The Lands of Ralosia & Ranuulo- Short Story Collection

Inmate Chapter 3- Sky Bandit Men

~Chapter 3- Sky Bandit Men ~

Brass kept an eye out for when the men of the Sky Bandits would enter the recreation hall. The three young men came in with their cell block.

Two of them were men with black hair and short statures. Brass guessed that they must be brothers. One of them was slightly more muscular and had a talon-shaped scar over his brow. The other had a thin mustache and no other facial hair to be seen. There was an intensity to them.

The third was tall and very muscular, with a brown-haired mullet. He seemed much more at ease than the others.

Brass stepped out of the library to head to the bathrooms and he noticed there were a few more guards watching this cell block of inmates. Among them was Warden Opal itself.

A few of the inmates came around the library, checking out the first book they fancied. The Sky Bandit with a scar over his brow, entered the library and looked through the books before coming to Brass.

"I'd like to check this one out," the young man said.

Brass looked over it, "You want this book?"

"Yes."

Brass raised an eyebrow, "...This is a dictionary, son."

The young man's eyes darted down to the book and back to Brass, "I know."

Brass stared for a moment before rolling his eyes and grabbing his ledger, "...alright. What's your name?"

"Lucar."

Brass jotted that down into the ledger, "Alright, Lucar. Make sure to return it when you get the chance. If the library isn't open on the day you want to return it, just drop it in the bin outside."

"Yes, sir."

Brass would occasionally peer out of the library at the inmates. Most were chatting idly at the dining tables. Some stepped aside to play one of the board games that were left out.

But the two black-haired brothers seemed anxious. When he heard shouting, he knew it was them.

"We wouldn't be stuck in here if not for you!"

"Me?" Lucar shouted back at his brother, "If you had just followed the plan, we would've gotten out of there in no time!"

A crowd of other inmates circled the two brothers, and guards were approaching, prepared to de-escalate things if needed.

"It was a dumb plan! I was doing what I could to save it!"

Lucar landed a stiff strike across his brother's face, who stood there stunned. He returned his own front kick, knocking Lucar several meters back through the crowd around them.

Guards moved in to restrain the two. One placed a hand on Lucar, to which he replied, "Get your hands off me!"

With a simple flourish of his wrists, he cast the stone guard away. Guards circled the two brothers, but they were able to throw the stone guards as if they were ragdolls. Brass had heard the Sky Bandits were powerful, and seeing them handle so many of the guards at once was a feat to behold.

"I'll handle them," Warden Opal stated, gesturing its hand for the guards to back off.

The two brothers stood together to face of the Warden.

Opal folded its arms behind it and calmly spoke, "If you're smart, you'll submit. I'd prefer not to force you."

"Go ahead and try!" The brother exclaimed, running towards the Warden. A fist came, and Opal raised one arm to catch it. A loud shock reverberated through the recreational area when they struck.

Opal calmly held the brother's fist in its hand. With the other, it landed a quick strike to the man's gut. He knelt to the ground, gripping his stomach in pain.

Lucar circled the Warden and jumped at him with a kick. But the Warden's many eyes saw the attack coming. Opal ducked under it and delivered a stern strike to his back that knocked him to the floor.

While the two brothers were grounded, Opal locked their cuffs behind their backs.

"Hopefully you'll behave going forward," Opal stated, calmly folding its arms behind it, "Take them back to their cells. They'll be missing out on a few days of recreational time."

Guards circled the two brothers and stood them up. With their hands bound behind them, they didn't try to fight back. The two were escorted out of the recreational area, and the other inmates returned to idle activity.

All throughout the fight, the third of the Sky Bandit men calmly sat at a table and watched, never showing any inclination to get involved. The Warden approached him and asked, "Should I expect an outburst like that from you?"
He shook his head, "No, sir. I've seen how powerful you are. I know better."

Once the hour was concluded, that cell block of inmates was moved out of the recreational area. Soon after, guards came to Brass.

"It's time to return you to your cell."

"Seems about right. I've seen enough excitement today," Brass replied, stepping out of the library with them, "I want to check one thing though."

Brass stepped towards the dining table where he saw Bonnie leave her note. There was a note there, but the position wasn't the same as before. Brass slipped the paper out and saw one word.

'Soft'

Brass returned it beneath the table and allowed the guards to return him to his cell.