Seraphim Online: Afterlife

“Oi, you idiotic morons, listen up! These are your new lieutenants, so you better treat these two as well as well as you treat me!”

“Ha! New recruits? This forest is so gonna be ours!”

“A couple of lovelies joining our ranks? Ya know there’s nothing better than this.”

“Hopefully, the new girls are kinder than the old leader… and our current one.”

Hopping onto a tree stump, the pink bandit leader, Fuku, addresses the group, then cheers and alcohol is spilt when a toast is made in our name.

Expecting us to complete a speech or some kind of brutish initiation, I’m pleasantly surprised when the group disperses a few seconds later when she hops back down.

“Hey, don’t be afraid of me, he deserved everything he got! Did I say he once hit me? Fucker deserved everything he got and more… being strung up and losing his shlong was a fair punishment…”

While she’s lecturing the youngest of the bandits, not sure I want to ask more on that, Lena takes me aside with deep concern in her eyes.

“Hmph… you know I wanted to kill these fools, right Sera? Joining up wasn’t what I had in mind.”

“Heh, I know, Lena. We always have the option of leaving or killing them in their sleep.”

“Erm… that’s the play? Okay dokey, Sera. Just say when.”

There are a few reasons why I took this route and one of them is simply down to caution, this group may be too big to deal with right now. At first, nine bandits were inside this camp, right now there’s easily fifteen scattered around the place.

Also… I think Lena’s curiosity has rubbed off on me a little. What does the life of a bandit entail? Is living your life committing crimes enjoyable? Deep down, I just want a glimpse of how things are on the other side.

‘Who knows, maybe we can convert these band of misfits into better people? Heh, doubtful.’

I’ll be honest and say the both of us abandoned that thinking rather quickly…

__________

“Any minute now… we’ll be swimming in coin! I have a good feeling today.”

“That report better be accurate, leader. If it isn’t, those scouts are going to get a right beating!”

“Darn! Think I’m in a nettle bush… someone switch with me.”

“All of you, shh! Can hear the sound off hoofs in the distance… payday is coming.”

A dozen of us or so hide in the shrubbery, waiting for a specific target set to arrive on this road any minute now. Our first official raid and we’ve be told to hang back and learn the ropes, we’re not to act unless it’s to copy the others. A simple an easy task to accomplish.

Before coming here, me and Lena agreed the second things went down a route we disliked, we’d either flee or turn our blades to our companions. How this attack goes will decide what we do next.

However, the both of us are surprised by the amount of preparation that has gone into this. The leader, Fuku, has tried to plan for every situation. Maps with detailed positions and instructions for who does what, learning specific scenarios for what to do if they have soldiers or if things go wrong, even the exact position of the sun for when the carriage should arrive. She’s tried to think of everything.

Sure enough, the vehicle has just appeared down the dirt road, the creaking of the gold adorned carriage and clicking of the horseshoes can be heard against the dirt.

Clip, clop. Clip, clop. A few more seconds… attack! Fuku blows a whistle and the group charge!

“Oi, hands in the air and mouths shut! Tongues start wagging and we start cutting!”

“All of you, don’t test us! You’ll be hanging from the trees if ya try anything!”

“We’ll string you up, then have the crows peck out those eyes! Ha! Your gut was right, leader. This score could be big.”

Within seconds, a dozen of us have surrounded a fancy carriage with weapons drawn.

From the surprise attack, the drivers are baffled and mystified from our appearance from the bushes, so much so they don’t even have the time to reach for their blades. Our own weapons already pressed against their bodies.

Our leader smashes open the door while we remain on hostage duty, then pulls the two occupants outside with a wide grin on her face.

‘Two nobles? Thievery is okay when it’s against the wealthy, right? Fuck the rich.’

“It just had to be a bunch of lowlife rabble, didn’t it? Take what you want… including my daughter if you’re slavers as well.”

“This is why mother left your sorry hide, father. Think I’d rather be a slave then continue living with you.”

“Ungrateful brat, knew bribing the courts would backfire. As if anyone would want to be stuck with this disgrace of a daughter.”

‘Bloody hell, we’re definitely missing a great deal of context here.’

Quickly patting everyone down and throwing any weapons aside, the two drivers and the nobles are hogtied and gagged while we scurry through the carriage. Half the group do this while the other half travel down the road to make sure we’re safe.

“Hahahaha! Knew you two would be our lucky charms! With this haul, we can go big time!”

Fuku quickly moves several chests full of stuff to the step. One glimpse later and all of us stand around shocked and in awe. Lena’s eyes as well, I’m sure I just saw dollar signs.

“That box is completely filled with jewels! Look Sera, even my parents don’t have anything like this!”

‘Heh, not sure what Lena would like more. A chest filled with gems, meat, or strawberries.’

Our first heist ending in overwhelming success as we ride off into the distance with the carriage, a fortune, even a recruit. We did plan to dump the girl close to Riverdale and we successfully did, what we didn’t count for is her following us back and wanting to join up. Thankfully, this posse of bandits are the type to have rules and morals, enslavement is an explicit no no.

Back to the camp while the new recruit helps cook a large feast, I take Lena aside to share a few more words.

