Aerynth
Senior Member
"Are you sure about this, Rinna?"
"Well, it's a little too late to turn back, don't you think?" Indeed, a little too late was a good way to put it. The royal carriage was bound to appear at any moment now, at least if the intel they had received could be trusted. Trees hid them well, as well as the darkness of this starless night, but the traps had already been laid. Ropes had been tied to the stumps lining the road, waiting for the horses to get tangled in them.
"Even if we chickened out now, what do you think would happen exactly? Do you think that the royal brat would appreciate the little greeting we left for her here? Or do you suppose they would come to the conclusion that ropes grow on trees naturally and pay it no mind?"
Caleb winced. No, he suffered from no such delusions. If the plot were to be discovered, the forest that had served as their shelter for so long would certainly by searched, inch by inch, until their hideout was found. "I... I just don't like it. I think we may have bitten off more than we can chew this time. This isn't common robbery anymore!"
Rinna sighed. Even with the lack of light, one could see the annoyance reflected in her blue eyes and the way her mouth suddenly looked like a single thin line. "You're damn right, it's not. It's our ticket to wealth, you dimwit. One job and we will spend the rest of our lives drinking the finest wines, eating the most famous delicacies and being bored out of our minds by the luxury of it all. Not sure about you, but I want that life. Now if you're too busy soiling your pants, just retreat to the camp and we will come for you later."
"What are you-- I am not a coward!"
"Well, don't behave like one and you may be able to avoid the accusations!"
"Rinna, Caleb, shut up," Gael growled, "I think I hear something." Normally she would have protested about being told to shut up, but he was right; she did hear the characteristic sound of hooves clapping in the distance. Suddenly, her heart was beating very fast. Here goes our golden opportunity.
"Assume your positions," she said and the group scattered among the trees, practically invisible to the untrained eye now. Rinna herself climbed one of the trees within seconds, pulled out a crossbow and reached for one of the sleeping darts resting in her pockets. To her surprise, her hands were trembling. I should calm down, and fast. It's just another routine job; nothing I couldn't do with one hand tied behind my back. So what if my target today is a royal? Kings and queens still bleed red.
When the royal carriage emerged from the darkness, her instincts took over. It was as if something had possessed her body; the nervousness disappeared and Rinna watched the scene unfolding in front of her with ice cold concentration. Just a little bit closer, she urged the carriage in her mind, and it obeyed. The horses ran straight into the ropes and screamed out in pain; a horrible sound to be sure, but Rinna's heart had been hardened for a long time now. Before the coachman could react, Rinna pulled the trigger and he fell from his seat, the dart buried deeply in his neck.
Everything then happened within a blink of an eye. Gael cut the harnesses binding the horses to the carriage and the animals, terrified to death, ran. In the meantime, Caleb and Istra opened the door, gagged the young woman sitting inside and bound her quickly. Her feeble protests couldn't stop them from carrying her out. Soon enough, the woman ended up thrown over Gael's large shoulder. Yes! Rinna jumped down from her elevated position to join the remainder of her group, now trembling with excitement.
"Good job, friends. Now let's get out of here!" She didn't have to say that twice. With no further ado, they disappeared among the trees again, navigating narrow paths known only to them and forest animals. It didn't take too long for them to reach the camp; it was hidden in a cavern with an entrance too small for large predators to enter, but big enough for humans to fit without greater issues.
"Ouch! Damn, I swear!" Well, except for Gael, a giant among humans, who hit his head again despite living here for god knew how long.
"Gael, don't use such crude words in front of our precious guest," Rinna smirked and lit a torch. "And ungag her, please. We're all civilized people here, aren't we?" She proceeded to light a bonfire with the torch; the cavern now looked almost cozy with shadows painting pictures on the walls.
"I... I can scarcely believe it," Caleb whispered, but Rinna ignored him. Instead, she turned her attention towards their captive. After all, the opportunity to meet the country's beloved princess wasn't presented to her every day! "Welcome to my humble home, dear princess," Rinna bowed in a mocking manner. "How do you like it so far?" She smiled sweetly, searching for the signs of fear in her eyes. Rinna knew that she didn't look particularly scary; a blue-eyed brunette with hair tied in a bun, lean and slightly on the shorter side, wasn't exactly the type of person to appear in most people's nightmares. She assumed that this situation was somewhat special, though.
