"Knock it off with the guns! You're gonna give me tinnitus!" Tetsuga screamed as he was pushed back into hiding again as the bullets ripped through the air again. "Keep firing boys! Don't let him go anywhere!" One of them screamed as they all kept on with the onslaught of lead and gunpowder. "Great Cerion, I really hope the kid is having better luck than me!" Tetsuga yells as he tries his best to hold out longer to buy Derrick some time to find what he needs for the plan.
As the skirmish raged on, Derrick ran through the village in search of his things. His hands still tied together. "Storage house! It should be right around this corner!" He says to himself as he rounded the corner only to be met by some familiar faces. "Are we really gonna steal the stuff from the storage house while everyone else is fighting!? You guys definitely don't have your heads straight!!" Craig exclaims in worry as the two were taking everything they could out of the storage house. After having their little drink earlier, they heard the sound of the commotion brought by Tetsuga and Derrick. Finding this as an opportune chance to make it big, they took the chance to rob their own men blind.
"What do you mean? It's the perfect time. They're busy fighting, and we have a chance to take all this for ourselves! Besides, the boss doesn't even remember us. He won't even know we're gone." The lazy one makes a point as he drags out a crate. "Now help us with this!" He yells as he urges Craig to help them. "You three are stealing... from your own allies?" Then while they were preoccupied, Derrick had now asserted himself into their conversation. Perplexed as to why they would. This appearance however did not bode too well for one of them.
"Oh god! Not you again! You stay from my ears you blabber mouth!!" Craig screamed as he covered his ears from being assaulted with facts and logic. "What are you doing you idiot? Go apprehend him before he does something!" The leader of the three spoke as he came out with a sack over his shoulder. The sack had gotten Derricks' attention as all of the contents within it were filled with ores and vials. All of it being his. "Ha! Ha! My stuff!" Derrick exclaimed as he points over at the sack. "Could you hand over that sack to me please? I really need it right now!" Derrick asked all politely as he outreached his hands as if expecting to receive it.
.....
"Go go go! Into the woods!" The chieftains daughter says as she led the people out of the village and into the woods where they can lay low from the bandits and possibly free themselves from captivity. They all entered the woods one by one as they descended into the very dark woods which the night had lit with its lunar glow. "Fat chance! We're not giving you anything!" She then hears the voices of the bandits. Causing her to instinctively hide so she can't be seen. "But I need it! My friend is going to get hurt if I don't get what I need!" Derrick tries to barter with them which proves ineffective.
"Derrick?" She looked through the trees. She felt the need to help as she tried to cut in to help but was pulled back by one of the villagers. "What are you doing!? Trying to get yourself killed!?" They whispered as they grabbed her arm. Preventing her from butting in to help Derrick. "I'm trying to help! Let me go!" She says as she tries to forcefully free herself from their grasp. "All the villagers are safe! We have to hide!" They tried to reason with her but she responded with determination in her eyes "I stood there and watched my father die in the hands of filthy bandits! I am not gonna sit back and watch another like it!"
And with her resolve, she frees herself from their grasp and runs back into the village while picking up a thick branch on the way as protection. "Wait!" The villagers yelled for her to come back but she was already off to save Derrick. Meanwhile, Derrick was still trying to persuade them to give him his stuff. To the point where they decided to sic Craig on him. "Craig! Deal with him! The commotion will die down any moment!" The leader of the three commands him as he holds onto the sack. "What!? Why me!?" Craig yells as he was yet again, made to deal with the unbearable Alchemist before him. "Cause he said so, now do it!" The lazy one emphasized as he continued to move the large and heavy crates as he figuratively and physically pulling his weight.
"Look Mr Craig, I know it's tempting but I'm here to tell you that there is no need for confrontation!" Derrick continues to try and negotiate but Craig starts to slowly inch towards him. Very, very slowly. "Do you know how much you talk?... how much stuff you drilled into my head until everything started spinning?" Craig starts speaking as he inches towards him but by bit. "How much?" Although being in such a tense situation, Derrick was still curious enough to entertain him on his question. "A lot! So much that my head hurts just by listening to you! Who even wants to know why pyrocetite is volatile because it has a bunch of heated gass compressed into it's center!!?" He yells in a fit of anger but it was met oddly enough with a big wide smile.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! So you did listen!" Derrick exclaimed merrily as he knows found out that Craig was in fact listening to everything he said. Although, involuntarily. "Usually people would just tune me out and not remember a thing!" He says as he was almost jumping from Glee. Though, it was reciprocated by a not so gleefull response as Craig raised his cutlass sword. "I'm gonna stab you!!" He yelled as the then ran towards him. "Uh oh." Was all Derrick could say as he watches the angered Craig rush him with his weapon raised. Derrick jumped to the side as he avoids an overhead strike from him.
"Rah! Rah! Rah!" Craig throws 3 more over head strikes as Derrick, still on the floor, dodges the first two by leaning to the side while in sitting position before rolling over to avoid the third as he recovers and gets back up. "That was close wasn't it?" He says which only egged the bandit on as he rushes at him again. Then from behind, Derrick gets clocked by a rock. Dazing him just before Craig knocks him down with a hilt to the face. "Oof!" Derrick hits the ground. Moving his jaw as he felt the impact of the attack. "This is not good." Derrick says as a matter of fact as he turns around on the ground, meeting Craig's eyes as he loomed over him.
"Now hold still.... I don't wanna miss!" Craig says as he dramatically raises his sword up and prepares to bring it down on him. Derrick puts his hands in front of him as he braces for the attack. "Rah!!" The swords swings down. Slicing right through something. But to Craig's surprise, as he opened his eyes to see his victory. All he saw was Derrick whose binds were now cut loose by him as he perfectly sliced right in the middle of Derricks' wrists. "Oh c'mon!" Craig yells as he tries to go for another one again but stopped as another voice caught their attention.