“Convinced yet, Lena? Not a single slave in sight, we’re clear of racism, also no one around here dabbles in the taboo act of sibling love.”

“Eww, that’s still not funny, Sera! And I’m not completely sure… maybe another chest of gems might help? They’ve got to be as shiny as the last lot though.”

“Heh, so to be convinced, we’ll have to steal more? A dragon after my own heart.”

And so, after the feast and a showering of gems, whoever suggested that idea needs a smack, our lives as bandits begun!

Burglary number two, a caravan carrying pelts. Number three, barrel loads of sugar and rum. Number four, pelts and imported water from up north. We’d trade everything with pawn shops in towns, no questions asked, no item too risky or valuable not to sell. In time, we’d come to recruit so far and wide, the forest too small of a pond for our clutches.

Things progressed from there, more and more raids conducted till we finally delved into a place this group hadn’t tried before. We starting hitting towns.

In particular, Riverdale was our goal. An overly expensive blacksmith’s ran by corrupt nobles, a funeral parlour stealing off the dead, a jeweller putting their customers in lifelong debt, things always ended up sweeter if we stole from those who deserved it.

Then in turn, we’d put that money into recruiting people off the street. Robbing from the rich and helping the poor, our group started getting recognized and praised by the common folk. This was always wrong. At heart, we were thieves. Nothing more, nothing less. I’d even learnt how to pick secure locks.

If there was a place that made money, we’d pay them a visit. We expanded our operation into other regions, hitting Bordertown a few times and raiding countless farms within the kingdom’s territories. Nothing was out of reach, apart from Tuscany because that was a stage we weren’t willing to risk just yet.

“Oi lieutenants, look at this! They’ve got our pictures!”

“Hmph, they’ve done me dirty, Sera! My ears aren’t that big, right!?”

“You know what they say about people with big ears, Lena?”

“What do they say?”

“They have good hearing.”

…

“Heh. Seriously though, some cultures say it’s lucky.”

Wanted posters started to show up on every building and tree, the entire forest put off limits because of the red, purple and pink bandits destroying lives. I exaggerate, we did get sizable bounties put on our heads though. The problem is, no bounty hunter would dare go this far into our woods. With the way Lena pouts at me for that joke, I can see why we get no visitors.

We were like the medieval versions of Bonnie and Clyde, the forest being our heisting grounds while Riverdale was our bitch. Countless raids and heists, chests filled with gold, quality equipment, as much food as you could ever need, popularity, life was brilliant.

…

But of course, it WAS brilliant. All it took is one bad job and one mistake to turn our good fortunes bad. One screw up caused a chain reaction…

“What the actual fuck!? Someone must’ve snitched!”

“Shit! Stay back, S! These knights will take everything we’ve got!”

“Screw that, L. We need to run, there’s far too many!”

It should’ve been such an easy job, we had that bank staked for weeks. What we didn’t account for is the carrier pigeon getting intercepted by a royal advisor! Just one stupid bird and its appetite for dried meat screwing everything up, Fuku’s insistence on sharing everything with her sister being the cause of the incriminating letter.

Imagine our reactions when we enter the bank, only to find the place a convention for cosplaying knights. I had to make the decision to flee.

Heavy armour is double edged sword really, it’s mostly useless for the majority of people. The problem is, what happens when you put experienced solders wearing quality armour? It’s a doomed fight where the only solution is to run.

During the escape, we had to dodge a river of arrows and spears from the knight that had also ambushed us from outside, unfortunately I was hit. A stray arrow hit my knee, forcing me to give up my career of adventuring. Jesting aside, due to my incapacity to run, Lena had to fly us away.

For the longest of times, we worried about her existence being known to others. A legion of knights witnessing her flying off into the distance? Fuck.

“You were a dragon all along, pippy!? Well sweet Seraphim be told, we’re unstoppable!”

“You should’ve told us about her, dragon fucker. We’d have saved so much time.”

"Dragon this, dragon that. Let's just be real and say this shit is cool, alright?”

‘Of course, these idiots don’t see any problem with this.’

Celebrations ring out inside of the camp despite the fact we had lost a great deal of men that last attack, the bandits not understanding the true problem. We expected a response, just not as serious as the one we’d get.

Several days later, the sibling lovers from the kingdom received the information.

“A dragon? That girl is a dragon!? And that dastardly knife ears we sent is her tamer!? I don’t appreciate this joke.”

“The information has been confirmed as correct, Princess Melvita. We have dozens of witnesses to confirm, all worthy knights who wouldn’t lie about this.”

“A bunch of bandits led by dragon? Hmm… this is an opportunity, no?”

And that was the day everything was destined to fall. Conducting raids on towns with a lack of guards is child’s play, trying to move around a forest with an army of knights is impossible.

We considered fleeing the forest, giving up the life or just hiding for the time being. Greed is a sin impossible to fully ignore though. By the time we came to our senses, it was too late.

“Shit! Sound the alarm, someone must’ve snitched!”

“Ya bastards won’t take me alive!”

“*Cough cough*… it’s e-everywhere! We n-need to run!”

Fires surrounded the camp, trees covered in flame, a wildfire smoked and choked us all.

