As soon as the battle was over and enemies either lay defeated or dead, the bandits wasted no ti rushing to aid the captive won who had been bound to Aric’s throne.
They were swift, skilled, and worked efficiently to free won from the restraints. They handled the situation with utmost care, understanding the emotional trauma the captives had endured.
As the bandits helped them, the won’s expressions transford from fear and despair to gratitude and relief as they were tended to by the bandits.
Proper clothes were provided to the ladies, blankets were offered to shield against the evening chill, and first aid was administered to those who needed it.
While the bandits were no strangers to combat, strangely enough, they also possessed a deep sense of compassion. It almost made Shinon feel like he was better off joining them than returning to the settlent, but he quickly pushed that thought out of his head.
Even so, the bandits’ actions spoke volus about their intentions – they were not just faceless criminals but a force of justice and compassion in a world overrun by chaos. Unlike Marcus and a handful of others, Shinon had had the displeasure of eting.
Shinon was surprised once he saw the bandits being gentle and showing genuine care towards the captives. After all, the bandits had a certain image that made a lot of people, the settlers included, not trust them.
"Oh right, I forgot about the girls!"
With a wave of his hand, he summoned a portal back to his shadow domain. The girls stepped through the portal, and as they erged on the other side, their eyes widened at the sight of Aric’s unconscious form sprawled on the ground.
Although they weren’t showing it, they were worried sick about Shinon as they knew how difficult it was for soone to defeat Aric.
However, once they saw Aric on the ground, they rushed towards Shinon, tears of relief streaming down their faces. They enveloped him in a tight, emotional embrace, showing their gratitude through their actions.
"You did it," Mia managed to say amidst her tears, her voice filled with gratitude towards Shinon. "You really did it, Shinon."
"Woah, easy now!" Shinon called out with a warm smile. "Your bear hugs might prove more dangerous to them than that fucker’s sword."
The girls chuckled at Shinon’s la attempt at humour. Tears of relief and joy stread down their faces as they embraced Shinon tightly. The weight of their harrowing ordeal seed to lift from their shoulders as they clung to their saviour.
"Still... He’s defeated, you did it!" Lily managed to choke out between sobs, her voice a mixture of disbelief and overwhelming gratitude.
Mia and Emily nodded in agreent, their faces expressing happiness and exhaustion, knowing that a monster like Aric would never trouble them again.
They had faced a nightmare when Aric kidnapped them, and now, with him incapacitated before them, they could finally begin to heal, knowing that he would never be a problem for anyone again.
Shinon smiled warmly, gently patting their backs as he embraced them while they cried their pain away. It was a mont of pure joy and relief, a stark contrast to the tension and danger he had faced just monts before.
’I might have acted all calm and collected before... but for a mont there, I thought it was over for ...’ Shinon thought. ’I’m much weaker than I assud before... oh well, at least I can be carefree and focus on clearing the dungeon now.’
As the girls held onto Shinon, a figure approached from the bandit group, carrying a radio. The man’s face was stern yet respectful towards him, probably after seeing how he handled things with Aric, who had been a pain to deal with because of his ability.
Suddenly, the air was filled with a crackling static as one of the bandits approached Shinon and handed him a radio. Without uttering a word, the bandit stepped aside, leaving Shinon perplexed.
"Ah, right," he mumbled. "This has to be her."
Shinon’s attention shifted to the radio, and a voice echoed. It was a voice he imdiately recognised – Widow, the leader of the bandits.
Her tone was congratulatory, her words laced with pride and respect for what Shinon had achieved on the battlefield. But she even managed to turn a congratulatory call into sothing indecent.
"Congratulations, darling," Widow purred through the radio. "You’ve certainly impressed in more ways than one-"
"I appreciate your assistance, Widow," Shinon’s response was asured and firm, ignoring the flirtation in Widow’s voice. But now isn’t the ti for-"
"It is rude to interrupt others, dear. Even if we are close," Widow hypocritically cut him off and continued, "As I was saying, you’ve proven yourself to be a true force to be reckoned with. But rember, a promise was made, and promises made to a lady must be kept."
’Girl? You’re no lady...’ Shinon thought and took a deep breath, his gaze steady as he looked at the man before him and then back to the radio.
"I’m not one to go back on my word," he replied firmly. "I thought you’d know that by now. If that’s everything, I’d end the call now... and once again, thanks for the help... I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you as my plan B."
"No need to thank , babe. Just show a good ti one of these days, and that’ll be enough," Widow’s voice held a note of satisfaction as if she loved teasing Shinon. "As for your promise... We’ll be in touch soon. Widow out."
With that, the connection ended, and Shinon returned the radio to the man who had given it to him, who took it and walked back to his teammates without speaking another word.
He looked back at the girls, still holding onto him, their eyes shining with a mixture of emotions. He gently brushed away their tears, his own smile reflecting their relief.
"Let’s go back," Shinon said softly, leading the girls toward the car. "There’s a lot I still need to do."
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