"Given the way these things tend to go in the various forms of media and from how you described them it's highly probable some will eventually come seeking trouble with us. They might try to rob us, provoke a fight or more than likely attempt to capture us for their own reasons so I'll keep the strategy we will use simple: we'll ambush them first when they come to look for trouble and then force whoever we leave alive to lead us in, after that we will dismantle their operations from within." Braedon paused, his gaze sweeping over the assembled group. "Alice, I'll be needing you to accompany Rebecca. You'll remain hidden while she acts as bait to lure them towards the greenhouse where Elena will be positioned there, ready to ensnare them or provide crucial support if they prove too formidable to contain but also to watch her and make sure she doesn't try anything. Rebecca, your role is to be a bait and a tank, drawing their full attention well luring them to the greenhouse as stated. I also expect you to strike from the shadows, unnoticed well taking down there back line and long-range attackers. Both of us have a lot of catching up to do in terms of growth, so this will be a good test to see where we stand in comparison to everyone else's growth." He explained with a quiet, unwavering calm.
Rebecca, realizing both her own part and Alice's where clearly defined, even making mention of the plant monster yet not once mentioning his own role in any of it, "What about you? I mean, so far, it's me baiting, the tree monster for capture and Alice as the assassin… but what will you be doing?"
Braedon considered her for a moment before replying, "My involvement will be minimal. I'll mostly be watching well guiding Elena as effectively as I can to prevent stragglers. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need a quick shower. I've already asked Elena to prepare some food for us, once I get cleaned up we'll head to the greenhouse for a much-needed meal."
He departed for the bathroom, leaving the girls to ponder the plan. Half an hour later Braedon returned, now clad in the familiar dark cloak paired with some scavenged clothing that he luckily managed to find before leading them to the greenhouse. As they stepped inside a gasp escaped Rebecca's lips. Much to their surprise the area had slowly begun to return to the size it was when she had first entered except for the large wooden walks rather than glass ones and a large wooden table that stood laden with an array of vibrant fruits and vegetables, most shocking for her though was that nestled among them was a truly remarkable discovery: cooked meat.
"I figured just greens and fruit wouldn't quite satisfy," Elena greeted them, a wide, delighted smile playing on her lips as she took in their shocked expressions. "So, I convinced some of the little ones to help me bring down one of the roaming beasts. It wasn't easy though but well worth it" she added before a faint shiver ran through her. "Cooking it was... an experience. It should be properly done though but next time, could one of you please cook instead? I don't really deal well with fire and admittedly struggled with my own instincts."
"You cooked that?!" Alice exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder. "Absolutely amazing! This is going to be incredible! I suppose you aren't that much of a bitch and not that bad." She swiftly took a seat beckoning a visibly drooling Rebecca whose eyes never left the meat to join her.
wiping the corner of her mouth she seemed to hesitate. "Are you sure I can have some of this? What exactly do you want in return though?" she asked, glancing around at everything with a hint of suspicion, a lifetime of scarcity making her wary of unexpected generosity especially with the luxury of real meat in front of her.
"Simple," Braedon replied, his smile retaining a gentle warmth, yet underscored by a hint of cold hardness that was slowly becoming standard for him. "You've already joined us regardless of your own feelings on the matter. Now, just prove we haven't made a mistake by showing you some kindness. So far you haven't lied and Alice seems to be keeping you in line so I'm not overly concerned about you right now even though I will be keeping my eye on you so dig in and enjoy. But don't make me regret this early trust. Most people have to work hard to earn it or do something substantial like when Alice saved John's life." Tears slowly begun to well up in Rebecca's eyes at his words, the depth of his trust even with its underlying steel felt overwhelming to her. She softly murmured her gratitude before finally, eagerly, digging into her first truly substantial meal in a very long time, crying from the taste of proper cooked meat.
Mid-meal a resolve seemed to harden in her expression as if some kind of choice had been made. Taking a deep breath Rebecca mustered her courage. "If we strike the Marauders," she began, her voice quivering slightly, "and I know I have no right to ask this, but… could we rescue my friend and their lover from them as well? The one I needed the herb for…"
Braedon nodded thoughtfully. "We can certainly try, especially as the plan is to crush them thoroughly" he said, his gaze perceptive. "But I take it there's more than just your friend held by them?"
