A druid, a warlock, a dwarf, a tiefling, and a boar return to the Fort and learn there's still more work to be done before they depart.

***

The cheer that erupted in the garrison when the group arrived with Tann proved just who the Greycloaks wanted in command. Cormick was the first to the gates, grinning ear to ear. "Welcome back, Commander!" he greeted, extending a hand.

"It's good to be back, Marshal," Tann shook his hand gratefully. "If it wasn't for these four, I would be a zombie."

"A zombie?" Cormick repeated, raising an eyebrow at Connor.

"Unfortunately," Connor nodded, taking the piece of parchment from the necromancer's chest from his belt, holding it out to Cormick. "This was written by the necromancer in the main crypt."

Cormick unfolded the parchment as Tann walked over to an assembled group of Greycloaks, Vallis still thrashing in the grips of Blaine and Bruneil. He read the necromancer's eyes with narrowed eyes, then shook his head. "I'm glad you went looking, Connor," he said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to bring this with me when I return to Neverwinter. My superiors back in the city might want to investigate this further."

"Absolutely," Connor nodded.

Cormick nodded and folded the parchment up again, tucking it into his belt as Tann walked over. His brow was furrowed, but his tone was positive. "I've spoken to the garrison's sergeants. The patrols along the roads will resume right away, and I will ensure the first ones will reach West Harbor."

Cormick sighed in relief. "Thank you, Commander."

"You're welcome, Marshal," Tann nodded. "I can't believe Vallis allowed security to deteriorate like this."

Khelgar snorted. "I wouldn't trust him with security even if he bribed me with gold."

"How much gold?" Neeshka asked curiously.

Khelgar glared at her. "Any amount, especially if it would compromise my clan!"

"Well said, master dwarf," Tann nodded. "Connor, if you require any weapons restocked, I will speak to Jacoby. I do not have much regarding a reward, but I can help you with this."

"I'll restock my shuriken," Savannah nodded.

"Done," Tann told her.

Connor looked past Tann to see the sergeants around a map, talking amongst themselves. "Those appear to be very intense discussions regarding patrols."

"Only two of those sergeants are in charge of assigning patrols," Tann shook his head. "The rest are attempting to determine where these bandits are attacking from."

"I talked to many of the refugees here," Cormick nodded. "The bandits seem to be united under one leader. He's offered to release their loved ones for a price."

Savannah grimaced. "A ransom?"

Connor shook his head. "I'll never understand bandits."

Khelgar snorted. "There's a lot I'll never understand in this world, lad."

Neeshka, however, was chewing her lip thoughtfully. "Can I see the map you have?" she asked.

Tann blinked in surprise, but nodded and gestured towards his sergeants. "Please."

Neeshka followed him over to the map, the four others following her. "What is it, Neeshka?" Connor joined her.

"I think I know where these bandits might be," she answered, tracing along the map, her tongue poking out slightly as she concentrated. "I passed an encampment on the way here, but I didn't stop to check it out . . . aha!" She pointed triumphantly at a point just north of the fort. "I saw a large camp right here."

Connor leaned in, tilting his head. "How large?"

"Very," Neeshka answered. "I'd say it's only slightly smaller than the Fort."

Tann whistled lowly. "That would make it very difficult to mount an attack, especially since we need to start our patrols again."

"Commander, I am willing to take my men and investigate this camp," one of the sergeants, a man with sun-bleached blond hair and bangs tied back, volunteered.

"I appreciate it, Dobbson," Tann nodded. "But I am still unsure about risking a patrol without knowing the full strength of this camp."

Connor, meanwhile, had folded his arms and was considering the map intensely. "Neeshka, how far away do you think this camp is?" he asked.

Neeshka tilted her head, thinking. "I didn't keep an exact record of the time," she said after a few seconds. "Four hours, at most?"

Connor sighed, his moral compass winning. "Anyone opposed?" he asked dryly.

Khelgar gave a full belly laugh. "Lad, we fought our way through crypts of zombies and skeletons. Bandits? Ha!"

"You know that means you've volunteered to be the one taking all the heavy hits?" Savannah quipped.

