There were two influencing factors to their plan. One was when Kaladar would decide to declare the next raid, the other was whether or not any tribes were in the area that could be utilized for their plan. Optimally, their faux-victims would be somewhere south, as it would be more difficult to scale the mountains that cut into the sea to the north. The bandits had made the journey several times, for reasons of survival. It was simply less practical.

Those difficulties were the reasons why Apexus went north first. It being a harder trip for the marauders also meant that less violent tribes were more likely to be in that area. Besides the natural wall between them and Kaladar’s bandits, the tribes to the north also had access to forests and all of the resources that came from that. It was the kind of ‘wealthy’ that was required to get a basic society started.

While the humanoid chimera went north, Aclysia went south. They separated because Apexus was faster than her and because it was risky to leave only two of them behind in the camp. For the range of exploration Apexus had to go on, he would need more than one day.

Over the misty mountains he sailed, reaching the forests past the steady slope at noon of the first day of scouting. A travel time that was, courtesy of the terrain, about two days for a normal person he crossed in about five hours. Then he started his search.

Although Apexus’ eyes had evolved far past that of the cat he had acquired them from, they were still not as optimized for distance as that of an eagle or vulture. He was looking around for one of those birds to devour and utilize as a temporary Growth almost as much as he was for the actual target. He was not lucky in either department, circling above, seeing nothing but the dense carpet of autumn leaves.

A change of strategy seemed warranted. To refill his energy reserves, he devoured a random selection of plants in the area. With no other mouths to feed, greenery was as filling to him as meat. Lacking in the juicy richness of proper flesh, it left wanting only in taste. Apexus was not a picky eater, doubly so after his monk training. With a bite from each plant, he ensured his sustenance and made no threat to their survival.

Afterwards, he sought out the highest point in the landscape, a cliff jutting out of the very mountain he had crossed, and sat down. Legs crossed, he meditated to let the time pass.

After about ten minutes of letting his thoughts wander, they petered out into silence. Winds brushed over his skin. Each gust was accompanied by a rustling of the trees below. An ocean of golden brown, its surface waving according to the whims of nature. It was so like the open sea, yet so different. The different height and age of the trees caused the air fronts to lose the uniformity they’d have when travelling over water. Broad trends were visible, interrupted or emphasized by the rigid or flexible members of the forest. Shadows shifted, as the sun moved.

The world seemed to move very fast and very slow at the same time. Individual seconds lost all meaning, while individual details simultaneously zapped into focus, as if he was entirely focusing on each and every one of them. Apexus was fascinated by it. It was that fascination that snapped him out of the trance. The mental capacity freed by the lack of deliberate action and thought was suddenly aimed again by his will and the moment was lost.

Renewed attempts to enter that zone of tranquillity were met with half-success. Time passed in thoughtless contemplation.

Then the night came and with the night came fire. Apexus’ eyes were exemplary when it came to seeing in the dark. A campfire’s glow was a track to be followed, locating it in accordance with the humanoid chimera’s current specializations. He let the sun descend fully behind the horizon, before making his move.

About twenty minutes later, he was walking up to a camp that was already expecting him. He had not been stealthy in his approach. To signal peaceful intentions, he approached with open hands raised. “I come with a proposal to kill Kaladar the Scarred,” Apexus recited the words he had carefully picked. “All I ask is to be heard.”

_____________________________________________________________________

Trellok was a brute of a half-dwarf, only slightly below average human stature, while being considerably broader in every conceivable way. His nose, especially, looked flat, partially because it had been broken several times. He was the leader of the largest clique in the camp and Reysha’s chosen dullard.

“Little more water?” the redhead purred and leaned forwards. She was practically on all fours, the casual shirt she wore slouching in such a manner that it gave an enticing view of her deliciously brown cleavage. “Talks like this shouldn’t be held… thirsty.”

Trellok’s eyes darted from the gorgeous tiger girl over to the man who had fucked her openly on their first day in camp. An utter lack of emotions on Apexus’ face made the bandit blow air out of his nose in contempt. “Sure,” the bandit agreed enthusiastically. His belly was filled with fish soup and his cup was being filled with warm water by Reysha, while Apexus watched. “What did’cha want to discuss.”

“My partner scouted a camp about two and a half days north of here, past the mountains,” Reysha revealed straight away. Sitting back, putting the kettle they had acquired from another camp aside, the tiger girl pulled one leg halfway towards her chest and rested her arm on it. It was as business-like a pose as one could have among marauders. “We want to make a deal. Your clique’s aid in raiding the camp for its exact location.”

Trellok sipped his water. It had a metallic taste from the cast-iron cauldron it had been sitting in, lukewarm, for a considerable time. That it was warm was welcome, in this evening of the eternal autumn. “My group is almost thirty strong,” he pointed out after some delay, his tone mildly threatening. His eyes glided over Reysha’s curves, so flippantly presented even by the casual clothes. “If I agree, you’d be aiding me, not the other way around.”

