Chapter 5.1: Plan B

Minkus didn’t get his eyes more than halfway open before he reflexively closed them again, wincing at the intense ache that ran from the back of his skull to his eye sockets. For a moment he could focus on nothing but the fingers of pain stretched across his head. He moved to ease the throb with his hands, but was stopped. He tried again to move his arms. They were bound at the wrist.

Minkus’ eyes burst open as he began to writhe, trying to turn his wrists into view, but they were tied too tightly for him to see.

“Well, look who’s up,” a sharp, squirrely voice said from a few feet away. “We was afraid you was dead.”

A man stepped into view. He was small-framed and unshaven, wearing some kind of oversized plate armor on his chest and carrying a broadsword over his shoulder. Minkus’ heart pounded in his chest. “Who are you?” He asked, finding his throat dry and his voice weak. “And where am I?”

The little man cackled, kneeling down beside the asura. “I’s nobody, and you’re right where you should be,” he said. “Boss is glad you’s not dead, but mistakes does happen, if you get my drift. So shut your trap and stay put, or I’ll finish the job Gregor started on you.”

Sneering, the man stood, turned, and walked out of view. The pain shot through Minkus’ skull again.

Shaking it off, he noticed another sound. Two people were talking, but it was too faint to make any of it out. He shimmied a little to see where he was. It looked like a cave, just one big room filled with barrels of provisions and some scattered items of furniture. There was a second story built of rickety timbers against the opposite wall, but that wasn’t where the voices came from. A ways down the cavern, he saw the silhouette of a man at a table, sitting across from another man who appeared to be glowing green. It had to be Ventyr.

“Psst, Biggie,” came a whisper from behind him.

Minkus rolled over. The pain in his head shot down through his neck and back, and he groaned as the speaker came into view. “Penny?”

“Shhh, shut up,” she whispered emphatically, looking up over his shoulder and across the room. “You want that little rat-man to come back?”

Minkus tightened his lips and followed her gaze back over his shoulder. The guard hadn’t heard him.

“Glad to see your big eyes open, pal,” she whispered. Her eyes flitted back and forth between his for a moment, assessing the damage. “You’ve been out for over three hours.”

“Three hours?” He sounded dead to the meaning.

Penny nodded. “You missed the whole trip here.” A wry smile spread across her lips. “I’m almost jealous.”

“Where are we?” he asked, shaking his head. He tried again to pull at the rope around his wrists.

“A cave. Some bandit hideout somewhere in the Queen’s Forest,” she whispered, looking up every so often to make sure no one noticed them. “Those asshats on the road tied us up and dragged us here.”

“Asshats?” Minkus asked, blinking stupidly.

“The bandits, Biggie. That gang that jumped us on the road? Remember them?”

He thought back, and the events of the day slowly came into focus again. “Oh, yeah,” he said. “The thieves. You and Ventyr and Braxus fought them, and—” He nearly jumped when it returned to him. “I was healing Jindel. Is Jindel alright? Where’s everyone else?” He started tugging more at his bonds.

Penny nodded. “Calm down. She’s not well, but soldier girl’s alive. She and the big guy are over behind me a ways.” She gestured behind her with her head. “They’ve mostly left us alone,” she continued, “waiting to ransom us or some shit, but the head guy’s taken an interest in Vent over there. They’ve been at it for a while. I think they found his marching orders when they searched us. Don’t know why that guy cares so much about Vigil communications—or whatever Vent was carrying—”

“Penny, we need to get out of here!” Minkus interrupted in nearly a squeak. “How do we get out of here?!”

She gave a hard look and shushed him again. “Shut up, Biggie. I have a plan, OK?”

“A plan? For what? Escape?”

Penny rolled her eyes. “No. For a chain of produce stands. Yes, Biggie, of course for escape. Grenth alive, get a grip.”

He took a deep breath, inched himself up the wall into a sitting position, and nodded. He gripped the back of his tunic tightly but stayed quiet.

“Anyway,” Penny continued, “like hell those bastards are profiting off us. We’re getting out of here.” She motioned with her head toward a pile of objects in the middle of the cave, not thirty feet away. “Most of our stuff is right over there, weapons and all. We just need to get to it without getting stopped. Before we left the Reach, I added some tricks to the smartpack that should do the job.”

“Tricks?” He asked.

“I’ll make it deploy a smoke bomb—”

“A smoke bomb?” he injected with a start.

“Yes, a smoke bomb. Now shut it and listen to the plan.”

He nodded, abashed, and she went on. “The smoke bomb’ll give me cover so I can slide in and toss out some weapons to you and Braxus. There’s only a handful of those thieving yahoos in this part of the cave, so we should be able to take them. I just need one of those energy walls of yours, in case they start shooting.”

He tried to smile, but couldn’t. “Didn’t we already lose a fight to them once?” he asked. “In the open? Now we’re in their hideout and tied up.” He shrugged, highlighting the limited mobility in his arms.

