Later that afternoon, on the lower slopes of the mountains outside Pinwhale Village, seven battered men followed a narrow trail deeper into the forest.
The hunters living in Pinwhale were nowhere in sight by the time the bandits reached their destination. Hidden beneath the thick trees was a rough camp made up of wooden huts and shelters, far enough from the village that anyone passing through the area would have little reason to stumble across it.
The seven men limped toward one of the larger huts near the back of the camp. Bruises covered their faces and arms, dirt clung to their clothes, and more than one of them winced with every few steps.
When they pushed open the door, the conversation inside stopped.
A bearded man sat behind a wooden table at the back of the room. A wide-brimmed hat shadowed his face while smoke drifted lazily from the cigar between his lips. Beside him stood a broad man with a large scar running across his face.
The bearded man looked over the seven battered men.
"Tell me what happened."
They glanced at one another before one of them finally answered.
"A kid."
The man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"...A kid?"
Once the first words came out, the rest followed quickly. They explained that they had tried to rob an old woman and her grandson on the forest road, only for another boy to interfere. Six of them had gone after him and lost, while the kid had somehow disappeared for seconds at a time during the fight.
Even the man who had stayed near the cart had returned with a swollen forehead.
The bearded man listened without interrupting, occasionally taking another slow drag from his cigar.
When they finished, silence settled across the hut.
Then the bandit who had passed Chuck a bottle earlier that day shifted uneasily.
"Boss..."
Chuck glanced toward him.
The man hesitated.
"Chuck seemed to know that kid."
Chuck went still.
The bearded man's cigar stopped halfway to his mouth.
For a few seconds, nobody said anything.
Then his eyes moved toward Chuck.
"You knew him?"
Chuck took a small step backward.
"N-Not really."
The bearded man remained seated.
Chuck swallowed.
"I just... saw him in Foosha."
"You saw him in Foosha."
"Yeah."
The cigar returned slowly to the man's lips.
Chuck waited.
The silence stretched long enough that he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"And when you came back from scouting that village," the man finally said, "you didn't think a kid who could beat six of my men was worth mentioning?"
"I didn't know he could do that!"
Chuck's answer came too quickly.
"Back then, he was just some kid. I didn't think he mattered."
The bearded man stared at him through the thin smoke.
Chuck's breathing became shallower.
"Boss?"
No answer.
Chuck glanced toward the door.
The broad man beside the table noticed.
So did the bearded man.
"Bon."
Chuck's face drained.
Bon stepped away from the wall.
"Wait."
Chuck immediately raised both hands.
"Boss, listen. I can explain."
Bon kept walking.
Chuck backed toward the door.
"I did what you asked. I went to Foosha. I checked the village. I came back and told you what I saw."
The bearded man said nothing.
"Boss."
Chuck looked toward the other six battered men.
Not one met his eyes.
Bon kept coming.
Chuck turned.
He made it two steps.
Bon caught the back of his shirt and slammed him down against the wooden floor.
"Wait!"
Chuck twisted beneath him, but Bon planted one hand against his back and held him there.
The other six bandits immediately went rigid. One lowered his eyes while another slowly moved his hands away from his belt.
The bearded man finally rose.
He walked around the table without hurrying.
Chuck stopped struggling long enough to watch his boots approach.
"Boss..."
The man stopped beside him.
"Please."
The bearded man crouched.
"You know, Chuck..."
He removed the cigar from his mouth.
"I had to deal with a lot of trouble just to get you out."
Chuck swallowed.
"I know."
"I had to pay that pig a huge sum of money."
"I know, Boss. I'll pay it back."
The man looked at him.
"With what?"
Chuck opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
"You came back from Foosha and told me the Red Hair Pirates were still there."
Chuck's eyes flickered.
"You told me there was no reason to move on the village."
"That's what I saw."
"Was it?"
Chuck's breathing quickened.
"I—"
The man leaned slightly closer.
"Look at me."
Chuck did.
"You're lying about what happened in that village, aren't you?"
"N-No."
The answer was barely audible.
The bearded man watched him for several seconds before straightening.
Chuck's face tightened.
"Boss?"
The man placed one hand on Bon's shoulder and gave it a light pat.
Chuck froze.
Then his eyes widened.
"No."
Bon's hand moved toward his pistol.
"No, wait. Wait!"
Chuck struggled again.
"Boss! I can fix it! Send me back! I'll go to Foosha again!"
The pistol came free.
"Boss—"
A gunshot cracked through the hut.
The six men near the entrance stiffened.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The bearded man returned to his chair and took another slow drag from his cigar.
Then he looked toward the survivors.
"The old woman and the boy."
One of them swallowed.
"What about them, Boss?"
"Where were they from?"
"Namonaki Village."
