Death to Seriousness Chapter 6

Pennettie finished repacking her duffle, a long drawn-out process that took all of about 30 seconds. She ran to the weapons shop and picked up her new staff that she had pre-ordered. The shopkeeper sent a messenger over earlier saying that it was ready. She paid the shopkeeper and ran out the door to the stables, where she picked up her new Fel Steed. Ashton would not be happy about her spending the money on the steed, but she was not riding that chicken anymore! And besides, she was about to save his butt once again anyways. Maybe he'll overlook the horse.

Pennettie and her new horse ran out of Stormwind and began to make their way towards Goldshire. She wanted to tell Marsha Dughan there of the situations and try to get support from him and a few of the local citizens to put a stop to this new bandit threat once and for all. Right before she got to Goldshire, her horse came to an abrupt stop as she was surrounded by five bandits.

"Time to hand over your money, sweetheart", one of the bandits said. He was larger than the others, and appeared to be their leader.

"You picked the wrong lady to rob. I don't have any money, and I'm going to kick you into next week", the rebellious gnome said.

The bandits began to laugh, but the larger bandit drew his sword. "I guess we'll just have to take your horse then as payment for the toll."

Pennettie dismounted and drew her staff and said the summoning spell to call Jiccux, but nothing happened.

"What the?" the gnome said, confused.

"Oh, is someone missing their demon?" the leader of the bandits snarled and then laughed. "Don't you know to never give your blood to a demon?"

Pennettie cursed. That's what Jiccux had wanted her blood for. He had made up the ruse about the poison being worth money so he could take that blood-stained bandage of hers, and she should have seen right through it. Jiccux had no way of telling whether there was poison on the bandage he had taken or not, and it never really mattered. Demons can free themselves from their masters by drinking their master's blood if it is freely given to them. Pennettie didn't think it would work with dried blood, since you can't really drink it. How on earth did Jiccux manage to get it back to liquid form? 'Oh yeah, he's from the molten core of the earth, idiot' she cursed at herself'. She really should have paid more attention in her demon-summoning classes.

"That's okay", the gnome said, still seething about being duped by her demon. "I lasted the first few years of my life without him, I can still kick you clear back to the Jasperlode mines"

"You could, but then you'd never see your husband again. Only one of us has to get away to get back to where we're holding them and say the word, and all of your friends are dead", the bandit leader said.

"So, what do you want, then?"

"We need all of you for our plan to work", Mr. Big, Bad, Bandit Leader said.

"All of who?" the confused gnome asked. The bandit leader should know better than to confuse a gnome, because gnomes and confusion do not mix well together. She was likely to just go all nuts and summon a rain of fire five miles wide, destroying everything in its path, including Goldshire and half of Stormwind, and then try to find answers.

"All that are marked with the castle", the bandit leader responded.

"Um, you're not making any sense", she said as the clouds started to darken.

"You have a castle birthmark on your upper left shoulder, as do all of your friends", he answered.

It was true. They all had the same birthmark, although it appeared differently on all of them. Steady's had a circle around it. Ashton's had an arrow pointing north above the castle. Jemmura's, which strangely only appeared after she became undead, had a sword through it, and Pennettie's had a flame below it.

"Wait, we just met Veridius. I didn't think he had the markings", Pennettie said.

"All of you have the mark", the bandit replied. "And you will all be sacrificed. There can be none left."

"Okay, now you're just talking crazy talk", Pennettie said, now confused and pissed off. "I don't have to worry about my friends getting killed if none of you make it back," she said, releasing the torrent of anger she had built up inside thinking about her friends being held captive. Fire spilled down from the clouds taking out all of the bandits in a few seconds. She sent a bolt of fire over in the bushes to the bandits that she had seen hiding there a few seconds ago. She was going to make sure none of these jerks made it back, and she was going to rescue her friends before the day was over.