The Crossroads amidst the storm

It’s been two days since we returned back to Fort Lenora, and let’s just say…

...HELLLLLLLLLL YYYYEEEEAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE DID IT! FIRST EVER BANDIT RAID SURVIVED! I’ve been the talk of the base ever since me and Rat returned. Mostly guys looking pissed about their bets failing, but some of the guys gave me their props. Steve wrapped me and Rat in a bear hug, damn near broke both our spines. I also gave Jasmine her knife back, she clocked me upside the head though. Since the knife got rusted and it was still covered in eye juice from that one guy. What was his name again? Oh well, it’s not like I’ll be seeing him again anytime soon. That said even though half the base was stoked to find out we pulled one over some military legends, the others weren’t so thrilled.

Did those guys follow you back?

What the hell are we gonna do!

They're gonna come here next!

IT’S OVER! IT’S ALL OVER!

They all said stuff like that, doesn’t make it any better that Rich was leading that group. I can’t even call that pathetic guy Sub-boss anymore. Needless to say, Boss man Moe has had his hands full. He has to quell the concerns of the band and plan our next moves after all. That now brings us to today, the day where the boss finalizes our course of action.

****

“So you’re heading over now.”

“Yep, don’t wanna keep the boss waiting.”

“Quite the celebrity, aren’t you Thief? Hehehe!”

I decided to have a leisurely chat with Steve and Rat before going to see Boss Moe. After I returned with Rat, Joffrey filled me in on our next course of action. Due to Rich’s wounds, they decided to let him rest before discussing our next course of action. The meeting was planned for two days after we came back, they even pulled out high grade salves to get our wounds treated for this meeting. Because of that my wrist healed up nicely, not even a scar left and I feel like I can punch through solid rock. Rich still complains about the pain, but his wounds healed pretty fast too. He lost a lot of blood and they did get infected, so he’s still on the mend. Nevertheless, I said my goodbyes to my boys, and went on my merry way. As I walked down the hall, my fellow bandits stopped speaking and looked at me. Due to me creating opportunities for the survival of the members, I gained the moniker of Thief the lucky! I would’ve preferred something cooler, but not bad for my first nickname. I’m finally making it up the ladder of thiefhood, and as Rule #3 of being a thief dictates. You must always cherish your rogue-ish titles. Although apparently some may argue my previous title was s*** lover Thief, but we don’t talk about that. Anyway, let’s get over to the boss! Prompto!

****

“Yoho Yoho! A bandit’s life for me! I’ll kidnap your wife and threaten her life! For one satchel of rubies!”

I found myself singing gleefully as I made my way down to the planning room, finally after minutes of walking I finally made it. I put on my best service smile and prepared to walk in, however…

“SEVEN HELLS MOE! WHAT THE F*** IS WRONG WITH YOU!”

I froze for a moment, and then sighed. It looks like Rich the coward is at it again. I open the door slowly to see Joffry actually red in the face for once and Rich looking like he’s about the deck someone. Reginald leaned against the wall with both his eyes closed, only to open his right eye slightly to notice me entering the room. He then sighed and closed his right eye again, as for the boss, Moe was holding his head you could tell his frustration was building. Despite that, his right and left hand continued to argue.

“What’s the matter Rich, losing your nerve!”

“If it means not losing my life, then yeah I’m losing my nerve!”

“There we go, you admit your a coward!”

“I’d rather be a coward than get played again like a damn-”

“BOTH OF YOU, SHUT THE HELL UP!”

The room went silent after that, Joffrey sighed and recomposed himself. Rich on the other hand looked terrified, he began sweating bullets as the boss stared right at him. His gaze then turned to me.

“Ah Thief! I’m glad you could join us today.”

“Anything for the band boss!”

“Excellent, now then let’s begin.”

The boss laid out a map, he began going over where we were ambushed. Adding the fact that Reginald apparently encountered some knights while on patrol, and it’s clear that our position is heavily compromised, we won’t last for long. Even more so since the Lenore forest barely has any exits. At the other end is a mountain wall, we don’t have the time or materials to scale it or mine our way through. The only other options are to one, wade the storm at the base and take on the eventual attackers that will bombard us, or two gather up all the men and sneak across the border. Risking running into the Goltas squad again, if we go for option two then we’ll most likely need to attack Lenore Hills. It’ll be easier to cross through with hostages, however after the knights recent losses they might be blood thirsty and throw a hail mary. Everyone waited before the boss was finished to speak, then that’s when he said it.

“So, what do you all think we should do?”

I honestly didn’t expect the boss to ask for our opinion, but I guess that just shows how bad things are. Like a moth to the flame, Rich began to rush in.

“Isn’t it obvious, we gotta escape! You and I both know there’s no survival if we stay back! You’re also withholding information! You didn’t mention the-”

“That’s enough you bumbling oaf.”

Joffrey stopped Rich from continuing, however I’m curious about what he was about to say. Especially seeing the boss’ sour expression, something Rich said ticked him off. However, the meeting continued with Joffry’s take.

