Marcus's bandits were on Raed's left, unidentified human bandits were in front of him, and a powerful demon who may or may not still hold a grudge against him was on the right. Raed looked at each of the three parties, and they also did the same in turn.
After several minutes of nervous silence, Raed said what everyone was thinking. "I didn't get up today expecting to be in a standoff."
The blond-haired man in chainmail laughed with boisterous merriment. He wiped the tears from his brown eyes with a leather-gloved hand. With a wide grin that showed through his thick goatee, he bellowed, "So right you are, Great Alchemist! I agree that tensions are high, so allow me to break it, so to speak." He bowed deep to Kaiti. "I am Tom Sander, leader of this band of friendly forest volunteers! And may I make the acquaintance of the lovely maiden in blue?"
Kaiti's eyes flared with mystical energy, but Tom remained unaffected, to her surprise. He continued holding his ridiculous pose involving a half-bow and an outstretched hand with his palm facing up. And during all that time, he maintained relaxed eye contact with Kaiti.
"I am not your maiden," Kaiti said, "And I don't care who or what you are. If you aren't party to this filth here," she kicked Marcus, eliciting a howl of pain from him, "then leave, or face the consequences."
"Woah, peace there, foxy lady," Tom announced, standing upright while holding out his hands. "We're not here to fight you. In fact, we're all in support of you. The alchemist, actually, and you by extension. You're friends, right?"
Kaiti suppressed her desire to tear out the man's liver. "Explain," she said.
Tom spun around with a dramatic flourish and posed. He crossed his right arm over his chest, with his forearm under his left elbow, his right hand held his palm face-up. The left arm was bent at the elbow and his left hand turned inward to grab the brim of his pointed felt hat. His hips faced to his right while his upper body was turned forward. His feet we set perpendicular to each other. His right foot pointed to his right and his left foot pointed forward. The left leg crossed over the right leg, with ample space between the left leg in front of the right leg. He grinned at Kaiti. Kaiti in return, gave Tom a face of revulsion.
Not to be discouraged, Tom proceeded to make his grand declaration to all gathered in the clearing. "You see, we are members of the Independent Honorable Guild of Poran Forest!"
"Never heard of you," Kaiti said, unimpressed.
"Ah, but no worries, you are new to the area, yes?" Tom dropped the pose and crossed the grassy clearing to where Raed was.
Leif intercepted him, holding his spear between Tom and Raed.
"And who might be this young lad?" Tom looked at Leif, sizing up the young apprentice smith. He pushed the spear away with a gentle finger, but Leif held firm his position.
Tom, unfazed, remarked, "From the looks of it, you're either Northman or from the Northern border provinces."
"I am Leif Wollan, of the Clan Volkudia."
Tom whistled a cheery approval. "Wonderful, a true-blooded Northman! But so far south? You're a long way from home, son."
Leif ignored him.
Undeterred, Tom retreated with a smile and a hearty laugh. "A strong silent type I see! Northmen are known more for their actions than their words, after all!"
The outlaw leader then gave the Raed a deep bow. "Master Adventurer, or may I call you Raed Kening the Alchemical Thaumaturge, it is my absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance!"
Raed gave a confused sideways glance in Tom's direction followed by a quick look at Kaiti, who shrugged and gave him a 'Don't ask me' look.
"You know who I am?" Raed asked.
"Why of course, who in the Kingdom wouldn't know?" Tom wondered sincerely.
"You are well-informed for a bandit," Raed said.
"Ah, Master Alchemist, we don't call ourselves that," Tom said with a finger wag. "Bandits are morally deficient parasites with no code or creed. We, on the other hand," he spun around, arms in the air, "we are honorable volunteers of the Poran Forest, and other regions!"
Raed searched his memory for any references that could identify who Tom and his bandit group were. There were many different individuals who escaped into the Poran Forest for various reasons, and few had any true group identity. What did Tom call his group? The Independent Honorable Guild of Poran Forest?