That self-satisfied smirk returned to Penny’s face. “But now there are fewer of them—most are back in the caves somewhere. And not all of us are tied.” She slid her right hand just out from behind her back, waving at him subtly.

Minkus’ purple eyes went wide. “But how did you—”

“Never mind. We just need to get Vent his magic stick. Even in here, he’s—” Her words fell silent, and she turned away from him at the same moment he heard the scraping of wooden chair legs and footfalls coming toward them. He could just begin to make out words as Ventyr, the bandit leader, and his huge companion stopped a few paces from the table they’d been sitting at. The beak-nosed rifleman continued on toward the other prisoners.

“You know,” Minkus heard the leader say, oily disdain dripping off his words, “I’d hoped you would have made this simple, Sergeant. Alas, you’ve proven to be the honorable sort, unwilling to provide information, at risk of pain or at opportunity for profit. I suppose that’s commendable, in some circles.”

Ventyr gave no hint of submission despite the mountain of a man who stood inches behind him, waiting for a reason to break a limb. The leader went on with an apathetic shrug. “That just means I’m going to have to take a new approach. Look at your friends there, tied up, helpless. But which one to choose?” He ran his finger slowly along the scar down the side of his face. “I do have a bit of a taste for the sassy one— but no. Remi,” he finally called out, “bring the blonde.”

Minkus and Penny watched the slender gunman pass by them and come to a stop before Braxus and Jindel. It was the first time Minkus had really looked at them there, paired off about ten paces beyond Penny. Both were bound, but the charr was in chains anchored to the floor. He was leaned back against the wall of the cave, with Jindel lying perpendicular to him, her head resting on his massive leg. She was awake but not in good condition. As the bandit looked down at her, Braxus locked eyes on him, his feline nostrils flaring and his neck fur standing on end. Even seated on the ground, the charr was still at a level with the man’s midsection.

He bent down and reached to pick up Jindel by the waist when Braxus lunged over her, snapping his jaws at the man, but Remi didn’t seem to care. The anchors held; there was nothing even the charr could do. The bandit picked her up, as his master commanded, and walked her toward the trio across the way. He had surprising strength for his narrow frame, but he still made little effort to support the battered crusader, almost dragging her as much as walking her across the chamber. Sickly and drenched in sweat, she stumbled along with him as best she could.

Resting his hand on the sword at his hip, the leader turned back to Ventyr. “You may not be willing to tell me what I want to know when I threaten you, but what about when I threaten your colleagues?” He gestured at Jindel as Remi laid her against a nearby barrel. “Now Remi, that’s not very civil.” He wagged his finger. “Get the girl a seat.”

Rolling his eyes, the other man obeyed. Walking a little farther, he grabbed one of the chairs from the table and brought it back to the group. He picked her up and dropped her into it. Jindel winced, unable to contain the moan that came out as she struck wood. “Don’t give him anything, sir,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Such a brave little soldier,” the leader mocked.

“Go to Torment,” she spat back.

Minkus watched the leader step to the chair and lean down over her, examining her sallow complexion before moving on to the wound in her shoulder. “Ah, yes,” he said, “someone deserves a raise. A fine shot with a fine ammunition.” He turned his head to face Ventyr, though still leaning over Jindel. “You notice this ring of discoloration around the wound? It must have been Herman. The boy does like his poisoned bullets. One shot. She probably has about a day to live, but it won’t be pleasant. Actually,” he said with a devilish grin, “it has a funny tendency of making the wound even more— sensitive.” With emphasis on the last word and a squint in the corners of his eyes, he slid his rapier out of its scabbard and pressed the pommel into her wound.

Jindel cried out. It was brief but left her panting through clenched teeth, trying to catch her breath. Braxus roared from the corner, drawing the attention of Penny and Minkus, but none of the bandits gave him so much as a glance.

The leader stood upright, speaking to himself as much as anyone else. “That Herman. So effective.” He returned his attention to Ventyr. “So,” he said, glaring at the sylvari, “are you sure there’s nothing more you want to tell me about these stones?”

Ventyr’s eyes hovered for a moment on the crusader slumped in her chair. At no point did Ventyr’s wooden expression change, but Minkus almost thought he saw heatwaves rippling the air behind the sylvari. “There is nothing more to tell,” he said. “You seem to know more about them than I do.”

The man’s suave demeanor started to falter. He took a step toward Ventyr, rubbing his face in his hands. “No!” he screeched, jamming his forefinger into Ventyr’s chest. “You know where this came from, and you will tell me.” He pivoted, pointing toward Jindel. “I’ll see to that.”

In one motion, he turned away, strode to Jindel, and leaned in close. “I’m sorry, my dear, but your commander is unwilling to talk. Sacrifices must be made.” And with that, he drove the two fore-knuckles of his left hand forcefully into her open wound, grinding and twisting as he dug into her flesh, breaking the scab and pushing farther. She threw her head back and wailed, wrapping her legs backward around the legs of the chair as her body spasmed.