Packing everything we could carry and getting everyone on Lena’s back, we were just about to flee, then tragedy strikes. A squadron of mages stands in our way, equipped with staffs and magic I had never experienced before.

‘The kingdom doesn’t have a mage legion. This group have to be employed mercenaries…’

__________

Tip, tap. Tip, tap. Footsteps echo throughout the palace prison as our captors once again come to say hello. We’d have escaped if it wasn’t for one mage knowing a knockout spell, that’s all it took. Lena being the biggest of us, it was like trying to shoot the ocean from a pier. We had no chance to escape.

Weeks go by as we endure lacklustre meals, dehydration and sleep deprivation. Arguably, the constant questioning and bribing being the worst part. Surprisingly, a lack of real torture, it’s as if they didn’t want to piss us off. I guess deep down, they were thinking long term. Having a dragon on their side voluntarily would be a huge asset.

“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Everything will go much smoother if you just speak! We can get you better beds, fresh food and wine. All you need to do is speak.”

“No comment. You can continue spewing that tsunami of shit from your mouth all you want, nothing will change.”

The jailor shakes his head, wanting to reach for his club but never getting further than a few threats.

“Look, we’re tossing you a bone here. We know there are more camps in the forest. If you want your partner to ever open her wings again, then just tell us!”

“*Yawnnn*… we getting fed today or not? And beds are overrated anyways, we’ll just sleep on each other!”

‘Oh Lena… they’ll put us in sperate cells if you say that again!’

There is another reason why we’re holding out. Around our necks are enchanted collars, used to drain and restrict magic.

For me, that’s meaningless. For Lena, it’s locked her down into her human like state, a consequence our captures didn’t account for. For Lena to be useful to them, they need to take the pacification collar off. The second it goes off however, she’ll kill them all. That might be the main reason they’re trying to avoid threats.

Thankfully, today’s another day we get fed so the jailor leaves us with something to eat. Stale bread with a side of rotten veg goes down a charm when you haven’t eaten in days. It also goes out faster than it goes in… food is still food.

“Forced to serve these ignorant bastards. You know they’ll never let us leave if we give in, right Sera?”

“Heh, that I do, Lena. Better get comfy.”

So that’s how life goes, slowly wasting away in a prison. Week and months go by and eventually, the jailor visits us less and less.

…

Except, that isn’t how things end. Eventually, fate tosses us a line to cling onto.

“No no no! You can’t be here! Get back… argh!”

Screams and sirens echo throughout the halls, blood drips from the ceiling, the entire prison seeming to shake with fear and all hell unfolds. Is the entire city under attack? Has some foreign force come here to invade?

And then, the door starts to clang and click when the latches are opened. As the light shines back into the room, two very unlikely faces stand ahead of us.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, filthy elf. We’re not doing this because we want to.”

“If anyone can slow down his anger… it’s you.”

Not even giving the time to explain more, we’re released from our chains and collars, then both of the siblings disappear down the hall, never to be seen again. I presume down a secret exit.

“Any clue on that what this is about, Lena?”

“Erm… Sera? I think he might be the cause.”

Thump… thump… thump. Metal tipped boots slowly pommel against the floor, getting closer by the second. Then, far off down the other side of the prison, one man lies in wait.

“You just had to recruit a fucking dragon, didn’t you? Seraphim knows things are never that easy.”

‘Oh shit… he doesn’t look best pleased.’

The General charges at us, dagger in hand going straight for my throat. Undefended and unprepared, he’d have reached his marker if Lena didn’t jump in between us, taking the full brunt of his attack while activating her form change.

Smoke fills the hall, rubble and debris fly everywhere; the entire complex of the underground begins to collapse. Lena clearly being the course, too much force and too big to contain down here.

Nowhere to go or unable to see, I’m unaware that a huge chunk of ceiling is falling right on top of me.

“Sera… No!”

__________

“*Yawn*… alright Lena?”

“Phew… had me worried for a bit, Sera. That bump on our head is as big as your ears!”

Awaking up on Lena’s back, I may have missed a load, but what I definitely didn’t miss was just how much impact that guy had on Lena.

Bruised, scarred and visibly exhausted, we fly off into a literal sunset. For such a brave and courageous dragon, missing scales and seeing her covered in dry blood, this is something I never want to see again.

“Lena, when you’re all healed up, want to try taking that guy down on even terms?”

“Hell no, Sera! We’re staying well away from him…”

There’s a small tremble in Lena’s voice, even that army of knights didn’t give her a frighten. Whoever that guy is, even she wants to stay well away. I’m not sure what to make of this.

“What now? We’re free again with the world at our heels… what do we do?”

“Honestly Sera, I think we should try hiding for a few years… or a few decades. The risk is too great with that guy around.”

“Heh, okay doke. We’ll head as far away as we can, find some town or city, then rob the place blind!”

With an inventory full of coin and a heart still filled with greed, got to be a place where our talents are useful. And if The General catches up to us, we’ll leave and start a new life again.

‘Hopefully… we can find some peace for a while. Who knows, maybe we’ll start up some casino? That’s what mobsters do when going legit, right…’