Reysha clicked her tongue, for the first time giving the half-dwarf an annoyed glance. “There’d be no raid without our information.”

“There’ll be no raid without my guys,” Trellok responded, tossing his now empty cup into the flattened grass. “We get the biggest share and the reputation or you can fuck off and die doing it alone, upstarts.”

Reysha frowned and glanced over to Apexus, then Aclysia, both of whom acted like they hated the idea. “Fucking fine,” she finally spat out. “You get first pass on the loot and if anyone asks, it was all your idea.”

A smile showing crooked, yellow teeth spread on Trellok’s face and he rose to his feet. “Good, you know your place,” he told them. “We leave in the morning.”

“Sure,” the redhead agreed. As Trellok left, she looked over to the trio of young men they had initially ‘recruited’ and barked, “The fuck ya looking at?! Piss off!”

They scurried rapidly, knowing what an angry gang boss could do. The quartet was left alone in the camp. Within seconds, Reysha’s angry expression turned into a wide grin. “See, told ya, just had to do a bit of buttering up and then he ate right outta my hand.”

“I am unconvinced the buttering was required,” Aclysia remarked. “His goal was evidently to put us in our place, figuratively speaking.”

“And if I hadn’t buttered him, he’d just told us to fuck off,” Reysha wagered and moved over to scratch the back of Apexus’ head. “Did ya mind what I did?”

“I do not like you acting like there are reproductive opportunities towards other males, no,” the humanoid chimera responded in a neutral tone. “If you think it was necessary, I trust you.”

“I won’t make a habit out of it,” she promised and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. She squealed with amusement when he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his lap. There was more wanted.

And more taken.

___________________________________________________________________________

‘The primary matter of importance is that Kaladar either does not hear of our involvement or thinks it is minimal,’ Aclysia contemplated, while the thirty-three of them moved out of the camp. ‘A blessed number, entirely inappropriate for this endeavour.’

They would be gone for five days at least, probably a week. If they had read the dragon correctly, Kaladar’s uncaring attitude about what exactly happened in his camp would continue and he would not notice they were gone. Then, when they returned Trellok would boast that he did it all by himself to better his own standing.

Whether or not the other bandits in the camp noticed almost did not matter. Kaladar had not mingled once while the quartet was there. The dragon was only a central authority, he only cared for the ‘camp politics’ insofar that a truly capable fighter occasionally emerged from among them.

There was still the off chance that the red dragon would call a raid of his own in their absence, learn what was going on during it, and act accordingly afterwards. ‘We will compensate if that comes to pass,’ Aclysia thought and turned her back to the camp. They left the three young men behind to watch over their stuff in their absence.

Everyone in the procession travelled with either light or no baggage whatsoever. Aclysia carried their tents and blankets in their communal adventurer’s bag. Battle equipment was either on their person or in everyone’s personal bag, typically the latter. The terrain was difficult and nobody wanted to carry more than was necessary.

Korith was ahead of the procession. Effortlessly, she leapt up a two-metre wall that most other people had to swerve around. She turned around. ‘Wow, that’s oddly satisfying,’ she thought, seeing the hole in the middle of the camp that their migration left behind. It was the last opportunity for her to spot the site before it would be hidden behind the ups and downs of the craggy slope.

Before the other bandits could catch up and start molesting her, the shortstack turned around and continued her march. She was closely followed by Apexus and Reysha. None of them had a particular inclination to mix and mingle with the ruffians they had in tow. Aclysia soon landed by them.

The quartet walked and talked like they usually did. When they took a pause, it was only to allow the other bandits to catch up. These people had the stamina and the will to keep marching the entire day, subsisting only off dried meat and whatever they could scavenge on the move. Their hardiness was the only trait Apexus and his loves were impressed by.

During the second day of travel, they worked more closely with the bandits to get them across the mountain the quickest and safest way. In order to not endear themselves too much and risk creating a hint of gratitude in Trellok’s soul, they were abrasive about it the entire time. It did not take a lot of acting, not even from Korith, to be annoyed with the marauders.

They made it past the mountain and into the forest past sundown. Everyone was exhausted and hungry, rations were low, but the forest around them promised plenty to scavenge before they reached their target. The entirety of Trellok’s gang laid down after they had pitched their tents on the driest spot they could find and were fast asleep.

“Guess that’s as good as we could get for an opportunity,” Reysha whispered, the four of them hanging out at the edge of camp, as if they were holding a watch. “Ya should head out now. We’ll cover for ya if you aren’t back by morning.”

“Attempt to catch prey on your way back,” Aclysia advised. “It will appear inconspicuous if you were hunting.”

The humanoid slime nodded. “I’ll be back as fast as possible,” he promised them.

“Make sure everyone gets away,” Korith whispered.

Apexus walked away further from camp, not wanting the beating of his wings to alert anyone. After about twenty minutes on foot, he found a clearing and took off into the air. He needed a moment to orient himself, spot the cliff on which he had waited previously, and find the campfires he had spotted previously from there.

The most important part of their plan was that nobody innocent got dragged into it.