It was a bandit camp, she was almost sure of it. An hour and a half of hiking later, Callida found herself in a small clearing and what appeared to be a moderately sized town. Log buildings of various shapes and sizes peppered the deforested grounds. There was infrastructure for a few thousand people. This wasn’t a small camp, and it had obviously been here for quite some time. So much for a quick elimination mission. Callida started feeling anxious. They’d have to send for an army to eliminate this threat.

“Welcome to Malenkiy Dom,” Raz smiled. “This is where we live and work, and if you choose to accept a position in our army, we would welcome you to stay here, free room and board.”

While Junglin and Immer nodded in mild appreciation of this job perk, Callida felt her insides squirm. “Raz, this private army, what are you defending or fighting against?”

“What do you mean?”

“Who do you view as the enemy?” Callida rephrased the question, hoping for a straight answer.

“We view anyone who would seek to take our freedom away as the enemy.”

Callida scowled. “Who do you pledge allegiance to?”

Raz laughed uncomfortably. “Our little town here, of course!”

“I meant, which tribe are you loy-”

“Is anyone interested in taking a tour?” Drucken cut her off. Raz followed his lead and started showing Immer and Junglin around, visibly relieved for the interruption. Drucken caught Callida’s arm again, and Callida quickly shoved him off.

“Which tribe are you loyal to, Drucken?”

“What do you mean? I’m a bear,” Drucken acted like she was stupid for asking, but Callida knew better.

“This isn’t a Bear Tribe town,” Callida dug in her heels stubbornly, forcing Drucken to face her. “You cut me off in front of the others. Why? ‘Afraid that they might turn against you when they realize that you’re not loyal to the Bear Tribe?”

Drucken studied her, a dark scowl lining his forehead. “You’re awfully perceptive.”

“And I don’t like mincing words. I like to know who I’m working for. From the way you’re acting, I doubt that I’m going to get any straight answers here, and I’m guessing that you don’t actually want me to know who I’d be working for until I’ve already been sucked into your ideology. Am I right?”

Drucken stepped closer towards her, close enough that Callida could feel the heat off his body. “Our ideology? What ideology?”

“You’re creating an army here to protect or fight for something. Most ‘somethings’ are founded in some sort of belief system. So spill, Drucken. What’s the catch? Give me your pitch. Why should I fight in this army, train in this army?”

“Come with me,” Drucken turned and led Callida to a small cabin, knocking firmly on the door to announce their presence.

“Come in!”

“I have someone I’d like you to meet, sir,” Drucken said, gesturing for Callida to enter into the cabin behind him. “This is Aria Mendacium. It turns out that in addition to being a highly skilled fighter and trainer, she’s also rather clever.”

“Ah!” the man in the armchair exclaimed with a wry smile. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Ms. Mendacium. Raz and Drucken have been gushing to me about your merits. Did you bring the resume we requested?”

Callida procured the paper that Spahen had slaved over from a small pouch at her hip, proffering it to the elderly man in the chair. “Who are you?”

The man looked up from the paper he was now squinting at. “Oh, how rude of me. I’m Filoso, the leader of this… town.”

“Are you a member of the resistance?” Callida asked bluntly, and Filoso was momentarily stunned.

“I see what you mean, Drucken,” he chuckled before turning back to Callida. “What if I am?”

“That’s an important thing for me to know before I sign on with you,” Callida stated rather simply.

“Alright,” Filoso smiled, “I am. Will that be a problem?”

Callida studied Filoso for a moment, racking her brains for an answer that would allow her to continue to snoop around the camp and not send up any red flags. “I haven’t decided yet.”

He chuckled. “You’re not the first to feel that way, Ms. Mendacium. Drucken, take good care of this young lady for me. Show her around, tell her what she wants to know, and see to it that she makes it back to the Bear Tribe village in one piece.”

Drucken seemed mildly confused but accepted the orders with a “yes, sir.”

“Right. Off you go then.”

Callida walked out of the cabin feeling like she’d gotten away with a crime. Drucken followed close behind her and started a private tour of the town. Callida stayed quiet, observing everything Drucken pointed out, finishing the tour where they started in front of Filoso’s cabin. “And that’s pretty much everything,” Drucken ended. “Do you have any questions?”

“Yes. Why did you decide to join the resistance?”