"Well, it's a little too late to turn back, don't you think?" Indeed, a little too late was a good way to put it. The royal carriage was bound to appear at any moment now, at least if the intel they had received could be trusted. Trees hid them well, as well as the darkness of this starless night, but the traps had already been laid. Ropes had been tied to the stumps lining the road, waiting for the horses to get tangled in them.
"Even if we chickened out now, what do you think would happen exactly? Do you think that the royal brat would appreciate the little greeting we left for her here? Or do you suppose they would come to the conclusion that ropes grow on trees naturally and pay it no mind?"
Caleb winced. No, he suffered from no such delusions. If the plot were to be discovered, the forest that had served as their shelter for so long would certainly by searched, inch by inch, until their hideout was found. "I... I just don't like it. I think we may have bitten off more than we can chew this time. This isn't common robbery anymore!"
Rinna sighed. Even with the lack of light, one could see the annoyance reflected in her blue eyes and the way her mouth suddenly looked like a single thin line. "You're damn right, it's not. It's our ticket to wealth, you dimwit. One job and we will spend the rest of our lives drinking the finest wines, eating the most famous delicacies and being bored out of our minds by the luxury of it all. Not sure about you, but I want that life. Now if you're too busy soiling your pants, just retreat to the camp and we will come for you later."
"What are you-- I am not a coward!"
"Well, don't behave like one and you may be able to avoid the accusations!"
"Rinna, Caleb, shut up," Gael growled, "I think I hear something." Normally she would have protested about being told to shut up, but he was right; she did hear the characteristic sound of hooves clapping in the distance. Suddenly, her heart was beating very fast. Here goes our golden opportunity.
"Assume your positions," she said and the group scattered among the trees, practically invisible to the untrained eye now. Rinna herself climbed one of the trees within seconds, pulled out a crossbow and reached for one of the sleeping darts resting in her pockets. To her surprise, her hands were trembling. I should calm down, and fast. It's just another routine job; nothing I couldn't do with one hand tied behind my back. So what if my target today is a royal? Kings and queens still bleed red.
When the royal carriage emerged from the darkness, her instincts took over. It was as if something had possessed her body; the nervousness disappeared and Rinna watched the scene unfolding in front of her with ice cold concentration. Just a little bit closer, she urged the carriage in her mind, and it obeyed. The horses ran straight into the ropes and screamed out in pain; a horrible sound to be sure, but Rinna's heart had been hardened for a long time now. Before the coachman could react, Rinna pulled the trigger and he fell from his seat, the dart buried deeply in his neck.
Everything then happened within a blink of an eye. Gael cut the harnesses binding the horses to the carriage and the animals, terrified to death, ran. In the meantime, Caleb and Istra opened the door, gagged the young woman sitting inside and bound her quickly. Her feeble protests couldn't stop them from carrying her out. Soon enough, the woman ended up thrown over Gael's large shoulder. Yes! Rinna jumped down from her elevated position to join the remainder of her group, now trembling with excitement.
"Good job, friends. Now let's get out of here!" She didn't have to say that twice. With no further ado, they disappeared among the trees again, navigating narrow paths known only to them and forest animals. It didn't take too long for them to reach the camp; it was hidden in a cavern with an entrance too small for large predators to enter, but big enough for humans to fit without greater issues.
"Ouch! Damn, I swear!" Well, except for Gael, a giant among humans, who hit his head again despite living here for god knew how long.
"Gael, don't use such crude words in front of our precious guest," Rinna smirked and lit a torch. "And ungag her, please. We're all civilized people here, aren't we?" She proceeded to light a bonfire with the torch; the cavern now looked almost cozy with shadows painting pictures on the walls.
"I... I can scarcely believe it," Caleb whispered, but Rinna ignored him. Instead, she turned her attention towards their captive. After all, the opportunity to meet the country's beloved princess wasn't presented to her every day! "Welcome to my humble home, dear princess," Rinna bowed in a mocking manner. "How do you like it so far?" She smiled sweetly, searching for the signs of fear in her eyes. Rinna knew that she didn't look particularly scary; a blue-eyed brunette with hair tied in a bun, lean and slightly on the shorter side, wasn't exactly the type of person to appear in most people's nightmares. She assumed that this situation was somewhat special, though.