Chapter 1: Lady Luck's Curtsy

Aera lands now that the danger is over and walks over to the bandit leader. He bends down so that his beak is inches from the bandits face and clicks his beak and then screeches loudly, trying to enhance Rolen's message.

Krieger stays back and starts cleaning the blood off his hammer. He doesn't see much reason to get involved here.

Catriona watches and learns.

Holding the Leader by the collar, Rolen looks at Cat "Your decision, Princess, I give his fate to you."

Baraq continues to hunt down the other bandits, smashing with her hammer.

Cat shapeshifts into a wolf. With a snarl she rips out the man's throat and begins to feed. It seems she's learned a thing or two from Baraq and Aera.

Rolen drops the leader as Cat tears into him and stands by her shapeshifted form.

Baraq plucks a few pairs of eyes from the corpses, some to savor now. And like a hunter utilizing every part of its prey, she looks over the bodies for anything useful.

'Useful,' of course, is a term couched in perspective. Armor is stripped and cast aside like entrails, weapons tossed over her shoulder like nothing. Ooo, a broken amulet. And the glitter of any coins or gemstones always attract her bird eyes.

Aera quickly joins Baraq, taking the juicy parts to eat later and looking for anything useful.

Rolen turns to Ada, anger colors his face "There is if they were offered a chance to walk away and attacked US. We do not have time to babysit criminals back into town, we are on a mission. We are by ourselves; if you are not the judge, jury, or executioner for your own life and plan on to heal those that mean us harm...then I suggest you lay down with your bandit friends and stay here."

Krieger allows the nobles to carry on, scavenging any metal he can find on the bandits.

You don't know there circumstances. They could have been forced into becoming bandits. People don't need to die for some bad choices, there is always a chance for someone to change. Why look at what you are showing Cat. She went from trying to befriend an animal to becoming one! That is no way for someone of her status to act. If any of this got out to other nobles her and her family's reputation will become tarnished. Ada throws her spear to the ground and get real close to Rolen Is that what you want. You want to become know as the group of killers who kill all who they come across! If we do that we are no better then these poor souls you have all managed to kill!

"Nor do I care for their circumstances, the fact still remains that they attacked us." Rolen scoffs "If you consider attacking a child a 'bad choice', your moral compass is far worse than mine; I do not believe those who'd threaten the life of a child deserve another chance. I'm showing her how to survive outside of a castle, where some people aren't nice, where some care little for your life and more for your gold. She can act however she'd like, she should be forced to act a certain way and I couldn't care less about her family's reputation, there is a reason she is here with us and not them."

Rolen stares down at Ada as she gets up close with him "If we killed all we came across, there would be no one to call us that. People can think of me however they want, I know my actions and we are not the ones at fault here. If you want a more accurate group title try 'Group of travelers who kill scumbags that draw weapons after they're offered the chance to avoid conflict'."

I sit on my haunches and watch the others, equal parts bored and confused at all the talking.

Ada whips around Well I for one will at least give them their burial rights. But if that's too much for you go on ahead and I'll catch up if you all so wish to move forward.

"Bury the dead?" Aera squawks from nearby, "Why? Leave them out, food for my cousins!"