“Uh, I meant about the town….” He sighed and launched into a tired explanation. “I sympathize with the small tribes, especially the wandering tribes. They’ve been forced from their homes, forced to live in exile. Deeper into the wastelands, there are camps of the wandering tribes full of women and children. The children especially-- they don’t deserve this, living like criminals running from the law. It’s not right.”

“So you’re fighting to liberate them?”

“To protect them from further abuse,” Drucken corrected her. “And, yes, hopefully someday, they will be permitted to return to the lands that are rightfully theirs.”

“I see.”

“Will you help us?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Callida stated noncommittally, repeating her answer from earlier. “I’m an opportunist, Drucken, and I’m not certain that I want to make myself an enemy of the main tribes. As you are already aware, my business is in protecting the frightened aristocracy of the main tribes from, ironically, people like you. I’m sure you can understand how training you goes against my own interests.”

Drucken seemed disappointed. “Maybe we can strike some kind of deal?”

“Maybe,” Callida conceded. “For now, however, I’d like to return to the Bear Tribe village to mull things over and sleep on everything. I believe Filoso assigned you to be my escort?”

Drucken mutely entered the forest, gesturing for Callida to follow him. She released an anxious breath and took the plunge back through the treeline.

***

“Beta! You’re back! Are you alright?” Buhne asked as soon as she walked through the door.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” Callida pursed her lips in a scowl.

“Stag followed you into the woods. He said they took you to a town of some sort? He was guessing a bandit encampment.”

“Yeah. I confirmed that they are bandits.”

“How’d you do that?”

“I asked them,” she shrugged.

“And they let you come back?!”

“Well, yeah. I’ve set myself up as a bit of a mercenary, willing to work for the highest bidder. They haven’t given up on me yet,” she paused, thinking. “Also, that list of the brawlers, I think stars mean they’ve already been successfully recruited. Drucken has obviously been working for the resistance for some time now.”

“Stag drew a layout of as much of the town as he could see,” Spahen said. “Take a look and make some edits. Tell us what you remember.”

Callida sat down at the table and added some squares to the crude map for the buildings she could remember, labeling a few of the ones she specifically remembered.

“Who is Filoso?” Spahen asked, looking over her shoulder.

“He’s the leader of the ‘town’ as he put it. Elderly guy. I gave him my resume when Drucken took me to meet him after I started asking too many pointed questions. Guys, we’re in over our heads on this one. By my rough estimate, the camp is home to over three thousand able-bodied men. This isn’t an elimination mission we can complete just the six of us.”

“Stag said something similar,” Bern nodded. “It sounds like we need to clear out first thing in the morning, pass the information on to General Gutig to send an army back here.”

“To avoid suspicion, Beta, you and Stag need to stick to your routine, head back to the arena tonight to watch the fights,” Spahen added. “We’ll pack up while you’re there. Maybe don’t stay too late, and stick together. Shield, you should go with them to watch their backs. We leave at first light tomorrow.”

***

Callida found her usual seat, and Erkunden took the seat next to her rather than wandering the floor. “‘Last night,” she mused.

“Yup,” Erkunden leaned back lazily in his seat, glancing around the room. “‘Gonna miss it?”

“No,” Callida laughed, glancing to the stage where the announcer was introducing the next pair of fighters.

“Incoming,” Erkunden grinned, glancing over Callida’s shoulder. He stood up to clear his seat for Rohling. “I’ll see you in a bit.” Callida grimaced after Erkunden before turning to smile as genuinely as possible at Rohling.

“May I join you?” came the predictable request.

“Sure,” Callida gestured to the chair next to her, and Rohling moved it closer to her before sitting. She resisted the urge to scoot her chair away from him, settling for leaning back and crossing her legs at an angle that placed her knees between them. “How are you this evening, Rohling?”

“Oh, I’m alright. How about you, Aria?”

“I’m fine. I met with those private army people today.”

Rohling tensed slightly at this declaration. “What for?”

“They want me to help them train their men,” Callida shrugged.

“Are-are you going to help them?”

“They haven’t made me an offer yet, so I don’t have much to consider at the moment,” Callida frowned, her eyes fixing on a point in the distance. “I don’t know that it would be in my best interest to help them though.”

Rohling relaxed. “Good.”

“What?” she laughed, looking back at him.

