It had been a few days since Xiang parted ways with Rosalie. The girl looked so happy to be leaving that city and Xiang could blame her. She had a feeling the she would be just fine.
Now Xiang was back on her own journey, walking to the next village, town, or city. That last place sucked. The only good that came from it is that she was able to rescue Rosalie from her desperate situation.
When dusk arrived, she strayed off the road to set up camp under a tree that wasn't far off. There were plenty of sticks and twigs to start a fire with, so she wouldn't have to walk around looking for them. Once that was taken care, she sat, kicked off her boots, and started logging her day in her journal.
Suddenly, she heard a sound getting closer. Footsteps, closing in fast. Someone or something had it's sights set on her. That's the last mistake the person or creature would ever make. She quickly hopped to her feet and got into her stance, facing the direction the footsteps were coming from. "Who goes there?"
While she didn't receive an vocal answer, she did receive a shock when a boy came stumbling out of the darkness and into her camp. "Thank the gods and goddesses. I thought I'd never find anyone out here."
"Why are you walking around in the dark?" she asked. "Are you trying to get killed?"
The boy pointed in the direction he came from. "Bandits...they raided my village. They crippled or killed the men and use the women and children for..." He seemed to hold back tears, then continued. "They've been there for about a week and won't leave. I managed to get away to look for help. I can't go back now. I'll be killed...just like my pa." He could no long hold back his tears.
Crying children is one thing Xiang couldn't stand. Was there anything she could do? "What's the situation?"
"Huh?" the boy asked.
"The bandits. How many are there? Where are they stationed? What are their armaments?"
"There's about fifteen, maybe twenty of them. Most of them have swords and knives but a few of them have crossbows."
The crossbows would be a problem. She still hadn't perfected the art of countering projectiles. The timing was difficult to get down because of the speed at which they could fly in. Maybe she could come up with a feasible plan if she knew the lay of the land. "Take me to your village."
The boy looked surprised. "By yourself? They're too tough. You can't beat them alone."
"I'll be the judge of that," she said as she knelt down to put on her boots. "Lead the way."
The boy's stomach growled. "Can we eat first? I haven't had food in days."
She reached into one of her bags and pulled out an apple. "Try not to take too much time. Let me know when you're ready."
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