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While in the village I noticed the mountains seemed a little far to walk on foot, but luckily one of the villagers told me there was a modest path that cut through the rough rocks making it easy to find my way. Even better yet…one of the villagers was heading through the mountains in the morning when the sun rises to deliver some rice and vegetables to a village just on the other side. “The village has been suffering from really bad rain, which had drown their crops.” I was told by a man running a vegetable market. Things were looking up it seemed as I looked around for some lodging for the night. The man who was going to make the delivery offered to let me stay with him and his family and so I did. I spent most of the night preparing for the upcoming struggles…In the morning, while the man and his son packed up the carts and hooked up the horses, I helped his wife with cooking breakfast…warm fluffy eggs, crispy bacon and golden brown biscuits fresh from the oven…I never had those things before, but they were delicious.

We left after breakfast, the nice man and me…and after about 20 minutes of seeing nothing, but rock on both sides and dirt below me, the horse-drawn carts stopped at a fork in the road… “You must take right most path to find them bandits you seek young lady…I don’t advise you go there by yourself…I’ll be taken this here path to the left…It's longer but bandits don’t travel along it so my cargo will be safe.” The man said after he helped me off the cart. I thanked him for his hospitality and the ride then after a short farewell we parted ways… After a few moments, I looked back and he was out of my sight hidden by the massive wall of rocks. I prayed for his safe trip, and for my own as well, as I continued down the trail for what seemed like forever…

I didn’t find the bandits, but they found me… 5 of them jumped me along the path expecting an easy capture…boy did they have another thing coming. I pulled out two bags of powder and loosened the ribbons that kept the bags shut and then threw them, one to the right and one to the left. The force of impact caused the bags to bust open releasing the powder into the air. I quickly covered my mouth and nose with my shirt and scrambled through the bandits that were now coughing, wheezing, and trying to grab me as I ran by them. I made it out of range of the toxic fumes and the bandits didn’t seem to be following me at all. I thought for a moment I was safe but after a few short steps a bandit jumped in front of me blocking my path forward. “Woah now…Where are you off too little lady? Shouldn’t you be at home readin’ a book or somethin’?” The bandit said as he came a little closer to me. I readied another bag of powder by loosening up the tie and prepared to throw it if the bandit came any closer…Suddenly a thundering voice towered over the bandit in front of me commanding him to withdraw. He obeyed and I looked over my shoulder for an escape route behind me only to see it blocked by the group of bandits I had stunned earlier…It seemed they had caught up to me somehow and the toxic mist wasn’t working. When I looked forward again a man dressed in a long red cloak with red finger gloves was standing in front of me with several others behind him…I was surrounded.
{End of Chapter 5}