“Just, I’m glad you’re thinking this through,” Rohling flushed a little, pleasantly flustered by Callida’s laugh. “I mean, you know what I think of the private army’s interests.”

She leaned forward, her face inches from his, pressing her advantage by resting a hand on his arm, pouting playfully. “You don’t want me to take the job?”

“I-I, uh, I mean, you can do what you want, Aria. I just- I just don’t like the way they do things. You know?”

“Mn…” she quirked her head to the side and smiled crookedly at him, leaning back in her seat again to give him the breathing room he needed to recover his brain. She glanced around the room as it erupted into cheers indicating the end of the current match, briefly catching Ablenkung’s eye a few tables over. He looked amused, so Callida knew he’d been watching her interaction with Rohling.

“So, uh, how’s training going?”

“Huh? Oh.” Callida returned to the conversation a little awkwardly. “It’s going well. Thanks for asking. The men are improving. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the men I’ve been training are doing better in the ring too.”

“I had noticed,” Rohling smiled. “You do good work.”

Callida looked around the room again as the conversation stalled and the next fight was announced, casually looking for Erkunden. She didn’t see him, so she glanced back at Ablenkung. Ablenkung was on his feet not trying to hide the fact that he too was looking for someone in the crowd.

“Aria? Is everything alright?” Rohling asked, noting the mild distress in her expression.

“I’m sorry, Rohling, could you excuse me for a minute?” She didn’t wait for an answer and got to her feet, walking past Ablenkung with a questioning look on her face. Ablenkung shook his head, and Callida began to weave urgently through the crowd, Ablenkung following her example in a different direction.

She circled the stage twice before climbing the stairs to the balcony above. Erkunden wasn’t in the arena. She made eye contact with Ablenkung below her and shook her head, a note of panic on her face. Ablenkung took the hint and headed for the door. Callida began the descent down the balcony stairs to follow him out.

“Ms. Mendacium,” Raz caught her halfway down, “‘just who I was looking for.”

“Raz, now isn’t a good time,” she said, looking past him and trying to move around him.

“‘Looking for your business partner?”

“How did you-” she met his eyes, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. “Where is he?”

“We’re entering business negotiations with him.”

Callida shoved Raz into the stairwell wall, her hand fisting the front of his shirt, her voice a low growl. “Where. Is. He?”

Raz laughed and brushed her off. “Come with me.”

Callida allowed him to lead her down the stairs and through the doors of the arena. Ablenkung was hovering near the front and caught her eye long enough to realize what was going on. He found a way to play off his potentially suspicious behavior, but a triumphant Raz didn’t seem to even notice him. Callida decided to confront Raz within earshot of Ablenkung. “Where is Stetig, Raz?”

“I told you, we are entering business negotiations with him.”

“What does that mean?”

“Are you worried about him?”

“That’s a stupid question.”

Raz smiled. “Good. This will work better for us if you’re worried.”

“You’re holding him to blackmail me into compliance?”

“We prefer to think of it as incentivising your cooperation.” Callida’s hand moved to her sword. “Ah, ah, ah,” Raz crowed, “you wouldn’t want anything to happen to him before our negotiations are complete, would you?” He took her hand from her sword and kissed her fingers mockingly. She snatched her hand back and slapped Raz hard, leaving a bright red imprint on his cheek. She didn’t wait for a response, angrily marching directly into the trees toward the bandit camp. Raz spit some blood out and followed her in.

***

“Where is he?” Callida demanded of Filoso as soon as the door opened.

“Now, now. Manners, Ms. Mendacium.”

“Cut the crap. Where is Stetig?”

“Your resume is most impressive.”

Callida drew her sword, ignoring the men behind her doing the same, to place the tip against Filoso’s throat. “Then you should know that I’m not kidding when I say I will cut you down where you stand unless you answer my questions. Where is Stetig?”

“He’s here. Safe. Unharmed.”

“I want to see him.”

Filoso smiled and delicately pinched the blade of her sword to move it cautiously to the side. “First, let’s discuss terms.”

“No. If you want me to listen to anything you have to say, you will bring me to Stetig.”

Filoso pursed his lips in calculating annoyance. “Very well, Ms. Mendacium, we will discuss terms after you get your proof of life.”

As quickly as she’d drawn it, her sword was sheathed. Callida turned on her heel, pushing past the men fumbling with their own swords to exit the cabin. Filoso struggled to keep up with her aggressive pace, and Drucken suddenly materialized next to her to guide her to the holding room where Erkunden was imprisoned.