“Not to sound foolish, but I say we should stay.”

“WHAT! That was foolish of you to say, you jackass!”

“Hear me out, we’ll be wasting resources attempting to leave. On top of that, there’s no way Lenore Hills would be unguarded. Rushing in there with a lack of information, that’s no different than entering a snake's den. However, here we have the upper hand! We can set traps, arm our defenses, and prepare for battle! The sooner we do so the greater our chances!”

Never thought Joffry would choose the course that would risk him injuring his pretty face, Rich all the same argued against the idea. Surprisingly, Reginald left his perch and joined the conversation.

“I agree with the coward. It’s best to leave while you can.”

“Reginald, I’ll disregard your statement since you agreed with me!”

“Quiet swine!”

“Yes Sir!”

“Now then, as you’re already aware Moe, the squad lead by Theodore Goltas is known as the Gray Scabbards. Their missions are mixed, however most of their missions are bandit exterminations. To complicate matters, they’ve never lost as many men as they have the other day. Goltas himself was known as “The Bandit Slaying Demon” once, do you really think he’s relinquished that title. If you understand what I’m saying then gather the men and leave, I’m not saying this out of care but because losing you would cost me a large source of income. Don’t worry about sneaking past the border, people are ruled by money and with the amount you have, you’re practically their king.”

“Heh, flattery will get you nowhere.”

I didn’t expect Reginald to give the boss a slight compliment, I guess that just goes to show how awesome Boss Moe is! After Reginald finished his response, the boss looked towards me. Reginald was caught off guard, Rich began to protest wildly and Joffry gave me a wink. It was then that the boss spoke to me.

“So Thief, what do you think?”

Considering all that’s happened, it’s pretty obvious what my answer is.

“I say we should stay and fight.”

The boss gave a smirk upon hearing that, Joffry seemed shocked despite him expecting this, Reginald held his brow as if to stop a migraine, and Rich began trying to chastise me.

“HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND! WE’LL DIE IF WE STAY HERE, SO WHY ARE YOU SAYING WE SHOULD!”

“Shut up Rich.”

“WHAT!”

Joffry couldn’t help but chuckle seeing me defy Rich, even the boss smiled. Rich went red in the face from the disrespect, but that didn’t stop me.

“I know that staying sounds stupid to some, but think about it like this. We’ve spat on the legacy of Theodore Goltas, that alone makes us real deal thieves. With that achievement on our backs, what would we look like if we ran away. We’d be cowards! We’d just be idiots who got lucky! Well I don’t think so, I don’t think we’re lucky! I think we got this far because we’re up to snuff. That’s why we have to fight, for those small bandit groups watching our backs, we gotta lead by example. Sure what I’m saying is we should fight to the death with our pride on the line, but if we were to run away from this, what pride would we have left? The people we scared of us enough to call Goltas out here, in that cases let’s remind them why they fear us!”

Everyone was silent after that, however the room was soon filled with the boss’ laughter.

“Hahahaha! Pride, luck and bravado! That’s probably what got us all in this situation in the first place, but it’s never let us down before. Alright Thief, I also agree to stay and fight! Meaning that next course of action is to gear up for battle.”

I don’t believe it, the boss believed in me again! I knew he was a man worth following, unlike Rich who began to get in a fiddle position. Joffry was laughing up a storm, and Reginald was actually furious for the first time in a while. So much so that he punched the wall in anger.

“You're a deadman Moe! If you do this, death awaits you!”

“If I refused this fight, The Mountain Moes would’ve faded in obscurity. By fighting, even if we die, our names will be immortalized as the guys who picked a fight with a kingdom. Besides you actually thought we’d survive this scenario, if we’re gonna die either way then let’s go out on a high note!"

“Then I’ll have no part in this, you can take this back as well. I don’t want to keep anything that leads to you haunting me!”

Reginald pulled out the gold coins he was paid, and returned them. Moe gladly received them and Reginald left irritated. Once he was gone, Joffry began to question the situation.

“You sure you won’t regret that Moe?”

“It was only a matter of time before that guy cut us loose.”

“The boss is right! It’s better to fight without Reginald, let’s show these idiots the power of our band!”

I support the boss whole heartedly, even more so because I still don’t trust Reggie. He dresses and acts like a noble, who’s to say he’s not from a knight household. I should know since...Let’s not go there for now, instead let’s focus on the task at hand. As expected, the next words out the boss' mouth were exactly what I was thinking.

“Alert the band, The Mountain Moes are preparing for war!”

****

This whole situation just irritates me to no avail. Why am I not surprised, of course that buffoon would choose a fool’s errand. What’s worse is that I could tell by Joffry’s tone, his words were mixed with falsehood. Then there’s Moe, I already caught him in the act of trying to cull his men the other day. When Thief came out with his thoughts, that bastard smiled. Why wouldn’t he, his golden opportunity came back. There was never a way out of this, my losses were gonna pile up either way. It’s pretty obvious what that guy is planning.

“Moe is prepping his men to die for him, so he can cover his own rear and escape!”