Rumius couldn't tell his master that he had given away their limited water away to a dying insect. Rumius shot a furtive gaze behind him as he walked. He made sure not to turn his head fully but only just enough to catch a glimpse from the far corners of his vision. A sense of relief and frustration came over him simultaneously.
' Ah…at least the water wasn't wasted.'
It was stupid. It was illogical to the extreme and yet why did it feel so…right?
' Am I crazy? ' he wondered. Was he wrong for at least giving that young bandit a more bearable end? Was he wrong to feel put off by the fact that people had just died by his hand?
…..
No. He wasn't. That much he knew for certain. Looking at his hands, Rumius could almost see the red blood dripping. In reality however, there was obviously nothing there. Yet alongside the throbbing guilt were also the feelings to told him to not think. He was wasting time. Time which could be spent looking forward. Time that could be spent accepting this new reality rather than questioning it. He had done one illogical thing already. Why was he doing another one?
' Remember what the end goal is.' It told him.
The end goal. To become strong.
Strong to do what?
To…protect himself? To be rich? To be loved?
No…no…those weren't it at all.
It was to be free.
Rumius looked up towards the clouds. Yet there were no clouds to be seen, only the dark velvet.
' I wanted to be free to-'The sound of moaning and crying snapped Rumius back to reality.
' That's right. I'm still here. Focus. Focus, godammit.' Rumius berated himself. Philosophy and self doubt could always come later.
Rumius followed closely behind his master as they approached the moaning man. He was curled up on the floor clutching his leg. A trail of blood followed him, from the bed sheets-now dyed red- to the darkened sandy floor. Getting sand on the wound must sting, Rumius was sure.
Master spoke first.
" Who do we have here?"
" Arghhhh….urhghh..aharghhhh…"
" I'm sure you must have a good story. To tell. The beginning is a good place to start." She suggested.
" Arghhhh…ahrghhhh…"
" I see. I wasn't aware that the leader of the ever infamous bandits, feared enough to warrant the attention of both the Adventurer's guild and the Inglisa bureau was little more than illiterate garbage. Perhaps you could prove me wrong?" Her voice still had that friendly tone to it.
" Arghh…urg….arughhhh-ARRRGGGHGHHHHHH"
Master retracted her ball of electro as the screams died down a little. The man's irises followed the lead of his eyes and widened in a mixture of terror and alarm as the ball now shifted over his head, inches way from his face. His cut-off leg had been burnt away completely. Not even ashes remained past the blackened stump that ended at his hips. In some way, the electricity had also cauterised the wound, stopping him from bleeding out.
But Rumius was sure that the pain was a thousand time worse. However, master had convenient solutions like the one she was using now.
" Ready to answer questions?"
The man looked as if he was in so much pain that his mouth couldn't answer without chattering yet somehow, he still managed to whimper out a response.
" Y-yes…" he panted. His chest rose and fell in quick succession.
" I have only two questions. Tell me what I want to hear and I might consider easing your pain until our friends come to take you away. How does that sound?" Master smiled.
Duly, the man nodded.
" Perfect. First things first. Where's the treasure you plundered." Master asked.
The man grunted out the details: " At t-the back. Over there…where the boxes are."
" Peeeeeerfect! Half done, my good man! Just one more question to go." Master squealed.
This time, she leaned and whispered the question. And in the end, Rumius could neither hear her question nor the man's answer. As he moved to ask, Rumius was interrupted as master made her lighting ball vanish while simultaneously producing her water skin. She gave it to the man and casted a quick chant that emitted a soft white glow on his leg.
" I live up to my deals. Sit there an-well, I doubt you'll be moving anywhere with that leg anyway." She smirked. " Rumius, come with me. Our prizes are waiting."
Rumius followed his master who was walking with a spring in her step.
They quickly found the crates that the bandit had told them about, set next to each other and stealthily hidden behind a veil weaved into the fabric of the tent. It was piled to the brim with coins, silver and gold alike. There were also relics, weapons, charms, even books. Rumius looked to his master and was taken aback by the sight of her shining eyes.
" Take two if you'd like. Hehe…we don't often come across a steal like this!" She squealed without looking at him.
Rumius's was hesitant. Yeah, because that was exactly what it was. A steal. " Are you sure it's alright?"
" Just consider it payment for our work. We're not getting paid for this mission by the bureau after-all, since we volunteered. Treat it as something like a well deserved treat."
' A well deserved prize…huh.' It didn't justify what they were doing…but since neither the adventurer's guild or the bureau knew anything about the objects which all these transports carried…
Rumius resolved to take only one piece. Only one. He had committed murder already anyway. Might as well. Eyeing the whole crate over, he eventually picked out a small dagger, no longer than the combined length of two of his palms although a little heavy. It wasn't a problem as long as he kept enhancing his muscles with mana.
" Done already? Alright, let me show you another something then." Master said.
She walked away towards the back end of the tent and pushed aside the fabric. The bright desert sun shone through the crack in the tent's opaque barrier.
" Come." She called. Rumius walked up and ducked under her arm, appearing on the tent's other side. He froze.
Hidden from view were three large cages, big enough to and were, in fact, holding people. These people were different from those who had stood at the stands during the winter festival back home. They were merchants, normal people and all those who crossed the desert and were unlucky enough to run into these thugs. Rumius had no doubt that once the bandits were back in the city, these people would be sold off to be slaves. This was where the chain of suffering started.
" Still feel guilty for the deaths you caused now?"he heard master ask. Rumius turned around. So this was what it was about. Master knew.