Callida glared daggers at the guards taking their time finding the key to the solid oak door. The door was barely cracked long enough for her to make eye contact with Erkunden before it was shut in her face again. She whipped around to face Filoso accusingly. “You said he was unharmed!”

“Well, he put up a fight,” Drucken explained, laughing a little sheepishly.

“Get me a med kit,” Callida demanded.

“Now, Ms. Mendacium, you said we’d discuss terms-”

“And you said that Stetig was unharmed,” Callida crossed her arms challengingly. “Get me a med kit.”

Filoso sighed. “You’re not making this easy for us.”

“‘Not my problem.”

Filoso studied her face-- the anger and threat that burned there and the absolute absence of fear. He eventually nodded to another over-sized human standing behind him, wondering if this was such a good idea after all. A few minutes later, a med kit arrived and was snatched away by Callida who then turned to glare at the guards again. Filoso gave the order with another nod, and Callida was allowed to enter the room.

“Stetig,” she dropped to her knees next to where he was sitting propped up against the wall, “where are you hurt?” She didn’t really require an answer. The blood trickling down the side of his face from his hairline already had her searching his head for cuts.

Erkunden seemed surprised that she was being allowed to tend to him. “Aria, what’s going on?”

“Blackmail,” Callida spat. “When I’m done here, we’ll discuss terms. Apparently my indecisiveness about joining this merry band of bandits wasn’t good enough for them. Before I could make up my mind one way or the other, they figured they’d force my hand.”

Erkunden caught her bloodied hands once she’d finished cleaning and bandaging his head. “Aria, did you bring your Shield?”

“Why would I bring a-?” Erkunden squeezed her fingers, cutting her off. She looked at him, understanding what he was really asking, and struggled to formulate an answer that would answer both the obvious and the secondary question. “My Shield is where it should be.” Erkunden winked at her and she grinned. “You must have hit your head really hard to ask a random question like that.”

“Yeah, maybe. I’m feeling a little dizzy.”

Without much thought, Callida reached out, pulling him forward to kiss his forehead. “I’ll be back. Get some rest.”

“Aria,” Erkunden took her wrist, “be careful.” His free hand found her cheek, the cheek nearest to their audience at the door, and guided her face close to his. Her hair fell in a curtain, further obscuring the view as Erkunden’s thumb pressed against her lips in time to interrupt what would have been a deep kiss. He winked again, and Callida had to resist the urge to giggle.

“I’ll be back.” She stroked his face to play up the act before taking her leave. The door was shut and locked behind her, and Callida assumed her death glare again. “Terms?”

Filoso smiled. “Train our men for one month. At that point you’re both free to go. Of course, we’d prefer for you to stay longer. A month is a decent period of time to spend considering your allegiances.”

“Don’t count on it,” Callida snarled. “A month is a long time to be locked in a room with no windows or company of any kind.”

“You’ll be allowed to visit him after training each day,” Filoso stated coolly.

Callida took a few intimidating steps forward until she was practically nose-to-nose with Filoso. “If you so much as hurt a hair on his head, the deal is off, and I will kill you. Am I clear?”

She certainly knew how to make a threat. Filoso swallowed to relieve a suddenly dry throat. “You aren’t in a position to negotiate.”

“It’s not a negotiation,” Callida breathed. “It’s a promise.”

Filoso became aware of something sharp pressing into his gut. When she’d pulled a knife on him, he had no idea, and none of his men were aware of the danger. He gulped down his rising panic, willing himself not to breathe in case the inhale encouraged the knife into his belly. He was playing with fire. “Understood.”

She stepped back, the knife disappearing before Filoso could catch a visual of it, and knocked shoulders with the men surrounding her as she forced her way towards the forest again.

“We’ll see you in the morning then,” Filoso tried to sound casual and unrattled, but his old voice betrayed him with a slight crack.

She paused slightly, the interruption to her stride the only indication that she’d even heard Filoso as her back remained turned to him. She continued onwards, entering the forest made ominous by the way the moonbeams barely trickled through the canopy. There’s no way they will just let Erkunden and me walk away after a month. This either ends with us joining them or they'll kill us. That means we have a month, probably less, to put together a rescue mission.