The Ones They Called

Bandits - Raevoli

     As the breeze blew across the tops of the trees, early pickings of the coming autumn season fell from the branches. To one of these quick bloomers landed in the burnt amber hand of Raevoli Duetriek. His well used hands crumpled the devastatingly uncrunchy leaf, quickly dropping it as he continued his journey through the woods.
     To most walking the path, Raevoli looked like a bandit. His well worn clothes and ample amount of weapons and scars helped with the idea. Those assumptions wouldn't be too far from the truth. Bandit? Thief? Minor differences from a rouge like him. Though he often swiped objects from those who didn't keep a keen eye on their precious belongings it wasn't for a simple sell at a traveling merchant. If he was to steal, it meant he had a deal for that item, or a high priced bounty. A bounty hunter who did more than just personnel hits. This current one was no exception. The bounty was simple; retrieve a locket from a man and bring it to a desired location for payment. That was always the golden reason one would strive to be a rouge. Stealth is key, but coin meant more in this world than most would admit to. Was he supposed to feel bad about the things he did? Maybe he should, and yet he cares not about who he steals from; it's who it pays at the end of the day.
     With enough time wasted having flipping and fiddling with his knife, Raevoli had arrived to a small campsite. Tents of multicolored cloth were set up, a fire had recently been smothered out, the smell of smolder still hanging in the air. His eyes first caught the amount of people here. 4 guys, slightly taller and more physically built. Weapons in arms reach but not readied. Unlike the others, a well dressed woman walked from the much larger tent. She hadn't been there long, at least as long as they have. She wore a large coat made of exotic animal fur that had a golden sheen from the godly rays of the sun that made it's way through the trees.
     "Did you have a lovely morning walk?" She asked, strolling close to the young man. He took a sudden step back before she could within arms length.
     "Cut the crap, you have my pay," Raevoli lifted the locket to her eye level.
     "I wouldn't skimp on a deal sweetheart. Five hundred gold," the mysterious woman threw a heavy pouch into his free hand before continuing with the conversation, "Slipped in a few extra hundred on the side for your swiftness at completing the bounty. I honestly expected a week or two to go by when I posted it on the board back in the council hall."
     "The world doesn't expect you to pay in, "a week or two," seeming as the realm doesn't flow around me. I flow around it," he stepped closer finally and placed the necklace gently in her hands. As he began to make his way out of the camp two of the other men seemingly blocked his path out. His eyes rolled in an unsurprised manner. "I see, greedy and scheming. You don't want to pay for the job. You plan to kill me now?" He asked turning back to her. The extravaganza laughed and shook her head.
     "Not all women are greedy and scheming darling," she smirked and began to walk back towards her tent, gesturing to the other men to begin the slaughter.
     "Never said anything about women."

     Without time to think his darkened hands grasped at the air. A purple Haze grew from his palm and with a quick chant he cast thaumaturgy, letting out a mighty scream. It had a very visual shock to those in range, grasping at their ears in light pain. Raevoli rolled through the gruff dirt, tossing a thin dagger outward. His aim was true and his mark was hit, the heart of the first man before him. With the scream and kill of her henchmen the mistress yelled out in anger.
     "A spellcaster! Kill him quickly!" An axe landed to the right of Raevoli, thrown by a grunt behind him. He grabbed a hold of it's handle, twisting his torso in a swift slash motion. The edge was duller than he had hoped, and the damage was minor. Before he could fully stand his head was grappled, his body thrown to the side, rolling in the dirt.
     "Oh you fuckers, I just cleaned this shirt!" He yelled out in a comical time, although it didn't seem to be very funny as the remaining brutes were still out to kill him. With a wave of his hand his body began to blur as if your monocle had fallen from your eye. When one swung down, it hit nothing but ground. The fluffy image jumped into this man using the back of his war-ax. His other dagger came down twice, stabbing his shoulder first, then finally hitting the target, his neck. Blood shot out like a stream of water that unclogged itself suddenly. Raevoli readied his legs on the shoulders of the fatally wounded to jump to another, but his legs were caught from underneath as one of the remaining duo barreled through their bleeding friend.
     As his body was thrown prone the wind was violently knocked out of him.  With a blade quickly rushing for his torso, Raevoli tried to cast yet another spell yet to no avail. The grunt missed mostly but too a healthy chuck on flesh off his shoulder as it's tip glided through his clothing. After another attempt his arcana agreed with him at last, sending his body a few feet away in a mystical dim gleem. With barely any oxygen in his body thanks to the whiplash of the 7 foot fall from the standing corpse he tossed a thin glass bottle. As it shattered against the rough terrain a thick emerald fog peppered the air with it's toxic contents that where condensed in the glass. As the last of his combatants screams filled the camp he took the crossbow from his side and fired off a shot that gently glided past both, planting itself in the dirt of the road. Struggling to load another shot he managed to fire once more. The poison gas was abnormally opaque, but he didn't need to see to confirm the kill. The loud crunching of damp leaves and the conjoining thump was just enough. It was down to him and the henchman who stepped from the cloud of chaos covered in acidic burns all across his body and clothes. Both men where fairly battered and took a moment to regain the slightest bit of strength.
     "Do you," Raevoli huffed, coughing a few rough times before looking back to his advisory, "really want to do this?"
     "You just killed the only person I cared about. One of us is going down," he huffed, spitting a congealed huck of blood his mouth had accumulated. Raevoli took a second to consider the idea they were people too. He had people too though, people he'd do anything for.
     "I'm sorry it came to this, I would've just left." His legs adjusted from the kneeling stance to stand upright. Pulling one final bottle from his side he popped the cork and gulped down it's red staining contents. Raevoli's face contorted in pain as the deep wound on his left shoulder began to rapidly mend itself. The skin around it grew and connected in the middle leaving a nasty scar in a sickly off-tone. Bending over he plucked the dagger out of the first body he dropped, wiping the blood in the elbow crease of his shirt. Both men silently agreed and rushed one another. The motions were swift, he dropped his knee, planted himself in the ground before driving his arm up. The dagger pierced his heart. As the crumpled Raevoli caught him and slowly lowered him down. With only a few feeding moments he laid him down asking, "where is your family?"
     "Fraier's Gate," his mouth spilled with blood as he coughed, "Northside."
     "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry," Raevoli tried his best to calm his nerve as he watched the young man die. Around his neck was a necklace with a flat metal disk at its end. Carefully he took it off and pocketed it. "Ill make this right kid."
     Angered by the sudden conflict thrust upon him and the death at the need to protect himself he jolted up and ran towards the tent the mysterious woman had fled to when it began. With both blades drawn he slashed through the curtain door and surveyed the inside. The only thing inside was a small wooden table that she wasn't hiding beneath. In the midst of battle she took the opportunity to escape unseen. As a final courtesy, he cut through the fabric of multiple tents and used it to cover each person. With a small prayer to one of the many deities he stumbled his way out of the camp. Not only was he forced to kill people who most likely needed the money for the job just as he did, he worried for what he had stolen. What was so important about that locket to require it's theif to be executed after snatching it. He had no time to speculate, he was still injured that the minor healing potion didn't fix all of him. Taking his book from his side he circled the closest town and began the trek to it.