The name didn't sound familiar to Raed. Then again, he was a hermit for the past decade. And before that, he was too engrossed in bigger matters concerning the kingdom to pay attention to regional outlaw groups.
"You mean you are a layguild based in the Poran Forest?" Raed asked.
"Layguild?" Tom scratched his chin. "I can't argue that label, but it's not my fault the kingdom's bureaucrats deny my applications for legitimization!"
'Layguild' was a term used to describe one of many unofficial adventuring organizations that sprang up during the war against Primeval Infernal. Several rogue adventurers and outcasts, as well as vagabonds and outlaws, had created informal gathering places, especially in areas where official guild presence was lacking.
Raed had heard of similar groups in other lands too. Some of the most famous examples that stoked the interests of the Galesian populace were romanticized tales about the outlaw clans of Shandao. Tales from the Gilded Empire were a favorite among Galesians, both noble and commoners, because of its faraway location and vast wealth.
Many tales focused on individual chivalrous heroes who traveled the lands of ancient Shandao. They protected the common people, fought corruption, and represented law and order where the Imperial authority did not exist. In a way, they were a form of vigilante justice.
The ideas about landless heroes who operated on a moral code that did not necessarily follow the laws of the realm, combined with the instability, left a niche that the layguilds of Galesia filled. Even after Primeval Infernal was defeated, many layguilds remained functioning, and some even expanded. The Galesian Office of Civil Development officially designated layguilds as illegal organizations and banned any new organizations. But that did not stop their continued existence.
"What is it you want from me?" Raed asked. Even if members of layguilds lived by a code, that code varied for each organization, and could very well be all about violence and killing.
"We heard the clashes of conflict and as an honorable guild, we had to investigate!" Tom answered with bombastic satisfaction. "And it was good that we did, for it was fate that our honorable guild would find a chance to aid the Alchemical Thaumaturge!"
"I see?" Raed said. Based on the way Tom acted and spoke, Raed thought the man was a fan of the Shandao 'virtuous sects' and modeled his layguild off of one or more of those archetypes.
"Those vile bandits have caused you and your companions trouble, haven't they?" Tom asked, though his voice showed that he already decided on an answer.
The three surviving Marcus bandits took that moment to run into the trees.
"Hey! Cowards! Get back here!" Marcus screamed.
Tom raised a hand and pointed at the three fleeing brigands. Six arrows flew with incredible accuracy. All six hit their targets. Two arrows were stuck in each of the bandits' backs, and the three men lay facedown and lifeless among the trees.
"You must be the leader then," Tom said, approaching Marcus, who was still on the ground.
Marcus began to panic once he realized all his fellow bandits were dead. "Wait! We're all here for the money right! Those adventurers are rich! They had ten thousand auruns I swear! Take them down for me and I'll prove it! I'll even split the gold fifty-fifty!" Marcus screamed in desperation.
The sharp point of an estoc cut off Marcus's shouting. It poked into the demon's skin, creating a slight indent without drawing blood.
"Eek!" Marcus squealed. "F-fine! Thirty-seventy! Please! Oh please! Just let me live! You can even take all the gold if you just let me go!"
Tom, holding the estoc with statuesque control, frowned at Marcus with disgust. "How dare you imply I am greedy for material wealth! You have lost the right to speak, dishonorable fiend!" He drew back the arm holding his blade, and Tom prepared to thrust the estoc through Marcus's throat.
"Hold on a moment, Tom," Raed said, stopping Tom mere millimeters from ending Marcus's life. "I kind of prefer him alive at the moment. You see, he's the only one left who knows where a certain kidnapping victim of his is being held."
Tom took his blade away from Marcus's head and the demon dropped his exhausted face into the soil.
"Oh, how gallant! Rescuing a damsel in distress! Truly your legend grows ever more, Master Alchemist!" Tom said with happy excitement.
