An Encounter With Bandits
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 9772
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There were five of the ruffians, unkempt and shabbily dressed. Whilst
operating in
such a wild region as this meant that there was no risk to them from the
forces
of law and order, it also meant that the pickings were poor, for few
travellers passed
this way. This group promised to be easy meat, though. It contained only
two
fighting
men, and surely the other two - the old man and the woman - were not a
threat. Only
the two younger men were armed, and only one of them had a sword, the
other having an
ancient knife in his belt.
So the bandits were relaxed and confident as their leader stepped forward and said: "I'm afraid that this is a toll road, lady and gentlemen. Five gold pieces per head, please." "But we have no money," Simon said mildly. "Please let us pass." "That you have no money is unfortunate, if true. I hope you won't take it amiss if we insist on searching you." An idea was forming in Astra's mind. Four against five would ordinarily be satisfactory odds, given the capabilities of the four. However all of their adversaries were armed, though only the leader had a sword, the others making do with knives and cudgels. A distraction would even things up. "This fur cloak must be worth five gold pieces," she said. "Won't you accept it as my share of the toll?" And she slipped out of the cloak and held it out. Astra would not have felt comfortable wearing the clothes of a dead man, and in any case Belboz's clothes would not have fit her. Thus when she removed the cloak, the bandits found themselves looking at a naked woman. Whilst they were staring in a mixture of lust and amazement, Astra made her move. She threw her cloak over the leader's head, and a second later was driving her knee powerfully into his groin. As he crumpled to the ground, she grabbed his sword. "Now the odds are a little more even," she said. "The rest of you could fight us, in which case this sword will find your leader's heart, or you could drop your weapons and move back a safe distance whilst my friends collect them." Too stunned by the unexpected and rapid turn-around to offer any resistance, the bandits opted for the later course. As Simon, Aethir, and Frederigo collected their weapons, Astra unbuckled the leader's sword-belt and put it on. Then she sheathed the sword. She let out a sigh of satisfaction. She had a weapon again, even if the sword was not of very good quality. Compared to that, her lack of clothes apart from the cloak was a minor concern.
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JH
5/28/2000 3:22:33 AM
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