Rebecca confirmed his suspicion, her voice heavy with sadness. "Yes, there's a small group of them. The Marauders claim they're 'looked after,' but in truth they're just kept as trading stock or a means of stress relief. For most of them their conditions aren't the worst but they're far from good. My friend being sick means she's at risk of being sold for resources or worse. She's hiding it for now though with the help of my lover, but I don't know how much longer she can keep it up. I promise you, though, they can be useful and pull their weight."
As Braedon considered her heartfelt plea, Alice's sharp and sudden growl cut through the quiet atmosphere as she pointed to the greenhouse entrance, scythe in hand and a manic look in her eyes as she seemed to vibrate either excitedly or angrily, instantly drawing everyone's attention to where she was pointing. Five figures were approaching: three large, muscular men followed by two smaller, wiry individuals.
"Well, well, what have we here?" A slimy voice broke the silence, belonging to one of the intruders. "Trespassers in our territory? And they didn't even invite us to the feast where they're eating our goods." The three muscular men were an unsettling sight, clad in an assortment of scavenged metal plates and scrap, each brandishing a wicked-looking weapon of welded together steel that seemed like they could break at any moment. The two smaller figures were dressed in plain T-shirts and shorts, standing on either side. One bore visible stitch marks running from his neck downwards, while the other sported a gruesome necklace of what appeared to be human bones. The group itself seemed to radiate an unsettling and predatory aura.
"And look at the women," the figure with the spikey bone necklace added, his voice oozing with a sinister tone as his eyes hungrily surveyed Alice, Rebecca and even Elena. "I bet they could be fun to break in."
"I'll tell you what, you can use them to pay for using ou—" His sentence was abruptly cut short as a thick, gnarled root shot out of the ground with astonishing speed, impaling him cleanly through the head. His partner had no time to react as a chain seemingly appearing from nowhere before wrapping around him, dragging him violently off his feet to rest in front of them. Alice had already begun to move, a blur of motion as she rested her scythe at his throat.
The three larger men, to everyone's surprise remained disturbingly unresponsive, seemingly frozen in place. Elena's roots erupted around them next, swiftly imprisoning their bodies before dragging them downwards and leaving only their heads visible above the soil.
"How dare you ruin our meal!" Alice shrieked, her voice laced with a fury that seemed to radiate from her very being. The blade pressed harder against the trapped man's neck.
"Alice please move the scythe aside for now," Braedon instructed calmly, his voice cutting through the sudden violence. "And Elena, kindly pull him under the way you did with the others so he can't go anywhere."
Once the blade of the scythe was moved roots sprang up and pulled the man into the ground well the chains loosened. "See? I told you some guys would show up, I just didn't expect it to be so quickly though, it also changes the plan slightly. Now, we will just extract all the information we can from this one and then go crush the Marauders in this area. I will say I also considered talking to Nightshade and getting them involved but frankly, I don't know how long it would take to find them or even how, not to mention if they would even agree to help as they both have the same leader."
Rebecca, still reeling from the rapid unfolding of events and Braedon's uncanny foresight couldn't help but ask, "How? I mean, how did you know they would come? When you said I would be bait and stuff I had thought it meant out there rather than predicting them coming here, can you somehow see the future or predict things?"
Braedon shrugged, downplaying his actions with a casual air. "Nope. But this is typically how things play out in novels and manga and the original plan was to find them out there but I figured this might happen, just not this fast as I already said. Honestly, if this were my territory I'd either go myself or send someone I trust to check on anyone I allowed in just to ensure they didn't cause trouble, especially if they hadn't returned when they should have."
He added, shaking his head slightly, "Besides, the trick is not to let them finish talking or to let them make the first move. I mean, what kind of idiot lets the clear enemy monologue and then allows them a chance to attack being reactionary and defensive rather than offensive? It's a perfectly clear opening to strike first when there clearly open with a dropped guard."