Loaded up for a long trip, and armed and armored for a potential fight, the three marched out of the city. Fara led the way, telling them what part of the path to follow. Rhun was the only one of the three who wanted to talk. Fara kept her distance, answering only in short sentences.

The moment the town passed out of sight, Rhun drew her sabre. “Alright Fara, time to get gutted.”

Fara shrieked, leaping behind Bron. “You promised not to!”

Rhun hissed once, then burst out laughing, dropping her blade on the ground. It echoed off the rocks of the path with a loud clang.

“Rhun!” Bron barked. “We need to work with her, not antagonize her. Time may come that we must trust Fara with our lives.”

Rhun, still full of mirth, snatched her sabre off the ground, sheathing it between chuckles. “Silly Fara, we have long since moved past the trouble you gave us. Worst that came out of it was a fistfight with Kyvril in Refuge’s tavern.”

Fara crept out from behind Bron. “Really? You fought Kyvril? Who won?”

The she-orc scowled. “Can’t call it my win, or his. Guess it was a draw. We both landed blows, and both fell.”

“Wow, never seen Kyvril lose. Well, except to his brother Hugh.”

Rhun was suddenly interested. “Why did the brother’s fight?”

“Kyvril used to work directly with Hugh, but with the birth of Kyvril’s children, he wanted to quit. Hugh felt betrayed, and both were drunk. A brutal fight, Hugh won it by pure stubbornness. Kyvril never worked in the same party as his brother again. But in time, he took up leadership of the Adventurer’s Guild instead. And they forgave each other, eventually.”

“And that is when Lovell, your fiance, started working with Hugh?”

Fara nodded. “He was excited to work with a legend like Hugh at a young age. But he was always talented. Worked hard on his archery and scouting growing up. I was proud of him, but always afraid for him. And I was right to be.”

Rhunal approached Fara, causing the young woman to shrink back. “Sorry for my little prank. Things seemed awkward between us, and I can’t resist a joke sometimes. Even at your expense. I regret what happened to Lovell. He was a brave man, and good at his work.”

“Thanks.” Fara said. “If things go well, we’ll get the twins back, his siblings. We must.”

“Yeah, we will.” Rhun said, but despite the brief answer, a promise was in her tone. Bron and Rhun exchanged a glance. He saw the determination in her eyes and nodded in agreement.  

As they traveled, Fara pointed out the landmarks her gang used to navigate to their hideout. She led them northwest, into increasingly rocky terrain. There was no better place for an outlaw to lose a pursuer. Other bandit groups didn’t know this territory well. This was the only reason that the larger group hadn’t found their hideout yet.

At the end of a day of travel, Fara told the pair that it was time for her to separate from them. “If the three of us are spotted together, it will make trying to invite you two into my gang difficult. Besides, I want to see how my people are doing.” She pointed out a spire of stone looming in the distance. “Our hideout is in the large cave in that rock. Rhunal, I’m glad you didn’t actually try to gut me out here. I’m going to save as many of my people as possible. For that, I need you.”

“We’ll do our part,” Rhun answered. “How will we find you?”

   “This is my home. I’ll find you. Just keep going towards the spire.” The young woman was gone in the next moment. The last of her words filtering through the trees.

Bron glanced around. “She really disappeared fast. I didn’t even see her leave. Living out here has made her stealthy. I think we might have underestimated little Fara.”

Rhun scoffed. “Deer are sneaky too. But I respect her skills.”

The next day, Bron and Rhun traveled as close to the hideout as they dared, and set up camp on a bush-covered hill. They were watchful for any of Fara’s people, but encountered none of them. It seemed they were sticking to the area around the spire. The pair explored the nearby area, finding the best ground to defend their camp if anything went wrong. 

Halfway through the day, Fara returned. “Nice camp,” she said. “The hill isn’t the most stealthy place, but you could hold off an army up here.”

“That’s the idea.” Rhun said. “You bandits are sneaky. So we can’t count on going undetected. But we’ll see anyone coming too.”

“Well, you made it back quickly enough, Fara,” Bron said. “How is your hideout holding out? Has there been more clashes with your enemies?”

“I told my people I’d gotten lost tracking a wounded elk. They bought it. I’ve never been the best hunter. They were happy to see me. Fearing I’d run into our enemies. No one had been able to go out to look for me. The skirmishes against the bandit army have turned into all-out war. The entire crew has pulled back to the spire, the heart of our territory.

“But some scouts did go out, and they found the results of a battle. More than just my gang lives around here. There was another gang we were peaceful with. We found them the other day. Many unburied bodies, all wearing their colors. Not enough to be all of them, but the rest either fled or were taken.”

Rhun scowled. “So a few more have joined this bandit army?”

“Yea. Sightings of our enemies have ramped up around the spire. It’s well-defended, on guard at every hour, but they are closing in.”

“Desperate as things are, this is exactly the time to bring Kyvril’s offer to your clan. They may be willing to accept his terms,” Bron said.

Fara gritted her teeth. “Mattias would know immediately that I’d fled to Refuge. Of everyone, he seemed the most unbelieving of my story. Probably thought I’d just run away. I need to speak to the members of the gang one by one. The gang will confront Mattias with the plan to escape to Refuge together.”

“That would be a good plan, Fara, if you had more time. Your hideout is about to become a battlefield. We should go with you back to your people. Give our offer,” Bron said. 

“Give me a little more time. Your camp isn’t that far away. I can return within an hour or two. Chief Mattias is a good man. He built this gang from the ground up. But these are his people. He won’t like the idea of putting them at Kyvril’s mercy. He’s a clever leader and good in a fight. Probably has his own plan to deal with our enemies.

“But I’ve seen what they’ve done to even larger groups. The dead probably had their plans as well. My crew are skilled in many ways, but not as warriors. This is a fight we can’t win. But it will take the voices of the entire gang to make Mattias see it. I know you two have a reputation. If I do this introduction wrong, you two could make it a battle, all on your own. I’m afraid of you two as well.”

“You’re right to fear us,” Rhun admitted. “But we aren’t here to battle your gang. There’s no payment for any of your heads. Your enemies won’t say the same.”

“I can’t risk it. But follow, and I’ll lead you to a hidden place, right on the doorstep of the spire. You won’t have to wait for me as long.”

Bron nodded. “Lead on, Fara. And when you get back to your gang, speak your words to them quickly.”