The crooked-toothed bandit quickly nodded.
"Their cart was full of rice and herbs. They said they were heading out to trade."
The bearded man's fingers stopped against the edge of the table.
"Namonaki..."
He remained quiet for a moment before looking toward Bon.
"Go take control of the village."
Bon nodded once.
"And if you find that boy who did this..."
The man's eyes hardened beneath the brim of his hat.
"Kill him."
Bon gave another silent nod.
The bearded man's gaze moved toward the six survivors.
"You six are going with him."
Every one of them straightened.
"I'm giving you one last chance."
One man nodded so quickly his hat nearly slipped from his head. Another kept staring at the floor, while the crooked-toothed bandit forced himself to speak first.
"We won't mess up again, Boss."
"See that you don't."
The bearded man stood and headed for the door.
Outside, more than thirty bandits occupied the hidden camp. Dice rolled across an overturned crate near one shelter, several men argued over drinks, and someone farther away sat sharpening a blade while others checked bags and weapons.
The noise began fading the moment the bearded man stepped outside. The dice stopped rolling, the argument near the bottles died, and one conversation after another disappeared until the clearing had gone almost completely quiet.
Bon stepped out behind him.
The bearded man looked across the gathered men.
"Bon is taking twenty-one men to Namonaki Village."
Several bandits immediately straightened. The six battered survivors were among that number, along with fifteen others from the camp.
Murmurs spread through the clearing.
The bearded man allowed them to continue for a few seconds before raising his voice.
"It's time."
The murmurs faded.
"For too long, we've been hiding in these mountains and fighting over scraps. Higuma is dead, and the territory he left behind is sitting there waiting for someone to take it."
A few grins appeared among the crowd.
The bearded man stepped forward.
"We're not going to stay another little group of mountain bandits that nobody cares about."
His voice grew heavier.
"It's time for me, Gillian, to expand my territory."
He spread his arms and grinned beneath his beard.
"We're not gonna be just bandits anymore."
His fist rose into the air.
"We're gonna be THE BANDITS!"
For a heartbeat, the camp was silent.
Then the clearing erupted.
"YEAHHHH!"
"LET'S TAKE IT!"
"THE BANDITS!"
Dozens of voices joined together beneath the trees as fists and weapons rose into the air.
Gillian stood before them with smoke curling past the brim of his hat, while Bon waited silently at his side.
---
Several hours earlier, Kome had gotten his first proper look at Goa's capital.
Nearly everything had been new to him. He had stared at the mountains of garbage and the people living among them in Grey Terminal, then spent most of the ride through the Great Gate trying to look at everything at once. The crowded streets, unfamiliar shops, food stalls, towering walls, and distant glimpse of the royal palace were nothing like the quiet rice fields of Namonaki.
While Raisa sold their rice and herbs, Kome stayed close and watched the constant flow of merchants and travelers through Central Town. Once everything had been sold, Raisa kept her promise and bought him a sweet pastry before they began the trip home.
By the time Namonaki's rice fields came back into view, Kome had spent most of the return journey excitedly talking about everything he had seen.
The sun was already beginning to sink when their cart rolled onto the familiar village road.
Aunt Mari was standing outside her house when she noticed them.
"Raisa!"
She stepped toward the road.
"You're late. I was starting to think you decided to move into town."
Before Raisa could answer, Kome stood in the cart.
"We almost got robbed by mountain bandits!"
Mari's smile disappeared.
"What?"
Uncle Benji looked up from the edge of his rice field. A few nearby villagers also turned toward them, while Mako came over from between the houses.
Raisa climbed down from the cart.
"We're alright. They stopped us on the forest road, but someone came along before things got worse."
Mari quickly looked over her and Kome.
"Neither of you is hurt?"
"No."
Kome shook his head eagerly.
"Ling saved us."
Mako looked at him.
"Ling?"
"He's a kid we met on the mountain," Raisa said. "We were lucky he happened to be nearby."
Benji's attention had already shifted toward the distant forest.
"So the reports about mountain bandits were true."
"It seems so," Raisa said.
Mari frowned.
"They're stopping people on the road in the middle of the day now..."
Benji remained quiet for a moment.
"We should let the others know."
Several nearby villagers nodded.
Kome had already jumped down from the cart and gone over to Mako.
"You should've seen Ling."
Mako glanced at him.
"Was he really that strong?"
Kome grinned.
"Yeah."
For the moment, the familiar sounds of Namonaki returned around them. Water moved quietly through the fields, neighbors carried on with the last work of the day, and smoke from evening cooking fires began rising above the houses.
None of them noticed the figures moving through the distant forest.
---
Beyond the rice fields, where the mountain road disappeared beneath the trees, Bon walked at the front of the group.
Twenty-one bandits followed behind him.