Band of Thieves

‘‘Stop! You crazy brats!’’ An angry voice echoed. Flurried steps of many feet reverberated like the sound of horses galloping over the ground. All came from soldiers clad in metallic armor who seemed to be in so much hurry. Ahead of them were three kids no more than fifteen years old. They ran swiftly as if their lives were on the line, which was probably the case as well, since the town soldiers were there to chase and capture them dead. But no worries could be seen flashing from their eyes. Instead, their eyes were sharp and fierce as all the three of them were even smiling. If one would just look at them, people might think that those kids were just playing tag with the town soldiers. After a good while, they found a certain alleyway and went straight into it. The town soldiers immediately followed suit, thinking that this was finally their chance to catch and capture them. The three kids, on the other hand, entered the alleyway as if they knew the route like the back of their palm. Not unexpectedly, they found a group of more than ten thugs along the way. Those thugs were harassing a few adult men whose foreheads and knees were embracing the cold and rough ground. Blood dyed their bodies red, and these adult men also wore bruises of black and blue. All of whom were begging for their own lives to be spared. ‘‘Ben, Jajah, it's your turn to shine,’’ Jax, the one running in the middle, spoke with a slight smile forming on his lips. ‘‘Roger,’’ Ben and Jajah responded with a snicker. Then Jajah went on, she made sure to raise her voice high, ‘‘BIG BROTHERS, WE BROUGHT THE ITEM! BUT THOSE STUPID SOLDIERS ARE CHASING US!!!’’ ‘‘Hurry, big brothers! Kill them all while their guard is still down!!!’’ Ben added, as if he really was seeking help from his big brothers. Many question marks floated in the dark alleyway. The group of thugs was surprised when someone suddenly shouted at such a high pitch. But what surprised them all the more was for them to hear such kinds of concerning words. They subconsciously hurried their gazes to shift to the source of that sudden voice. They saw three brats running in their direction. But they didn't recognize those brats. Who the hell were they? And what in the world were they talking about? What item? What soldiers? The confused thugs narrowed their gazes and looked far behind the three kids approaching them. And to their horror, they found several soldiers rushing in. What the f**k?! All the thugs widened their eyes as they jumped up in sheer shock and trepidation. Why the hell were those soldiers here of all places? Weren't they in big trouble? ‘‘Big brother, here, catch it,’’ Jax spluttered as he threw a small bag to one of the thugs in there the moment they got close enough. After which, all three of them ran past the group of thugs and said their farewell, ‘‘We'll leave the rest to you. Take care, everyone!’’ The confused thugs only watched them leave, still processing the entire situation in their heads. On the other hand, the thug who caught the bag thrown by Jax stared at the small bag in his hand for a moment. One question mark floated over his head. ‘‘Those brats have accomplices as expected! Hurry and catch all these bastards!’’ A roaring voice reverberated in the air, snapping all the thugs back to their senses. The town soldiers finally caught up, and they all prepared to catch all the thugs out there. ‘‘f**k, everyone! Get ready to battle! Fight as if this is your last day in this world!’’ One of the thugs, probably the leader, ordered with his voice at its loudest. He was actually the one who caught the small bag that Jax had thrown. He tightened his grip on the small bag, and realizing it carried great importance for the soldiers to come after it, he turned around and ran away swiftly. ‘‘That guy is quite cooperative,’’ Jax spoke with a faint smile. He retracted his gaze from behind as he noticed that the guy to whom he threw the bag had also run away from the town's soldiers. But he didn't care much. He ignored that guy as he and his companions started running faster to the point that anyone chasing them wouldn't be able to catch up anymore. Then they headed out of the alley. They blended straight into the crowd of busy people across the street as if they were just kids playing tag with each other. They ran swiftly until they finally reached the town's gate. The guards were on post, but they didn't bother them when they rushed out of the town. That was expected since quite a lot of people were coming in and out of the town's gate. The guards were only there to deal with those who would dare to cause trouble. Meanwhile, only when Jax and the other two exited the town's gate did they gradually slow down as they headed straight into the nearby forest where trees stood tall. It was the place where many kinds of savage beasts could usually be found, either wandering or lurking in the area. It was a dangerous place, but for them who knew that place like the back of their palm, it appeared like it was a playground to them. After putting a safe distance away from the town, they found a place under the shade of a certain huge tree and rested there to gather back their strength, gasping as much as they needed. They at least needed this much after the breathtaking ‘‘mission’’ they just accomplished. But thinking about it again, all of them suddenly wore a joyous smile, removing the fatigue and nervousness they felt earlier. Then their gazes fell on a small bag held by Jax. It was a bag similar to the bag he threw to one of the thugs. Their smiles became more excited than before upon thinking about what was inside the bag. ‘‘Haha, this is crazy. Those bastards are really filthy rich.’’ Ben couldn't hold it in anymore. He burst out in joy and arrogant laughter. After the successful escape, he still couldn't believe that they had managed to obtain such a treasure. ‘‘I'm sure those bastards still don't realize that we've already exited the town. Mecaella's plan is surely perfect! Using those stupid thugs as a means of distraction is surely a perfect plan.’’ Jajah blurted out in response. A wide smile of mockery surfaced on her thick and gorgeous lips. Only at that kind of time would the two of them agree with each other. ‘‘Hah, with this gemstone, if we sell it on the black market, we can surely earn an astronomical sum. We can finally live our entire lives without worrying about food and shelter anymore! And we can finally return the favor to the God Tree who protected us all this while!’’ Ben spoke again. One could immediately notice the excitement in his tone of voice. And the two of them continued talking with warm and excited laughter as if what they gained didn't come from dirty work. Seeing the two of them, the last person in the group couldn't help but sigh and shake his head slowly. Well, seeing them on good terms wasn't too bad. However, it was not too good to be complacent either. They needed to make sure whether they really managed to escape without someone trying to chase them from the dark. That said, that kid decided to interrupt the joyous conversation between the two as he spoke with a tone not too overbearing nor submissive, ‘‘Sigh, stop it, you two. Don't lose your guard. We still need to go back and let the others know of our success.’’ It was Jax, a young lad in his early teens. From the way he spoke, he seemed to be the leader of the group. So, as the leader, he naturally needed to be clear-headed and cautious all the time. Jax only had an average stature but he seemed tall from the way he stood. His eyes were deep black, but they were bright enough to shoulder trust and responsibilities that made him such a dependable person for his comrades. At such a young age, he had already gained maturity enough for him to deal with any kind of situation he encountered. It was because of the many hardships in life that he developed a disposition befitting of a leader. He knew how to make orders and use everything at his disposal to the best of its outcome. With that, he earned the respect of his friends as they would most likely heed his every command. But since they weren't some kind of thugs who valued hierarchy that much, they still treated each other on equal terms in other aspects like when they were talking with each other. No matter who the leader was, it didn't change the fact that they were still friends who met each other and formed a band through life-and-death situations. ‘‘Haha, you're being too careful, Leader. Even if they really catch up, we can just deal with them. Right, Jajah?’’ Ben sneered in response. His arrogant tone made it seem like he had some skills to back up his words. ‘‘Right, right, this is not the town. This is the forest, our territory. There's nothing to be afraid of, keke.’’ Jajah laughed in response. Confidence flashed through her magenta eyes so bright that it appeared like she was bragging. ‘‘It seems like you two have already recovered. Alright, let's go and stop resting now. There will be a lot of time for chatter once we go back home.’’ Jax replied helplessly. If those two were only spouting bullshit, then he would have hit their heads already. However, their words didn't come from empty talk. He acknowledged their skills and abilities that they honed through the many life and death experiences. Adding the fact that they were in the forest, even if there were many soldiers to pursue them, dealing with such a situation wasn't too difficult for them. Still, it wasn't bad to be careful. The one they offended was still the richest Landlord of the town. Who knew what kind of things their money could buy just to catch them who stole their treasure? ‘‘What?! We're going already? Can't we rest a little more?’’ Jajah and Ben blurted out in complaints at almost the same time. Although it appeared like they felt okay on the surface, it didn't change the fact that they almost used up their strength when they tried to execute the plan perfectly. And their leader was actually ordering them to make a move already? Was he trying to mess with them? But Jax didn't reply to their complaints. He started getting on the move and left the two of them standing there. ‘‘...’’ Jajah and Ben could only wear a dark expression silently. Their leader really left them behind. Helpless, they gritted their teeth and started running swiftly as well. ‘‘Wait for us, Leader!’’ It took them one more hour for them to finally reach their destination. It was a place where a giant tree having a cave on its trunk stood mightily on the place. The cave was good enough for people to enter. And from the looks of it, that place was the hideout of those kids. Both Jajah and Ben were out of breath, panting heavily with low whistles sounding from their mouths. They tried to catch up with Jax at their full throttle, but since he moved ahead of them and their speed was almost the same, they still failed in the end. But it didn't mean that Jax wasn't in the same state as them. Although he remained standing, unlike Jajah and Ben who were now down on the ground, he too was also breathing heavily. But strangely enough, he had this pale expression overwhelming his face right now. His gaze was also fixed on the mouth of the tree cave as beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. Jajah and Ben didn't notice it yet, but Jax could feel it the moment he arrived. Something ominous must be happening inside the tree cave, their hideout! If what he was thinking was correct, then their friends inside must be in danger!