"Get away from him bandit!! Raaagggh!!" It was the cheiftans daughter who was coming in from the forest. Armed with only a branch as she rushed into battle with it raised. " the girl from the cell house?" Craig spoke but unfortunately for him, this gave Derrick the opportunity to kick him in the groin while he was still distracted. "AUGH!! My jewels!..." Craig yells, clutching his nether regions in pain. This however, was a setup for the girl as Derrick had given her an open shot at him as she swung her branch with all her might. "OUGH!!" The branch connects to Craig's face, sending him away and onto the ground. Putting him out of commission.
"Get up Derrick! There's no time to be lying on the floor!" The girl lends him a hand as he gratefully takes it. "You got out! But where are the other villagers?" Derrick asked. "They're out as well but are hiding. But you need something right?" She says as she heard from his begging earlier that he needed something to save his friend which she assumed was Tetsuga. "Yes. I do." Derrick confirms as they both turn to look at the other two remaining bandits. "Then let me help! I will not tolerate stealing in my village!!" She says as she prepares to fight. Wielding the stick like a sword made of iron.
"Craig's down!? Already!?" The lazy one exclaimed in exasperation as he overexerted himself by pushing the heavy loads of valuables, and the fact Craig got done in by teens. "Just keep pushing the crates! I'll handle them!" The leading one said as he raised his own sword but not before tossing the sack behind him as he Prepares to fight them. "I'll distract him, you get your stuff!" She says before rushing in half hazardly. "Got it!" Derrick yelled back as he went on the bandit's flank. "You might've downed Craig but I am far more technical with my attacks!" The bandit spoke before blocking the stick with his sword. He pushes it back, creating a gap between them.
Derrick tried to slip through and grab the sack from behind the bandit but he anticipates him as he swung the sword down just before Derrick could reach it. "Oh no you don't!" Derrick stopped just as the sword fell, avoiding almost getting sliced in half the longways. "Eyes on me you filthy bandit!" The girl takes his attention back as she strikes him on the knee, making him kneel down so she can get a clean shot to his head. "Argh! You little!-" but before she could, he blocks it again with his sword then grabs her by the throat with his free hand. "Ack!" He lifts her up before throwing her over to Derrick who had the sack in his hands after the bandit was distracted.
"I got it!" Derrick exclaimed but looks up a little too late as he sees the girl coming in hot. "Ough!!" Her back hits Derrick right in the chest as both go tumbling down. Leaving the bandit the only one standing. "Are you alright?" Derrick asked as they both tried to recover from the hit. "I've been in a jail cell for days... so no." She says as she tries to regain her bearings. "Where's the sack?" She asked him. "Oh, it's right here!" He says as he shows her.... nothing. "Huh? Oh, shoot. It must've flown off my hands when you hit me." He says as he looks behind him to see the sack on the floor with all of its contents spilt on it.
"No where to run! I got you where I want you, so try to make this easy for me!" The bandit says as he points his sword at them both. "Do you perhaps have another plan?" Derrick asked the girl to which she responded with a shake of her head. "Huh.... troubling." Derrick says as he calmly stares death in the face as the bandit raises his sword, about to cut the two down to slices. "ARGH!" suddenly, the lazy bandit screamed. Taking the bandits attention as he looked away to see the villagers that Cheiftans daughter led to safety had now come back to help them.
"You guys came back!?" She exclaimed. Surprised to see her fellow village men and women come out of hiding to save them. "We weren't gonna leave without you!! And you were right, It's time we show these bandits what for!!" They say as they apprehend the lazy bandit who was taking care of the valuables. "Nobody even think about it!!" But then out of nowhere, the leader of the three bandits grabbed the girl again and held the sword up to her neck as she struggled in their grasp. "No!!" The villagers yell as yet another person was under the mercy of the bandit.
"If you all don't want her bleeding on the floor then I suggest you all step aside and let us go!" He threatens as he pushes the blade closer to her neck. "What do we do?we can't let him kill her! Not like this!" One of the village men say as the situation had now taken a dire turn for the worst. "Hey Mr. bandit man!" From behind, Derricks' voice shouted as the bandit looked behind him to see Derrick standing there with a vial of mysterious liquid. "How about you relax! Here, smell this!" He says as he pops the cork on the vial and shoves it directly up his nose.
"Wha!? What are you!!-" the bandit was ready to rip Derrick limb from limb but that all soon faded away as the concoction had given him a deadly dose of relaxation as his eyes began to grow heavy. "Ah.... fuzz buckets..." the bandit says as he falls to the ground. Asleep. The girl falls to her knees, coughing after being released from a chokehold. "Derrick... you saved me." She says as she looks over at him. "It was the least I could do after you did so for me! If you're worried about the bandit, I just made him smell the fumes from this concoction of mine! It helps with insomnia!" He says as he corks the bottle back up.
"Thank you, for saving her! We are all indebted to you!" The villagers start thanking Derrick for saving the Cheiftans daughter while the others round up the 2 other bandits and tie them up so they can get their proper just desserts. "Wait, didn't you say you need your stuff to save someone?" The girl says, reminding Derrick of Tetsuga who was still buying him time to get this far. "Oh yeah! Ha! Ha! Nearly forgot! I get right on that!" He says as he runs back over to the sack and pulls out a moderately sized pyrocetite. "Hold on Mr. Tetsuga! I'm coming back for you!" He yells as he makes his way back over to him.
"Y'know, he's a really weird kid..." one of the villagers says as they watched Derrick leave. "Yeah... maybe he is." She says. Hoping for the best for him and Tetsuga as they fight against the bandits.