Arcanum 194 Sympathy and Guil

"I'm alright," Helen said arriving back unscathed.

"So what we gonna do with them?" Daisy said dragging two tied up unconscious bodies leaving them next to the two conscious surrendered ones.

"What are you gonna do with us?.." One bandit asked his voice and body shaky as we silently gather him and his friends.

"Well for one we're gonna be reporting you to Atlantis." Jennifer threatened him making his look at us in utter shock,

"No no please you can't." He cried almost pleading for his life, "We'll do anything.. what do you want?!" He asked in an absolute panic.

A part of my felt extremely sorry for him despite being a bandit and trying to kidnap two girls for abit of gold...

"What do we do with them now?" I asked everyone telepathically.

"First let's find out who ordered the hit," Jay replied back telepathically and walked up to them.

"Right so let's get this straight, you guys are the order of the white ravens right?" Jay asked, snapping the crossbow bolt in half leaving the tip still impaled in his shoulder.

Both the bandits refused to say a word staring down into the ground, "they should have tattoo's on the neck of a raven's talons." Jennifer notified us pulling down one of their collars revealing a circle with a distinct raven talon in the centre.

"Okay well that answer's it." Jay replied, "So tell me who set the hit? was it the robed figure?" Jay asked, his questions falling onto deaf ears as they both still remained silent unwilling to answer his questions.

"Any idea?" Jay asked us telepathically.

"I'm certain the town guard won't be much help either," Jeniffer replied.

Taking a deep breath I walked towards them, "See these bands?" I said showing them my Atlantis wrist band making them all suddenly look up in horror and fear, "This means you guys were stupid enough to try and attack Atlantis students." I explained to them like I knew what the repercussions of such an offensive were. "So if you tell us what we want to know, we'll let you off lightly." I said to them trying to sound serious.

"We don't know ourselves! Our boss said we had a job to take two girls." They shakily answered.

"Which two girls?!" I questioned.

"You and the blue-skinned one." One of them answered me.

"Why were we targeted?" I asked.

"We don't know." He answered.

"Think of a reason!" Grace said aiming an arrow at him.

"We don't know! All we know is he was willing to pay a high price!" He answered.

"So it was a he?" I replied.

"Yes when he spoke to us he had a male voice." The man answered.

"I think it was the perfume seller." Daisy said to us telepathically.

"What makes you think that?" I asked back a little shocked at her answer.

"The way he incinerated the vines it's something either clerics or my people can do, it's called Hellish reprisal, its something we've inherited from our Devilish heritage allowing us to release Hellfire when we're attacked," Dasiy answered.

"What perfume seller?" Jay questioned.

"He was a travelling merchant who sold us perfumes, he asked a few questions on Daisy's and my own skin colour," I answered Jay.

"Do you think that is how they also managed to locate us in the inn?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah maybe they followed the perfume smells." I answered.

"How much was he willing to offer?" Jennifer asked the two bandits.

"It was a large sum maybe a few hundred gold pieces each." He tried to recount.

"Woah, for an Atlantis student that's pretty low but for an ordinary person that is very high and considering they didn't even know you both were Atlantis students," Jennifer replied informing us.

"Hmm did he mention any plans he had with us once we were captured?" Daisy questioned the two bandits.

"No... He didn't mention anything of the sort." they answered back.

"Where were you all heading to in the caravan?" Jay asked.

"We don't know, only Nicolas and the robed man knew, we were here to guard the whole process, that's all I swear!" They answered.

"Great so the only two people who knew the bigger plan escaped." Jay replied in our heads.

"Well I doubt they will be back, if we hand these guys over to Atlantis there's gonna be repercussions," Jennifer answered back.

"If we turn them over, what happens?" I questioned.

"No idea normally anyone who targets an Atlantis student usually are never heard of ever again." Jennifer answered.

"What so Atlantis kills them?" I questioned.

"That or they lock them up in jail never to see the light of day again." She answered.

"Do you think they deserve it?" I questioned looking at them still feeling a little sorry for them.

"I don't think anyone deserves it, but what can we do? release them and have them attack someone else, someone who might not even be able to defend themselves." Jay questioned.

"I agree with Jay." Jennifer and Helen replied.

"Morgana? what do you think?" I asked her.

"Well if my Mum was in charge she would curse them till they learned from their mistake." She answered.

"Grace and Daisy?" I asked.

"As much as I'd like the punish them, no one deserves to die," Daisy answered.

"I agree with Daisy," Grace answered.

"Okay," I answered, taking a deep breath. "We have decided to forgive you all of your transgressions today." I spoke out loud to the two bandits making them look at us extremely hopeful and apologetic. "Now you see this orb?" I said taking out my scrying orb.

"Yes yes.." They frantically answered in a panic suddenly afraid again.

"This is a Scrying orb, it allows me to see whoever I was when I want, you get where I'm going with this?" I suggested to them a very obvious proposal.

"We'll change, we'll never do a bad thing ever again." They nodded frantically.

"Good to hear and believe me, if I ever see you or your friends going back to your old ways believe me Atlantis will come to take you all away," I warned them.

"We swear on our families from now on we'll change our ways," they begged.

"Look after your friends, they've taken quite the beating tonight." I said and began walking away.

"How did they talk to each other?.. they were utterly silent." One bandit whispered to the other as we began walking away.

"They're Atlantis students they can anything." The other whispered back.

"So you met a Tiefaeni that sold you both perfume and has now for some odd reason wanted to kidnap you two?" Jay said in our heads as we made our way back to town.

"Yeah, but he showed no ulterior motive he seemed very friendly." I replied.

"Yes he seemed like such a friendly merchant." Daisy replied.

"Well, whoever he is, he wants you two for something and he's willing to pay a lot for it," Jay replied.

"Think we're gonna be safe tomorrow?" I asked.

"Hmm looks like he was in a rush to leave, and probably thinks Atlantis will be coming to deal with the mess so I'm sure he won't be coming back any time soon." Jennifer answered.

"So we heard your father is holding some shindig tomorrow," I asked Jennifer making conversation on the walk back.

"Shindig?" they all questioned.

"A party." I corrected myself.

"Ahh yes all the rich families will be around trying to look for a good suitor for me, how did you hear about it?" Jennifer asked slightly surprised.

"Ohh your father saw us in town earlier today, invited us since we were the talk of the town," I answered.

"Ahhh typical popularity manoeuvre." She sighed.

"Should we go?" I asked.

"Sure if you want to meet some overly rich pompus families and their spoiled stuck-up obnoxious sons." She answered disgusted by the thought.

"Thanks for the help Jennifer by the way." I thanked her.

"No problems, in fact, I should be the one thanking you guys, it's been a while since I've actually done something good." She confessed.

"You're a good person." Jay instinctively tried to comfort her.

"Doing nothing is just the same as committing the crime itself." She blamed herself.

"That's not true, you can't blame yourself." Helen replied feeling overwhelming compassion for Jennifer.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, the guilt you feel is a good thing." I tried to explain to her making everyone looks at me in some weird way. "The guilty you feel makes you human, a good soul unable to turn a blind eye to all the injustice in the world, the fact you feel this way is a good thing." I tried my hardest to explain to her how I felt when I was trying to save the refugees.

Chapter end