO? Heh, didn't take you for a dork." he added a playful wink, knowing damn well he knew exactly what game she was talking about.. having spent hours playing it himself.

 

Magdalyn pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing as she regarded Jomei with feigned contempt. "Dork, huh?" Then her eyes rolled lazily as she added, "Means a lot, coming from a guy playing a video game right now."

She took a few steps closer to the fire, then glanced over at her red-headed companion. "I vote we convince that 'slime-ball' to abandon his shady means of acquiring goods. We can probably figure it out on the long walk back."

The three figures lit by the fire's glare had their heads down, mouths closed, eyes locked on the flames. Mags suspected they were giving herself and Jomei a respectful distance, rather than watching and listening for their fate. There was little to stop the players from forcefully retrieving the statue, now that they knew it was there. They could finish the quest for the rewards, or sell it themselves for the gold. Another player might have, if he or she had little concern for beings constructed entirely of data. But Mags was different, and she had more respect for Jomei now that she knew that he was too.

"We've talked about it," she began, her voice low and level, "and we are going to allow you to keep the Yune."

There was visible relief on all three faces, and Len's shoulders drooped as the tension fled like air from a balloon.

Mags' heart warmed at the sight, and she knew she had made the right decision. "However," she continued, "we'd encourage you to hurry back, and put as much distance between the Yune and Stokbon as possible. Anyone else this guy hires to get it back might not be as willing to listen as we were. If we're unsuccessful in convincing him to stop, you may still be under threat."

 

The crimson haired Yladian could not help but shine a smirk across at Mags when she stated she would prefer to side with the true owners of the Yune, and teach the shop-keep back in Stokbon not to meddle in other people's affairs as such again. "Glad to hear we are in agreement then." Jomei said through a chuckle before walking with the woman over to where the three figures around the fire sat.

As the two stepped up to the fire, the three who awaited their return looked up to them, each curious to know what they had decided upon. Magdalyn spoke for the two, revealing their intentions to help out the three and let them keep the Yune. Jomei simply nodded in agreement, smiling when all of their faces were wiped of worry and were replaced with relief.

Mags continued on with the plan, first stating what the three should do. Moving themselves as far away from here as possible, as to avoid any other confrontation with other players who may not be as open to their virtues as Jomei and Mags were. "As far as he knows, you guys were camped out in the mountains. So I would suggest taking it back to your homeland, or keep moving.. Hopefully we can convince him to call of his search before anyone else is given this false information."

Len rose and stood before the two players, bowing his head respectfully, "Thank you both for understanding. We will pack up and move immediately. Hopefully with the Yune back in our hands, and that man and his hired help off of our back, our home will be able to thrive again." Immediately, the three began to pack up their things and put out the fire, leaving Mags and Jomei to begin their long journey back to Stokbon. "So, I guess that just leaves how we are going to handle with this creep when we get back ..." The man scoffed, his fingers curling into a tight fist, "I wanted to deal with him before for being a sexist ass towards you, so I don't mind getting my hands a little dirty if need be."

 

It was relief that bloomed in her chest as she watched the three NPCs pack up their camp. There were so many things that might have gone wrong, so many ways that this could have ended differently. And truth be told, the video games that Magdalyn had played in the past rarely played out so well. But so far as she could tell, this one had gone very smoothly. The artifact remained in the right hands, and a total creep was going to be given the justice that he deserved. Or, at least, he would if she had anything to do with it.

Morning was settling over the forest, dawn’s arrival announced with soft streaks of pastel light across the sky. Mags stood straight, her hands on her hips, her head tilted to the warming sky. It was only after Jomei moved up beside her, and spoke, that she glanced toward him. “I’m normally a lover, not a fighter,” she confessed, “but that guy brought out the worst side of me. He really was a jerk.” She flashed her red-haired companion a wry smile that was bereft of humor. “Sucks that people like that exist even in a virtual world, doesn’t it?”

They began walking then, side by side, along the well-worn path. Now that their work was done, there was no need for stealth or speed, and they merely enjoyed each other’s company for a while. Suddenly, Mags spoke again. “I’d like to pretend that Terrasphere is some perfect paradise, and people like this shopkeeper ruin that for me. But at the same time, I guess he’s necessary. You’ve got to have assholes to fuel these quests, and make people choose one way or another. And I guess you can’t really have good without evil, right?” They were deep thoughts for such an early morning, and such a beautiful one, at that. But Mags had grown comfortable with Jomei through their interactions, and he had proven himself to be one of the good ones.