The Sherry in Shadow

Chapter 5: An Ambush!

The carriage lurched to a stop, jostling Sherry. Seated in the back, she found herself still confined within the cage. Apparently the bandits only had this carriage to use as a roadblock–a fortunate coincidence for Sherry who needed to be here. Even despite that convenient circumstance though, Sherry had a hunch that the bandit leader would have agreed to her participation if she had insisted.

"It's almost time," she murmured, her voice filled with anticipation. Her fingers curled around the cold wire mesh of her cage, hoping against hope that the bandit leader would understand what to do.

Whether it was due to the two days she spent in captivity or her misguided faith in her improv skills, Sherry had decided to get a little greedy. Her end game was to dismantle Shadow Garden from within their little clique, that much was clear. But now, she wanted an appetizer, a prelude to the carnage she planned to serve Shadow Garden with. And partly... she really wanted to give the bandits a fighting chance.

Sherry's mind drifted back to the conversation that had transpired two hours ago.

———

"Here," Sherry handed the bandit leader a small pouch of powder through her cage. "I got enough for everyone." True to her word, several identical pouches littered the bottom of her cage.

"Whatcha got here? Hey, wait, where did you even get these?" the bandit leader eyes darted from the pouch in his hand to the several in her cage.

"Antacids." Sherry refused to elucidate further, opting to instead nervously place her hand on her ear.

"Antacids? The stuff for bellyaches? Thanks, I guess, but how's this gonna deal with Mitsugoshi?"

"Oh, sorry, that I can explain! No, eating these will give you nephrolithiasis. You should throw it at Mitsugoshi. At their... erm... at their slime suits."

"Nephro... Slime suits... They got slimy suits?"

"Yeah, kinda. I think it's forest slime meat extracted into a colloidal gel and further refined with concentrated mana. I'm still figuring out the exact process, but it's rather innovative, not to give them too much credit. But that's exactly why these anta– Mmmph- mmph!"

"Shut up for a second," the boss had abruptly elected to cover her mouth. "So you want me to throw this– these antacids at them? And that'll take care of their slime?"

"Mmhmm!" Sherry nodded her head vigorously.

A pause.

"But wouldn't that be doing them a favor?" The boss let go of her mouth.

"No, they love their slime. It gives them power," she warned.

"Oh, I see what you're saying." The boss nodded knowingly. This however did not provide Sherry with confidence.

Sherry frowned slightly, uncertainty creeping in. "Hey, if things start to look... bad, just... flee, okay?"

———

Presently, Sherry pressed her ear against the wooden floor of the carriage, straining to catch any hint of movement or sound. "Good luck, An'Tye Climato," she whispered under her breath, using the group's name she had picked up during her brief captivity.

Soon enough, the unmistakable clatter of wagon wheels on the gravel road was heard slowly creeping closer. The bandit leader's footfalls resonated in sync with the rhythmic creaking of the cart, each positioning themselves for the upcoming standoff. With the air thick with the scent of dew-soaked leaves and the scratchy rustling of tree branches setting the ambiance, the showdown has finally arrived.