"Right, it's more of a favor for my friend over there. He seems to have grown fond of the aforementioned damsel on the one day I was off doing something else."
"Ah, prioritizing the bonds of friendship! What an example of a virtuous hero!" Tom clasped his hands together. "And the young hero, too! What an example of earnest youth, to fall for a maiden over a single tender day together!"
Raed looked over to Leif who was standing there confused and unsure what to do. Raed replied, "Right, I'm not sure that's how it happened but I wasn't there. Now if you don't mind, I would like to get back to squeezing that information out of him before he stops breathing. I don't think he can last for much longer."
"Of course, Master Alchemist," Tom said while backing away with a bow. "It looks like our job here is finished. The valiant hero has received our aid. Know that in the future you have an ally among the Independent Honorable Guild! Our volunteers inhabit every corner of this kingdom and even beyond! If you ever have need of our services, please, show no hesitation when using my seal!"
Tom produced a small marble block from a pouch at his waist and placed it in Raed's hand. The cubic base was 4 cm on each edge, and a marble panther sat atop the base. Under the cube was an embossed pattern, consisting of three concentric circles with a triquetra inside the smallest circle.
"And in addition to that, I'd like to offer you an apprentice for mutual benefit! Come, Tara!" Tom summoned one of his archers. "Feel free to make use of her and in return may she learn your admirable ways!"
A petite girl with short red hair stepped forward. She looked around Leif's age, perhaps a few years younger. Her shortbow hung across her back, and her small frame made the weapon look like a longbow by comparison.
She gave Raed a curtsy, lowering her head and then rising. She met his gray eyes with her hazel eyes. "Tara Klein, archer. I am in your service."
She spoke in a serious, emotionless voice.
The contrasting, boisterous voice of her leader said, "Follow Master Alchemist Raed here and support him in whatever he wants to do. An honorable hero like him is a once-in-a-lifetime find, after all!"
The girl nodded her understanding.
"And with that, I shall take my leave, Master Alchemist. It was truly an honor meeting you in these fateful woods. As a final show of my guild's goodwill, we will take care of cleaning duty."
Tom signaled five of his archers to pick up the corpses of the dead Marcus bandits. They moved with practiced efficiency and by the time Raed finished blinking twice, the bodies were gone. The bloodstains on the grass were the only signs that any conflict had occurred.
After that task was complete, Tom took his archers, except for Tara, back into the deep forest with him.
Once he was out of earshot, Kaiti said to Raed, "I don't think I like that man."
If Tara had any reaction to Kaiti's opinion, she did not show it.
"He seems pretty honest," Raed said.
"What did you say about a kidnapping victim?" Kaiti asked, now intrigued.
"This demon's former group kidnapped a female demon we found in a cabin two days ago." Raed pointed at Marcus, who was whimpering into the dirt. "According to Leif, they killed her son and took her somewhere. Now we're trying to find where that 'somewhere' is. And Marcus is our last source of information for that."
"Do you happen to know the woman's name?" Kaiti asked.
"Uh," Raed tried to search his memory. He knew Leif had said it a couple times that morning, but that memory was more focused on the fight that broke out. "I think it was a demon name?" Raed offered.
Kaiti rolled her eyes. She couldn't bother giving a reply to that.
"It's Tiryui," Leif spoke up. He had turned around and stood with his spear in hand held upright, the tip pointed to the sky.
"Tiryui, you say," Kaiti said. "Let me get this information out of him," she said, with a change in demeanor to that of interest and concern. Her eyes ignited into cyan-colored magical energy and she clutched Marcus's head between her hands, forcing the demon to look into her enchanting gaze.
It took twenty-seven seconds for Kaiti to announce that she discovered where Marcus's group kept Tiryui.
"Shall we, then?" She said.
Raed pulled the weak and dying Marcus to his feet and forced an orange pill in the demon's mouth.
"Let's go," he said.