The forest grew thicker as they followed the bleeding bandit leader's directions. The two puppets carrying him moved with eerie synchronicity, their boots barely rustling the leaves. Anna walked in the center of the formation, her P38 held firmly, heart pounding like a war drum.
The first part of the mission was completed successfully. Now she needs to complete the rest half. Finishing the bandits once and for all.
After twenty minutes, the trees thinned near the sound of rushing water. Just ahead, tucked into a rocky slope beside the river, was the mouth of a cave, partially hidden by hanging vines.
Anna signaled a halt. She'd programmed them with hand gestures for basic commands. Five puppets fanned out left, five right. Two stayed with the prisoner.
From inside the cave came rough laughter and the clatter of dishes. The bandits were celebrating—probably waiting for their leader's return with "new prizes."
Anna crouched behind a mossy log, watching the entrance. Her puppets took positions—three covering the front, the others slipping around the sides to block escape routes along the riverbank.
A bandit stumbled out to relieve himself. He froze, staring straight at a puppet standing in the shadows. Before he could yell, her MP40 chattered softly—a suppressed burst Anna had coded for stealth engagements.
He dropped. But the noise of his fall echoed. A voice called from inside, "Boris? That you?"
First there was no sound. The bandits outside couldn't understand what happened or what made such noise.
Then cursing. "Check outside!" Two more bandits emerged, this time they were armed. Their swords drawn and footsteps very careful.
The puppets fired simultaneously. The shots were loud and echoed through the trees of the forest making birds and other animals run in fear.
The other bandits were now alert inside and rushed out with whatever weapons they could muster. But it was useless. The moment the rest came out, they got gunned down by the puppet that had Mp40.
Anna signalled, "Advance." She took point and the puppets followed her inside, weapons ready to fire if anyone remained inside.
The last 2 bandits had just heard the gunfire and the scream of a fellow bandit who got shot in the belly before finally shot dead. They were tasked with guarding the prisoners inside.
Now their hands were shaking, eyes wide, as the echoes of the MP40 bounced off the stone walls like thunder.
One of them drew his sword with trembling fingers. "W-who's there?! Show yourself!"
Anna stepped forward, the cave dim but her boots steady on the damp stone floor. The puppets fanned out beside her, rifles already raised with mechanical precision. Compared to their calm, she felt painfully human. Her heart pounding, breath uneven, palms slick around the grip of her P38.
Her voice came out smaller than she expected, but steady enough. "Drop your weapons. Now."
The terror on the face of the bandits were starkly contrasted by the joy on the face of the hostages the bandits held. They could see their liberation.
And seeing that their liberators were also women along with a little girl was a conflicting feeling. They didn't even know what to make of it.
Thankfully, the puppets were not misfiring anyone since Anna gave the signal to hold fire. The bandits, were also conflicted by the sight in front of them.
On one hand, there were just a few girls with wooden staff and a little girl holding who knows what. It seems almost like a joke to invade the lairs of a bandit like this.
On the other hand, they had just taken out their entire gang and were now inside. One of them had also screamed in agony. And there were thunderous sounds.
So, the two surviving bandits had no idea what their foes were packing. The tense standoff continued. The two bandits not letting go of their pickaxe. While Anna and her troops also held their weapons pointed at them.
"Last warning," Anna said, trying not to let her voice shake. "Drop them. Lie down. N-now."
The men swallowed hard. Their eyes turned to each other, then to the silent, staring puppets with their unnaturally still faces. Finally, his gaze fell on Anna.
They dropped their axes. Their life was more important than anything in this world. They surrendered. Anna signalled her puppets to tie them up along with their leader and free the hostages.
Anna found the first mistake. She had previously completely forgotten about the main leader who was injured and now her puppets dragged the dead body to tie up.
It seems he died of blood loss. Anna facepalmed. "Forget him. Tie up the other two." She ordered.
The puppets moved swiftly. There about 6 hostages. about 4 of them were women. They thanked the puppets. The women even went further to hug them.
Though the puppets showed no reaction. They stood straight after performing Anna's orders. Her first real mission was complete and the bandits that were terrorizing her father's territory were neutralized.
But now she had to handle the aftermath. The cheerful atmosphere of being freed soon died out from the hostages. They looked at the two bandits with disgust.
"The path is safe and we have cleared all the bandit teams." Anna spoke to the prisoners. "Leave these two here." She said pointing at the two tied up bandits. "Go to the nearest knights post and tell them that the bandits have been handled."