A Tale of Five Bandits - Episode 5

 

“Good of you to join us. I was beginning to think you were going to chicken out”, Duro japed at the three individuals that walked into the room from the tunnel.

The three of them immediately bowed with respect before Adewole, uttering praises and exaltations.

Sewa studied the new arrivals quietly; two men with a woman in between them.

One of them stood tall and huge, she estimated him to be six foot five in height. His head was clean shaven except for a narrow strip of hair that went down to the base of his neck . “A Mohawk” Sewa nodded to herself.  His colossal figure was riddled with scars and his face hadn’t been spared. The man was a bulk of muscles with his biceps protruding like a ball as he crossed his arms. On his back, he carried twin axes.

The second man was lean and short, his head bald and a pair of tribal marks on each cheeks. Strapped to his legs were daggers and Sewa noticed that he carried two more daggers on his forearms. His skin was fair and smooth, free of any scars and bruises, like that of a woman. He stood with his weight on his right leg and his hands on his waist. A smile formed on Sewa’s face as she arched her brow at his form.
The only woman in the bunch stood five foot ten. She was dressed with a cloth tied around her breast and a knee length Iro on her waist

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/a-tale-of-five-bandits

. The woman was muscular with a permanent smirk on her face. On her arms and wrists were bands with a pair of trinkets on her ankles. She carried a long sword on her waist and Sewa couldn’t help but smile. It was rare seeing a woman who took up arms like herself.

The huge man laughed and patted Duro on his back, “I’ve missed you too. Stand, come spar with me. It’s been awhile. I bet you’ve gone soft”.
Duro massaged his sore neck “Didn’t we do that few days ago? The result will still be the same, a draw. You just find it hard to accept and besides I’m a little sore. I have the tip of her sword against my throat and my neck is still sore” he said pointing to Sewa.

The bulky man roared with laughter, “You mean a little kitten like her injured the panther? Ah, I said it. You’ve grown weak. Face me, coward”.

“Trust me, this kitten has sharp claws”, Duro scoffed, making Sewa smile with pride.

“Would you all like to sit down”, Adewole interrupted the men’s conversation and gestured at the chairs the guards offered, “There’s no more time to waste. Now let’s get acquainted.  Adesewa, this is Adegoke” he said referring to giant.

Read " Resuscitated Hope " by the same author ( Obinna Tony )

. “This one here is Adeleke” he pointed to the short man. “Lastly, this is Monifa” he gestured at the woman. The men nodded their heads at her while the woman casted a furtive wink at Sewa.

Adewole looked at their faces and continued “You already know Durojaiye here. Everyone else, this is Adesewa”, Sewa raised her head high and puffed her chest out, making her small stature more prominent, “She is infamously known as Wolverine”.

“Are we supposed to know who that is?” Adeleke said, scratching his bald head.

“Hmm, the name sounds familiar but I can’t remember where I heard it from...”, Monifa said with a finger on her lips, her eyes raised to the ceiling, lost in thought.

Adegoke shrugged his shoulders in ignorance. Duro stared jaw-dropped at his companions “Wait, what? You’ve not heard of her?”. He shifted his gaze to Sewa and for a second he saw a gleam of surprise in her eyes.

She quickly assumed an indifferent expression and changed the topic “So why are we here?”
Adewole coughed and leaned forward with his fingers intertwined “Yes, the matter at hand. I do not know if you know this but we have a grave case of unbridled pestilence spreading across the Empire. We don’t know what this disease is or how it spreads. We don’t even know what caused it but we do know that its effects are severe. The skin rots as the body appears starved and bony like all the meat in the body is being devoured from within. Weeks of pain and suffering then death”.