Khelgar grinned. "I'm an Ironfist, lass. That's what we train for!"

Connor shook his head, grinning. That was confirmation from two of their group. "Neeshka?"

"Why not?" she nodded.

Connor smirked, looking up at the shocked Greycloaks. "How about we help you out one more time?"

Tann appeared shocked speechless. Cormick, on the other hand, laughed loudly. "I'd accept his help if I were you, Commander. We Harbormen are a stubborn lot. When we commit to something, we commit."

Tann jolted out of his stupor, shaking his head. "I leave this up to you, Dobbson."

Dobbson examined the four adventurers, then extended his hand. "It would be an honor, my lord."

"Please, just Connor," the druid grimaced, though he shook the sergeant's hand. "I'm just a Harborman passing through."

"A Harborman who is doing far more for us than that poor excuse of a Lieutenant ever did," Dobbson shook his head. "Shall we?"

***

Connor was relieved when he learned three of Dobbson's squad of five had training with bows. If Neeshka's information remained accurate, multiple bandits in the camp she passed were skilled in archery, and the archers they brought would be crucial to ending those bandits. To his surprise, Blaine and Bruneil volunteered to make up the rest of the squad, joining Dobbson as front-line fighters.

The sky was painted in colors from the setting sun when Neeshka finally led them to a massive camp just by the edge of the forest. Connor stroked the top of Vhaera's head, and the boar shuffled off to the gates. "Hmph," Khelgar squinted. "Looks like they took inspiration from the Fort."

"Our gates keep the fort safe, though we have rarely been attacked," Dobbson said. "I wonder how many bandits there are."

"How many bandits are in the camp and how many are in their main base," Connor added.

Dobbson grimaced. "I'm glad you volunteered to come along."

"Bandits make good practice," Khelgar grinned.

Neeshka snorted. "Of course that's what you focus on."

Connor crouched down as Vhaera trotted back. "What are we facing, girl?" he asked.

"I counted twenty outside, over ten are archers," she answered. "I could not see inside the house."

Connor nodded, rubbing her head. "There's twenty outside, but she couldn't see in the house. Over half are archers."

Dobbson nodded, tapping his fingers on the pommel of his sword. "Let's move closer."

Neeshka padded down the path, taking one of her daggers from her bandolier. Savannah ran her fingers along one of the blades of her shuriken, following closely on Neeshka's heels; that meant she almost smacked into the tiefling's back when she stopped in her tracks. "Cyric's blood," she seethed, taking a step back.

"Sorry," Neeshka winced. "But they have a cleric at the front gate."

"Do they?" Khelgar peered around Savannah's legs.

Connor frowned, joining Neeshka to look at the three guards at the gate. Two bandits were wearing brown leather armor, but the sullen bandit at their head wore more solid scale armor. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see through the dark, and he saw the familiar holy symbol engraved into the bandit's shoulder pauldrons. "Neeshka's right," she said. "That's the dogma of Mask."

"Master of thieves," Savannah grumbled. "Of course."

"Right," Connor rolled out the kinks in his neck, drawing his scimitar. "Savannah, if you can bring him down, do it. Khelgar, if she can't, take him down."

Khelgar nodded eagerly. "You got it, lad."

A chuckle came from behind them, and Connor winced. "Apologies, Sergeant."

"Not necessary, Connor," Dobbson walked up to him, his longsword drawn. "You sound as if you know what you are doing."

Connor shrugged. "I did well in my village's militia."

"That's an understatement," Savannah smirked.

Dobbson simply turned to his archers. "Aim for the cleric, then the archers," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," they nodded.

Connor turned back to the three guards, then took a deep breath. He whispered a few words, then placed his hand on the ground. The trees just behind them rustled, and the Greycloaks barely held in exclamations of surprise as the ground raised slightly, occasional twigs popping out. The bandits didn't hold back their exclamations when roots sprang from the ground and entwined around their ankles. Khelgar bellowed a war cry and sprinted forward, brandishing his axe. The cleric started a guttural chant, a spell Connor remembered as one of the few offensive cantrips Brother Merring had used. "Savannah, take him out!" he barked, running after Khelgar, hearing more shouts inside the camp.

