On the road to the lair of the Bandit King

Thus, two days later, Mel found herself sitting on the bench of a covered wagon guiding the four horses pulling the wagon along a trail through the woods. She was wearing a black knee-length skirt and black boots, along with a light blue sleeveless blouse that revealed a slight portion of her ample cleavage. The silver bracelets she wore would occasionally glint as they caught the light breaking through some of the openings in the tree canopy above. And then there was the nearly sparkling sapphire necklace, which matched her eyes quite nicely. She had a shield and rapier on the wagon seat next to her, along with a loaded crossbow. Dante did not tell her where he had hidden himself, but she was confident he was traveling with her.

Soon she came to the area where they had expected the Bandit King would strike. Sure enough, a few men stepped out from their hiding places amongst the trees and gestured for her to bring the wagon to a stop. She did so, and started to reach for the crossbow. One of the men said "I wouldn't do that miss. I'd hate to have our men put any holes in you." She glanced over where two bowmen stepped out from the trees, their arrows pointed at her. Slowly she returned her hands to her lap. "There's a good lass. Lad's loot the wagon."

A few men moved into the wagon and started to search. "Nobody else inside," one called out. The man who had spoken earlier looked at her face. "Traveling alone along this road are you lass? That be a wee bit dangerous. Fortunately, you didn't run into any of the savage beasts that roam these woods... unless you count us." He licked his lips and looked her body up and down, before his eyes came to rest on the jewelry. "Well, the boss'll appreciate your set... of jewelry, I'm sure." The men with him laughed. The men who went inside the wagon stepped back out. "Nothing much inside, unless you fancy dresses and some casks of wine."

"Well lads, unhitch the horses and grab the casks. Then torch the wagon - and be careful not to set the woods afire." Mel's face paled a bit as the men led her and the horses away. A few men rolled the casks along the ground and disappeared behind a certain group of trees. As she looked back she saw the wagon going up in flames. The man who was the leader tore his gaze away from looking down her shirt and smiled at her. "Don't worry lass. Our boss has an appreciate for beauty." Mel rolled her eyes and shook her head, and walked on with the men, moving behind the trees. She saw an older man with a pock-marked face and graying beard standing there. The man was in robes and was standing next to some sort of shimmering portal. "It's about time. I have much to attend to back at the base if I am to discern the mysteries of the container for the Bandit King."

The man leading Mel along laughed. "Ah, Calvin, come now, isn't the fresh air better than those musty books?" Calvin shook his head, muttering something about "no appreciation for his art" under his breath. "Through the portal and back to the base, hurry now. I can't keep this open all day." Right as she was about to step through the portal, Mel jumped and gasped as she felt one of the men pinch her rear. Her next step took her from the woods into what appeared to be a stone cavern. Men rolled the casks over to one side and others led the horses off to a stable area. As Mel was led along, several of the men in the cavern whistled in admiration of her figure.

Mel was led down a stone tunnel to a wooden door. The man leading her smiled at her and said, "Well, I hope you are well-rested. I'm sure our leader will want to spend a lot of time with you." He then knocked on the door. A few moments later, the door opened and Mel saw...