It wasn’t a short cry. It went on as long as the bandit leader’s pressure did, fluctuating in pitch and volume with each twist of his hand. Braxus roared his fury, but again no one paid him mind. All eyes were on the leader hunched over his victim. Penny nudged Minkus and called out a directive, “SP-1, smoke!”

Not another soul noticed her words or the mechanical arm that slid out the bottom of her pack. It dropped a small, linen-wrapped puck beside their belongings in the middle of the room, and the raven-haired mechanic beamed with pride, flashing a glance at Minkus to get him ready. Looking back, though, she cocked her head, staring intently at the smoke bomb, which wasn’t smoking. Her eyes went wide.

“Oh shit,” she whispered. “That’s not a smoker. It’s a bomb.”

“What?” Minkus yelped. “It’s right next to everything.”

“I can fix this,” she said, darting forward and rolling toward the pile of equipment. Minkus sat frozen, watching everything unfold without an inkling of what to do.

All eyes in the room rose from the tortured crusader and fell on the woman diving into a pile of confiscated goods. Even the leader noticed, briefly pausing his cruelty. He sighed. “Don’t just stand there,” he yelled. “Go stop her!”

Crouched among their belongings, Penny grabbed the bomb, kicked the smartpack for its failure, and hurled the explosive toward the wall behind her, opposite the captives. It sailed through the air, leaving a thin trail of spiraling smoke and landing in a stack of provision barrels beneath the ramshackle second floor.

Remi, who’d been the first to move toward Penny, froze mid-step. Even beneath his hat, his eyes went wide enough for Minkus to see. The asura looked at the barrels. They weren’t provisions at all; they had the markings of gunpowder.

Before the thought even occurred to him, Minkus blinked out of existence. With a blinding flash, he reappeared beside Penny and threw himself on top of her. Another flash of light sparked only a heartbeat before the ear-shattering explosion, and a dome of iridescent energy expanded from the center of Minkus’ body.

The blast blew the upper story’s timbers to bits, scattering them to the four corners of the cavern. It sent a quiver through Minkus’ barrier. Everyone else in the chamber was hit by the force of the explosion, if not the shrapnel. It slammed Braxus against the wall, cracking the tip of his remaining horn. Everyone else was launched off their feet and smashed into the floor of the cave. Even Remi, who’d had the wisdom to run, was caught mid-stride and flung into the table.

As the last bits of wood clattered lightly to the floor, Minkus let down the barrier and exhaled, slumping forward and rolling off of Penny. Eyes wide, she turned to him. “What in Torment was that?”

“The barrels—” Minkus wheezed, “they were gunpowder.”

“Gunpowder?” She blinked. “Shit.”

Minkus nodded, dazed. “I think I made a—”

“Never mind,” she interrupted, pushing him. “It doesn’t matter. Get up. We’ve got to go now!” She untied his bonds and started burrowing through the remains of their things.

Minkus sat up but didn’t move.

Penny shoved his sword, Ventyr’s staff, and both their bags into Minkus’ arms. “Wake up!” she yelled. “Get that to Vent, now!”

Minkus shook his head and hopped to his feet, holding all the objects out in front of him as he bolted for the sylvari. He suddenly turned and ran back. “I need my focus!” he yelped.

“Your what? Forget it. Keep mo—”

“There it is!” He grabbed the object out of the pile and took off again toward Ventyr.

Sliding to a stop beside him, Minkus kneeled to wake the sylvari and got him to his feet. The humans around them began to stir, moaning as their senses returned. “Here,” Minkus spluttered, handing Ventyr the staff and looking around anxiously. “We— we need to— to—”

“Yes, we need to go. I agree.” Ventyr cracked his back as he started toward Jindel, but the sound of footfalls and cries coming from further into the caves stopped him.

Minkus looked to the sylvari for direction. “The others— they heard the explosion!”

“Get Jindel, and get out,” Ventyr commanded. Minkus obeyed, stumbling away as Ventyr took a few paces toward the tunnel.

As he got beneath Jindel to help her out of the chair, Minkus looked back to see Ventyr before the tunnel that led further into the caverns. He swiftly raised his staff over his head. With evident exertion, he lowered and raised it again. Then again. Beyond the sylvari, huge slabs of stone rose from the earth, higher and higher with each gesture, until the mouth of the tunnel was sealed.

Minkus turned back to Jindel, wobbling a little as he tried to support her from the waist. “We need to go,” he chittered.

“It burns like hot knives,” she groaned.

“Give it what you got, cub,” Braxus grunted, coming up beside them. “We’re not dying here.”

He and Penny had collected all they could of the group’s belongings and caught up. The charr leaned down to get his massive arm up under Jindel’s and around her back, lifting the woman up beside him. Ventyr joined them, his staff in one hand and a small satchel in the other. Together, the party took up as fast a stride as they could toward the entrance.

They’d made it halfway out when gunshots shattered their focus, echoing through the cavern. Jindel flinched, screamed, and nearly fell from the charr’s grasp.

“Not so fast!” boomed the bandit leader behind them.