Just before the cleric finished his spell, Neeshka's dagger spun past his ear and sank into the cleric's neck. The cleric toppled with a gurgle, and Neeshka overtook Connor, yanking her dagger back without a care for the spray of blood she nimbly dodged. Khelgar tugged his axe out of another bandit's chest, and as Neeshka sidestepped the other bandit and stabbed him in the back, Vhaera charged into the main camp with a squeal of fury.

The first two arrows she batted out of the way with her snout, and Connor cast a quick cantrip that made two of the archers drop their bows, frost creeping up their fingers. His scimitar cut both down, and Dobbson led Blaine and Bruneil into the camp, Khelgar and Neeshka behind them. Connor lost track of whose arrows whistled past his ears and whose steel clashed against whose. All he focused on was cutting down the bandits who scrambled out of their tents and tried to bring their weapons up against him and his raging boar.

One pen held pigs and cows, which Connor had to urge Vhaera away from. As Dobbson swiftly disarmed one of the bandits and Savannah buried a throwing star in his back, he and Neeshka entered the other pen, where half a dozen men and women looked up at them in surprise. "The refugees," Neeshka realized.

A man with greying hair and a balding hairline stood, his tunic tattered, but he had a strength to him that signified he was the leader. "I don't know how you managed to slip through the camp," he said hoarsely. "But we'd best be getting out of here."

"We need to hurry," Connor beckoned.

A shout came from towards the house, and Blaine cursed. "Hurry, Connor!" he shouted.

"Quickly!" Savannah yelled.

The refugees ran out of the pen, and Connor saw half a dozen archers pour from the house, arrows already nocked in their bows. He could see Dobbson's archers start to turn and aim, but the bandits would get their shots off first. He took a deep breath, then turned to Neeshka. "Keep going," he ordered.

Neeshka didn't argue, shepherding the refugees towards the gates of the camp. Connor looked around to ensure only the bandits were in range, and he raised one hand to the sky. "Cleya novitus!" he evoked.

His scimitar sparked, and just as the first bandit prepared to fire her arrow, thunder rumbled in the sky. Even the Greycloaks looked up in surprise to see how the weather turned, but dark clouds only circled above Connor. The bandits faltered, and Connor pointed towards them. Lightning spat from the clouds, and the Greycloaks watched in shock as, while two bandits were able to duck away, four were struck by the bolts, their screams ringing in the night. Connor's scimitar put them out of their misery, and the Greycloak archers shot the two who watched their comrades be electrified.

Connor panted, leaning on his scimitar as Savannah ran to him. "That was incredible!" she grinned widely, taking his other arm around putting it around her shoulder.

"I'm glad I could cast it," Connor admitted, shifting his weight onto his twin.

"Lad!" Khelgar called from the gates. "Got any healing potions?"

Connor shook his head fondly. "Let's go."

Blaine was wrapping a makeshift tourniquet around a blonde woman's forearm, a telltale arrow nick bleeding. Connor opened his pack and shifted through the corked vials inside, removing a thin, tube-shaped vial of blue potion, which he uncorked and handed over. "Thank you," she whispered.

"I can't believe we made it out in one piece," the refugee leader marveled as the Greycloaks joined them. "You were amazing in there!"

"Thanks," Khelgar smirked. "But just a typical day's work, really."

Neeshka's jaw dropped, and the refugee leader cleared his throat. "Uh . . . our thanks to you, friend . . . and to your dwarven friend, too."

"We'll escort them to the Fort," Dobbson said, eyeing the house inside the camp. "Do you think your crew can handle the rest?"

"If not, thank you for getting them to safety," Connor held out his hand.

"Thank you for volunteering," Dobbson shook his hand. "We'll see you back at the Fort."

Neeshka waited a total of seven seconds – long enough for the group to be out of earshot – before she exploded. "Did you see the way he ignored me?" she protested. "He thanked you, but it was like I didn't even exist! I helped, too, you know!"

"A true hero doesn't need the thanks of others," Khelgar huffed.

Neeshka glared, her tail lashing angrily. "Oh, really? You were puffed up so much when they thanked you, I almost thought there were two of you!"

Connor smirked, putting a hand on Neeshka's shoulder. "You have my thanks for helping."

Neeshka's cheeks flushed, and she ducked her head bashfully. "Well . . . thanks," she mumbled. "I mean, you did good in there. Didn't think we'd actually get through that in one piece. But it was kind of nice working as a team without having to backstab anyone at the end, I can tell you that!"

***

Connor frowned as he and Khelgar led the way at an achingly slow pace through the house inside the camp. "Shouldn't we have been attacked by now?" Savannah whispered, peering into one of the rooms.

"Not if we're walking right into a trap," Neeshka said through the dagger in her teeth as her nimble fingers worked on a bundle of wires running along the ground. "Which the stupid dwarf almost did."

"Takes a thief to spot a thief's work, demon," Khelgar glared angrily.

"Shh!" Savannah hit the top of Khelgar's bald head.

"Ow!"

When Neeshka dumped the trap into a corner, Connor continued down the hall until he found the lone, closed door. He paused, looking at Neeshka as she examined the door and the floor around it. After a few seconds, she shook her head in confusion. Connor cautiously reached for the handle –

"So, you finally made it here," a gruff voice said from inside the room, making Neeshka jump back into Khelgar, almost knocking the dwarf over. "Any reason you decided to come tearing through my camp?"

Connor took a deep breath, opening the door and stepping inside. The grey-haired chief in worn, cared-for armor with a sheathed longsword stepped to the front of the room, two archers with arrows in their bows, a robed man with a scroll in his hands, ready to cast at the wrong move, and four bandits with their hands on the pommels of their short swords. "We came for the prisoners in your camp," he answered.

"And to put a stop to your raids," Savannah added.

The chief snorted. "You've done that. Most of my men are dead. So if you're finished, you can just leave the way you came."

Khelgar leaned on his axe, eyes narrowed. "And how do we know you won't get a new band and start raiding again?" he asked suspiciously.

"You don't," the chief admitted. "I could try to convince you I've learned my lesson, but I don't think you'd listen. Besides, it doesn't matter. Even if we packed up what remains of this camp, another group would just take our place anyway. You see, in case you haven't noticed, the roads aren't exactly crawling with troops these days. It's every man for himself."

Connor tilted his head thoughtfully. By the chief's words, his men clearly knew the roads around the Fort. And if Tann wanted more men on the patrols . . . "Fort Locke is short of men," he said. "I'm sure they'd pay well for new recruits to patrol the roads."

Savannah gawked at him; the chief almost mirrored her expression. "Me?! Playing a guard?" He barked in laughter. "The military couldn't pay nearly as well as what I make from raids!"

Connor gestured to the seven bandits surrounding the chief. "Any man who can recruit and lead men deserves an officer's rank," he said. "And pay."

The chief curled his lips thoughtfully. "What are you doing?" Neeshka hissed.

"Let him talk!" Savannah jabbed her elbow into the tiefling's side.

"What makes you think they won't just fit our necks for a noose?" the chief finally asked.

Connor smirked. "You might say . . . the commander owes us a favor. We can put in a good word."

The chief pondered, looking around his men. "Honest work'll take some getting used to," he said. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Still, I am getting tired of being on the run all the time and watching my back. As are my men, I'm sure." There was some hesitancy, but the bandits nodded in agreement, and the chief turned back to Connor, nodding. "All right," he agreed. "If you haven't freed the prisoners up top already, I'll let them go. Might warm up this commander of yours."

Savannah's sigh of relief was audible, though Connor's was quieter as he nodded. "Thank you."

The chief waved to the door. "Now, I think you know the way out, and I've got a lot of work to do before we present ourselves to the Fort Commander." Connor nodded, Khelgar opening the door for the others. The door had barely closed, but the girls giggled when they clearly heard the chief mutter "I can't believe I'm doing this" as it shut.

***

It spoke to the chief's knowledge of the roads that when the group returned to the Fort, they could see the bandits milling about, their eyes suspicious of every Greycloak they saw. Cormick was speaking to the chief, a look of amusement on his face as the chief spoke lowly.

Tann watched them trek inside, raising an eyebrow expectantly. "You've been busy, haven't you?" he asked dryly.

"Whatever gave you that idea, Commander?" Connor asked innocently.

Neeshka giggled as Tann shook his head. "I take it I have you to thank for the rabble that I've got as new soldiers now."

Connor shrugged, watching the chief nod and step away from Cormick. "How are they working out for you?"

"Surprising well," Tann admitted. "They all know the basics about fighting already, though their styles are . . . questionable. Guess that comes from their previous line of work. To be honest, I thought I'd been gift wrapped ap resent from the Neverwinter Greycloaks. I was ready to hang them all until their leader mentioned you. I thought Dobbson's eyes couldn't get any wider."

Connor grinned at that mental image, seeing Dobbson and his squad with the refugees on the far side of the Fort. "I'm glad you stayed your hand."

"Me, too," Tann nodded. "All of the sergeants are in agreement – their leader is going to turn out to be an excellent second in command. He's got a good head on his shoulders, and my men immediately took to him. Some glamor comes with being a bandit chieftain, I suppose. How did you ever convince them to give up their raiding ways?"

"He's a natural," Savannah said loftily, making Neeshka guffaw.

Tann shook his head in amusement. "Whatever the reason, I thank you. Neverwinter's been slow to respond to my request for reinforcements. I must've really gotten on someone's nerves for the Vallis incident." He rubbed his hands together, looking eager. "Anyhow, I've started to organize fresh patrols along the roads again. Your bandit friends know the area quite well, as you can imagine. They know of routes I don't even know about, and I've been posted here for half my life. 'Course, they had good reason to look for those routes before the patrols stopped."

"How safe does that make the roads now?" Savannah asked curiously.

"Hardly," Tann snorted. "Oh, they will be eventually, but it will take a while for us to re-establish our presence. You can't let bandits run loose for this long and suddenly just shut them down."

"No, I guess not," Connor shook his head.

Cormick rejoined them, grinning. "Commander Tann is back, Vallis is taken care of, the patrols will be starting again soon, and the bandits are now Greycloaks. Not bad, Johnsons. Not bad at all."

Connor grinned, accepting the other Harborman's hug. "I'm just glad we could help."

"And I'm happy I ran into both of you," Cormick smiled, Savannah hugging him next. "You know, you never told me where the lot of you are heading."

"Funny a Marshal of the Watch should be here," Connor smirked. "We're heading to Neverwinter."

Cormick blinked, then laughed loudly. "My lucky day!"

"Our lucky day," Tann smiled.

"Very true, Commander," Cormick nodded. "You seem to have a knack for solving problems. Tell you what, Connor . . . stop by the city guard barracks if you find yourself looking for work in Neverwinter. The Watch could always use people like you."

Connor nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

"And with that, I need to get a head start on the road," Cormick said. "I've already spent too much time here."

"Safe travels, Marshal," Tann extended his hand.

Cormick shook the commander's hand firmly. "Thank you, Commander. Best of luck with your new men."

Tann smirked. "Best of luck with the city." Cormick nodded and threw one lazy salute to Connor before turning and walking out of the gates. Tann sighed, turning to Connor and Savannah. "I cannot thank you enough for what you've done for the Fort. If there is anything you need, it's yours."

"Thank you, Commander," Connor said gratefully. "Right now, I think we just need a place to spend the night, then we'll be on our way."

Tann smiled. "I think we can manage that." He gestured to the barracks. "Please, this way."

Not even Vallis's corpse dangling from the gallows ruined the mood of the crew as they gathered their gear to find where they would stay the night.

***

I never realized how entertaining it was to try and talk to the bandit chief until I was actually able to talk to him.  I love some of these conversations in the game.

Next up, Connor and company continue on the road, but it's far from a quiet journey.

graphic by marvelity